What on earth are you on about? So because I don't have access to a world wide database of players I'm not allowed to say we've ****ed up the last 3/4 windows? The big difference is there are people who are paid very handsomely for this job and are not performing. Whereas I spend a decent percentage of my disposable income on supporting the team. I'm doing my bit and imo they're not doing theirs, so if I want to criticise the board for doing a poor job then I damn well will. I don't get your bit about offering much needed support, can I not criticise and offer support... they are not mutually exclusive. Do you think the board have done well in the past few windows? Are they untouchable due to previous good? At what point are people allowed to criticise in your view?
Indeed. But its not just on the field we are lacking leaders. We miss Fonte, you know the good one who cared about our club.
Don't worry. We tried to sign Walcott and Promes. I mean, we failed, but hey lets ignore that, at least we tried. I'm sure MP goes to bed at night, feeling happy that the board backed him on the basis that they tried to sign him more players. I'm sure our relegation rivals will take pity on us, and give us a few free points, because we tried to sign more players. In no way whatsoever are Les and Ralph at any fault for the current state of our squad, because they tried to improve it.
And in the case of Walcott, People Who Know Things have suggested that it was never a realistic possibility, as we either did not lodge a bid that had a hope of being accepted, or didn't lodge a bid at all. On the bright side, that means that we didn't so much fail in getting Walcott, and we succeeded in making our fans think that we were trying to sign Walcott. Glass half full!
Oh dear. Can't you all just play nicely? No? Well I might as well have my four-penneth then. Getting signings over the line can be difficult and lets face it, we do not have the pull of sides challenging for CL spots, nor do we offer big wages to old lags who would only be here for a season to help us out of the smelly stuff. We lose our best players often and in the past we have done very well to find decent replacements. Then we spend money securing our squad on long contracts in an attempt to stop the revolving door, a move which was celebrated by most fans. It's a great pity that some of those players then went on to dip in form. We will not have received any interest in signing Forster, Tadic, Austin or Gabbi regardless how long they are contracted to us. If Gabbi had blossomed, Austin stayed fit or Redmond continued his decent form at the beginning of last season, we might not be having this conversation but they didn't. Blame Les and Ralph if you wish. I don't see how firing them will help at this stage. Could we attract a replacement for Les with a better track record? Maybe. Would that person be any better at persuading better players to St Marys? Not so sure. Am I really fed up with the results and wanting to give someone a kicking? You betcha. Just not sure who.
Using this predictor I have us staying up with 35 points with Brighton,Stoke,and WBA to go.... https://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk...west-brom-stoke-southampton-relegated-1208907
Apologies if you have struggled with the points I have made Steady on! Posting your well reasoned (rational) views on this thread will upset quite a few on here. That said, well done, a good post......... though you may need a 'tin hat'
Morbid curiosity, Dell1964: on the A-F scale, how would you grade the performances of the following this season: our manager, our football operations team, and the club's performance as a whole? Gabbi's failure to blossom owes in part to the fact that the manager persists in playing a style to which Gabbiadini is wholly unsuited. Thus, we have started with a quick striker who likes to make runs behind, and matched him up with an ethos that involves slowly moving the ball to the flanks and lobbing in crosses. As for Redmond, decent is all his form ever was. On his day, he's a reasonable enough squad player. The problem is that he was thrust into a position where we needed him to be a lot more than that, and he has never been a lot more than that. I do blame Les for that (I think Ralph has much of a hand in our operations as the tea lady, though). So sure, it could have broken a little bit better. But our squad has major flaws, and those flaws have grown and grown over the past couple years. First the attack took a step back. Then, we did little to address the attack, but watched as our defense got significantly worse...we have one of the least impressive centerback rotations in the league. We're now in a position where we need major, major reinforcements if we survive, and let's face it: we already know that they aren't coming. We'll sell a couple players, sign a couple cheaper ones, and declare victory. And we'll go into next season with just as many question marks as has been our norm.
Exactly. He didn't drop a division for no reason. Can't believe anyone seriously thinks we missed out by not getting John Terry ffs.
I'm sorry but the excuse "well signing people is hard" doesn't cut it for a Premier League football team. Especially one who has banged on about how great they are at recruitment. This is the scouting team/recruitment teams job and they have failed at it the last 3 or 4 windows in my view so people have every right to criticize. Also moaning on here about how **** the club has been run over the last 18 months or so does not mean that everyone who does it goes to games with the pitchforks out and their booboozuelas on standby. Most people on here seem to be able to differentiate having a debate/moan/circle jerk (depends what mood we are in) on a forum, which is a forums intention, and supporting the team at actual games. What is said on here has 0% impact on the club as a whole, it is just a way for people to express their opinions with fellow supporters.
Let’s be honest it’s because our board have failed on many occasions is the reason why we find ourselves in this predicament. Some many response with “ they’ve done this and they’ve done that”,but in the cold light of day Reed and Co have ****ed up on many occasions and it’s never them to suffer,it’s now time they do the honourable thing and go. They are only here for their own self gratification and ego. I suppose they are earning a fair wage,in turn ruining everything that was put in place before. They wouldn’t still be here if Cortese was still in charge,and in fact I doubt that the last few windows wouldn’t have been so miss managed as they have been. Appointments wouldn’t have been made. Get out Reed and Krueger!!
Am grateful to Cortese for many things, but the man wasn't a saint and made mistakes on his watch as well.
It has been undoubtedly poor......... however, attempting to pillory players, manager, coaches and the directors achieves nothing. Evoking some morbid curiousity (again), have you ever been to a game at the Dell or St. Mary's, and witnessed Saints haul themselves back into a winning position AFTER having been booed, jeered & heckled by their own fans!
Oh I never said he wasn’t and I’m sure he made mistakes but Reed and co would never have been allowed to balls it up as they have.
Laughable your response to CF when you've completely ignored the points I've made and just claimed I don't understand. This is where I think you're going wrong and booing/ jeering the team is a different argument and not related to criticism of Les etc. on platforms such as this.
The trouble is though, that the relentless tide of negativity on social media does feed into the atmosphere at the ground. This debate on this forum is usually pretty level headed in comparison with other sites, Facebook, twatter etc., but there's no doubt in my mind that creating a platform for the whole world and his wife to whinge in public, has bred a bit of a monster. Now people turn up at the ground having spent the whole week online telling each other how **** the manager is, the board is, the goalkeeper is (remember that), with the effect that the atmosphere is desperate before a ball's been kicked. Consequently, I give a to anyone who still has the heart to push back against the torrent of defeatist misery.
