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Author Topic: Mediocrity.  (Read 13272 times)

Offline kippaxvilla2

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #60 on: May 20, 2022, 09:54:10 AM »
It’s rumoured that Purslow is retiring but only speculation.

Offline kippaxvilla2

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #61 on: May 20, 2022, 09:54:29 AM »
Paul Faulkner…..

Offline Risso

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #62 on: May 20, 2022, 10:04:36 AM »
In four home games against Spurs, Liverpool, Palace and Burnley, we've had 63 shots, and scored 3 goals. It's pretty obvious therefore, where the main problem lies if we want to break the cycle of mediocrity.

Offline Smithy

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #63 on: May 20, 2022, 10:05:53 AM »
Mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League seemed a million miles away three or four years ago. A Pipe dream.  I distinctly remember us getting hammered 4-1 by Sheff Utd in one of Bruce's last games as manager, and thinking, "This is it. This is our level now. Jesus Christ."  If you'd told me then that we'd be ending our third consecutive season in the premier league in mid-table mediocrity less than four years later, I would have laughed.

But the reality is, that's where we are now.  We ARE a mid-table premier league side, a bit too good to be seriously troubled by relegation, not quite good enough to challenge for Europe. I think the players we have should be capable of a little better, but there are obvious glaring gaps in our squad of the quality needed to sustain a top 6/7 challenge.

For me, I came into this season with the expectation that staying still (i.e. 11th) would be a good result given we were losing our best and most influential player and captain.  That we will finish lower than that is dissappointing, but given how things have turned out during the season, I'm not pointing any fingers or calling for anyone to be fired.  No one is "happy" with this season, but it's undeniable the results have been better, points-wise since Gerrard took over.  Not by much, but still better.

But the excuses have to stop at the end of the season.  Gerrard has been backed well so far, and his signings HAVE improved the strength of our squad and first 11.  I expect the same will happen this summer.  Three new signings down the middle of the team who are 100% ready and willing to play the Gerrard way could do wonders for us.

Three seasons of mid-table mediocrity is probably just about the limit for the owners, so I do think Gerrard might find himself under pressure if we reach the January transfer window and we are still in the 12th-14th positions. A full year and two transfer windows should be enough to demonstrate clearly noticeable improvement. I do think we'll all be a little happier when January comes around... well, some of us.

Online Beard82

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #64 on: May 20, 2022, 10:12:34 AM »
Mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League seemed a million miles away three or four years ago. A Pipe dream.  I distinctly remember us getting hammered 4-1 by Sheff Utd in one of Bruce's last games as manager, and thinking, "This is it. This is our level now. Jesus Christ."  If you'd told me then that we'd be ending our third consecutive season in the premier league in mid-table mediocrity less than four years later, I would have laughed.

But the reality is, that's where we are now.  We ARE a mid-table premier league side, a bit too good to be seriously troubled by relegation, not quite good enough to challenge for Europe. I think the players we have should be capable of a little better, but there are obvious glaring gaps in our squad of the quality needed to sustain a top 6/7 challenge.

For me, I came into this season with the expectation that staying still (i.e. 11th) would be a good result given we were losing our best and most influential player and captain.  That we will finish lower than that is dissappointing, but given how things have turned out during the season, I'm not pointing any fingers or calling for anyone to be fired.  No one is "happy" with this season, but it's undeniable the results have been better, points-wise since Gerrard took over.  Not by much, but still better.

But the excuses have to stop at the end of the season.  Gerrard has been backed well so far, and his signings HAVE improved the strength of our squad and first 11.  I expect the same will happen this summer.  Three new signings down the middle of the team who are 100% ready and willing to play the Gerrard way could do wonders for us.

Three seasons of mid-table mediocrity is probably just about the limit for the owners, so I do think Gerrard might find himself under pressure if we reach the January transfer window and we are still in the 12th-14th positions. A full year and two transfer windows should be enough to demonstrate clearly noticeable improvement. I do think we'll all be a little happier when January comes around... well, some of us.
A very good level headed summary that I agree with fully. 

