Another wasted season

To be fair I gave up on promotion after the home defeat to Millwall. Right after the game, may I add, before Sven Goran Eriksson was sacked.

It was after that game I realised automatic promotion was out the window. And lets be honest even if we get in the playoffs we will never win it. We would bottle it as we would be the team everyone expects to win them and has to win them.

This inconsistent rubbish we have been producing has been a lot easier to take since then.

I think it's probably a combination of factors longtimefox. In the same way, that the majority of winning runs are made of different features.

When you look at another team who have won several on the bounce, you assume they are playing great football and dominating games. But if you go and ask the fans, more times than not, they will still have things to moan about.

The line between success and failure is so thin.

Example - during our 5 game winning streak last year, the pundits were saying we were playing great and automatics looked likely.

But the facts are, in several of those games we didn't play well. We could have easily drew the Millwall game, we probably didn't even deserve a point at Sheff U and were lucky to beat Bristol City in the last minute (another game we could easily have lost on the counter attack).

"Something is missing and I don't know what."

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It's a midfield. A consistent one, anyway. We have some really good players in our side - Schmeichel, Konchesky, Nugent, Beckford and various centre backs. But the midfield doesn't look up to the challenge at present. Hopefully the likes of Drinkwater can help with that.

While this season is a write-off in terms of league position and promotion challenges, that doesn't mean that it's wasted as such. It's an opportunity to build a squad and for the manager to plan; it's been a learning curve for the owners as well - that money alone doesn't promise promotion, and it seems that they are learning and changing their approach. More importantly, stability has to start somewhere, and the rest of this season is about laying the foundations of that. While we would be disappointed with this at the start of the season, a top-half finish and a good go at Norwich City in the FA Cup would be a decent enough return from here.

Mid-table mediocrity is clearly the best we can hope for.

Realistically, we are about to be 10 points from the play-offs, which is just not recoverable from now on in.

Better to take all the pressure off the squad and start working on a team and an approach for next year.

End of year target - Finish above Derby and Forest !

"Something is missing and I don't know what."

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It's a midfield.

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Nail on head Dunge, lots of activity, running about and sideways/back passing, but bereft of creative ideas.

To the say this seAson has been a waste I believe is wrong. Admittely it hasn't been the Season we all hoped for and expected but it rarely ever is.

Ok I admit the hope of us being promotoed this season are very slim but lets look at the positives.
We now have in charge a manager that is building a BALANCED squad, not a collection of players. Just look at the transfer window just gone, we signed four players, two young midfielders who have the characteristics to do well for us not just this season but for years to come. A centre half who can do a very good job for us in the tougher games when some grit is needed I.e Doncaster away! Compare this to of Sven was in charge, we would have signed plenty of big names mainly on loan and they may have excited us for a few games but come the end of the season they would have left and we would be back to square one!!
Sven has gone and lets move on, all those saying if he was here we would be doing better, I disagree massively, we struggled massively under him this season and his answer would have been to spend more money and we would be in the same situation, at least Pearson is addressing the problems and sorting them!
I believe we have the nucleus of very strong squad and with the additions in the summer of a handful of young talent that Steve Walsh is so good at unearthing we have the chance to push for promotion, we will have a squad that in the large part has got to know each other and the management staff properly, they will know why is required of them and they will deliver.
This season whilst not gone to plan has certainly not been a waste, we now have the manager who should never have been allowed to leave back ( so if anything the previous 18months were a waste!!), we are building a squad not just collecting names, and most importantly we will have had time to gel which is what a team to achieve promotion needs, look a Norwich Swansea and we would have even done it ourselves had it not been for a cocky Frenchman! All these sides didn't do it in their first season together they built As a team!!
Let's enjoy the season left, build,maybe make a late charge but if not at least gain momentum fOr next season.
Waste? No, more building blocks in my eyes

Even if by a miracle we got to the play off and got promoted. We would be not good enough in the top flight. with this team. we need a mid field.

"End of year target - Finish above Derby and Forest ! "

I agree. Top half and above these 2 will do me just fine.

Spot on Trish. A very good summary of where we are as a club.

I really hope the owners give Pearson time to build.

Finish above Derby. You definately need to do this, especially as just one of your defenders cost more than our entire team.