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2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

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If you had said to me, before a ball was kicked this season, that we would be in with a chance of Europe with one game to go I'd have said you were dreaming. Winning the first set of games gave us a false sense of reality. Last season we finished 14th, we have clearly improved.
You'd have been very much in the minority then. According to a poll posted on here the other day, about 76% of fans thought we'd finish in the top 8 before the season started. With one game to go probably a similar number, maybe more, would now say we'll finish outside the top 8. The season certainly hasn't been a disaster by any means, but I wouldn't say we've 'clearly improved'.
 
I'd say we've improved, but not to the extent I'd hoped and not in a way that gives me encouragement that its sustainable and see us likely to progress further.

That's not to say we won't, but there is a lot of clutching at straws at present. I live in hope, but not expectation. That seems to be our lot.

It becomes more sobering with each passing year, how much everything hinges on another spending spree and getting upgrades on 5 or 6 players.

I hope to be proved wrong on this, but I don't see us mounting an attack on the transfer market and throwing big money about. I can't see how that comes about.

The bigger thing though, and its been our problem for years, is not what we spend, but how we spend it.

Whatever your opinion on Ancelotti, he will have to secure European football for us next season if not this. The whole rationale for appointing him disappears if he cannot achieve that after 2 full seasons. I'm sure excuses and caveats will be found in the event that doesn't come to pass, but for me it's as simple as that really.
 

3 games at home with fans, 3 wins



Games away with no fans, 10 wins.
So moot point, apart from the types of people who are easily sucked into meaningless stats.

Next year will be a more normal season with less unusual results. Our home form will be better, the away form will probably be less good. It's the net effect that matters.

If we can continue to keep regular clean sheets then our away form will still be decent. To keep turning tight games into narrow wins rather than draws or narrow losses, we will need more counter attacking quality and threat.

All comes back to signing the right players, with the right skills for the right positions, and making sure they have a good level of character and commitment.
 

He’s very shrewd is Carlo, I wonder if that was a message for next season, get right behind the team and it will make a difference. Point taken about away form though, a really strange season for us.
I like him, I really do.
He’s badly hamstrung with the squad he inherited.
But, I have massive concerns about him being able to turn it around.
Plus his pandering to Rodriguez cannot be good for squad mentality, nobody likes to see others get preferential treatment.

We need at least 5 new first team regulars to kick some life into this team, as a unit they are finished.
 
the concern I have is that we seem to be coached in a very Allardyce manner. The way a good coach would coach players he thinks are rubbish, but whom he needs to get the maximum results from. Horrible to watch, and can't be much fun to play. If that is the case, it seems rather a lazy way to proceed. Cos whether the players are brilliant or not, they should still have enough to beat the teams who were rlelegated this season when you're at home and going for Europe. We are 18 months into Carlo's project now, and I am very disappointed so far with the way he is coaching the team to play
 
the concern I have is that we seem to be coached in a very Allardyce manner. The way a good coach would coach players he thinks are rubbish, but whom he needs to get the maximum results from. Horrible to watch, and can't be much fun to play. If that is the case, it seems rather a lazy way to proceed. Cos whether the players are brilliant or not, they should still have enough to beat the teams who were rlelegated this season when you're at home and going for Europe. We are 18 months into Carlo's project now, and I am very disappointed so far with the way he is coaching the team to play

I think in a way, the way we're playing is Ancelotti telling the board 'you need to give me much better players to work with if we're to achieve anything here'.
 
stability and improvement. He’s providing both. We haven’t challenged for Europe for 3 seasons, we did this season, I’m confident we will again next season. Progression.
 

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