samthegooner last year being one of the most snakebit years I can remember in the last decade or so and still went to the UCL semis and finished above everyone except an abnormally healthy Liverpool squad.
I've said this before, but as long as folk keep trying to sugarcoat a shite league season I'll continue to say it. The abnormally healthy Liverpool finished on 84 points - you have to go back to Leicester in 15/16 before that would have been a winning tally in any other year.
As for us, a 74 point finish would have seen us finish in the following position in years gone by.
23/24 - 4th
22/23 - 4th
21/22 - 3rd (City/Liverpool on 93/92 respectively)
20/21 - 2nd
19/20 - 3rd (Liverpool/City on 99/81 respectively)
18/19 - 3rd (City/Liverpool on 98/97 respectively)
17/18 - 5th
16/17 - 6th
15/16 - 2nd (Leicester won)
14/15 - 4th
Finishing above everyone else bar an abnormally healthy Liverpool is not impressive in either respect. The bar to finish above everyone else is as low as it's been in recent years, and the abnormally healthy Liverpool distinctly unimpressive points tally given recent standards.
That's where I see a large part of the 'negativity' coming from.
samthegooner We admittedly should have addressed our attack in the previous two transfer windows but our transfer record in the past 3 years is quite impressive and has helped to raise the standards across the squad to a level where anything less than a trophy is considered failure.
The transfer record in the last few years isn't bad, we have avoided any expensive duds, but when it comes to crunch time and we're off the pace and light in bodies, skill and experience when we need it most, I certainly don't think you can call it impressive. The flip side to what you are saying about the turnaround is not that anything but a trophy is considered failure, it's that expectations are raised and we want to see the club/manager aggressively doing everything within their gift to kick on and win silverware. I don't think anyone could reasonably argue either club or manager have done so given the gaps in the squad, so there is scepticism, especially in expecting a new Sporting Director to pick up the slack and failings of the last few windows. We can do no more than let it play out, but there are as many signs to be cautious and wary of how we will manage it given past experiences, as there are reasons to be positive about the skills, talents and potential within the squad.
