LeePhilpottsBaldSpot

Totally agree but you'll get short thrift on this forum about this topic! There are 4 camps that impact a club's success: players, board, managers, fans. For us, all contribute negatively, but all think they're not to blame and the others are the problem. All four aren't equally to blame. I'd put it as the board 50%, players 25%. Managers 15% and fans 10%. We change manager every 4 months and it doesn't improve anything, as the other 85% is unaccountable. Same directors, same fans and while lots of players change, we seem to be forever stuck with our shittest players. We'll stay in the death spiral until at least three of the four camps realise they too are part of the problem and make changes. It will happen eventually. Good times pass and so do bad times.

Or Chaplin, if he can stay fit

Of course it will be slow-paced 4-2-3-1, but let me dream... Martin has said Smallbone and Chaplin will both be fit - I'd put both straight in and revert to Martin O'Neill tactics. I know football has changed massively since the 1990s, but this is a squad that needs to go back to basics. Welsh guy Kanga Souttar O'Hora Howell Sammy Lundstrum Smallbone Alves Riis Chaplin Defence: 3 big no nonsense centre backs who can be physical in both boxes (Kanga as Sinclair, Souttar as Elliott, O'Hora as Taggart). Passing should be direct to Riis or to the midfielders. Midfield: Middle 3 are a destroyer (Lundstrum/Lennon), a runner (Braybrooke/Savage) and a creator (Smallbone/Izzet). Attacking wing backs who are encouraged to cross but have to run a lot to defend. Howell and Alves have the stamina to do the Guppy/Impey roles, with Burns and Watson as replacements. Attack: Two up front - one to aim crosses at, win flick ons and hold up the ball (Riis/Heskey) and one to get into space and finish (Chaplin/Cottee)

I know what you mean, but the other squads in this division are terrible as well. An average manager would have us top half, a good one would have us challenging for automatic promotion. Momentum is a huge thing in football - the season can still be saved.

A disproportionate amount of full backs have two first names. For us: James Justin, Jayden Joseph, Luke Thomas, Lee Marshall, Jordan Stewart, Ryan Bertrand, John Curtis, Neil Lewis, Kerrea Gilbert For others: Reece James, Gary Neville, Philip Neville, Ashley Cole, Denis Irwin, Gary Kelly, Russell Martin, Graham Alexander, Roberto Carlos, Tyrick Mitchell, Rico Lewis Special shout out to Trent Alexander-Arnold who has three 🏆

I'd take any of the rumoured names over Martin. Five years ago I'd have thought we would be mad to even consider Neil Lennon, but five years ago we didn't have a crap team and an appalling manager. Edwards or Challinor would be an enormous upgrade. Think I'd go for Edwards because my (potentially unfair) impression is he has more experience working for basket case football clubs, whereas Challinor seems to have been at stable clubs. Would bite your hands off for either of them.

Good enough at playing football, nowhere near good enough at the physical or mental side of the game.

It's excellent against Fulham U21s

Easily. But they're nowhere near good enough for the Champion's League, which is why trying to play like an elite club isn't working.

It's excellent against Fulham U21s

He'll end up in Qatar

I think of that list, the only one who would drop down to the third tier (let's face it for 2+ years) would be Challinor. And that would be ambitious.

Four relegations in the last four years. I think Herman Hreiderson has the record with five relegations - though they weren't in succession. I've been underwhelmed with McFarlane but at least he has the potential to improve. Thomas feels young but he's 25 - he's not going to get any better.

Same. Still all feels quite surreal. Have never felt so detached from the club, but also thinking about it so much. I actually can't think of a single thing I currently even like about a club I've loved for as long as I can remember. Players, management, board, the fan atmosphere, the training ground, the sponsors, the seats in our stadium, the women's team, the youth team... it's all just crap and unlikeable. It will get better, eventually.