It’s not a huge improvement when you add about 7-8 premiership wins to the squad since that time, including one of the ‘best’ halves in the game - it’s just not.
Saying the club is better because we won more games than we have in forever - when this squad shits all over the ones you’re referencing doesn’t justify how poor we’ve been this year.
No one in their right mind had us making the 8.
I had us finishing around this position. I thought with some new players it was achievable, still challenging, but realistic.
We seldom played for 80 mins.
We had the Galvin saga.
We weren’t consistent over the season.
But we all saw something this year. We showed grit and flair.
We became watchable again.
We had some great wins. Some games we should have won. And some we’d rather forget.
I don’t agree that our squad is so much better that we should have finished higher. We brought in some guns, but our team is still a way off top 8, and for us to finish higher our team simply needs more artillery. And experience together.
Was it a failure of a season? Well, we missed the 8. So yes it’s a failure for me.
But it was not as much of a failure as recent seasons. Far from it.
We have to acknowledge the fact we had the most wins in 6 years and this, following 3 years of spoon in a row.
It is not insignificant.
So whether that represents a “huge improvement” to you, or a little improvement, either way it’s something.
Potential.
This team can build on that.
And they must.
