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rock bus

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Posts posted by rock bus

  2. Posted

    Living in the Midlands, I was hoping that there might still be some hope of premier league survival for the upcoming Leicester and Wolves games (how ridiculously optimistic!).

    I was still contemplating going as at least it wont be a struggle to get a ticket but the idea of paying £50 for me and my son to go and watch a team full of players who didn't seem to care even when there was something to play for .. makes me think I may just save my money

  4. Posted · Edited by rock bus

    32 minutes ago, Petriix said:

    Let's go back to the end of last season. We'd won the league with a record points haul. Farke signed a new 4 year contract. We had an identity and a clear vision running through the club. We had the biggest transfer budget in our history. 

    Fast forward to today. Farke is gone. The identity is gone. The money is gone. Unlike our previous relegation the assets are gone too. It's hard to be positive about the future at this point.

    Regardless of where you lay the blame, things don't look great. I'll reserve judgement until we see what the squad looks like after the summer. After 10 games next season we'll have an idea where we are. I fear we're facing a significant decline. 

    This is bang on and why I am really worried about this relegation and our future.

    The other thing we have lost which is vital is the sense of unity within the club. One of the most impressive things of the webber/Farke renaissance (although I'd give Farke most of the credit) was that it had the whole club pulling along as one..the owners, board, manager, players and fans. We all bought into the vision and even with the knockback of the previous relegation there was a sense of togetherness and belief we could get back again.

    That's totally gone and we've sunk to the level where our Sporting Director has admitted he is no longer fully engaged and is getting involved in verbal scraps with fans.

    Things have really unfolded this season and I cant see who at the club is going to get us united and bring the belief we will need to fight for promotion next year (I cant see it being Delia, Webber or Smith). Big changes are needed.

  5. Posted

    It may not be his fault but for me McLean just represents everything that has been wrong about our team this year.

    A fairly decent footballer who can do an ok job in the championship but is nowhere good enough for the premier league. Depressingly getting picked every week despite not being good enough and/or making mistakes just because he is either the best of a bad bunch or shows the right attitude/runs around a lot.

    Another poster made the comment at the beginning of the season that if McLean was a regular fixture in our first team in the premier league then we would be relegated and he has been proven 100% right.

    To keep him in the team and repeat it all again would be madness... next year we must establish a midfield where McLean is either gone or is at best a last 10 mins sub to waste time.

    • Like 2

  6. Posted

    37 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

    You have to sign it once to make it enforceable in law.  Thereafter you just check the calendar every morning.

     

    Of course Webber may have a case in saying although he hasn't signed it, the intention of both sides was that the contract was in force, irrespective of ink on paper.  However that may be risky if there is no other proof of this - the other party could deny it, there may be no board or meeting minute of the agreement, there is no other witness to the two parties agreeing verbally to it etc.  Then it becomes a case of he says, they say, which is down to the judge to decide who they believe. 

    Without getting too technical it doesnt need to be signed at all under contract law to be binding,

    Just needs to be the mens rea (intention) and actus reus (a physical change in position/act as a result of the contract)

  7. Posted

    6 minutes ago, king canary said:

    Yeah I largely agree with this. 

    I'm not saying a proper holding midfielder keeps us up but the strategy in the middle of the park was all over the place. A proper DM maybe brings out some of the talent Gilmour clearly has, it helps Aarons and Giannoulis attack with more freedom, it leaves Gibson less exposed etc etc. 

    All 20/20 hindsight but you take the money spend on Gunn, Normann and Tzolis and invest it into that position then things could have looked very different

    This is the big point for me.... this isnt 20/20 hindsight! There cant be a fan who didnt realise that the number one priority was to purchase a proper, decent DCM. The biggest failure of Webber/Farke/Recruitment team was not to prioritse this.

    Maybe they were waiting for Skipp to make a decision but that was extremely foolish. We should have made the purchase of a cDM the number one prioriry and spent whatever was required to do it. We could then use the remainder of the budget to buy appropriate 'luxury' players.

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    I love the idea of Farke coming back and I know at one point it was mooted that Farke could move up stairs when Webber left and then bring in a manager.

    Certainly an intriguing idea but I have no idea if Farke actually has the skills to take on this kind of role?

