Please: can we just focus on this season?

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Surely it's possible to enjoy the ride and look forward to the destination?

Dale Stephens is off and needs replacing, so why not speculate on who might fit the bill?

 

[blue'n'white]

Loads of threads about next season already, and whilst our position is undoubtedly great, there's still work to do. But that's not my point.

I've been watching the Albion since I was ten years old, and for thirty odd years since, I've been dreaming about being where we are now. Last season was close, but this season looks like it is, finally, going to be the one. I've watched more crap players than I care to remember, at the Goldstone, at the Pissfield and at Withdean as well as the Amex, and this current squad is easily the best I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I've seen five promotions, but none will be as sweet as this one- if we do it- because we finally have an infrastructure that can support it. And because the thousands lost during the years in exile, or slumming it at Withdean, are back, along with a generation of new fans who run around football pitches in Preston Park and Hove Park and Worthing and Lancing and Burgess Hill and Eastbourne and Horsham and so on, wearing Albion shirts instead of Chelsea or Liverpool ones. Because if we do it this time, it's going to be huge.

We have five games to go, and every chance of wrapping things up. We need to savour it, to enjoy it, and to roar the players on to that point and beyond. Let's not go on about players for next season, or chances of survival, or ticket prices in the Premier League yet. That's for later times, and the current players deserve more respect. I'm pretty sure nobody at Loftus Road yesterday was thinking about signings as we danced around for long after the players had walked off.

Let us just soak up these last few weeks, while Chris & the players hopefully finish things off in style. Sit back...enjoy...treasure it...worry about the rest later!

!00% the most sensible post I've read in an age ! Putting everything into perspective

 

[Weststander]

Loving the ride of this season, especially this last week. A once in generation scenario, of an almost settled promotion to the PL in early April!

But it's also enjoyable to chat about potential signings and positions that need strengthening.

 

[Soulman]

I came onto the board this morning expecting joyous threads. Quite a few about next season, who we are going to buy and sell, a stupid poll on whetther Hughton will be still at the club halfway through next season, etc etc.
We may have a promotion to celebrate, we may have the title to celebrate. I intend to hopefully enjoy the next few games.

 

[Soulman]

Surely it's possible to enjoy the ride and look forward to the destination?

Dale Stephens is off and needs replacing, so why not speculate on who might fit the bill?

We will have 3 months in the summer to speculate etc.

 

[Stat Brother]

But it's also enjoyable to chat about potential signings and positions that need strengthening.

You'd think it would be

To think I know for a fact my eyes have even further to roll back into my head, when our pub landlord weighs in with his knowledge.

 

[chaileyjem]

Dancing round my front room like a loon as Glenn headed in the winner at Brum at Xmas, losing my voice singing my heart out on Friday with my lad at QPR, screaming "This team will NOT be beaten" at my 80 year old Dad as Knockeart's goal went in at Sheff Weds, *that* 120 seconds in the away end at the Cottage, hugging strangers at the Brentford beam back, endless hours listening to Warren and JC on Radio Sussex in my kitchen, Glenn Murray scoring in nearly every home game, my heart in my mouth as Sidwell shot from the halfway line... moment after moment after moment. You'll have the same.

When i was 13 in 1979 i was on holiday in the Isle of Wight but my Dad took me back all the way back to the Goldstone on a rickety old British Rail team to see our first ever Div 1 game . V Arsenal. You know how that turned out.
It was bloody tough up there then when i was a 13 year old and it will be more, if we get there this time. Its not likely to be pretty. And thats just Ernest

So i'm with Edna. Someone is going to start a "How many points to be safe in 17/18" thread soon. FFS.

Lets face it none of should want this season to end. Ever.

 

[Bigtomfu]

Here here [MENTION=249]edna krabappel[/MENTION]

I'd go so far as to ask [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] to bin threads about next year into a sub forum so that those that want to can indulge and those that don't can revel in the reflected glory of the autumn of this season.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Enjoy. Savour. Celebrate. Could not agree with Edna more.

