[Football] Are we going down?

[Mellotron]

One win and it will throw a different light on things but we look very fragile in defence and two MOM performances from away keepers have cost us big time. Hence I am on the fence as we could completely implode or find some form. I can’t call it but at the moment we look to be in trouble.

I feel you slightly argue against yourself here - as you say, the only thing stopping us getting 6 points was 2 worldy performances from Foster and Heaton - i.e. we did enough to win both games, but for the keeper (and a ref who lost all control of the game vs Burnley).

I think we'll come good - we're not playing as bad as results suggest, nor were we playing as good as results suggested when we beat Wolves, Newcastle and a.n. other earlier this season in a row. We are pretty much exactly where we should be - 14th.

 

[Mellotron]

striker situation is crap.

We've been like this for years just about getting away with it. Amount of times we've had 1 striker fit and been on that tightrope is mnd boggling.

Should of signed a couple of strikers in the summer and certainly another in January.

Still utterly baffled that we let Hemed go out on loan.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Better atmosphere at away games in the Championship and proper fans also

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Weststander]

Let me ask a different question..Would you REALLY be happy if we ended up scraping by in 17th place after a promising 1st half of the season? Like a few others have said if all we can expect over the next x number of seasons is the same, from the same management team, I'd rather we went down.

I'd much rather the antics of teetering with promotion via the playoffs / fighting for a top 2 spot, watching team playing great football in 4-4-2 formation than continue with this dire standard we seem to have reached. Relegation would probably do us some good. Of course if we can get back to the standard shown earlier, aim to stabilise at around mid-table by 2021-22 season, then we can look at the next evolution.

Not elated, but relieved/satified.

All the talk of being Europa League places contenders was silly. We have a modest squad by PL standards (clubs like Wolves have acquired ready made quality players, Leicester have a great squad, CP have spent over £200m in fees and god knows what in wages in 2018/19). We are PL near rookies, trying to build a squad in a relatively prudent manner.

Which shows in the football on offer. Negative, often outplayed, some miraculous wins when outplayed (Wolves and West Ham), unexciting, the usual story of some sorry away trips. CH trying to chisel out enough points to stay up, knowing most oppositon teams would destroy us in an end to end shoot out.

If we stay up, my hope is that our 5th PL transfer window finally gets to grips with our glaring limitations.

 

[durrington gull]

Still utterly baffled that we let Hemed go out on loan.

Really!?? Is he getting regular games for mid table QPR? Don’t think so

 

[Weststander]

Really!?? Is he getting regular games for mid table QPR? Don’t think so

Not hindsight, I’d rather we had kept Hemed. Before his dumb sending off last season, he’d proved he could score vital PL goals.

I didn’t have that feeling for Skalak and Baldock in not being PL quality.

Good to have on the bench.

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

For the umpteenth time.....only 6 ( arguably plus Everton ) clubs are ever ' established ' in the PL. We are in a 13 team sub-divison. Three of those teams go down. Of the remaining ten, six or seven will spend the season fighting to stay above the safety line. Football history dictates that none of those current 13 teams will become established in the PL. They might find a way to stay 5-8 years but inevitably their time will come, as it did for Charlton, Blackburn, Wimbledon, Bolton and Wigan, to name but a few, who got a foothold before sinking back.
The longer you manage to hang on in there, the more buying power you will get. The only trouble is the Elite's ability to spend goes up as well ( and usually by more ) So that gap will never be bridged. Study PL history and see how many clubs have appeared in it. Next season, clubs like Leeds, Norwich and Sheff Utd could all come up with lofty ambitions but they will quickly sink into the lower reaches of the sub-division unless they can throw potloads of money at it like Wolves. New kids will emerge on the block with big money to spend and the order below the elite will change.
If we last 5 seasons that would be a major achievement. Realistically, 3-4 looks on the cards.

Its a v good point actually - and i think most of those you quote took a gamble and spent big on the wrong players or picked the wrong players for the formation they played (Norwich ) and Norwich aside sunk several divisions in quick succession before going back to basics and rebuilding.

 

[Icy Gull]

Still utterly baffled that we let Hemed go out on loan.

Not good enough and even slower than Murray, would not help our cause in any way imo. Another case of a player not in the squad improving into a better player than he is in people’s minds. Andone and Locadia are both vast improvements if still currently falling a little short of real Premier League striker quality.

 

[chaileyjem]

Before his dumb sending off last season, he’d proved he could score vital PL goals.
.

He scored 2 goals in 16 appearances.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hemed Baldock and Skalak did well for us in a lower grade football but none were good enough even to sit on the bench for us to move forward and woul;dnt be even a consideration over what we have available now.

 

[Weststander]

He scored 2 goals in 16 appearances.

How many starts?

 

[chaileyjem]

How many starts?

Nine . Never picked again after Ulloa and Locadia turned up.

 

[Weststander]

Nine . Never picked again after Ulloa and Locadia turned up.

2 vital goals in 9 starts wasn’t bad. I didn’t mind Hemed in our PL squad.

 

[durrington gull]

Not good enough and even slower than Murray, would not help our cause in any way imo. Another case of a player not in the squad improving into a better player than he is in people’s minds. Andone and Locadia are both vast improvements if still currently falling a little short of real Premier League striker quality.

Agree with sentiment but Loco isn’t any better- looks a 14m complete dud so far

 

[neilbard]

Are we going down?

Paul Barber thinks so..

 

[Kosh]

I too sit in camp Hemed. My tent is pitched.

We should have retained him and NEVER signed Locadia.

There i’ve sodding well said it.

Locadia is a trier, Hemed a doer. Who was it who once said: “Try? There is no try. Only do, or do not.”

Hmmmmm how did you get so big, signing strikers like this (big jurgs)? Hum? I’m sure he said that too.

Jurgen is too reckless, the striker we are looking for was already here (touches chest) in our hearts.

Cue cheesy emotional string quartet and Hemed highlights video.

Bring Hemed home.

Right; i’m off to the Dagoba system.

 

[Taybha]

 

[Albion Prem]

Wow, 'give-us-falmer-please', and you're happy for the person who paid for it to fork out even more because you fancy a relegation might do us some good. Blimey, your memory must be razor sharp to reflect on Albion seasons past rate more highly than a season and a half in the top flight.

Just remind me how many years in our history we were teetering with promotion from the 2nd division? And you can't stomach 64 premier league matches that have delivered some fantastic highs as well as a fair share of lows.

I really hope our players have a bit more courage and backbone than a lot of our fans on here...

I believe that many fans thought we could do well in the top league however after one season it was obvious that only about ten teams with superier players earning mega bucks are in for a possible top four place at the end of the season, we and the other also rans must play a very defensive game and in particular keep possession in their own half, if you are prepared to put up with that, fine but dont blame the chairman or manager, its the real world

 

[nicko31]

Another win and pressure will ease, we are still playing OK most games. Need some luck...

 

[Weststander]

I believe that many fans thought we could do well in the top league however after one season it was obvious that only about ten teams with superier players earning mega bucks are in for a possible top four place at the end of the season, we and the other also rans must play a very defensive game and in particular keep possession in their own half, if you are prepared to put up with that, fine but dont blame the chairman or manager, its the real world

Good points.