Spoiler: WARNING - This post contains upsetting scenes Official Highlights 2 minutes: Extended: Full 90: Post match show:
In the absence of some genuine reasons to moan about the state of our club people are finding reason. Tickets, player quality, performances, manager. We are in the best nick we’ve been for a long time. Some players look a bit low in confidence, a bit young to compete against physicality at times. I’m still chuffed to bits and after a dusting down, still will be if we don’t win the play offs. We’re on an upward spiral and unless you’ve sold your soul to the devil (eg today’s cup finalists) change doesn’t happen overnight. So let’s enjoy the ride and respect the methods.
Oh my head hurts Match aside, cracking day with some cracking lads. They even had me stay to the final whistle Had a few in Brum on the way home and a bloody good curry. Oh aye and there was a match in the middle of it all It felt like it used to to be honest, a great day out with a footy match in between... Havent read the thread, but my take on things as I saw them through beer goggles. A big collective off day. We have all played the game at some level, and we all know when just 2 or 3 are off if it becomes difficult. Yesterday it was the majority and the result is therefore inevitable. The way we play this can happen. We are so reliant on somone like Neil to glue posession and yesterday he was poor. He made their midfield look quality and there is not a cat in hells chance I swap Grimes for Neil. Jobe also lacked that physical dominance that complements Neil so well. When that part of our game is poor the rest is so difficult. Pressure spreads. Players do things they wouldnt normally do. And Coventry took full advantage, fair play to them. Their forward line is a threat to any team. We got what we deserved. It is a good time to have an international break. Also really helpful that so many are away on international duty. A different scene, with different voices, will freshen them up. Regis has a bit of thinking to do and now is a good time to do it. I am little concerned about how things have gone since Dodds left. I wonder if we are missing his man mangement stuff. Could it be freshening up on the training pitch would help? Give me a call Regis Ultimately our first 11 is more than good enough. But they are human. Bad days happen in football, look at Man City. The lads came over at the end apologetic. God knows they have nothing to be sorry for, they are humans who have represented this club unbelievably well this season, in in many cases prior. An off day is more than forgiveable. I trust them to come back strong again. We go again.
People are often pulled up for getting excited, which I thought was the point, and told not to get carried away. But a few bad results and 'everything is falling to pieces', we'll lose in the playoffs, the manager is on borrowed time and just Speakman's puppet. The reality is that the club is progressing and we have a chance of PL football ... ... just as Leeds, Burnley and Sheff Utd have a chance but may be heading for another season in this league. The progress isn't quick enough for some and the same old demands come out ... spend, spend and keep spending.
If we keep spending on the right player for the right price and they grow with us we will improve as a club. We need to spend but not be impatient fools. Sheffield United may but may not go up. They have spent daft money a year after being at risk. They can do what they want but I don’t want that for our club. Cumulative growth will do me just fine and will get us up at some point.
Spending big is fine if it guarantees promotion but one of the top three are certain to miss out on the automatics and possibly promotion. Fail to go up then you have to keep paying those wages and have another attempt that may also fail. If Sheff Utd go up, with that team, they'll struggle again because few of them have the quality or potential. Which either means a repeat of the miserable season they had last time or another big spend which may not even work. I'm with you, we've never had so many talented players and I'd rather give them time to develop, individually and as a team, rather than bring in a few expensive Championship level players in the hope that it gets us up ... ... although it might fail, cost us in the long run and stifle the development of players like Mundle, Mayenda, Rigg, etc.
Resisted posting yesterday, I only caught part of the match so didn’t see the whole thing in all its glory. For that to be the first time all season we’ve not been in a match or entered the final minutes with having a chance of getting something out the game shows how far we’ve come. I can still very clearly remember sitting there at half time 4-0 down to Blackburn last year, with my lad asking if we were staying for the second half, despite it being a 3 and half hour each way trip for us. (We did stay, and just laughed at how ****e we were) Break at the right time. Get over the line, reset and go again in the playoff. I do hope we can avoid Coventry though, the hoodoo is real. In other awful news, despite my best protests; I am having to go to the cup final today for a sponsorship thing at work. Seriously hoping Liverpool stuff the mags big time!
RTB posted the, err, highlights at the top of the page. They are behind a spoiler to protect those of a delicate disposition.
WBA and Bristol on 57 with 8 games to go, max 24 points taking them to 81 We need 13 points from 8 to be assured of it, whilst arguably as low as 6 could be enough but wouldnt want to hang my hat on it. Real flat since the Leeds game has me thinking that there is an element of deflation and arguable acceptation off a playoff place amongst the squad, I'd hope not as top 2 was very much still on post Leeds but its the only thing I can think of to add logic to our form. We got over the line in games pre Leeds whereas post Leeds we haven't been in them. It's massive key players stay fit and I'm very much hoping our best team, when fit, has Enzo in that Rigg role, giving much needed creativity in the middle with pace in front and on either flank. If Enzo comes back and somehow is ostracised on the left I might lose my marbles and as a side point the playoffs are stomach churning arent they.
I wish footy was so easy. He forgets we tried, but were outbid. I sometimes think fans assume buying a player is like buying a car. Way more complex.
It's not easy but people are paid very well to make, good decisions to progress the club. It's been a good season to date however, I do think the recruitment this year has been poor. What is easy, is making a decision when players fail medicals, or are injured before the medical or have significant injuries issues before they are even here. All of Samed, Danns, Poveda have been totally pointless to date and a waste of time, money and a place in the squad. All could and should have been ignored. Championship is too robust and a slog to sign players who are injured or have poor records.
There are levels of risk associated with tfrs. Danns is not worth worrying about, it was so late in the day getting anyone else in was not possible and there may well have been a chance he would be fit by last 5 games. Plus, my guess is, the commitment we made was financially sensible and perhaps gives us 1st choice next season for a loan. Samed and Poveda both look poor deals, but I can at least see why he wanted Samed. The likes of Mepham and Isidor have had significant impacts. Le Fee might still. In those 3 alone we have fished in a different pond to previous, and done well. At the tims a free for Browne looked very good business. We are attracting players, that is the big news here, some will work, some may not. Cant be agreeing our tfelr business has been poor, particularly when you look at how we play the long game with some puchases - Mayenda. Those you say we are paying good money to make decisions are getting more right than wrong.
