Ifs, buts, and a season that got away

This isn’t really a Slot in or Slot out piece. It’s more that nagging feeling you get when you look at the table and think: how have we ended up here, with it all feeling so flat?

I had the City game on the radio and the verdict sounded pretty clear: poor performance, well beaten. And it’s funny, isn’t it, how the mood music changes week to week. Beat a struggling side and suddenly it’s “Pep’s rebuild is taking shape”. Drop a clanger and it’s “growing pains” and “transition”. He even had last season framed as a transition year too. Managers at the very top get a lot of slack when the story suits.

The points that stick in your throat

Now, I know football is basically built on ifs and buts. But even allowing for our poor form and, let’s be honest, some turgid stuff at times, it’s hard not to look back at specific moments and feel sick. Late goals conceded. Last-kick sucker punches. Those games where we did enough to be comfortable and somehow weren’t.

And then you think about the ones where we just didn’t put teams away. The Burnley match is the sort of example that lingers because it’s not about a wonder strike or some freak incident. It’s about being ruthless, doing the basics, and turning a decent position into three points without making a meal of it.

Context matters, even when you’re fuming

If those moments go differently, you can paint a believable picture where we’re sitting second, not miles off Arsenal, and the whole vibe changes. Suddenly it’s a title race, or at least a proper scrap for it. Suddenly it’s Champions League contention that feels real rather than theoretical. Suddenly you’re looking at the cups thinking there’s still something to chase.

And that’s before you even get into the idea of a side that’s still finding itself, plus the reality of season-ending injuries to a striker and a centre-back. That sort of thing matters, even if it doesn’t excuse everything.

Would the noise be the same?

Here’s the part people don’t like admitting: if we were right in the race, would the “Slot out” crowd be as loud? Probably not. The league position would act like a cushion, even if the performances were still uneven. Results do that. They soften opinions, they buy patience.

That doesn’t mean the criticism disappears. I’ve had plenty to say myself, and I’m not pretending it’s been good enough. But the truth is, this season feels like a massive missed opportunity, and that’s what’s driving the frustration as much as any one decision from Arne Slot.

Written by Bristol_Red: 23 January 2026