     Ironically, given the current situation with Webber, my main concern would that Farke is just too nice and not ruthless enough for the role.

  9. Posted

    It's interesting what's happened at Villa recently.

    Few weeks ago  some on here were using the fact that Gerrard had turned them around to support arguments that Smith isn't a good manager and it was a mistake for us to appoint him.

    However, Villa's current run is horrendous and this is despite having 'the legend Gerrard' and the brilliance of Coutinho. I'm sure they will be safe this season but longer term they might struggle rather than becoming the top 6 team that they were talking about a few weeks ago.

  10. Posted

    12 minutes ago, A Load of Squit said:

    "He needs to be consistent in his habits, consistent in his behaviours. I know he wants to play every week, but I've also got another 24,25 players who are very good and deserve to play as well.

     

    The full quote shows that he is just desperate to play as much as he can, nothing wrong with that.

    https://www.dorset.live/sport/football/football-news/signing-mid-season-consistent-habits-6982323

     

    I’m not so sure habits and behaviours suggests to me that perhaps he isn’t showing the necessary character, attitude  and fight in training to get into the team and hints he might be just moaning about it ie same issue we seemed to have with him this season.

    all does not seem well again 

  11. Posted

    1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

    We were always going to exercise the option. Doesn’t mean he won’t leave and his quotes in that article don’t say he’s expecting to be with us either. 

    I agree with this and article has actually made me more worried he will go. The quotes from Pukki are very much about seeing out this season and then see what happens.

    Us exercising the extension just means he can’t just leave for nothing but he is entitled to go if we don’t make him a decent, longer term offer to stay.

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    It may well be an honest answer and he may be a good man.... but it's a ridiculous thing to actually say!

    At a time when we are in a complete slump and playing some of the worse football we have seen for years its a stupid comment which  will inevitably just wind a section of the fan base up.

    He doesnt need to look at social media or phone people up - if he looked at our league position, recent results and the performance on Saturday then he should know exactly how us fans feel.

    I've a feeling he'd be feeling the same as us if he's beloved Villa were in the same position.

    I want to give him a chance with his own team but he is not exactly endearing himself to the fans.

    • Like 5

  14. Posted

    18 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

    Sorry but the prospect of finishing 18th or 19th rather than 20th during the last leg of the season does not enthral me whatsoever.

    Nor can I imagine it getting the players' blood pumping, I mean nothing has so far this season for any length of time so why would it change now? 

    I do tend to agree with this but one point worth considering is that I think each place comes with a greater reward. Let's face it for a club like ours even an extra £1m or so isnt worth sniffing at.

    But agreed will do nothing for fan morale or player motivation.

  15. Posted

    17 hours ago, Duncan Edwards said:

    0-1 at Northampton with Hendo and Jarv up top…

    I was also at that game - I was born in Northampton and my parents are Cobblers season ticket holders. 

    An absolutely inept display that left me so embarrassed.

    Ironically Hendo ended up playing for them and I bought sponsorship of him for my Dad as a birthday present! (At the time I thought for the cost of sponsorship for the season I should have bought him as a player...although he's gone on to have a decent low level career so fair play to him!)

  16. Posted

    15 minutes ago, spencer 1970 said:

    Surely a draw is best for us no?

    Agreed draw makes us a winner (for a change!)

    Although if I'm being brutally honest I'm almost at point where if Everton win our relegation is certain and therefore at least we can seriously just focus on preparing for next year in the championship. Feel bad for admitting that but it's the hope that kills you as they say!

  17. Posted

    2 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

    Honestly, what does through someone's head to suggest we drop a proven Championship midfielder who is also an established international for a guy who has less than a season's worth of experience in the Scottish Championship? 

    It really baffles me the logic shown by some people.

    I think the logic is that we need to find a better option than McLean. He may well be an ok championship player but we must find players that are capable of stepping up and playing in the premier league. McLean has had two chances to prove that and he clearly is not good enough.

    I'm not saying that McAleer is the answer but we do need to find someone who at least has the potential to be an improvement on Mclean. 

    • Like 2

  18. Posted

    I know it's just a bit of fun BUT this is just another example of how the club seems to be out of step with fan sentiment at the moment.

