[Albion] How long will YOU give Fab before calling for his head

[Uh_huh_him]

i’m sure tony will give him until this point next season at least, but we know he likes data above all else so this won’t make for great reading:

What is that actually showing though?

 

[Rdodge30]

It’s like a game of battleships! I’ve found Liverpool and Southampton for reference points so I’m now thinking the whole thing needs turning 45* but other than that I am, as usual, clueless

 

[portslade seagull]

Can Pedro and Rutter play in the same front line? We looked better this season with Welbeck at 9 and Rutter at 10. I was interested on Sunday to see Pedro at 9 and Rutter at 10 but I'm not sure it worked. Mainly because Pedro is very different to Welbeck.

Pedro is not a target man and should play at 10. Sunday exposed this as he looked toothless

 

[Han Solo]

What is that actually showing though

Seems to indicate that we're bang average, Which is arguably the ambition (~10th).

 

[dwayne]

Seems to indicate that we're bang average, Which is arguably the ambition (~10th).

I think the problem these days is that bang average is pretty good. The middle teams have less basket cases now and have recruited well. Bmuff , ham , fully , maybe forest and brentford all have equal first 11's to us, we may have a better squad but with all the injuries where does that leave us?

Quite easy to fall down to 14th without being terrible.

 

[dwayne]

Credit to @Han Solo for calling this as well probably about 4 games ago when everyone was losing their mind thinking we would get top 4.

He correctly stated that we were well overachieving and realistically 10th looks about right this season. He got a fair amount of abuse for that view as well.

 

[Han Solo]

I think the problem these days is that bang average is pretty good. The middle teams have less basket cases now and have recruited well. Bmuff , ham , fully , maybe forest and brentford all have equal first 11's to us, we may have a better squad but with all the injuries where does that leave us?

Quite easy to fall down to 14th without being terrible.

Indeed, the league is very strong with a bunch of "won't go down" teams. Once the zombie ship that is Wolves finally reaches its final destination, there's room for one more Premier League club to establish itself properly and then it should virtually be a locked league with three guest teams from the Championship going up and down.

 

[Han Solo]

Credit to @Han Solo for calling this as well probably about 4 games ago when everyone was losing their mind thinking we would get top 4.

He correctly stated that we were well overachieving and realistically 10th looks about right this season. He got a fair amount of abuse for that view as well.

Yeah well it didn't look sustainable. Of course people don't want to hear "sorry the good times will be on a break sooner rather than later" the day after a win against City but...

Teams that win a lot of games in football work their arses off until they have 2-0 and then take it from there. Maybe score more goals, maybe protect the league. But 9/10 times they will get the three points.

Turning around a 2-0 deficit in half-time against Spurs, scoring late goal winners against United or winning games through scoring from nearly every chance is great stuff, but its not a sustainable way of winning games.

 

[GJN1]

I think the problem these days is that bang average is pretty good. The middle teams have less basket cases now and have recruited well. Bmuff , ham , fully , maybe forest and brentford all have equal first 11's to us, we may have a better squad but with all the injuries where does that leave us?

Quite easy to fall down to 14th without being terrible.

Hands up who'd take 14th a decent FA Cup run this season?

 

[Weststander]

Hands up who'd take 14th a decent FA Cup run this season?

18th and an FAC win?

 

[oldboyroy]

The next 2 or 3 games are crucial to stop this mini rot and get some points on the board. Lose all 3 which is certainly possible and the pressure will really ramp up by quite a lot of supporters and the confidence will drain away from the players. I don't think for 1 minute that Tony will have a rethink even then, but he didn't spend 200 million to see us in bottom half of table. He will be concerned though if this run continues.
My only gripe will be why did we loan out Facundo and the ginger Barco when, they could've played and learnt more from us rather than sticking a load of new guys in?

 

[neutron]

In my mind it always was a two-year project, the first to get manager and new players all on the same page, the second to aim for top 4. Any position in the top half at the end of the season will do me.

 

[mothy]

18th and an FAC win?

No. 17th & runners up is ok

 

[oldboyroy]

Yeah well it didn't look sustainable. Of course people don't want to hear "sorry the good times will be on a break sooner rather than later" the day after a win against City but...

Teams that win a lot of games in football work their arses off until they have 2-0 and then take it from there. Maybe score more goals, maybe protect the league. But 9/10 times they will get the three points.

Turning around a 2-0 deficit in half-time against Spurs, scoring late goal winners against United or winning games through scoring from nearly every chance is great stuff, but its not a sustainable way of winning games.

We scored 2 lovely goals at Leicester, worked had and deservedly led 2 nil then they hit us with 2 tap ins through errors. We played pretty well at Fulham but their 1st goal was a suicidal Bart cock up. After that we bossed them until they finished us off. We make 1 error get punished then the whole team goes into panic mode and we concede again. Is it down to the manager, players or both?

 

[dwayne]

Indeed, the league is very strong with a bunch of "won't go down" teams. Once the zombie ship that is Wolves finally reaches its final destination, there's room for one more Premier League club to establish itself properly and then it should virtually be a locked league with three guest teams from the Championship going up and down.

Things will get interesting when a new moneyed team comes in. Birmingham have massive money backing them now. And those annoying scamps Wrexham, im sure will be up in a few years. Also not forgetting lovely Leeds.

 

[Brian Fantana]

If we don't win any of the next 3 games, I'll start to be very concerned indeed.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Elsewhere there is a post re our best ever side from 2022 - indeed, that team would now be challenging for top four with a realistic chance of making it. Today we are no where near that side, although it could, with a few changes, develop into something almost as special. However, we will not see that many world class players in our side in the next ten years.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Indeed, the league is very strong with a bunch of "won't go down" teams. Once the zombie ship that is Wolves finally reaches its final destination, there's room for one more Premier League club to establish itself properly and then it should virtually be a locked league with three guest teams from the Championship going up and down.

Someone posted earlier that the league is more competitive this year than it has ever been.

People have been moaning about the dominance of the top 1, then 2, then 3 and so on, for decades.

Apart from Newcastle, West Ham (whi briefly went down) and a couple of clubs that have found themselves with silly money and bounced up and up (Forest, Bentford, Fulham) you are largely correct about the bottom of the table.

But this is largely how it has always been.

This is the final Div 1 Table in 1968. Fourteen of the 22 are now (still, in the case of Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton) in the EPL 56 years later. Of the other 8, there are 2, perhaps 3, that will go back up at the end of this season.

It is what it was

 

[Rdodge30]

It is what it was

I like that ! I always make a point of coming on and saying when I think you’ve said something funny ………

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I like that ! I always make a point of coming on and saying when I think you’ve said something funny ………

That's twice now.

I'm on fire.



(Cheer up, you miserable old **** )