Not all good & not all bad. I think it would have been worse with every former manager except Hughton.
Thank heavens for Pascal Gross. But thank more for van Hecke, Pedro, Adingra, Ferguson, Gilmour, Fati and Hinshelwood being superb and contributing way more than their young years would suggest.
Very true, perspective required and we're doing OK with injuries taking their toll but certainly frustrating where the Sheff Utd and Burnley games are concerned.This is most definitely a transitional season. Given the sales/loss of half a dozen top players, the expectation from a bunch of kids is astounding. The fact we're where we are is equally astounding. We're in our best ever position at this point (just) We've played 5 Euro games extra and have a significant injury crisis.
I can't get frustrated, its a waste of time and energy. . .just think back a few years . . .we drew 1-1 most weeks, or lost, and it was dire to watch by comparisson.
it was but I lost count of the number of times I had my head in my hands as we conceded a soft goal…again and missed chance after chance.Anyway, I thought it was an entertaining match today, regardless of the result.
Clean sheets not all about the keeper. It's the way we play, and the way we play would have conceded far more goals with sanchez as keeper (in response to another post).Not sure it is doing Steeles or Verbruggans confidence any good with the constant changes. Not sure how a keeper gets fatigued. We need to stick with a No 1 and then the clean sheets will follow
Absolutely re transition season, and if we achieve some success (European place) then next season we'll really fly with the experiences gained this season plus investment. Provided de zerbi stays.This is most definitely a transitional season. Given the sales/loss of half a dozen top players, the expectation from a bunch of kids is astounding. The fact we're where we are is equally astounding. We're in our best ever position at this point (just) We've played 5 Euro games extra and have a significant injury crisis.
I can't get frustrated, its a waste of time and energy. . .just think back a few years . . .we drew 1-1 most weeks, or lost, and it was dire to watch by comparisson.
The first half was way more open if we had started the better players it quite possibly would have been a different result. We then could have subbed them second half instead of trying to play catch up. January isn’t going to be pretty with Mitoma and Adingra off to the respective tournaments Pedro struggled on the wing.Absolutely re transition season, and if we achieve some success (European place) then next season we'll really fly with the experiences gained this season plus investment. Provided de zerbi stays.
That first half was soooooo flat though
It was a deflected goal, not a soft goal.it was but I lost count of the number of times I had my head in my hands as we conceded a soft goal…again and missed chance after chance.
If you limit it to the shot, sure. But if you include the passage of play that led to him getting into position to shoot, it was soft. Too often opposition just run straight through us and get into dangerous positions too easily (see alo the Brentford run for the penalty on Wednesday).It was a deflected goal, not a soft goal.
I understand that, and injuries to experienced full backs don’t help, but it wasn’t a soft goal.If you limit it to the shot, sure. But if you include the passage of play that led to him getting into position to shoot, it was soft. Too often opposition just run straight through us and get into dangerous positions too easily (see alo the Brentford run for the penalty on Wednesday).
Why ? We didn’t even fill our 25 man squad did we ? And wages aren’t causing an issueI also think it is time to start looking at the long time injuries,
Lamptey is great but last 3 seasons hardly played ,
Webster is injured a lot
Lana injured a lot
Maybe time to cut our losses on the above
Get replacements in JanuaryWhy ? We didn’t even fill our 25 man squad did we ? And wages aren’t causing an issue
We can replace them, without ‘selling’ them though can’t we ? We only have 19 registered overage players at the momentGet replacements in January
You’re mixing up two things — 1. where we are as a football club, given our history (answer: extremely happy, obviously) and 2. how we feel dropping yet more points at home against a relegation side (answer: unhappy). This constant confusion between these two different things does my head in. It’s nothing to do with feeling entitled. It’s the fact that we still have very tough home games to come against Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Man Utd, Aston Villa, Chelsea, none of which I’m certain of winning. We can make jokes about Utd and Chelsea but they will be much harder games than Burnley, Sheff Utd and Fulham should have been. The fact is, we rely on beating the bottom sides to give us a cushion against the top sides. We’re not beating the bottom sides, and that’s a concern.I see today as a missed opportunity. We did enough to win (forget about 'deserving' - no one 'deserves' to win), and simply failed to score the extra goal needed to do so.
Yes, we had many chances to do so, but that same scenario is played out every week, across all the leagues, from Premier downwards.
The upshot is that we, along with many others, win matches that we perhaps shouldn't and lose/draw matches that we shouldn't.
Football has always been that way and long may it continue.
Are any of us 'happy' about the result today, or 'happy' about recent (Prem - for clarity) results? Probably not.
Are any of 'happy' with where we are overall?
I'd like to think every damn fan on here is, because if you're not, you're in danger of becoming an entitled fool - and none of us wants to be one of those....do they?
Anyway, I thought it was an entertaining match today, regardless of the result.
All about opinions, not a single challenge went in on the Burnley build up, it was a very soft goal imo. I also think Verbruggen could have done better deflection or not, but I’m not blaming himIt was a deflected goal, not a soft goal.
Your last sentence contradicts itself.All about opinions, not a single challenge went in on the Burnley build up, it was a very soft goal imo. I also think Verbruggen could have done better deflection or not, but I’m not blaming him