I'm still struggling to get my head around how we can be great and then garbage. How can we play decent football and beat top clubs, and then perform like we have against Forest and Hull. Steve Bruce is a decent manager at this level, but not any good in the prem, and Warnock is supposed to be the godfather of championship managers, with plenty of clubs chasing his services. Most of us were chuffed when we got him, and thought it was the best bit of business Bates had ever done for the club. Why then did a good Hull side run rings around us and make us look like a League 1 side. They were quicker and showed a lot more skill than us, and made us look stupid for most of the game. We could have been 4 down at half time and the only person who looked anything like was Ross, but he was playing wide and then trying to link with Somma and he was lightweight and couldn't control the ball. No EHD? and a strange team selection for a probable 6-pointer? So Mr Warnock what's happened since we started to look like a promotion side, which coincided with GFH taking over. Why have the wheels come off and why have we been so bad this last 2 games. Is Tate really that good? We sign Hall and don't play him, but I think he would have been better than some of those who did play. You've got the next 2 games to sort it out or I end up with LIW and the others who will be calling for your head.
I honestly believe we have been batting above our station and those we have looked good against have had bad off days or they are teams generally worse than us. Day one of the season many of us predicted mid table, we were bottom quarter at one stage and it took several good wins to claw our way into the top half. The table never lies come the end of the season and we are an average team who will finish in an average position. Warnocks reported signings and targets do not fill me with hope, we have seen Thomas play, he is decent but we have still looked poor with him in the team, likewise Tate and Tonge. Tate, Pearce, Peltier, Lees - doesn't matter which two at CB they are all of average ability and about on par with each other. Brown, Norris, Tonge, Austin, Green - again any two from, they are all average ability. All this talk of getting a new striker, it won't make a blind bit of difference, if you are not getting decent quality ball to the strikers goals are going to be in short supply. I lost faith in Warnock shortly after he signed Hall and never plays him, leaves McCormack on the bench and plays Peltier at LB and subjected us to a 6-1 home defeat to Watford, I have seen enough to know he isn't going to win promotion with us. Becchio was having a bit of a stinker for a few games, Warnock persisted with him, Becchio hits form and he gets dropped against Hull, what is that all about, I don't buy injury as he was on the bench.
Ristac as you say the table never lies and the worry for me is that we are the only team in the top 10 with a negative goal difference. -5 just shows our problems, which all come from not having a solid midfield platform. lack of creativity and stopping power, able to break up attacks. Brown is a liability, Byram is a good prospect but is lacking from time to time, White is poor and a headless chicken, and Rudy started well, but went backwards. -5 goals is testament to a bad team, and on paper should mean a bottom half finish. He needs to sort it out and put his best team out, with players playing in their best positions, because it seems we have an experimental side lately.
Agree with it all, I would cash in on White in January if there are still teams showing an interest. I wanted him to sign a new contract only because I didn't want to see another player sold to line Bates pockets but White isn't going to improve much now, this was his season and he never took the chance albeit limited opportunities. You just have to look at Byram and his age and ability compared to White. Austin I am gutted he looks awful now and at the start of the season I said I hope Brown never pulls a Leeds shirt on again, I stand by that and question what does he bring to the team? He doesn't provide cover for the back four as our goals conceded proves, he doesn't provide flair or creativity, as for winning the ball back in the middle of the park, I would say more often than not he gives a free kick away gifting the opposition even more possession than they already enjoy.
I would like to see a young hungry manager take control, come in now and see what he can pull out of the team, with his own coaches. I would like to see our entire midfield replaced, I don't mind keeping Hall and seeing how he does, Austin and Green fighting for one place. For me two wide players who can run and pass the ball along with a midfielder in the mould of an old McAllister and we might turn it around. I would swap between Peltier and Byram right back, Dury left and Lees and Pearce in the middle along with Peltier fighting for a spot if Byram starts. Strikers we are good to go with Somma, Diouf, Becchio and McCormack. I appreciate January might not be a good time to find an entire midfield but getting one quality player in would be a head start for next season.
It's quite simple if you look at it, no team in the league has a larger difference in form between home and away. We've won our last 4 home league games and lost our last 3 away.
Don't understand why Drury doesn't get a run, experienced and tidy at left back. Midfield we really only have Tonge and Austin. Hall and Thomas should play out wide every game to get crosses in, with Ross or Diouf in the hole behind Becchio. But Warnock won't do that.
