We blew it!

[thfcsteff]

I look at this team and see one of the best we've had in my 20-something years as a supporter.

I can't quite figure out where these ridiculous expectations some people have are coming from. We are not Manchester United or Chelsea. We don't have their financial resources, but we still manage to be up there.

What I cannot believe is that anyone is questioning the direction we're heading in at rapid speed. Did AVB make a few mistakes? Of course. He is thirty fudging six years old! It will happen! But did we achieve something this season? Yes. A record points haul in the PL. But some won't have it!

 

[Raziel]

What I cannot believe is that anyone is questioning the direction we're heading in at rapid speed. Did AVB make a few mistakes? Of course. He is thirty fudging six years old! It will happen! But did we achieve something this season? Yes. A record points haul in the PL. But some won't have it!

Our fans are close to Pool's in terms of how deluded ..

More than half this board will argue every year that some how we have a side that should "walk" the top 4. No matter the fact that there is nothing fact wise to justify it, no precedent, no recent history, no big spend .. other than FM dreams ...

 

[thfcsteff]

Our fans are close to Pool's in terms of how deluded ..

More than half this board will argue every year that some how we have a side that should "walk" the top 4. No matter the fact that there is nothing fact wise to justify it, no precedent, no recent history, no big spend .. other than FM dreams ...

It's so, so sad...

 

[Bullet]

is the statement wrong? I thought the general consensus round here was that our defending went to brick after the Arsenal game

Well the table shows we let in 17 and Cheat$ki let in 15, so I actually thought the table showed the opposite - i.e. our defending was not good, but it wasn't much worse than that lot.

 

[indianspur]

It's so, so sad...

but you were the most vocal in saying we would finish in the top 4 :lol:...what made you believe it was so possible?
whats so sad about others believing it was possible and then being disappointed when it didnt happen.

 

[Jordinho]

but you were the most vocal in saying we would finish in the top 4 :lol:...what made you believe it was so possible?
whats so sad about others believing it was possible and then being disappointed when it didnt happen.

There's a slight difference believing it possible and expecting it.

 

[indianspur]

There's a slight difference believing it possible and expecting it.

yeah, and Steff expected it

 

[kanoute16]

I can't understand why people are so happy to just accept that the top 4 teams SHOULD be above us!

It came down to beating wigan or fulham at home - arsenal did this but we AGAIN could not.

Why is this ok? Because we used to be brick and are now better?

I fully accept that we have done well this season but we lost out because we have a thin squad and not enough quality up front.

We've been crying out for a quality striker for years now but this is never delivered.

Why is it wrong to be disappointed with exactly the same outcome as last season and expecting better? Because it does not fit in with the "happy clappers"? (Who was it that used to use this term on here years ago?)

 

[Mumorn]

"It came down to beating wigan or fulham at home - arsenal did this but we AGAIN could not."

But if Saudi Sportswashing Machine had equalised against Arsenal, we'd be top 4 so that wouldn't matter?..

Could have, would have, should have..

 

[Jordinho]

I'm happy about this season as we got more points than last season, we are improving and quite frankly already overachieving. You can be unhappy about Joe Lewis not spunking his fortune on us the way City and Chelsea are buying trophies, but as long as we continue to work within our current means this is about as good as it's going to get. That's the reality we live in.

 

[kanoute16]

"It came down to beating wigan or fulham at home - arsenal did this but we AGAIN could not."

But if Saudi Sportswashing Machine had equalised against Arsenal, we'd be top 4 so that wouldn't matter?..

Could have, would have, should have..

My point is that we could have done it, beaten the "magnificent" gunners to fourth place. It was within touching distance and we again failed to do it.

People in here are saying that we should not be disappointed with this because they are better than us. Well they will always be if we (the club) is thinking like this.

Anyway what does Saudi Sportswashing Machine have to do with this? Were you seriously expecting that shower of brick to do us a favour. How ridiculous?

 

[Mumorn]

My point is that we could have done it, beaten the "magnificent" gunners to fourth place. It was within touching distance and we again failed to do it.

People in here are saying that we should not be disappointed with this because they are better than us. Well they will always be if we (the club) is thinking like this.

Anyway what does Saudi Sportswashing Machine have to do with this? Were you seriously expecting that shower of brick to do us a favour. How ridiculous?

My point is. If Saudi Sportswashing Machine had scored, you wouldnt be chatting this flimflam about "oh it came down to fulham or wigan" etc.. because we'd have got top 4.. you wouldnt have cared less what we failed on doing previously in the season.

