Micky

Indeed we were, but for better officiating and maybe getting a fair share of the luck, maybe having our best player available - and it all would have been different. But to simply say that it was irrelevant because we lost the final is pretty ridiculous when you are totting up the positives at the end of the season. It appears that some people are happy to do this and airbrush it out of the equation in order to get Puel out of the door - ridiculous really when you consider the performance the players put in.

So, everything is an obsession, we were just inherently lucky in all of the positives - absolutely nothing to do with the manager or players.

I think this was much more of a 'normal' season than last season. Leicester champions, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool all off the pace. Sorry, but for me this season was much 'truer to form' than last.

It is not an obsession - it is a fact. We very rarely get to cup finals, probably less than once every 15 years (I've been kind to you there) - so let's be honest, it is a positive really. Obsession no, fact and achievement, yes.

Exactly - but it suits and agenda and will be trotted out ad nauseam.

I tend to agree with everything you say - his future seems to be being played out depending on what press and media you read. All the club have said is that they will review the season as a whole - which is probably a pretty normal process after any season really. I personally think he warrants and merits at least another season - based on his results. How many times are we told that it is a result based business...? At the end of the day the key word here is probably business, unfortunately for the fans. The fans want sport, exciting sport and I get that - but these days I think you'll find that those running the club will, and rightly so, be looking at the business angle - the bottom line. Whilst I want him to stay, I won't be losing any sleep if he gets sacked (and if I were a betting man, I would say he will). But my worry is for the next manager - what do you want him to achieve - because frankly, getting better end results than this season is going to be very difficult. If on the other hand you just want more exciting football, more goals and a lower place finish, then it shouldn't be too difficult to find somebody to achieve that, and if the fans are happy with that sobeit. On the other hand, potential managers looking into the club from the outside may well look at the job as a bit of a poison chalice now, and might well be thinking that it will be very difficult to achieve a better end result than CP has this season. I also think it was one of the reasons that RK left us as well - he could see that improving Everton was a much easier prospect than improving us. As you say though, most of what is written both here and in the press is probably (especially at this time of the season) taken with a large pinch of salt. Either way, if we do sack him, we need to pull another rabbit (Poch or Koeman) out of the hat - should be interesting.

To sack a manager who got us to a cup final and finished eighth sets a very dangerous precedent by the powers to be. The new man is going to have to have some tricks up his sleeve. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Did you do those calculations all by yourself, or did you just make up some stats to suit your argument, you know, just like you normally do? Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

In amongst all the recent drivel and 'oneupmanship' posts on this thread, this bears reality, perspective and hopefully sensibility. Excellent post, hopefully not lost on too many. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Exactly, you wouldn't find highly professional players doing such things. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

That's probably one of the most stupid posts I've ever read on here. I take it you're losing this particular debate. Message board, simplest form, a place to air opinion. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

One of your mates, good old Fred, complained about stereotyping a few posts up, go and look it up before making such sweeping assumptions. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Don't gloat at him too much, our next man is going to have to deliver something pretty special in order to last more than one season. Interesting to see that they credit Les for much of our success whilst lots of experts on here would like to see him gone. If we were to offload him I don't think he would be of of work for very long at all. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

You're surprised? Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Genius. God it's going to be a long close season. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Then do as he says, go and read some of the match threads. They pretty much demonstrate perfectly the fickleness of a lot of the people that post here. They are actually quite funny, if a little sad. Perhaps nobody has said anything about top 4 or whatever, but he is correct - there is very little middle ground with lots of posters, tis all doom. Most appear to give up the ghost after the first 15 minutes and go into a self induced melt down if we're not at least 2 nil up. Go read em - they are funny.

Only the first three words are correct.

It's quite funny just lurking and reading isn't it. It's not just this thread either - pretty much the whole board - I don't think there is one single thing right with the club at the moment - apparently.

Decent gig in the Championship, but once you get them up is time to jump ship, they never invest enough. Bit of a yo-yo club now. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Maybe so but batman said we will be selling, so sell we will.... Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Never saw that coming.... Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

I dunno, we had JWP in the middle last year and that didn't work, so it's worth giving it a shot I reckon...! Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

Exactly - probably sensible for all parties concerned.

Agree with both of these, he did show ambition and he was instrumental in our success. For that I thank him. But it's very easy to show those sort of traits when you are managing other peoples money and not your own. No bitterness here whatsoever, he did a good job for us, but unfortunately at the end of the day it is Kat who is actually Billy Big Bollux and not Nicola.

Excellent - he can take over from Puel.