What I don't get is that the target for this season was to survive, not finish mid-table. Why would Warnock be fired due to not being mid-table or higher?
Furthermore, would TF not have known that he'd probably be looking at a position just above relegation zone when January came?
Based on the games we've had at home, if I were the chairman I'd have expected us to be a little higher than what we are. Yes expectations are set out at the start of the season, but then again doesn't team performance and manner of results have a impact on the decision?
I'm sure TF has seen the games and realises that we should have come away with more points than we've gotten in certain games but I think he'll have a decent amount of belief in Warnock's abilities.
Is the target really just to survive? Warnock was given money to spend in August. He's been given money to spend now. If 17th is the best he can do, with the resources he has, then his best may not be good enough.
More than where we are it's where we are heading with our current run of results. We have dropped a long way for a long time and there is no sign of things changing as of now. I like Warnock but the club comes first. Could be worse though. Read this, heartbreaking: http://www.darlofc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15733
While he had some money, all the good players were sorted well before he had any. The amount of money he spent certainly would not have put us among the "big spenders" in the Premier League. While our resources jumped considerably when TF took over, they were still nothing significant for this league. It must also be remembered that we are competing against some teams who have had been able to spend those sums over several seasons, not just in a rush over a week or two.
I think that if we played every game for the rest of the season as well as we did against Norwich the other day, with the addition of a few good players around this transfer window, then we will be safe. I think we're improving our game but unfortunately did not get the result we deserved in the last match.
My point is that we WILL get better results from now on if we keep playing that way and improve the squad, which means we would keep above the other teams and probably climb.
you have got to be joking , against norwich we spent most of the 2nd half , and a great deal of the 1st ,camped in our own half , waiting to breakaway , watching norwich play the ball around till they scored . we need to play like they did against city , with passion and purpose , and against chelscum with dogginess ,stuberness and determenation . plus new quality players to have any chance of staying up .
Alternatively you could say that we allowed them to pass it sideways in defence without being able to get near the goal, scored on our first real attack, looked comfortable and the better side for 20 minutes or so, got a player sent off for no reason, they scored a very good long-range goal after 10 minutes with an extra man and more passing sideways doing nothing with it, spent 35 minutes of the second half again doing very little with it compared to us, nicked a goal when we really should have put ourselves ahead well before and held onto it. The performances this season haven't been anything like as bad as people make out. We've dominated most home games and have dropped points through a combination of woeful finishing, woeful officialdom and **** luck. It will turn around.
Can't argue with that assessment at all Watford. Problem for us all is that's THE recipe for relegation. The rub of the green deserts you, confidence drops and next minute you're back playing Millwall twice a season. Whilst the manager really does need to put more emphasis on forward play, an attacking 442 say - especially at home, the only thing that can help us restore confidence and start winning games, is the character of the team based on the optimism of new signings achieved this month. That in itself is an unknown quantity right now. We might get Bridge and Bassong which would add Traore to midfield wing - but we really need a solid attacking CM to supply whatever strikers we end up with. Problem for me is that NW never talks about acquiring that kind of player. Just have to hope Taarabt returns from Africa with a hooped shirt on his back and the bit between his teeth!
Momentum is what can make or break a season, we made a good start with 15 points from the first 12 games and optimism was really high after the Stoke win. Sadly that has all evaporated beginning with the defeat at Norwich and continuing the run up to now. We are, momentum wise, in reverse. What has really made the difference is the home defeats against Sunderland and Norwich, both games we should, on paper, have won but lost. That would have given us 23 points at this stage and we would have been in the 'Comfortable, but looking over your shoulder' group of teams. It can be such a fine line between success and failure, but just two more home wins would have put a totally different perspective on our view of the season so far...
