Should we be worried about relegation

[Chris Smith]

I don't think we'll go down and although we're a soft touch at the moment there are so many extenuating circumstances it's impossible to make any sort of informed assessment.

[TheSandman]

Looking at it there are a few teams who look clearly worse than us (Wigan, West Ham, Wolves, Fulham and Everton) and unlike us they don't have the excuse of injuries.

We desperately need to sort that defence out by dropping a few players who are being utterly diabolical. Also I can't help but thinking we lack a coach who played in defence rather than two midfield playmakers. Maybe we should appoint a specific defensive coach. 

[darren woolley]

I'm not worried about the R word i think when the injured players come back we will be ok.

[Rigadon]

No chance of Relegation.

When we get Gabby and Albrighton back we'll win some games.  Until then we'll continue to struggle.

[Lee]

The only thing that concerns me is the stupid defensive mistakes we keep making.  It's not always Dunne either, they've all been guilty over the last few weeks, Warnock, Collins, Young and Friedel too.

Cut those out and that's half the battle won.  I'd put Cuellar back in as soon as he's fit again.

This ^.

I thought Dunney had a bit of mare yesterday.

[sfx412]

Love this talk of dropping defenders, love to know who would replace them ?

No team is too good for relegation, only teams that think they are.

[Archie]

I don't think that we should be really worried about relegation.
If only we had  the 4 more points that we would have deserved  with Man. United and Fulham we'd be facing the 6th spot.
We had too many injuries and hit too many posts and bar since here.
The problem is that we must  bear the heavy heritage of MON: 4 unwatchable, and overpaid, defenders (those who played yesterday) and one over paid, useless, striker like John Carew.

When he was in charge, MON had three columns in his team: Agbonlahor, Milner and Petrov. This season GH could count on  none of them for various reasons, but in these difficult conditions he made  a very good job launching 4 excellent youngsters: Bannan, Albrighton, Hogg and Clark.
When Gabby and Al will  come back, I think that we'll climb various positions in the table, and if we signed two players in the January market-window we could aspire to the 6-7 th spot.

In any case, even at worst, we are stronger than West Ham, WBA, Wolves, Wigan (luckily Aston Villa don't begin for "W") . . . and Fulham.       

[TheSandman]

Love this talk of dropping defenders, love to know who would replace them ?

Easy. Cuellar in for Dunne when he's fit or drop Clark back when NRC is fit. Luke Young to move across to left back (he generally did quite well there) to replace Warnock with Lichaj coming in on the right.

There are a few other permutations possible too.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

BTW I'd be more worried if I was an Everton fan at the moment as they actually for once have their first 11 out more or less and they seem to be getting worse each game while we still have loads of our reguylar players to come back.

If there's one manager in this league who needs a change of scene, it's David Moyes.

Is that the David Moyes who is 100 times better a manager than MON and most people were desperate to see him managing Villa?

[regular_john]

If we get relegated we would probably be the best team in the history of the Premier League to do so. There is absolutely no chance of this happening, none whatsoever. Once we get our injured players fit again, maybe make a signing or two in Jan, we'll storm up the league like nobody's business.

[eastie]

Take milner out of last seasons team and we would have been mid- table, o neill has left behind a squad of average players in the main who aren't good enough to play the pass and move style that houllier prefers.

In houllier we have a manager who will take us further than o neill did but we won't see the benefits until he has had a yr in the job to change things around- it will improve , of that I am certain.

[Bosco81]

Alternatively we are now seeing what a good manager MON was in getting the maximum out of the squad he had, same thing happened when Sir Graham went to manage England.

[KevinGage]

Only problem with that comparison is that Graham Taylor wasn't given four years and virtually a free hand in the transfer market to shape the team exactly how he wanted it.

Graham Taylor didn't outspend Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and most of the other clubs who finished in and around where we did in 89/90 either.

Apart from that, it's exactly the same.

[TheSandman]

And it must be stated that Dr Jo didn't face an injury ravaged squad or have no time to bring in his own players.

We'll see where we are at this time next year.

[Bosco81]

Apart from O'Neill and Taylor both being very good managers.

Not quite the land of milk and honey this season is it ?

But let's all put our head in the sand and pray for January and NRC to come back.