Just back from the game. I am almost numb by the deterioration in the team which I put down to a number of things. Firstly the loss of McLaren - we stopped playing football after he left. The injuries to Simpson Phillips and Austin meant our strongest attacking side was depleted ( be interested re stats for right left and centre). And lastly the sudden influx of loanees/short termers who have seemingly disrupted team spirit. The team lacks spirit, quality, commitment and an obvious game plan. I agree with others but HR must take a close look at himself.
Until the final third of the pitch I thought we were fairly good, except for Green. Final third we were poor especially the finishing. On the positive side Morrison played well other than his shooting - still encouragingly he both made openings and was in the right places to finish - hopefully more time with us will add that missing element as it did with Austin. Arry like Hughes is not doing anywhere near well enough with the players he has. I'll be happy to see him replaced for the rest of the season by Colin ASAP. Don't see Zola has done anything as a Manager to suggest he will get us promoted.
Until today Ive been in the "Arry should have the complete season" and see where we finish camp. But after that shambolic performance Id like him out now. We are not improving and not learning. Every week we have a different midfield with no game plan that I can see. And Arry couldnt make a tactical substitution if he tried. If we go up this season it'll be a miracle. I just cant see how we can beat anyone over a two leg play off semi. We are, simply, utter crap at playing football. No pace to our play No tempo No creativity No exitement No passion It seems wrong somehow to be moaning when we are fourth. But I really cant believe how bad we are. I left the valley numb and the team were deservedly booed off. And Ive always been totally against booing our team. How any of them thought it ok to come and clap the crowd I dont understand. Harry if you want to keep your job, you'd better change something quick.
I did say it was a disastrous window but the optimists we're adamant we'd brought in enough quality/goals to get us up, I'm guessing 3 defeats & a draw has changed that belief.
Exactly. As the game went on and got steadily worse I thought that, apart from Hill and Dunne, I didn't care about any of "our" players on the pitch. HR's put together a bunch of misfits. What's there to like in a load of loan players and mercenaries?
Remember the same feeling last year. Originally Nelson and Hill, then Hill alone. Doesn't bode well apart from the fact that relegation shouldn't feature
I feel your pain mate. As one of our more positive posters, this shows how low we have fallen. Can you put your finger on what is different to the beginning of the season? Is it just the cumulative effect of a handful of injuries and that we have used up all our luck?
What's the best solution then? If we do go up somehow, HR has put us in the exact same situation that Warnock had us in, yet has spend 100 times the amount doing it and I still dont think we have as good an 11 as we did back then when not looking purely on paper. The only hope I could think would be that we would get Remy back but in all honesty we would need an entire new team around him. We have, what is it, 9 players in on loan now? In loan fees and wages I cannot believe that this is going to cost us under £5-6m for the season, in many of these cases it seems that HR had just been lazy and got players in he knows, or knew years ago, rather than scout out actual modern football. Ok we got Austin in, but that was hardly a secret find and SURELY HR can see that the one player he bought in from another championship team is actually our best player as he is suited to the league an been successful in it before. All this talk of the right stuff, as far as I can see he's got one right, one out of all of them and my mum could have told you that Austin bloke scored a lot for Burnley. What on earth have they been up to? I mean do we have scouts? Or is it Just HR and 'his people' who only seen to be able to work with 'his players'. The whole backroom staff seem to be part of the Harry virus that has got hold of the team, I just look at him and I just see a man after his own agenda who has lost control. Im sorry if this is wrong and I mean no disrespect, but even Hughes SEEMED to care, HR just seems aloof to the whole club. I dont like getting rid of people mid season and we've left it too late I think to be ready to push as we needed a better transfer window. I am not sure what the point would be in changing things now, we are still in 4th place afterall and I think many of us were worried we would even survive this season. I just cant help but feel such disappointment that given the position we were in the HR somehow made our squad worse during the transfer window and made some of the most bizarre or just lazy signings I've ever seen. Oh well, onward and upward, I hope we turn it around but half of me thinks, stay here, HR will definitley leave if we dont go up and then we might actually be able to become a proper football team again.
I feel such an idiot moaning when we are in 4th place as well. But that was just an insult to people who even watched it illegally.
Why does harry leave post match comments to Bond? Ive just read what hes said on the bbc site and its just pure physcobabble
I know what you mean. To outsiders it must seem that we are bloody ungrateful, but considering the squad we have, and the money spent, we should be doing better.
I reckon in the first half of the season many opponents were very catious about our "premier league" squad. And we rode our luck, at Yeovil for example our goal was peppered with shots and we won with a dodgy pen. Very lucky. Now though we've been sussed out as nothing special and poor old Arry hasnt got a clue what to do. He clearly doesnt do tactics and he doesnt know his best side. He's lost. TF's got two choices, tough it out and let Arry run to the season end, hoping that he finds some miracle that gets us performimg, or he outs him now IF he has someone to come straight in and make a difference from the off. A tough call. Im not sure I can last another 15 games of this ****e football though!!!!!
It does make you wonder how he has had a successful career. He admits to knowing nothing himself, Jordan and Bond don't seem to be much help, and don't talk to me about our fitness coach. Shambolic.
I have to admit that I laughed yesterday. Geoff shouted "the deadlock has been broken at the Valley" & I was stupid enough to think that we had scored! Laughter was the only way to deal with another defeat away to a side at the bottom. I only ask that a decison is made on HR before the deadline date for renewing my ST. I can't imagine watching us if he is still in situ but I wouldn't like to miss out on an early bird offer only to then renew after he has gone.
I made that decision last summer and its clearly for the good, you'll get some on here saying you are a real fan but I don't see how anyone could renew unless they watch every game pissed out of their heads. I remember my friend would often go for a pre match drink when redknapp was at Saints, shed end up just staying in the pub as she couldn't face watching the team play like that.