Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Categories
- 1.7K All Categories
- 1 Site Stuff
- 31 Admin (FAQs, rules, queries etc.)
- The Boleyn Arms
- 41 General Chatter
- 7 Member info & Family Album
- 3 Radio Llama (music videos)
- 478 Fun & Games
- 139 BA Predictor Threads
- 43 Word Games
- 4 Quizzes
- 2 Pun Threads
- 324 Magic Minutes
- 3 Other Fun & Games
- 133 Current West Ham
- 209 Men's First Team
- 4 Women's Team
- 13 PL2 & Academy
- 33 Management & Board
- 16 Stadium & Training Ground
- 30 West Ham Miscellaneous
- West Ham Matches
- 431 Match Threads
- 99 MOTM
- 11 West Ham Nostalgia
- 36 Former Players and Staff
- 5 Past Games & Glories
- 40 Transfers
- 48 Transfer Speculation
- 88 Completed Transfers
- 56 Internationals
- 49 Men's Internationals
- 5 Women's Internationals
- 2 Youth Internationals
- 125 Football Chatter
- 43 Football Chatter
- 273 Other Teams & Matches
- 27 Other Players & Staff
Comments
We were never going to be top 6 or even top 8, never really were we in any danger of bottom 6 let alone bottom 3.
We will make mistakes and we will lose games because we are not Chelsea, even City screw up. Look at Man Utd sitting in 6th and in danger of being leap frogged by Everton.
This was always going to be an odd season especially after the hysteria of last.
Why I agree with some of the issues raised (the RB situation for example) can we try not to throw the baby out with the bath water.
(and maybe not even then.)
I just don't have a sense of expectation about it.
I'd rather have a soul and be mid-table.
Not interested in a billionaire parachuting in 'top' players for silly money.
And even if one did, there is still no guarantee that we would break the top 6.
As Suze says, however, that isn't even a conversation for now.
For me, the issue is that for too many, progress has to be seen in linear, straight upwards terms.
That almost never happens in the PL.
We are a mid-table club, with the resources to match.
Over time, I would hope to see us stabilise into a top 7-10 club, but that means some 3 to 5 years (let's say this is the 2nd of those.)
If after another 3 years we are still facing relegation worries at some point in the season, I'll say that shows we haven't made any real progress.
WBA are an interesting one though. Because that was us last year. I'll be interested to see if in 12 months time people are still holding WBA up as an example of success. I will stick my neck on the line now and say that there is no way WBA have a better season next year than they do this year. But that won't mean they have failed or gone backwards, it is just the fact that teams at this level (8th - 15th) bounce around and have good and bad seasons.
I think Spurs have really changed their position through organic growth, they have gone from a 6/7 to 5/2.
Everton will look to cement the 6/7 position.
We are in that group of teams looking for a consistent 8/7 so we can then move to 6/7.
I hope that sense...
So two games, against the Champions elect and a below par display at Bournemouth (that stil almost saw us sneak a draw), have changed the entire mood.
The squad has declined since last season. This is because 1) the same players are playing worse 2) the club has sold it's best player of the last 10 years and 3) the transfer window of the summer was a massive mistake. Loads of cash spent on several squad players. When all we needed was 3/4 additions in key positions.
We were in the bottom four only in November!
It's been a 'back to reality' season, leaving us flat. I wouldn't have been that fussed about going from 7th back to mid table in any other season. What gets me is that we sold off a special ground for one unsuitable for football, and so I expected more in season one (maybe wrongly).