[Albion] £200 million on players

[lizard]

This.

Who here did not think beforehand that playing one recognised midfielder against a counter-attacking unit like Forest would be anything other than a disaster? It's absolutely obvious stuff to any football fan, let alone a Premier League manager. No balance in the team at all, and it's not the first time we've fielded 6 or 7 attackers at once as if they're all going to magically dovetail together rather than just get in each other's way. As for throwing Webster up front against Everton.. League 2 stuff. Almost up there with Stuart Pearce sending David James on up front for City. It's not just a desperate move, it can only seriously hack off the players who are specialists in that position. It's difficult to see how we are progressing. Getting pumped by Forest is annoying but not the end of the world. It's the decline in performance levels and seeming unhappiness of several players that's the real worry for me.

Spot on mate, thank you for typing that for me

 

[GT49er]

IMO we brought too many new faces in at the same time. Given the inexperience of the coach at this level, it’s added another layer of complexity to what is already a tough ask. Having said that most have taken themselves out of contention through injury.

If we’re asking our head coach to develop talent at the same time as winning football matches (we do) then I feel Hürzeler’s job has been made tougher by us timing our spending spree to coincide with his arrival. I understand why we did it, but there’s too many moving parts.

Absolutely we did! And so far they collectively haven't brought much to the party.

I’ve said before that you have to get to season three you can judge FH as a manager. Provided he can keep us away from the relegation zone in seasons one and two, and the club keep faith, I’ll trust the club.

Just to think, we could have kept Hyypia for three years!

It feels unnecessarily difficult though, to not only be developing players but also head coaches simultaneously. Surely at least some parts of your organisation need to be established with some kind of track record? In general the club get things right, I do wonder if hubris has set in at the top however.

Yet to be convinced that a bollock has not been dropped, I'm afraid.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

The defence is undeniably poor.

My concern is that we could have prime Ashley Cole, Van Dijk, Rio Ferdinand and Cafu and they'd still struggle if the manager puts out such an unbalanced and tactically naive team in front of them.

When there is no midfield in front of them it's very difficult to maintain shape and good defensive practice. What even is good defensive practice when you're constantly being over run and the team is told to pile forward constantly. We were still getting caught on the counter at 5 down after 80+ minutes.

I really don't want to be FH out but he makes it very easy to be. I'll grin and bear it this season, I'll make the most of any games we manage to win, but if we're pulling the same schoolboy tactics and performances next season I'll very definitely be FH out.

Thing is, this has been the case since day 1 with him. He’s not learning and he’s not adapting. He’s just not very good. And we’re so easy to play against.

 

[Weststander]

Yep. That's it in a nutshell. We've got points and in mid table but as you say, we've had a handful of 30 min spells and have yet to put in a 90 min performance apart from Norwich in cup and will include United away too. Defensively, we're a complete shambles and all the cash spent in summer simply hasn't improved us at all. Yes, we have injuries but so have most others. Maybe Tony's algorithms are not working so well and his plans for possibly Europe and a trophy are looking very unlikely at present. We are miles off challenging top 4 which, is what Fab says he wants to do?

Should’ve made a serious effort for the Zenith Data Systems Cup whilst it existed.

 

[bluenitsuj]

Only won 2 in 12 league games now.

 

[matt]

Not fair to dig the lad out, first start since his lay off, naive to say the least not to put O’Riley &/or Gomez in and around him against a top 4 side away from home

Exactly. He was literally our only midfielder in the first half so it’s not a surprise he was overrun.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

This.

Who here did not think beforehand that playing one recognised midfielder against a counter-attacking unit like Forest would be anything other than a disaster? It's absolutely obvious stuff to any football fan, let alone a Premier League manager. No balance in the team at all, and it's not the first time we've fielded 6 or 7 attackers at once as if they're all going to magically dovetail together rather than just get in each other's way. As for throwing Webster up front against Everton.. League 2 stuff. Almost up there with Stuart Pearce sending David James on up front for City. It's not just a desperate move, it can only seriously hack off the players who are specialists in that position. It's difficult to see how we are progressing. Getting pumped by Forest is annoying but not the end of the world. It's the decline in performance levels and seeming unhappiness of several players that's the real worry for me.

The Palace performance was alarming.
Everton compounded the feeling that the players aren't buying into his ideas.

Today was appalling and naive.

Every chance he will lose the dressing room.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Thing is, this has been the case since day 1 with him. He’s not learning and he’s not adapting. He’s just not very good. And we’re so easy to play against.

Yeah this.

RDZ and Potter improved players.

This guy has just inherited a good squad and done nothing with it.

Plenty of good 30 minute spells in games, whixh I doubt are down to him.

We are so easy to play against.

