My excitement for this match is such that I've given up my ticket and opted to attend a 1 year olds birthday party instead. Expect to see less crying and falling over for no apparent reason at my event.
You're implying Javi actually does his homework. We lined up for Burnley the same way we lined up for Bournemouth...
Obviously I want us to win. However, all these games thrown away at the death or defeats by one goal might not be enough to convince Gino that Gracia isn’t the answer. I fear we are sleepwalking to disaster next season if he stays on. Of course I could be wrong about the above but just in case I’m not, I hope we get thumped on Saturday so Gino can be swayed.
Out of interest, who do you think is the answer? Not saying Gracia is but who would you replace him with? Whatever you think of the Pozzo model, of hiring head coaches on short contracts rather than more "traditional" managers, I would think it means that the position is not that attractive to some potential candidates.
He isn't staying. he came in to keep us up he has almost certainly done that. After that he has been poor. Expect another coach by the second to last game. Slither was seen as an attacking coach so I suspect a defence minded latin QSF clone. Rinse and repeat. Once more the betting odds will ludicrously include British managers who will never come here under the Pozzos. We will start the pre season with lots of speculation over exotic midfielders. And begin next season largely keeping the attack we have despite being linked to some reasonable replacements and the defence will be improved by what will obviously be our 4th choice of some Udinese journeymen. We will start the season well, despite the pundits all predicting we will be in the bottom 3. Optimism will peak at the end of November. People will talk about European places. Then injuries will set in, we wont see any injured players return that season. We will drop to around 11th place. and remain there until the final 8 games where we will barely scrape a point and end up in 17th position. We will then sack the manager and look for a more attacking minded latin Silva clone.
Pretty sure the money and working in the premier league is attractive ... in this moment If someone wants to pay me millions of pounds for a year of playing whatever dregs of players we have left with no tactical changes and then to give interviews full of clichés Id take it.
It would all depend on whether Gino will grant someone more autonomy over things. I personally think he has to to stop the same things happening every year. To name a few: Berizzo, Bielsa, Fonseca, Gasperini, Hannes Wolf - I think all would deliver better football and results than Gracia.
No. As much as I'd like to believe you I think you're just trying to cheer us all up. It won't end well.
Agreed. I'd settle for 17th now if it ensured this gurning simpleton wasn't there next year. He fills me with less confidence than mazzarri did, and I'm as serious as cancer.
**** it. So will I then. If you're coming to watch us lose to Palace in ignoble fashion give me an "oi oi!"
Palace will tear us a new one. Far too much pace up top for us. I'm not looking forward to this at all.
I was thinking Joka with a Gracia mask for starters. Dropping Deeney and Capoue would help, for Gray and Carrillo. Hughes to play a slightly deeper role with RP in the middle. Kabasele instead of Prodl as well. Carrillo and Richarlison to play as attacking wingers to give Gray more space up front - RP and Hughes to push into the box from midfield. Karzenis Kiko Cathcart Kabasele Janmaat Hughes Doucoure Richarlison Preyera Carrillo Gray We'll win 3-1 and everything will be good in the world again.
Looking at their forum, they're all pretty confident they're going to win but a few of them reckon they'll concede from a corner as apparently they always do. Little do these idiots know that we can't even keep our corners in play, let alone score from them!
I have good news. The weather on Saturday is predicted to be 23 degrees and sunny - perfect for our bunch of warmer climes Johnny foreigners after a cold, wet, miserable winter. I have therefore reconsidered my early week pessimistic view of losing 1-2 to a more realistic midweek forecast of losing 1-2. If the weather holds and the team train all week in the sunshine, I may even upgrade to a late week optimistic prediction of losing 1-2 but at least we now only concede the second in the 89th minute. It doesn’t get any better than that.
I've been out of the country for a few weeks and only read newspaper reports on our matches. The ones I read all said a draw with Bournemouth was fair, we should have beaten Burnley as we were much better, and we should have had a 0 0 draw with Huddersfield. I come back and read these pages and it appears that the reporters must have been watching different games to you lot. Not trying hard means walking around the pitch and not caring if the other team score. It doesn't mean missing a tackle, misplacing a pass or getting tackled. I'm pretty certain the reporters might have mentioned any lack of effort had they seen it. That being said, we'll probably lose to Palace.
Quite right too. Why shouldn’t you believe one journalist over thousands of people who were actually there.
Because the journalist hasn't felt the same frustration, anger and disappointment that we all have which lead to quite an over reaction on here at throwing away 7pts in 3 games? While there's been valid criticisms raised there's also been a lot of rubbish in all fairness. And as an overview of events, the journalist is actually right. We did play fairly well in the two home games. There certainly hasn't been a lack of effort and we didn't deserve to only pick up one point from those 3 games. He isn't going to be frustrated by the continuing underlying problems of ineffective strikers, puzzling substitutions and an error prone unsettled back line.
On my last count there were at least 20 people on the forum, and no doubt at least 30 people on twiiter. Not quite the thousands. I'm happy that you've taken on the mantle of voice of the fans though. Just in case it didn't occur to you, journalists do actually attend games; they don't report from watching 'Match of the Day'.
And it's those types of papers that were also saying we are absolute animals for hiring a foreign manager and we are absolute animals for sacking the very same foreign manager a few months later.
So you believe every fan bar the odd 50 you mention were quite happy with the display from the players, both individually and collectively, in those games? If you take into account the home and away attendances, I'm sure you'll find it is thousands who were dissenting. I never said there weren't thousands who may have had the opposite view. What I was merely pointing out was the tone of your post was suggesting that anyone who has moaned or complained etc is wrong - because match reports said so. If another supporter or forum member wants to tell me I'm wrong, so be it. I will always appreciate other points of view. But you yourself said you weren't there at any of these games so I'm not quite sure how you would want the post you made to be welcomed.
My dads not going to this one, so the omens are looking good for a Watford win. He doesn't miss many but the last two were Chelsea at home this season, and Manchester United last season.
As I posted, I've been away so you're right, I didn't feel the frustration of the fans when changes were made. Gracia's subs do seem underwhelming but there's a few points. Firstly the bench is hardly full of inspirational game changers - Gracia has a very limited hand. The fact that both he and Silva have used Sinclair as a sub says a lot about the quality of our squad. Secondly a fan's view is so retropsective. If he brings on a striker, he's leaving the midfield to get overrun. If he brings on a defensive player, he's inviting the opposition to attack. If he brings on a player who keeps the ball well, then he's criticised for not instructing the players to hoof it away and so on. Basically if the team loses then the sub was wrong; if the team wins then he's a tactical genius.
I'm not posting that you are wrong. I'm just frustrated that the same things happens over and over again and every time the same posters blame the manager and talk about him as if he's the anti christ. I'm posting because it looks like we have become the Newcastle fans we mocked in our first season when they couldn't believe they could lose to us. I'm not suggesting we are that, but from someone who usually just reads, rather than posts, I read 2 weeks worth of posts and loads of you appear to be incredibly entitled.
I completely agree, i was just making the point that as an uniased overview of the 3 games the journalist was right. The fans are also right (if somewhat over the top)
Huddersfield was just horrible. Burnley was incredibly frustrating because we had been playing some lovely stuff compared to the lumpen Burnley approach. Bournemouth likewise, we were cruising, it was a smash and grab. I think the disappointment is fuelling the somewhat over-the-top vitreol.
My son is coming to this and it will be 5th game, the others being Blackpool away, 2nd Pozzo season Huddersfield away, 2nd Pozzo season Arsenal away just after we beat them in the cup Brighton away this season Burnley at home this season The omens are not good!
