Why don't we just leave it here?

[Dirk Gently]

Why not ask the Premier League to let us end the season here and allow us to be relegated straight away. That'll make it a lot quicker and easier and save us all time.

After all, it's clear in the minds of many that we are absolutely certainties to be relegated, and as the whole club is such a "shambles" there's clearly no way we're going to get out of this mess. So why not just call it a day now? Especially as people are going to hit the negativity button so much more when we lose the next two matches - the odds are that we will, but we've known that all along, so what's changed? Just like it was always extremely likely that we'd lose at Villa.

FWIW yes there are obviously problems, and there is potential danger of relegation, but that's what the manager, coaches and everyone else at the club will be working to resolve. I'm personally happy to give them a few more weeks before I write everything off as being beyond redemption. Others. clearly, aren't, so I'd ask why still bother?

If nothing else, a feeling that we're doomed already and there's nothing else to play for will almost certainly turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Wycombe Royal]

Take cover......

[Nezhen]

100% Agree. The pessimism and negativity is sooooooo depressing !!

I've said it before on here, but I'm sure we have the most fickle fans of any Premiership team.

We almost certainly will lose the next 2 games, but we WILL stay up. Let's get behind the team and the club, keep the faith and keep Coppell. It's the only way forward !

[T.R.O.L.I.]

but I'm sure we have the most fickle fans of any Premiership team.

I dunno - I can think of a couple of other teams that would give us a run for our money on that one (Newcastle and West Ham for starters)...

[Hoop Blah]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

[79Royal]

I really don't think that we are that far off a decent side. Two or three players in the right areas and we can definitely push on.

We are in a scrap and have been since day one of this season. Anyone who thought we could finish higher than eigth was deluded. That is because a mistake was made in the summer and we haven't recovered from that yet. But let's not take away from the positive results we've had this year. Home wins against Everton, Newcastle and Liverpool and a draw away at the Champions. We have had some good results and performances and despite our bad patches, we aren't in the relegation zone yet. We're not expected to win the next two games, so the season really begins in February. I hope by then we have invested some more money into the squad though.

The hard slog begins in a couple of weeks, so enjoy the next two games and then get behind the team and prepare yourself for a fight against relegation.

[3 veesinarow]

But what else can you do with an opinion offered other than to stick it into one of two piles? You're either for or against an argument, you can sit on the fence in the middle, but that still only leaves three pigeonholes at the most.
Posters perceived as negative who say "lose to Bolton and we're down" are NOT being reasonably balanced, now, are they?
Posters perceived as positive who say "we will never go down - just have faith" are NOT being reasonably balanced, but are nonetheless offering something more positive to the cause than the the doom-mongers.

Positive or negative, we are all agreed that things need to change, but who actually thinks that SSC, Mr Mad, the players and everyone at the club don't know that? There are many, many people on here for whom the cup could be overflowing and they would STILL moan that they're spilling some of it. For others, the glass is just permanently empty and no matter what we do to fill it, they'll still moan it's the wrong kind of drink.

[Geekins]

I think after the next two games we will be in that relegation zone. but then we will pick up points and can see us staying around 15th for the rest of the season. We're not expecting anything in these next 2 games, so lets keep our spirits up and keep on cheering on the boys! URZ


I totally agree with Dirk Gently. If you believe enough then that will spur the players on. If you think its over, they will give up as well.

[sucatraps]

This could probably fit any number of current threads, but don't you think it's a good job that the bloke who's cock is actually on the block is not panicking? SSC will keep faith with us if we keep faith with him and he will manage us out of our current predicament. Perhaps STAR can take a lead with a campaign to "Keep the Faith" or some other suggested device for collective positive support " If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit join our club" so to speak?

[Hoop Blah]

This could probably fit any number of current threads, but don't you think it's a good job that the bloke who's cock is actually on the block is not panicking? SSC will keep faith with us if we keep faith with him and he will manage us out of our current predicament. Perhaps STAR can take a lead with a campaign to "Keep the Faith" or some other suggested device for collective positive support " If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit join our club" so to speak?

I'm pleased that Coppell is in charge yes. I think he's a thoughtful and intelligent manager but I would like to see him actually try and change things around little bit and improve the team that got us promoted two years ago so that it can complete at this new level a bit more comfortably.

He might not be panicking but he's also not shown much progress in strengthening a side that even he has said, numerous times since we went up, would need strengthening.

3V's...i see where you coming from about the pigeon holes, and I agree to a point, although it seems to be much more pronounced that it needs to be right now.

