Would you have taken 5th at the start of the season

[Costock_Fox]

3 hours ago, Stephen Hughes said:

The 5th best team in England, I would have taken that without a doubt. 

Coming from someone named after one of the worst midfielders we have had in our history, I’m shocked.

[shailen]

I think most of us would have although at the end of last season I really thought 4th was there for the taking as apart from Man City and Liverpool there is not an awful lot between all the other clubs from 3rd to 8th. We've proved that this season and if we come short this season I just hope we can do it all over again next year. I really think we are getting to a level where the top 6 could become the top 8 (Wolves as well) and any 4 of us could get champions league. 

[Tuna]

Of course we would have taken 5th at the start of the season and finishing above 2 of the so called big six. Whatever happens, on paper, on balance, it's been a brilliant season.

 

But after being in the top 4 since September, we will have given away our place through our own ineptitude and the calamitous loss of form that has allowed others to catch up to us, we should not be in this position right now had we done the jobs against the likes of Norwich, Brighton and Bournemouth, and it will be a monumental disappointment with potential ramifications for next season and I do wonder whether we'll have this opportunity again with so many of the big six in transition.

[murphy]

Yes, I would have taken it at the start of the season, however, this post Christmas capitulation is hard to take.  I'm still not over the Watford and Bournemouth games.

 

CL qualification would have meant a huge amount in terms of prestige, retaining and attracting players, revenue and for our progress as a club.  It was nailed on.  We had to collapse to mess it up and of course we did.  I can't imagine us getting another chance.

[Ted Maul]

Straight into the group stage and no fannying about in Azerbijan in July, comfortably above Spurs and Arsenal? Absolutely, no question.

 

I was disappointed/infuriated as things unraveled but I've come to terms with the idea that 5th is probably where we'll end up. Just hoping travel restrictions are lifted by the autumn and we can start planning our trips.

Edited 26 July 2020 by Ted Maul

[Ted Maul]

To be honest, throw in a golden boot/100 goals for Vardy and our name in the record books with the highest ever top flight away win and it's been a very good season.

 

Just a shame we started well and tailed off rather than the other way around.

[fox_up_north]

Agreed with Ted - (loved his work on Brass Eye)

 

It's just the way the season has gone, really. Absolute nosedive since January. I really think the Man City/ Liverpool games knocked the squad for 6. It gave a lot of other clubs confidence against us while diminishing ours. If we'd have played both of them either side of decent wins and just been able to take it as "oh well, not at their level but we tried," we'd be fine but I think squad mentality just couldn't cope. 

 

I'm kind of at peace with 5th but absolutely gutted at the way we've got it. I'd much rather have had a slow and steady season getting here than spending pretty much the entirety in top 4, only to absolutely bottle it against the 3 clubs that will be relegated. 

[Danny Clender]

I definitely would have done. 

Finishing 5th seems to be fitting of our current squad and how we've seen them perform over the season. 

Europa League would allow us to invest sensibly into next season, yet still allow us a competitive chance in all available competitions. 

 

I do wonder what type of investment we'd be prepared to add into the squad to have the chance of progressing through the initial stages of the Champions League. 

 

I reckon we'll recruit enough talent for next season to do this all again, but with more points. 

 

Pick this one up after the Manchester United game though. 

[FoxinNotts]

Yes, yes I would.

[Spudulike]

We wouldn't be having this discussion if it had been done the other way round. 

 

Its like going to a match knowing that a draw would be a very good result but then conceding a stoppage time equaliser after being 1 nil up for 80 minutes. It's still a good draw but you come away gutted. However, if we equalised then we'd been buzzing. Bit like the Maguire equaliser against ManU last season. 

 

Marathon not a sprint and all that. Breaking into the top 6 with the odds stacked against us is a great season and one that most other clubs can only dream about. 

[Heskey2011]

What a time to be alive!!!!

 

Playing man u for champions league footy, it don't get much better than this.

 

Thanks Vichai, thanks Top, thanks Nige, Claudio, Brendon, thanks is it jobba the big lad with the drum.... to every fvcker who's contributed, love love love, we're so lucky.

Fill your lungs, Caged tigers, lets have em!!!!

