Guest Bilo Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I actually can't believe some of the pessimism on this board!! I suppose it becomes part and parcel with being a City fan. First of all, why are people moaning about the lack of strikers??!! Last season, we scored 84 goals in the league and we had an incredible goal difference of +45 and in Matty Fryatt we had a strkier who came very close to being top scorer! We created chances in almost every game and this was despite many teams playing us who were content with putting 11 men behind the ball. We dominated the division and won it as convincingly as any team in the past. Now, people are worried that we can't convert this form into The Championship. Why?? There are numerous differences between our team now and two seasons ago yet all you can talk about is how few goals we scored last time we were there. First, we have a manager who has instilled discipline and a winning mentality. We should not underestimate the achievement of getting straight back up last season! We create chances now, hence why Howard and Fryatt scored so many goals. However good a striker is, they aren't going to score goals without having chances created for them and without a decent run in the team to build confidence. Billy Sharp and Eastwood have both been mentioned. But they didn't get a decent run of starts in front of a midfield giving them chances. We also contribute goals from midfield, something we never used to do! We have an awesome defence highlighted by the photo of the four guys in the mercury! How many times have we seen teams come up from league one, keep the same squad and challenge for the Championship. Bristol City, swansea and Hull have all done well with relatively little money. People keep mentioning the step up from league 1 to championship. There really isn't a huge difference and the characteristics needed to win league 1 will be very much the same as those required to win the championship. We might not have the best individual players but there is little doubt in my mind that we have one of the best TEAMS in this division. Take Newcastle. Yes, they have a few decent individuals but the team is in chaos. No manager, unhappy players, devastated fans. How anyone can suggest they will do well is beyond me! I can see them being relegated. So lets get behind the team like we did so well last season. Stop the moaning, have trust in big Nige and I'm sure we will have a great season. Who knows, it may even be as successful as the last one Rant over! Excellent post.
Super Arj Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I'm sorry but if Bristol City, who were newly promoted at the time, managed to reach 3rd place (in the season we were relegated) with their goalscoring hopes rested on Dele Adebola.. we have every chance of doing well.. stop being so miserable everyone.. good things happen to positive thinkers !
Ozwin Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I'm sorry but if Bristol City,who were newly promoted at the time, managed to reach 3rd place (in the season we were relegated) with their goalscoring hopes rested on Dele Adebola.. we have every chance of doing well.. stop being so miserable everyone.. good things happen to positive thinkers ! That is exactly what I've been thinking, it doesn't have to be about individual players, if the team goes on a roll then anything can happen.
Daggers Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I actually can't believe some of the pessimism on this board!! I suppose it becomes part and parcel with being a City fan. First of all, why are people moaning about the lack of strikers??!! Last season, we scored 84 goals in the league and we had an incredible goal difference of +45 and in Matty Fryatt we had a strkier who came very close to being top scorer! We created chances in almost every game and this was despite many teams playing us who were content with putting 11 men behind the ball. We dominated the division and won it as convincingly as any team in the past. Now, people are worried that we can't convert this form into The Championship. Why?? There are numerous differences between our team now and two seasons ago yet all you can talk about is how few goals we scored last time we were there. First, we have a manager who has instilled discipline and a winning mentality. We should not underestimate the achievement of getting straight back up last season! We create chances now, hence why Howard and Fryatt scored so many goals. However good a striker is, they aren't going to score goals without having chances created for them and without a decent run in the team to build confidence. Billy Sharp and Eastwood have both been mentioned. But they didn't get a decent run of starts in front of a midfield giving them chances. We also contribute goals from midfield, something we never used to do! We have an awesome defence highlighted by the photo of the four guys in the mercury! How many times have we seen teams come up from league one, keep the same squad and challenge for the Championship. Bristol City, swansea and Hull have all done well with relatively little money. People keep mentioning the step up from league 1 to championship. There really isn't a huge difference and the characteristics needed to win league 1 will be very much the same as those required to win the championship. We might not have the best individual players but there is little doubt in my mind that we have one of the best TEAMS in this division. Take Newcastle. Yes, they have a few decent individuals but the team is in chaos. No manager, unhappy players, devastated fans. How anyone can suggest they will do well is beyond me! I can see them being relegated. So lets get behind the team like we did so well last season. Stop the moaning, have trust in big Nige and I'm sure we will have a great season. Who knows, it may even be as successful as the last one Rant over! I can't believe it suddenly became illegal to be a pragmatist. Some of us are fully cognisant about this level of football, saw our forward line week in week out last season and watched them stumble pre-season. Expressing honest, grounded opinions on an internet forum isn't "moaning"/"being negative"/"failing to get behind the team". Personally, I find the lobotomised "Yea, we're going to do great innit" puke-inducing.
