100% Angeball, or adapt during the game? Which are you?

[Starks]

We are a decent distance behind them.

Not really excusable.

Sticking by my take that anything less than a title charge is a fucking disaster for this club now but I'll deal with that disaster given the context and circumstances of this season.

Games we've dropped points in:

Wolves (A) - Davies, Dier and Emerson making up the back four. No Maddison or Udogie. Poor performance, though was first game after Chelsea where we were missing half of the eleven.

Man City (A) - Davies and Emerson at centre back. No Maddison or Sarr. Decent performance overall to be honest.

Brighton (A) - Emerson and Davies at centre back. No Bissouma, no Maddison. Was a very poor first half and Brighton countered on Davies/Emersons distribution big time.

Man Utd (A) - Should have got more here really.

Everton (A) - Not our best performance but seconds away from all three points in this one.

Fulham (A) - A stinker but worse than made out.

West Ham (A) - Another game where set pieces let us down. Udogie should have won it at the end

Newcastle (A) - Less said the better.


All in all, probably didn't really deserve much more than we got. Late goals at Wolves and Everton real killer blows.

This season for me will always come across as "what could have been" if we didn't suffer all those injuries and suspensions in November.

 

[Matt1882]

I've certainly convinced myself we are better than we were.

Barely if at all. And most of that is likely down to a general uptick in squad quality, even without Kane, the rest is a bit more balanced.

 

[Matt1882]

How many points have any teams won away from home since October?

Arse - 24
Liverpool - 25
City - 24
Villa - 21
Spurs - 9
Newcastle - 11
United - 21

Our home form is fine. But our away form is awful. Truly truly bad.

 

[StripiestPilot]

Games we've dropped points in:

Wolves (A) - Davies, Dier and Emerson making up the back four. No Maddison or Udogie. Poor performance, though was first game after Chelsea where we were missing half of the eleven.

Man City (A) - Davies and Emerson at centre back. No Maddison or Sarr. Decent performance overall to be honest.

Brighton (A) - Emerson and Davies at centre back. No Bissouma, no Maddison. Was a very poor first half and Brighton countered on Davies/Emersons distribution big time.

Man Utd (A) - Should have got more here really.

Everton (A) - Not our best performance but seconds away from all three points in this one.

Fulham (A) - A stinker but worse than made out.

West Ham (A) - Another game where set pieces let us down. Udogie should have won it at the end

Newcastle (A) - Less said the better.


All in all, probably didn't really deserve much more than we got. Late goals at Wolves and Everton real killer blows.

This season for me will always come across as "what could have been" if we didn't suffer all those injuries and suspensions in November.

Injuries aren’t an excuse for shit game management. We were winning away at Wolves and Everton with just a few minutes on the clock. That’s 5 big points flushed away.

 

[Matt1882]

Injuries aren’t an excuse for shit game management. We were winning away at Wolves and Everton with just a few minutes on the clock. That’s 5 big points flushed away.

We probably should have held out for the win at Everton.
But we deserved to lose at Wolves. They played us off the pitch. And tbh, it provoked a change in the very next match that may not have happened if we had won.
The happy clappers on here were all primed to lavish praise on Dier, Davies, Postecoglu, even Levy too. But we were awful that day.

 

[Shadydan]

Injuries aren’t an excuse for shit game management. We were winning away at Wolves and Everton with just a few minutes on the clock. That’s 5 big points flushed away.

Of course you can excuse it, you're talking about isolated moment...a very small part in a game where we played with a handicap for the entire match, chances are that if we didn't have players out then the match would have been won way before that.

I don't know how you can't see how injuries don't play a part, that's generally why teams don't perform to their max because they have players missing.

 

[Starks]

Injuries aren’t an excuse for shit game management. We were winning away at Wolves and Everton with just a few minutes on the clock. That’s 5 big points flushed away.

Wolves was certainly shit game management from Eric Dier, absolutely. Who doesn't play if Romero and van de Ven weren't missing. If he doesn't aimlessly boot the ball up field instead of keeping possession, we don't concede an equaliser and go on to lose.

Shame we never got the stonewall penalty against Everton either on van de Ven, because that'd been another 3 points in the bag.

 

[skywalker68]

People have convinced themselves we're better than we are.
Worrying that our remaining games are mostly away to good teams.

Yes I agree, a lot of good teams left to play, with the way we set up you fear the worst.

 

[erlee]

This season for me will always come across as "what could have been" if we didn't suffer all those injuries and suspensions in November.

for me -it's - What if we didn't play that Ultra High Line and move back 20 metres after November.

