Living in the real world

[Making Plans 936]

As a regular visitor, but infrequent poster, to this board, I have to say that in all honesty I can''t believe most of the things I''m reading here lately. All of a sudden, the manager is rubbish, the players are useless and the board are liars - if I recall correctly, I didn''t see too many comments like this last season.

I mean, what''s wrong with you lot ?

Just because we''re not doing so well at the moment all reason appears to have gone completely out of the window - did you all think the Premiership was going to be easy, have you not seen the fate of other clubs promoted in previous years, did you think we were going to qualify for Europe or something and are not WBA and Palace in a similar position ?

So we''re near the bottom, so we''ve only won one game - so what ? We are still in touch with a least half a dozen other clubs and there are plenty of games left. Things may turnaround, but they may not. So what if they don''t, it ain''t the end of the World.

Time to start living in the real world and be grateful for what you''ve got my friends. 

[bananaman 0]

I agree to a point. I didn''t expect an easy ride, and I didn''t expect us to be throwing money around. I believe the club is pretty well run, and think Worthy has done a tremendous job.

It''s not relegation I''m scared of, that HAS to happen to 3 clubs, and of course we were going to be there or thereabouts.

What scares me is the lack of clarity by the manager. Why do we have 10 strikers and just play them out of position? Why does our defence play in the penalty area? Why do the midfield sit in front of the defence? Why don''t our team move OFF the ball? Why have the substitutions been so bizarre? Why do we have experienced internationals NOT playing? Why do we have "talented" youngsters not getting on the bench? Why do we have no set-piece routines planned? Why have we spent so much on rubbish players?

We are without question, the worst footballing team in the premiership. Why?

[Temp the Revelator 0]

Aha, the voice of reason at last!  I, like you, have not posted much lately, but have been dismayed by the content of these boards in recent weeks.  How short some of your memories must be!  I think the anti-board brigade are forgetting just how BIG a gamble the signing of Hux, Sven & Leon was - imagine where we would be now if we hadn''t been promoted........

Did any of you REALLY expect us to achieve mid-table comfort this season?  What happened to the views of last May/June, and looking forward to a season in the top flight COME WHAT MAY?

Yes, I was disappointed on Saturday, as disappointed as I have been for a long, long time, but oh how good it is to be disappointed to be losing at home to Fulham in the Premiership, rather than Bradford in Div 1. 

Enjoy the experience guys, if we stay calm and focussed, who knows what will happen?

[Temp the Revelator 0]

Bananaman, some interesting questions.

Our back four has defended this deep for about 7 years now, and it annoys the living s**t out of me - but this is nothing new.

I agree, Worthy does seem to have a habit of playing players out of position.  I am not ardently pro-Worthy, nor am I anti-Worthy, I just don''t see the sense in replacing him now at great expense.  Who could we attract with no transfer budget?  This time last year I was advocating a change in the coaching staff - I have never beleived that Livermore is up to the job, and have seen nothing yet to convince me he is.

Again, Worthy falls short when it comes to substitutions, always has done - but what is he being told by his right hand men? 

I take exception to the comment that we are the worst footballing team in the Premiership, however - are you really telling me that Spurs, Blackburn, Fulham, Bolton (yes, Bolton) are better footballing sides than us?  I don''t beleive they are, personally.

The biggest single difference between this season and last is that we were extremely lucky last season - lucky to have 3 loan signings have such a dramatic impact, lucky to win that spell of games at home last autumn 2-1 having been behind in them, lucky that the board pushed the boat out to sign the Three Musketeers just when we needed them, lucky to get the win at Reading, lucky that Worthy''s gamble to go 3 up front worked out......etc,etc

[bananaman 0]

I agree with pretty much everything there, Temp.

However, I would still say that having watched all of those other teams at some time or another, we are worse.

Blackburn played some lovely stuff against Fulham, Fulham played some superb football against Newcastle away, Bolton were very unlucky to lose at the weekend and I thought played some good football and spurs .... well, maybe - just maybe - you have a point.

I just can''t remember the last time we took the game by the scruff of the neck and played good, patient football. Our control is poor and our awareness is zero.

You are right about the coaching staff - but do we exempt Worthy from that or include him?

[Tumbleweed 106]

What frustrates me is that we are not doing the basic things right, not the league position. If we passed well, defended heroically up the field, created chances, closed down swiftly and looked well organised then I don''t think we would have any complaints.

But bananaman is right- we have not wrenched a single game by the scruff of the neck and in many, distressingly, we have competed for only a short section of the match.

Man Utd and Newcastle- 2-0 up against prem new boys. Do you really think that they still played their socks off at that point? OK we came back into both matches and snatched a point at Ncl but was there not an element of the opposition taking their foot off the pedal a bit? We matched Arsenal for 25 minutes- but they were 3-0 up already. For goodness sake we got outplayed by Blackburn when they were pointless away from home, a goal down and with 10 men.

I am still enjoying this season and loving us playing the big boys. But if we go down (which I think we will) I want us to go down fighting and with pride. Had we got the basics right over the last 16 games we would be nudging 20 points, and that''s without spending any more money on new players who never get into the team.

[ZLF 271]

A superb and sensible discussion - nothing I can add so I wont.  Thanks guys.

OTBC