    Given how rubbish we have been on the pitch the last thing I want to see is them messing about at golf. I'm not bothered about them doing it but anything published from the club should be about the players and staff doing all they can to show some pride in playing for the club and preparing for the game.

    Conscious that makes me sound really miserable but that's a result of all the pathetic performances this year.

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    56 minutes ago, BroadstairsR said:

    Similar sized ground, similar sized support but with a more illustrious history than City and even more than that of ITFC (if that is remotely believable.) They've won the F.A. Cup five times and have been Champions as well, but you'll never hear them reminding themselves and the world of it on a daily basis,

    This puts our position into a bit of perspective (after a miserable weekend). Against this background our similarity as a yo-yo club doesnt seem too bad and we have less to moan about than the baggies fans.

  21. Posted · Edited by rock bus

    I’m biased as he is my favourite manager for a long time but I’m honestly not joking when I suggest we should bring him back.

    • No one has a better championship record than him
    • he knows the style of football he wants to play
    • he brings on young players
    • has knowledge of European market and football
    • he bleeds yellow and green
    • he’s charismatic 
    • even when we are losing he engages with the fans
    • majority of fans still love him

    i know know there’s an argument that Smith hasn’t been given a reasonable crack and should be given the chance to assemble a squad but I’m just not convinced by him. We’re not playing any better, team selection is awful (McLean/Gilmour every time), not inspiring players, doesn’t seem to be getting fans engaged.

    Am I mad or should we give Daniel a call?

     

    • Like 10
    • Confused 1

  22. Posted · Edited by rock bus

    1 hour ago, non-scoring strikers said:

    Giannoulis is a better player than Williams and should've been 1st choice LB all season. 

    Tzolis was looking promising until he got Farked. 

    Poor management at this level as usual from us, and not just these two either. 

    I can agree with OPs point about playing both with a view to next season. But unfortunately Williams is clearly a better player than Giannoulis and is probably one of favourites for player of season (not that there is actually much competition).

    As for Tzolis there is clearly some sort of issue given the way Smith has dropped him from squad. He referred to confidence problem before which is understandable but not sure dropping from squad will help and even more concerning is I’ve seen no reports to say he was tearing it up when even playing for under 23s. Worryingly think we may have to cut our losses…example of Webber p ing our limited money up the wall!

  23. Posted

    14 minutes ago, BurwellCanary said:

    I have put on my flak jacket and tin hat for this one but there is an alternative view. I cant see where we can 'intend to be promoted' next season - we have the same squad that failed so miserably this year and insufficient funds (as far as I can see) to improve the squad sufficiently to expect anything other than a period of building in the Champs for some time. In which case would we be better in generating a transfer fee for Pukki and investing in some potential talent and grow them for a few years. He isnt getting any younger, we dont play the way he needs for chances, his value will reduce.

    Difficult one because he is a fantastic striker, footballer and professional. But..........

    It's a good point and a valid alternative solution (although I wonder what fee would we actually get for Pukki at 32 (?) with 1 year left on  his contract?) 

    The concept of spending a couple years building up a new squad from our exiting young talent supplemented with some good discoveries - a new Buendia and the ever sought after CDM and then perhaps having a chance when eventually promoted is one that I'd be willing to back. My concern would be that if it didnt work we'd have lost the premier league money and could be languishing in the championship (and even potentially lower) as the limitations of our ownership sees us fall further down the financial football pyramid.

    Similarly, years ago I was saying that the England team should sacrifice the next Euros or World cup and just play a group of young players with the aim of then having a  team that had developed together and could challenge for the subsequent tournament in 4 years time. It's an approach which has it's risks and even more importantly needs the commitment of the fans to it.

     

  24. Posted

    This highlights one of our problems, we really dont have any choice but to renew even at £60k. We cant risk going into next season without a proven goal scorer if we intend to get promoted. We wont be able to afford a player of Pukki's quality so we might as well spend the money on his wages.

    However what we must definitely do is also find an heir to the throne who will take the pressure/reliance of Pukki for part of next season and even more importantly will grow to be our starter in the premier league. I'm afraid there is no way I can see either Sargent or Idah being that player so a very shrewd bit of transfer business is needed.

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