27 Jan 2025 09:18:28
Felt to me like the City game was a turning point.
Incredibly naive tactics, poor application from the players, Sanchez. This was really bad from Maresca and our last 7 now reads DLLDDWL. Its even worse when those teams are Everton, Fulham, Ipswich, Palace, Bournemouth, Wolves and the husk of Man City.
Managers have been sacked for less.
27 Jan 2025 10:38:13
Poch had us in a worse position at this stage of last season and he was allowed to see out that season so I can’t see the owners doing anything until they have had their end of season review.
27 Jan 2025 10:41:52
Completely agree RBD those results are a nightmare return to the days of Lamps second stint as manager at end of the 2022-3 season. EM has made many errors that explain why we have sunk so rapidly after very decent and hopeful first half of the season as many habe been pointing out.
But many also think rightly that some blame should also be put on the SDs and perhaps one at least of the owners. Why was Petrovic sent out on loan after Poch had replaced Sanchez with him (but EM couod have given Jorgensen a run and probably now will perhaps)?
Petrovic did pretty well imho. and is apparently impressing at Strasbourg. Why with blinding obvious concerns about Lavia staying fit given his cruel run of injuries was Santos also sent out on loan == and he's now starring at Strasbourg - if then Chucky/ Casedei sidelined in terms of EPL game time (some of this clearly down to the manager as well)? Is it a coincidence that both Santos and Petrovic were loaned to our sister club Strasbourg - with same owners as us - who have struggled the last two seasons but have been doing better this season than (last result a nice away win at Lille)?
Does it all come down to us fans - and poerhaps some of the younger players on long contracts - needing to take take vision 2030 literally? The idea that we can only really back to the top by then? Surely not?! But then why buy virtually only youth rather than proven experience and gamble on a very inexperienced Manager rather than having kept Poch for another season to build on promising end to his first . or have carefully monitored the likes of a seasoned at top level in their country manager like Slot as a replacement?
For the umteenth time I will repeat that I trust EM can turn things around but as long as he doesn't the questions and doubts will be growing.
27 Jan 2025 11:21:46
Undeniably having a bad run, need a bit of luck.
The keeper is a real worry but we can't keep sacking managers still think top 5 is more likely than not, as said before with the possibly exception of Southampton there are no easy games.
27 Jan 2025 12:31:47
JBS, I fully agree that the bulk of the blame needs to be laid at the SDs' door. I cannot square the circle of the frankly obscene spending that they have embarked on with such little return 2 years in. Let's have it right, for £1.5bn spent, they could have spent £100m per position and had £400m spare to fill out the bench. Think about that!
But that is perhaps another conversation.
Regarding Maresca, it goes without saying that I want him to succeed. We are getting to the point where he needs to be seriously scrutinised. He inherited a squad that had spent a year learning to play with one another, which included our best CB returning from injury. I do not think we have improved since last year. Our underlaying numbers are largely the same and within the range of expected variance.
Tactically he appears out-thought throughout games, and I am yet to see us control a game in the way he was ostensibly brought in to accomplish. We have been extremely open in almost every game this season, relying on Fofana and Colwill to defend half the pitch multiple times throughout games. It's not coincidence that our performances have fallen off a cliff since he went out. I'm not seeing anything from him as a manager that would make me trust in his coaching for the next 2 years.
I will not be pleased if the end result this season is tripping over the line into the Champions League, with the Conference League trophy to try and hang our hat onto.
27 Jan 2025 13:40:27
RBD, I would be pleased tripping over the line into the top 4 / 5 and winning conference league.
27 Jan 2025 13:54:41
RBD, I would have most fans would be happy with a Champions League qualification no matter how it’s achieved.
I hope EM succeeds as our manager and for the majority of this season I have found no reason to question his tactics. I’ve said before there are three games so far this season that I think he has got wrong. I didn’t read many posts or hear fans fans at matches questioning his tactics for the first 15/ 16 games but as many of us said the judgement comes at the end of the season not after those 15/ 16 games.
In my opinion mistakes have been made in the transfer market. The much missed Ed002 said they had been poorly advised in those early Clearlake days. I am convinced that the club tried hard to sign another CF in the last window but to no avail. I am sure they would love to sign one in this window IF one of quality is available.