CosbehFox Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 That is exactly what I've been thinking, it doesn't have to be about individual players, if the team goes on a roll then anything can happen. If you look at some of the teams in the division player by player, we should be mid-table but just like seasons before there's always a few upsetting the applecart.
deepbluedevil Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I do worry that a lot of players will struggle to make the step up, but i think we are better off than two years ago
Daggers Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 I do worry that a lot of players will struggle to make the step up, but i think we are better off than two years ago We have a tiny squad, no depth in attack and a handful of players who have or are currently out of flavour and banished from the first team training sessions. We have had a very weak pre-season build up and possess a bunch of players who failed to perform at this level last time around. We lacked conviction in a number of our matches during the latter half of last season, seemed frequently to be outclassed by "lesser" teams, had a midfield which proved itself easy to be dominated and have a few players who can drift out of the game for match upon match. We have a manager who has only one gameplan, relies on out of form players and was lucky at the end of the season. And a chairman who has made big demands on the manager but not backed him to the level which we and he expected. This is going to be a very tough ask for Pearson - my money says he is out of a job next summer.
haraven Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 It's always gonna be a die-throw guessing how we will do. I agree with both positive and negative posters, we certainly to lack a few important pieces, but we also have a few strengths. I believe we have one of the top 5 defences in the Championship, we also have one of the top 5-6 midfields - at top I really don't know - if in form, they can be great. However, I see we've been tipped to around 6th and 7th place by a few betting companies, which in my book is quite good seeing we just got promoted into this division, and we all know we have a few weaknesses that we hope will be addressed either in august or january. All in all I am positive, and I hope we will be above the "strugglers" this season - saying that, this is one hell of a rough division with a lot of teams knuckling out 3-pointers.
Edmund Posted 4 August 2009 Posted 4 August 2009 We have had a very weak pre-season build up. I take it you were in Slovenia with the team?
Daggers Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 I take it you were in Slovenia with the team? Great point, well made. Well done.
Kilworthfox Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 We will struggle next season! Reasons: 1. We won't score enough goals 2. as good as you think the first team players are, only Tunchev is as good as you think he is. 3. Where is our 20+ goal CHAMPIONSHIP striker? 4. Last season we walked a crap leauge. This season we play different teams, who are much better every week! 5. Your optimism is miss placed due to media over hype & propaganda, and last season. 6. We won't pay the money unlike teams such as Middlesborough, who will to get in players, who will make a real difference to get promoted.
cecchini Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 Great point, well made. Well done. Well, to be honest I am a litlle concerned myself! I reassure myself with the following thoughts, Its not about individuals its about the team Confidence plays a big part NP is a good manager We were relegated from the prem and then the championship because we played badly and we seemed to have no ideas or enthusiasm. Since then we have hit rock bottom and Nigel has rebuilt the team, both in terms of players and confidence. My only fear is that when we faced opposition from the higher leauges we did not do particularly well, again we seamed to lack a co-hesive strategy or at least the team seemed unable to deploy one! I am confident we will do well, mainly because of the the three points I make above. I just put 100 quid on LCFC to be promoted so thats a view on how confident i am. Looking forward to the new season!
bluebeau Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 I am quite hopeful & confident that City will do well in the Championship, a decent bet to get into the play-offs. However, I amongst others have said before, & it's so obvious that if Steve Howard is out through injury or a ban, then we are pretty useless in front of goal. But if we can see this, then sure as hell, Nigel can that's for sure. I still think we will see at least another 2 new faces signed very soon, & the emphasis will be on the forward line, according to the tea-leaves in my cuppa!
