Is the difference…

…Between hope and expectation!!!

After the takeover, and Howe took charge, we had hope… hope that the new owners and new manager could turn things around and save us from relegation and in 5-10 seasons turn us into serial winners?

At that time, there was no expectation to qualify for Europe, to compete with the very top teams.

They could play with the freedom and enjoyment, knowing that, whatever they did was better than we had before. And that if they played front foot football and didn’t succeed… it didn’t really matter!

Now though, that hope has been replaced with expectation… we jumped ahead… we hit top 4… played champions league and now that expectation is here already… we’ve done it before, we can do it again.

There’s now more pressure to win and get those points on the board, rather than playing dynamic attacking pressing football that comes with risks, we see the team choosing to defend first. Afraid of going behind and throwing away the points we expect to get rather than hope to leave with.

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Originally Posted by Guybrush

Â…Between hope and expectation!!!

After the takeover, and Howe took charge, we had hopeÂ… hope that the new owners and new manager could turn things around and save us from relegation and in 5-10 seasons turn us into serial winners?

At that time, there was no expectation to qualify for Europe, to compete with the very top teams.

They could play with the freedom and enjoyment, knowing that, whatever they did was better than we had before. And that if they played front foot football and didnÂ’t succeedÂ… it didnÂ’t really matter!

Now though, that hope has been replaced with expectationÂ… we jumped aheadÂ… we hit top 4Â… played champions league and now that expectation is here alreadyÂ… weÂ’ve done it before, we can do it again.

ThereÂ’s now more pressure to win and get those points on the board, rather than playing dynamic attacking pressing football that comes with risks, we see the team choosing to defend first. Afraid of going behind and throwing away the points we expect to get rather than hope to leave with.

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You make a good point Guy. I touched on it in my 'Dust Settled' ramble.

First season every point cheered like a cup win. No expectations just hope. Great times.

For the players & backroom staff there's no difference regarding external pressure.

It press print their garbage to earn their wages. Stoking up controversy from nothing, mountains from mole hills. To give us fans something to argue over.

Inside the club it's business as usual. The PiF and Saudis are insulated to any media noise from little outlets like Sky Sports. A big deal in the English football world, irrelevant outside of that bubble. They don't deal with gossip.

Eddie Howe has produced on the pitch, his job is safe.

There is no 'unrest' in the boardroom. It's all fabricated nonsense.

All the pressure comes from the group themselves. The ambition of Bruno, Isak, Gordon et al to be a top 4 team, play in the Champions League means they need to get points on the board and compete for Trophies in the FA & League cup are what drives the pressure.

The whole odd discussion about style of play is very confusing to me.

Every game this season the first 15-20 mins of each match we're looked great, half way through the first period we're lost our way.

In terms of style we've got to get all the first team players at the same level of match sharpness. The players and Eddie have all commented that this is something that is happening currently.

Harvey Barnes' comments about the team not being in the right place right not to hammer teams 3,4 - 0 was exactly right.

In the coming weeks, with Tonali reaching those peak levels, Gordon getting that last 5-10% sharpens we'll see far better performances.

However, as it is, where we are right now, winning ugly, is a pretty decent place to be.

If we take 3 points against 4 more clubs that we drew against last season we'd have more points than Villa finished on in 4th last season.

We're in great shape and as the group gel we'll only get better and better.

We know how good we can be, we saw that at times last season and we'll get there again.

Bare in mind last season we were all massively disappoint yet last season, finishing 7th we scored more goals in the Prem than any other NUFC team in Prem History.

We've scored 6, conceded 3 so far in 4 matches. Sign that we're defending better.

Botman still to come back and we'll see a much better defensive record in the 2nd half of the season.

Currently 3rd in the league 2 points behind City, equal with Arsenal, our best start to a season in something like 20 yrs. I don't get all the moaning?

If this is bad, I'll take it because when we do click it's gonna be devastating!

Good times ahead!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guybrush

…Between hope and expectation!!!

After the takeover, and Howe took charge, we had hope… hope that the new owners and new manager could turn things around and save us from relegation and in 5-10 seasons turn us into serial winners?

At that time, there was no expectation to qualify for Europe, to compete with the very top teams.

They could play with the freedom and enjoyment, knowing that, whatever they did was better than we had before. And that if they played front foot football and didn’t succeed… it didn’t really matter!

Now though, that hope has been replaced with expectation… we jumped ahead… we hit top 4… played champions league and now that expectation is here already… we’ve done it before, we can do it again.

There’s now more pressure to win and get those points on the board, rather than playing dynamic attacking pressing football that comes with risks, we see the team choosing to defend first. Afraid of going behind and throwing away the points we expect to get rather than hope to leave with.

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Interesting ‘take’ in your last paragraph.

It seems a proportion of our support has gone from hope to expectation overdrive in a very short space of time. It’s a well worn phrase but it really is important to remember how far we’ve come in such a short time and, while it’s fine to criticize and discuss performance of anyone at the club, anyone dishing out the hate (whether it’s Longstaff, Miggy or Mitchell) needs to give themselves a good shake.
We are a work in progress and when we can put out our best 11 now AND bring on the quality of subs we did on Sunday is when my expectation will kick in. It takes time (surely we all knew it would) even without PSR.

I don’t see the players as playing under undue pressure nor a too heavy weight of expectation but I do see a unified squad with a strong desire to win but currently lacking in teamwork snd cohesion. Eddie’ll fix it.

That's very well put, TT (and a really interesting question, Mr, Threepwood)

There are some fans with a short memory and I suspect a lot of them are either younger or more recent fans.

Ironically, given the access to and interaction with so many aspects of their lives through social media, there's actually a bigger disconnect between fans and players than ever. We live in a more self-centred, look at me society where patience has been eroded and people want what they want NOW and kick off if they don't get it (and this extends to the 'no blame' culture where 'nothing is my fault' is the prevalent attitude. And, imo, this is exacerbated by people having to watch players strolling around the pitch earning 10s and 100s of thousands of pounds a week-whilst there's no direct correlation between how much a player gets paid and how well they play, I think it makes fans less tolerant (and I include myself in this) when teams play poorly.

On a related note, though, I do think Eddie has changed our style of play...and that's a whole different thread.

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Originally Posted by Zippity

That's very well put, TT (and a really interesting question, Mr, Threepwood)




On a related note, though, I do think Eddie has changed our style of play...and that's a whole different thread.

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Has he changed it to suit or balance out the opposition we are playing about though.

Remember when KK introduced our playing style for the entertainers. We overwhelmed most teams most of the time, but then some of the more astute managers cottoned on and were able, to some extent counter balance our style of play.

Quote Originally Posted by Zippity View Post
That's very well put, TT (and a really interesting question, Mr, Threepwood)

On a related note, though, I do think Eddie has changed our style of play...and that's a whole different thread.

ex_pat_magpie;40570756 - Has he changed it to suit or balance out the opposition we are playing about though.

Remember when KK introduced our playing style for the entertainers. We overwhelmed most teams most of the time, but then some of the more astute managers cottoned on and were able, to some extent counter balance our style of play.[/QUOTE]


Indeed! Eddie said from day 1 and many times since that he wants to be able to play different style and set up in different ways depending on schedule, opponent and player availability to win matches.

Let's see how it all shakes out over the course of the season.

Long way to go!