 

[Brian Fantana]

I do think next season is the acid test.
My gut feeling is that it'll be a bit of a shock as we don't progress, but I really do want to be wrong.

Well we won’t get higher than fourth or fifth so is that progression?

We need to change tactics slightly for games like Sunday even though we are at home. Not leaving huge holes in front of the fullbacks (an area they love to operate in) and not practising set pieces all week so we can actually defend them properly (an area they are the best in the PL in) will be suicidal. I’ve no faith he will change though and it will be games like that which will put pressure on him. There were half time boos at the Luton game let’s not forget. If we are 2 down at half time Sunday, which I can see happening, it will only get worse.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Arse - 24
Liverpool - 25
City - 24
Villa - 21
Spurs - 9
Newcastle - 11
United - 21

Our home form is fine. But our away form is awful. Truly truly bad.

It’s pretty obvious why isn’t it. We are too open. Even at home it’s a miracle we have picked up the points we have.

 

[SpursDNA]

Any word on Porto’s fitness? Has he been seen on the practice pitch?

 

[Matt1882]

Well we won’t get higher than fourth or fifth so is that progression?

We need to change tactics slightly for games like Sunday even though we are at home. Not leaving huge holes in front of the fullbacks (an area they love to operate in) and not practising set pieces all week so we can actually defend them properly (an area they are the best in the PL in) will be suicidal. I’ve no faith he will change though and it will be games like that which will put pressure on him. There were half time boos at the Luton game let’s not forget. If we are 2 down at half time Sunday, which I can see happening, it will only get worse.

4th or 5th is not progressing imo.
That's been our position for 10+ years generally, give or take 2 fuck ups.

Progression is being much closer to the top and bagging an actual cup. Anything else is stagnating or even declining.

 

[Matt1882]

It’s pretty obvious why isn’t it. We are too open. Even at home it’s a miracle we have picked up the points we have.

Too open

Too easily bullied by physical teams

Too easy to defend against for teams well drilled at sitting back

 

[cretinousgoat]

4th or 5th is not progressing imo.
That's been our position for 10+ years generally, give or take 2 fuck ups.

Progression is being much closer to the top and bagging an actual cup. Anything else is stagnating or even declining.

So finishing higher than last season isn't progressing? Of course it's fucking progressing.

Please stop posting shit all your life.

 

[cretinousgoat]

Well we won’t get higher than fourth or fifth so is that progression?

We need to change tactics slightly for games like Sunday even though we are at home. Not leaving huge holes in front of the fullbacks (an area they love to operate in) and not practising set pieces all week so we can actually defend them properly (an area they are the best in the PL in) will be suicidal. I’ve no faith he will change though and it will be games like that which will put pressure on him. There were half time boos at the Luton game let’s not forget. If we are 2 down at half time Sunday, which I can see happening, it will only get worse.

Of course finishing 4th/5th is progressing, if it's higher than when we finished last season. No point in comparing back to seasons beyond the last one, because they are now irrelevant.

 

[Kekerinho]

Of course finishing 4th/5th is progressing, if it's higher than when we finished last season.

Yes it is progressing because we’re comparing it to one of (if not the most) the shittest seasons in the last decade. So Postecoglou’s lucky the bar is low. In fact that’s one of the arguments people who’ve blindly placed their faith in him push forward as “progress”.

Thought the man himself said it’s more important how we play than where we finish, to which I kinda agree, and from that perspective there’s not much progress even compared to last season.

 

[cretinousgoat]

Yes it is progressing because we’re comparing it to one of (if not the most) the shittest seasons in the last decade. So Postecoglou’s lucky the bar is low. In fact that’s one of the arguments people who’ve blindly placed their faith in him push forward as “progress”.

Thought the man himself said it’s more important how we play than where we finish, to which I kinda agree, and from that perspective there’s not much progress even compared to last season.

Can't say I agree with the bit in bold but accept your opinion.

As for 'low bar' to compare it to, well that's not Ange's fault, is it?

I get that some fans no longer have patience, but let's be fucking honest here - chopping and changing managers every season doesn't and hasn't worked, and our failure to challenge for and win trophies in the last decades is not Ange's fault either.

Like it or not, we ARE in a project with him, and he deserves far more than one season. I want to see us make progress every season, as far as I'm concerned if we qualify for Europe this season then that IS progress, and I (overall) enjoy our football far more than the last few years too, so again, progress...

I get that some supporters have run out of patience but I refuse to accept that Ange should be scapegoated. We all know, ultimately, where the blame should be placed...