Dalek2003

Good summary. NA clearly not going to panic. This takes the pressure off the players and he can stay positive whatever the outcome of the season.

Fair point. But the difference is that we would be bouyed by a swing up to 2nd or top 6 rather than a slide down.

I don't need to put money on a prediction to actually believe what I said. You could say that of any poster. I am always consistent in what I say right from the time of the failure to appoint Hoddle debacle in 2004.

Just about sums it up. Hope the lesson has been learn't. The hard thing is that our great start built up an optimism in some of the fans that clearly could not have been sustained. FWIW, I don't think we planned for promotion this year and can only assume that the management will kick themselves at the ned of the season for not being more ambitious. Still, on a positive note, we will be comfortable enough to experiment and look carefully at our weak areas and bring in good players to fill them.

Crisis ? What crisis ? We are not in the relegation zone ! Stop being a big girls blouse and get behind the club. A mid or lower mid table finish will be a fine achievement for at team that has just been promoted. FFS some posters in here want to get a dose of realism !

Surrender ? I was clear at the start of the season that I saw this season as about consolidation and our timid work in the summer transfer market made it clear that that is what we would get this season. I enjoyed and was surprised by our brilliant start by a good team but did not waver in my assertion that the squad was not good enough. So it is starting to be, but I am not disappointed with my prediction at all.

Maybe, but it is a bit late to shut the stable door !

In December ? You Jonny come lately ! I said it before the season kicked off !

Yes. That is a fair statement. If we are a few places above 17th I hope you will be gracious enough to admit my prediction was much closer than yours.

I agree, we will be OK. I said back in the summer we would finish lower mid table and with no danger of flirting with relegation.

Agreed, and have said so since the summer. Looks like my prediction will be closer than many will give me credit for !

Fair comment. We are building for the long term.

If you mean me, I am very unhappy indeed. Wish I had been proven wrong...but I am only saying what I believe and you can't deny I have said it since the summer. Having said that a mid table finish IS a good season considering we were in League 1 last season. Hope the wrist slitters don't give the team too much of a hard time, there is always next year.

Yes true, but what position do you think we will be in after the next LEAGUE game ?

Well, we haven't made good use of the money. Still, NA will learn from this season and NC will surely realise that we need to get our players in early with the squad fully complete. They could take a leaf out of Norwich City's book in this respect.

Just stating things how I see them and how I have seen them since the summer.

I think you are being very optimistic !

Unlucky with Jos. Sounds like we are playing like a mid to lower mid table team, which is where we will finsih at the end of the season. Having said that the team did fantastic in the first four months just ran out of steam and not enough ammo in reserve. Sorry to say, but I saw this coming.

Are you suggesting that after our rather languid activity in the transfer market, both summer and winter, that we were still in with a chance of promotion ? I think today's match will just be part of a more realistic adjustment of our ambitions this season.

No use flogging a dead horse !

We have only beaten Forest recently, the Cup game is not quite the same. I predict 5 straight defeats on the way.

Why. I have been very consistent in my opinions. Even in November I did not get carried away by some posters who lost sense of our very good team but relatively weak squad. Of course I would love us to get promoted but always felt that consolidation was the aim. We may well finish three or four places above 17th, but my prediction would still be closer than most.

This should have been sorted in the summer. Having said that this team is comfortable mid table level.

Our lack of urgency since the summer always suggested promotion this year was not a priority.

All I have ever reported is what I see based on the facts. We have a good team but a small squad. We did not do enough over the summer to set us up for the whole season. I said it at the time and what I said is happening exactly as I predicted.