This is the season...

[Malandro]

"We are not awful but we are ineffective. That is now a long-term state spanning three seasons. Nothing is changing. Not so much a roller-coaster more a slow glide to oblivion"

Witton Warrior 2012

[frank black]

"We are not awful but we are ineffective. That is now a long-term state spanning three seasons. Nothing is changing. Not so much a roller-coaster more a slow glide to oblivion"

Witton Warrior 2012

Nah we're shite

[curiousorange]

An outside observer could point to an FA Cup Final and punts at the League Cup as mitigation that's not been all bad. But I'd genuinely trade those small sparks of joy for one game where I thought we'd definitely compete for ninety minutes.

[sickbeggar]

Bizarrely i think there's a making of a decent championship side there, probably play-offs. A lot of the rubbish defending wouldn't be punished so severely and players like Westwood, Clark etc., scream middling/good championship players. Obviously the likes of ayew will be off, hopefully we can dump the expensive hasbeens like gabby. Players like bacuna...i don't know.....blindfold them, and dump them in the lickey hills and hope they don't get back before the season is over?

[curiousorange]

The thing is, Westood might be ace in the Championship and the mainstay of title winning side. And then we get back into the Premier League again and he's crap. Build a side around a player we know isn't up to it? No ta. I'd rather build a team with good partnerships; players who may never have touched the Premier League but by God, know how their colleague plays and want to play with those colleagues.

I like Ayew and Veretout, and would like them to stay as I think they are top division players, but keeping dross like Westwood and Sinclair? Remnants of an order that's in the process of being sacked. Get rid.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

The thing is, Westood might be ace in the Championship and the mainstay of title winning side. And then we get back into the Premier League again and he's crap. Build a side around a player we know isn't up to it? No ta. I'd rather build a team with good partnerships; players who may never have touched the Premier League but by God, know how their colleague plays and want to play with those colleagues.

I like Ayew and Veretout, and would like them to stay as I think they are top division players, but keeping dross like Westwood and Sinclair? Remnants of an order that's in the process of being sacked. Get rid.

totally agree although who the fuck is going to buy westwood, clark, bacuna, gestede et al

i would start playing the under 21's

[sickbeggar]

The thing is, Westood might be ace in the Championship and the mainstay of title winning side. And then we get back into the Premier League again and he's crap. Build a side around a player we know isn't up to it? No ta. I'd rather build a team with good partnerships; players who may never have touched the Premier League but by God, know how their colleague plays and want to play with those colleagues.

I like Ayew and Veretout, and would like them to stay as I think they are top division players, but keeping dross like Westwood and Sinclair? Remnants of an order that's in the process of being sacked. Get rid.

I understand the point but its not really practicable. You've got some players under contract on wages that the sort of clubs that would want them, couldn't afford them. You either pay-up their contracts and buy replacements (I can see Randy going for that one) or you select those that can do a job in that division and still have the self-respect/ambition to play in that division and add in 6 or 7 new names to freshen things up.

[curiousorange]

That's one of the reasons we're in the state we are in - most of the players we have are crap, but since when has having a crap squad guaranteed relegation? Coventry and Southampton survived for years, ditto Wimbledon, Fulham, Blackburn and Bolton. It was when they ran short of players that knew how to play together that they finally dropped. Look at Watford: Championship squad but Ighalo and Deeney are clearly on the same wavelength. That midfield of Stoke's makes a clogger like Arnautovic look like Ibrahimovic. Our defence is the most obvious reminder of it, but Gestede hasn't gelled with any strike partner or midfielder, Gil, Grealish and Traore look less than zero together and Veretout can't rely on Sanchez or Westwood, let alone Gueye.

Create a team, not a bunch of people you pay to wear the shirt. Half a dozen managers since 2010 and none of them could work it out.

[sickbeggar]

Well that's the key, getting them to blend with new arrivals amd work as a team. i posted a while back that 6 of the awful team that got relegated last time, played a majority part in the promotion the following season so it is possible

[curiousorange]

The thing is, Westood might be ace in the Championship and the mainstay of title winning side. And then we get back into the Premier League again and he's crap. Build a side around a player we know isn't up to it? No ta. I'd rather build a team with good partnerships; players who may never have touched the Premier League but by God, know how their colleague plays and want to play with those colleagues.

I like Ayew and Veretout, and would like them to stay as I think they are top division players, but keeping dross like Westwood and Sinclair? Remnants of an order that's in the process of being sacked. Get rid.

I understand the point but its not really practicable. You've got some players under contract on wages that the sort of clubs that would want them, couldn't afford them. You either pay-up their contracts and buy replacements (I can see Randy going for that one) or you select those that can do a job in that division and still have the self-respect/ambition to play in that division and add in 6 or 7 new names to freshen things up.

Well, the most practical approach is to phase them out. I agree that they won't just be drummed out of the club but Garde, if he stays, can't honestly look at Westwood and his lack of talent for Premier League football and want to build his assault on promotion around him? It was a slightly knee-jerk post, granted, but personally, if any offers come in for this disaster of a squad, I'd take the money and replace immediately.

[PeterWithesShin]

I still believe we'll smash division 2 next season. Look at sha, 1 point off the play-offs and they are gash. Something like 3 wins in the last 9 or 10 home games, 3 wins in their last 12 games home and away, and they are still up there. The standard down there really is shit.

[QuintonVilla]

I just tweeted this:

@gortavfc Watford have won more Premier League points (29) in 2015 than we have (25). Watford only joined the league in August

#AVFC 

[oswald funkletrumpet]

blues may be 1 off the playoffs but are miles off the top 2

the playoffs are a lottery that i wouldnt fancy especially with this load of spineless wankers

[ChicagoLion]

I still believe we'll smash division 2 next season. Look at sha, 1 point off the play-offs and they are gash. Something like 3 wins in the last 9 or 10 home games, 3 wins in their last 12 games home and away, and they are still up there. The standard down there really is shit.

The problem is what is in those player contracts, so without knowing that we have no idea how the squad will look like.
Do you think the buffoons running the show have got this area nailed down?

[cdward]

You know you're fucked when the likes of Joe Bennett get recalled to the squad...