The heartbreak...

[NewYorkSaint]

There have been several times this season watching our team when it's felt like we were that close to something truly special. 

This was epitomized by the Onuachu goal yesterday.  But add in:

- Fernandes, showing delightful genius touches and runs in almost every game

- Sulemana at his best

- Dibling at his best (and yes, yesterday was not that).

- The mid-field force-field of Downes, Oguchukwu, Aribo at their best

- Ramsay

- even our defence have had days where they've looked resolute, powerful

You just feel like even with these players things could have been so very different.

A manager who had built our team around tall Paul, Sulemana, Dibling and Fernandes would have helped....

But personally, I don't put all the blame on the managers. Or SR. Or the players. I think luck itself plays a huge role. Some early games we might well have won, plus repeated VAR fails, and our teams psychology got pushed to a fragile place with knock-on consequences.   

But whatever the explanation ... it's heartbreaking.  There's a parallel universe in which we clawed our heroically to a low mid table position.

This ain't that universe. 

I still hold out hopes of ending the season with a little restored dignity and pride. Yesterday helped. We're better than the numbers show... and it would be great to have that confirmed in the coming games.  Then I think we can rebuild from a stronger place........

Any one else share my sense of 'if only, if only'...?

[Tommy Mulgrew]

Don’t all rush, everyone!

[Sunglasses Ron]

Personally, I can't conceive any universe where this squad achieves anything other than a bottom three placing.

However, I do agree that we could (and should) have way more than 10 measly points on the board.

[LiberalCommunist]

If only we didn't gift Martin the extension. If only we pulled the trigger after six games. If only we replaced him with a half decent gaffer. 

I only have If Onlys.......

[revolution saint]

No, I don’t think luck plays a huge part over a 38 game season.

There’s loads of reasons why we’re here and we can argue them till the cows come home but if you’re saying a large part is that we’ve been more unlucky than 19 other clubs then you’re clutching at straws.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

We are absolutely no better than the points we've got.

[ApprenticeBillionaire]

"Something special"

Comes to something where 3pts against Crystal effing Palace is "something special".

I'm just going to stab my eyes out with a fucking fork.

[StrangelyBrown]

Let's be realistic....

We were absolutely dogshit when we got relegated.

We sold our best players and replaced them with players who were good in the championship.

We bought more championship quality players in the summer.

Did we really think we'd be anything other than dogshit when we were promoted to the premier league?

Edited Thursday at 20:15 by StrangelyBrown

[SaintsBarry74]

  On 03/04/2025 at 20:15, StrangelyBrown said:

Let's be realistic....

We were absolutely dogshit when we got relegated.

We sold our best players and replaced them with players who were good in the championship.

We bought more championship quality players in the summer.

Did we really think we'd be anything other than dogshit when we were promoted to the premier league?

Expand  

There's levels to being dogshit. Did you expect us to be contenders for beating Derby's dismal record?

[Midfield_General]

Noddiest post I’ve ever read. 

We’ve been fucking dogshit and it is nothing to do with luck, it’s entirely the fault of the board, the recruitment staff, two shit managers, and the players. 

‘Sulemana at his best’, ‘the midfield force field’, ‘the defence at their best’. Jesus wept. 

This season has been an embarrassment to everyone connected with the club, and it’s been caused by bad decision after bad decision after bad decision. 

Literally the only ones I don’t attach any blame to are the fans, and Fernandes.

That’s it. 

Edited yesterday at 08:03 by Midfield_General

[S-Clarke]

Close to something truly special, for real? It's like saying ''If Armstrong had been like Hazard, we'd have been so good!''

We're sat on 10 points in April. We are not remotely close to anything truly special in any way shape or form.

To be sat on 10 points in April is not because of a lack of fricking luck (it's probably lucky we've got 10 as it is), it's because all areas of this club have failed on catastrophic levels to create the most embarrassing and worst PL side in history.

Truly special, for all the wrong reasons. They've humiliated an entire city.

Edited yesterday at 11:58 by S-Clarke

[AlexLaw76]

  On 03/04/2025 at 16:19, NewYorkSaint said:

There have been several times this season watching our team when it's felt like we were that close to something truly special. 

This was epitomized by the Onuachu goal yesterday.  But add in:

- Fernandes, showing delightful genius touches and runs in almost every game

- Sulemana at his best

- Dibling at his best (and yes, yesterday was not that).

- The mid-field force-field of Downes, Oguchukwu, Aribo at their best

- Ramsay

- even our defence have had days where they've looked resolute, powerful

You just feel like even with these players things could have been so very different.

A manager who had built our team around tall Paul, Sulemana, Dibling and Fernandes would have helped....

But personally, I don't put all the blame on the managers. Or SR. Or the players. I think luck itself plays a huge role. Some early games we might well have won, plus repeated VAR fails, and our teams psychology got pushed to a fragile place with knock-on consequences.   

But whatever the explanation ... it's heartbreaking.  There's a parallel universe in which we clawed our heroically to a low mid table position.

This ain't that universe. 

I still hold out hopes of ending the season with a little restored dignity and pride. Yesterday helped. We're better than the numbers show... and it would be great to have that confirmed in the coming games.  Then I think we can rebuild from a stronger place........

Any one else share my sense of 'if only, if only'...?

Expand  

Your head has gone