The managerial change we needed has finally come around, and despite not getting an immediate ‘new manager bounce’ to stay in the FA Cup, it’s been the refresh required for the squad.
It’s a slow and steady working progress, but that’s fine. The team spirit looks better already, the performances have a little more oomph and the players are playing with a bit more understanding.
Yes, we’ve picked up four points in four games in the league – we’re not saying everything is rosy – but at the moment for us, football is about improvement over points. We can’t keep that mantra for long, but with an injury-ravaged side, every little helps.
The Bowen Factor and Fresh Faces
Talking of injuries, did anyone else watch the Chelsea game and wince every time Bowen touched the ball? He’s just great to watch for us and we need him for his skill, determination and leadership. I hope we’re still waxing lyrical about him for many more seasons.
A consistent player like him is what helps players to gel when they come into the club. Hopefully Evan Ferguson can feed off his energy, as well as the youngsters that are integrating into the first team. And, of course, James Ward-Prowse (m’Lord) is back and we all hope he can establish the promise he initially signed with.
January Business and the Sullivan Wallet
The lack of spending in January isn’t surprising. Not only is January generally a rip-off in the transfer market, it didn’t fall at the time a new manager could have seen what he had to work with. I bet Sullivan gleefully zipped up his wallet once Potter signed on the dotted line.
Looking Ahead: A Defining February
We’ve got three more fixtures to play in February and it would be nice to close the gap on Brentford by nicking three points from them. Arsenal, we can probably write off as a ‘learning curve’, whereas Leicester should be winnable with their current form, especially if we keep picking up confidence.
If we can get four points, I’ll be happy. It’s probably what I’m expecting. Three would be ok, but any less and we’re starting to sigh and get restless again. When you look at the players we have now, there are ones that can change games; Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta, even Wan-Bissaka at times.
I’m looking forward to the next couple of months and I hope my hope isn’t misplaced. Surely…surely, we can’t take a backwards step at this stage?
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