Anyone starting to get worried?

[saunders_heroes]

Obviously I’d love a win tomorrow but after today’s results a draw would be decent.

[Sexual Ealing]

After seeing West Ham and Bournemouth, I'm much less worried.

[cdbearsfan]

The point is we are 3/4 of the way through the season and we still don’t know our best 11 or our best formation. That’s down to Smith and his team.

I'd imagine the same applies to most teams near the bottom. Having a settled side is a luxury of the successful teams. Even they rotate all the time. Sheffield United probably the exception, because they don't have a big enough squad to do so.

[cdbearsfan]

After seeing West Ham and Bournemouth, I'm much less worried.

Dunno, I saw a team that had lost nine-nil at home suddenly turn into Barcelona for a month earlier this season. So I won't read too much into today's performances.

Still, I certainly feel a lot better than I did at, say, six o'clock, anyway. Be great if we could stick one over one of the bloody London sides that have shafted us all season tomorrow.

[Steve67]

Average players can be made to look better with decent coaches. Take a look at Adama or even Ayew. But an average coach won't get anything more out of them.

I’d say Smith has improved Grealish and Mings at the very least.

I'd say it is really arguable about Grealish.  He was very good under Sherwood too.  Mings is now an England international but still has major flaws to his game, he's good on the floor but wet in the air for starters, good communicator, but prone to silly errors.  Talk us through the rest of the players that any of our coaching staff have improved? I don't see it but hope to by the end of the season as we stay up.

[FatSam]

Talk us through the rest of the players that any of our coaching staff have improved? I don't see it but hope to by the end of the season as we stay up.

Maybe Nyland? But yes, I agree.

[Steve67]

Talk us through the rest of the players that any of our coaching staff have improved? I don't see it but hope to by the end of the season as we stay up.

Maybe Nyland? But yes, I agree.

He fills me with dread too mate.  I'd prefer Steer if he was fit.

[tomd2103]

The point is we are 3/4 of the way through the season and we still don’t know our best 11 or our best formation. That’s down to Smith and his team.

Think a big part of that is that whichever formation we play, there are areas covered by substandard players. 

Might turn out not to be the case, but it is more than likely that we are going to have to win a few games to stay up.  I think our best chance of that is to play a formation with two up front and Grealish in a central area just behind them.

[Luke8]

Average players can be made to look better with decent coaches. Take a look at Adama or even Ayew. But an average coach won't get anything more out of them.

I’d say Smith has improved Grealish and Mings at the very least.

I'd say it is really arguable about Grealish.  He was very good under Sherwood too.  Mings is now an England international but still has major flaws to his game, he's good on the floor but wet in the air for starters, good communicator, but prone to silly errors.  Talk us through the rest of the players that any of our coaching staff have improved? I don't see it but hope to by the end of the season as we stay up.

I was responding the point by curiousorange that our ‘average’ players won’t improve under our ‘average’ coach. I was just pointing out two examples where players patently have improved under Smith.

It’s a bit of a simplistic way of looking at it anyway. Like you say, Grealish has some excellent games under Sherwood and Adama, from the example above, played for Barcelona at 17. There are clearly loads of other factors that contribute towards a players development as well as just their manager - but to say Smith can’t improve players isn’t true in my opinion.

[Ad@m]

The point is we are 3/4 of the way through the season and we still don’t know our best 11 or our best formation. That’s down to Smith and his team.

Think a big part of that is that whichever formation we play, there are areas covered by substandard players. 

Might turn out not to be the case, but it is more than likely that we are going to have to win a few games to stay up.  I think our best chance of that is to play a formation with two up front and Grealish in a central area just behind them.

I tend to agree but know for certain that given how weak our midfield is when three of them are in there, if it was just one, to give Grealish free reign, it would be like 90 minutes of attack Vs defence.

I'm not sure my heart could cope with that!

[Luke8]

The point is we are 3/4 of the way through the season and we still don’t know our best 11 or our best formation. That’s down to Smith and his team.

Think a big part of that is that whichever formation we play, there are areas covered by substandard players. 

Might turn out not to be the case, but it is more than likely that we are going to have to win a few games to stay up.  I think our best chance of that is to play a formation with two up front and Grealish in a central area just behind them.

I tend to agree but know for certain that given how weak our midfield is when three of them are in there, if it was just one, to give Grealish free reign, it would be like 90 minutes of attack Vs defence.

I'm not sure my heart could cope with that!

I can’t see it happening but, you would think that, if we did go two up front it would be in something like a 4-3-1-2 formation so we didn’t open up the midfield completely. Would put a lot of emphasis on the full backs providing the attacking width though.

[SoccerHQ]

Groundhog day yet again against top 6/7 team.

Time is really running out now. Simply have to beat Newcastle but really from the first minute of the Bournemouth game in February we've looked like we belong in the bottom 3.

[cdbearsfan]

Had the lead against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham (home and away) and Man United. Points won: one.

We have always been a bunch of bottling fannies and have taken it to new levels this season.

[CT]

Just checking that Newcastle and Palace are the games we’re hoping to win? Two teams that despatched their opponents over the weekend.

Or are we going to roll over and let them tickle our tummies too?

[PaulWinch again]

Had the lead against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham (home and away) and Man United. Points won: one.

We have always been a bunch of bottling fannies and have taken it to new levels this season.

Yep, poor game management and sitting back.