ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Looking at the positives

I can understand everybody's frustation this summer. No transfers, no sign of any transfers, looks like no money and the season just a matter of days away.

However, weren't we all thinking the same this time last year? The majority were complaining about no signings and the lack of money, the problems with Moyes's contract and the small squad with the impending cup and European runs ahead.

Now I'd like anybody to suggest that last year was a bad season. Despite all this negativity at the start and the results from the first few weeks, we still finished 5th and got to the FA Cup Final as well as breaking the club's transfer record again by spending £15m on one player to appease all the fans that we should spend lots of money.

The most important thing at a football club, and what Moyes is good at, is the results. A lot of fans seem to think that this is a computer game and that it is exciting to spend lots of money on transfer fees and wages. However, this is not the fact. It's results that count. If we don't spend any money and bring in players before the start of the season, then so be it, it won't be for the lack of trying. We will go into the new season with a manager who can get results and get the best out of players and with the same squad that did so well last year.

Everyone predicted we would get relegated after Rooney left and we were penniless then. We even lost Gravesen that season and we finished 4th!

Have some faith and confidence and let's look at the positives please.
Matthew Lovekin, Brighton Posted 29/07/2009 at 05:11:55

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Dan McKie
1 Posted 29/07/2009 at 16:07:35

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I think we will bring in a couple of new faces, no idea who, I just think we will! We must have some cash, because we did bid for Naughton (and alledgedly his team-mate Walker) which was accepted by Sheff U which would suggest it wasn’t a ’nothing down, and £5 million when Naughton scores the winner in the champs lge final’ type of deal!

Peter Griffin
2 Posted 29/07/2009 at 16:30:19

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However, I agree with what you’re saying. I think we’ll qualify for Europe again.

City may finish in the top 6. They need a few defenders(not JL) and may take a while to settle but they have got potential to score goals with a good balance in midfield with barry, de jong, kompany, ireland, swp etc. Bridge and given are decent and toure if as expected he signs.

Villa had a small squad and have lost their 2 leaders in Laursen and Barry, they have money but won’t get the quality to replace those two and heskey and carew Are injury prone.

Why Spurs get mentioned every season I don’t know. They pay big fees and big wages but flatter to deceive. Wobbly gob will get them in the top 8 but they lack balance to their squad. King, Woodgate, Ddawson are all injury prone. The left back as well as having the worst hair do (Ekotto) is crap and they can’t play Hutton, Naughton, Corluka and Chimbonda right back at the same time!

Of course we’ll bring players in and more often than not Moyes gets it right which is why we were up there in May and will be again next year!

COYB

Tony Rice
3 Posted 29/07/2009 at 17:25:54

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and what happened last year ????
After this similar pre-season we stumbled badly out of the gate and cost ourselves a chance @ CL football. Oh....we also accumulated a large number of serious injuries due to our desperately smaal squad.
I’m glad we over-achieve but we can’t do that every year. Wouldn’t you like the club to give us the best possible chance of moving forward just once !

Trevor Thompson
4 Posted 29/07/2009 at 17:39:57

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It’s natural to be apprehensive. We can’t rely completely on previous performances. Last season was last season. We have to look to what we can do now, and it’s looking bleek. For the first time in years, I really think we can break into Champions League spot, only because I think Arsenal are weak. Still, we should try and look to the positives rather than the negatives.

Ciarán McGlone
5 Posted 29/07/2009 at 19:20:34

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I read your article..eagerly awaiting the positives to be garnered from a summer of ’watching spaces’...

It seems to me that the only one you produced is the non-sequitur that because last summer was shit - and the season was overall good...that repeating this shit summer will result in another decent season this year.

Surely you must have at least one positive, or technically two - in an article temptingly called ’looking at the positives’?

Paul O'Hanlon
6 Posted 29/07/2009 at 20:29:22

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What a load of bollocks. Are you seriously suggesting we need to start the season as under-prepared as last season in order to do well again?? We finished 5th in SPITE of our terrible start, not BECAUSE of it!

You’re right about Moyes being good at getting results, but he’s even said himself (many times) that he’d rather bring players in early in the summer to allow them to bed in.

So yes we still have a good team which finished 5th last season, but we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, cos we still won fuck all and still aren’t playing in the CL.

John Martin
7 Posted 29/07/2009 at 22:06:58

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I’m with Paul. We had a great chance to push on for a serious bid for a CL place next season. Not getting players in early if we actually get any will cost us. We cant aford to risk another poor start to the season.

Dennis Stevens
8 Posted 29/07/2009 at 23:32:08

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Matthew, in contrast to the title of your piece the article itself merely serves to underline the lack of any postives from the summer to date for us to look at. At best, we have to be patient & hope there will be some positives to look at by the time the transfer window closes.

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