I made this comment on the thread for today's game but thought that I would expand into a thread and see if of interest. Today was yet another example of the fans picking a team and the manager picking another team and there being a shocking difference between what we see. Over the years this has been something that we as football fans get used to. That we see a player sometimes from a completely different point of view from the team. I wonder if in fact we as the fans actually offer a fairer and less biased perspective than the 'management' mostly? We judge on things such as passion for badge, effort, skill and overall support for the rest of the team. Occasionally biased by the media reporting but in the main we are harsh on those who do not give for the team and those who have little skills. We want perhaps more than the management - we are after all involved in a more passionate relationship with the club and team than the owners and management. I know one of the refrains that will come back is that we - the fans - do not see the players in training and spend less time with them. But does that mean that they have a more objective and performance based view? If I spend more time with people then I am impacted by how they talk to me, their attitude, their language skills, which clique they sit in - and even dare I say it - if I promised to play them etc. Gossip tells us that players lobby the management to ensure they play, that some people in the dressing room / training room are more popular than others. The owners put pressure on the managers to play some players. This explains why some of us look at some players and don't understand why they are not picked. Despair at why some people are picked. Not since Warnock ...I know I am in for some criticism here - have I felt we had a manager who could read a game and make tactical switches to a game plan. How many times did a Warnock team turn a shape around with a new attitude in the 2nd half... So - it will never happen - bit imagine a happy day when we fans - in some sort of crowdsource way - got to pick the team.... dream on.
I find it absolutely flabbergasting that Onuoha is not considered first choice. I also would consider Faurlin our best midfielder but can understand introducing him back in gradually.
Agreed if Ale is showing any kind of fitness problems. He isn't - quite the opposite he looks fitter than we have ever seen him.
