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Author Topic: Relegation Watch  (Read 148934 times)

Offline aj2k77

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #360 on: March 10, 2020, 09:32:47 AM »
Being fair, Elmo was at times last season struggling to look like he was a good Championship player, he should be nowhere near a Premier team's line up. Smith just looks like he's shuffling the pack and hoping to hit something. There's 10 games left and he doesn't know which formation suits the players he purchased or his best 11. It's pathetically poorly organised.

Online Drummond

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #361 on: March 10, 2020, 10:28:41 AM »
Being fair, Elmo was at times last season struggling to look like he was a good Championship player, he should be nowhere near a Premier team's line up. Smith just looks like he's shuffling the pack and hoping to hit something. There's 10 games left and he doesn't know which formation suits the players he purchased or his best 11. It's pathetically poorly organised.

Maybe the tools he has at his disposal just aren't good enough. We're getting found out the longer the season goes on which isn't a surprise really, it often happens with newly promoted sides. I was just too optimistic earlier in the season as I felt we'd do ok and that Sheff United would be the ones found out, however, their strength and system has really helped....

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #362 on: March 10, 2020, 10:39:55 AM »
We are consistently terrible. It is unacceptable.

I’ve watched Norwich more than I’m comfortable with this season and you get the impression that they are a little unlucky to be bottom, that they are one or two players away from being a reasonable side.

We have no shape, allow teams to completely dominate us, give space in the box and are completely one dimensional in attack.
I have zero belief in this side.



They're the same as us, simply can't defend. If they'd signed a Mings type CB they'd probably be 17th.

Worth noting they won the championship last season conceding nearly 60 goals so pretty much the same as us.

Offline chrisw1

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #363 on: March 10, 2020, 10:54:49 AM »
Being fair, Elmo was at times last season struggling to look like he was a good Championship player, he should be nowhere near a Premier team's line up. Smith just looks like he's shuffling the pack and hoping to hit something. There's 10 games left and he doesn't know which formation suits the players he purchased or his best 11. It's pathetically poorly organised.

Maybe the tools he has at his disposal just aren't good enough. We're getting found out the longer the season goes on which isn't a surprise really, it often happens with newly promoted sides. I was just too optimistic earlier in the season as I felt we'd do ok and that Sheff United would be the ones found out, however, their strength and system has really helped....
Exactly this.  Wesley was just a ridiculous gamble that didn't pay off.  Marv and Doug have good potential but were just the wrong players for us at the time given our circumstances.  Trez much the same, but worse than these two.

Ignoring loans and trying to move too quickly to the 'young and hungry' model has done for us.  Again.

Offline Fred Crump

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #364 on: March 10, 2020, 11:02:57 AM »
Agree. It’s just possible that in future Luiz , El Ghazi , Wesley and Freddie might do well enough in a stronger side at another club ( like Veretout, Gana , Westwood, Lowton and Adama ) but right now, when it counts,there’s too many of them who simply aren’t good enough to keep us up.

Offline Luke8

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #365 on: March 10, 2020, 11:37:43 AM »
Without going over old ground, with regards to the recruitment, we essentially came up as quite a mess of a squad really.

Contracted to the club, we had two players of good Premiership quality, maybe 4/5 that should be useful within a squad at this level and one or two promising kids. And that was literally it. That scale of rebuild is pretty unprecedented.

Could the recruitment have been better? Yes. Were we naive to ignore some aspects of the market? Almost certainly. We gambled that the players would improve enough and come together across the season and at the moment it looking like it won’t quite work but it was a really tough position to be in and a difficult job to get right.

Offline phantom limb

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #366 on: March 10, 2020, 12:12:08 PM »
I don’t think it was so much ignoring aspects of the market, it’s being limited in what we were able to spend. This is why we spent so little in January despite three major injuries, and there are still championship clubs screeching about our spend from last year.

