Gamble92

You'll get no argument from me on the lack of protest last year. I even did a thread saying let's protest. That went well. The poor home support really has gone from the point where we can put up with a stand of negative, old moaners, to quite a large majority of the ground who are so passive when needed and, actually embarrassing us with the groans and leaving early. The whole stadium was empty before the players had even got off yesterday.

That run of results the season before when we messed up automatic promotion and somehow sneaked in the play offs was absolutely horrific. Toxic as hell with players and fans as well. We could have easily sacked Pearson then. The loyalty by Vichai and Top was incredible. The season we won the league started a bit slow in places like the away defeats early on. But when we got going out attacking play was unreal for that level. We actually dropped our standard when we went up because we didn't invest properly and got way too tactically negative to shut up shop. Only when we have it a go we looked unstoppable again, and the rest is history.

Even if the West stand were throwing eggs and him, and singing baldy baldy play it long, he isn't walking out on a Championship title on his CV. Not a chance.

Also a very different trajectory. One was with a club that had been out of the Premier League for a decade and at the start of that decade we nearly lost the club all together. We had got rid of the circus under Sven and had excitment about finally heading towards the Premier League. I don't like the entitled fans one bit and something needs to be done about the home support. Yet, I don't think anyone can be accused of entitlement for seeing promotion as a bare minimum this season. No one should forget how badly our club had to be run to get in this situation either. All that is still there. No one can be blamed for still being angry about how it all happened. We'll still very likely look back at the last few years as the undoing of everything that come before. Promotion this season or not.

I do also think there's an issue with Pep Guardiola's philosophy wrongly correlated with entertaining football. Yes it dominates possession but that doesn't always mean purposeful and entertaining football either. How many times under Ranieri, in I'd say our most entertaining season ever, did we get stats thrown at us about possession? It was always done in a belittling way by pundits to somehow emphasise negativity. That's just the mindset now of clubs. There is an obvious ideology at the top of the club to play "attractive" football. Puel, Rodgers and now Enzo all have a possession orientated style of play. As a club we quite clearly wanted to move away from being seen as a counter attacking side. I just don't think in the current era that clubs see any other style as the brand they want.

Why do I get the feeling that the club were welcoming bids for KDH, expecting him to say he wants out so they could tell us all it was down to him. Then use the money that freed up to sanction a couple of deals Enzo wanted late on.

I absolutely loath the type of home supporters who are moaning and leaving early. They are ruining our home support. That said - Did I think we would do this well? Yeah I did actually. I predicted 100+ points quite easily and I said so in numerous posts before the season started. I realise there were the usual suspects predicting we'd struggle to get mid table and the rest of it. I felt like as soon as we got Winks and Coady in we were back on track and would smash it. And we have. The issue for me is - do I Enzo and his philosophy as the main reason we are doing so well? No I don't. I see the players and the depth of squad as the reason we have done so well. Does that mean I detach any praise for how well we have done away from Enzo? Absolutely not. He's done great and if we get promoted he should be praised highly for turning the culture around. That said - I do not think how well we have done is a glowing indictment of his philosophy. You can detach the two things. The games it works are ones where teams have sat so far off us and the way we set up with inverted wing backs stops the opposition exploiting us on the counter brilliantly. It's poor to watch, but it works. The big issue for that with me is bigger games that we have won haven't been because of the tactics. Or at least there's many more examples of us not winning these games because of lack of proactive tactics. I'd love to hear a case against that. I fear for us when we employ these tactics in the Premier League. In theory we wait for better teams to come at us and draw them out of position to exploit them. I've seen no evidence of that. Southampton was just loads of mistakes by a team early into their season for me. So am I moaning about Enzo like the imbeciles in the ground? No. But do I think he should be excused from all worries and criticism because he's achieving what he really should be with this squad? No. Not everything is black and white.

I just named everyone I signed on football manager to be honest

You're definitely an early leaver

The cynic in me says he's only getting time because Maresca is pointing out to the board how low we are on numbers. I don't think we will see him again after Sensi comes in.

Ostigard, Diomande, Aarons, Prestianni, Kvaratskhelia.

I do rate the way Enzo manages to sound like he's managing a League Two club in administration when he talks about our transfer dealings. You've had a fair bit pal, liven up a bit.

Can't wait for us to hardly sign anyone and stay up easily next season

You're wasting your time on here mate. If you come from our academy you're a lottery winner to these lot.

£10 on foxeshub, or if you are like @Raj and own a dodgy firestick you can watch for free

He clicked send assistant when asked

Well if I wasn't feeling down before I opened this thread I ****ing am now. Anyone got any happier stories? I finished 3rd in the egg and spoon race at year 6 sports day and still have the bronze medal framed above the fireplace.

I agree but no way we spend like that in summer if that's the case.

28,000 is a great attendance for a match like this. Even with 5,000 of their lot.

I hope Football Manager is wrong that his wages go up to £120,000 if we go up. Nackered me that did.

Yeah they still do it. Reminds me of when Delboy drives through that riot

Glad we didn't have your attitude during the war

Has there ever been a statue made that everyone hasn't taken the piss out of? They always end up looking like the statue from Art Attack

Why did they start doing the goal horn?