paulowen

Let's use Brighton as an analogue. Chris Hughton joined in 2014 - and really, barring a couple of missteps with Hyypia and Garcia, you can go back to 2009 with Poyet coming in to trace the start of their success story. (That's also about when they started building their stadium.) They've been in 3 out of the last 4 play-off competitions. They went on a 22 game unbeaten run last season and sat on top the Championship for most of the season. They are now only not consistently top because of Newcastle challenging them. They are a much more consistent team now, a much more settled organization and have stuck with the manager they trust. I see a lot of comparison with us. As they did, we have cleared out the crap, rebuilt the club from the pitch, through the stadium to the academy to the first team. Going to a home game at Hillsborough today is completely unrecognizable from only 2 seasons ago. Mr Chansiri bought our club in January 2015. He started work in the summer of 2015 - that is just 20 months ago. One full season ago. Christ, I wish I'd made the same impact with my job in the same time. The only comparison I have with my work and my footy club is the presence of the same moaning cynics and doubters that have nothing to do with positive change. They just hang around like parasites living in the past and bitching about every thing while the rest of us move onward and upward. So judge how you like but the fact is that we are on an amazing trajectory, that WILL bring massive reward. We need to play our role and support the Chairman and the manager he has in place.

Fulham will be in the play offs but hopefully not at our expense. Out of all in 3-6th places right now Fulham are the best team (and getting stronger). They just hammered Newcastle, they have 5 of the top 10 most accurate passers in the league: http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/09/28/top-10-best-passers-in-the-championship/ with +21 goal difference AND now showing emerging talent like Ryan Sessegnon. They are the proverbial play off steam train We are going backwards. As Fulham are unifying, This season I still haven't seen us play consistently to our potential. That HAS to happen to stay the pace. We also need to get Lees, Hutch and Fessi back (in that priority order). Beyond that Hooper is a nice to have. And I am assuming Lee is not going to make it because if he is, I'd put him up there with Lees an an essential player for us. If we get the spine of our team back and fit, I am confident that we can finish in the playoffs without worrying about anyone else. If we've lost these guys now, I'm not sure we can keep pace this year. I think the chasing teams this year are much better than last season. Let's face it, Brighton and Hull were there for the taking, we weren't beaten, we lost it. Last year may have been our easiest chance to go up. And remember, securing a place in the play offs is just the beginning. We then need three perfect performances back to back to win it all. I'm not sure I can copy and paste three back to back games from this season into the play off games and say, 'Like that". Last season I could... I don't think Friday is judgement day but given today at Villa, we could use the 6 points. I think Reading are the ones losing momentum. Of all of us in the chasing pack, they are the ones who could drop out. So: Best scenario: Fulham at home will be for a 5th/6th place finish - 1 NUFC 2 BHAFC, 3 HTFC, 4 FFC, 5 SWFC 6 LUFC Worst scenario: Fulham at home will be for a 7th/8th place finish - 1 NUFC, 2 BHAFC, 3 HTFC, 4 FFC, 5 LUFC 6 RFC ... 7 SWFC 8 PNEFC

So this just occurred to me as I sit here brooding over Friday night's disappointment: Last season a lot of our players were plucked from teams where they were mostly warming benches right? Many of our team then were fighting to reignite their careers. And with today's news that McCormack was clearly luxuriating in his palace and unable to have Jeeves replace the batteries in his castle gates in time to get to the day job. I wondered if our lack of edge this season might be connected to the comfortable wages and fresh contracts our boys currently enjoy? Now I am not saying our lot are being fed grapes quite like King Ross clearly is but I was watching the match on Friday and wondered if the scrappiness, the personal desire, the balls to the wall speed and energy of last year may have had something to do with them (at the time) not having big deals? Might it be true that now they sit pretty, SOME, not all, of our mighty blue n white wizards have lost their fight and are caught up in a similar RossGate? Dunno - just a thought ... Oh and I also noticed that Knockaeaaearaerrt and Dunk both have the same kind of long pointy and large nose, which was interesting.

That for me was such a pivotal point. They went on to be well, Arsenal. And we went to Gillingham twice a season...

Where ever he goes, he'll do well, go somewhere else, then end up in the Prem, then be amazing then get called up for France. If he stays, he'll be toilet. Sometimes I wonder if we're too soft a club. It's too 'nice' at the Wednesdays for real hard-nose footy success. Or maybe I don't know poo

One thing is for sure, the 8 points we dropped in the last few games will be the difference one way or another. Either cost us championship, automatic or play offs. It's the Wednesday way! I reckon we slip in the backdoor of the playoffs again. Get to Wembley and then ...

Is he dead yet?

Dr who?

Wod Leeestwo hinson L Pu dil Ba ees nes Abdi Hutcestwo Buc nnan kley Jo Fei Fletc hsser Might work?

Wait ...

Wait. My dad told me the sky will always be blue and the clouds will always be white - that is why we support the mighty Blue n White Wizards. Did my dad lie to me?

Ah yes. Sir Henry of Walsall - a fine Knight indeed - comes with a boy squire and a flipping big lance

Of course he is! He knows what he wants. He has the Club trying. Many holding out for Premier League Clubs to bite - both Championship and Premier League players. This week everything falls in to place. It's like the mother of all games of musical chairs. They'll hold out for so long but when the chairs start dropping, the flippers will come running! And I don't care if NUFC or AVFC are paying £10/12m for a player. The poo poo show at either of those clubs will never deliver results by throwing silly money at it. I reckon the ingredients for success in this league is what we had last season. A goodish squad with a few very good players, great team moral, amazing fan support, belief in the manager and chairman. Nothing like that at any of the ex-prem clubs. If we get rolling we'll roll all the way this season f'sure. I am Yoda.

Oh they are are they Yoda?