The Run in, is top 6 totally out of reach?

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We'll have played 20 non-PL matches this season - with one more if we get to the ECL final. 14 in the EL/ECL, I CS, 3 LC, 2 FAC.

I think that there is a strong case to say that European football ****s the life out of a squad like ours. We have lots of players, but we don't have what the best teams have - 16-18 top class players at the peak of their careers.

Last season, we played 15 additional games and the toll of injuries this year is, at least partially, the result.

It's simply not sustainable. I can guarantee you that West Ham will have a tough year next season. The Thursday/Sunday routine saps the life out of a squad.

If anyone thinks that we'll be fine next season with all our players back fit again, they're in for a shock. The games this season will hurt us next season. Players will pick up more injuries. Tiredness and loss of form will be factors too.

You have to be able to rotate 2-3 players virtually every match and be as good. We just can't do that. So the same players get overplayed until they get injured or simply cannot perform at the level they're capable of. We have a mix of crucial ageing and injury prone players who are on a loop of being in/out of the team. We depend on those that stay fit and ruin them through over-playing until they break down too or simply play knackered all the time and lose their effectiveness.

European football sounds great, and it is great in the moment, but I'm not sure that the benefits equal the costs.
 
Brown Nose said:
We'll have played 20 non-PL matches this season - with one more if we get to the ECL final. 14 in the EL/ECL, I CS, 3 LC, 2 FAC.

I think that there is a strong case to say that European football ****s the life out of a squad like ours. We have lots of players, but we don't have what the best teams have - 16-18 top class players at the peak of their careers.

Last season, we played 15 additional games and the toll of injuries this year is, at least partially, the result.

It's simply not sustainable. I can guarantee you that West Ham will have a tough year next season. The Thursday/Sunday routine saps the life out of a squad.

If anyone thinks that we'll be fine next season with all our players back fit again, they're in for a shock. The games this season will hurt us next season. Players will pick up more injuries. Tiredness and loss of form will be factors too.

You have to be able to rotate 2-3 players virtually every match and be as good. We just can't do that. So the same players get overplayed until they get injured or simply cannot perform at the level they're capable of. We have a mix of crucial ageing and injury prone players who are on a loop of being in/out of the team. We depend on those that stay fit and ruin them through over-playing until they break down too or simply play knackered all the time and lose their effectiveness.

European football sounds great, and it is great in the moment, but I'm not sure that the benefits equal the costs.
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That's similar to my take. But we did buy players last summer for that reason. Maybe the key this summer would be buying decent ones?
 
fitz said:
That's similar to my take. But we did buy players last summer for that reason. Maybe the key this summer would be buying decent ones?
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This is why I say it's better for us not to be in Europe if we're having a big rebuild this summer.

Means we can focus on bringing in quality that will improve the first team, rather than needing to also add bodies who will be willing to be bit part players.
 
Graz said:
This is why I say it's better for us not to be in Europe if we're having a big rebuild this summer.

Means we can focus on bringing in quality that will improve the first team, rather than needing to also add bodies who will be willing to be bit part players.
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If you are in Europe, wouldn't you attract a better quality player than if you weren't?
 
H T B said:
If you are in Europe, wouldn't you attract a better quality player than if you weren't?
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It's worked the opposite for us tbh. Bought a right load of shite for the CL and then the summer gone. We should get the band back together and look to stay up next season. Won't be 5000-1 but could still be good.
 
Graz said:
This is why I say it's better for us not to be in Europe if we're having a big rebuild this summer.

Means we can focus on bringing in quality that will improve the first team, rather than needing to also add bodies who will be willing to be bit part players.
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Other than right midfield which we've never sorted i dont think anyone expected us to massively improve the starting 11. The amount of shit we've added and need to shift wasn't necessary as we could've saved a few quid and put some youngsters in ahead of Bertrand, Junior Lewis and the like.
 
Miles Away said:
I love the circular argument of ****ing off european competition so we can focus on qualifying for European competition
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I got lazy in the wording of my last reply, but think I was clear in the first - I'd sack off being in the Europa Conference League next season as I think that gives us a much better chance at qualifying for the Europa League through our league position.
 
As that spursy article that was posted pointed out - we need a few years of european qualification for any competetion, and to do well in it, in order to get our seeding up otherwise we'll finally get to the Champions League (somehow!) and be 4th seeds in a group of death, and lucky to finish third to qualify for the Europa
 
glyn said:
as I posted in another thread, finish above Wolves in 8th and support the ‘Ammers to EL glory and we’re back in our new favourite European competition next season.
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After Chelsea beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, it's not possible to qualify for Europe by finishing 8th in the PL this season.
 
FryattFox said:
After Chelsea beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, it's not possible to qualify for Europe by finishing 8th in the PL this season.
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I was just going to point out the Athletic article I previously linked to begged to differ…..but it has since been corrected to say the same!

“This article has been corrected to reflect the fact eighth place cannot qualify for European competition through domestic league position”

they now state should the situation of a WH EL league win occur, and we don’t win the ECL, there will be no ECL places for the Premier League. I apologise for spreading incorrect information in good faith….
 
Graz said:
This is why I say it's better for us not to be in Europe if we're having a big rebuild this summer.

Means we can focus on bringing in quality that will improve the first team, rather than needing to also add bodies who will be willing to be bit part players.
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Agreed and I hope we take more risk again when going in for players that is what brought us huge success, I remember lots of chat about other managers who were looking at the likes of Vardy, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Albrighton etc none of them had the courage to take the plunge.


When we buy players we should be buying first team players and give BR a headache for matchday selection.
 
How many Leicester players are off to the World Cup? Only a few so it means the rest will get a nice little mid season break.
 
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