'Best Team in the League'

So we have heard many times we are best team in the league from pundits and opposing managers, players. We are third in the league. However can someone remind me if this BBS was more negative last time in League 1 when we were near relegation under LJ. Seems to be as negative as I've ever known it right now.

 

I think I was much more negative simply by dint of 8LJ being in charge. A lot of the angst and ire was focused firmly at Johnson and his (many) inadequacies, albeit a tad over excessive/repetitive in a couple of cases from people no longer on this board.

I and I think a lot of others always felt that we had a good bunch of players once you got past some of Jonno's favourites (Wilkinson, Smith, Wabara etc) and his bizarre tactics, formations and tinkering.

 

It was massively more negative last time due to johnsons cockfoolery.

 

I bet us for promotion that season when we was bottom at Xmas , we was only bottom due to managers tactics and refusal to play a 4-4-2

 

I don't think there is any more negativity. I for one think this is a lot better side than the one that won the play offs in 2006, so promotion is still a definite possibility. What I do sense is a feeling of frustration and a perception the owners have not moved to make it a probability, especially losing two players to rivals. I can empathize with such feelings

 

More negativity from people who find misery in following Barnsley fc when they could be doing something else rather than imposing their melancholy on us. If a Wednesday, Leeds or Barnsley fan insult the club I follow then I view all 3 exactly the same.

 

I'd say the current mood is not of negativity but more of concern that we've got an incredible opportunity ahead of us to get promotion, but we don't seem to be quite kicking on off the field to pursue it as much as we'd like. I still think we are capable of producing more ON the field, despite excellent recent results, and a positive January with a couple of good signings would see us kick on. Due to the seemingly cautious approach to recruitment and the feeling that we're essentially going with what we have, I feel it's more feelings of angst and hope that we've got enough, possibly doubts that we've got enough, more than outright negativity.

We haven't really been so clearly in a promotion race this early since 1999-2000 (the 2005-06 promotion campaign didn't really see us establish our play-off credentials until the new year I'd say). But I'm not quite as joyous or excited as I thought I'd be largely because I feel this is a poor league, with very few stand out teams. From very early on I firmly thought that we SHOULD go up, rather than COULD go up. That wasn't arrogance but more an acknowledgement of how well our players are suited to this league. As a result, I'm more willing the team to do themselves justice rather than excitedly enjoying every win. Perhaps that mentality and the frustration when we don't win is perceived as negativity.