[Albion] Is it the manager, or is it recruitment?

[warmleyseagull]

Considering how harsh are opening 14 games were, it isn't a massive surprise that confidence is low.

Man City (3rd on reasonable expectation they win game in hand); W Ham & Wolves (9&10), Leeds and Arsenal (14&15) to play, average position 10th. Average position of teams played: 10th.

The huge problem is failing to beat any of the teams below; just 2 wins out of the 4 would be fine. It is fine margins, but we cant keep making excuses for going the wrong side of them.

 

[wellquickwoody]

It’s the recruitment of players, Connolly and Ali J today missed headers from three yards which were essentially open goals. The manager cannot effect that.

AFFect for FFS, affect.

 

[The Fits]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record... We are two points behind the staying up tracker.
No reason to expect anything better that a relegation scrap this season after the recruitment levels (justifiable)

Another 3 or 4 gilt edge chances going begging.
That has nothing to do with the quality of the management nor the quality of the players.
It is confidence which is the problem.

Considering how harsh are opening 14 games were, it isn't a massive surprise that confidence is low.

How harsh our opening 14 games were? We have to play every team, twice. You could argue a first 6 games against the'top 6' is harsh. We've played almost everybody. and all the bottom 4...(including the worst team in Premier league history, with ten men, at home)

 

[Withdean11]

Manager's fault, this joker has had far better players at his disposal than Hughton ever had.

Without Murray, I think we would’ve been relegated both seasons under Hughton.

If we had a striker who could finish like Murray, we would be comfortably in mid table under Potter.

 

[Albion Dan]

It’s the players, they’re not good enough to put the managers ideas into practice.
If Potter is intelligent, then he will have to adapt his ideas to match the ability of his squad

Exactly. A managers job is to get the best out of the available squad. Its been obvious for ages that we don't have the firepower for the system. Potter hasn't got a clue how to fix it.

 

[raymondo]

i honestly think the players think they are better than they are .......bunch of posers mate , will always get found out by a team of workers , i'm gutted after watching that ....

You maybe right, but Potter is always on about how humble the team needs to be... The main player who seems able to be humble and also shake it up on the pitch, is Lamptey

 

[albionalex]

The buck stops with the manager.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Let’s cut to the chase.

Potter is going to be slaughtered here tonight. No question, and results wise, today it’s hard to argue.

But is Connolly really good enough?
Maupay? AJ (love him, but)..

Zequiri? Is he the answer.

Our problem is unquestionably taking our chances. We watch all the games. We all know this. The question is, is that the fault of recruitment or Potter?

You've used the word "manager". Potter is not a manager. He's a head coach. That's a huge part of the problem IMO. We need someone who has a vision and is allowed to match his own players to it.

 

[hoof hearted]

We could sign Messi and Ronaldo and it'd make no difference.

We do have an Argentinian no10, but apparently he's not good enough to get into the first 11.

 

[neilbard]

Without Murray, I think we would’ve been relegated both seasons under Hughton.

If we had a striker who could finish like Murray, we would be comfortably in mid table under Potter.

We have Wellbeck, he came on and scored, the manager is a clown leaving him on the bench for a massive must win game.

But no, he plays the non scoring munchkins. #wizardoz

 

[Uh_huh_him]

How harsh our opening 14 games were? We have to play every team, twice. You could argue a first 6 games against the'top 6' is harsh. We've played almost everybody. and all the bottom 4...(including the worst team in Premier league history, with ten men, at home)

We are two points off where we should be according to the tracker.

But I understand that certain fans have the need to be hysterical at this point..

So fill your boots

 

[nwgull]

AFFect for FFS, affect.

Effect could make sense here, in that it would mean to make something happen.

Got to get your grammar right on a matchday thread rant.

 

[warmleyseagull]

Back in the summer I voiced an opinion that Maupay was average and really only a support striker and that Connolly needed to go on loan in the Championship.

I was slaughtered on here for being clueless.

I could have joined you on the scaffold. Maupay had a below average season 19/20: scored 10, Xg 13.6. This season scored 4, Xg 6.91. Just 3 more goals from him to be average would have added 3 or so points and relative comfort.

He just isn't good enough, end of; Connolly never was.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

We have Wellbeck, he came on and scored, the manager is a clown leaving him on the bench for a massive must win game.

But no, he plays the non scoring munchkins. #wizardoz

Maupay's form is a genuine concern.
Possibly the biggest single factor in the team's confidence.

 

[Beanstalk]

Buck stops with the manager. That’s the whole point of the job. Potter’s first job is to get results. He has not done this. If the players aren’t good enough, it is his job to get them playing as more than the sum of their parts and get results. He has not done this.

 

[Albion Dan]

I’m not going to blame Potter because Connolly managed to put the ball over the bar from three yards out by heading it with the back of his neck.

He chose to play Connolly and he chose to take Maupay off instead of Aaron.

 

[doogie004]

Zeiqiri played on the wing so can't be judged.
Bissouma is supposedly being watched by Real. White by every major club. We have one of the best RWBs in the league. We have a young Argentinian international, a young Colombian international, a young Irish U21 captain. Lewis Dunk. Lallana. Wellbeck. Etc etc.
This team isn't as bad as it's being made to look.

The league table says different


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Steve Foster]

Back in the summer I voiced an opinion that Maupay was average and really only a support striker and that Connolly needed to go on loan in the Championship.

I was slaughtered on here for being clueless.

........ I agreed with you. Connolly should be nowhere near the first team. Needed to go out on loan to a Championship team. Maupay as the third choice of a two man attack - but we never recruited properly for a centre forward - yet that was the glaringly obvious position that needed filling last season.

We will be very, very lucky to stay up with the current squad.

If I were the Chairman I would spend £25m on a decent forward in January. It might not be enough - but losing out on £100m next season in the Premier League is a bigger risk surely?

As for Potter - out of his depth. Keep him on perhaps in a coaching capacity - but as a Manager - no way.

 

[warmleyseagull]

We are two points off where we should be according to the tracker.

But I understand that certain fans have the need to be hysterical at this point..

So fill your boots

Run me through what is 'hysterical' about concern that have failed to beat any of the teams below us, one home win and just five overall in 2020.

Norwich were on 11 after 14 games last season and in 19th place; Cardiff were 16th with 11 after 14 previous season; WBA 17th with 12 in 17/18. And what happened to all of those teams?

Certain fans need to wake up and smell the coffee: this is not good.

 

[dazzer6666]

Strikers not good enough (or currently not confident enough, or a bit of both).