I enjoyed last season way more than this season

[AfricanBluebird]

Yes last season we were in a relegation dog-fight and wouldn't wish for another flirt with League 1 - but from January onwards last season, we started to show signs of survival and fight. With Philogene, Kaba, Kipre and also forgotten man Sawyers all stepping up we at least saw a little more exciting football and some fight from Feb onwards. Sabri and Sol were more pragmatic and you felt that the team were at least fighting for survival, despite a poor start and fragmented side. Since October this side has been absolutely shocking. I don't 'buy' that it's because of the players.

I would also add that our transfer window was one of the worst in recent memory as it did nothing to address the problems of pace, creativity, guile or possession.

[Armitage Shanks]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

This season is much better yes, we are not as consistent but the squad is better. It's not a play off squad and we can go forward more. However it's not as dark as last year

[binman]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

This season is so much better than last season

We just don't have a striker and lack pace

We are re-building - I thought we may go down before we signed Aaron Ramsey

There are 3 premier league sides in the league - the rest of them are much of a muchness

The 3 relegated teams from the premier (as long as its not Everton) will in no way be as dominant as Leics, Leeds and Southampton. The 3 promoted teams won't have an Ipswich in them

And hopefully we'll sign a striker in the summer (and not that Femmy fella - he looks desperate!)

We are slowly getting there - there will be more crappy games unfortunately until next season

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

Yes last season we were in a relegation dog-fight and wouldn't wish for another flirt with League 1 - but from January onwards last season, we started to show signs of survival and fight. With Philogene, Kaba, Kipre and also forgotten man Sawyers all stepping up we at least saw a little more exciting football and some fight from Feb onwards. Sabri and Sol were more pragmatic and you felt that the team were at least fighting for survival, despite a poor start and fragmented side. Since October this side has been absolutely shocking. I don't 'buy' that it's because of the players.

I would also add that our transfer window was one of the worst in recent memory as it did nothing to address the problems of pace, creativity, guile or possession.

Last season you always felt we were in with a chance in a game even if the outcome wasn't always positive.

[Trigger]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

We only need 5 more goals to match last seasons tally, I don't really need to say anymore.

The only time I felt much entertainment last season was when we won a few key matches later on in the season. Blackpool away Rotherham away. Other than that it was mostly dull.

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

It's a personal opinion but for me this season is just 'meh'.

Maybe the jeopardy of last season made it more interesting - but I felt we could at least create some chances in a game.. since October this season, I have been both bored senseless and also given no indication that we can start creating chances, hit teams on the break or play with any kind of flair.

I hope I am wrong and we start playing better, but can't see us improving hugely.

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

We are slowly getting there - there will be more crappy games unfortunately until next season

I think this is where we differ - I just don't see us getting there under the current approach - so Bulut needs a major rethink but to-date he has tinkered only a tiny amount to address major issues with our team and style.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

I think this is where we differ - I just don't see us getting there under the current approach - so Bulut needs a major rethink but to-date he has tinkered only a tiny amount to address major issues with our team and style.

I tend to agree with you, there have been exceptions, but City strikers tend to score less than ten goals a season and that’s been the case since the days of Chopra and Bothroyd. Yet I can’t think of any striker who was under serious consideration for first team selection who has ever missed a stack of chances which could have turned, say, his five goals a season into fifteen. We play with two wingers and a target man and yet, whoever he is, he barely ever gets a decent cross from said wingers in open play. Eric did a thread on how we’ve stopped scoring big numbers (above four) in games in the last decade and, as a club, we don’t seem to trust ourselves to really go for things - the way we set out for games, particularly home matches under this manager, but it’s been much the same with other recent bosses, is suggestive of a big inferiority complex.

[Canton Kev]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

I think you’ve got a bit of a rose tinted perspective of last season due to staying up. I would say it wasn’t until the win against Bristol in March where we actually found a bit of patchy form. I think even as late as April there was a period we were only above the bottom 3 by a point or two, maybe even just by GD.

Having Huddersfield (Warnock) and Burnley looming as our last 2 games, and to a lesser extent Rotherham as the 3rd last game, felt like a bad omen. Those 2 always seemed like guaranteed losses.

In hindsight it was enjoyable as we escaped the drop, but having to play so many relegation rivals in the run in didn’t seem so enjoyable at the time.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

It's a personal opinion but for me this season is just 'meh'.

Maybe the jeopardy of last season made it more interesting - but I felt we could at least create some chances in a game.. since October this season, I have been both bored senseless and also given no indication that we can start creating chances, hit teams on the break or play with any kind of flair.

I hope I am wrong and we start playing better, but can't see us improving hugely.

Less interesting maybe this season but we were so bad we could easily have been relegated

It was a shocking season and many games were dreadful and very difficult to watch

This season we seem just ten points from safety and its not yet March so it's a definite no thanks not again

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

It's a personal opinion but for me this season is just 'meh'.

Maybe the jeopardy of last season made it more interesting - but I felt we could at least create some chances in a game.. since October this season, I have been both bored senseless and also given no indication that we can start creating chances, hit teams on the break or play with any kind of flair.

I hope I am wrong and we start playing better, but can't see us improving hugely.

We've scored the fewest goals in the Championship from open play this season.

[life on mars]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

I just long for the Warnock era

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

I think you’ve got a bit of a rose tinted perspective of last season due to staying up. I would say it wasn’t until the win against Bristol in March where we actually found a bit of patchy form. I think even as late as April there was a period we were only above the bottom 3 by a point or two, maybe even just by GD.

Having Huddersfield (Warnock) and Burnley looming as our last 2 games, and to a lesser extent Rotherham as the 3rd last game, felt like a bad omen. Those 2 always seemed like guaranteed losses.

In hindsight it was enjoyable as we escaped the drop, but having to play so many relegation rivals in the run in didn’t seem so enjoyable at the time.

Yes possibly, after we survived perhaps the relief of survival skewered the season... a wee bit of revisionist history perhaps - but we are so dull this season and I just can't see how the transfer window helped - Philips is a decent replacement for the injured McGuinness and Josh Wilson-Esbrand seems to have a bit of flair and pace about him, but the window did nothing that would make me think we are building a more attacking side - a problem we have had for some time

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

I just long for the Warnock era

I really disliked Warnock but even I have to admit (apart from his final season) at least there was some excitement and we had a bit of pace about us.

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: I enjoyed last season way more than this season

We've scored the fewest goals in the Championship from open play this season.

It really is shocking Eric.

We have scored ZERO goals on the break.

Absolutely shocking and shows the lack of pace in the side... how is turnbull gonna help with that?