Ok, so I havent posted for a while, but do regularly have a read of what my fellow SAFC fans are thinking. Can I just ask, could Jose Mourinho get our current squad playing better? I dont think so. Its plain to see, that the current squad is just not good enough for the premier league. Apart from a few players, we are miles away in terms of the quality that we possess in our squad. I know that alot of people will come on here and slate me for this post, but I really dont think that we can just keep saying sack the manager. The fact of the matter is, that we have a really poor squad. Heres my main problems: John O'Shea - been a good player in the past, but now looks past it, is not fast enough, has a turning circle larger than an oil tanker. Seb Larsson - gives the ball away far too easily, cant tackle, and is only in the team for his set pieces. Which to be honest have been poor all season. James McClean - bit of a one trick pony, full of graft, but just not good enough. So instead of slating the manager, how about people have a look at the facts and realise that this squad, is simply not good enough.
Sorry but I disagree. I want MON to stay but the squad is easily good enough to be top 10. It's the players that need to up their game, there have been signs in the last few games and for a bit more luck we would not be sitting in the bottom 3 right now. I still believe we will come good, I hate to say this, but we are too good to go down, now they need to show that.
Sorry mate but I disagree... The squad that MON inherited was woeful and one of the primary additions has failed to shine the way we expected, AJ. I didn't see many people complaining when AJ was signed so I suspect that most people agreed with brining AJ in. When MON arrived he inherited 3 midfielders of a proven relegated pedigree. Gardner, Larsson (Birmingham) and Vaughan (Blackpool). Colback isn't a proven premier league player often flattering to decieve and in fact, the only midfielders we had of premier league standard were Cattermole and Sessegnon. We are unable to consider Sessegnon as a true midfielder because he is like a square peg in a round hole. He also inherited McClean who isn't premier league standard. Our longest serving player wanted away, Richardson... He inherited a strike force of Ji, Wickham, Noble and Campbell... A good squad? An embarrasment if you ask me... For a club that had been in the premier league for 5 seasons, that squad is nothing short of a disgrace and is precisely why Bruce was shown the door. How much work can MON achieve in 1 season? He started the ball rolling, we all agree Rose is our best player, Fletcher is doing the business and AJ will come good once he has players around him who are clever enough to anticipate his thoughts. MON IS trying to do what he can to improve the situation and if Short was to let MON go it would be a long-term disaster IMO.
Let's give MON an eight year contract and sell 15 of our players. Mon himself had them playing brilliantly last year. Now they're ****. The players can't take all the blame it's up to the manager to get them playing well.
Fletcher Sessegnon Johnson Rose Mignolet McClean when playing to potential Cattermole All above are top 8-10 players. Gardener O'Shea Cuellar Above are run of the mill, mid table premier league players. Bardsley Is gash. That's pretty much your first choice XI, on the bench you have Vaughan, Colback, Brown, Saha, Wickham, Bramble, all are mid to lower premier league players at worst. Your squad should be around 10th place at the worst imo. Saying the players aren't good enough is just making excuses for O'Neill. Don't forget Bruce finished 10th and the squad has been improved since those days, but that seems to have been conveniently ignored... EDIT: forgot Larsson, another mid to lower prem player.
It's common to see a new manager come in and motivate players beyond their long-term average abilities. It happens often matey... But those brief moments of excellence will average out if all you have is average players and when the initial spark, motivation, release or whatever it is disapeers, this is a classical scenario of what remains. It's a crap season, no doubt and I think we will be relegated. I still think MON is the man for the job in the long-term. If we were to go out and bring a man of the moment in Poyet or Martinez, how long would that last? If they done well, how soon would they be off to a more fertile climate? In MON, we have a manager that we know we can trust in the long-term and isn't going to leave for another club. I'm afraid our club needs a lot of work and I don't think a quick 'resolution' (and that assumes changing the manger would resolve the issues we have) is the best long-term decision because soon enough, we will be back knocking at the relegation door once again.
Lets say these players arent good enough, why didnt he replace in the summer, why doesnt he drop them. Thats why he has to go, he plays pretty much the same players regardless of form. These players need a good stint on the sidelines
It's clear to me that you watch another club. If you think that by selling Bent, Gyan, Henderson and Ferdinand and letting Malbranque, Muntari, Zenden and Mensah leave. (Welbeck returned to United) Then replacing that lot with 3 relegated midfelders in Gardner, Larsson (Birmingham), Vaughan (Blackpool) and bringing in, Ji and Wickham as strikers and another loan in mr attitude Bendtner then you clearly havn't got the slightest clue of what improving a squad actually involves. Thats the reason why Bruce was sacked... 2 managers and more or less the same squad and same situation. Smell the coffee anybody?
But you were all very excited when these players signed. Gardner, 12 goals or something the year before you signed him, you were buzzing. Larsson, the gloating was endless that apparently we tried to sign him and he chose to join you lot instead. You've also conveniently forgotten about the additions of Fletcher, Johnson, McClean, O'shea, Rose, who have definitely improved the squad in the time since that 10th place finish. Obviously you cos you replied petal.
I wasn't buzzing when we signed Gardner or Larsson... I was wondering to myself how Bruce, who had initially shown such creative thought could be making such poor changes to the squad. I agree that Rose and Fletcher have improved us and that is why MON should say. You have just proven the point for me, thankyou.
Well the general mood on the board when those players signed was as I described, you are obviously the exception. And if those players have improved the squad, why are you playing far worse than you were last season? Why are you in a worse position than you were with Bruce at this point last year, when he at this point DEFINITELY had a worse squad than MON does now? Genuinely interested.
Larsson was class last year. Under Bruce as well as MON, nearly our top scorer and looked great in open play as well.
IMO the answer to you're question is to do with the new lease of life, spark, psychological release/relief and motivation that a new manager is able to extract out of a set of average players. However, as time passes by, those average players who suddenly appeared to be playing above average will always return to being average and in some cases fall below average, to compensate for their above average performances, Larsson being a perfect example (Let us not quickly forget that Larsson was recruited from a relegated club, Birmingham). These players have returned to average, they have returned to where they were heading when Bruce was in charge. The dynamics of the situation are also influencing the results which is why we now reside in the relegation zone. Cattermole and Fletcher injured...
I've never bought the new manager syndrome thing but that's just me, you could well be right. In any case, I think there are at least 3 worse squads in the league than yours. If you go down imo questions would have to be asked.