[Man Friday]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

Absolutely spot on - the whole posting. Reflects my views exactly.

[philM]

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I think after the next two games we will be in that relegation zone. but then we will pick up points and can see us staying around 15th for the rest of the season. We're not expecting anything in these next 2 games, so lets keep our spirits up and keep on cheering on the boys!.

Agreed, apart from your first sentence. As I've posted on another thread, the next fixtures for Sunderland and Birmingham are:

Sunderland: Spurs (a), Birmingham (h)
Birmingham: Chelsea (h), Sunderland (a)

I can't see both clubs getting the required 2 points to overtake us...

[sucatraps]

For Darius we used to sing:- "He's our Polish international" is it pc or appropriate to use:- "He's our 'Slovakian international" for Marek? or are Czech's insulted to be lumped in with Slovakia?

[brendywendy]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

Absolutely spot on - the whole posting. Reflects my views exactly.

i think people are upset by the implication that reading are not, and will not do anything else during the window that gets on most RTG peoples nerves. moan at the end of jan, & dont moan about made up stuff

not rational pointing out of problems and offering solutions
as can be seen on the badly titled "coppell is letting us down" thread
where they are mostly agreed with by us positive types

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

Absolutely spot on - the whole posting. Reflects my views exactly.

i think people are upset by the implication that reading are not, and will not do anything else during the window that gets on most RTG peoples nerves. moan at the end of jan, & dont moan about made up stuff

not rational pointing out of problems and offering solutions
as can be seen on the badly titled "coppell is letting us down" thread
where they are mostly agreed with by us positive types

But to be fair Brendy. History clearly shows that people who say don't moan now, it's still the middle of the transfer window, we'll do stuff before it shuts. Have been wrong every single time.

[Man Friday]

But what else can you do with an opinion offered other than to stick it into one of two piles? You're either for or against an argument, you can sit on the fence in the middle, but that still only leaves three pigeonholes at the most.
Posters perceived as negative who say "lose to Bolton and we're down" are NOT being reasonably balanced, now, are they?

Not all posts are about being reasonably balanced. Reasonable balance is required in relation to responses to problems. I was not forwarding my views on how I believe we should address current issues (or future ones if/when they arise). I was merely speculating (no more, no less) that, should we go through January pointless and then lose to Boltin, we will go down. My comment is not about balance. It is simply an expression of a view, like placing a bet on an anticipated outcome. I hope I'm wrong and may well be so. (This could be because, for example, we DO obtain point(s) from Man U and Chelsea or, even if we don't, that we DO beat Bolton. In these circumstances my speculation will be null and void anyway because the factors leading to it would not have materialised.) I'm not saying that I think we WILL lose to Bolton. I'm just speculating taht, if we do, on top of losing to Man U and Chelsea (if that happens) we will go down. I accept, however, that's a pessimistic view but balance doesn't come into speculating, it comes into responding to issues/challengs/problems - it's a different ball game. I'm stopping there, if people can't see where I'm coming from then I don't think there's anything more I can say to explain.

[brendywendy]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

Absolutely spot on - the whole posting. Reflects my views exactly.

i think people are upset by the implication that reading are not, and will not do anything else during the window that gets on most RTG peoples nerves. moan at the end of jan, & dont moan about made up stuff

not rational pointing out of problems and offering solutions
as can be seen on the badly titled "coppell is letting us down" thread
where they are mostly agreed with by us positive types

But to be fair Brendy. History clearly shows that people who say don't moan now, it's still the middle of the transfer window, we'll do stuff before it shuts. Have been wrong every single time.

thats rubbish, quite the opposite

we have done something during every window for at least three years
maybe you dont like them, or think they arent giving enough to the club, or are just not up to it
but we have bought every time

[Man Friday]

I really don't think that we are that far off a decent side. Two or three players in the right areas and we can definitely push on.

We are in a scrap and have been since day one of this season. Anyone who thought we could finish higher than eigth was deluded. That is because a mistake was made in the summer and we haven't recovered from that yet. But let's not take away from the positive results we've had this year. Home wins against Everton, Newcastle and Liverpool and a draw away at the Champions. We have had some good results and performances and despite our bad patches, we aren't in the relegation zone yet. We're not expected to win the next two games, so the season really begins in February. I hope by then we have invested some more money into the squad though.

The hard slog begins in a couple of weeks, so enjoy the next two games and then get behind the team and prepare yourself for a fight against relegation.

That's my view too. If we're doing just about enough (more or less) with the current set up, imagine how well we could do with 2-3 decent signings!

Agree with both these sentiments also.