What has Marco Silva ever done for us?
After FA Cup elimination, some of the fanbase have gone a bit Monty Python…
REG: (An angry fan in a 2010 Europa League scarf) They’ve bled us dry, the coaching staff! They’ve taken our ticket money, and what trophies have they given us in return?! What has Marco Silva ever done for us?!
STAN: The Championship title?
REG: What?
STAN: Well, he did win us the Championship. In style. 106 goals, Reg.
REG: Oh. Yeah, yeah. He did give us that. That’s true.
XERXES: And rejuvenating Mitro. Remember? He was rotting on the bench under Parker, and Marco turned him into a talismanic goal-machine. Forty-three goals in one season…
REG: Alright, I’ll grant you the Championship title and the greatest individual goal-scoring season in domestic history. But apart from that?
FRANCIS: Stability.
REG: What?
FRANCIS: Premier League stability, Reg. We ain’t a “yo-yo club” anymore. We’re part of the furniture. No more “Up-Down-Up-Down.”
REG: Alright, well, obviously the stability. I mean, the stability goes without saying, doesn’t it? But apart from the title, Mitro’s 43 goals, and the stability...
STAN: The team spirit…
XERXES: Oh, yeah! The spirit is incredible. We haven’t seen a team vibe like this since the Slav days. Just look at Calvin’s Snapchat stories. They actually look like they want to play for the badge.
FRANCIS: And the football is actually entertaining, Reg. Remember Parkerball? Marco’s got us attacking. We can genuinely beat anybody on our day - just look at the results against the top six last year.
REG: (Getting frustrated) Alright, but apart from the title, the 43 goals, the Premier League stability, the spirit, and the entertaining football that occasionally beats the top six... WHAT HAS MARCO SILVA EVER DONE FOR US?
STAN: Navigated life with the board?
REG: (Muttering) Well, yeah, that is a miracle...
XERXES: And he’s kept us in genuine contention for Europe for four years in a row. We’re actually dreaming about Thursday nights in Tallinn instead of Tuesday nights in Burton-on-Trent.
REG: (Shouting) Alright! But apart from the Championship title, rejuvenating Mitro, ending our tenure as a yo-yo club, the team spirit, the entertaining football, the giant-killing, navigating a tricky board, and four years of European contention… What has Marco Silva ever done for us?
STAN: Brought us back to reality by losing to a Championship team in the Cup?
REG: EXACTLY! UNACCEPTABLE! MARCO OUT!
Careful what we wish for. Let’s hope he stays and continues to build and renew the squad to keep the team in the Premier League. This year shows you can’t keep relying on promoted teams being the favourites for relegation.
What about three domestic cup quarter finals and one semi final?
A win at Stamford Bridge plus two more at home
I know it’s hard not to be a fickle football fan but we really do have to remember this is much much better than our ‘norm’ and cannot be taken for granted.
As with most premier league teams we’re one wrong appointment away from relegation