Expectations / Real World

[Rob1742]

Can't believe some of the fans calling for the managers head.

Basically we have come up from one league, to another which is more than a usual step up in the world of sport. We haven't spent much money, yet people expect us to compete at that level straight away.

What makes me smile is when idiots start nit picking on stupid things, saying that if Pearson was in the dug out, we would start to win. Can't recall them wanting him in the dug out last season, but they find the most trivial things to pick on, to have a go at him.

The bottom line is, we are competing with teams that have purchased a much better level of player, over a number of years. To compete, you either have buy really big and hope the signings gel, or hope that the crop that got you there in the first place are good enough.

Unfortunately, if any of them two things don't happen, you are clearly going to struggle.

You hear complete crap like "they don't try hard enough" "the manager doesn't have a plan b" or if any of those fail they will pick on Konchesky for all our failings.

The simple fact is, the premier league is a huge step up and we don't have the quality of player to compete, at this stage.

No it's not good, it ain't nice, but what would you do if you owned the club? You could name a hundred bad decisions that clubs have made, that have made a bigger mess out of a situation.

It's worth just looking at reality, looking at it as an outsider and it's pretty easy to see it was always going to be very difficult.

Best we all stick together, hope we can buy a few players that don't break the bank and put us in a mess if we go down. Maybe we can then get a run together and stay up and build.

But in reality, whoever goes up to this league is going to find it tough, we all have this season. You get the odd lucky one, but there is really no point starting picking on stupid things, or individuals to vent your anger.

The simple fact is, we just don't have the right calibre of players to compete at the moment.

[Grewks]

At the end of the day....realistically we should finish 19th.

 

 

That is realistic.

[L1wazza]

I think fans are upset because we don't want to go back down after one season and probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

[Grewks]

I think fans are upset because we don't want to go back down after one season and probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

 

 

Not gonna happen.

[Mark_w]

probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

 

Okay.

[Guest MattP]

I think fans are upset because we don't want to go back down after one season and probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

[Marvin]

Totally agree with Rob1742.

We're all bitterly disappointed.

Just need a win from somewhere.

[Hirsty The Blue 94]

I think fans are upset because we don't want to go back down after one season and probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

You do realise we are on 10 already!? 25 defeats in a row would be so unprecedentedly ridiculous that I'm not sure would be possible if we actually tried to lose every game.

[Guest kristianity77]

I think the expectations of the vast majority of City fans is that we would struggle, and that throughout the season it would be touch and go as to whether we survived or not.  I think what most fans didn't expect however, based purely on last season is to seemingly give the premiership up with a whimper.  Yes, there are loads of games to go but in all seriousness, when is the next game we are likely to win?  

 

I think also the fans are more worried because they seen what happened last time we went on a bad run, and Nigel couldn't stop the rot until the season finished and we got summer out of the way.  No one wants a repeat of that horrible drop in form because this time it wont end up with us scraping into the end of season shake up, it will end in embarrassment where we finish 15-20 points shy of safety.  We don't look like getting to 20 points at the minute come the end of the season.

[Bamba's Babes]

Nonsense. My genuine expectation was 14th. That was a realistic too if we played competent football. From 8-20 anyone can beat anyone. It's an average league which has been proven by us not winning for two months and only just has a gap opened up at the bottom.

We're not meeting expectations. Anyone who expected us to go down with the players and cohesion we had overestimated this league.

[LilMissFox]

Actually shocked that I'm reading this on here. Well done! Someone who finally speaks some sense.

[ozleicester]

Can't believe some of the fans calling for the managers head.

Basically we have come up from one league, to another which is more than a usual step up in the world of sport. We haven't spent much money, yet people expect us to compete at that level straight away.

What makes me smile is when idiots start nit picking on stupid things, saying that if Pearson was in the dug out, we would start to win. Can't recall them wanting him in the dug out last season, but they find the most trivial things to pick on, to have a go at him.

The bottom line is, we are competing with teams that have purchased a much better level of player, over a number of years. To compete, you either have buy really big and hope the signings gel, or hope that the crop that got you there in the first place are good enough.

Unfortunately, if any of them two things don't happen, you are clearly going to struggle.

You hear complete crap like "they don't try hard enough" "the manager doesn't have a plan b" or if any of those fail they will pick on Konchesky for all our failings.

The simple fact is, the premier league is a huge step up and we don't have the quality of player to compete, at this stage.

No it's not good, it ain't nice, but what would you do if you owned the club? You could name a hundred bad decisions that clubs have made, that have made a bigger mess out of a situation.

It's worth just looking at reality, looking at it as an outsider and it's pretty easy to see it was always going to be very difficult.

Best we all stick together, hope we can buy a few players that don't break the bank and put us in a mess if we go down. Maybe we can then get a run together and stay up and build.

