Ashley "not so" Young

[Cereal Killer]

99th out of one hundred teams

Be 100th when we let Southampton have 80% possession…

[AjaxAndy]

About as average as a front line you’ll see in the premier league that.

Completely missing the point, they had pace to hurt us because a) they have pace, and b) because we have probably the slowest backline in the league.

But they didn't hurt us because we protected the weakness. Yes the other part, the going the other way was shit which I don't think anyone arguing against, but let's not pretend our backline somehow is anything other than it is, which is absolutely shit.

[Shogun]

Out of interest, who is number 100?

[AjaxAndy]

It's good I think and they look tidy but I can't look at that and think wow how do we land a dig on them. Have some self respect even if we are shite. There's a proper lowering of expectations going on at the moment and it's scary to see!

At what point weren't your expectations lowered? When Benitez looked to be taking us down only for Lampard to step in and fumble us over the line?

When Lampard had us dead certs for relegation before Dyche came in and kept us up?

When we sold all our decent players to satisfy PSR only to fall foul anyway and get two points deductions in the same season?

I don't know what you think we are as a club, but for a long period now we've been slowly circling the drain clinging on to the edge by our finger tips.

If 9 points from 5 games isn't acceptable after everything we've been through with staying up on the last day of a season, facing financial oblivion, almost being taken over by a Ponzi scheme... Well I'm maybe just more of a realist than some.

Similar points total to last season, comfortably away from relegation, go in to the new stadium a more stable Premier League club... They might be low expectations but I don't believe we have any reason to ask for more than that at the moment in time.

[brap2]

[Cozzie]

Empoli I think.

[Cozzie]

So we don't want Thomas Frank then?

[Free Agent]

Empoli I think.

Do they need a new manager?

[Bluedylan1]

It's good I think and they look tidy but I can't look at that and think wow how do we land a dig on them. Have some self respect even if we are shite. There's a proper lowering of expectations going on at the moment and it's scary to see!

Well said that man.

In psychological terms, a lot of our fans are exhibiting a classic trauma response to the last few years (perhaps understandably). Afraid to go outside, afraid to open the front door. Just hunker down and never hope for anything better.

[AjaxAndy]

Well said that man.

In psychological terms, a lot of our fans are exhibiting a classic trauma response to the last few years (perhaps understandably). Afraid to go outside, afraid to open the front door. Just hunker down and never hope for anything better.

No just because people reference past seasons doesn't mean they can't be objective, and classing anyone who does refer to it as being in some trauma state is completely unobjective too.

You can recognise where we are as a club now and where we've been in recent seasons, it's not one or the other.

Trying to dismiss views based on this whilst also failing to recognise a backline with zero pace and full backs that can't cross the halfway line without leaving us completely exposed is also unobjective.

I mean who are the ones actually burying their heads in the sand here?

[superpull]

The squad is much worse than some of you think.

Also true:

We could be much better, much sooner than some of you think.

[Bob Sacamano]

I’m of the opinion that most managers wouldn’t have touched us with a barge pole when this fella rode into town. He’s always been quick to tell us that it’s an impossible job and implying he’s our saviour. I don’t think he’s wrong for the lost part due to the mess he was working in. Not many managers could have done it.

But that’s then and this is now. I’m absolutely sure another manager could get a tune out of this lot. Even a limited manager like Dyche technically got us to 12th last term. His Burnley side was trash to watch and his Everton side is trash to watch. Maybe he just has his teams playing football that’s trash to watch. Some managers are just like that.

And I don’t blame people for not wanting another change. Every time we hit a slump I think oh shit here we go again and wonder if I’ve got the energy to watch us through another slump that makes us almost impossible to watch.

Hopefully he sees out the season. We get rid of some wages, sell for good fees then replace the wages with sensible purchases on sensible wages. If we replace some of the contracts with players who actually warrant those wages we will be better off after a clear out.

[Bluedylan1]

No just because people reference past seasons doesn't mean they can't be objective, and classing anyone who does refer to it as being in some trauma state is completely unobjective too.

You can recognise where we are as a club now and where we've been in recent seasons, it's not one or the other.

Trying to dismiss views based on this whilst also failing to recognise a backline with zero pace and full backs that can't cross the halfway line without leaving us completely exposed is also unobjective.

I mean who are the ones actually burying their heads in the sand here?

I get it dude. Fear is an incredibly powerful emotion and the easiest one to appeal to. Let's draw those curtains and padlock the doors.

[AjaxAndy]

The squad is much worse than some of you think.

Also true:

We could be much better, much sooner than some of you think.

I think we can be much better, I've even said the Fulham performance was awful. I think to be better we need Branthwaite in the team, we probably need Garner at RB and Mangala in midfield.

What I don't believe is we can play the back 4 we did against any team with pace and do anything but protect them at all costs. There's a debate about starting other players in that scenario so we can cope better I think that's worth having.

[brap2]

At what point weren't your expectations lowered? When Benitez looked to be taking us down only for Lampard to step in and fumble us over the line?

When Lampard had us dead certs for relegation before Dyche came in and kept us up?

When we sold all our decent players to satisfy PSR only to fall foul anyway and get two points deductions in the same season?

I don't know what you think we are as a club, but for a long period now we've been slowly circling the drain clinging on to the edge by our finger tips.

If 9 points from 5 games isn't acceptable after everything we've been through with staying up on the last day of a season, facing financial oblivion, almost being taken over by a Ponzi scheme... Well I'm maybe just more of a realist than some.

Similar points total to last season, comfortably away from relegation, go in to the new stadium a more stable Premier League club... They might be low expectations but I don't believe we have any reason to ask for more than that at the moment in time.

Yea I'm well known for my optimism on here