chicago_shearer

No, I don't think we can. At least I wouldn't bet on it. Delighted if we do of course, but it's unrealistic on the balance of the performances this season. As good as we were against Spurs, you have to admit that the opposition were very shit and not representative of the rest of the league. They have been poor defensively and have the same problems in midfield that we have had all season (up until Butt & Geremi decided to get into gear). Pompey, Chelsea, Everton and the sides still in the relegation battle will all put up much greater fights and will adjust to deal with our new 4-3-3. I don't want to be too negative - there are sure signs of improvement and that is really encouraging. And I would love it if Nicky Butt, Geremi, Owen etc. were capable & willing of that sort of performance week in & week out. But looking at it from a rational perspective you have to look at our current form as an outlier in what has been a fairly consistent shower of shit from them. I have a hard time believing that changes overnight with a smart tactical shift from the manager and a new coaching staff. I'd need a lot more than 90-180 minutes of good/possibly great football to convince me. Until they manage to be consistently decent, wholesale changes are still needed. No more misplaced faith in experience and potential that only materializes on the brink of disaster.

Switching back to 4-3-3 and making it work was a tactical masterstroke from Keegan. If he had an Armani suit on like Ramos and a gay little pink scarf, the media would be be calling him a genius. He also seems to have figured out how to play Owen & Martins in the same team, something Sam & Roeder never managed.

Hope some of those Getty shots turn up in Hi-Res. I want that one of them celebrating Owen's goal as my wallpaper.

Best I've felt all season. Unexpected & incredible. The best part is that it reminds you that a few of these players are capable of much more than the last few months have led us to believe. Who would have thought this team was capable of 4 goals away from home without Zoggy & Milner? And in 4-3-3? Keegan was probably the only one until today.

I don't see enough of Messi or Kaka, but they don't seem to be as dominant in their leagues as Ronaldo is in the Premiership. 35 goals for a midfielder is just incredible. And the Premiership is generally faster and more physical. Too soon to say "best ever" but best I've seen in the Premiership.

I think it must get fucking boring being a Man U supporter. I'd love to see Newcastle this dominant, but there is now a whole generation of Man Utd supporters who don't know anything but winning. No drama in a season, no real suspense. Its just a question of how many trophies. I hope I live to see them struggle. Hopefully after Fergie leaves.

Great results today. The mackem win doesn't matter. Even if we don't get 3 points tomorrow we still have the chance to play them and go above.

Just watching it again on TV and in the first half there were people shouting 'shoot' when Butt was on the ball at least 10 yards outside the area. The last thing I ever want to see is Nicky Butt trying to shoot.

Come on City.

YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

YEESSSSSS

I really, really wish we'd gotten Deschamps instead. That would have been a really exciting appointment. Having said that, I really don't understand this media driven consensus that Keegan is past-it, a tactical idiot, purely a sentimental appointment etc. Or that football is a completely different game from when he last managed in the Premiership in 2005. The man almost won the fucking Premiership, built a very impressive team and he gets treated like a clown. He has a different personality, but I can't imagine he's the fool that the media try and make him seem.

Voted for Carr. But interesting that Carr, Ameobi & Ramage are all in the top 10 (or bottom 10?) but none of them featured regularly in our relegation worthy team this season

Drawing is the new winning.

We could do with a bit of luck please.

As if on queue.

YEAHAHAHAYEAHA

Please god almight let us win this.

Anyone who still thinks our current team are simply in need of better organization, more confidence, 1 or 2 signings to get back to mid table next season etc. etc. should look at this thread. We have no players in the top 5 in their position and it's not even close. 5 or 6 years ago how many would we have had? At least 3 or 4. All that money and we end up with players that wouldn't make the bench at mid table clubs this year. Fucking pathetic.

Why does this squad have potential? There's no question that a handful of them could be playing better. But to say they are top 8 material is just wishful thinking. There are players that are inconsistent (Milner, N'Zogbia, Martins) and should be doing better, even if they aren't world beaters. And maybe we haven't gotten the best out of the new foreign imports like Enrique and Cacapa. But we have a core group of first teamers that are too physically diminutive, slow, technically poor and too old/experienced to have some untapped potential to fall back on. You can't coach the Alan Smith out of Alan Smith. You won't take 3-5 years off Nicky Butt, Damien Duff and Geremi. These players are effectively useless in 2008. Nicky Butt's next stop is Oldham or a television studio, not leading the charge back up the Premiership table. Having 2 or 3 potentially good young players doesn't mean this squad is capable of going places. Even if you got the best players in this team healthy and confident, I'm still not sure we'd be able to compete with the quality of the top 8 this year. Arteta, Petrov, Young, Berbatov....we don't have anyone of that quality. There is nothing exciting about this group. We're about 3 to 4 players away from even being decent in my opinion. The talent just isn't there at the moment. If we kid ourselves into thinking that we're a big club, and therefore we have big players who are just under performing (every week), we'll end up in this position again. Bottom line....there is no base to build on. I hope Keegan realizes that and starts again this summer.

Got to agree with 1878. It's really got fuck all to do with organization and understanding. We've just got poor players. If you gave me the option of swapping our best eleven with that of Everton, Villa, City, Pompey....I'd do it in a heart beat, no questions asked.

I'll do the same if we lose.

At least Owen accepts his own abysmal form. When some of the players speak to the media its all "we all have to come together, heads up, must give 100%" crap. Owen is one of the few that publically take personal responsibility for results.

Incredible. Hope they do. Will make it easier to get rid of them in the summer.

Christ.