But in reality, whoever goes up to this league is going to find it tough, we all have this season. You get the odd lucky one, but there is really no point starting picking on stupid things, or individuals to vent your anger.

The simple fact is, we just don't have the right calibre of players to compete at the moment.

 

You are correct, the quality of our team is not high enough.

 

But then, who is responsible for buying/organising that team? That is why people are calling for the managers head.

 

I agree that keeping a solid team will benefit if we do go down, but as we know only too well, getting out of that league is very difficult.

 

Which leaves us three options...

 

1) QPR option, spend a fortune in january and hope it does enough to survive

2) Sack the manager, get an experienced prem manager in and hope he can do enough to survive.

3) stick with what we have, add a couple of small additions in Jan and hope to survive.

 

What would you do?

[veezeeblue]

I think fans are upset because we don't want to go back down after one season and probably getting lower than derbys 11 ppints

 

I take 11 ppints n 11 ppackets o crisps pplease

[veezeeblue]

You are correct, the quality of our team is not high enough.

 

But then, who is responsible for buying/organising that team? That is why people are calling for the managers head.

 

I agree that keeping a solid team will benefit if we do go down, but as we know only too well, getting out of that league is very difficult.

 

Which leaves us three options...

 

1) QPR option, spend a fortune in january and hope it does enough to survive

2) Sack the manager, get an experienced prem manager in and hope he can do enough to survive.

3) stick with what we have, add a couple of small additions in Jan and hope to survive.

 

What would you do?

 

 

something between 1 & 3 which is not 2

 

now I am confused

wheres me meds

[ozleicester]

something between 1 & 3 which is not 2

 

now I am confused

wheres me meds

 

Option, two and three quarters... Magic

[Rob1742]

Nonsense. My genuine expectation was 14th. That was a realistic too if we played competent football. From 8-20 anyone can beat anyone. It's an average league which has been proven by us not winning for two months and only just has a gap opened up at the bottom.

We're not meeting expectations. Anyone who expected us to go down with the players and cohesion we had overestimated this league.

That was my view at the beginning of the season, with my teams performances of last season in my head.

But, it is different. You look at Villa, Sunderland, West Brom etc, as poor as e thought they were from an outsiders point of view, when you actually play them, they have players like Hutton that can do one thing in a game to beat you.

I sat with an ex Premier League manager the other week and he was pointing out the amount of players on the other team that could do us damage, despite them not being the greatest team at the moment.

Our expectations were built when we win the league, a league that is miles behind the premiership.

You just look at the individual mistakes our young players have been making, mistakes players in other teams do not make as often. There lies the difference.

Still we are not a million miles away. Pearson still has a good group, a group together who have only really been convincingly beaten easily by Swansea.

Two or three quality signings might make the margin up versus the competition, bur for now, there is definately a margin of difference between our players and theirs, that makes us lose the games.

Thinking we should finish 14th is living in cuckoo land. Looking at the teams we have played has showed this.

[Greg2607]

The early season results skewed a lot of people's expectations.  We were competing against the bigger teams in the division and picking up points against those expecting to finish in the top six.  Now that we have played the teams around us and failed to add to that points tally, fans are rightly disappointed given the early season promise.

 

If we'd have lost the first 6 games and then accumulated 10 points over the next 9, people would be suggesting that we were finding our feet and would kick on.

 

Realistically, I would have been happy to finish one spot outside of the relegation places.  I still would be.  So as long as we don't get cut adrift, and can find a way to win ugly, snatch a lucky drawer, or do anything to build some points, then we can continue to work towards that goal.

 

IF we manage to survive, then we can recruit sensibly in the summer and then STILL compete for the bottom to mid table places. That is the life of a premier league team who don't have billions at there disposal.  Unfortunately, it's also going to be further embedded by FFP as those established teams have been able to gamble, spend BIG and only now have to comply one they have put their superstar players in place.

 

I can pretty much guarantee we won't be competing for European places for many a year, if at all.

[CosbehFox]

But then, who is responsible for buying/organising that team? That is why people are calling for the managers head.

 

 

 

No-one other than personnel at the club will be aware of what happened with signing players over the Summer. I fully suspect we tried for a fair few players but potential wages meant we didn't go for it.

[Silverdaz]

IF we do stay up this season the manager and the players would of learnt a hell of a lot and I fully expect us to finish probably in the top half next season

[smudgerfox]

Agree with OP

 

Pearson is learning, the team is learning, both have little to no experience of the top level and the question is: will they learn enough, soon enough?

