I have no doubt that a lot of that is to do with the failure to strengthen the squad sufficiently over the summer.
We’ve not really hit the ground running this season. Performances have been disjointed and some players seem to be struggling for form for one reason or another, but is it really as bad as is being made out?
Obviously we all want to see us playing nice football and steamrolling teams out of the way, but the fact is that we rarely did that last season aside from in the odd few games. Off the top of my head, the two games against Stoke, the home game against Manchester United and the away game at West Brom were the best performances of the season. As for the rest, performances this season are not too different to how we got on last season.
I mean let’s look at some facts. So far we’ve played eight games in all competitions. Two of those have been away at teams who sit 1st and 3rd in the league currently with one of them being against a team that would have been in the Champions League had it not been for one of the other teams we’d played actually winning the competition last season. We’ve lost just one of those games.
Add to that the fact that we’ve done so with a striker who is out of form and out of luck at the moment, an important midfield general missing in the shape of Cheik Tiote, and with two of our first choice defensive unit, including our influential club captain, missing through injury.
We are one point off the points total we had at the same point this time last season, which saw us set a new club record for a start to a season.
So is it really all doom and gloom?
Look, for one reason or another we aren’t playing at our best. Whether it be tactics, formation, players out of form, players under performing or any other factor, we are far from what we know we can do, but we are still picking up points. Isn’t that a good thing?
What is also a good thing is that there is so much room for improvement in our performances. In short things can only get better which in turn will bring with it an upturn in results, especially when we have all of our first team back in action.
Don’t panic, yet!
Are you thinking of Ramos for RB or CB ?
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Chris
Bout the same chance as Ranger getting back on good terms with Newcastle (team and council).
Andymag(Quote)
aye put ya fishing rod away
good try tho 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
beardsley centre back mate would jose not pay his wages on loan as he is a bad apple in jose eyes just a thought did any one watch debuchy in the champions league game he was prity poor got forword to much and against the accounter attack couldont get back in time theres news we could get him in jan think he would be week as a defender but good at going forword think could get better
chris(Quote)
Samuel Ameobi @Sammy_Ameobi
Note to self: If Cheik Tiote isn’t on my team in training? DON’T go near him!!!
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
3hourswasted(Quote)
Sounds like Mr T is fired up and raring to go. 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
3hrs yeah mate if he’s in a mood he would be better of staying away or he could end his career, when he came on on Sunday he reminded me of Henry, DeJong or Cattermole 👿 and the weird thing is lots of our fans think it is great and something to be proud of 😕 . I won’t be surprised if he does do someone serious damage maybe even end someone’s career, he needs to be reined in before it happens ❗
Big Dave(Quote)
Chris Maybe DeBuchy is sufferring with post transfer window blues too, specially if he was all sorted to move over here.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Our sources can reveal that recent flooding across the country has been traced back to Anfield on Sunday. Ground staff are still working on draining all of the Liverpool fans’ tears from after the defeat. 😆
kkforever(Quote)
Have to agree toonsy, we’re getting points with sub-par performances from many of the team. That is a good sign but we’ll have to start playing better soon or drift down the table. The Reading game is a good place to collect points. Man U have been out of sorts as well but that is fairly common for them at the beginning of each season. Would love to see us have our best game so far against them in the league game coming up. Bigi seems to be developing at a very fast rate compared with many of our other young players ie. Vuckic (Mr. Injury), Gosling, Tavernier, and even Ferguson. Let’s hope it continues. 😀
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Very good point Big Dave @82. Couldn’t believe how nasty it got after Tiote came in. He needs to calm down quickly. Too many rash tackles and then the fancy footwork near our box when he should have gotten rid. Pards has to work carefully with him and get him back up to his best and then our midfield will really start to gel as with last season.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Batts what do you call an Irishman with 11 d*cks ?????? Buck Rodgers 😆
Was just reading a Bigi interview and if only Ranger had half the mentality of that lad > http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11678/8109217?
Reet back to do a bit catch you’s later
Big Dave(Quote)
dave @ 82 pack in ya big fairy 😆
kkforever(Quote)
GEORDIETWO > Bigi seems to be developing at a very fast rate compared with many of our other young players ie. Vuckic (Mr. Injury), Gosling, Tavernier, and even Ferguson. Let’s hope it continues.
