2005-06

[Guest snez1]

8 games into the season we had amassed 10points. We?d been humiliated by Chavski at home 4-1, had a goal keeper who looked no better than what we had previously and had cost us a game to an awful Birmingham side at St. Andrews with 2 massive blunders. We had a £7m striker who hadn?t scored and was the biggest target of ridicule for football fans up and down the country, we had missed the opportunity to ?cash in? on our status as European Champions by only signing players not proven as ?top class? and who had seemingly added very little to the starting line up, had missed out on the one genuine world class striker available, we had missed out on signing ANY centre backs and right wingers that we we?re in desperate need of leaving us with massive holes in our squad and we lay in 10th place with just 2 unconvincing league wins against s**** opposition under our belts and looked like a team who we?re a million miles from a title challenge who would do well to hang on to our manager.

 

The season was set up to be another disappointing one and our chances of closing the gap on the top clubs had seemingly already passed us by. We had a Japanese distraction lying in wait to help distort our already fractured season further, key players who had lost the form that guided us to number 5, and fans up in arms about our sale of the one ?proven? striker of Premiership class.

 

It?s so easy to forget this happened. I looked back on some of the early league tables this week and was actually startled to see that we had won just the TWO out of our first 8 league games, scoring just 5 goals during that run. Considering what has happened in the following 29 league games and our F.A Cup run, this season (since October 29th when we had a pretty scrappy 2-0 win at home to West Ham) has been little short of a miracle. We?ve lost just 4 league games and had 2 spectacular runs of 12 league games unbeaten (containing 11 wins) and 8 wins on the trot. The only subsequent slump came at the end of January/beginning of February where we we?re probably feeling the exertions of our extended season and trip to Japan in which we dropped a total of 11 points in 4 successive league games against teams who (apart from Chavski) we?re all f***ing s**** against us and in fairness deserved f*** all (United, Charlton and Birmingham) and would have probably got f*** all if we?d had a top centre forward (or as later proven a fit Robbie Fowler) in the ranks at that time.

 

We currently sit 12 points behind Chavski having played a game more. On paper it still looks a pretty big gap (all be it an excellent improvement on last seasons 37 point deficit) yet if the two games against those classless t***s had gone in our favour, as 2 more important semi-finals have in the past 12 months , we?d currently be sat level top with them. Now considering our awful start to the season and the fact we?ve not had an out and out right winger or a proper goal poacher (yes Robbie can still do it but not for the 38 games we require) I think we really have to take our hats off to Rafa Benitez for getting us to within just two additional positive results of being genuine title challengers so quickly.

 

There have been many things you can also look at and say ?Ifithadn?tbeenfor? such as the WCC distraction, Owen?s decision to sign for Newcastle and Simao?s ruined deal that would allow many to argue that with a bit more luck we could conceivably have been the Premiership champions this season instead of those horrible Cockney t***s, but we?ll leave that to the bitters.

 

Instead, let?s look at the fact that we are now close to Chavski, in a cup final (our 5th in 2 seasons under Rafa) and still have some obvious parts of our first 11 to improve on (do Chavski, apart from maybe up front?). We have Palleta, Aurelio and Mark Gonzalez on their way and just one or two more top rate signings will surely have us fighting it out with Chavski for next years crown, because if Rafa can do all that he has for us under the circumstances he has (spending a total of around £25m net, and having distractions such as the WCC, CL Qualifying rounds and no top class strikers) just imagine what he could do if we gave him the necessary means to do so. A decent wedge of cash in his pocket this summer and one or two canny signings from the man himself and I truly believe we?ll have number 19 in the bag soon enough, for sure.

 

This season has been a magnificent turn-around and if we win our next two games, will be our most successful domestic season in over a decade. Rick, Davey and Rafa, over to you????

[CarraLegend]

had a goal keeper who looked no better than what we had previously and had cost us a game to an awful Birmingham side at St. Andrews with 2 massive blunders.

 

Anyone who thought that one the back of one game is a bit thick to be honest.

[Paul_LFC]

Fantastic post Sir, agree all the way. Next season, the big improvement we need is to beat the big teams, at least at home for starters. That's where we have come up short this season, if we can sort that out, we'll be sorted.

[Andyjandy]

Anyone who thought that one the back of one game is a bit thick to be honest.

 

Good job that's not what he said then...

[Benitez]

First I got as far as the Reina 'cost us the game at brum with two massive blunders', funny how I remember someone else blundering like a blunderer at that game as well for one of those goals

 

 

Then I got as far as 'The season was set up to be another disappointing one'.. since our last dissapointing one 2 years ago or summet?

