| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' 11:59 - Oct 20 with 5578 views | jasondozzell |
It was always going to be this way.
If anything, we are outperforming expectations despite all the noise.
First, the Premier League. What a horrible juggernaut it has become really. Superficial nonsense and Disneyfied money making machine trading on the soul of football past. There can't be much of the corpse left to devour.
Is it just me who finds the blinking digital ad boards, the corporate look, fireworks and ridiculous hype of the giant digital screen and 'fan experience' optics of the PL unsavoury? I'm grateful that the ground is now in good nick and cared for but it feels like we're watching an Olympic medal ceremony or a monster truck demo at times in the build up to kick off and not a football match. I preferred it in the darkest Evans years when they used to play Edward Ebeneezer over the tannoy and that was pretty much your lot. The 'product' as it is now prevents any proper atmosphere building up naturally from the crowd at the beginning.
Still, we wanted this. We'd sat through 20 years of mostly rubbish so we needed it. And the journey to get here was thrilling.
The reality is I think we're probably still exceeding reasonable expectations. We have gone from 12th in league one to the strongest league in world football and did it via back to back promotions. In an alternative universe if we'd been putting together a serious play off bid in our second season in the championship, we'd be happy. That would have been very good progress. This is something else entirely.
I know that KM won't abandon his principles and I love that. We try to play the right way. And even yesterday we put together some very good passages. Had Clarke scored...
Bar West Ham (and even that wasn't totally hopeless) and yesterday we have been competitive against some of the best teams in the world.
It's not really anything to do with systems, desire, players, management etc. It's just the cold hard reality of money that has destroyed the game. Everton might get ridiculed but they have exceptional players. All the established PL teams do. Even so called 'lesser' players like say Jack Harrison are top, top players. To have to spend 100m to just be maybe within a chance of avoiding the drop is a bit sobering.
To survive would be a huge achievement and we're in that battle. Long way to go yet.
In some ways, we're back to where we were when there were just 13000 of us watching games. You do have to wonder how many of the recent fans attracted to success are prepared for the reality of football. Most years are not like the last two we've had.
Frankly if we lost 5-0 every game this season I'd still think McKenna was the best coach in the world and still feel like we've been spoilt with the quality of football, the brilliant team spirit, the joy of the last few years. No complaints.
I love our players and our style of play. It is so good to see so many from league one. I hate some of our fickle fans who immediately show they have no understanding by writing off players, chucking toys out of the pram. 'Woolfy isn't good enough for this level'. Get in the bin! I don't even think of them as football fans. Just entertainment consumers.
Now is where we need to pay KM and the players back for all they've done for us. Stick with them. KM is too good and the players too committed and well coached for us not to make a fight of it. I think there are encouraging signs.
For what it's worth, I'd like to see some of the old guard get a chance now too. Chappers, Broady, Clarke etc.
Take heart and remember it's not that long ago we were watching Colin Quaner toiling away up front by himself. We're not even in the relegation places at the moment! |  | | |  |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 10:00 - Oct 21 with 1043 views | hype313 |
The biggest issue we have faced, through no fault of our own, is having one window to sort out recruitment which consisted of a lot of League One players, it's just so hard to transition a team in such a short space of time, which is why you see teams who Yo Yo give a better account of themselves in the long run.
Even with £200m to spend it would still be a slog in your first year.
For me we're not getting battered week in week out, we just need to solidify things at the back and be a bit cuter at certain times in the game.
We just need to do what we've done the past few years and have an excellent run from Jan as long as we're still in the mix. |  |
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| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 10:19 - Oct 21 with 1010 views | tractorboy1978 |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 08:00 - Oct 21 by Steve_M |
I had two overriding thoughts coming away from Saturday:
1. What exactly were some of our fans expecting this season? A large number seem to have underestimated both West Ham and Everton, two established Premier League clubs with squads full of good, experienced players, and assumed we should win. Every game is going to be difficult for us.
An awful lot seemed to go from that over-optimistic approach to full-on Suffolk pessimism to judge by the reactions to the last two games. There's a long way to go yet.
2. McKenna is also being a bit too optimistic in how we set up, about the ability of our players to take the game to the opposition. Being brave has got us to this level but there are times when it leaves us very vulnerable. Saturday was definitely us at our worst, not enough belief to create anything (Omari and Delap exceptions here for the most part) yet incredibly open every time Everton put a couple of passes together.
That lack of coherence is then compounded by making big mistakes in many matches, it's not even that we're being punished for all of them either.
And, totally agree that leadership and experience remain big weaknesses. A lot of work to do but at least we have the full squad together and matches coming up a bit more quickly. |
I think being brave (especially at home) is the only hope we have of staying up. We really need Phillips to start consistently showing his worth. Was mentioned on BM podcast last night (by Joe I believe) but we need to be able to hang our hat on him being a 8/10 every week. I'd imagine McKenna saw him as a cog to be able to play in a similar fashion to Leeds in their first season up under Bielsa. |  | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 11:46 - Oct 21 with 949 views | billlm |
Good post, love my club good or bad,
We've had two years of brilliant times,
Bit of hurt ATM time to fight,
Prem is the holy grail(Is It) for me no,
To long between games, var, to much cheating,
Poor bantz between fans unlike the championship,
Last season I felt alive,
Very dull this season,
Will we get it right yes, time will tell whether we've left it to long,
Balance isn't right ATM to many square pegs round holes ect, |  | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 11:48 - Oct 21 with 948 views | billlm |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 16:39 - Oct 20 by LankHenners |
Agree with most of that - 'journey not the destination' and all that.
