Time to write this season off

[London Irish]

That 'still fifth' is a freak statistical blip. It'll be gone by the end of the month. There's half a dozen teams poised to leapfrog over us, and half of them will.

"Freak, statistical blip" That's a classic Tom, well done. Perhaps we should ask the Nationwide Football League to recount the points in case they've given us too much!

I don't understand the gallows fatalism.

There are a lot of fans who disagree with the old truism that the league table never lies.

But we must be the only ones that put our team LOWER rather than higher though!

 

[goldstone]

Recent form is what counts looking forward ... and based on recent form we'll be no better than mid table.

 

[Robot Chicken]

But looking forward you have to look back and thank goodness the form at the beginning of the season gave us enough points to remain at the top end of the table.

Anyway, what counts looking forward is FUTURE form...surely

 

[NMH]

I couldn't agree more. We're treading water, and it'll be no surprise to see us finish mid-table.
However, the players aren't doing the equivalent of taking the ball to the corner flag to waste games away, and with some tweaks from MM we might nick a few more points than our recent form indicates we are worth.

The Albion just don't need to have our few assets wander away, which is a real worry. We have to keep ambitious and build for something greater - just as Mickey Adams did. Maybe that's the crux of the matter as stated by Safeway, 'spoiled' fans by a decent manager who knew what he was doing . Are we supposed to all become Leicester fans now? Only if expectations are brushed aside. DK should feel 'spoiled' as well, after MA's run of success - and be asking for more of the same from his manager.

I personally won't blame MM yet though, coppout didn't leave Brighton with a huge legacy, he just got a lot of belief from the players - and now he's actually getting found out a bit at Reading.
He's a mayfly that's had his day in the sun.

MM can have a go at pegging us in this position and then building upon that. He's had time to see what has to be done, let's see what he makes of it.

 

[Turkey]

I would rather people think the season's over and get to grips with it than think we're Man United. Safeway got it spot on. I do think we can go up through the playoffs. We'll play better against the better teams. As for Division 1. Far to early to predict are future there should we have one.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Anyone who has watched us all season can come to no other conclusion than we very very very very very average.

 

[Safeway]

Anyone who has watched us all season can come to no other conclusion than we very very very very very average.

Exactly, and that is why our fifth position is a 'freak statistical blip' (good work, Tom ). Sooner or later our averageness is going to be reflected in our league placing.

I've seen about three quarters of all league games this season and can remember two or three really convincing performances: Oldham away, Rushden away and Wrexham on Boxing Day.

In a way I hope we do slip into mid-table mediocrity because unless there is a MASSIVE improvement we will get thoroughly raped up the arse in Division 1.

 

[El Presidente]

We will struggle in whatever division we are in next season, but I still fancy a day out in Cardiff in May.

Someone has to go up in this poor division, so why should it not be us, especially with Jolly and Deano to bolster the side in the next couple of months.

Half full, or half empty?

 

[Albion Rob]

I find it interesting that people say you have to look back to look forward in football form - with that theory, wouldn't teams that lost four on the bounce lose every game, ever?

I couldn't make it yesterday, but it sounded pretty poor on the radio and could have gone either way.

But looking at it as I do, we have a bloody exciting month coming up, QPR, Barnsley then Plymouth - bring it on, I say. We have good players in average form, players who have the talent to outshine any others in this division who are simply not playing well enough. Although it won't happen, can you imagine the impact of 9 points from the next three games? We'd think we were f***ing Real Madrid!

Fifth place in January isn't bad by most people's standards. We may well slip from there with a series of inept performances or we could push on and start clawing away at the top two or we could even stagnate and hold on to fifth and sneak up in the playoffs. Whatever happens I'd rather be in our shoes than those of the chasing pack because we are about to play three of the top four sides for the final time this season, get 7 or even 5 points from those three games and suddenly the rest of this division will look like pimples waiting to be squeezed.

As far as division one is concerned, I believe that if last time around we hadn't waited until two weeks before the start of the season to appoint a complete fucknut and Bobby hadn't got injured we would be entertaining the likes of West Ham and Sunderland this season rather than Brentford and Hartlepool If we get up, McGhee will do the business, I'm confident of that.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

As far as division one is concerned, I believe that if last time around we hadn't waited until two weeks before the start of the season to appoint a complete fucknut and Bobby hadn't got injured we would be entertaining the likes of West Ham and Sunderland this season rather than Brentford and Hartlepool.

I just wonder what the outcome would have been if we'd had Butters available every week and playing like he has been this season. He really looks the part now. In my humble opinion, like.

 

[Yorkie]

Exactly, and that is why our fifth position is a 'freak statistical blip' (good work, Tom ). Sooner or later our averageness is going to be reflected in our league placing.

I've seen about three quarters of all league games this season and can remember two or three really convincing performances: Oldham away, Rushden away and Wrexham on Boxing Day.

.

I have to include Middlesbrough with that. Even losing Rodger part way through the game didn't throw the team out of kilter. They really battled well.

Coppout used a sports psychologist to get the players confidence up (remember the bald guy in the dugout) Maybe he got more out of the players than Coppout did.

 

[C1 BHA]

Still plenty to play for yet and let's enjoy it.

Sorry Yorkie, but 'enjoy' is not a very relevant word for what we're watching at the moment. Wycombe was great fun.....but hardly a fair fight, the rest of the last clutch of home games has left me very disappointed.

Why do people keep banging on about the manager needing to get to know the players better? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

It was dreadful yesterday, I'm glad I'm in Scotland next weekend and I'm praying Barnsley win their cup game so I can have a break from the 'entertainment' that is watching this Albion side.

 

[Yorkie]

I must have been the only one who did enjoy being there yesterday then. I agree the game wasn't brilliant but I still enjoyed going and being there.

I think that disappointment is linked to expectation. Don't expect too much and then you won't be disappointed. (said tongue in cheek)

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I must have been the only one who did enjoy being there yesterday then. I agree the game wasn't brilliant but I still enjoyed going and being there.

I agree. Leaving aside the actual quality of the match, what would everybody rather be doing at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon? Going round the Sales? We ain't going to end up anywhere near the play-offs, but so what. It's still great to get up on a Saturday and know that football's on.



Soccer Sunday's on at Mid-day today BTW. Well worth watching to see Roberts saves again.

 

[London Irish]

OK, I admit it, it's time to write this season off. Let's just RELAX everyone.

 

[Yorkie]

OK, I admit it, it's time to write this season off. Let's just RELAX everyone.

Thank you LI. It's nice to be reminded of who was keeping the faith, eh?


Btw I am going to enjoy Sunday too

 

[rool]

Doncha just hate people who say i told you so

 

[Yorkie]

Doncha just hate people who say i told you so

Oh come on! I did try to say it nicely

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

OK, I admit it, it's time to write this season off. Let's just RELAX everyone.

Well played mate. Nice of you to keep that little bit of what-goes-around-comes-around up your sleeve for the past, what, four months. I'm flattered. Got news for you tho hombre. We're as shite now as we were back in the New Year - and you STILL can't evaluate what's put in front of you on a football field. I mean, did you actually WATCH 119.8 minutes of the game last Thursday? It was plain embarrassing. Hope to Christ you're not a SPORTS journo... Personally I don't take back a word of those posts from way back when. We've struggled all season, our away form has been a joke, our home form has been worthy of promotion about five times MAX this season and we should have been promoted in an automatic stylee from this most dismal of divisions about Easter if we'd been any cop. We ARE very very average. But - hey! - if Sunday puts Falmer in the shop window

 

[Beach Hut]

Do I get a brownie point for remaining positive ?