Nigel Cloughes comments tonight.....

[Mr Burns]

Yes I am happy clubs are complimenting us because it means we are doing something right.

I think we will have to agree to disagree then, because whilst I can see the positives you always seem to dwell on the negatives? Yes we will never have our squad always fully fit, but any club would struggle if you took out TWO of their most in form and influential players.

I don't recall you posting much when we were tearing teams apart just 3 games ago and we were sitting top of the league. I understand your point of needing to be able to unlock teams, gus knows that and has mentioned he is working on it, these things take time but mean while we are sitting 5th, even you must be fairly happy with our current position?

I said after the Sheffield Wednesday game that it was probably the best Albion performance I can recall. I don't doubt Gus' plan A. But he has proven he cannot change things when needed.

The bottom line is, as much as we would love to think Albion dictate games we don't. If a team comes and attacks nine out of ten they leave with nothing. If they dit back, the leave with something. It happened last year and its happening again. I'd have settled for 5th right now. But I can't see it lasting. Barring something usual happening, I think we will be in the bottom half of the table before we win again. Hope not, hope we stuff Middlesbrough, but at this moment, I cannot see it.

 

[Mr Burns]

Poyet, the man who has taken us from the foot of League One to 5th in the Championship. Consistent improvement every season?

Really?

Yep, thats the chap.

The chap who has taken us to the top of the table twice (and a few points off top as well) from nowhere, only to see us side down the table when we reach it, because teams change the way they play against us, and we cannot handle it, and he doesn't know how to handle it.

The club is set up to get promoted this season or next season. If Poyet cannot stop these winning runs followed by winless runs, then I don't think he is the man for the job frankly. Some people on here mock the calls for a Plan B. Its glaringly obvious to me, that we need to be able to play a different way. Seriosuly how many of you hoestly saw the team he put out yesterday and rubbed your hands together and said, we've got this one in the bag. How many though, how the f*** is that going work?

Now this will sound harsh and I will get shit for it, but IMO if we repeat last seasons poor run, or even go three or five more games without a win, and the goal count back to one every now and again, then I think its proof Poyet isn't the great manager we all want him to be, and it may be time to say goodbye, and it would be a pitty as his "Plan A" is untouchable in this division. It's just its too easy to counter, as we don't know any other way.

 

[BrianSwan]

It's worth keeping your style, just need to speed it up bit by bit

 

[Mr Burns]

and? He's also brought in players who would never be here if it wasn't for him.

Plus, our big money marquee signing CMS. Could have gone elsewhere, came to us largely because of Gus' persuasive powers.

TBH I think anyone who thinks Gus transfer dealings are rubbish is a bit mental (not aimed at the quoted poster).

I think Gus has made some excellent signings, and that's what makes this win streak/winless streak even harder to take.

 

[BrianSwan]

Yep, thats the chap.

The chap who has taken us to the top of the table twice (and a few points off top as well) from nowhere, only to see us side down the table when we reach it, because teams change the way they play against us, and we cannot handle it, and he doesn't know how to handle it.

The club is set up to get promoted this season or next season. If Poyet cannot stop these winning runs followed by winless runs, then I don't think he is the man for the job frankly. Some people on here mock the calls for a Plan B. Its glaringly obvious to me, that we need to be able to play a different way. Seriosuly how many of you hoestly saw the team he put out yesterday and rubbed your hands together and said, we've got this one in the bag. How many though, how the f*** is that going work?

Now this will sound harsh and I will get shit for it, but IMO if we repeat last seasons poor run, or even go three or five more games without a win, and the goal count back to one every now and again, then I think its proof Poyet isn't the great manager we all want him to be, and it may be time to say goodbye, and it would be a pitty as his "Plan A" is untouchable in this division. It's just its too easy to counter, as we don't know any other way.

Some of you seriously need to damper your expectations.. christ.

Aren't you on quite a small budget? Teams like Cardiff have players like Bellamy, Maynard, Whittingham.. there are 3-4 other teams with that kind of quality too. Big crowds does not = promotion, team quality and budget is more of a factor. Be pleased with play offs and next year will probably be your year.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

It's worth keeping your style, just need to speed it up bit by bit

Thats about right, if we did, everyone we play will be running around in circles.

