A long way to the top.

[Callabinho]

So our last two games have not gone as we would all like, However i feel this is a reality check to the owners and also shows us how far away from promotion we still are. We did have to make 8 changes so we were left with the "fringe players" basically Sousa's team. Even so the midfield remained more or less the same Abe starting appose to Wellens the only real change from the last few games. To loose the way we did to a Baggies "reserve team" certainly told me we are not ready to challenge for promotion yet. Our Midfield is weak and we need a player similar to Darren Pratley, someone who can control a midfield. The defence was weakened massively without Naughton and Davies so i expected us to struggle to get anything from the game. And any body who feels Sven should go already are pathetic, the guy knows what he is doing! give him time and we will shift the riff-raff out and have a team worthy of promotion.

If Sven can some how get us to the playoffs this season, he would have done a fantastic job, Keep the faith and in time all will come good!

[Ric Flair]

It's hard to work out what to make of our current situation. It appears that we can forget about any challenge for the top 6 until we get a stable defence and togetherness amongst our team. I can't fathom out whether Pearson was a miracle worker and this squad is severely lacking in quality, or whether the change in manager has caused such unsettlement that these players are now severely limited in their performances due to a lack of confidence and morale. Many teams come up from League One and have a right good go that first season and then struggle to maintain progression the following years. Maybe that's the case with us.

I think what's frustrating for the fans is expectation. It's hard to stomach this season when all you are hearing is ' Premiership ' ' untold millions ' and all that guff. The fact is, that isn't going to happen over night, certainly not when a team makes the start to a season that we have. If our owners genuinely think promotion is achieveble this season then hat's off to them for their positivity but if they also cannot understand the likelyhood of that not happening then they are morons. if Sven is given a good amount of money with a blueprint that is to build a team full of young, quality players with some experienced ex-premeirship players and some foreign flair then we could go up next season and stay up. If we are going to carry on in the style of Mandaric that is to spout that we are a club destined for the top flight but showing little sign that the club has the know how on how to do that then we'll struggle, Sven will ultimately leave or get the sack and we'll be plunged in to chaos.

The club is sitting on a knife edge right now. Some good, shrewd decisions over the next few months will see us challenging for honours once again. One or two poor decisions and it could unravel in to depths of shit that we've never experienced before. I hope lady luck favours us this season and we can turn things around, we have the best manager outside of the top flight without question. I appreciate how lucky we are in that respect, so let's not ruin it.

As fans, we need to hold on tioght and keep any frustration we have to ourselves for at least a few months. I know that's hypocritical of me to say after being the first person on here to want Sousa out, but there's no questioning Sven's calibre where as Sousa it was easy to ridicule.

These next 8 league games are all winnable, we have to put a run together.

[davieG]

Reading in the paper ever day that your job will be gone in January is hardly going to instil confidence especially on top of the Mandaric Manager Merry go round. Seems to me even if that crop of players last night had performed a miracle and beat WBA their future's lie elsewhere and unknown.

[surrifox]

the club has yet to put clear water between us and the bottom 3 - I'm all for setting sights and talking in ambitious terms but we need to secure our place in this division first, I can't see 3 teams nailed on for relegation at the present time