We showed Liverpool too much respect yesterday. We approached them based on reputation and not on their current form. Most of us could see their achilles heel and we should have played on the front foot. The game was calling out for Davis.Instead, our starting eleven gave Liverpool the initiative and boosted their confidence before a ball was even kicked. I often think Martinez and Mings dictate the tempo of our game. When they show urgency, the team shows urgency. When they 'dilly dally' the team dilly dallies. Yesterday, Martinez was time wasting after 5 minutes!!Smiths team selection and subsequent message to players was negative. Yet again, he has shown to much respect to the so called top six clubs.I like Smith, overall he has done a decent job to date. However, he needs to get rid of that inferiority complex when we face the bigger clubs and play them on merit and not reputation. Fortune favours the brave, Be braver Smith.
We can assume that Dean and his staff will have been given a target for this season which will have been achieved already I'd guess. His reward will be to have an opportunity to continue to build on the overall progress thats been made.Real progress has been made in squad development but clearly some parts of the team need improving.It's going to be exciting to see how he and the owners develop the team next season.
what size are you, by the way?
We've won 4 of the last 17 and scored more than once in just 3 of those. That's shit. Wake up Smith. It's not a ''blip'', that's half a season of results really. 5 very difficult fixtures remaining. He needs to learn how to put a cap on these poor runs we go on. You don't get COVID breaks every year to reevaluate where it's gone wrong. Sometimes he really does look like a rookie manager. He's in his 50's.
The problem is is that it isn’t just this season we’ve struggled when Grealish has been out. The evidence for the people that say everything is down to Grealish is growing rather than the other way round. Of course it makes a difference, but I’m not sure that excuses having such long spells of poor form. At times, the way people talk you’d think that Smith is managing under owners who want out and haven’t given him any money. There comes a point where you have to question these long spells of poor form without just keep saying ‘Grealish is out, what can anybody do?’. It’s the recurring nature of the problems that is the issue
Quote from: Ketzster on April 11, 2021, 11:58:03 AMThe problem is is that it isn’t just this season we’ve struggled when Grealish has been out. The evidence for the people that say everything is down to Grealish is growing rather than the other way round. Of course it makes a difference, but I’m not sure that excuses having such long spells of poor form. At times, the way people talk you’d think that Smith is managing under owners who want out and haven’t given him any money. There comes a point where you have to question these long spells of poor form without just keep saying ‘Grealish is out, what can anybody do?’. It’s the recurring nature of the problems that is the issueAs has bene said a number of times yesterday, this season the big drop off in form was the quarantine for covid shutting us down not Jack being out.
Quote from: paul_e on April 11, 2021, 12:06:41 PMQuote from: Ketzster on April 11, 2021, 11:58:03 AMThe problem is is that it isn’t just this season we’ve struggled when Grealish has been out. The evidence for the people that say everything is down to Grealish is growing rather than the other way round. Of course it makes a difference, but I’m not sure that excuses having such long spells of poor form. At times, the way people talk you’d think that Smith is managing under owners who want out and haven’t given him any money. There comes a point where you have to question these long spells of poor form without just keep saying ‘Grealish is out, what can anybody do?’. It’s the recurring nature of the problems that is the issueAs has bene said a number of times yesterday, this season the big drop off in form was the quarantine for covid shutting us down not Jack being out.That doesn't stand up to any sort of scrutiny. Straight after the enforced covid break and until Jack was out, we won 3 out of 7 games, drew 1 and lost 3. Two of the defeats were against Man City, where we were robbed by the ref, and Burnley where we played well and should have 4-0 up at half time. West Ham was the only game we really deserved to lose. Since Jack has been out we've won two out of 8, and haven't played well in any of the games at all, apart from the odd patch.