The assumption (when you start looking over your shoulder) is that every team below you will start winning games. There is a reason the likes of Huddersfield, Sheff Wed, Stoke QPR etc are down where they are and it's because they have inferior players. Now, there might be a few teams that have an upturn (Sheff Wed, QPR, Milwall) but these things are rarely sustainable. Other teams like Blackburn, Plymouth, Swansea, Birmingham etc will win one, lose 2, draw one, lose 3. There is no way we are getting dragged into a relegation battle
Things have turned out badly this season, it happens as Birmingham are finding out for one example ... ... 4th bottom, two bad choices of manager and Huddersfield, 3d bottom, to play away. There are other 'six pointers' which mean we're probably safe already. We won't go down but people seem to enjoy a crisis so will keep repeating 'relegation' until they convince a few more. For me it's time to start looking towards next season and building on what we have, not destroying everything in a rage.
A lot of those twams are only 3 or 4 points being us though so even if they win 1 and draw 2 of there last 9 they will overtake us plus some of those below is still have to play us so there's a 3 point upturn straight away. If we finish this season with 47 points we will be lucky to stay up. I think it's a pointless discussion anyway as there's no way we lose every one of our last 9 games but I think the scenario your throwing out sees us in deep trouble.
Why is there no way. We have lost the last 6 and frankly we look worse than any time in this league lately.
The problem lies within recruiting so many kids then not giving them chances and when they are thrown on it’s for 15 minutes here or there. Normal clubs sign a few younger players and bed them into a team full of experienced players who’ll help them settle. Our midfield 3 today are 16, 18 and 23. Our oldest player was Ballard at 24. That’s disgraceful. It’s f*ck all to do with injuries, all teams have players missing they just get on with it. We signed players who aren’t ready in the summer then stood still in January it’s our own doing.
We’re in relegation form though. Hopefully enough when Clarke back to ease our worries.,I do think injuries have made it much harder but that doesn’t hide responsibility for some of our implosion.
It's not just we play kids it's cos we don't have a proper plan, that we can stick to, with players playing in their correct positions. Stopped in Market Harborough great night so far.
I see no way we lose our next 9 games we pick up 1 win and a couple of draws minimum. We play a lot of mid table teams who pretty soon will be on the beach with nothing to play for. We also play a couple of teams down the bottom at home who may well be happy to come and take a point. We will get a bit of luck in 1 or 2 of the remaining games plus Roberts and Clarke will return making us more of a threat going forward. I'm not trying to pour water over any negativity by the way far from it I've not been this upset about out club for a long time and the direction we are going but it's next season I'm concerned about more than this one.
Huge summer ahead. We know Clarke will leave, it's all about how we re-invest that money. The majority of the fanbase will not accept us buying 5 x 18 year olds from French academies.
Quality not age is the issue. A Clarke level striker and a Ballard level cdm and I wouldn’t complain.,I also think injuries are a factor - losing good players to injury reduces the ability to outlay on others. Our issue is that our squad players haven’t been ready to step up consistently. I think our striker options are really weak, of them Rusyn may come good elsewhere on the field. Others like Aouchiche, Ba, Pembele Seelt have promise but can’t be trusted consistently. You combine a stock up of poor players,inconsistent players and injuries and money is tight. We’ve been unlucky but also got the balance wrong.
I know all that and I'd hope the club can work out what we all have and address it. The club are responsible for what happens at the club, that's a fact. I just don't see any point in repeating, over and over, what mistakes we've made and what would happen if we repeat them. All this finger pointing, at KLD/KS/whoever is pointless and, to me, seems vindictive without good reason.
If you went and took the league winners from the top 50 leagues in world football last season you’d struggle to find any with an average age of about 22. You need some experience in there to help the young lads out, they’ve got nobody to give them advice when things aren’t working. It’s not just about quality sometimes you need a few players who are better off the ball than they are with it.
It is a huge summer ahead and frankly a defining one for Speakman and KLD we will get money for Clarke we also may get money for Ballard or Neil or both and yes if we re-invest in 5 young French kids to replace them there will be absolute hell on and we will be relegated no question about it for me. If however we use the money to sign younger players who have more than a handful of games and ideally in the English leagues along with a few more experienced heads through the spine then I say fair enough. No harm in a couple of 18 year olds from someone's academy but we need to get the basics there before we go down this route. We need quality now not potential quality in 3 years time
The thing, well two things for me at the moment are ; Will we get some semblance of form to retain a positive reputation. Do I trust the judgment of those in charge in the summer. I have to be honest I’m struggling for a positive response to either at the moment. Not saying they’ve not done some good but if we get say 40 million this summer and make the team weaker again I’m worried we won’t nosedive. The more I see Hemir/Burstow even Rusyn though I love his spirit, the less confident I feel of either.
Clarke will leave. I remain to be convinced that Ballard (injury prone) or Neil (MLF) will leave. I think the noise around Patterson has probably disappeared due to recent form. We might have something left field like Ekwah or Hume leaving, but hopefully for significant profits. Guess we'll see what the summer brings...
