13 Apr 2018 11:49:19
Ed 001
Very interested in your diagnosis of certain players thinking they are bigger than the club.
Certainly the repetition of the mamagerial cycle points to something not being right internally .
The majority performances this year have been OK at best and lack a real cohesion and committment that is required to perform at the highest level.
Taking into consideration what you have said I would start with selling Hazard and Courtois along with the significantly sub standard signings of Drinkwater and Barkley assuming suitable replacements are available. Arguably we could do with selling others but it will be tough to replace the four I have mentioned without adding two or three others to the list.

{Ed001's Note - that is always the problem. You sell Hazard and how do you replace him? I remember a Bill Shankly quote along the lines of you need 8 men to carry the piano and 3 men to play it. It is a very good way of explaining the balance you need of 8 players just to do the dirty work, while 3 to provide the magic. The problem you have is not enough of either. You have 3 or 4 to carry it and possibly one to play it, which has surprisingly been Willian rather than Hazard, then a lot of people stood watching the 3 or 4 struggle with their feet up and a mug of tea pointing where it should be going. Team cohesion has vanished. There should never be anyone stood on the sidelines pointing other than the manager/head coach, depending on what you want to call him. Last season Alonso got up and down the flank constantly and occasionally popped up in the middle and nicked a few goals. This season he seems to spend more time stood in the centre waiting for a chance and is not chasing back the way he should when the ball is turned over. Moses is like having a little kid that is too small to actually reach so just keeps running round getting in everyone's way. It is not that he is not trying to help, he just doesn't have a clue how to help. You could go on and on dissecting the whole squad and very few, with the very very notable exception of Kante, will escape criticism.}


1.) 13 Apr 2018
13 Apr 2018 13:40:41
Very interesting read ed001,thankyou.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}


2.) 13 Apr 2018
13 Apr 2018 20:11:58
Yet conte keeps playing these players week in week out he’s clueless 😂.


3.) 14 Apr 2018
14 Apr 2018 12:17:25
Interesting analogy Ed 001 and one that rings true when you think of our best squads of the last ten years.
I just hope that any new manger is given the time and the responsiblity to sort out the current squad deficiencies .
Thanks for your interesting and insiteful contributions Ed 001.

{Ed001's Note - thank you very much Turvey. Most people I think describe it as balance, when talking about a squad, I just love the way Shankly described it. Much more colourful and makes it more understandable than balance, which could mean anything really without context.}