At the time I posted that, with Samir and Dennis, absolutely. And even now, it's imo top 2 worthy. As mentioned in the post above, it's a very strong squad for the division, just underachieving due a combination of: mismanagement from Edwards, injuries, lack of confidence, Gaspar's failure to acclimatise.
Yep. Every penny of that 12.5m in agent's fees was done with the intention of us trying to punch above our weight.
I disagreed then and I strongly disagree now. It's a game of opinions, but I'd say the evidence is backing mine at present.
Well put. Forgetting all the various player ability questions we ask, the biggest single issue is "why are our fitness levels so poor and why do our players refuse to start by giving it their all and doing the basics right.?" They literally play every game as if GP has put a clause in their contract stating that an injured player will not be paid for any games they miss thru injury.... We are Canon fodder for any crap team that gets themselves up for it...
[QUOTE=" reality is they don’t have the cash to do it properly, they want to be PL but on mid table championship money[/QUOTE] They could always try and buy "smarter" than just throw money away buying up a bunch of random players, sacking and then paying off multipole managers and extending the contracts of players who are past it or are no hopers. Or am I missing the point of budgeting accordingly?
That’s a lot of factors. And ‘lack of confidence’ is a cowards way out if the squad is supposedly good enough for Top 2 at this level. Also think it’s a bit rich to blame Edwards or mismanagement over 11 games, given Bilic has shown a similar level over 3 games. 11 games is a silly amount to judge someone on, so 3 games falls into the same category sadly. Anyway - it’s nothing to do with managers. The owner and his cronies build the squad. And the result is obvious.
I'm resigned to the fact that the scum will show both of these qualities in spades against us. Having quality and not using it is infuriating. Not putting in the required effort is unacceptable and unforgivable.
Spot on moog. Hopefully these muppets will start to wake up and stop with “careful what you wish for statements “ Also I’m not 100% sure but think we only get 2 years of parachute payments as we went up and down Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I personally the more useful evidence for the squad's level is the long-term track record for their collective careers. Rather than 10-35 games under 5 different managers and different play styles, the shambolic nature of which has lead to a series of results that has completely drained their confidence and cohesion. Put JP, Sarr, Davis, Asprilla, Choudhury, Kamara, Sierralta, Louza in a settled, confident squad and their true level will show.
Do you honestly disagree with the factors? Did Edwards manage the squad well? Did his tactics and substitutions bring the best out of them? Have we not had a lot of injuries? Do you look at the players and think they're playing with confidence?
At least they tried and put a shift in worked as a team. These mercenaries employed by this greasy **** model don’t and won’t ever give a **** about this club. Why would you if you were them play a few bad games and they have another chance with new coaching staff. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If only the football league was a table putting teams in order of some career statistics and subjective valuations of individual players rather than the performance of the teams themselves.
Ignoring PL, just looking at this level alone: Bachman - Average Kabasele - Shyte WTE - Shyte Sierrelta - Average Cathcart - Solid Gaspar - Poor (So far) Kamara - Good Louza - Great Kayembe - Average Choudhury - Good Asprilla - Good but not yet Pedro - Great Gosling - Shyte Cleverly - Poor Sarr - Good Bayo - Shyte Manaj - Shyte Davis - Average (so far) It’s genuinely an average Championship squad with sprinkles of greatness and dropping of dog turd. Which is why we can beat Stoke 4-0 and then lose two in a bounce, a squad that is average will deliver inconsistent performances based on the differing circumstances per game. This is why we are BANG in the middle of the table and will probably finish there. Better than half the teams, worse than the other half. Average.
Following on from that, it’s actually probably easier to manage a totally shyte squad because you know what you have and attempt to make yourself hard to beat and harness the bits of quality you have in the best possible way. Percentages. We can’t even do that because on paper, Louza, Sarr, Pedro etc should be enough to beat a lot of teams in this division but then you can’t account for the absolutely terrible defence. This is what makes us bang average. We’re actually just a team of nothingness, neither here nor there.
Very little point in trying to convince WatfordTalk to admit he was talking crap, even when he's said something so hilariously ridiculous and it's being so blatantly shown to be just that. Anyone who thinks this squad is anywhere near the best in the Championship is a moron. You'd think that's quite obvious based on the performances, the results and the league position. It's a horribly unbalanced squad full of utterly finished players, undeservedly overrated never have been and never will be's, and mercenaries who are here because they know they can make a few quid off of our idiot owner without doing much of anything.