marbelladave Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 Daggers is quite right in what he says, but he is only looking at the downside, There are positives. We are stronger than last year, NP and the squad have had a successful season under their belts and both he and our younger players will be better for the experience. NP will also be very aware of the various limitations we displayed last season, including his own. We are strengthening our squad in a sensible manner and with weeks to go until the window closes, I am confident that we will strengthen further. We do not have the funds to compete financially with the top clubs in the division so established Championship players of even modest quality such as Leroy Lita can do better (financially) elsewhere. That is the reality. NP must continue to build team spirit and unity and even more importantly he, himself, needs to be more flexible and innovative. If we lack the players to play a certain way then look to play differently, we have some talented attacking players who can score from deep or wide positions so find a way to use them! There is life beyond 4-4-2. For fooks sake go out and embrace it!
LCFC-ARAB Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 We have a tiny squad, no depth in attack and a handful of players who have or are currently out of flavour and banished from the first team training sessions. We have had a very weak pre-season build up and possess a bunch of players who failed to perform at this level last time around. We lacked conviction in a number of our matches during the latter half of last season, seemed frequently to be outclassed by "lesser" teams, had a midfield which proved itself easy to be dominated and have a few players who can drift out of the game for match upon match. We have a manager who has only one gameplan, relies on out of form players and was lucky at the end of the season. And a chairman who has made big demands on the manager but not backed him to the level which we and he expected. This is going to be a very tough ask for Pearson - my money says he is out of a job next summer. after reading this i'm actually looking forward to saturday a little less now
One Half Wonder Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 I am concerned, only by the lack of a striker or two. We have a great unity, belief and a youthful side brimming in confidence after last season and a good pre-season strengthened by some experience in Wellens and Neilson. I do believe however that all this could be undone very quickly if we don't sign a striker to add competition for places and use as a replacement for when Howard or Fryatt are injured - because they are the only two strikers at the club worth putting up front. I'm quite an optimistic and forgiving person however i can see simularities between our team this season and the one that went down - great at the back but no one to finish up front. A decent striker that season and we woul have finished top half easily. Please, please, please Nige, sign a striker!!!!!!!!!!! i'm usually a believer of this 'we wont sign anyone who doesn't improve the squad' theory, but now i'm just desperate for someone who is a striker by trade. i can clean my boots if it helps!?
Edmund Posted 5 August 2009 Posted 5 August 2009 After reading certain posts in this thread your left wanting to slit your wrists. Like someone else stated previously you can look at it from two angles. Those who look at it from the pessimistic angle will not be convinced no matter what argument you put up as they refuse to look at the positives. These will be the same people who will come on here in there numbers when we lose a game and come out with the same old 'told you so'. Wheres the fun in that? The season hasn't even started, a ball hasn't been kicked, yet people are judging the team on a pre season where we didn't lose a game. Even if we did lose all the games its besides the point and shows no reflection whatsoever on the season ahead. Its another classic example of fans who play to much football manager and think they could do everything better. Easier said than done. Even people are saying because we had bad spells last season and a bit of luck we will struggle this season. Wake up we finished top of the table, it doesn't matter how you win the league we won it in our own right and to turn that into negativity just shows the true pessimism installed into that person. Suicide hotline awaits. Then theres all this malarky about Milan not spending money. Are we all now financial directors with access to the clubs balance sheet? Not only have we spent money we have players from previous regimes hogging the wage bill and this isin't a bit of fun its business. Considering we made a loss last season we have signed more players than teams which were in the championship last season yet people still aern't happy. Pearsons signings last season were shrewd and he proved in his first season he is a good businessman and has the right people around him in the club. If people have lost there confidence that quickly in him then im lost for words. You might as well turn up with your Pearson Out banners on Saturday. Im not saying your not allowed to have your views but to come out like you have a degree in first class pessimism is just plain silly and is bound to bring a reaction from other posters. If you can't string a decent reply then why bother posting.
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