couple of thoughts.....

[fozzi44]

Firstly I have to say that once all is said and done and the dust settles we will have to look at this season as a success. We enjoyed a great adventure in the Champions league and took a good few scalps in the Pl. I think that we are all disappointed with the results of late and it now looks certain that we are going to miss out on that 4th. An extended run in the FA cup would have been good to but alas it wasn’t to be.

Couple of points tho – I think we all agree the striking situation needs to be resolved in the summer. I am not convinced that playing VDV behind a lone striker is the way we should be playing week after week. Personally I think our strikers would have had a better return if we just played a flat 2 upfront like last season. The accommodation of VDV is definitely a conundrum for Harry and one he will need to solve for next season.

Squad – please can we get this trimmed, reduce the wage bill, cash in on a number of players and add quality not quantity.

Centre backs – I hear a lot of people talking about centre backs and needing to get new ones. Personally I am not too concerned here, we spend 8.5m on bassong who cant get a game, we have kaboul dawson and Gallas to play there. I am also looking forward to Walker and Naughton who are excelling during there loan spells coming back to compete for the full back position

Gomes – love the guy but big worry for me at the minute. Keeps costing us points in crucial games, time to move on I am afraid.

Sando – been very very impressed. Our midfield is awash with class at the minute. No selling please.

Redknapp – I wish he would stop talking about our players and our transfer policy in public. I hate when he comes out and says we need to do this that and the other then also adds that he hasn’t spoken to the bloody chairman – WTF? He can talk about adding quality all he likes but he has gotta realize that we need to move a good few on.

Next season, if we are not in Europe and provided we bring in a couple of top quality players I honestly see no reason why we cant challenge for the top honours. You have seen that against the current top 5 in the league we are certainly not outclassed by any of them. Provided we can get the results against the lower teams I would be hopefully of a great future.

 

[StartingPrice]

Firstly I have to say that once all is said and done and the dust settles we will have to look at this season as a success. We enjoyed a great adventure in the Champions league and took a good few scalps in the Pl. I think that we are all disappointed with the results of late and it now looks certain that we are going to miss out on that 4th. An extended run in the FA cup would have been good to but alas it wasn’t to be.

Couple of points tho – I think we all agree the striking situation needs to be resolved in the summer. I am not convinced that playing VDV behind a lone striker is the way we should be playing week after week. Personally I think our strikers would have had a better return if we just played a flat 2 upfront like last season. The accommodation of VDV is definitely a conundrum for Harry and one he will need to solve for next season.

Squad – please can we get this trimmed, reduce the wage bill, cash in on a number of players and add quality not quantity.

Centre backs – I hear a lot of people talking about centre backs and needing to get new ones. Personally I am not too concerned here, we spend 8.5m on bassong who cant get a game, we have kaboul dawson and Gallas to play there. I am also looking forward to Walker and Naughton who are excelling during there loan spells coming back to compete for the full back position

Gomes – love the guy but big worry for me at the minute. Keeps costing us points in crucial games, time to move on I am afraid.

Sando – been very very impressed. Our midfield is awash with class at the minute. No selling please.

Redknapp – I wish he would stop talking about our players and our transfer policy in public. I hate when he comes out and says we need to do this that and the other then also adds that he hasn’t spoken to the bloody chairman – WTF? He can talk about adding quality all he likes but he has gotta realize that we need to move a good few on.

Next season, if we are not in Europe and provided we bring in a couple of top quality players I honestly see no reason why we cant challenge for the top honours. You have seen that against the current top 5 in the league we are certainly not outclassed by any of them. Provided we can get the results against the lower teams I would be hopefully of a great future.

I agree.

Would like to see the Octopus given another chance to find his consistency as he is a capable 'Keeper and a decent bloke, but...mg:

 

[dontcallme]

I agree with most of that.

We need to trim the squad. With Woodgate and King surely on their way out we may need a centre back. Depends if that South African guy is deemed good enough to be part of the first team squad.

When HR first took over he saw the holes and what needed improving immediately. I believe he can do this again. He needs to do this with regards to our strikeforce.

Disagree about Gomes. I still have faith in the guy though it wavers from time to time. If we can get someone as good as Reina or Cech then great but otherwise I'd hold onto him.

Love Sandro and couldn't care less about what HR says to the press.

 

[worcestersauce]

Presumably Caulker will be among us next season too.
I too am pleased with the season, I've enjoyed it, it's been worth every penny of my season ticket fee and the disappointments have been of the consistency kind rather than ability deficiencies.
In other words we are actually very very good and this year we confirmed that, now we just need to emphasise it consitently especially in the bread and butter games and I think that is what we'll learn from this campaign.
Two years ago nobody was tipping us for the top four places yet even if we finish sixth this time we will start next season as one of the top four challengers without any real arguments from anyone and that points to a paradigm shift in peoples perception of us.

In shortit's been a fecking screamer of a roller coaster ride and I've loved every minute.:beer::bowdown:

 

[EastLondonYid]

I agree with most of it, but like SP, i would not be to hasty with Gomes, i still believe in the fella.
VDV is definately a problem harry has to sort out, i hope vdv hasn't got any ridiculas clause in his contract saying he must start, that would explain alot of decisions of late but would be awful if true.
We need to sort out our forwards as a priorty, but i don't think we need major surgery elsewhere in the team.

I agree with the OP, it has still been a top season and one which we can still look back on with great pride, lets hope we can have a winning end to the season too, i am not that fussed about the Europa League itself, but it would wind me up if the scousers were to finish above us, plus i think we would miss europe, even if it is a crap competition,if we did lose out on 5th.We have a big squad that harry could utilise so i see no real problem with it, so long as the Premier is our top priorty next season.