Kabasele should never play for us again EVER The way he gave up instead of trying to block the cross for the second goal is embarrassing Choudrey at fault for the third goal half arsed attempt to win the ball. The rear half of our team is pisspodically poor. This IS down to the recruiters and more importantly the owner has a relationship with the players above and beyond the coach. It seems to me the longer the players stays the more crap they become Kabaselle Cathcart Deeney when he was here Gray. Dosent look good for Pedro and Louza on 6 year contracts. We are fookeyedd.
The best part of the entire game was the fan near me getting his knickers in an absolute twist when the “Pozzo Out” chant was sung. Watching that mess of a team & he’s still defending those at the top for creating it ahaha.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Lloyd Doyley this afternoon at Wealdstone v Borehamwood. I can exclusively reveal that he hasn't been approached for the manager's job yet
That’s a lot of factors that you didn’t originally throw out - but still yes. Injuries are nullified to a large extent if the squad is built with competence - it wasn’t. Are they playing with confidence? No. Because they are crap but the owner is adamant they are not. Did Edwards manage the squad well? Yeah. He did. The squad loved him. I know this. But he fell short on match day, granted. But 10 games is a mental measure. So if we are using 10 games for him, let’s use 3 games for Bilic? Or where is the cut off? We never had a squad that was amongst the best the Championship has ever seen. It was a nonsense comment and probably best to admit to. But that aside, we get on now! I don’t want this to become a thing! So we can disagree.
Just seen Bilic’s post match comments and it’s the truest statement I’ve heard all season. The players are not performing to their ‘on paper’ status and dishing out dogshit week in week out. It’s the same **** different year and it’s no surprise when we a team that for the majority is the same team that got relegated in 2019. The usual culprits strike again and it’s these nobheads that need to **** off from the squad. Kabasele is the biggest fraud of a footballer on the planet and the fact he is Captain is a kick in the teeth for all supporters. He literally gave up and let the Blackpool player cross, not giving a **** but pulling a wage. As for Sarr, he has been shown up by opposition wingers every game… £30 million+ are you mad! I was all but ready to stop watching the games until Pozzo fuct off but Bilic has restored some belief in me that we have a capable manager at the helm who is not blind to the players ********. We all know it’s not the manager that is the problem, I’m just hoping that Bilic can get a tune out of players that play for him and we can build from there.
I wouldn't normally be one for slagging people off (knowing that I'm not perfect) but I was reminded of this verse from the good book: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:18) My recollection of the days of GT & EJ is that there was a great deal of what was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Under the Pozzos, (especially the last three years)? Rather less so.
JP - Young player who hasn't proven much yet other than having decent highlight reel Davis - 24 and scored 10 senior goals. Parent Prem club keeps loaning him out to Championship as don't want him, nor did Nott Forest want him to go up with them. Asprilla - Nothing yet. Choudhury - Prem benchwarmer, decent but not amazing for Champo Louza, Sarr, Kamara only ones proven to be top quality for this league
Most other teams will also have odd players missing but "the sum of the parts" of their team still turn up and give it their all. When 2 of our decent players are out we are immediately useless (most weeks)
Cheap shots aside - I’ve re-read this. You agree surely the owner has to go then? They are not going to suddenly change? I think that is here we are at - (not suggesting yourself) - but I think we have a number of fans now who are in that dreamland phase that some of us went through 1-2 years ago believing that Gino will change. Sadly I think when the masses turn, it could be too late for decent football. Hey ho!
All those factors were in my original post you quoted I thought? Fair enough, I disagree. I think, on paper, man for man, with no injuries for any side, we come out on top against most if not all in the division. But we have been mismanaged, and have a squad completely shot mentally thanks to the last year and a bit. I do think Edwards mismanaged the squad in the very short time he was given, but the comment wasn't necessarily a massive dig at him. I liked him. But yes, happy to agree to disagree.
I was just practicing when a few pals sent messages that Blackpool had scored their second. I just felt sad really. Just finished and the chap next to me messaged that the Norfolk 'Orns ( of which he is one) have said that an American is negotiating with Gino. David Tepper. Supposed to be authentic but I defer to those ITK. What a mess.
Cheap shots? Sorry don't get that? I think if Gino is completely unwilling to change his method, in the face of the evidence he's been given, and a better owner is available, then sure. I've said for years that our refusal to invest in the defence will bite us, and it did in the first relegation season, and continues to do so. I've also said that the transient nature of our Head Coaches allows a toxic atmosphere to fester, and we suffer as a result. We had a huge opportunity to rectify those two issues this season, and we've thrown them both away.
What's even funnier is that regardless of my taste in entertainment and how funny it is to you, is that I'd still smash you to pieces if you were ever to come out from behind your computer and attempt to dish out the attitude you give on here face to face. You wouldn't, of course, because you're a complete melt who would only dare to give it large whilst sat on an internet forum.
