Can't wait until next season.

AFCBade said:
Re this tough period the team is going through, I am not sure there are too many surprises:

1. The fixture list looked really daunting Nov-Dec
2. Always expected heavy defeats vs Man City spurs and Liverpool
3. Always felt winning home games with brighton and Huddersfield was vital
4. Was hopeful of points at Newcastle and wolves but knew it would be tough if they got the first goal
5. Given the crazy fixture list always expected injuries would happen
6. Thought we should be aiming at trying to be best of the rest and we are 2 points off 7th at the half way mark.
7. Hopes we could reach at least league cup quarter final but needed luck to progress if we played a top side.

All the above has happened so not sure why fans should be that down. Been unlucky with the duplication of positions where injuries have struck and a few games we have not had the luck of the bounce but we will get things going our way again in the second half of the season ........ so bring it on!
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100% agree.
When the fixtures came out I remember thinking that we had to have around 20 points before we hit the Nov - Dec period with games against all the big hitters coming up. Thankfully we did that. Our league position at the time we hit that hard run was always going to be a bit of an illusion. Injuries have hit us hard, the real test now is how EH copes with that. I expect a few new faces in - possibly on loan.
 
Some positives. Stan appears to be slowly getting up to pace (until his next Injury). Ibe has put in a couple of decent appearances, likewise Mousset. Simpson looked accomplished against Chelsea.

Franno has exceeded expectations this season, you could argue that Gosling did at the start of the season. However did we really expect them to be an integral part of the team going into 2019 ? Fair play to them for getting stuck in but if that Sunderland documentary was anything to go by Gosling was on his way out last year and we thought Franno might be heading towards retirement The big loss for me was Adam Smith. I think Lewis just 'broke', his form had dipped and he was busting a gut to make things work.

If anything we have strength in depth, much more so than previous years and that line up and bench still looks pretty decent, defence aside. Talking of defence I think Eddie has some kind of mental block on that side of things. We are always one injury away from a catastrophe every season.

Plenty be positive about, a few things to be worried about but a loanee or two In Jan would be nice.
 
What maybe of some concern is that one or two of our key assetts may be tempted to jump ship in January or at the end of the season. This may be due to tempting offers from bigger clubs and that the thought that they may have gone as far as they can with AFCB. Secondly, the poor run of form may sway one or two to leave for better horizons.
 
redharry said:
All teams lose their best players. What is remarkabkle about us is that in 3 and a half seasons in the PL the only player of any significance to have left so far is Matt Ritchie.
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A true and valid point.
 
When we're down to the bare bones this is when we usually pull together and fight.

Been reading 'Match of My Life' (excellent) and although there are individual chapters, the common thread that runs through them all is the sense of camaraderie and resolve the players have. Scorned and adored (on here) players like Lewis Grabban Warren Cummings respectively are spoken of highly by other players in the book.

Bring on the rest of the season. Whats not to love!?
 
A few good points. Not all doom and gloom, maybe a warning for the board that we need to invest(injury crisis). Our squad is far too small. We need to sell dead wood like Defoe. Again and again people say we need cover at RB, CB, CM, DM.Jesus Christ, look back at the forum in 2016, we were all calling for a RB and RCB then.
 
SlowDownDerek said:
A big player leaving is long overdue when you think of it.
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We cant lose Wilson, Ake, Brooks or Fraser. In my opinion, King is not needed, makes too many mistakes(doesn't pass the ball, dribbles too often) and Wilson can constantly be seen telling him to come closer or to press one of the CB'S. Lerma won't leave yet and any of the others are AFCB4life or injured.
 
cherrycarl2004 said:
A few good points. Not all doom and gloom, maybe a warning for the board that we need to invest(injury crisis). Our squad is far too small. We need to sell dead wood like Defoe. Again and again people say we need cover at RB, CB, CM, DM.Jesus Christ, look back at the forum in 2016, we were all calling for a RB and RCB then.
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You're right, and we've been sh*t ever since then haven't we?
 
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