 

[3Dnata]

I really can't agree that this season has been a success more like a massive missed oppurtunity.
Had it been a case that City had spent well and there was no way we could compete with them and united, chelsea and Arsenal were strong then I could have accepted that but I'm afraid obvious problems weren't addressed and our League form hasn't been as good as last year plus we've got a real nose dive in form that needs to be dealt with.
So some good memories for me but this season is not a success I'm afraid.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Firstly I have to say that once all is said and done and the dust settles we will have to look at this season as a success. We enjoyed a great adventure in the Champions league and took a good few scalps in the Pl.

Can we really afford to judge success on individual results and cup runs anymore? Burnley beat United last season. A great day for sure but they went down. You can't judge a season on one offs. As of yet we have nothing to show for it in terms of silverware or a European spot, so how could it possibly be described as successful?

The fact is, we were on course to finish in the top four again with a very winnable string of fixtures and we didn't win many of them at all. One, to be exact.

Not an unqualified failure of a season by any means, but certainly not a success.

 

[mike_l]

Has anyone actually enjoyed our league campaign this season? Bar the Arsenal away result, most of our fixtures have been disappointing in the sense that even the victories have not been as impressive as they should've been.

A win is supposed to leave you happy, more often than not I have looked at our wins and felt that the players could have gone for more and made the scoreline more impressive and so been left a little underwhelmed.

I feel like the excitement of Europe has papered over the cracks a lot and that our league position come the end of the season will have been a result of the players achieving the very bare minimum of what would be expected domestic wise.

 

[dontcallme]

Has anyone actually enjoyed our league campaign this season? Bar the Arsenal away result, most of our fixtures have been disappointing in the sense that even the victories have not been as impressive as they should've been.

A win is supposed to leave you happy, more often than not I have looked at our wins and felt that the players could have gone for more and made the scoreline more impressive and so been left a little underwhelmed.

I feel like the excitement of Europe has papered over the cracks a lot and that our league position come the end of the season will have been a result of the players achieving the very bare minimum of what would be expected domestic wise.

I was really enjoying it until about 6 weeks ago. In Jan we were 2 points behind Man City and had a game in hand to go 3rd. Chelsea and Liverpool were both looking like they would struggle to comeback.

It almost was.

 

[brasil_spur]

This season has been a partial success in my eyes, for the reasons mentioned above.

BUT is has also been a partial failure. We really had a chance to cement ourselves as top 4 challengers rather than 1 season contenders, which is what we may have become by the end of this season. Quite frankly it wasn't that long ago we were clear of Chelsea who are now looking as likely to win the league as Utd. In short this season was a massive opportunity for us and through some bad transfer decisions we've cocked it up somewhat.

 

[Stavrogin]

I agree.

Would like to see the Octopus given another chance to find his consistency as he is a capable 'Keeper and a decent bloke, but...mg:

Octopus needs to be rebooted now and again.

 

[Bulletspur]

I really can't agree that this season has been a success more like a massive missed oppurtunity.
Had it been a case that City had spent well and there was no way we could compete with them and united, chelsea and Arsenal were strong then I could have accepted that but I'm afraid obvious problems weren't addressed and our League form hasn't been as good as last year plus we've got a real nose dive in form that needs to be dealt with.
So some good memories for me but this season is not a success I'm afraid.

Can we really afford to judge success on individual results and cup runs anymore? Burnley beat United last season. A great day for sure but they went down. You can't judge a season on one offs. As of yet we have nothing to show for it in terms of silverware or a European spot, so how could it possibly be described as successful?

The fact is, we were on course to finish in the top four again with a very winnable string of fixtures and we didn't win many of them at all. One, to be exact.

Not an unqualified failure of a season by any means, but certainly not a success.

Has anyone actually enjoyed our league campaign this season? Bar the Arsenal away result, most of our fixtures have been disappointing in the sense that even the victories have not been as impressive as they should've been.

A win is supposed to leave you happy, more often than not I have looked at our wins and felt that the players could have gone for more and made the scoreline more impressive and so been left a little underwhelmed.

I feel like the excitement of Europe has papered over the cracks a lot and that our league position come the end of the season will have been a result of the players achieving the very bare minimum of what would be expected domestic wise.

Octopus needs to be rebooted now and again.

Definitely not a success in my opinion, for most of the reasons mentioned above, most that I have mentioned before in other threads.

 

[fozzi44]

Can we really afford to judge success on individual results and cup runs anymore? Burnley beat United last season. A great day for sure but they went down. You can't judge a season on one offs. As of yet we have nothing to show for it in terms of silverware or a European spot, so how could it possibly be described as successful?

The fact is, we were on course to finish in the top four again with a very winnable string of fixtures and we didn't win many of them at all. One, to be exact.

Not an unqualified failure of a season by any means, but certainly not a success.

Disappointing end no doubt. Sucessful however in terms it being our first season in CL. We reached the quarters and still had a decent position in the league with a chance of top 4 again, until the last few games. I know what you mean tho, depends on how you look at it I suppose, some sucess and some shitness.

Disapointing losing points to the lesser teams again so often.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Disappointing end no doubt. Sucessful however in terms it being our first season in CL. We reached the quarters and still had a decent position in the league with a chance of top 4 again, until the last few games. I know what you mean tho, depends on how you look at it I suppose, some sucess and some shitness.

Disapointing losing points to the lesser teams again so often.

Absolutely a success in the CL, completely agree. But that is, after all, just a glorified cup run.

i wouldn't argue that the league was an absolute failure, just that the campaign as a whole wasn't a success. I look at the table, and our results, and ask the question (to paraphrase Joe Pesci)...

successful how?