Today wasn't the culmination of anything, it was the start of something.
We are a new young team on the rise. Our peak will be 3-4 years in the future. Chelsea are an established streetwise team, but we are the coming force.
Remember today we played with 5 academy players, 6 English players, and with an average age of 4-5 years younger than Chelsea.
Lets make sure we get top 6 this season, and it will be in the next 2-4 years that the silverware will flow.
Sorry but you are deluded if you think this is true, until we have the money we wont be competing for trophies with any of the big(money) boys!
Unfortunately I think Spurmac has hit the tickle my balls with a feather.
Gutter Boy, you sound like Arsenal fans around 10 years ago. Cole, Clichy, Toure, Adebayor, RVP, Nasri, Faberge, Hleb, Henry etc were the type of players arsenal had back then. And they were constantly going on about how in 5 years time, these players would win them titles for many years to come. They were right in that those players would win titles, but just not with them. Arsenal didnt have the money to keep these players who had the potential of winning them titles. We are basically in the same scenario today.
You're right in that we had "5 academy players, 6 English players and with an average age of 4-5 years younger than Chelsea" today, but lets not forget who we had before; Carrick, Bale, Modric, Berba. Put simply, if any of those young players that we had playing for us today became world class, we will lose them unless our financial potential changes.
Today has got me really down. And has done nothing to change my cynical view of modern football; where everything is just about money.
Lots of people have posted in this thread talking about how this could possibly be the start of "something new", and that poch has got something really good going on. I simply couldnt disagree more. We have been in our current situation for basically the the whole of the past decade. we are a team who are outside challengers for a top 4 spot. Literally thats its. I'm not saying that this isnt a worthy acheivement in itself, as most other clubs would love to be in this situation. but, any talk of us potentially being more is just nonesense, unless the financial landscape of the premier league changes. since the turn of the millenium, we've finished roughly 5-8th in the league. That coincides with the level of investment enic have put into our playing squad following their purchase of our club. the teams above us spend more than us generally, and the same applies to the teams below us. Basically, we need to find more money if we want to improve.
Today, or the appointment of poch isnt the start of anything new or special. We, as fans have more demands of our team than enic can/are willing to finance. so i have no doubt poch's reign will end in tears just like all the other managers before him. As long as we dont get a new owner, this (where we are today) is all we'll ever be. Occasionally getting into the top 4, and going on cup runs every so often.
I really felt that it would have been good for football, not just us, had we won today. unfortunately, chelsea got a number of lucky breaks, including getting the first goal, so it wasnt to be. And so now we have to listen to others go on about how mourinho got his tactics spot on, when in reality, he won because his team were luckier on the day and his squad is worth a million times more than ours. But what really hurts me is some of the crap being said about our players and manager by our own fans. Reading over the match thread is embarrassing. How some fans have the tenacity to question our players' work ethic or desire to win today is simply beyond belief. I have no doubt our players are hurting just as much as we are tonight. And to think of them as anything other than heros today is unnacceptable. They gave their all, it simply wasnt our day.
