[Albion] Will the lack of a “new manager bounce” be what costs us in the end?

[Thunder Bolt]

NOTHING'S going to 'cost us in the end'. For the first time this season, the manager's been given the tools to do the job i.e. the couple of strikers we've all been crying out for. Will be massively surprised if we haven't turned the corner now. At the very least, we've given ourselves a fighting chance. As a wise man once said, Keep The Faith!

It's January. We aren't relegated yet. Why are so many fans throwing the towel in already?

 

[Gazwag]

Probably correct. Few teams bounce straight back up - Burnley were an exception.

I don't know you do tend to get one of the relegated teams bounced straight back up

Newcastle (twice), QPR, Norwich, West Ham, West Brom in recent years

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

The biggest difference for me is that all of the teams that are either experiencing or have experienced a ‘bounce’ this season have better squads with players that have many PL games under their belts. We’re so green it’s unbelievable. We’re an incredibly pedestrian and pleasant team. Obviously I absolutely cannot stand the thought of it, but I can see us finishing 20th. We’re expecting/hoping for performances that I don’t believe we have in the locker.

 

[Weststander]

Having a good enough squad is one thing, though I cant imagine any promoted club being able to replace its Championship starting 11 for a Prem quality one in just 2 windows.

I personally think our group of players is good enough to stay up.


What concerns me though is more often than not a manager who sets them up so deep in their own half, to only then come away with a low score defeat most weeks, whilst restricting the opportunities of our team creating chances due to his overly defensive tactics .

Understandable in the first month or so of the Prem, but we're half way through the season now and its working less effectively every time.

Be interesting to see his team selection and tactics this evening, but don't be surprised if we come away with a comfy 0-2 defeat and 1 attempt on target.

Before Locadia and Ulloa, did you think we had enough to stay up?

Where were the top flight quality strikers, wingers with pace to regularly beat their PL full backs, goals from midfield, pace in CM and a RB good enough for the PL? The table doesn't lie, the Albion rarely scores.

Hughton had a squad with no real pace other than Izquierdo to work with, or goals, making a defensive approach, hoping to nick narrow wins. The brilliant counter attacking football of the last 2 and a half seasons in the Championship wasn't feasible as AK, GM, TH and SM are markedly slower than PL defenders.

 

[Bold Seagull]

The biggest difference for me is that all of the teams that are either experiencing or have experienced a ‘bounce’ this season have better squads with players that have many PL games under their belts. We’re so green it’s unbelievable. We’re an incredibly pedestrian and pleasant team. Obviously I absolutely cannot stand the thought of it, but I can see us finishing 20th. We’re expecting/hoping for performances that I don’t believe we have in the locker.

I felt we were better than Stoke, Bournemouth, Burnley, Everton at home, so agree with you about us being green, because we really should have turned one of those draws at the very least into a win, and shouldn't have lost to Bournemouth away, but that is at odds with saying we don't have the performances in the locker, because those same games it is fair to say I think we did perform well enough to win. If we play as well as we did at home to Bournemouth for example, and our new signings do have an impact on us scoring more goals, I think we have still got wins in us.

We do need some luck as well, and I really feel we are due some (please let it not all be used up in the cup!).

 

[Bozza]

No.

1. Stuffing up the Summer transfer window when it came to bringing in genuine quality up front which, in turn, led to...

2. Failing to convert dominant performances, particularly at home, into the victories deserved. We all know which games those were.

 

[Bold Seagull]

No.

1. Stuffing up the Summer transfer window when it came to bringing in genuine quality up front which, in turn, led to...

2. Failing to convert dominant performances, particularly at home, into the victories deserved. We all know which games those were.

Which is why there is still hope that we can repeat those performances with better quality options for us up front.

 

[Weststander]

I felt we were better than Stoke, Bournemouth, Burnley, Everton at home, so agree with you about us being green, because we really should have turned one of those draws at the very least into a win, and shouldn't have lost to Bournemouth away, but that is at odds with saying we don't have the performances in the locker, because those same games it is fair to say I think we did perform well enough to win. If we play as well as we did at home to Bournemouth for example, and our new signings do have an impact on us scoring more goals, I think we have still got wins in us.

We do need some luck as well, and I really feel we are due some (please let it not all be used up in the cup!).

The Everton game stands out. Neutral football writers said we were better against a terrible Everton, but naively game the ball away at the opposite end at the death, allowing a counter. (West Ham, about to win at Smellhurst, famously did the same thing then).

Bmuff - we were better, until they turned the screw and defensively we went pants. They could easily have won it with their superior pace as we naively went very open in the last quarter.

 

[Bozza]

Which is why there is still hope that we can repeat those performances with better quality options for us up front.

Indeed. But it feels like a coin toss now - the bookies' odds probably suggest as much, as...