We had to quickly assemble a squad and we know that three of the main summer targets that Smith wanted we were quoted big money for. So they took a gamble on a lot of these players, most of whom will probably go on to have decent careers much like Traore, Vertout, Gaye etc. Chucking them all in at once and hoping everything would work out ok was the problem.

Online Drummond

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #367 on: March 10, 2020, 03:57:33 PM »
The form guide over the past number of games has to give us hope, particularly if we can tighten the defence, the Man City defeat has quite an effect on the goal difference).

Matches   Position
4              17th (lower than Southampton, West Ham and Brighton and above Norwich on goal difference)
6              20th (lower than Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth and Brighton on goal difference)
8              18th (lower than Norwich and Bournemouth on goal difference)
10            16th (lower than Newcastle on goal diffference)

After last night this has obviously changed......

Matches   Position
4              20th (We have 0 points and Bournemouth - 1 point, Norwich, Southampton, West Ham, Brighton - 3 points, the teams above)
6              20th (lower than Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth and Brighton on goal difference)
8              18th (lower than Norwich and Bournemouth on goal difference)
10            16th (lower than Newcastle on goal diffference)

So basically, whilst the only change is the 4 match streak, it really isn't good viewing. We're in the shit on recent form is the takeaway fact.

Offline Footy-Vill

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #368 on: March 10, 2020, 04:04:06 PM »
Contracted to the club, we had two players of good Premiership quality, maybe 4/5 that should be useful within a squad at this level and one or two promising kids. And that was literally it. That scale of rebuild is pretty unprecedented.

Could the recruitment have been better? Yes. Were we naive to ignore some aspects of the market? Almost certainly. We gambled that the players would improve enough and come together across the season and at the moment it looking like it won’t quite work but it was a really tough position to be in and a difficult job to get right.

I like what Sheffield Utd have done.
And they have players of John Lundstrum and John Fleck. Who may not have been suggested as premier league players but have done very well
Players that fit the mould.
Villa were making deals with idea to protect financier and put out some clever marketing with signing the Brazilians.
When  some were risks all ends up with nothing outfield proven coming in till January.


Offline Des Little

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #369 on: March 10, 2020, 04:39:59 PM »
Last night was yet another example of just how poor our players are, compared to the standard in the Prem. Wayward passes, dreadful control and hesitancy in movement were all there for all to see. It was the same at Saints and Bournemouth; we lack the most basic requirements of players to compete at this level. That’s why we will drop like a stone.

Offline villa for life

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #370 on: March 10, 2020, 04:46:11 PM »
We always complain about the players, though...

Yet time and time again, a fair few of our flops go on to do fairly well and many end up playing in the premiership with other sides and look ok.

I think it’s the manager’s experience that has cost us this season..

So frustrating that all parts never seem to click at the same time..

Offline hilts_coolerking

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #371 on: March 10, 2020, 04:51:32 PM »
Could the recruitment have been better? Yes. Were we naive to ignore some aspects of the market? Almost certainly. We gambled that the players would improve enough and come together across the season and at the moment it looking like it won’t quite work but it was a really tough position to be in and a difficult job to get right.
Difficult, but not impossible.

Offline DrGonzo

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #372 on: March 10, 2020, 04:55:49 PM »
We should be capable of defending a corner.  You can teach young teenagers how to pick up a runner and get between them and the ball.

Offline Luke8

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #373 on: March 10, 2020, 06:57:37 PM »

So basically, whilst the only change is the 4 match streak, it really isn't good viewing. We're in the shit on recent form is the takeaway fact.

Is it too optimistic/clutching at straws to say (hope) that if the form guide of the previous ten games repeats itself for the rest of the season that we stay up above West Ham and Bournemouth?

Offline Axl Rose

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #374 on: March 11, 2020, 10:32:58 PM »
Athletico winning through means Liverpool don't have to take the Villa game so easy.
Would rather have them distracted by the European champions league

We have no chance of getting anything from that match anyway, footy. I think, anyway.

They could put out the team that last won the league and we'd still struggle.


 


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