Slow starters or legends?

[Ironskullll]

It's daft that the press and pundits watch us overhaul the so called big guns one after the other throughout the season and then label us legends when we finally fall short because of a slow start. Two seasons running now we've had slow starts, and it's happened in several previous seasons too, by those seasons' own standards. I think it takes a special mentality to respond to those slow starts. The big problem, both in terms of team-management and club-management is how to get off to a good start next season. That's where the key issue is, not in some crackpot "bottling" theory.

 

[Shadydan]

We didn't have a slow start though did we

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

The only bottling theory is being pushed here on SC, there are people absolutely gagging to use it.

The pundits last night laid that to bed and were full of praise for Spurs.

 

[fletch82]

We didn't have a slow start though did we

Nope!
We had a ok start and a bad patch later on.
IF memory serves chavs had a very average start and followed it with a phenomenal run which we ended.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

The only bottling theory is being pushed here on SC, there are people absolutely gagging to use it.

The pundits last night laid that to bed and were full of praise for Spurs.

Yeah, but you know what we on SC think of those pundits innit

 

[THFCSPURS19]

We won 5 out of our first 7 games. I have no idea where this myth we started slowly is coming from.

 

[Ironskullll]

We didn't have a slow start though did we

The present gap with Chelsea was established after three game. 5 points from three games is a slow start if you want to challenge for the title.

 

[Ironskullll]

Ch

Nope!
We had a ok start and a bad patch later on.
IF memory serves chavs had a very average start and followed it with a phenomenal run which we ended.

Chavs won their first three games and that put them four points ahead of us.

 

[Graysonti]

We've lost three games.

No way are we legends - absolute bull.

If Chelsea were in Europe this season I've no doubt we would be top.

 

[dagraham]

The only bottling theory is being pushed here on SC, there are people absolutely gagging to use it.

The pundits last night laid that to bed and were full of praise for Spurs.

Yeah, but off camera they all take it in turns to take a piss on a Spurs shirt.... and the refs have secret meetings where they can develop their anti Spurs conspiracy .

 

[thelak]

The true legends are City, Utd and Arsenal this season and leicester too given their pathetic title defence

Those first three have spent a shed load of money and gone backwards. Media was dawning over Guardiola when he joined and now gone silent but if he was such a special manager he would have got a much better performance from that squad - all he has confirmed is unless he has the exact players he needs for his system he can't deliver more with the same squad Pellegrini had

Utd have one of the most expensive squads assembled in history and get a free pass?! Why?

We are massively "outperforming" in the sense we have not thrown lots of cash at the problem but no one has bottled it let's be clear

Finishing outside the top 4 having got into a good position in early Feb would have been bottling it!!

Losing 3 games all season and the best home record and goal difference in the league on a budget the fraction of the financially doped teams around us - that should be applauded regardless of whether we win the league

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Didn't the bottling narritive come from not being able to chase Leicester down last year? ... Bottling it from behind.

Thursdays!

 

[Gassin's finest]

We've lost three games.

No way are we legends - absolute bull.

If Chelsea were in Europe this season I've no doubt we would be top.

This.

 

[Shadydan]

The present gap with Chelsea was established after three game. 5 points from three games is a slow start if you want to challenge for the title.

Chelsea were in 6th place and we were in 2nd beating Man City going into the intl break, that's nothing to do with having a slow start.

What has lost us the top spot was essentially our form in October and November when we had key personal missing due to injuries.

 

[Gb160]

We won 5 out of our first 7 games. I have no idea where this myth we started slowly is coming from.

It's fake news, created by the lot that think the reason behind us not winning the league every year is because of Levys last minute shananigans on deadline day.

 

[Ironskullll]

Chelsea were in 6th place and we were in 2nd beating Man City going into the intl break, that's nothing to do with having a slow start.

What has lost us the top spot was essentially our form in October and November when we had key personal missing due to injuries.

I'm talking about being fast out of the blocks during the August fixtures. Our first two home games were poor - lucky against Liverpool, scraped a scrappy win against Palace. Yes we then went on a four game winning streak but even then the performances against Sunderland and Boro weren't great. That turned to dust with a four draw sequence. What constitutes the start of the season? The first 3 games? The first 7; 11? What I'm saying is, semantics aside, that if there is an issue here to address, then rather than it being something about the mentality at this time of the season, it's how to get the team firing on all cylinders right from the very start of the season.

 

[Saoirse]

I'm talking about being fast out of the blocks during the August fixtures. Our first two home games were poor - lucky against Liverpool, scraped a scrappy win against Palace. Yes we then went on a four game winning streak but even then the performances against Sunderland and Boro weren't great. That turned to dust with a four draw sequence. What constitutes the start of the season? The first 3 games? The first 7; 11? What I'm saying is, semantics aside, that if there is an issue here to address, then rather than it being something about the mentality at this time of the season, it's how to get the team firing on all cylinders right from the very start of the season.

The first three games though, where we got five points, included away to Everton and home to Liverpool - two very tough fixtures. I'd have absolutely taken five points from them before the start of the season.

 

[Ironskullll]

The first three games though, where we got five points, included away to Everton and home to Liverpool - two very tough fixtures. I'd have absolutely taken five points from them before the start of the season.

Do you not think that we could have started the season with greater cohesion and intensity? Don't you feel that the games against Liverpool and Palace were well below the standard the team set for itself later on? Do you feel that "bottling" is a bigger issue?

 

[tony0379]

How are we legends? When we are the only ones mounting a challenge

 

[Shadydan]

I'm talking about being fast out of the blocks during the August fixtures. Our first two home games were poor - lucky against Liverpool, scraped a scrappy win against Palace. Yes we then went on a four game winning streak but even then the performances against Sunderland and Boro weren't great. That turned to dust with a four draw sequence. What constitutes the start of the season? The first 3 games? The first 7; 11? What I'm saying is, semantics aside, that if there is an issue here to address, then rather than it being something about the mentality at this time of the season, it's how to get the team firing on all cylinders right from the very start of the season.

The problem is that you're suggesting that we had a slow start which derailed our title bid, you said nothing about performances until now so which is it?. Also drawing comparison with other seasons is a bit of a non starter, for example 2015/16 we had 2 from 9 in the first 3, this season we had 5 from 9.

If you want to address the performance then yes I agree we weren't firing on all cylinders but I put that down to players not having a full pre-season due to the Euro's and some of them having a hangover from that tournament as well then we had the injuries, that was the problem.