We've come a long way, but this next steps was always going to be harder.  I think SG has laid some solid foundations, and I think we have turned the corner over the last 5 games - Digne being in the squad helps, Mings looking more solid, Emi has been excellent, strikers have scored a couple. 

Online curiousorange

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #65 on: May 20, 2022, 10:17:36 AM »
I think there's an argument that mediocrity is self-perpetuating: if you go out of the cups and are mid-table, you'll see football that's neither too good not too bad. When we went up from the Champ we played some excellent, thrilling stuff which gathered its own momentum. When we were getting relegated, we could barely go ten minutes without screwing up. When we survived, the game we played barely qualified as football but somehow got us over the line.

For me, we lack the ambition to be anything other than mediocre right now. There's no target other than to be 'big'. We're in a stage where we expect to lose to City but are incandescent when we can't beat Burnley. What are we? What's the next step? Answer those properly and you'll start moving.

Online Brazilian Villain

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #66 on: May 20, 2022, 10:23:00 AM »
For me, we lack the ambition to be anything other than mediocre right now.

Quite the opposite for me, it's the first time in my lifetime that I've felt we've had first rate, ambitious owners. 

Offline Jon Crofts

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #67 on: May 20, 2022, 10:25:22 AM »
In four home games against Spurs, Liverpool, Palace and Burnley, we've had 63 shots, and scored 3 goals. It's pretty obvious therefore, where the main problem lies if we want to break the cycle of mediocrity.

Wow is that right? To be fair, Pope played out of his skin last night, we could have won that 5-1 easily.

Online Brazilian Villain

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #68 on: May 20, 2022, 10:27:45 AM »
In four home games against Spurs, Liverpool, Palace and Burnley, we've had 63 shots, and scored 3 goals. It's pretty obvious therefore, where the main problem lies if we want to break the cycle of mediocrity.

Wow is that right? To be fair, Pope played out of his skin last night, we could have won that 5-1 easily.

Someone's going to get a hammering from us soon (erm...next season).

Offline mike

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #69 on: May 20, 2022, 10:34:08 AM »
I think finishing below Crystal Palace, Brighton and even fucking Brentford is the definition of mediocrity. Especially as one of those were promoted last year and they all have way less money than we do. What's worse is that we seem to have signed several players who are the spiritual children of Micah Richards and Concrete Ron which is funds wasted and we are carrying their wages for years to come.

Online curiousorange

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #70 on: May 20, 2022, 10:52:25 AM »
For me, we lack the ambition to be anything other than mediocre right now.

Quite the opposite for me, it's the first time in my lifetime that I've felt we've had first rate, ambitious owners.

I agree in terms of ownership, but not on the playing side. It's almost as if somebody's saying, "look, you don't know how this works; we have to be crap for a bit for reasons you don't understand". FFP is partly to blame for that, I guess.

Online eamonn

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #71 on: May 20, 2022, 11:40:15 AM »
Finishing below Brentford and Newcastle is...a load of shite and inexcusable really.

Offline Chris Smith

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #72 on: May 20, 2022, 12:17:50 PM »
I suppose mediocre is about right if you take an average of our performances this season. I’ve seen us play above that level a number of times but also at times where reaching mediocrity seems like an impossible dream.

It has to improve quickly as otherwise this time next year we’ll be arguing once again about a new manager needing time to get his own players in.

As The Stranglers said, Something Better Change.

Online nick harper

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #73 on: May 20, 2022, 01:40:00 PM »
Interesting that our 55 points last season would have us 8th pushing 7th now and European qualification so that does reflect how disappointing this season has been. Like it or not, losing our best player in a generation has set us back.

Offline Rigadon

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Re: Mediocrity.
« Reply #74 on: May 20, 2022, 03:09:41 PM »
That’s right Nick.  Though I’d say our best player possibly ever (I know that’s a massive claim, but it’s difficult to think of another individual who stood out so much), but certainly since the 90s.  Him leaving was a huge blow. 

I think we’ll give it a really good go next year, so I’m optimistic that we will at last do better than expected.

 


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