What will represent success / failure for the second half the season?

[damon loves JT]

I think we will play well, but I fear we are going to have at least a couple of stinkers. 10th would be ok, anything better than that a success.

[Concrete John]

I wouldn't view in terms of league position - we pretty much abandoned that when MON walked and accepted this as a 'transitional season'.  However what I do think is important is our points to game ratio from now on as Gezza has everyone important fit and some of his own players in.

In the last three seasons we finished 6th with 60, 62 and then 64 points, so an average of 62 points, which is 1.63 points per game.  That over the remaining 14 games is 23 points, as were sitting on 28 right now my 'target' would be 51 points and I'm less fussed where that sits us in May 2011 as I am that it wouyld show we're back on track and looking good for 2011/2012. 

[darren woolley]

If we can get a top 10 finnish i would say that would represent a success especially with the start we have had we have got winnable games coming up so i can't see why we shouldn't get top ten.

[Dave Cooper please]

After the awful start I've written the season off as "transitional".
The squad in general are only now starting to get used to Hotlips' tactics and formations, the new signings will need time to gel.
We'll be safely mid-table and that will do.

Next season could be a cracker though.

[Villa'Zawg]

 John M: I wouldn't view in terms of league position - we pretty much abandoned that when MON walked and accepted this as a 'transitional season'.  However what I do think is important is our points to game ratio from now on as Gezza has everyone important fit and some of his own players in.In the last three seasons we finished 6th with 60, 62 and then 64 points, so an average of 62 points, which is 1.63 points per game.  That over the remaining 14 games is 23 points, as were sitting on 28 right now my 'target' would be 51 points and I'm less fussed where that sits us in May 2011 as I am that it wouyld show we're back on track and looking good for 2011/2012. 

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^^^^
This. It is now all about results, not where we finish.

We need to become effective at accumulating points and avoiding defeat again.

A cup final would of course put a completely different perspective on the season.

[Simon Ward]

Shouldn't we just concentrate on climbing up the table?

[levico]

Given that I and many more fans thought we were doomed to relegation once it was clear that GH was staying anything other than that is a huge bonus.

Great if we get into the top 8-10 but staying up is everything in a transition season.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Shouldn't we just concentrate on climbing up the table?

Ideally, yes. There does need to be some groundwork done to get us playing the way GH wants us playing for next season, so I would factor that in to our remaining games. That's not to say we can't try and pick up maximum points as there are plenty of games between now and May where we really should pick up all 3 points.

My only fear is GH will rotate too much. 7th place should be good enough to get us back into Europe and that's what we should be aiming for.

[Chris Smith]

The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.

[damon loves JT]

The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.

I think that as long as we make the top half of the table, the `narrative' (hate that word) is a club improving after Gerard Houllier, wonder-coach, began to work his Gallic magic on a crapped-out squad.

That is enough to tempt an ambitious player. He's done the hard bit, after all - persuading Bent and Makoun to come to a club that everyone said was finished.

[The Situation]

I struggle to see how we could possibly play and be as bad as we were until recently.

I think we'll do well, I think we'll perhaps now finish in the top 10 and finishing in the top 7 is still realistic.

The most important thing is to take it game-by-game, not getting to ahead of ourselves. We're still not out of the woods yet.

[Concrete John]

The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.

I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.

[Small Rodent]

The most important thing is to take it game-by-game, not getting to ahead of ourselves. We're still not out of the woods yet.

Yep. Exactly how I would take each game. Tonights performance will be as important as the result.

[Chris Smith]

The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.

I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.

I take the point but I don't want that to be the limit of our ambitions.

[pauliewalnuts]

If we can keep up a head of steam in this revival - I think we'll lose tonight, but that shouldn't throw us off track so long as it isn't a dispiriting spanking - then I suspect we'll finish about 10th.

The thing I'd like us to do over the remainder of the season is accelerate as much as we can the process of getting us playing the way the manager wants us to, so that we can hit the ground running next season, having had his methods and his players bed in this season.