 

Can't remember the season being set up as being another dissapointing one, but I do remember a lot of hysteria after the first month, with people whaling and crying about how the hell's we'd be able to catch up with the likes of Wigan.

Edited April 29, 2006 by Benitez

[stressederic]

It's been a hell of a season. Looking back on the start of the campaign and remembering all the talk of us not scoring any goals from open play in the League, "experts" wondering if we'd even make Europe, could Benitez crack the Premiership?

 

In a literal sense this has been the longest season we've ever had and at the beginning it did seem to really drag on, which I think can certainly be attributed to a hangover after Istanbul (which reminds me of the discussions here about people feeling like they'd just totally lost the motivation for football after we won number 5, thinking we'd never hit those highs again) but our winning runs just seem to have flown by. It's a great feeling knowing you're going to win every week.

 

Anyone who thought that one the back of one game is a bit thick to be honest.

 

People were saying just that on these very boards.

[Guest snez1]

First I got as far as the Reina 'cost us the game at brum with two massive blunders', funny how I remember someone else blundering like a blunderer at that game as well for one of those goals

Then I got as far as 'The season was set up to be another disappointing one'.. since our last dissapointing one 2 years ago or summet?

 

Can't remember the season being set up as being another dissapointing one, but I do remember a lot of hysteria after the first month, with people whaling and crying about how the hell's we'd be able to catch up with the likes of Wigan.

 

 

Yep, agree, a lot of it was over the top b******s, but the facts state it wasn't looking too great. I personally wouldn't have believed we could put 2 runs like we have together and finish 3rd so far ahead of fourth. I just used all that s*** to pile up to make it look even more impressive

 

Anyone who thought that one the back of one game is a bit thick to be honest.

 

 

Plenty on here and other places we're.

[CarraLegend]

 

Plenty on here and other places we're.

 

And now they look like t***s. Top post in general though, I agree with it.

[Guest Red Mist]

The points total we have now would have been enough to win the title a few years ago. If Chelsea weren't cheating their way to the championship, this seasons title race would have been a straight fight between us and ManUre.

We'll be champions next season, such is the progress we are making under Rafa.

[billybunter]

Its a shame we cant see what has been written on here during the supposedly low times - its amazing how quickly we all jump to conclusions. I mean some people on here have actually said that Benitez would never get us the league FFS

[abc]

What's wrong with saying that Reina didn't look like he was better than Dudek at the time? He really didn't. The blunder at Brum was the same kind of mistake we'd castigated Dudek for, and he wasn't doing anything outstanding like plucking crosses from 15 feet in the air.

 

We saw his worth only later on when we played with more confidence, with the defence playing a higher line and of course, when everyone got used to his game.

 

But at that point in time based on performances, he was nothing special.

 

If someone said that now though, you'd tell them to [insert expletive]...

[Ombudsam]

8 games into the season we had amassed 10points. We?d been humiliated by Chavski at home 4-1, had a goal keeper who looked no better than what we had previously and had cost us a game to an awful Birmingham side at St. Andrews with 2 massive blunders. We had a £7m striker who hadn?t scored and was the biggest target of ridicule for football fans up and down the country, we had missed the opportunity to ?cash in? on our status as European Champions by only signing players not proven as ?top class? and who had seemingly added very little to the starting line up, had missed out on the one genuine world class striker available, we had missed out on signing ANY centre backs and right wingers that we we?re in desperate need of leaving us with massive holes in our squad and we lay in 10th place with just 2 unconvincing league wins against s**** opposition under our belts and looked like a team who we?re a million miles from a title challenge who would do well to hang on to our manager.

 

no no no no no. It was a good start to the season cos we lost at boro and brum the previous season and managed draws this time and look at how stunning they've been this season in the league

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

no no no no no. It was a good start to the season cos we lost at boro and brum the previous season and managed draws this time and look at how stunning they've been this season in the league

 

will you ever stop banging that drum?

 

the point that people were making at the time was that we would end up with more points at the end of this season than we did last year. Which was correct.

[CarraLegend]

no no no no no. It was a good start to the season cos we lost at boro and brum the previous season and managed draws this time and look at how stunning they've been this season in the league

 

Do you have to repeat that line every day? It got rather boring the 37575959549549th time.

[Ombudsam]

will you ever stop banging that drum?

 

the point that people were making at the time was that we would end up with more points at the end of this season than we did last year. Which was correct.

 

no cos it's a stupid argument. we lost at fulham this year but won there last year. However bearing in mind what Fulham have done this season you can't grumble. Teams aren't static.