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Tough at the top and tougher to get there?


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As I wrote earlier the teams around us are in just as poor form as we are. We actually have two more wins in the last 7 than both Bristol and Sheffield. Are they beginning to feel the pressure of maintaining a top-6 spot after a great season. Hell, Bristol even surrendered a 3-0 half time lead against ***ty Sunderland. This is when players like Gibson, Ayala, Leadbitter, Downing, Howson, Friend should step up and show some experience in dealing with the pressure of a promotion push.

 

Damn it sounds so easy on paper doesn't it.

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I don't think we'll make it either. I just don't think the balance between manager and squad is there yet and it will need some key personnel changes to really reach that level. The teams above us have at least 1 or 2 key attributes that are better than what we are. They might not be in good form but that only further proves us not to be very good right now for not having made any significant ground, if any, on them.

 

It's not impossible for us to make it at all but if we keep on like we have been, it will take some serious disaster from all but one of the other teams from 5th to 13th for us to allow us to sneak in. Then if we get there, it's a lottery so who knows but I wouldn't be confident playing any of those from 2nd to 6th right now.

 

Assuming there's no disastrous end to the season, I think I'll feel much better going into next season. For better or worse, Wolves will be gone so even winning the title could be back on the cards. Big changes needed before then though.

 

I really hope we do make it up this season as I'd feel a lot better about the key personnel changes happening in the lead-up to a Premier League season, when we'd need to spend to get a better quality of player in anyway. I just don't see it even coming close.

 

Different season, different challenges. True that Wolves will be gone... but we could be looking at some big teams with a lot of resources going down this year. 

 

Imagine the current bottom 3 dropping down... Southampton, Stoke, West Brom. They would put up a hell of a lot more fight than Hull & Sunderland did this year.

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It being a weak division this season gives us hope I'd say. I reckon we're on course for somewhere between 67-71/72 points. Some years that would be enough and some it wouldn't. Maybe this year it will be or maybe we'll finish with even more!

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I don't think we'll make it either. I just don't think the balance between manager and squad is there yet and it will need some key personnel changes to really reach that level. The teams above us have at least 1 or 2 key attributes that are better than what we are. They might not be in good form but that only further proves us not to be very good right now for not having made any significant ground, if any, on them.

 

It's not impossible for us to make it at all but if we keep on like we have been, it will take some serious disaster from all but one of the other teams from 5th to 13th for us to allow us to sneak in. Then if we get there, it's a lottery so who knows but I wouldn't be confident playing any of those from 2nd to 6th right now.

 

Assuming there's no disastrous end to the season, I think I'll feel much better going into next season. For better or worse, Wolves will be gone so even winning the title could be back on the cards. Big changes needed before then though.

 

I really hope we do make it up this season as I'd feel a lot better about the key personnel changes happening in the lead-up to a Premier League season, when we'd need to spend to get a better quality of player in anyway. I just don't see it even coming close.

 

Different season, different challenges. True that Wolves will be gone... but we could be looking at some big teams with a lot of resources going down this year. 

 

Imagine the current bottom 3 dropping down... Southampton, Stoke, West Brom. They would put up a hell of a lot more fight than Hull & Sunderland did this year.

 

True, that's why I say for better or worse. At the end of the day, Wolves beating everyone should have made promotion much more possible but severely hit everyone else's title hopes at the same time.

 

But I think with the league being more competitive with teams like those coming down, if we do provide Pulis with a team he can actually work with in the summer, I think we'll compete much better than we did under Monk. He's a better manager than Monk by a long way in my eyes so if we give him the right tools, I expect him to be able to compete against teams who have been a while outside this division. And whilst it might be difficult to smash the league the way Gibson wanted this season, I expect the league to be tighter next year at the top and less teams just running away with it meaning more chance for other teams to aim for the title.

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How does that transpire to games against top 6-10 and why do you think that will turn around all of a sudden?

 

Because Pulis is not naive like Monk :)

 

You will see on Saturday. We will win and then start the real season ;)

 

I watched the game against Fulham, if we play like that we will win 9 out 10 games against a top 6 team in this division. 

 

Its small margins but Pulis will bring us there, we will not gift the teams 1-2 goals per game and that will help us a lot.

Yeh and if we play like we did against Reading, we'll lose 9 out of 10, good job Traore was a cut above.

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It being a weak division this season gives us hope I'd say.  I reckon we're on course for somewhere between 67-71/72 points.  Some years that would be enough and some it wouldn't.  Maybe this year it will be or maybe we'll finish with even more!

 

This is pretty much my feeling on the situation.

I think we'll finish 8th, so any level of success we have beyond that will be a bonus

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How does that transpire to games against top 6-10 and why do you think that will turn around all of a sudden?

 

Because Pulis is not naive like Monk :)

 

You will see on Saturday. We will win and then start the real season ;)

 

I watched the game against Fulham, if we play like that we will win 9 out 10 games against a top 6 team in this division. 

 

Its small margins but Pulis will bring us there, we will not gift the teams 1-2 goals per game and that will help us a lot.

Yeh and if we play like we did against Reading, we'll lose 9 out of 10, good job Traore was a cut above.

we wil not like that when it needed for more, thats my point, and how Pulis work ;)

 

FFS get some positive in here

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Whenever we've had a chance to make inroads towards the top 6 we've always managed to blow it, Derby & Cardiff at home Bristol City away. Bristol City are having a bit of a sticky patch but I feel they've got players who will get up for the fight and they'll come again. Fulham have found their feet and the manager knows how to get out of this division, one team always comes with a run and it looks like its them.

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How does that transpire to games against top 6-10 and why do you think that will turn around all of a sudden?

 

Because Pulis is not naive like Monk :)

 

You will see on Saturday. We will win and then start the real season ;)

 

I watched the game against Fulham, if we play like that we will win 9 out 10 games against a top 6 team in this division. 

 

Its small margins but Pulis will bring us there, we will not gift the teams 1-2 goals per game and that will help us a lot.

Yeh and if we play like we did against Reading, we'll lose 9 out of 10, good job Traore was a cut above.

we wil not like that when it needed for more, thats my point, and how Pulis work ;)

 

FFS get some positive in here

Sorry it must be all those mediocre and below par performances I've been watching at the Riverside, says a lot when the pint at half has sometimes been the highlight.

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Playoffs aren’t beyond anyone within 10 points. Those teams probably need to improve but that doesn’t make it beyond them

 

I didn't say it was beyond anyone, i said it was byond us. We aren't scoring goals or picking up enough points regularly. That's how i see it.

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Playoffs aren’t beyond anyone within 10 points. Those teams probably need to improve but that doesn’t make it beyond them

 

I didn't say it was beyond anyone, i said it was byond us. We aren't scoring goals or picking up enough points regularly. That's how i see it.

 

We do come under the umbrella of anyone

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