2011 The Year of Uncertainty

I think we can all agree that 2010 was definately a year to forget. Way back in the summer of 2009, many believed and myself included that 2010 would be the year that the club made that one final push and ascend to the summit of English football. Que boardroom power struggles, lack of investment, loss of belief and complete mismanagement and the club began a rapid and painful fall from grace which continues to this day.


What a new year will bring is always uncertain, but 2011 is THE year of uncertainty and what the club does this year i think will shape the clubs future for the foreseeable future. Now that the seemingly endless nightmare that was Hicks and Gillet is finally over, the distracting boardroom side show is over and what happens on the pitch has now - thankfully - taken centre stage. And one thing is clear,  now that the off-field antics have vanished the on-field nightmare has been laid bare for all to see, there is no longer any distraction to hide it, nor indeed to use as an excuse to hide behind.


NESV are here, they have been careful not to make bold and outlandish statements a la Hicks and Gillet but have instead walked the line of caution stating quite rightly that there is no quick fix, and that they are here for the long run, to learn more about the sport and the club and to set out a plan to secure the long term future of the club both on and off the field. Where they lie with regards to transfer budgets and on the stadium debate is open to speculation and im sure all will be revealed in time but there is still enough uncertainty to cause concern.


They have, admirably or foolishly stood by a manager who they did not appoint, and in the midst of the clubs worst start to a league season in over 50 years it is a huge talking point. The fans for the most part are unanimously against present manager Roy Hodgson and there is no sign of that changing any time soon, media reports suggest that the owners have grown tired of the situation and the breakdown between manager and supporters, but then they are just reports nothing is confirmed.


What i can confirm is that the clubs current run of form, performances, league standing and over all entertainment value is shockingly bad, the game against Wolves a particular low point with not one player having an overall standout performance and most on the whole looked completely disinterested. Many voices in the media pointed the finger squarly at 'the mess that Rafa left' - despite 8 of the players who featured against Wolves having also featured in the 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid almost TWO years ago, that would suggest that Rafa left a group of players who on their day are capable of beating anyone, what we need is for someone to bring that fighting spirit and belief back into them. Where ever you stand on Rafa, if he did leave a mess it was certainly not a mess that he left or created by choice.


What will happen in 2011 no one can say, a much improved but nowhere near perfect performance on new years day heralded a welcome 3 points and hopefully we can build on that one game at a time and then 10 games from now lets see where we are, lets not declare this the start of our season, the day we got back on track, our 'mini-revival', too many times in 2010 did we hear talk of those things and never did it get us anywhere, all it did was raise expectations and make the fall all the more painful to take as evidenced after the superb result against Chelsea, the hype, the expectation, the painful spell following on from that which made that hard fought victory seem worthless.


As i said, 2011 will be the year that will determine the clubs path for the forseeable future, a combintation of good management on and off the field, some wise and much needed investment in the playing staff and a renewed sense of belief will see us transformed into a team capable of reclaiming a top 4 place and back challenging for top honours on every front, the opposite will see us resigned to fighting for a Europa league place and labelled a 'top 10' team, i think we can all agree on which one we want the most.


The new owners are yet to really make any big and bold decisions regarding the club and this year will be a big year for them, and on what i've seen so far i think they can really change the fortunes of the club and take us to the next level, and hopefully current star players who may have sought an exit had the previous regime continued, will decide to stay and play their part in the revival of this countries greatest sporting family.


Whatever 2011 may bring, lets get behind the team, lets play our part, lets dare to dream a little whilst maintaining a little caution, and maybe, just maybe, we will remember 2011 as the year this club hit back and rose from the flames. The year ahead is uncertain but there is one certainty that binds us, that defines us, that unites us through the good and the bad.........You'll Never Walk Alone.


Have a great 2011 folks!