Pre-Season Friendlies

[mr underhill]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

[VinnieChase84]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

This. Westwood, Bacuna, Cissoko, Westwood, Gestede all not good enough

[Axl Rose]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

Too right. I'm sick to death of these shit players. Sell them all.

[brian green]

I am not making excuses for them.  A decision has to be made for the good of the future of the club.  If a player will not perform and continues to show the same mistakes week after week, of unforced errors, sloppy passing, lack of application, you make him stop doing it or you get rid of him.  If RDM and Clarke and Bond saw that capitulation yesterday and thought it was good enough, they are simply not the strong management team we must have.  If they saw what I saw, a team of serial quitters they will demand from the owner the funds to bring in a sufficient number of players to purge the squad of defeatism.  If they think the answer is to coax adequate performances out of players and somehow muddle through with what they have got, I see no reason to continue to support the club.

[levico]

I am not making excuses for them.  A decision has to be made for the good of the future of the club.  If a player will not perform and continues to show the same mistakes week after week, of unforced errors, sloppy passing, lack of application, you make him stop doing it or you get rid of him.  If RDM and Clarke and Bond saw that capitulation yesterday and thought it was good enough, they are simply not the strong management team we must have.  If they saw what I saw, a team of serial quitters they will demand from the owner the funds to bring in a sufficient number of players to purge the squad of defeatism.  If they think the answer is to coax adequate performances out of players and somehow muddle through with what they have got, I see no reason to continue to support the club.

A good post,Brian.

I'd go as far as saying that when I look at all those familiar faces, I have no expectation that they can win any game.

If you are rebuilding a crumbling house, you do better to replace the foundations first. Not sure that RDM is the man but w'ell see.

[Tayls_7]

Why were we set up in that fashion yesterday? I am aware some of the players regularly castigated on here will never be good enough but we do have sufficient quality to be competing at the top of this league providing the manager gets a grip quickly. It was almost a formation designed to demonstrate how desperately we need goals. I worry that players who should have been fired out of a cannon at the end of last season are free to inject their poison. Team spirit, work ethic and a smidge of quality get you out of this league. I saw no sign yesterday that we are steadily heading that way.

[jwarry]

I think the problem is RDM wants to play s certain way and the players are simply not up to it. Reminds me of when Brendan Rogers was at Reading so problem is who will fall first RDM or the players?

[oldtimernow]

What I mean Riss is was Westwood as bad for Crewe as he is for us,  was Cissoko as bad for Liverpool, or Gestede for Blackburn, or Gueye for Lille, or Gestede for Blackburn, or Veretout for Nantes, or Ayew for L'Orient or Amavi for Nice or Hutton for Spurs?  They came to us and all their ability that attracted us to them failed to materialise.  It can't be coincidence that players play so much worse for us. The mess that we are is contagious. We take potentially good players and fail to develop them.

Out of the players on show yesterday the only ones that would seem to be worth persevering with would be Amavi, Tshibola and Green for their potential the rest have blown it for me they are made up of either the not good enough,not spirited enough or just plain lazy and greedy

[oldtimernow]

Gestede is ok in the Championship as proven at Blackburn where he was given the service by wingers who played to his strengths, as proven by his goal tally. We gave him no crosses of note today, as we had zero width. Great planning and tactics there....

He is gash....stop making excuses for him... He's as static as a MFI cabinet....no.......sorry...that has more movement.

at least the hinges creak!

[Chris Smith]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

Too right. I'm sick to death of these shit players. Sell them all.

It would be lovely, ditch the lot and start from scratch. In reality, of course, that is impossible and this is where the manager earns his corn. Weed out those that are beyond hope but coach and organise what is left and, combined with new additions, create a competent unit. Then build from there.

[PeterWithe]

I didn't follow the game at all yesterday, what sort of player is Tshbola? How did the new centre half do? Did any of the young lads look like they can make the step up?

Any positives at all?

[olaftab]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

Too right. I'm sick to death of these shit players. Sell them all.

Nik you have summed up the problem here and it's not over reaction to a friendly result.  How do you get rid of shit other than wait till they are out of contract? Let's face it even if we give them away no one is going to pay their wages. I reckon we could be up the creek....for a few years simply due to having to ship out garbage.

[Jimbo]

it's time this under performing myth was put to bed - the usual suspects have under performed under a succession of different managers and coaches, which says to me that they are not up to the job.

This. Westwood, Bacuna, Cissoko, Westwood, Gestede all not good enough

Even two Westwoods aren't good enough. 0+0 = 0.

I think it's quite possible RDM has looked at his players on the training ground, and at the friendlies, and thought 'all is not lost with this bunch'. He's probably told them the slate has been wiped clean and 'we go again'. But until yesterday he hadn't seen them play at Villa Park.

All those players who took us down last season might be capable of better performances, but perhaps, once they cross that white line at Villa Park, all the old demons come flooding back?

It was the scene of their most horrendous failures, after all, and I doubt whether most of them have the strength of character to move on from that. They are irretrievably lost. And no amount of gentle coaxing or shouting or slate wiping will get them back.

Somebody mentioned we still need a leader on the pitch. That's key. One or two big characters will not allow the house of cards to cave in as soon as we concede. The body language alone yesterday spoke volumes.

But more than anything, we just need decent players who aren't tainted with the stink of failure and hopelessness. It still lingers thick in the air at Villa Park.

Graham Taylor didn't exactly break the bank in his first season, but he made radical changes on the pitch. He knew exactly the type of personalities we needed. We need the same approach now.

[in exile]

If thats the case we may have problems as the window now shits in 4 weeks

Does it really?

[Risso]

It's all just so disappointing.  There's absolutely no point in playing Gestede if the team isn't going to bang cross after cross in at him, and as we have no width in the team, that's never going to happen.  Ayew was our best player last season, but I'm not convinced he's got what it takes to be our main line striker this season.  Westwood and Bacuna just don't have the quality to dominate midfields in this division and the new kid Tshibola has played a handful of games.  It's going to be a long, hard and ultimately disappointing season if we don't sort this out.  We need an attacking midfielder, a striker and a decent wideman at the very least, and we need them ASAP.