Minus Defoe we've missed our 3 main players from last season in Kirchoff, Cattermole and M'Vila, we've had a botched up midfield all season and I don't know what any other manager would have done. It can't always be the new managers fault, after 5-6 managers I'd have thought people would have realised that. I'm up for him having next season to get rid of the shower of 5hite we have had for years and mix it up for the Championship with a few youngsters and few experienced heads. I'm in the "I'd rather spend a couple of years rebuilding in the Championship than poorly fire fight every season in the Premier League" camp.
Aye, history has taught us that replacing our manager every year isn't working for us. We've got a decent manager now who while he has his flaws isn't an idiot and we should stick with him. We're in trouble financially and that has to be the priority, we need to make the club sustainable and if we have to spend time in the Championship to do that then so be it.
If we go down, with our precarious finances we must ensure we don't end up like Portsmouth et al, I feel Moyes would be the man to stabilise the ship despite his deficiencies.
I fully agree mate. For the first time this season we actually played like a team in the first half yesterday, we looked comfortable, we pressed well and but for the woodwork we could have actually took the lead and who knows? may have turned out a different result. We were totally outclassed once they got their noses in front and it looked like we ran out of steam very early in the second half which proved to me that we are no where near fit enough to compete in this league. If we can continue that first half form then we have a chance, a very good chance, but we have to roll our sleeves up and keep that spirit up.
Yeah you can't get mad at them for losing against an on form City side. Jones vs. Sane for instance, huge gulf in quality between the two of them but Jones did bloody well considering. It sounds weak but there were a lot of positives for the rest of the season. The lack of subs when you could see the players were knacked brings up one of the negatives from the game but that partly speaks to the quality of the bench to be fair.
Aye, that's the bit I don't get mate. It was obvious for all to see that their heads had dropped and they lost that energy from the first half so why did DM wait so long? I'm not a big fan of Khazri TBH, I think he's lazy and just looks like he's going through the motions. For me he's neither better or even worse than Borini, but I watched Khazri when he came on yesterday and he didn't make any impact at all. There was one occasion when we were attacking and the attack broke down, Khazri just strolled back as if it was a sunday park kick about and he'd only been on a few minutes FFS. He should have been busting a gut to chase the ball down. I wouldn't start him based on that.
It's a catch 22 with Khazri, he's not playing well because he's not happy and he lacks sharpness but then he's not going to get those things without being played. Last season he was full of running and effort but it seems he's pissed off with Moyes and without knowing what Khazri's like in training I don't necessarily blame him. It almost seems like he's being intentionally snubbed and you know what these pampered gits are like now, they hate that.
They're a bunch of pansies mate, but surely if you want to impress your manager you would graft your tits off and prove him wrong, I didn't see that from him yesterday. Quite the opposite in fact, he just looked lethargic and disinterested.
I fully understand that he hasn't had much game time and he could be one of those players that needs a run in the team before he peaks, but that doesn't explain his attitude for me. I would keep him personally as I reckon it's players like him who will get us out of the championship if we do go down. If not then get rid.
Stick with what we have got, as an earlier poster said we cant afford this managerial merry go round every year. let Moyes have a go and see what he can do. i watched the game on TV yesterday and thought they did ok until we went behind, shame the Defoe attempt or that rebound from Borini didn't go in, the 3 lame headed attempts we also had. But hey ho that's SAFC, a story of if onlies. Once we went behind it seemed that all the wind was taken from our sails, its as though the players know they haven't got enough in themselves to get back into the game. By the way i have now resigned myself to playing in the Championship next year, if we do stay up this year i think it will just be another year of misery as Short isn't going to invest.
Think that's it though - the effort is there - was against Man C, Spurs, Liverpool and Southampton for 25 minutes - then Southampton scored and we reverted to the sad drab excuse of a team - not sure how a manager can affect that when it happens after the game-plan is already done! If we play like we did against City when we're playing the likes of Burnley, Swansea, Hull etc. then we'll beat them - I have no doubt of that as we played a team who were just a far better outfit than us - and we got beaten - I don't think it was the walkover all of the press appear to be making it - TBH I though we had the better chances first half and City were lucky to be ahead at the break - after the second goal the game changed to a possession game and they were just too good for us. If we carry that same effort into every game, we may well put a few points on the board Boro, Burnley, Watford, Leicester, Hull, Swansea, West Ham and Bournemouth are all beatable teams playing with heart and drive. If we win all of those games we stay up (I know!!!!!!) Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea being the other 3 fixtures which you are more willing to accept defeat but hope for more. Knowing us, we'll beat you lot, Arsenal and Chelsea and lose the rest!!!
Trouble we share as clubs mate, is we don't do so well in those types of games do we? How many times we've thrown points away in those fixtures, this season is disappointing. Bournemouth, Hull, Burnley... all three have got draws at Old Trafford, shutouts from Hull and Burnley their keepers had the games of their lives. The league is too hard, to predict the outcome of even those sort of fixtures innit. It's full of quality, every team has it and even though we all think there's some '****' teams in this league, the truth is no games are a certainty. You've got enough fixtures, to do it, but you need to pick up very soon. 11 games is 33 points, and you need half of them, probably just over half (17).
Haven't checked to see if it's correct, but the commentator on our TV said that before yesterday DM had 17 points from 16 matches, if that form continues we're doomed.
Can't argue with that mate. Think the point the commentator was trying to make is that we never got a point from the first 10 matches, but that's why we are where we are and it's relegation form. A team like ours cannot afford a start like that, 30 available points and we got sweet **** all !!!!!
I'd say 30-31 It's not gonna be enough. Folk saying 32-33 will be enough, possibly, but highly doubtful imo. I think the bottom 3 could end up all with sub 30, but 17th will be 35+, you can see teams kicking on already. That group of 7 teams will become 6, 5, 4 quickly enough imo.
For the most part I'd agree with you on this. However, while the absence of Kirchhoff and Cattermole from that midfield is down to injury and therefore unlikely to have been Moyes' fault, the absence of M'Vila is more questionable. Now, it might have been the club attempting to box clever and avoid a fee for M'Vila (in which case it backfired) but Moyes' comments about looking for better value than M'Vila suggest that he might have had a hand in his non-appearance. It was obvious to anyone that signing M'Vila on permanent deal and replacing Cattermole in that midfield three should have been the recruitment priorities at the start of this season but Moyes appears to have completely ignored that.