 

[The Fits]

Thing is, this has been the case since day 1 with him. He’s not learning and he’s not adapting. He’s just not very good. And we’re so easy to play against.

I’m very much moving in your direction of thought.
He simply hadn’t shown anything like
enough to suggest he has it in him.
Basic, basic mistakes. No consistency.
No tactics. Having to make changes consistently at half time. No style. No energy. No ideas. Seemingly not ideal morale in the camp…what the hell are we all clutching on to?

 

[BUTTERBALL]

It's odd we didn't want to back RDZ in the same way, I'd love to know what he'd have done with these players. I still think it's too early to tell with FH, needs to find a consistent style and tactics.

 

[chickens]

Absolutely we did! And so far they collectively haven't brought much to the party.

Just to think, we could have kept Hyypia for three years!

Yet to be convinced that a bollock has not been dropped, I'm afraid.

Time will tell. I’m very much on the outside looking in. If those who are in the building and working with Fab still believe the long-term picture is positive, then I’m still on-board.

I expected this season (and frankly the next) to be hit and miss, I don’t expect people new to the league to know what’s needed, and it’s entirely possible to make different mistakes in your second season than you do in your first.

However, I do expect a manager by a third season in the league to have arrived at solutions for most of the problems put in front of us. If we go for completely inexperienced head coaches, that (for me) is what we owe them.

The reason I don’t necessarily like going for coaches this raw is that we’ve been here before (Potter) and the second he believed he’d mastered his craft, he fecked off to Chelsea to get his teeth whitened. I don’t necessarily understand why we think this time would be any different.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Probably repeating what has been said, but we lost two really good players in Gross and Gilmore , for small fees , and signed a handful of very ordinary ones who are injury prone…..

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I’m very much moving in your direction of thought.
He simply hadn’t shown anything like
enough to suggest he has it in him.
Basic, basic mistakes. No consistency.
No tactics. Having to make changes consistently at half time. No style. No energy. No ideas. Seemingly not ideal morale in the camp…what the hell are we all clutching on to?

Thing is, I don’t want to think this about our manager. Everyone always has a go about being negative, but I’ve not really felt negative about a manager since the end of CH’s reign.

But this guy… he just doesn’t have it. He may do at some point in the future, but he doesn’t at the moment. And he’s making the same mistakes he’s been making since the first game of the season.

Of course that doesn’t mean we won’t win some games. Of course we will, because we have too much quality. But we’re getting by on having good players at the moment, rather than having good players who are well coached and managed.

 

[METALMICKY]

Always hated that “we’re the best run club” nonsense peddled by the media and encouraged by the club.

It’s an invite to be lulled into a false sense of security and have everyone waiting to watch us fall.

Nailed it! I'm kind of sick of the rest of the footballing world blowing smoke up our arses! It could lead to complacency on and off the field.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yeah this.

RDZ and Potter improved players.

This guy has just inherited a good squad and done nothing with it.

Plenty of good 30 minute spells in games, whixh I doubt are down to him.

We are so easy to play against.

I don’t disagree, but our league form was poor back end of last season and we lost a most creative player we’ve ever had.

Yes £200m spent, but only 2 fully fit of those players available today. Reminds me somewhat of going to Luton and getting beat 4-0, at least Forest have been largely great this season.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Always hated that “we’re the best run club” nonsense peddled by the media and encouraged by the club.

It’s an invite to be lulled into a false sense of security and have everyone waiting to watch us fall.

Yep. I think we can all agree we’re generally well run but we have also developed an arrogance as a club that has also spread to the fans.

I heard on a pod this week that a load of our fans got into a slanging match with Everton media officials after the game last week with our fans slagging Everton off and shouting things like “how do you watch that every week?!” etc after they’d just beaten us at home and we’d looked totally impotent. The pod presenters were taking the piss out of us then rightfully questioning who we think we are.

We look even more twattish after today.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I don’t disagree, but our league form was poor back end of last season and we lost a most creative player we’ve ever had.

Yes £200m spent, but only 2 fully fit of those players available today. Reminds me somewhat of going to Luton and getting beat 4-0, at least Forest have been largely great this season.

It's still a good squad, that should be capable of not losing 7-0.

 

[Wozza]

£200m on players bought for the spreadsheet and future profit rather than the current needs of the manager.

Squad desperately needs more fit, experienced players as a backbone.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

£200m on players bought for the spreadsheet and future profit rather than the current needs of the manager.

Squad desperately needs more fit, experienced players as a backbone.

Welbeck, Dunk, Veltman started in that game.

Not sure how much experience is needed.

 

[DJ NOBO]

I really don't want to be FH out but he makes it very easy to be. I'll grin and bear it this season, I'll make the most of any games we manage to win, but if we're pulling the same schoolboy tactics and performances next season I'll very definitely be FH out.

Nailed it.