Sunderland...

[oldtype]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

[madras]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

4points above  relegation whilst having gained only 9 points from 24 (i think) at home isn't stable mid table obscurity.

 

 

still rather face it with hughton than pardew though.

[oldtype]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

4points above  relegation whilst having gained only 9 points from 24 (i think) at home isn't stable mid table obscurity.

 

 

still rather face it with hughton than pardew though.

 

Gee thanks, because what I really wanted to do was argue fucking semantics

[madras]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

4points above  relegation whilst having gained only 9 points from 24 (i think) at home isn't stable mid table obscurity.

 

 

still rather face it with hughton than pardew though.

 

Gee thanks, because what I really wanted to do was argue f***ing semantics

sorry, i thought the point of your original post was to say that we had stable mid table obscurity till two days ago.

[Teasy]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

4points above  relegation whilst having gained only 9 points from 24 (i think) at home isn't stable mid table obscurity.

 

 

still rather face it with hughton than pardew though.

 

Unless they just changed the rules I think its both home and away games that count towards a teams position in the table, hold on I'll just check.

 

EDIT: Yeah definitely both home and away.

[madras]

I'd give anything to have the stable mid-table obscurity they have right now.

 

Oh wait, up until two days ago we did!

4points above  relegation whilst having gained only 9 points from 24 (i think) at home isn't stable mid table obscurity.

 

 

still rather face it with hughton than pardew though.

 

Unless they just changed the rules I think its both home and away games that count towards a teams position in the table, hold on I'll just check.

 

EDIT: Yeah definitely both home and away..

ok then, 4 points above relegation, starting to play shit one domensional football with most of our supposed easier games gone, that better.

[Cajun]

Imagine if both us and them ended up getting relegated? Very unlikely (for them) but it would be highly ironic...

 

They wouldn't give a shit if we were 19th and they were 18th though. Would still be mission accomplished.

[Frazzle]

Four points of sixth with half our first team out, don't you mean? 

[Teasy]

ok then, 4 points above relegation, starting to play shit one domensional football with most of our supposed easier games gone, that better.

 

Injured/suspended players just coming back (some of them absolutely instrumental to the team) and we've done much better in the more difficult games due to the way we play.

[madras]

Not really, injured/suspended players just coming back and we do much better in the more difficult games due to the way we play.

those injured suspended players were in when we started playing shit and didn't get much from those supposed easier games, something changed, maybe the players got wind hughton was going, maybe they thought they'd made it so didn't need to work anymore, maybe we are the team that comes up has a good start then collapses. i don't know but you are fooling yourself if you think we were in stable mid table mediocrity.

[Frazzle]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

[Teasy]

those injured suspended players were in when we started playing shit and didn't get much from those supposed easier games, something changed, maybe the players got wind hughton was going, maybe they thought they'd made it so didn't need to work anymore, maybe we are the team that comes up has a good start then collapses. i don't know but you are fooling yourself if you think we were in stable mid table mediocrity.

 

Oh so in your opinion we weren't doing well even before the last 5 games then?

 

We've had bad games obviously, we've also had good games and consistently gained points.  The only period where we haven't consistently gained points is over the last 5 games when those players have been missing.  Losing the likes of Tiote and Barton corresponded exactly with one dimensional Football you're talking about, losing our two first choice centre backs hasn't helped either.

[madras]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

and prior to the chelsea game ?

[madras]

those injured suspended players were in when we started playing s*** and didn't get much from those supposed easier games, something changed, maybe the players got wind hughton was going, maybe they thought they'd made it so didn't need to work anymore, maybe we are the team that comes up has a good start then collapses. i don't know but you are fooling yourself if you think we were in stable mid table mediocrity.

 

Oh so in your opinion we weren't doing well even before the last 5 games then?

we were doing ok, but there were worrying signs as many have pointed out.

[Frazzle]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

and prior to the chelsea game ?

 

We lost.  If this so called rot had set in, how come we managed to pull that result out of the bag?  It's been explained time and time again but its obvious this season would be up and down.  We went on a bad run with two terrible home defeats and then beat the mackems, Arsenal and West Ham.  There's no reason why we wouldn't get out of this rut, especially with key players returning.

 

Anyone who thought we'd go the whole season without hitting bad patches is completely unrealistic.

[Teasy]

those injured suspended players were in when we started playing s*** and didn't get much from those supposed easier games, something changed, maybe the players got wind hughton was going, maybe they thought they'd made it so didn't need to work anymore, maybe we are the team that comes up has a good start then collapses. i don't know but you are fooling yourself if you think we were in stable mid table mediocrity.

 

Oh so in your opinion we weren't doing well even before the last 5 games then?

we were doing ok, but there were worrying signs as many have pointed out.