[The boy Linacre]

37 minutes ago, Tuna said:

Of course we would have taken 5th at the start of the season and finishing above 2 of the so called big six. Whatever happens, on paper, on balance, it's been a brilliant season.

 

But after being in the top 4 since September, we will have given away our place through our own ineptitude and the calamitous loss of form that has allowed others to catch up to us, we should not be in this position right now had we done the jobs against the likes of Norwich, Brighton and Bournemouth, and it will be a monumental disappointment with potential ramifications for next season and I do wonder whether we'll have this opportunity again with so many of the big six in transition.

Spot on.  It's still there & it would be amazing if we can win today.  We need the Sheff U performance, not the other 7.

In sport though circumstances change, we won 8 in a row ( a club record), we were 14pts clear.  Chelsea, Manure, Spuds & Arsenal have been mediocre at best till the last 8 games, like 15/16 when there was a big club hiatus, we must take the chance, even when shooting ourselves in the foot, Norwich 1pt from 6, Watford A, B&H H, Bournemouth A (half time sub).

It's a big ask 3 home PL wins vs United but we can do it & maybe a draw will be enough.  

But we STILL have an opportunity, grab it!!!  Cmon Lestah!!!!

[dooflip]

Reluctantly I would have accepted it. I genuinely believed we were going to get top 4 at the beginning of the season given the state of other clubs in comparison to ours.

i expected Chelsea, Man Utd And Arsenal to have awful campaigns And I thought it would be Liverpool, Man City, Spurs and ya in the top 4.

We’ve thrown it away. It’s that simple.

[coolhandfox]

Yes

[Pliskin]

Yea, just worry about us now given there isn’t much time to prepare for next season, and allow for players to recover! 

[Spudulike]

1 minute ago, Pliskin said:

Yea, just worry about us now given there isn’t much time to prepare for next season, and allow for players to recover! 

Yes, that's my worry as well. Vital to get the confidence and form back together with fit players. Any hangover from this and we'll struggle next season. I genuinely believe our young squad need us back in the stadium to have their backs. 

[Stephen Hughes]

2 hours ago, Costock_Fox said:

Coming from someone named after one of the worst midfielders we have had in our history, I’m shocked.

He gave us all hope of one day being paid to play football, hero in my eyes.

Edited 26 July 2020 by Stephen Hughes

[Danny Clender]

23 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Yea, just worry about us now given there isn’t much time to prepare for next season, and allow for players to recover! 

Let's say hypothetically, we put in place the perfect preparation plan and return to the next season fully recovered, there will still be new worries. 

[Wolfox]

It’s not quite the right question?  I think you’d have 100% of people on this forum saying yes last August (unless they were really deluded)

 

After December…. Very few would have been happy with it 

 

However, a season has been 38 games for a long time now and it’s important to see the outcome in the round…. 5th is great (4th would be better though !)

[Guy]

I think just about everyone would have happily settled for 5th before a ball was kicked in August but had they been asked the same before the next ball was kicked after the lockdown break then I very much think the answer would have been different. Let us hope that we can still finish one above 5th by 6pm today!!!!

[Manwell Pablo]

I started typing out yes but the truth is probably no I thought we’d get at least sixth so I’d of probably taken the played out season in hope we’d finish higher than simply accept 5th place.

 

If the question is do I think 5th is an acceptable finish the answe is yes.

[Finnegan]

15 hours ago, Nick said:

 

 

Who are you and what have you done with Finnegan?

 

Haha, I don't do the I Told You So act all that often tbh because we all make predictions that wind up bang on or miles off don't we. I also can't be bothered digging back through my post history for proof. 

 

But I did get a lot of people raising an eyebrow and thinking I was going overboard at the start of the year with my optimism so I do feel pretty vindicated. 

[Nick]

23 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Haha, I don't do the I Told You So act all that often tbh because we all make predictions that wind up bang on or miles off don't we. I also can't be bothered digging back through my post history for proof. 

 

But I did get a lot of people raising an eyebrow and thinking I was going overboard at the start of the year with my optimism so I do feel pretty vindicated. 

 

Ha! I can vouch for your pre season thoughts- it was the last para of optimism that threw me!

 

 

[SemperEadem]

In a heartbeat! Europa League is the one.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Of course we would, but the more relevant question would be would we have taken 5th when we were 14 points clear in December?