[Albion] Lack of squad quality

[GT49er]

Agreed, apart from Bernardo who is much better than Bong/Suttner from last season.

I still think our team as it stands is good enough to play better and have more points than we have. A decent manager wouldn’t have our guys getting battered by the likes of Burnley, Fulham and Millwall, while only just squeezing past the second worst team ever to play Pl football.

I still have faith in CH. He doesn't send the team out deliberately to play shite. I'd want him to continue with us next season (and beyond) - it is important we get the summer recruitment right though, and see what CH does with it.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

At lot of comments on here suggesting the Manager is the problem not the quality of the squad. Hughton has been brilliant for us and will always be a legend in our history - but the tone of the comments suggest has he taken us as far as he can ?

For me I still see a team that has many that played for us in the Championship and we’re starting to get found out for this. Our midfield is where we are losing games. Give Muzza the right service and he will score goals. Reality is we could have had Messi up front today and he would have looked as isolated as Murray did because the service is shocking. Our ability to put in a decent cross is embarrassing from both the wide men and full backs - woeful. If we manage to stay up then it is centre midfield that needs some PL quality added and some serious coaching on how to put in a cross that misses the first man !

 

[doogie004]

So why didn’t he do something about it? That’s his job FFS.

I’m agreeing with u


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GT49er]

At lot of comments on here suggesting the Manager is the problem not the quality of the squad. Hughton has been brilliant for us and will always be a legend in our history - but the tone of the comments suggest has he taken us as far as he can ?

For me I still see a team that has many that played for us in the Championship and we’re starting to get found out for this. Our midfield is where we are losing games. Give Muzza the right service and he will score goals. Reality is we could have had Messi up front today and he would have looked as isolated as Murray did because the service is shocking. Our ability to put in a decent cross is embarrassing from both the wide men and full backs - woeful. If we manage to stay up then it is centre midfield that needs some PL quality added and some serious coaching on how to put in a cross that misses the first man !

Join the club!

 

[doogie004]

I’m agreeing with u just don’t think hughton has it in him to take us to the next level


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think the squad has enough quality players to survive. But not necessarily to push on to that comfortable mid table zone a la B'muff, Everton, Watford WH etc.

We either need a more adventurous and intelligent manager or some higher quality players. I'd rather see the second option first.

Would you? I'm not so sure. I think we have good players. But we are where we deserve to be. If we stay up and if we are bottom 5 next November it may be time to twist. A case of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome not being something TB will tolerate.

That said, summer recruitment may be amazing, and a small increment in outcome would be fine by me.

 

[father_and_son]

Such a huge but entirely unreasonable expectation from so many fans expressed here. We are second season PL. The reality of that means we are sh*t. Most teams promoted to the PL go back down, if not in the first season, then within the first few.

We are performing exactly as any sensible person would be predicting we would be given the nature of our owner. We grind out results, we don't gamble it all, we build up slowly. This describes the club, the team and each individual game ... It's exactly how our owner wants it to be. Anybody who thinks a professional poker player would be any different doesn't understand poker.

 

[Weststander]

I still have faith in CH. He doesn't send the team out deliberately to play shite. I'd want him to continue with us next season (and beyond) - it is important we get the summer recruitment right though, and see what CH does with it.

This 100%.

Time for the Board to up the ante on transfers - fewer, but of better quality. CM please.

 

[zefarelly]

It's an impossible question either way, one or two great players won't mask a limited manager, and the best manager won't win with average players. It's ultimately down to money, which means TB, and how much he can afford To gamble. He's passed the safe bets now.

Would you? I'm not so sure. I think we have good players. But we are where we deserve to be. If we stay up and if we are bottom 5 next November it may be time to twist. A case of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome not bing something TB will tolerate.

That said, summer recruitment may be amazing, and a small increment in outcome would be fine by me.

 

[Weststander]

It's an impossible question either way, one or two great players won't mask a limited manager, and the best manager won't win with average players. It's ultimately down to money, which means TB, and how much he can afford To gamble. He's passed the safe bets now.

Is CH limited though? In the PL with a modest to poor squad, conservative tactics. In the Championship with a relatively strong squad, brilliant counter attacking football at pace.

I’d like to see how CH does with some better players.

For all his business and poker acumen, I envisage TB remaining loyal to CH for some considerable time to come.

 

[zefarelly]

I have zero gripes with that, but TB seems a progressive kind of guy, and CH has achieved more as a player,and one would assume, has similar aspirations and expectations as a manager. Therefore, we need to stay up and make some excellent acquisitions.

Is CH limited though? In the PL with a modest to poor squad, conservative tactics. In the Championship with a relatively strong squad, brilliant counter attacking football at pace.

I’d like to see how CH does with some better players.

For all his business and poker acumen, I envisage TB remaining loyal to CH for some considerable time to come.

 

[Perkino]

We have a lot of quality, for example which of the Southampton squad would we consider poaching based on today's game? Not many is my guess. Our change of formation in December has isolated Murray and left us leaky at the back. We need a couple more signings who can see a deadly pass and take advantage in the final third but we have a competitive side compared to 13 other sides in the league

 

[Saunders]

Is CH limited though? In the PL with a modest to poor squad, conservative tactics. In the Championship with a relatively strong squad, brilliant counter attacking football at pace.

I’d like to see how CH does with some better players.

For all his business and poker acumen, I envisage TB remaining loyal to CH for some considerable time to come.

I am frustrated that we once again didnt get into the game until we were a goal down. The same result but we did better than against Burnley. If Andone was fit I really think we would have got a result. I really hope that Chris gets that chance too and we get to see more of what he did for us in the Championship when things were more even.

 

[Weststander]

I am frustrated that we once again didnt get into the game until we were a goal down. The same result but we did better than against Burnley. If Andone was fit I really think we would have got a result. I really hope that Chris gets that chance too and we get to see more of what he did for us in the Championship when things were more even.

CH is going nowhere, in my opinion.

 

[um bongo molongo]

We lack pace. And that makes the rest of our players (eg Propper) look worse as the passing options aren’t there. The oppo defences can push up knowing we’re not going to get in behind, and that limits our space in attacking areas and makes us look bereft of ideas. Look at Bournemouth’s attaching players as an example of a (realistic) alternative approach that champions players with pace.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Is CH limited though? In the PL with a modest to poor squad, conservative tactics. In the Championship with a relatively strong squad, brilliant counter attacking football at pace.

I’d like to see how CH does with some better players.

For all his business and poker acumen, I envisage TB remaining loyal to CH for some considerable time to come.

This is where I am

 

[dingodan]

Our players just seem to constantly give off this mentality of "oh no please don't come and tackle me, I just want to play, stop closing me down, I'd better pass back to the keeper, I wouldn't want to lose the ball".

There is a secret to beating us, and it has nothing to do with playing well.

High energy closing down / get in our faces.

That's all there is to it. You do that against us, you win. End of.

 

[Don Tmatter]

Bruno, Bong, Stephens, & Murray need to be replaced with higher quality replacements in the summer.

 

[Weststander]

Our players just seem to constantly give off this mentality of "oh no please don't come and tackle me, I just want to play, stop closing me down, I'd better pass back to the keeper, I wouldn't want to lose the ball".

There is a secret to beating us, and it has nothing to do with playing well.

High energy closing down / get in our faces.

That's all there is to it. You do that against us, you win. End of.

The Guardian’s football writer, and Southampton’s manager, concur:

 

[Beach Hut]

The issue I have is every time Murray starts it is bleeding obvious how we are going to play and most opposition get it straight away, sad but true