It could be to do with getting some vital 1st team footie at Coventry ❓
Big Dave(Quote)
Tim Burgess @Tim_Burgess
The sign at Liverpool airport says ‘above us only sky’. Someone has added ‘below us only QPR and Reading’ Now that’s just cruel. But funny
Retweeted by Mark Douglas
😆 😆 😆 😆
3hourswasted(Quote)
KK @ 88 I was going to answer but better not incase theres any younguns or women come on 😆 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Hmmm ❗ A bit strong Big Dave. He was clearly hyped up when he came on, but no way as bad as the 3 you mentioned. No leg breaking tackles in there, but I know he did jump into that Norwich **** that took him out previously.
I’m sure pardew will have had a word with him tho. 😉
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Tiote did seem a little out of control when he came on – he was no doubt fired up after being out so long but I’m sure he will dial it back a notch. We look a different team with him playing. I think Cabaye and Anita/Jonas can get forward a bit more when he is playing. Cabaye in particular has missed him IMO
3hourswasted(Quote)
Hola people 😛 😛 😛 😛 , long time no type 😉 😉 hope everyone are behaving themselves 😀 😀 😀 😀
just off subject a bit, i see Man Utd are charging us toon fans £45 for a ticket tomoro night!!! found this , so i thought i had better share it…..
this is what other fans are paying this week, to travel to an away game!!
Norwich v Doncaster £10
Southampton v Sheffield Wed £15
West Brom v Liverpool £15
QPR v Reading £15 (advance ST sales £10)
West Ham v Wigan £15 (advance ST sales £10)
Arsenal v Coventry £20 (advance ST sales £10)
Man City v Villa £22.50
Chelsea v Wolves £25
And for completeness, here’s what the other travelling Premier League fans are paying this week:
Crawley v Swansea £17
MK Dons v mackems £15 (advance ST sales £13)
Carlisle v Spurs £19
Leeds v Everton £20
taking proper advantage of our GREAT support, greedy yanky bastards 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿
toonsoldier9(Quote)
Aye Big Dave @89 and he hasn’t had the injury problems the others have had yet either. I hope that continues as well. The sight of Vuckic coming off with yet another injury has started to make me cringe. It’s one thing after another and yet he’s a big lad who doesn’t seem to go looking for it. Strange but there it is. Ferguson definitely needs to stay healthy and pick up the pace as well.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
soooo gutted to hear poor old Vidic is gonna be out for a long while 😛
.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/124312
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Chris – Ramos is a champagne player, looks good when ya winning or on top in a game, but when ya under pressure of a goal or two down he’s not someone to roll his sleeves up. Also as already said, wages would be too high.
I’d rather try for Micah Richards, although I think his wages would also be too high like.
Loving Sammys and Tim Burgess tweets.
Sharpy17(Quote)
We drew with spuds at home last year….beat them this year…. We lost at Everton last year ..fought back for 2-2 and a point this year.We have had a much tougher start than last season and have only lost to the chamipions league winners at their place My glass is half full …..we are doing fine.
Badgertoon(Quote)
Toonsoldier9 – here’s hoping for a draw then, so we can charge the traveling Manc bastards £90 a ticket – it’ll take them a while to travel up from London like 😉 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
beardsley yeah mate good point we will have to see come january
chris(Quote)
Hey, is the game tomorrow televised?
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
ToonSoldier and Sharpy its not all down to Manure for the ticket price, as Manure AND us set the price of the tickets, so as much as I would like to see Manure take all the blame we have to take it aswell
Big Dave(Quote)
aye its on sky sports 2
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Right on, thanks BB.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
BB @ 103 ballicks 😯 is it right enough ❓ if so i’ll miss the 1st half but I contented myself having to miss the 1st half by thinking the streams would be ***** so I never took work off 👿
Big Dave(Quote)
So Villa knocked city out eh…said they had a decent squad 😉
Seems like if we beat Manure it’ll be one of the easiest cup run ins going with Everton also out. Maybe we should go all out to win!! ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗
Meh, shame it’s only the league cup 😉
Newkie(Quote)
And I see Catts got another red 😆
Whatever people say, Tiote is nowt like players like Cattermole. Dirty for the sake of it. Tiote is just a little, enthusiastic shall we say 😉
Newkie(Quote)
In fact, even the one red Tiote got against stevenage-it wasn’t even a “bad” tackle. I mean it was a red because he left the floor, so in the eyes of the shitty F.A rules he was rightly sent off, but he ignored the player and wrapped his foot over the ball.
The stevenage guy writhed like a south american ***** and got him sent off, but he was never in danger of hurting the player.
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie
Was a good clean tackle but he lunged 🙄 . Wouldn’t go on about winning the cup before we play our 1st round game, against man u no less.
Andymag(Quote)