I think that we are still at the guessing stage with this team and it could all come together in a few matches like it did last season after a dodgy start. That's the trouble with modern fans, everyone wants instant results and just imagine if Martin had been sacked last year after a winless run, we might be a lot worse off now. He has earned the chance to manage in the PL and the owners have backed him so I prefer to see how it plays out but obviously the results will have to get better in time.
I would be happy to start the same 11 as we did against Utd, with the exception of THB for Shoehorn, BUT I want to see Diaz doing a lot more to help KWP as I thought his tracking back to help was woeful last weekend. Fraser tracks back a lot more imo, so I wouldn’t be disappointed if he started.
I admire your confidence/belief but comparing last year to this is chalk and cheese to me. I remember before we played Sunderland where we got humped I went on their board and they were saying stuff like our entire bench would walk into their side, let alone the 11 we had starting that day. That sentiment was said regularly when I looked at whoever we were playing that days fans boards This year we don’t have that quality. So whilst Martin turned it round last year i don’t think you can overlook just how much better we were as a squad than the vast majority of the league. He may find a way to make a lesser squad play his style and be successful but I don’t think pointing to him turning it round last year has any relevance to this season unfortunately
I’d add as well that off the top of my head I can’t think of a manager who I would back to definitely keep this squad up such is the challenge of a promoted side to the PL I don’t see Martin being able to do it, and definitely not with the possession style we’ve seen so far, but I struggle to see a style which could make this team survive. We have some talented youngsters, a few good enough experienced players and that’s about it for this level, which doesn’t seem nearly enough
I just think it's unrealistic to expect so many changes to a team to click immediately and my point is that performances might get better the more the team builds relationships together like they did last season and as they did for Nigel Adkins in 2012. The fans need to show a bit of patience but if we are rooted to the bottom with only a handful of points in November then more questions need to be asked.
You could be right, and maybe I’m being harsh on the players and they will in time show they are decent at this level. Too early to say either way for certain, but I am sure that the style needs to be adapted if we are to have a chance
If we are clever, which I think we may have been, we just look at this season as a free hit. We have signed young players with massively high ceilings. If we go down, then those players will definitely bring us straight back up or be sold for extremely large sums, enabling us to continue the process of gradual improvement without risk. I think anyone expecting anything other than going back down is deluded, but that won't make this season a failure if Fernandes, Dibling, THB, and co are convinced to stick around. In fact, going down and keeping those players could be the very best thing to happen. Imagine the confidence and growth they would demonstrate if we won the Championship. I have predicted us to lose / struggle in all our games. This one I genuinely think we will win comfortably. But I still expect relegation!
I’m sure if you could be bothered you’d find similar stuff being said in the 22/23 season about a season of Championship football being great for the likes of Mara/Bazunu/Edozie and we know how that turned out! If Dibling and Fernandes have good years then they will go for hopefully big money, like Lavia and Livramento before them. It’s very hard to develop players in the Championship I think, especially as the pressure will be on to come straight back up. Of all the players viewed as promising youngsters we had at the start of last season (Bazunu, Edozie, Mara, Alcaraz, Sulemana may be more I’m forgetting) I don’t think any of them really developed last season and we relied on more experienced players to get us over the line, and basically all of those young players have either left the club or have been written off
That assumes that these players aren't better than those. My smell test tells me they are substantially better. Also, Bazunu is a failed experiment and someone needs to acknowledge that. I think only Edozie and Alcaraz out of those have much potential, and I don't think either is in the same league as Fernandes or Dibling. And to finish that thought, I think they are players who could rip the Championship apart.
That’s fine if you think they are better and more in the Lavia/Livramento tier of player. Means that are likely to leave and we get good money. it’s going to be players like Archer/Edwards/SAA who will still be here who we are looking to develop if we go down. No idea if they are better than the previous crop but a season of getting beaten in the PL can’t do much for their development/confidence
I would say Edwards is a huge talent and if he gets a season in the Championship alongside THB it will set up a long term defensive partnership. Archer... well, he will do well in the Championship whatever happens. SAA is an excellent footballer and I am convinced he has a great career ahead of him. Right now Dibling's development has overshadowed him, but that doesn't mean he isn't a long term upgrade on the likes of Fraser.
I'm not sure whether Dibling will leave if he has a really good season. He's already left once and came back very quickly and will still be a teenager next summer so I don't think that situation is quite as clear cut as some of the others.
I think the issue Martin has this season is that there's not enough goals in the team. His sides always concede lots of goals which we know but without the goals to try and counteract that then he's going to struggle massively.
He's also got a contract until 2027 (including the club option to extend by a year) so we're under no pressure to sell.
Unless we want the money of course which we likely would after relegation. All hypotheticals at this stage of course but if someone came in with a £25-30m bid then I think we'd find that very difficult to turn down. Ideal situation from clubs point of view is a sale to someone willing to loan him back for season.
I'm excited and nervous in equal measure. Easily our biggest match of the season so far, by a massive distance.
I won't say that's irrelevant but Fernandes has a contract until 2029 and Ramsdale has a contract until 2028 and I'd fully expect both to leave if we go down.