 

I think when you're playing in the Championship week in and week out it's easy to diss the Premier League as a fancy dan, showboaters' league full of diving, cheating, overpaid prima donnas. But all the teams here play with a tactical sophistication and a nouse which they apply consistently and which allows them to pick up points. High standards have to be relentlessly deployed, not just in patches. So for instance we have a goalkeeper who is consistently praised for his shot-stopping by tv pundits ( who need to set up their highlights/analysis packages), but every opponent this season will have been briefed that he rarely ventures off his line and they deliver their crosses accordingly.  People rightly say De Laet handled Sterling well but the one time he went to sleep, Sterling got in behind him and set up Gerrard's crucial goal. The free kicks James gave against Burnley and Wasy gave v Villa were both unnecessary and massively expensive. Nugent's one-on-one miss at 0-0 v Chelsea, Vardy's failed one-on-one at 1-1 v QPR  and another at 1-2 were pivotal in the outcome of those games. Last season we'd have applauded the great moves which created the chances, in the safe knowledge we'd evenytually score. This season they're nailed on chances which just have to be taken. The players must learn these lessons. If not, we will be deservedly relegated.

 

Generally I support NFP in his mission to build a club (not just a team), to do it with young players who will improve and hopefully, in the end, fulfill their potential. But while much of the criticism levelled at him is unfair there are a few things which he is wholly responsible for. One is our set up at set pieces, which, at both ends of the pitch is little short of shambolic. Another is the lack of left backcover, which, I suspect, is now going to expose Schlupp even more than he has been already (and goodness knows what happens if he gets injured/suspended as well) and finally the proliferation of wide/creative players in a squad short on defensive cover and striker options.    

[ImBlue]

At the end of the day....realistically we should finish 19th.

That is realistic.

Realistically we are 20th, granted. But we can't go any lower, so what you going to say, 'we're only 1 place off expectation' all season?

For the record 19th shouldn't have been our realistic expectation either.

[L1wazza]

Pearson out

[RowZ]

Agree with OP

 

Pearson is learning, the team is learning, both have little to no experience of the top level and the question is: will they learn enough, soon enough?

 

I think when you're playing in the Championship week in and week out it's easy to diss the Premier League as a fancy dan, showboaters' league full of diving, cheating, overpaid prima donnas. But all the teams here play with a tactical sophistication and a nouse which they apply consistently and which allows them to pick up points. High standards have to be relentlessly deployed, not just in patches. So for instance we have a goalkeeper who is consistently praised for his shot-stopping by tv pundits ( who need to set up their highlights/analysis packages), but every opponent this season will have been briefed that he rarely ventures off his line and they deliver their crosses accordingly.  People rightly say De Laet handled Sterling well but the one time he went to sleep, Sterling got in behind him and set up Gerrard's crucial goal. The free kicks James gave against Burnley and Wasy gave v Villa were both unnecessary and massively expensive. Nugent's one-on-one miss at 0-0 v Chelsea, Vardy's failed one-on-one at 1-1 v QPR  and another at 1-2 were pivotal in the outcome of those games. Last season we'd have applauded the great moves which created the chances, in the safe knowledge we'd evenytually score. This season they're nailed on chances which just have to be taken. The players must learn these lessons. If not, we will be deservedly relegated.

 

Generally I support NFP in his mission to build a club (not just a team), to do it with young players who will improve and hopefully, in the end, fulfill their potential. But while much of the criticism levelled at him is unfair there are a few things which he is wholly responsible for. One is our set up at set pieces, which, at both ends of the pitch is little short of shambolic. Another is the lack of left backcover, which, I suspect, is now going to expose Schlupp even more than he has been already (and goodness knows what happens if he gets injured/suspended as well) and finally the proliferation of wide/creative players in a squad short on defensive cover and striker options.    

I agree on one thing: he is a novice at this level of management, some say out of his depth - but surely you can't get to the prem after 10 years of trying, excuse & tolerate the results because the manager's still learning? Every manager learns but It's huge, huge business these days and by Christmas our survival time may have run out. This is not the league to experiment in and this board are now looking for a top 6 as their next 3 year plan. That can't won't happen if we get relegated.

 

I'd forget the  loyalty card I'm afraid. When Pearson came before (and went when it suited), he came back again when the deal was right for him. If the early run carried on and we were now sitting in the top 4, no doubt NP himself would be touted as the new Messiah and linked with the top clubs - would he not be tempted?

 

Three (+ the previous 2) years with the same club is knocking on a bit for any manager these days in any league, especially the prem.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Option 2, pretty damn quick. The club is bigger than the individual. Being loyal is a nice idea, but totally impractical in the world of football.

 

For the sake of the club, he has to go.

[Simmo86]

Option 2, pretty damn quick. The club is bigger than the individual. Being loyal is a nice idea, but totally impractical in the world of football.

 

For the sake of the club, he has to go.

 

To be replaced by......