 

[cunningplan]

My thoughts exactly. Live in the moment and stop wishing your life away!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Fully agree with OP, and those sharing the same sensible sentiments. Times like these don't come along too often. Time to savour them fully, right here, right now, and give full respect to those who have got us to this point, both on and off the pitch. We've come a long long way together...

 

[Questions]

Exactly just enjoy now. For me this last 3 months has at times been excruciating as well as incredible. Now I feel a lovely warm, calm feeling washing over me and can't wait for Bristol on Monday.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Exactly just enjoy now. For me this last 3 months has at times been excruciating as well as incredible. Now I feel a lovely warm, calm feeling washing over me and can't wait for Bristol on Monday.

Wolves

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

We will have 3 months in the summer to speculate etc.

I'm ready to speculate now, it's not going to stop my enjoyment of the last few weeks of the season. They are not mutually exclusive phenomena.

I'm happy for those who don't want to join in yet to wait until the official speculation season starts.

 

[B.W.]

Loads of threads about next season already, and whilst our position is undoubtedly great, there's still work to do. But that's not my point.

I've been watching the Albion since I was ten years old, and for thirty odd years since, I've been dreaming about being where we are now. Last season was close, but this season looks like it is, finally, going to be the one. I've watched more crap players than I care to remember, at the Goldstone, at the Pissfield and at Withdean as well as the Amex, and this current squad is easily the best I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I've seen five promotions, but none will be as sweet as this one- if we do it- because we finally have an infrastructure that can support it. And because the thousands lost during the years in exile, or slumming it at Withdean, are back, along with a generation of new fans who run around football pitches in Preston Park and Hove Park and Worthing and Lancing and Burgess Hill and Eastbourne and Horsham and so on, wearing Albion shirts instead of Chelsea or Liverpool ones. Because if we do it this time, it's going to be huge.

We have five games to go, and every chance of wrapping things up. We need to savour it, to enjoy it, and to roar the players on to that point and beyond. Let's not go on about players for next season, or chances of survival, or ticket prices in the Premier League yet. That's for later times, and the current players deserve more respect. I'm pretty sure nobody at Loftus Road yesterday was thinking about signings as we danced around for long after the players had walked off.

Let us just soak up these last few weeks, while Chris & the players hopefully finish things off in style. Sit back...enjoy...treasure it...worry about the rest later!

Well said... let's be mathematically certain, then, and only then, should we as fans start banging on about what is needed next season...

 

[Daffy Duck]

Love your post, Edna.

We have certainly come a long, long way and the Hereford game feels like just a nasty dream now.
I am just enjoying every moment of this wonderful season.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Edna is spot on. My first experience of promotion was Pat Saward's 1972 team and the next season was one humiliation after another - 6-2 at Blackpool in only the second game, then Millwall, Fulham, a record run of games without a win, all horrible. But I still remember the unbelievable rush of those fantastic last-gasp wins over Torquay, Wrexham, Rotherham and the rest in the promotion run-in. These are days we'll look back on, people. Savour them.

Tony Towner!

 

[Surf's Up]

This is living history, we are living through possibly the greatest chapter in the lifetime of our club. I understand how tempting it is to extrapolate and speculate but, as Edna has urged, we must live completely in the moment. To fail to do so is to partially deny feeling the sense of the utter enormity of what is happening. These times will be talked about in 10, 20, 50, 100 years time and we are privileged to be actually here and now, living through these events as they happen and as the stories we will pass down to our grandchildren are created, experiencing the astronomic highs, the moments of total but unjustified uncertainty, the occassional lows, insatiable curiosity about the fortunes of other teams, unable to sleep at night, thinking about little else 24/7, willing and urging our club ever onwards and upwards.......

 

[Eeyore]

Wolves

Wigan Athletic

 

[Weststander]

My thoughts exactly. Live in the moment and stop wishing your life away!

Live in the enjoyable moment AND feel excited about/discuss potential developments in the future.