If we can't take 3 points off a Hull side managed by Ian Dowie...

[Jimpav]

Then we should give up any pretension of being a top ten side.

This is a MUST!

[White Noise]

Its a crazy decision isnt it.

They have Pompey up next, a game they probably would have won under Brown but Dowie is going to have to start from scratch with no time left to do it.

If Dowie does keep them up I hope he sings something from Quasimodo on the pitch.

[LBNo11]

...not intending to be picky, but where exactly have we ever laid claim to be a top ten club? We are doing extremely well with Mr Hodgson at the helm but I do not have any delusions of grandeur about where we 'should' be finishing.

With regard to the game against Hull, I would of course like to beat them at their ground whilst they are still in the premiership, otherwise the record will show that during their stay in the top flight, they came out on top against us!

I will be very surprised if it is not a trademark away performance and a low scoring draw...

[Jimpav]

Perhaps pretensions is the wrong word to have used LB, but to suggest that a top ten finish is a delusion of grandeur is very modest of you.

I appreciate that the dark years were only 2-3 years away but we have barely dropped lower than 11-12th in the leauge since November 2008.

Teams change and so do managers. Woy has been generously backed and we are genuinely one of the better sides in the league. I am not suggesting that we should secure another season of European football or win silverware but given the quality of the side and Woys leadership we are worthy of a place in the top 10.

The club is moving forward and for all the talk of premiership survival being a priority, it is apparent that the board are starting to expect more. ST prices are raising, attendances are up and the investment has not been shy.

One swallow does not make a summer but we are starting to cement ourself in the top half of the table. With continued investment and Woy's guiding hand I can see this trend continuing.

We will not get a better chance at an away win and must seize upon this!

[TonyGilroy]

We've proved that a top 10 finish is achievable and therefore capable of being repeated.

In terms of history, fan base, stadium size and therefore potential however we are not even top 20.

That tells me that we should appreciate where we are without expecting this level of success to be permanent and above all that means not spending silly money to try to sustain this status.

[Fernhurst]

i'm with you all the way jimpav  :021:

Seize the day !!!  :028:

FREEDOM  :045:


but keep an eye on your'e entrails  :dft012:

[Lighthouse]

We are a side that can lose to Jarrow and beat Juventus and lose to Chipping Sodbury and beat Chelsea. However we play away with 11 players defending with a line so deep I am suprised we do not haul in a Kraken. So what real chance have we of winning? It would be nice as we are safe in the league to change our tactics and give a few players a chance to show what they can do.

We will have been a Prem side for ten years. We are now an established Prem side. I doubt we have established more than that. Prem survival is still the big one.

[Jimpav]

I'm feeling very puffed up and motivated today Mr Fernhurst - just exchanged contracts and am selling my house - so feel that anything is possible!

Good points though Tony. You are right, in the grand scheme of things we are a small club and our recent history is a mere dot on the footballing timeline. There are giant clubs with giant grounds languishing in the lower divisions.

However more top ten finishes are realistic. Now that temas like Charlton and Boro have vacated the league and the likes of Bolton and Pompey languishing there are places in the top ten that would not have previously been available to us.

A lot can change quite quickly but we are one of the stronger sides in the league and certainly have one of the best managers. If we can keep this formula and continue to strengthen the team gradually then I have every faith in the club to keep the good times rolling.

We've not got where we are by a fluke and this is with all the injuries and extra matches.