Well done boss

[mosssideblue]

I am not sure the top teams have become more competitive in all honesty, but even so, what you are implying is that we have become progressively less competitive?

I do think the top teams have gotten closer to us in terms of their quality, which IMO is a reason we have struggled against most of them this season. To answer your specific question, I think we have become less competitive, because we have allowed others to become better i.e. our squad is not what it was and needed improving.

 

[mosssideblue]

Spurs do look to have improved but when you look at their points tally it's just par for the course with them. There's a decent argument there to say they only look good because the usual challengers have been shit.

WestHam, Leicester (probably a one off), Southampton ?

 

[Chippy_boy]

Honestly, I can handle the results side of things just fine. Coming 4th doesn't bother me and I don't expect us to win the league, nor indeed any silverware every single year.

What really ****s me off are the piss poor performances and even worse the way our style of play has regressed to the point that 8 times out of 10 we are pretty dull to watch, with slow, laborious play, everything in front of the opposition's defence, sloppy in possession, disorganised and shambolic defending. As a "team", we are imho in the bottom half of the league, maybe lower. But we are rescued by having a handful of really top class players. West Ham the other night played better than we have done for weeks, with players who wouldn't get on the bench at City.

There's no way on this god's earth that we should be watching sides like Swansea play more attractive football than we do.

 

[Rolee]

WestHam, Leicester (probably a one off), Southampton ?

I was talking about Spurs. The same can apply to Southampton really, the last two seasons they have similar point tallies.

 

[mosssideblue]

I was talking about Spurs. The same can apply to Southampton really, the last two seasons they have similar point tallies.

I'm not protecting Pellers here, let me make that clear. My point is that there are many factors why a team that is expected to perform struggles. For me there are two major reasons why we haven't done as well as we might

1. Injuries to key personnel
2. Our squad becoming weaker through age, attitude and general loss of form

Yes, if Pellers had been more savvy, he might have squeezed a little more out of them (not enough to win the league though IMO), but for me, they are the two most damning reasons.

 

[br88]

Spurs do look to have improved but when you look at their points tally it's just par for the course with them. There's a decent argument there to say they only look good because the usual challengers have been shit.

I want to try and simplify this discussion. If we forget for a minute the various comparisons of who improved or not etc....I will just say that, as I walked out of the stadium after the vast majority of games last season, I was feeling depressed at what my team had served up. There is no right or wrong with this....that is just what I felt.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I'm not protecting Pellers here, let me make that clear. My point is that there are many factors why a team that is expected to perform struggles. For me there are two major reasons why we haven't done as well as we might

1. Injuries to key personnel
2. Our squad becoming weaker through age, attitude and general loss of form

Yes, if Pellers had been more savvy, he might have squeezed a little more out of them (not enough to win the league though IMO), but for me, they are the two most damning reasons.

Ah well, what is done is done, for whatever reason. Fourth place will be in the bag Sunday night and we have the best manager we could possibly want for the next 3+ years. We will be just fine.

 

[SWP's back]

Topping the group helped. A very difficult group. Still I've read on here that that wasn't our achievement but Juventus "throwing it away". I guess that'll be just like Liverpool and United throwing away the titles we won.

Well they beat us twice in a six game group so I am not sure what else you'd call it.

We were better than United and Liverpool. We certainly weren't and aren't better than Juve.

 

[SWP's back]

As a general note weird how sarcy one or two get if someone dares put forward a mildly positive slant.

That's rich fella.

 

[mosssideblue]

Ah well, what is done is done, for whatever reason. Fourth place will be in the bag Sunday night and we have the best manager we could possibly want for the next 3+ years. We will be just fine.

Fully agree