 

Until the last 5 games we'd gained 17 points from 11 games, the only really worrying sign was just how little strength in depth we had and how poor we could be if we lost the likes of Barton, Tiote and Coloccini, which is exactly what's happened.  Luckily none of them were out for long.

 

You can say the home form was worrying but at the same time away form was very good, one isn't anymore important than the other.

[madras]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

and prior to the chelsea game ?

 

We lost.  If this so called rot had set in, how come we managed to pull that result out of the bag?  It's been explained time and time again but its obvious this season would be up and down.  We went on a bad run with two terrible home defeats and then beat the mackems, Arsenal and West Ham.  There's no reason why we wouldn't get out of this rut, especially with key players returning.

 

Anyone who thought we'd go the whole season without hitting bad patches is completely unrealistic.

not to mention the way we were playing, how the tactics seemed to have changed to "high to carroll".

 

re getting a point off chelsea if the rot had set in... it happens, i remember one of the worst nufc teams i've seen when the rot had well and truly set in beating liverpool at anfield and still being shit and getting relegated, it happens. (also you'll find chelsea are in  terrible run of form).

 

just trying to take the rose coloured specs off, i think we'd have stopped up but you are deluding yourself if you think we werent in a relegation fight.

[Frazzle]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

and prior to the chelsea game ?

 

We lost.  If this so called rot had set in, how come we managed to pull that result out of the bag?  It's been explained time and time again but its obvious this season would be up and down.  We went on a bad run with two terrible home defeats and then beat the mackems, Arsenal and West Ham.  There's no reason why we wouldn't get out of this rut, especially with key players returning.

 

Anyone who thought we'd go the whole season without hitting bad patches is completely unrealistic.

not to mention the way we were playing, how the tactics seemed to have changed to "high to carroll".

 

re getting a point off chelsea if the rot had set in... it happens, i remember one of the worst nufc teams i've seen when the rot had well and truly set in beating liverpool at anfield and still being s*** and getting relegated, it happens. (also you'll find chelsea are in  terrible run of form).

 

just trying to take the rose coloured specs off, i think we'd have stopped up but you are deluding yourself if you think we werent in a relegation fight.

 

You've taken the rose tinted specs off a put blinkers on.  You're not looking at the bigger picture.

[madras]

Something changed?  Prior to the West Brom game we had just drawn with Chelsea.  madras stop coming out with this crap you're embarrassing yourself.  You look like a WUM but I think you're just misguided.

and prior to the chelsea game ?

 

We lost.  If this so called rot had set in, how come we managed to pull that result out of the bag?  It's been explained time and time again but its obvious this season would be up and down.  We went on a bad run with two terrible home defeats and then beat the mackems, Arsenal and West Ham.  There's no reason why we wouldn't get out of this rut, especially with key players returning.

 

Anyone who thought we'd go the whole season without hitting bad patches is completely unrealistic.

not to mention the way we were playing, how the tactics seemed to have changed to "high to carroll".

 

re getting a point off chelsea if the rot had set in... it happens, i remember one of the worst nufc teams i've seen when the rot had well and truly set in beating liverpool at anfield and still being s*** and getting relegated, it happens. (also you'll find chelsea are in  terrible run of form).

 

just trying to take the rose coloured specs off, i think we'd have stopped up but you are deluding yourself if you think we werent in a relegation fight.

 

You've taken the rose tinted specs off a put blinkers on.  You're not looking at the bigger picture.

thats your opinion, mine is that we were in a relegation fight.

[Dave]

We were in one from the day we were promoted. Unless you were expecting something else?

[madras]

We were in one from the day we were promoted. Unless you were expecting something else?

i thought we may have avoided the thick of it.

[Teasy]

not to mention the way we were playing, how the tactics seemed to have changed to "high to carroll".

 

You think that had nothing to do with key players being missing?, its a pretty odd coincidence.

[Cajun]

And a relegation fight is what the majority predicted when we came up. Most thought it would be very tough, we signed Ben Arfa, expectations went up by 10, he got injured but instead of coming back down to 2 they stopped at about 8.

 

Hughton was again exceeding original expectations, the problem is, as with last season the better he did expectations were shifted so much that when we had blips (as what happens at all club, funny Chelsea being mentioned) some suddenly decided it wasn't good enough even though at the start of the season they would have bitten your arm of for that position at that stage.

 

For some reason these people also seem desperate to find reasons why he isn't doing well despite the league positions (surely the most important thing).

 

Anyway, roll on Alan Pardew.

[madras]

not to mention the way we were playing, how the tactics seemed to have changed to "high to carroll".

 

You think that had nothing to do with key players being missing?, its a pretty odd coincidence.

when you say key players you really mean barton don't you ?

[Teasy]

As far as playing decent Football goes Barton is absolutely irreplaceable for us yes, Tiote is also important as he actually gets us the ball back in the first place and can also drive forward with it.

 

Of course Nolan, Coloccini and Williamson were all big misses when it comes to winning games.