Happy Clapper thread

[jimharri]

We'll win the league, no doubt in my mind.

On current form, there's more chance of my mate getting hold of the saddle off Gal Gadot's exercise bike.

 

[Burtonblue]

Our league position most definitely is not a reflection of our team and due to playing two months without a striker.
I fully believe we will climb the league over the next 2 months now we can put the CL to bed for a while and our strikers are coming back.
Not so sure about winning the league given the unpredictability thanks to Covid but we will be there or thereabouts..

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Yes I agree.

To be honest we've always had this issue of missed chances with Pep, but if you score 3 or 4 from 25 goal attempts, it's not an issue, we almost always win, but while we are scoring 0 or 1, it becomes an issue, because we are one bit of bad luck/bad defending from going behind, and when we go behind, we struggle to get it back.

You’re exactly right and it was the story of last season. Conceding from the opposition’s first attack, then pummelling them but not scoring as the clock ticks on. Spurs on Saturday was the same.

I think we will get it right. I can see Pep looking for answers every week.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Last season and this one I think will be rare disappointments caused by a bit of a perfect storm. To be fair if you could choose a couple of seasons to be underwhelming then these two would probably be the ones...

In terms of the future I think there is plenty to look forward too, though happy clappers maybe get a tad carried away and fail to see some blatantly obvious weaknesses that need to be addressed, as does Pep it seems.

I think Pep sees them but the club wouldn’t always pay to get them sorted.

Pep will want a replacement for Aguero and Fernandinho next season being the two eldest. Their replacements will be vital and I think Pep has been given assurances we will get them in ASAP.

Let’s hope it’s who Pep wants who, I believe, are Haaland and Zakaria.

Messi may come into the equation.

 

[purplenose]

Our league position most definitely is not a reflection of our team and due to playing two months without a striker.
I fully believe we will climb the league over the next 2 months now we can put the CL to bed for a while and our strikers are coming back.
Not so sure about winning the league given the unpredictability thanks to Covid but we will be there or thereabouts..

I will gladly take top 4 this time out. Already a tall order, but not in anyway beyond this team so not a panic by any means.

 

[M12Blue]

I feel the same generally, I think the football is there, but I do have a worry, and that is clear from the last 2 games, 44 shots, 16 on target, 1 goal, it's bordering on ridiculous, and needs sorting out, it was last seasons problem at times, but it's got worse.

Nothing really to sort if we’re creating that many chances other than players striking the ball cleanly and on target. It’ll happen soon enough

 

[blueyorkie]

Am I happy with our league position? Hell no. But I dont think things are half as gloomy as many make out. We got 1 point from Scouser and Spurs games, but on another day, it could have been 6. Kev slots his penalty, then we likely win that game. And we could easily have scored 3 against Spurs: first KDB's drive is destined for the bottom corner except it hits Jesus who is on the ground; then Jesus's was a handball, but marginal and clearly much less blatant than TAA's last year and no worse than Llorente's in the CL; and finally Mahrez goes down in the penalty box when clipped and surely it's a spot kick.

Meanwhile, all the squad is finally fit, the defence is mostly looking more solid, and our three new boys are settling in decently. We have qualified for the CL scoring 10 and conceding 1, allowing us to rest some players in the last two match rounds. And the uncertainty over Pep is gone or at least another year.

Sure maybe I need to wipe my very blue-tinted specs. But it looks likely that nobody will run away with this season's title. Could well be like 2013/14 where 86 points won it after we had lost 4 of our first 12 games and were sitting in 10th place as I recall.

We have Chelsea-Spurs and Spurs-Scousers coming up. A couple of draws, and suddenly we could be right back in the mix. Oh and win the derby so we are back above the Scum. It's very 2020 to see them ahead of us in the league ...

Penalty wise the two handed one by their defender in the second half was as blatant as can be yet nothing given, hardly mentioned on the commentary

 

[cleavers]

Penalty wise the two handed one by their defender in the second half was as blatant as can be yet nothing given, hardly mentioned on the commentary

....and not checked by VAR either it seems.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

I've said for a while that I think if we sign an older player - someone who's had a great career and has nothing left to prove, they would bag a lot in this team. We need someone who does nothing except score goals. No chasing about, no having to close players down, no silly stuff, no tactics - just score goals.

I've joked about getting The Goat back, as he would be perfect haha! The guy couldn't control or pass a ball, but knew exactly where the net was. A guy who does nothing except score. The Goat would get 40 a season in this side, no question about it.

If we could bag Levandowski, Mandzukic, Dzeko or someone like this in January, the goals will FLOW. He'd have a chance of winning the golden boot in half a season! :) In all honesty, I do get the feeling that Messi is the one who will come in to do that and who knows, he could be the one to unlock the rest of the team.

 

[franksinatra]

I feel the same generally, I think the football is there, but I do have a worry, and that is clear from the last 2 games, 44 shots, 16 on target, 1 goal, it's bordering on ridiculous, and needs sorting out, it was last seasons problem at times, but it's got worse.

I think that problem will never cure itself fully, because we often play a midfielder in the front three or the wide players we have are just not natural finishers.

However we can be a lot more efficient and once that happens, which is inevitable we have the best defensive base for a number of seasons to build on.