27 Jan 2025 14:04:18
RBD, no guarantees that we will trip over the line for CL spot or even winning Conference League.
27 Jan 2025 17:12:00
Tom for me its not just about EM game tactics but what I see as a poor use of the large squad at his disposal plus nature and timing of many substitutions plus sticking with Sanchez. surely Jorgensen not even worse according to GK coach?
{Ed001's Note - have you seen the footage Forest Green Rovers posted of Sanchez when he was on loan to them a few seasons ago? It was highly unusual because it was just a reel of bloopers.}
27 Jan 2025 18:12:51
JBS, as I have said many times, it’s a mystery to me why Jorgensen hasn’t been given a run of premiership games.
I’m just a fan, so the chances of the manager making me happy about team selection from game to game is virtually zero. I take your point about better use of the squad for premiership games. I think generally like for like substitutions are ok when the team is winning of in control of a game.
I did not understand why Neto and Gusto were kept on the pitch against Fulham or as alternative he could have just moved Gusto to RB instead of asking him to take up the inverted position.
The other game was Ipswich away. This was an opportunity to play with two number tens and put pressure on them between the lines. Instead he did nothing to change the game.
The other was the second half against City when we got bullied by a long ball time and time again.
My memory isn’t brilliant these days but other than that i can’t be that critical.
27 Jan 2025 18:33:08
Ed001, there is no doubt that Sanchez is dreadful. What is more worrying is that, Ben Robert’s, who came as a job lot with Potter persuaded the club to waste money of him. Roberts holds the grandiose title of Head of global goalkeeping: we have spent close to £100 million on keepers in recent years with no obvious success . It is of concern that Marcesca keeps picking him: either Jorgensen is terrible in training or he is being stubborn. You can only afford to be stubborn if you are an elite coach who has actually achieved success at the highest level.
{Ed001's Note - sanchez is truly one of the worst keepers i have ever seen in the prem.}
27 Jan 2025 18:39:23
I know I haven't posted in a while so it seems like Captain Hindsight is here, but the warning signs have been there all season in my opinion. I'm not convinced that he has the chops, but I hope I am proved wrong.
As for your point about the early Clearlake days, how long are we going to hold on to that? The same mistakes have been repeated ad nauseum. I'd also add that almost all of those signings have either been sold or had interest in them. We are yet to see a Clearlake signing made under the current set up to be sold. They're only doing half the job at the minute, and there's huge debate as to whether they are doing it well. They constantly leaked it was a 4 window project, the fourth was an outright disaster and we're now in the fifth STILL requiring a GK, DM, LW, ST at the minimum.
We've signed 45 players since the new ownership took over. Data led approach we were told. How many have been outright successes? 5? There is understandable scrutiny on them because the results haven't been there.
27 Jan 2025 20:11:31
RBD, so if the Clearlake signings post SD’s are sold will that negate the conspiracy theory?
As far as recent results are concerned, there is of course justified criticism of the SD’s in the same way there was praise when the results were exceptable. My guess is both praise and criticism were premature.
27 Jan 2025 21:44:59
And enzo keeps him playing.
27 Jan 2025 21:35:07
Ed01 thanks for your typically useful comment. Will now look for that Sanchez bloopers reel! Very very hard to understand what almost seemed like malice in shifting or sidelining many of those not signed by SDs but who had done well under Poch or his predecessors.
{Ed001's Note - it is the first time I have ever heard of a team putting a blooper reel together of a player after his loan spell. They quite often put together a show reel to thank a loanee, but not bloopers.}
28 Jan 2025 07:03:44
They probably only had bloopers to show Ed001, they WERE his BEST bits.
{Ed001's Note - more than likely.}
28 Jan 2025 07:15:13
Welcome to meresca football lads.
28 Jan 2025 08:45:23
Tom, it's not a conspiracy, its a fact. I think they have only moved on Angelo Gabriel permanently.
28 Jan 2025 09:17:58
No comment after 15/ 16 premiership games. It’s a strange old world. ?.
28 Jan 2025 11:43:07
FBD, that’s my point. If the club sell players who were brought on board by the SD’s does the conspiracy theory go away?