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1 place better off evidently.

We've had an interesting season with two major challenges: the infamous 7 games 0 goals, followed by an injury crisis that I cannot recall seeing the likes of at any club ever.

However, these things happen. Bournemouth, Burnley and Newcastle have all had similarly bad runs of form to our 7 games, it's just ours was more notable as it was the first 7. All 3 teams stuck with their managers, and all 3 have had pretty decent seasons once all is taken into account.

All swings and roundabouts.

If (if) if if we can finish 11th, then f*** me.. who saw that coming? Literally one of our best seasons ever. Imagine what we could achieve if we weren't really really s*** quite often! But then again, most teams can reel off a sequence of results full of ifs, buts and maybes that would have resulted in a better finish. Ultimately, 38 games reflects what's deserved.

Edited by Qwijibo (30 Apr 2018 11.18am)

Those first 7 games were also without Zaha, even though he played in the first he got injured and went off. Even later in the season under Roy, we never won a game without him. It's fair to say that we would have seen at least some points if he was playing in those first 7 (or 6 1/2) games based on the statistics later in the season.

I am getting pig sick of the overly neat zaha in - success - zaha out - failure formula. The media are having a total love in with the bloke and we are unfairly seen as a one man team

He is an absolutely vital feature of our success and would be painfully missed and irreplaceable. However, no more vital than a fit Luka, cabaye and Jimmy mac in DM; and more importantly, a fit Tomkins and Sakho in defence.