 

[Acker79]

Seriosuly how many of you hoestly saw the team he put out yesterday and rubbed your hands together and said, we've got this one in the bag. How many though, how the f*** is that going work?

On the match thread a lot of people liked the look of it, but I don't think anyone said we had it in the bag. Anyone who says that in this division is an idiot. Personally I was pleased we had bruno back as it meant we had a right back greer might pass to, was pleased Hammond was dropped because especially his last two games his performances have been pretty poor - giving the ball away far too easily, not knowing what his roll is, being too casual in receiving the ball. But, I was not overly excited about attack - Dobbie looks like he will take time to settle in, as does Lopez, before they will have the impact that perhaps some of us are expecting, and Orlandi puts some good crosses in, but hasn't really run a team ragged in the way lualua and buckley have in the past.

Now this will sound harsh and I will get shit for it, but IMO if we repeat last seasons poor run, or even go three or five more games without a win, and the goal count back to one every now and again, then I think its proof Poyet isn't the great manager we all want him to be, and it may be time to say goodbye, and it would be a pitty as his "Plan A" is untouchable in this division. It's just its too easy to counter, as we don't know any other way.

I don't understand. How is Plan A untouchable if it's too easy to counter?

 

[Mr Burns]

Some of you seriously need to damper your expectations.. christ.

Aren't you on quite a small budget? Teams like Cardiff have players like Bellamy, Maynard, Whittingham.. there are 3-4 other teams with that kind of quality too. Big crowds does not = promotion, team quality and budget is more of a factor. Be pleased with play offs and next year will probably be your year.

That's the point, we don't. Our chairman is still funding the playing squad out of his own pocket, and its going to stop at the end of next season, so if we don't go up this or next, the budget will be cut.

How do you think we got Kuszczak and Bruno to sign? There are promised riches if we go up. Kuszczak could have gone elsewhere for better money, but hes promised promotion and a big deal in the premiership. I don't think people realise we haven't got years and years to keep getting one place better every year.

Its a bit like Swansea. Excellent start, teams suss them out, and they can only play one way.

That's us in the championship and until Poyet can do something about that, we won't go up under him. No chance. And he had a year to sort it, and he seems as lost on the touchline as he did in our down spells last season. He hasn't even got a player in the side that can win a header. The best header is probably Bridcutt and he's shorter than an Ewok. The two center halfs are weak in the air, our strikers can't head the ball to save their lives, so all in all Poyet has built an excellent squad for one style of football, but it seem highly unlikely we can come up with a plan B, unless he gets different sorts of players in. Hope I'm wrong, but I think we'll be lucky to better last season position at this rate, and the squad is so much better this time around.

 

[Mr Burns]

I don't understand. How is Plan A untouchable if it's too easy to counter?

Plan A is untouchable is teams allow us to play it. Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, both had to come out and attack, and got destroyed.

Plan A is useless if we don't score early, and teams don't have to try and chase the game and sit back, Birmingham and Ipswich both done this and we looked clueless. Birmingham got what they deserved, Ipswich got mugged when frankly they could have gone away with a 3-0 win.

Gus' style and results depend on what the opposition do. That's part of the reason why I think we have these long unbeaten runs, and long winless runs.

 

[BrianSwan]

That's the point, we don't. Our chairman is still funding the playing squad out of his own pocket, and its going to stop at the end of next season, so if we don't go up this or next, the budget will be cut.

How do you think we got Kuszczak and Bruno to sign? There are promised riches if we go up. Kuszczak could have gone elsewhere for better money, but hes promised promotion and a big deal in the premiership. I don't think people realise we haven't got years and years to keep getting one place better every year.

Its a bit like Swansea. Excellent start, teams suss them out, and they can only play one way.

That's us in the championship and until Poyet can do something about that, we won't go up under him. No chance. And he had a year to sort it, and he seems as lost on the touchline as he did in our down spells last season. He hasn't even got a player in the side that can win a header. The best header is probably Bridcutt and he's shorter than an Ewok. The two center halfs are weak in the air, our strikers can't head the ball to save their lives, so all in all Poyet has built an excellent squad for one style of football, but it seem highly unlikely we can come up with a plan B, unless he gets different sorts of players in. Hope I'm wrong, but I think we'll be lucky to better last season position at this rate, and the squad is so much better this time around.

