In that alternative universe....

[glasses]

Somewhere between 5th and 8th with another trip to Wembley, no way would a MON team have let that bunch of wankers beat us in the Q.F.

A fair shout Chris. Id say 6-10th in league though.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Somewhere between 5th and 8th with another trip to Wembley, no way would a MON team have let that bunch of wankers beat us in the Q.F.

You're assuming we'd have beaten Blackburn and Burnley in the earlier rounds. Our home form was so poor under MON. Agree we would have beaten the Rags though.

We were unlucky not to beat them in that match, too.

True, we did everything but score that night. The difference is MON always had luck on his side, probably as they worked so hard, right until the final whistle.

I think the big question is, or should be, who would be our manager now, as even if MON hadn't left last summer, I'm sure he would have walked out by now. The fans were beginning to question him last season and he didn't like it. My guess is he would have gone by Christmas.

[Chris Smith]

I doubt we'd have had the same level of injuries under a different training regime and I doubt we'd have given away so many points from winning positions, so another 14 to put us on 55 is not at all far fetched.

A lot of people predicted us to finish lower than 6th last season so it's not really a surprise that they're saying the same now.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I doubt we'd have had the same level of injuries under a different training regime and I doubt we'd have given away so many points from winning positions, so another 14 to put us on 55 is not at all far fetched.

That doesn't relate to the original question though, Chris. Do keep up. (winky)

[joecrow]

only differance in my eyes would have been defence much better but countered by a lack of goals so i would say around about where we are now. ho hum

[The Left Side]

Somewhere comfortable for me, oh well back to reality with a much needed win against wigan

[Woofles The Wonder Dog]

I voted very sensibly for "Top half and comfortable?", but there's a part of me that has the feeling that if O'Neill had got his shit together we could have done better in such an open league. What stopped me voting that way was how much better would he have coped with the injuries, considering how pissed off the fringe players were?

No way would be have been down among the dead men if he'd have stayed (and yet I'm glad he's gone).

[Concrete John]

only differance in my eyes would have been defence much better but countered by a lack of goals so i would say around about where we are now. ho hum

Barring that exceptional 07/08 season, we scored 54 and then 52 under him in the last 2 seasons, which is an average of 1.4 per game.  We're currently on 44 from 35 games, which is 1.25 per game.

[pauliewalnuts]

only differance in my eyes would have been defence much better but countered by a lack of goals so i would say around about where we are now. ho hum

Barring that exceptional 07/08 season, we scored 54 and then 52 under him in the last 2 seasons, which is an average of 1.4 per game.  We're currently on 44 from 35 games, which is 1.25 per game.

Under O'Neill we were low scorers, but tight at the back, so it didn't matter. Last season, for example, we only scored 29 goals at home, and 10 of those came in two games, leaving 19 goals across the other 17 games. However, we only conceded 16 goals at home all season.

In 2008-09, we only scored 27 goals at home, and again 10 of those came in two matches, but once again, we were tight at the back.

This year we've actually conceded relatively few goals at home so far, but not scored many. However, look at the away figures. Only Blackburn have conceded more goals away from home than we have.

I don't know what conclusions I'm trying to draw from this, beyond the obvious, that we're not very good this season.

Oh well, at least we know what is wrong with the defence and we're going to try to fix it in the summer ....

[Risso]

Hard to say.  We'd almost certainly be a lot better off than we are now, but if we'd bought McGeadie instead of Bent , I think we'd be around the top 7/8.  It's a shame we didn't buy Darren Bent last January.

[pauliewalnuts]

Hard to say.  We'd almost certainly be a lot better off than we are now, but if we'd bought McGeadie instead of Bent , I think we'd be around the top 7/8.  It's a shame we didn't buy Darren Bent last January.

When Bent was going to Sunderland for 10 million, Martin was busy spending 25 odd million on defenders, largely to replace the ones he'd spent 20m on the season before.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I voted very sensibly for "Top half and comfortable?", but there's a part of me that has the feeling that if O'Neill had got his shit together we could have done better in such an open league.

I know what you mean. Pre-season MON brought Kevin McDonald into the first team set-up, something we were crying out for (well I was, at least). We needed a coach, whether it be KMac or somebody else and I believe from his comments towards the end of last season MON realised there was great need for improvement with our 'style'.

[Smithy]

Top half and comfortable.  The leagues a lot tighter this year, with no-one running away with it at the top, or being cast adrift at the bottom, but I think we'd have struggled to get into Europe.

I don't think we'd necessarily have played any better, I just don't think an MON team would have let go of so many winning positions.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I reckon he's regretting leaving after watching other teams this season. I reckon we could've really pushed Spurs and Man City again, finishing in a smiliar vein to last season, only maybe we would've come up trumps this time.

Certainly no team who finished below us last season would've finished above us this season.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Hard to say.  We'd almost certainly be a lot better off than we are now, but if we'd bought McGeadie instead of Bent , I think we'd be around the top 7/8.  It's a shame we didn't buy Darren Bent last January.

When Bent was going to Sunderland for 10 million, Martin was busy spending 25 odd million on defenders, largely to replace the ones he'd spent 20m on the season before.

And we had one of the best defences in the league...not that you'd know it this season with the same players.