After ten games back in the Premier League, no doubt we all have our impressions of how life in the supposed Promised Land has so far panned out. Here are mine –

It’s a whole different game

Prem football has apparently turned into a non-contact sport (I must have missed the memo whilst we were in the EFL). That’s the only explanation for the slew of cards brandished so far despite no games being dirty or even especially bad-tempered.

It must be hard for players to adapt, aggression is a necessary part of the game and actually a significant element of successful teams at this level and yet refs seem to work to a whole new definition of legal and illegal.

VAR compounds this. The bizarre inconsistency around if and when it’s used is bad enough but the fact that its interpretation is so subjective seems to invalidate its whole purpose as an objective way of avoiding mistakes.

The fact that we have been on the wrong end of so many decisions merely underlines it and even if, as Kieran McKenna hopes, those decisions even out over the season, the facts don’t change. Prem football is much the worse for it.

The TV companies run everything (including us)

The extent to which our diaries are subject to late (or last) minute changes at the whim of the TV companies has become very real lately. Two on a Sunday, 8.15pm on a Friday, 4.30pm on a Sunday – best not plan anything around three o'clock on a Saturday anymore.

Without a Golden Ticket, you’re on the outside

Great though it is to be so successful, a full Portman Road inevitably means that really only those with a season ticket can be sure to be up close.

That’s even more so for away games, you can only go if you’ve been (lots) before. I’m not complaining, it’s right that the most loyal and travelled are at the front of the queue, but it’s another part of supporting the club that’s no longer available to many now that we’re in the Prem (although, to be fair, this was much the same last season too).

24/7 spotlight

We all knew that the media displays disdain for anything outside of the Prem but we can now see that much of it does the same for teams outside of the top six in it; the derision shown for clubs at the bottom has surprised me.

This is magnified by the increased number of talking heads – both our own supporters and national neutral ones – who seem to spend time analysing the analysis. Personally, I’m increasingly of the view that less is more which is why I am tuning out of much of it.

It’s even more brutal and ruthless than expected

Everyone knew that the chasm would be huge but it’s actually bigger than that. You can play well for 94 minutes and still lose to a momentary lapse.

Alongside these new aspects of the game are some nasty old ones. Some people like to latch on to a scapegoat and stick everything on them – in the past players like James Scowcroft have been selected whereas now it’s Aro Muric who, for some ‘fans’, despite making a string of fine saves is apparently responsible for every point dropped.

There’s even been one or two rare calls on social for KM to be shown the door! Fortunately such abject stupidity has been shouted down quickly and in large numbers.

We all knew this was going to be a rollercoaster and pretty much every pundit was unanimous that we’d go straight back down (this being, after the last two glorious seasons, a step too far).

We ought not therefore to be too surprised at the first ten games. Winless yes but, in my opinion, KM’s careful use of the phrase ‘to be competitive in every game’ as his objective is very wise. We generally have been and, if the new players can bed in, injuries ease and some decisions start to go our way, being competitive will yield more points.

One of the common views back in the summer was that, whatever happens this season, we should all ‘enjoy the ride.’ As I left PR at the final whistle against Leicester, I’d have been very hard pressed to say that I am.

At that moment, however, we can all be a bit too close to the emotion. Within 48 hours I was pondering the words of Tony Cascarino in the national media who said that Town have the quality, character and the manager to get out of trouble (especially when their luck turns). I think he's right.

The shortcomings of the Prem ‘experience’ may serve as some consolation if the worst comes to the worst. However, we all want the club to be as high as possible so I for one will be happy to still be griping about them come August 2025.

The_Prof added 16:36 - Nov 6 It was always the way that some of our 'supporters' would have to have someone to focus on for spite, and strangely it's often been the more 'local' players who have caught it. I can recall the challenged-chap who sat near me in the old West Stand many years ago yelling at Mick Lambert for being 'crap', even though good old Mick wasn't actually on the park (or even in the squad) and he was actually shouting at Arnold Muhren. These days Clarke H and Woolfie are the main targets for the on-line experts because we sometimes concede goals when they are playing. I have found myself pointing out that we also conceded goals when we could perm any four from Burley, Mills, Hunter, Beattie, Osman and Butcher as our defence, but that doesn't seem to compute?

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waveneyblue added 18:13 - Nov 6 Good review - agree with all of that
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ChrisFelix added 10:17 - Nov 7 A very good blog which reflects how I feel. I'm not enjoying the premier league. It's not that we can't compete but the unfairness of the officials & the technology makes survival an unwinnable battle..A friend asked me what we needed in Jan, nothing I said. Our squad is good enough, shame about the officials
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ElephantintheRoom added 12:29 - Nov 7 Surely most of your gripes were eminently predictable? Prem football has been all but unwatchable for years, decades even. I worked with a Spurs supporter who hadn’t had a 3pm Saturday kick off for three years It was fairly evident that Town would struggle because they struggled by and large against the better teams in the championship and buying a wholesale job lot of strangers was bound to put a few noses out of joint and cause chaos. The big difference this time round is that the club has totally and utterly lost its identity and is a bunch of other clubs’ players moonlighting for the money orchestrated by a wantaway manager now locked into a ludicrous long term contract. . Somehow i doubt it will end well.

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tractorboykent added 16:33 - Nov 7 Wow Elephantintheroom - I'm surprised you're here at all if you feel like that. Fair to say that some of the points were predictable for those who have been keeping an eye on the Prem but I - like many others I'd guess - haven't really whilst we've been away as I've not much cared. I'm not sure there's any evidence of a 'job lot of of strangers moonlighting for money' causing chaos; some of those new players (particularly Delap, Greaves) have been excellent whilst others are showing a lot of promise but the overall squad spirit seems good. Of course it's tough to integrate newcomers with a tight group that acheived so much over the last two seasons but that's EVERY promoted club's challenge - we're no different. As to the club losing its identity under an over contracted Mgr - you can't be serious; most of us think that we have regained our identiity thanks to KM and MA. Even if this season does end in tears (as I said, almost every neutral pundit predicted that it would be a step too far), most of us seem to feel that the club will have tasted something it'll be better placed to return to.

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hamish added 09:39 - Nov 8 I'm definitely enjoying it. Your points are all fair and well made, but i love the fact we are competing at the highest level after such a long hiatus. The ticket thing is really annoying but i guess it is just a consequence of success. Of course people who have never seen us at this level want to watch us play the big teams, it's inevitable, and we shouldn't begrudge that. I was in the "wrong" end for the West Ham game (awful) and will be again on Sunday for Spurs, but at least we're there. As for the VAR situation, it does feel ridiculous. I was in the top of Churchmans for the Leicester game and could see from there it was a penalty!!! But let's hope it evens out at some point; a penalty against Man United in a couple of weeks would be a nice balance.

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