I was just looking back at some posts earlier in the season and I find this thread amazing, from the end of the Stoke game back in Feb. The link below should take you to the relevant point in the thread, mostly concerning my statement on the logic of Cifuentes likely keeping us up. Navigate by basically cutting to the responses and quotes to me, starting after the below post. https://www.not606.com/threads/stoke-vs-qpr.411176/page-13#post-17342776
All very well saying it awjm, but take a look at the side that night ! There's a big change in the team from that night and Marti realised he'd made a few mistakes and that different players needed to start and some be moved about. Hodge hardly played again and allowed Andersen to come into the side while Willock came in for Smyth for most games. Dykes started mostly up top with Frey having a few games and Armstrong only being used as a late sub. Critically, Field played nearly every game after this , with either Colback or Hayden partnering him. Also Dunne playing at right back was a revelation and meant we didn't have to witness Cannon playing much again. This were huge tweaks that turned our season around, and thankfully Marti realised them just in time. I like Marti alot, but he did get some things wrong along the way, like every manager does, but it was his ability to change adapt that saved us ! There's no one on this board that wanted us to go down, most of us were just exasperated at the performance on that night , having failed to beat another(at the time), relegation rival. Most on here are very happy that we have Marti, and I'm sure we're all looking forward to what next season might bring.
It was a tough task for Marti having only what he had in his squad from when he came in. He, inevitably, had to try different things - with some working some not - and inevitably results showed that (as did some of the scepticism of him). He eventually settled down. He did use rotation pretty well when he needed to and kept the squad on board too. The likes of Cannon, Frey and particularly Hodge showed he wasn’t afraid to make decisions to get what he felt he could from a limited squad. The Dunne turnaround was remarkable (I remember his first 30mins at Bristol where I thought he was shaky, then he just grew and grew in the role). Hodge started well for us then simply wasn’t up for what was needed from him. Frey, perhaps the oddest choice, was not fit and probably not what we need. Cannon? Weird, I thought he was going to be what we needed but he came across a little stroppy to me, which Marti really didn’t want. All of that said, he has done some great coaching work with the players. He sorted the dead-ball fiascos eventually. You just wonder what else he can do to further develop the players through pre-season and next season (the younger players should be chomping at the bit to follow him). Back that all up with a youth system that reflects his ethos and maybe we will see a complete and coherent club style return.
Maybe this thread came out a bit wrong, actually. I wasn't trying to show anyone up. I just thought the contrast was massive and showed how low some were in their expectations, even after an improvement in form under Cifuentes. But at the time, I was thinking that people were worrying a bit too much after the club managed to get in what seemed to be a decent manager who was getting definite improvements as well as some decent results.
I haven't gone back over that thread, but I suspect that a lot of the disapointment came from the fact that the performance at Stoke was a complete contrast to the 2 previous games, drawing 2-2 at home to Norwich and winning 2-1 at Blackburn..... for some reason we just didn't turn up that night at Stoke.....
10.points from our next four games certainly changed the atmosphere and gave us belief that Marti could turn it around. We looked a million miles away from 50 points after the Stoke game, and if you'd had us to finish on 56 many would've been calling for the men in white coats to drag you away! A great turnaround in results since then, but boy did we need it
before the season started i put $25 on us being relegated didnt get to collect my $125 season before when we were top i put money on us finishing top 6 didnt win that either next season i will bet on top 6 again get your money on us not to finish top 6