1. Leo doesn't have raw pace.

2. It looks like Locadia won't be available until the last 12 games of the season - that's less than a third. He needs to get up to match fitness having been out for a couple of months or so, and needs to adjust to the Premier League. We need him to be fit and adjusted pretty damn quickly because after the next four games, it all looks very tricky indeed.

 

[Jimmehh]

It's January. We aren't relegated yet. Why are so many fans throwing the towel in already?

Do you not remember January 2017? We were DOOMED to fail to get automatic promotion from the Championship because we didn't sign a striker...

To some on here, they were probably hoping we weren't promoted so they could come on here and say 'I told you so'... This year, we can't get promoted, so they go for the next best thing '100% relegated' and then if it happens, they can once again come on here and say 'I told you so'...

It's classic NSC - surely you're used to it now!

 

[Weststander]

No.

1. Stuffing up the Summer transfer window when it came to bringing in genuine quality up front which, in turn, led to...

2. Failing to convert dominant performances, particularly at home, into the victories deserved. We all know which games those were.

This. That's my analysis too.

Hodgson, Pardew, Carvahal, Moyes, Lambert would also have really struggled to get wins from our pre-Locadia squad. Their new clubs all have a number of match winners and real pace, as well as being PL savvy.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Do you not remember January 2017? We were DOOMED to fail to get automatic promotion from the Championship because we didn't sign a striker...

To some on here, they were probably hoping we weren't promoted so they could come on here and say 'I told you so'... This year, we can't get promoted, so they go for the next best thing '100% relegated' and then if it happens, they can once again come on here and say 'I told you so'...

It's classic NSC - surely you're used to it now!

I am used to it, but still feel compelled to be an optimist. My bad.

 

[raymondo]

I don't know you do tend to get one of the relegated teams bounced straight back up

Newcastle (twice), QPR, Norwich, West Ham, West Brom in recent years

Fair enough, but QPR and Norwich are down again and... Bolton, Birmingham, Hull, Wigan, Sunderland .... Sorry, but I climbed out of the negative side of bed! I hope for better tomorrow morning ☺

 

[Bold Seagull]

Indeed. But it feels like a coin toss now - the bookies' odds probably suggest as much, as...

1. Leo doesn't have raw pace.

2. It looks like Locadia won't be available until the last 12 games of the season - that's less than a third. He needs to get up to match fitness having been out for a couple of months or so, and needs to adjust to the Premier League. We need him to be fit and adjusted pretty damn quickly because after the next four games, it all looks very tricky indeed.

All right Mr Reality-Check...

1. This whole pace thing might be a bit of a misnomer, Leo may just add the quality and movement, Gross, Propper, Izqueirdo need and it all 'clicks' (laughs maniacally...)...•

2. He's going to set this league on fire! (more maniacal laughter...)•




*blame the xmas nespresso machine...

 

[Weststander]

All right Mr Reality-Check...

1. This whole pace thing might be a bit of a misnomer, Leo may just add the quality and movement, Gross, Propper, Izqueirdo need and it all 'clicks' (laughs maniacally...)...•

2. He's going to set this league on fire! (more maniacal laughter...)•




*blame the xmas nespresso machine...

Hopefully Izquierdo starts every game now.

 

[neilbard]

Been talking with a few non Albion supporting guys tonight and all think we are doomed. They all think that admirable though it is to keep Hughton regardless of results and they see the logic they think that this alone will send us down, because it so tight that not achieving the new manager bonus of 6-9 points may cost us.

Frankly I don’t care, I’d stick by Hughton regardless because he is the best man to bring us back up. But do they have a point? Are we going to miss out due to not using the manager booster button?

NO! Blowing the home games against Everton, Southampton, Stoke & Bournemouth will cost us not Hughton.

 

[DerekZoolander]

By that logic you'd sack your manager before every game, get the new manager bounce every game and win the league without dropping a point.

 

[Bozza]

All right Mr Reality-Check...

1. This whole pace thing might be a bit of a misnomer, Leo may just add the quality and movement, Gross, Propper, Izqueirdo need and it all 'clicks' (laughs maniacally...)...•

2. He's going to set this league on fire! (more maniacal laughter...)•




*blame the xmas nespresso machine...

Oh, absolutely - I'm not saying they won't and I clearly hope they do.

Above all, I just hope we put up a decent fight. Continuing the current decline and being relegated with a handful of games to do would feel like we'd not made the best of the opportunity presented to us.

 

[Betfair Bozo]

No it won't because we are staying up.

Rise yourselves as Graham Taylor once said.

 

[The Gem]

You can focus on the forward line all you like but we have been a shambles defensively for the last two months and the manager persisted with certain defenders, whose mistakes have cost us dear, whilst we had more than capable deputies in reserve.

This this and more this, and this by the way.

Defensive shambles for months.