Chelsea v Saints Saturday 16/12/17 KO 3.00pm.

I’d be very surprised if we make that level of move in January, even if VVD goes.

 

Just seen your post!

 

Which is why I am not overly concerned. But it shouldn't cover MP inabilities to date, and it shouldn't cover how bad the board have messed up previously. Even putting the manager issue (Puel & MP) to one-side, this will be the 4th consecutive transfer window where we've been desperate for quality attacking players. Part of me wonders why I'm confident that it will be any different this time.

 

Why? all our signing recently have been that level. Hoedt, lemina, Gabbi, Boufal....

 

We have much better players then Burnley do going forward yet we have won 4 out 18 games. Yes the board could have got another attacker in. We should be comfortably mid table with the talent we have if we had a manager who was braver and tactically better.

 

How many are you expecting? How many do Burnley have that are better? Is Grøs better at Brighton? Our players are players my at about 50% of their ability. That’s poor management.

 

And they’ve made what difference exactly? The problem for me isn’t the players, it’s the confidence, the style, and the fact they’re playing so far under their potential. That’s management.

 

It's why I gave them a completely free ride last summer, when we failed to replace Mane and Pelle. They had so much goodwill in the bank, that I didn't criticise them (despite being very disappointed). But it did use up that goodwill. So the continued mistakes since then, I haven't been able to overlook or forgive.

 

(Also, it’s the January window).

 

Gabbiadini, Austin then.

 

What, having to play every team in the league, minus Tottenham?

 

I have been going on about the same thing for time now. We have no depth at all, that is the problem. We also don't have a goal scoring midfielder. Some of the players need to go, not because they are ****. But because they have stagnated and coasting ( this sometimes happens with teams that have no depth).

We can keep on saying we have better players then other teams. But they haven't performed under 2 managers now

 

Same question applies.

 

For me the fact theyre playing well under their potential is because of confidence and style.

 

I meant at the start. We had such a brilliant opportunity to build some momentum. If we had had a mixed set of fixtures where we had an easier game then a tough one and so on, it would have been more difficult to build up a run of results.

Now I know that no game in this league is easy, but come on, Pellegrino was given an opening run of games similar to that of a spoon-fed toddler.

 

Which could be because both managers haven't been up to it.

But regardless of whether the issue is the players, the recruitment, or the management (and everyone will have different views), fundamentally, it comes back to the board. It always come back to the board. And yet Les appears to be untouchable.

 

We've played the same teams (bar one) as everyone else haven't we?

 

If this was the players just playing **** under Pellegrino I would agree it is just a manager problem. But it has been the same for 2 managers now.

 

and for the first part, Gabbiadini scored 5 goals in his first few games and secured us a firm mid-table place.

 

And who is that down to?