 

[Jordinho]

Arsenal have far bigger resources at their disposal. I have no reason to expect us to finish above them, no matter how much I want us to. If we are to continue to challenge for top 4 places and not just fall away after one or two really good seasons we need to continue building gradually instead of going on a huge spending spree.

 

[indianspur]

I'm happy about this season as we got more points than last season, we are improving and quite frankly already overachieving. You can be unhappy about Joe Lewis not spunking his fortune on us the way City and Chelsea are buying trophies, but as long as we continue to work within our current means this is about as good as it's going to get. That's the reality we live in.

I am

50 mill isnt exactly the billion each that Roman and the Sheikh have spent is it.....

nah, we just have to do things the right way. Cool

 

[Mumorn]

Arsenal have far bigger resources at their disposal. I have no reason to expect us to finish above them, no matter how much I want us to. If we are to continue to challenge for top 4 places and not just fall away after one or two really good seasons we need to continue building gradually instead of going on a huge spending spree.

Exactly.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. If you are all expecting us to just go and compete for honours every year then go support Emirates Marketing Project or something. We aren't going to break bank to bring in 3 or 5 players. We are trying to do things the right way and so far it's gotten us 4th, 5th, 4th, 5th in the last 4 years. We are a few players away from being a real top side, what we need to do is bring in those players WHILST not getting rid of some of our best assets.

 

[milo]

I am

50 mill isnt exactly the billion each that Roman and the Sheikh have spent is it.....

nah, we just have to do things the right way. Cool

He didn't buy the club as a play thing, he bought it as an investment. Putting in his personal money or running up debts would be counter productive to
his motivations for buying the club.

If people want an owner who splashes the cash they will have to wait until ENIC sell up.

 

[indianspur]

He didn't buy the club as a play thing, he bought it as an investment. Putting in his personal money or running up debts would be counter productive to
his motivations for buying the club.

If people want an owner who splashes the cash they will have to wait until ENIC sell up.

i understand its an investment, just like others in his portfolio, and he wants to make a big fat return on his investment one day, Great, i get it. Doesnt mean i have to like it

 

[milo]

i understand its an investment, just like others in his portfolio, and he wants to make a big fat return on his investment one day, Great, i get it. Doesnt mean i have to like it

It doesn't indeed

 

[thfcsteff]

but you were the most vocal in saying we would finish in the top 4 :lol:...what made you believe it was so possible?
whats so sad about others believing it was possible and then being disappointed when it didnt happen.

'The most vocal?' There were others. But that's OK, I am proud to be associated with that statement!:lol:

Disappointment is with all of us. You. Me. Everyone. But if you want to know specifically what I think is sad, it's the fact that some people turn onto the negative/what we did wrong/where we fudged up/how's this an improvement over last year and deride those who don't agree. As I have said in reply to a few people, fine, let's agree to disagree, but that simply isn't good enough for a few people, who want to hammer home some invisible point of 'truth'.

What made ME believe it was 'so possible'? The fact that I genuinely believed anywhere from 70 points on would be enough to make top 4 this season. And the fact that our THIRTY SIX year old manager has shown a willingness to learn from mistakes, adapt to situations and work with injuries in a fashion which suggested we would find a way.

Don't worry, I understand that some cannot wait to carve a negative angle when (frankly) the fact we didn't make the top 4 is the ONLY negative in a season when only Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder 'might' fail to see the immense progress on and off the pitch. When Bale is confirmed as staying for another season at least, will you believe it then?

 

[thfcsteff]

yeah, and Steff expected it

Whatever.

I whole-heartedly believed we could do it. I did not sit grumpily 'expecting' us to do it and considering failure to do it a 'failure' or 'blowing it'...you obviously are one of the few poor souls who reads what I post. if this is the case, you will recognize how much I figure context into everything. And the context of all that happened this season on the pitch and behind the scenes delights me except for the failure to get top 4. Again, most people would've expected 70 points to have secured that, even with 5 games to go. I certainly did not expect Man Utd to lie down like a bunch of tossers for the remaining 4 or 5 games of the season...

And here's one for your pipe (and a few others I'd imagine)...I am delighted that the schematic of our coaching and management set-up has changed to the current situation. Anything but the miserable shower of bricky excuses we had to listen to from the manager last season. At least this manager cops to it and DEMANDS more of HIMSELF and others. He is PROGRESSIVE not PROTECTIVE of his own 'legacy'...