He must go. It’s absolutely appalling, and even when we win it’s laboured and usually is us hanging on at the end.
However, I do think he has been let down badly by the recruitment team.
Last season Stevie Wonder wearing a blindfold could see we lacked any kind of pace throughout the side, and we were weak as piss and got bullied. We were crying out for pace and a bit of power right through the team. Willis is the only one who fits this bill. We still have a team full of players with zero pace and who get bullied by any player over 6 foot.
Everyone knew Oviedo would be away this summer, regardless of division. Plans should have been made about replacing him, especially when in June we let Reece James leave. James was steady enough, no world beater even at this level and IMO no great loss. However, despite knowing Oviedo was away and having 3 month to sign a replacement for James, we still ended up panic buying a left back from Leeds who nobody has heard of and the Leeds fan ridicule for being so ****. And unfortunately I can’t see Hume being a professional footballer for very long.
Ross seemed like he had his heart set on playing 352 this season. After losing Matthews, Oviedo and James (all of which would fill that wingback slot quite well) we started the season with Gooch and O’Nien filling in at RWB, and the lad we signed to play right back squeezed in to play centre back. Does Ross have no say in transfers? Do they not liaise with him and ask him what formation he is looking to play or what style he wants to play, and sign players to fit that? Because of the 352 being a nightmare, and Hume being canny poor/injured, we end up with the lad who we signed to play right back but squeezed in at centre back playing at left back, and an advanced midfield player at right back. Shambles.
In midfield, I’ve already mentioned us lacking that bit of physicality and ability to move. Yes we signed Dobson who does seem to provide us that bit of energy, but he doesn’t seem very good. The rest of our options are all much of a muchness. Nobody who can really get about the pitch and impose themselves on the game. They’ll all pick the ball up and play some nice 10/20 yard passes sideways or backwards, but that’s about it.
McGeady played through the last 6 weeks of last season with a broken foot because we were so desperate. He is STILL playing injured because we did not sign any wingers. We have Gooch, who sadly will never make it above this level IMO, Maguire who again will never make it above this level and is better as a number 10 anyway due to having zero pace, McGeady who is clearly very unfit and Watmore, who seems to be ruined by injury. At least at the end of last year we had Morgan. Is this failure to sign wingers because Ross wanted to play 352??
Strikers - yes losing Maja was a blow. However, had Wyke been fit at the start of last season would Maja have even got a look in? Our policy when signing strikers appears to be look at who’s scored goals in this league previously. Wyke is horrendous, up there with James Vaughan in being the worst forward I’ve seen play for us. At least the likes of Altidore and Prica were ****e at a higher level. Grigg just doesn’t look interested, and tbh he is living off scraps. Scraps of ****. Dragged through ****. Does not excuse his lack of effort mind, but whatever style of football we play does not suit Grigg.....so why did we spend so much on him?
So yes, Ross has been let down by recruitment. Badly I’d say. How much of a say has he had in these? I’ve no idea. But whoever is in charge of recruitment should be following Ross out of the door.
HOWEVER.....
We do not look organised and we do not look fit enough. We have no style of football other than turn up and hope our better players turn up and drag us through. That IS something Ross certainly can control and influence. We are blowing out of our arses after an hour, so who is in charge of fitness? We look all over the place defensively. Ross spoke about wanting 20 clean sheets, after his obsession with them last year. We have 0. We don’t have the players to play out from the back. Our midfield don’t seem to want to get their foot on the ball and test the opposition, or drive forwards with the ball. We have no pace to use a ball over the top, or to get the ball and run at opposition defenders. If teams even slightly press us, we **** ourselves and lump the ball forward to whichever of our weak, slow forwards we’re playing this week and then the ball comes straight back at us.
Ross has been let down. But he’s also let himself down. Managers in this league with smaller squads full of lesser players with budgets a fraction the size of ours can get their teams organised and attempting to play football. Ross has been in charge for around 80 games, and I’ve still no idea what he wants to do with this squad. For me, he should have gone straight after the playoff final. And he certainly should not be given another game to show everyone how out of his depth he is here.
Time to go, Ross, Coton and Hill.
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