Match Day Thread Brizzle City vs Saints, Tues 21st October, 20:00

Still too many defensive minded players.

 

I don’t think you can drop Armstrong or Leo so not sure how you get Fellows, Azaz, Robinson in other than the other suggestion of Azaz instead of Downes

 

I don't want to lose too much time to this game but going to share some thoughts I expressed on X and slam them together here...

Have to say that we are quickly arriving at sacking territory for Will Still, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because he has been left high and dry by continuous stupidity from players and yet another fluffed transfer window by Sport Republic. He's not been great but I really do sympathise with the conditions

There's no way of dressing it up, two wins from 11 games when you're managing a relegated PL side that just spent £50m on new players in the window is nowhere near good enough. But the sheer amount of maddening individual mistakes has been staggering

And then you have the summer window. We are 4yrs into Sport Republic's ownership and still rolling out Bazunu and McCarthy as GK options. Needed a proper centre forward for years, yet punted £7m on Damion Downs - who looks dreadful - and Ross Stewart who can't stay fit

4 wins in 49 league games over 17 months. Presided over two relegations - one a huge, season-long humiliation - and continuously failed in windows despite committing funds. Only one decent managerial hire to their name (Martin in 2023) - SR have surely run out of road once and for all?

There is now a run of four games: Blackburn away, Preston home, QPR away, Sheff Wed away before another international break from Nov 9. If he can't win 2/3 of those games and oversee an upturn in performances AND results (wins, not draws) then he will need to go

I put a large share of what's happening on the players but players and squads are not sacked mid-season (nice thought...), but coaches are. Who they'd go for next I have absolutely no idea and I almost don't want to think what sort of hire they might make next, should it come to that

 

Four defenders, one DM.

 

Very eloquent and perceptive as always DTLW

 

I keep repeating it but the only team for me right now is

McCarthy
Roeslev (as Jelert is out), Edwards, Wood, Wellington
Jander Charles
Fellows Azaz Scienza
Archer

I know armstrong is scoring (a bit) but that team on paper should be running rings around practically any other midfield in the league - we bought one of the best midfielders in the league in Azaz and he's sat on the bench and then bought on when the game is dead / dying with no hope of making much difference.

Charles and Jander are an upgrade over Downes easily and in Fellows and Scienza we have players that will always take the ball on and run with it.

 

No leader on the pitch or off it.

 

Our promotion bid has become stillborn.

 

Formations and line ups are irrelevant when you have a manager that can’t organise a defence or an attack.

 

I think we can bin the back five after that. Maybe time to try 4-3-3.

McCarthy.
Roerslav, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Wellington
Charles, Jander/Downes, Azaz
Armstrong, Archer, Scienza

 

Why bother?

It will be the same team and formation on Saturday.

 

Oh how far we have fallen. It's been a slow but steady decline since we sacked Ralph.

In fairness we were declining with him, but he was able to delay the inevitable for longer that most would have.

 

Roerslev wasn't on the bench for either match this week, so I assume that he too is missing? In which case he might not be an option for Blackburn anyway.

Or at least I hope that he's been unavailable, because that's the only way to justify returning to Fraser at RWB. Such an awful selection (again). Either play two proper WBs, playing on their correct sides, or ditch the back three.

In the meantime, Bree is currently out on loan in the top six. (So too Smallbone, and Taylor might make it a trio tomorrow.)

 

We have had 5 out of 6 seasons of ****, what do you expect?? It's a wonder we even sell out most away games.

The away atmosphere was good first half, certainly much better than that crock of **** deserve.

It pisses me off fans moaning about atmosphere without any consideration for the **** we have been served on the pitch for years.

If the players gave us something to get behind maybe things would be different.

 

You only sing when you’re winning?

 

I currently don't have any argument on that one but at the very least playing players in their more natural positions is a start.

 

I think it's much deeper than that personally. I've been at games where we've won and ite been terrible and where we've lost and it's been great.

If results were so important why was it largely poor last championship season too? Infact I'd say the best I can remember in the last 5 years was the first defeat at Brentford where the tide turned on Ralph and we were on an absolutely pathetic run then too.

For me there's a direct correlation between our numbers getting bigger and the support getting worse, feels like lots of people simply ain't all that arsed to me. As I said I think our away support has become very middle class and lost its spite and edge.

I also didn't think the support in the first half was good at all mate. Average at best.

Went through songbook in first ten minutes or so and then lots of people lose interest and only ever join in with a skate song or 'football in a library'. I reckon there's a sizeable percentage, maybe 20-30, who make no effort whatsoever to contribute.

Near me it was mainly just me and some bloke in at least his 60s trying to get things going. Big groups of young lads doing next to nothing. And this was first half too.

It's so hard to get varioud songs going now because lots simply aren't interested, and we have knobheads only want to sing about the skates, libraries, and the opposition shagging their mum (hilarious).

 

Oh and not to mention that "oh we're not very good" is such a poor excuse for not getting behind the team. Call me old fashioned but fans should always hold their end of the bargain at least to a degree.

Especially away from home.

 

Well I'm back home before midnight having correctly deduced the game was over when it became 3-1. Another woeful result and regardless of how they are happening, they are stacking up and fast. A lot of it is down to Still. His subs are a waste of time, his insistence of playing 3 CB's is dragging us down and we are still far too passive. We are creating chances because of the quality of players we have, not his tactics. Ditch the 3 CB's or **** off, it's really that simple now.

The Blackburn game is huge for him. Lose and he's surely gone. Draw and he's on the brink.

 

Will Still asked if he thinks his players are questioning themselves enough: "I hope they are. I really hope they are. But when you hear them, when you listen to them, when you hear comments, I'm not sure that that's the case for the moment.”

Uh oh...