Only thing I'd quibble with is I think people are letting sentiment overtake reality when it comes to thinking if we played half the team that was in League One we'd be any better. |
Yes the Journey best two years for a lifetime,
Bit meh now,
Can't turn time back forget the league one team but never what they achieved for us, | | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 14:02 - Oct 21 with 893 views | Steve_M |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 10:19 - Oct 21 by tractorboy1978 |
I think being brave (especially at home) is the only hope we have of staying up. We really need Phillips to start consistently showing his worth. Was mentioned on BM podcast last night (by Joe I believe) but we need to be able to hang our hat on him being a 8/10 every week. I'd imagine McKenna saw him as a cog to be able to play in a similar fashion to Leeds in their first season up under Bielsa. |
You might well be right that we need to be brave, but I think we probably need to be a bit more pragmatic about doing so, whether that involves an extra player in the middle instead of the 10 or Szmodics ahead of Clarke.
Phillips to me looks a way off being 8/10 at the moment, hopefully he can be as he plays more games. |  |
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| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 15:10 - Oct 21 with 845 views | FromReuserWithLove |
What a cracking post. Can you say all this pre-game rather than that cheerleader Vance? |  | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 15:55 - Oct 21 with 798 views | Churchman |
Given the choice, I wouldn’t have the pre match hype or the cringeworthy announcer ‘building the atmosphere’. It doesn’t, but if in 2024 you have to have 40 cameras, a cardboard frame behind the players shaking hands and all that PL stuff so be it. No problem.
The rest of the OP I totally agree with.
I never thought I’d see my club in the PL again or even get close. I never thought we’d amount to more than a shabby L1 club with a past - if we were lucky. Evans was taking us to oblivion. The progress has been astonishing and I really appreciate and enjoy it.
I want us to be the best we can be, even if that means swallowing the PL nonsense. I want the club to grow in every way. Better training facilities, an academy, a fit for purpose stadium that can meet demand without looking empty half the time, the club embedded in the community as far as it can building its base and a team to be proud of. Greedy aren’t I?
We have come so far with hopefully a long way to go. Ok, the team isn’t good enough. We are struggling. But ups and downs, it’s my club and the three year trend says we are going in the right direction.
McKenna and the players/club will keep at it. Posts asking if his heart is in it are just nonsense. It really isn’t like that. We’ve seen what a team not trying looks like and we are a million miles from that.
I’ve always been of the persuasion that the harder things are the harder you fight, never give up and never stop. Ok I might not be skilled much at anything myself, but I see those attributes in all top sports people and life in general. A good example is Sir Chris Hoy - an inspiration if ever there was one. |  | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 16:02 - Oct 21 with 787 views | levelneville |
Very rarely post on here but that is a brilliant post well said my sentiments entirely | | | |
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| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 17:52 - Oct 21 with 730 views | backwaywhen |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 16:39 - Oct 20 by Ryorry |
On my phone, looked at the wrong month on fixture list!  |
Hope you weren’t driving ! | | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 18:10 - Oct 21 with 701 views | Swansea_Blue |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 13:23 - Oct 20 by Mark |
> Is it just me who finds the blinking digital ad boards, the corporate look, fireworks and ridiculous hype of the giant digital screen and 'fan experience' optics of the PL unsavoury?
It is not just you, I dislike it too. The intrusive advertising seems to be increasing at grounds all round the country, with Man City and Wolves being so bad I don't even like to watch their matches on TV. |
I haven’t been to PR for a couple of years, so I’m not sure what our digital boards are like now. Back when Swansea were in the PL they installed them around three sides of their ground. Believe it or not, they were double-sided so there was a constant stream of flashing ads facing the crowd. After many complaints they initially turned the brightness down and then common sense prevailed and they turned off the crowd-facing side. Bloody ridiculous. |  |
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| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 20:01 - Oct 21 with 635 views | jasondozzell |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 15:10 - Oct 21 by FromReuserWithLove |
What a cracking post. Can you say all this pre-game rather than that cheerleader Vance? |
I'll give it a go! 😁
Cheers everyone for kind comments. It's heartening that so many of us feel fine same way. | | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 20:43 - Oct 21 with 611 views | Ryorry |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 17:52 - Oct 21 by backwaywhen |
Hope you weren’t driving ! |
Of course I wasn’t, what a stupid comment. |  |
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| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 20:50 - Oct 21 with 594 views | jimmyvet |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 20:01 - Oct 21 by jasondozzell |
I'll give it a go! 😁
Cheers everyone for kind comments. It's heartening that so many of us feel fine same way. |
Great post thank you. | | | |
| 'In life, you get what you want and then you have to learn to live with it' on 22:03 - Oct 21 with 557 views | rkc123 |
All excellent points, I also think not only have the last couple of years raised expectations to super high levels going into this year, but it has also distorted the view on what is needed in terms of results this season. The last two years we have been competing at the top of the league, and therefore (obvious statement incoming) we have been winning a lot of games, and draws and loses were rare and also very damaging to our ambitions.
In contrast, this year staying up should be the limit of our expectations, 17th would be an incredible season given the speed of our rise up through the leagues, and given the recent trend in points required to survive, around 32-35 points may well be enough. To get to that total we will likely need to win maybe 8 or 9 games? That isn't a huge amount, granted we want one soon just to get that monkey off our back, but I really do hope that whatever happens the fans really stick with the team all year. Your point about the fact many fans have come in over the last few years and only seen us winning is an important one, as the support needs to be unconditional. McKenna is an exceptional manager, it might take time to adapt and bed in the new players, but I think we will get there, and if it takes time we need everyone right behind the players still when the team is ready. [Post edited 21 Oct 2024 22:06]
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