Biggest surprise of the season so far?

[sheblue]

(cant understand why people feel QPR is a big surprise)

oh ffs. if you actually predicted qpr to sit dead last at this stage - with players of granero's calibre at their disposal - show us the betting slips and a photo of those millions you've won.

Lol...Yes I did actually predict difficulties for mr Hughes this season.
But sadly no million pound bets on it.

[Swales4ever]

United's have been a huge surprise.

So far they have scored 44 goals from 17 games, compared to 43 from 17 last season. However they have had to come from behind on 8 occasions to date, meaning they often have no choice but to throw the kitchen sink at it, so whilst last year they were steamrollering teams, this year they are scoring the same number of goals just to scrape out a 1 goal win.

That has to be a positive for us, as I cant see it lasting all season without some pretty big slip ups.

Looks like one thing I was proved right with though, is that the impact of RVP is minimal - i said when he signed that they would not be any better for it come the end of the season in terms of goals scored, and it was the defence they would have to tighten up if they wanted to win the league.

They are scoring no more, but conceding a lot more which eventually will come to bite them on the arse.

Glad to concede a very solid point of You on the 3rd sentence. I thought it too, but just on an incomparably less intelligent basis: I just could not see Van Pussy accounting 2 injury free seasons in a row.

Out of my gut feelings, bare stats and naive superstition, I honestly - almost naively if You want - always struggle to assess Munics outcomes out of the HUGE domestic bias the enjoy every when the get out on a pitch: suspension of Rules I'd better say.
Think that recent shows of last season misery and current struggle to grab full points from barely existing oppositions in Europe do tell a more fair story of their quality. and not that in Europe referees do rape them.

I suppose a curious, hypothetical parallel between the West Ham/Allardyce scenario and City, would be if Mancini were to leave and be replaced by Mourhino (which was until fairly recently an ongoing media obsession).

A lot of City fans, me included, would be less than enthusiastic about such a, now unlikely, (Mourinho) development, given the allegedly boring methods the Portuguese Maestro would supposedly bring to bear, but if he ground out titles and trophies in his own inimitable fashion, we could grow to love him (.......and the media would have a real dilemma on their hands :- loving Mourinho as much as they do, how could they continue to hate City and perpetually slag us off).

If Allardyce were to achieve a European spot at the end of the season, he'd win over all the Hammers fans (even the current doubters) - and quite rightly so as it would be a fine achievement - and there would always be the lurking hope in supporters' hearts that, in the not too far distant future, he would get the team playing the cultured football that West Ham have always been famous for.

Intriguing post and interesting analogy, Mate.
Although, imho, it's a little too much influenced by what I'd call "Your romantic attitude at blending football and poetry"... ;)
1) success brought by the Portuguese is often followed by wreckage of his teams due to constant tension he keeps em on all season long. It also rarely lasts over 3 years, because of what Mourinho is the unchallenged Maestro is on the unrivaled development of His Own Name brand.
Nonetheless, considering that almost every rule provides for its own exception and the Unique appeal of MCFC in terms of Values Heritage and unlimited potential under the present Ownership, if by a touch of magic, we could have a Mourinho free of clownesque embarassments for a long haul, I'd be more than pleased to settle with several doses of boredom. Other than Svennis spells at Fiorentina and Roma I never witnessed and almost bore free season at any Club,
2) Allardyce getting a team playing cultured football, accorded to Hammer's tradition? that would require more than just a touch of magic, wouldn't it?... -;)

[spiny]

WBA look like they are doing what Newcastle did last season.

[AG7]

Everton is going to take that fourth spot and Arsenal and Tottenham will be left 'not knowing' what happened there ... Before the season began, I had thought Newcastle would do it to them but now after 11 games, I think it's Everton ...

Oh, and us having forgotten some basics of the game, like set piece defending id beyond me ... I am worried sick of every corner or free kick that opposition gets in our half.

[Dameerto]

(cant understand why people feel QPR is a big surprise)

oh ffs. if you actually predicted qpr to sit dead last at this stage - with players of granero's calibre at their disposal - show us the betting slips and a photo of those millions you've won.

Lol...Yes I did actually predict difficulties for mr Hughes this season.
But sadly no million pound bets on it.

They've got a top ten midfield, that alone should be enough to keep them in the Prem. Add a decent keeper and functional strikers/attacking players and it's a big surprise to find them bottom of the Prem. Even when expecting them to leak goals they ought to be more than capable of scoring enough to be a lot higher.