Expectations V Reality

[BAM]

Ok, yesterday was a bit of a kick in the plumbs but really think the reaction has been a bit off.

As a former Saints manager told me repeatedly when he was managing another club, expectations rise the more successful a club becomes and folk need a bit of reality.

And I think we're kinda at that point.

Yes the last few weeks have been disappointing when taken in isolation. But in the grander scheme of things it isn't really.

Call me the voice of reason......

Before the season started, would you have taken 8 points from the first 6 games? YES.

Would you have accepted 2 defeats in the opening 6 games? YES.

Would you accept being in the top 6 after 6 games? YES

Would you have accepted a point away to Aberdeen? YES.

This is still probably our best start to a league season since God knows when!

We also need to think about where we have come from - its only 4 years since we were the newboys - a 2-1 defeat to Hibs then wouldn't of been the end of the world.

Agreed we and Scottish football have changed but we are still a tadpole in a fishpond.

The way some have reacted to The Hibs game is like we have a devine right to win every game - the expectation level has reached an unrealistic level!!

So come on guys and gals, lets be a bit more realistic in our expectations and put things in perspective a bit. If our players were as good as what people expect of them they would be playing in the EPL, Spain or Germany, not in the SPL.

[Edstar101]

Get your point, but if you don't continually strive to do better, or at least maintain what you have achieved, then you can find yourself going into a dive that you have lost the desire to get out of.

 

What is sport without the desire to win or to improve? Doesn't mean that you will always achieve it, but what's the harm in hope and expectation

[ex-montrosesaintee]

BAM, I'm with you in principle, and am reasonably satisfied with 2 defeats and 8 points.

I'm not satisfied with the performance yesterday, and not satisfied with the effort levels at Aberdeen in terms of a reaction to the Dundee Utd game.

Your reasoning therefore bothers me slightly. We shouldn't be accepting performances like yesterday on the basis that we are a team exceeding our expectations. The players are capable of more, and we should expect them to strive for their best every week.

[lethamsaintee]

I can handle a home defeat from Hibs. It's more the way we were beaten that's annoying.

[Edstar101]

If you look at our squad compared to the squads of other teams and look at our financial stability in relation to the other clubs, I fail to see why we shouldn't have a level of expectation

[rik2304]

The reality is that when Saints play pish then expect the forum to be moany

[RandomGuy]

I don't think we should be expecting to finish top six this season, and I don't think we should be hugely disappointed at losing to a Hibs side who have massively invested this Summer, we've cutting our budgets every season while Hibs splash around £200k and wages of £2k a week on one player. We'd struggle to spend that fee in a decade, and certainly couldn't risk paying that sort of wage. We shouldn't treat this loss or the difficult start as a negative as we've been unable to strengthen this Summer due to finances, and realistically a bottom half finish is where we should be finishing

 

Then again we were really poor yesterday, and the excuse about expenditure was just as relevant every year since we came back up. We're now an established side and maybe even an established top six challenger. We shouldn't be losing to a rival in such a poor fashion

 

It's hard to know which side is correct to be honest

[BAM]

It is difficult. The problem is because we've had some success the expectations grow even bigger.

Everything seems better or worse than it actually is. Just a few weeks ago it was a case of it doesn't get better being a saints fan and we've never had it this good. Now it's the other extreme purely because expectations are so high.

I certainly expected us to win yesterday before the game started.

But our players cannot and will not produce the level of performance seen in Europe or against Ross County every week. If they did they won't be at St Johnstone beyond January! But the expectation is they will.

We have out performed our budget etc over the last few years, so expectations are now sky high.

That makes results are performances like yesterday all the harder. All I'm saying is we need to be more realistic.

Do you think the players are happy? Of course not. But we are where we are and the type and quality if player we have means we will get games like that.

I'm not saying we should abandon all ambition or enthusiasm, just to check expectations to a more reasonable level.

[stanley saint]

I get annoyed at a poor performance than the result

[Edstar101]

I get annoyed at a poor performance than the result

 

I reckon that nails it on the head for most who have been having a bit of a moan after the Hibs game. It's not the defeat, it's the manner of the defeat

[ex-montrosesaintee]

I reckon that nails it on the head for most who have been having a bit of a moan after the Hibs game. It's not the defeat, it's the manner of the defeat

 

 

Not just that, but after some flashes of good stuff in the first 20 minutes, then the goal, i think the general feeling around the ground was that the fluidity of early season games was back, but the whole team just fell to pieces.  The manner of defeat from a good team.

[slf]

england expects

[The Inspiration]

Ok, yesterday was a bit of a kick in the plumbs but really think the reaction has been a bit off.

As a former Saints manager told me repeatedly when he was managing another club, expectations rise the more successful a club becomes and folk need a bit of reality.

And I think we're kinda at that point.

Yes the last few weeks have been disappointing when taken in isolation. But in the grander scheme of things it isn't really.

Call me the voice of reason......

Before the season started, would you have taken 8 points from the first 6 games? YES.

Would you have accepted 2 defeats in the opening 6 games? YES.

Would you accept being in the top 6 after 6 games? YES

Would you have accepted a point away to Aberdeen? YES.

This is still probably our best start to a league season since God knows when!

We also need to think about where we have come from - its only 4 years since we were the newboys - a 2-1 defeat to Hibs then wouldn't of been the end of the world.

Agreed we and Scottish football have changed but we are still a tadpole in a fishpond.

The way some have reacted to The Hibs game is like we have a devine right to win every game - the expectation level has reached an unrealistic level!!

So come on guys and gals, lets be a bit more realistic in our expectations and put things in perspective a bit. If our players were as good as what people expect of them they would be playing in the EPL, Spain or Germany, not in the SPL.

 

Would you accept a defeat at home to Hibs? (Who have only won one top flight game at home in 2013.. against already relegated Dundee)

Would you accept a 4-0 defeat away to Dundee Utd? (Whom only a few months ago we beat on their patch)

Before the season started, would you have taken 8 points from the first 6 games? (When after those 6 games we will still have to play 3 of the 4 teams with more points than us)

[St Mikey]

Reality is maintaining SPFL status irrespective where we finish. 11th or 2nd.

 

The expectation is top 6 all the time but this is costing us around £300,000 debt each year. The playing budgets have plummeted and we need realise this.

 

A mid table finish of between 5th, 6th and 7th is a good and realistic season.

[sixties saintee]

Think the thread should be Reality V Expectations

[Dr Christmas Jones]

I really expect us to stay in the Premiership cys