Take nothing away from a fantastic season

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

The transormation of this clubs fortunes since relegation and that dark fixture at home to Colchester has been nothing short of a miracle. We went up in style last season and that momentum plus some shrewd signings has continued into this.

As mentioned before our ambition at the start of this season was to survive, hopefully with some comfort and then consolidate and kick on.

Our success this season has raised the bar of expectation with talk about promotion even automatic promotion.

I sense at the end of the day we may be disappointed in that regard and if that happens it should not be seen in any way as a negative thing not detract from some fantasic performances and a good season.

We are safe with about 15 games left i would have more than settled for that at the start of the season. We have now a very good squad, with depth and a good team ethos under our best manger in decades. We are short up ront though with no strikers at the club Holt apart capable of getting the 15 to 20 goals that would make the difference. The rest of the team chip in which is great but it will not be enough. I look at the squads of QPR, Forest and Cardiff and we have to be honest they have more quality up front and indeed in defence. Those teams apart we are as good as anyone so the playoffs are a good possibilty. A note of caution though Leicester and Hull seem to be finding form after splashing the cash and that is the nub of the problem. Matty Fryatt has scored 5 since going to Hull, a proven goalscorer at this level and at the end of the day the lack of his type of quality alongside Holt will probably be the difference.

Much more football to be played but we have had the rub of the green in some games that i have seen eg Swansea, Sheffield Utd and Millwall at home, i cannot comment on the away games.

Regardless of where we go this season it has been a great success and we should be very p[leased

[Cantiaci Canary 556]

Of course you are absolutely spot on Yorkshire. Sometimes I have to remind myself to enjoy the week to week season that we are in rather than get exasperated or excited about the season to come!

Any fan with an ounce of intelligence knows that this has been a fantastic season so far and with respect to where we have come from (the horror show at The Valley & the 7-1!) and how much money we have had available PL and the boys should be wholeheartedly applauded for their achievements.

In the end you end up where you deserve to be. You play everyone home and away and see where that leaves you. If we are good enough to be in the playoffs we will finish there ... automatic promotion is too much to demand and expect.

Any frustration people have about not signing a goal machine in January is unfair. WHAT striker was available at a price we could afford??? No names have ever been put forward.

[. 0]

Nice to read a couple of grounded and adult posts.Too many on here living in a bubble and now busy inflating a whole new one around Lambert''s over performing team. The club has been totally transformed under PL and yet the short memoried numbnuts have mindlessly skipped a whole era of failure in their naive thinking.Success is a state of mind, not a league position. Unfortunately this generation of ''want it and want it now'' just can''t grasp reality.

[Cantiaci Canary 556]

Yes CC it''s sad to see.

I envisage an inevitable fork ahead of us which results in the same conclusion.

1. We fail to get promoted

= people point fingers at PL''s tactics, the lack of enough transfer activity & individual player errors

2. We get promoted and aren''t flirting with the European places

= people point fingers at PL''s tactics, the lack of enough transfer activity & individual player errors

Makes you wonder when the term ''supporter'' lost its literal meaning.

[. 0]

I was the first to complain loudly back in those dark days of Roeder Grant Gunn et al, simply because there was a great deal to be worried about regarding the state of NCFC. Now we have an almost miraculous turn around and and the nutters are busy cranking up these senseless expectations as if we are one of the Liverpools of this world. We aren''t... and that''s fine by me.I agree about the likely pressures on PL should we get promoted (or not)... and if they are not very careful they will simply drive him away to a more appreciative club. Should that happen it would be an utter disaster just as it would be with currently high flying Blackpool if Holloway walked.Let''s just hope common sense prevails.

[Bradwell Yellow 0]

Very good post OP.

It has been hard to keep focused and grounded. This time last season we''d just taken 4,000+ and lost 2-1 to Millwall at The Den, and were preparing to play Brightonat the Withdean.

We are running before we can walk, so maybe reducing the pace isn''t a bad thing after all to preserve ourselves for the run in.

We have a team who will fight andscrap for the cause, and a team that has passion oozing from it''s veins.

We have reached a point where we are stable, with a shrewd board in place.

Sit back, and enjoy the ride guys.