And I thought it was because they were both the wrong side of 30 and would just add experience to the team.

 

[yxee]

Not really sure about people saying we don't have a plan B. I don't think it works that way. We go out and play whatever is in front of us. If they play deep, we control the game and avoid conceding. If they push forward, we have CMS/Buckley to run onto long balls, and fast wingers/wing backs that can beat a defender that way.

I think it's very unrealistic to expect a team to be able to magically switch to a different style of play after 60 minutes. We don't have a plan, we have a style which varies depending on how the opposition play. If they chose to put ten men behind the ball in front of 20,000 of their home fans, then it's going to be very hard to break them down, and there's no real magic solution to fix that, but personally, I don't mind a clean sheet at Derby.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

It comes down to opinions though. Mr Burns thinks football is about systems, others think it is about players. I don't think the players are the best in the division, especially up front. We don't have £11 million to spend on a front pair like Nlackburn.

We should have won yesterday, hit the bar twice and Greer and Hammond managed to bump into each other with an open goal in front of them from three yards.

I thought Greer was going to give a Hammond a Glaswegian Kiss when the ball went right instead of left and into the net , it wasn't until I saw the replay on the FLS of Greer and Hammond doing the siamese twins impression that I noticed Dobbie hanging around like a lemon 2 yards away.

 

[Mr Bums]

Poyet out, Pulis in, that's not a plan B, it's a plan P!

 

[Braders]

Come a long way since "In all fairness we should be beating teams like Brighton"

 

[Questions]

If plan A doesn't work then they are not executing plan A properly.

What is this plan f***ing B crap. Hoof it long and put Greer up front. Jesus.

 

[Stat Brother]

If plan A doesn't work then they are not executing plan A properly.

What is this plan f***ing B crap. Hoof it long and put Greer up front. Jesus.

I'd like to have seen something different for the 2nd half v Ispwich.

We're going to have games like Brum, no probs, pooh happens.

But to walk straight into the exactly the same situation 72 hours later, and not change a single thing, troubles me.

 

[Caveman]

Yep, thats the chap.

The chap who has taken us to the top of the table twice (and a few points off top as well) from nowhere, only to see us side down the table when we reach it, because teams change the way they play against us, and we cannot handle it, and he doesn't know how to handle it.

The club is set up to get promoted this season or next season. If Poyet cannot stop these winning runs followed by winless runs, then I don't think he is the man for the job frankly. Some people on here mock the calls for a Plan B. Its glaringly obvious to me, that we need to be able to play a different way. Seriosuly how many of you hoestly saw the team he put out yesterday and rubbed your hands together and said, we've got this one in the bag. How many though, how the f*** is that going work?

Now this will sound harsh and I will get shit for it, but IMO if we repeat last seasons poor run, or even go three or five more games without a win, and the goal count back to one every now and again, then I think its proof Poyet isn't the great manager we all want him to be, and it may be time to say goodbye, and it would be a pitty as his "Plan A" is untouchable in this division. It's just its too easy to counter, as we don't know any other way.

...and at that exact point I lost all respect I had for your posts.

Seriously wind it in, you are clueless with comments like that. You are giving Poyet 5 games.

So please can you also name your replacement now.

 

[Stat Brother]

...and at that exact point I lost all respect I had for your posts.

Seriously wind it in, you are clueless with comments like that. You are giving Poyet 5 games, tit.

So please can you also name your replacement now.

As much as myself and [MENTION=894]Mr Burns[/MENTION] are singing from the same hymn book, on this particular point.
We most definitely aren't on the same page, chapter or even half of the book

 

[Questions]

I'd like to have seen something different for the 2nd half v Ispwich.

We're going to have games like Brum, no probs, pooh happens.

But to walk straight into the exactly the same situation 72 hours later, and not change a single thing, troubles me.

Giving the ball away in midfield, failing to get men in the box and hit them with accurate crosses was not plan A executed to perfection was it ? If I have a criticism of those performances it is more to do with personnel in the fact we do not have good front men at the club..... CMS exempted

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Add another 4 or 5 players of the class of Bruno and Bridge to the team and we would walk this division with plan A alone-this to me suggests for the now we have some players not quite up to it at this level enough to adapt-it's still very much a work in progress...