Why we romped the Championship and now we have the worst results of the promoted teams. Neither of them have bought a new team they have just added 1 or 2, yet we apparently need another 5 or 6 just to stay up. But I thought much better today.
Maybe we would have done as well if we'd just added a couple of promising players and stuck with our Championship team?!
swansea and us have done well for different reasons. Swansea have a fantastic defense at home, and good ball retention. Vorm is also one of the signings of the season by far. We have a really astute manager in Paul Lambert, and a team that has managed to carry our momentum all the way from league one into the Prem. Part of the reason we've done that is by adding to, not changing the core of our promotion side.
Why are you surprised? The teams that play good football in the championship always find it hardest. Look at WBA, they bounce up and down, Birmingham usually fair better. Look at stoke, came up, never looked back. Not surprised Norwich are doing best of the 3 promoted teams. Swansea keep things tight too.
First, our star player Taraabt wanted to leave. So that influenced his play and the team as well. Unsettled everything. Second, we have had some injuries. Still do. Third, new players and those who came back from injuries have been fighting to play, and changed our look. Four, I think the Board had been meddling with the management of the team more than we know - and that NW's whole staff is gone, we know for sure.
It clearly doesn't follow that the top Championship team will fare the best in the PL. Whilst last season is, well... so last season, girlfriend, I thought that whilst we pretty much led the table from start to finish, we didn't exactly romp the campaign with an abundance of scintillating football. I commented on the old 606 site at the time that I didn't think our brand of football was that pretty to watch, and received quite a mixed bag of abuse and support for my trouble. Many had their opinion (in my view) clouded by the individual brilliance of Taarabt and missed the fact that a lot of the time it was a Route One punt upfield by Kenny. But that was what was required to keep our noses in front in the Championship and we were good at it at that level. The likes of Norwich and Swansea in the meantime have created a nucleus of players that are comfortable on the ball and a style of play where the ball stays on the deck longer and possession is maintained. In the case of the former, they have also been able to maintain the momentum of a second successive promotion campaign, whilst the latter has had a succession of three managers in Martinez, Sousa and now Rodgers that have propogated the same footballing philospophy. You could also lay blame at the door of the ownership upheaval and a failure to make funds available during last summer - and you'd be right - but there are so many other factors, each relatively small in isolation, but combining for the perfect storm at Loftus Road. In their number I would include the loss of form in Taarabt, the signing of Poisonous Barton, a lack of tactical guile and nous at this level, the mysterious sudden disposal of Gorkks (there simply must be an untold story there) and, I'm afraid, the failure of many of the squad to step up to this level.
We played our best football in the first 19 games last season building up a cushion, we then managed the pressure of the second half of the season from a position of strength. Remember that Swans lost a load of away games to low teams last year and Norwich came strong in the 2nd half of the season. Both of them picked up shrewd signings early in the summer and maintained the progress they had made whereas we were undermined by all the takeover posturing and most of the new signings missed out our pre-season. No-one could say that our defence from last season was premier quality, they rode their luck a bit last season but were really found out from game one this season. No proven PL quality striker, injuries, Adel's strops and poor form and a failure to have a real creative midfielder performing have all contributed to our demise. Add to that the signings we did make were really some leftovers and we're where we're at now. MH has a huge job and if we're 17th at the finish he'll do for me...
I agree with most of the above, and would add that our squad were older than that of Norwich and Swansea and our championship team therefore was always liable to be found out by the extra pace in the premiership - and so it has proved. Just watched Swansea beat Arsenal on TV and they look better than us in all departments, but going forward they have real pace which we don't - SWP excepted.
Norwich have a board that cares for their team and supporters, we had the two goons who did not give a f--k.
We "romped" the Championship because we were the most consistent team as opposed to best. Our football wasn’t always all that good, but we were solid (and lucky) at the back and in Taarabt had the outstanding player in the division. Due to well documented circumstances we were not able to move on properly and are now suffering. The other promoted teams brought in players to augment their teams, whereas we first signed who we could for free and then who was left or unwanted by their existing clubs when we finally had some money. All to haphazard to work effectively. As I’ve said before, the timing was all wrong, we are paying for that now.
I think we were just a good solid championship team with a few outstanding players in Ferry, faurs and Adel.... We've not progressed to become a prem team in our style of play, ability, skill or tactics......And we got away with last years forwards because of Adel and the inferior defenses we faced......Now we are finding out the hard way that at present we are still just a good championship team, playing with the big boys. Also i thought Swans or Nor had bought at least 5/6 players in at the start of summer...? Im sure someone will let us know... Also ( for all he did for us) NW was out of his depth.....MH has a massive task to get us back to 17th and stay there...here's to hoping eh?!!
yeah queenslander, we brought in morison, bennett, pilkington, johnson, vaughan, naughton, de laet, and Ayala. However they all came in on a level with the old boys. Everyone got the chance to prove they were good enough to step up, and almost all have shown they can.
We had a manager who is inferior to lambert and rodgers, and could not adapt to the change. As much as I hate to say it, if we go back down, one of my fingers will be pointed at warnock. Another two will be at the goons.
