Fans who are concerned about us looking fairly clueless for a year now aren't ****s and they have every right to voice those concerns.
The thing is, we’re not minnows any more. We’re not punching above our weight, lucky to be here nor kicking against the pricks. We have, for this division, a very expensive and (per individual) a highly regarded and talented squad. We also have a manager who has been in post for over three years. He should know the players (for he brought them all in) and their strengths and weaknesses. We tolerated relegation last season when we had enough quality to stay up. Now, we’ve started this season looking poor in every game I’ve seen. Are they any signs of this changing?
Just back from Brighton, couldn't even be bothered having breakfast in the hotel after yesterday.....just wanted to get home......that was one of the most feeble, clueless & lacking in ideas performances from a City side in a long time. If Brighton had been great then I wouldn't be complaining, but they were mediocre......I do not think we launched a single truly attacking move all match.......absolutely certain the £350 that trip cost us was not worth it
You didnt have a full english!! ****ing hell some people need to grow up. Last time i looked there was 46 games in a season. We didnt start till January under Browny before going on a run. We'll get promoted. and if we dont well we go again the season after with more home grown kids. This forums really going down the Talksport route
It's not about a few results, it's about us making the same mistakes for over a year without any sign of anything changing.
In a sense, it reminds me a little of our start to the first season in the bottom division under Dolan (96-97?) I think we went the first ten games, or so, unbeaten and to the outside, they couldn’t believe that we all wanted Dolan out. I recall Barry Hearn saying something like ‘what more do they want?’. Of course, everyone who went knew our position was false and the results partially hid performances that were utter ****e. Of course, it caught up with us and we eventually lost and then lost some more and more etc.
Did we make those mistakes when we beat Liverpool, Palace, Villa, QPR and drew away with Man City? We've won 5/8 of our games this season. Cardiff is a big game and we need to see the players really get stuck in. We do ok down there and beat the drama's and it'll quiet down until the next poor run.
How long will the board sustain this squad without Premier League money? If we fail to go up this year, I expect to see the silver sold and as much as I'd like to think it be true, I doubt our up and coming youth players will have enough to compete in this division. The money spend this year by our rivals is probably the start of it all and I don't think we have owners prepared to compete with that to the level required.
Of course we made those mistakes last season, we got relegated, we were the most negative team in the league and absolutely deserved to be relegated. Individual results aren't the issue, so a win against Cardiff will change nothing, so long as we show no attacking threat and a complete lack of urgency, while playing **** formations and players out of position, the criticism will continue.
What players were out of position yesterday? Apart form Clucas who can play LB. I cant think of any. It was a poor season yet a win and draw against Burnley and we'd have stayed up, plus a ****ing impossible run in by Leicester. But ye we went down. Uff uff uff with our long history of top flight football etc we shouldbe top 6
You think Hernandez wide left and Akpom as a lone striker was the best use of available personnel? We didn't start playing until we switched to 4-4-2 and that was half way through the second half ffs. We have a Premier League squad in the Championship, yet we seem to go into games with the aim of getting a draw, we should be putting teams to the sword, but we spend all our time going sideways and backwards.
I was talking about the ones who are never happy regardless of what happens. Also, it's fine to say we absolutely deserved to go down last season, followed by its a fluke we were second until yesterday? Like I said, some will whine about us at any given opportunity.
Daft comment - history has **** all to do with it. It’s about the now. With our current squad – we should be deffo top 6 or at the very least, look like we might have the chance of playing well.
If we had fewer points now but the performances had been better or encouraging – I’d feel more positive.
Thats strange cos i was repeatedly told by the experts on here wide left is exactly where we should have been playing Hernandez. The team Bruce named was exactly what most on here said apart from Clucas.. Funny cos thats exactly where we are
Oh well, the clueless tactics continue. These boards, the press, anybody that's wants to, can discuss the merits of the players, the injuries and the team commitment, but it is the management team of Bruce and Phelan that demands scrutiny. The formation and player use yesterday was bottom league Sunday morning nonsense. I would think the players know that and I would think confidence is not great. Our use of the the transfer window was shambolic. Bruce should have left, one way or another, he is tactically drained at the beginning of a campaign. EDIT: it might have been symbolic but shambolic was the outcome!
I don't believe anyone on here wants to see Akpom played as a lone striker, it's well mental init. Only for two more days.
I think it's fair to say that a) from what we've seen so far, this is a very mediocre Championship. b) We have enough talent and cover in the squad to be at least top 6- that's not being arrogant, or a big time Charlie who thinks we belong in the Premier League- it's based on a) and the fact that we have a very expensively assembled squad containing regular internationals and players that we know can compete at a higher level. This team is far and away more talented than the last one we had that took us up, but it just isn't working, despite the attacking talents of Diame, Huddlestone, Elmo, Robertson, Moses. Despite our points on the board, they have masked some very mediocre and one dimensional football. Possession is fine, but it has to have a purpose, beyond waiting 5 five minutes until we can get it out wide to a winger who just dinks a cross to a lone striker who never wins a header. I've always supported Bruce, but I'm more concerned and disappointed in what I'm seeing at the moment than last season in the Premier League- then Bruce had mitigation, but no excuses this time round. He may still get it right, but it's looking increasingly like a fresh approach and new ideas might be needed
