Pliskin

This is probably the weakest premier league there has been for some time, but it’s going to make for an exciting one. Man City look haggard, I think Pep has probably taken this group as far as he can, they need a complete freshen up I think, last night reminded me of us last season, they just looked stale. It’s a genuine title race this season, it’s probably the most competitive it’s been for years and years. Even the bottom of the table looks interesting, my only hope is that Forest stack it. It gives me hope though, I think we’re better than all of the teams in the bottom six of the premier league, if we go up, and have a solid summer window, we could be in for an exciting rebirth.

I think it’s more of a lack of movement in the midfield than it is Mads misplacing passes. He looks to punch the pass into the midfield, but to beat the forward press. Winks so far is the only player who reacts properly, but he can’t do it all of the time. It’s more an issue with Ricardo, but it’s not really his fault as he isn’t a midfielder. WBA, Mads fizzed a pass into the midfield, and it ended up being intercepted, Winks berated his fellow midfielders because the pass was perfect, but the movement was poor. I’d argue he is far too good for this level, I’m frankly astounded we’ve managed to get him, regardless of what happens to us this season, in the summer one of the PL big boys will come in for him. We’re still very much a work in progress, and this includes Mads.

I’ve got something pre match in trap 1…..

Best keeper ever.

****ing not pathetic.

****ing pathetic.

We’re not even controlling games anymore, constantly giving the ball away.

Another pretty crap affair.

Problem with this game is everyone knows how we’re going to play, there will be no surprises for West Brom, so us winning boils down to two things, either we turn up and play well (which has been few and far between) or West Brom have an off day. I don’t think Enzo will consider any changes unless we get a proper shoeing…… and he then will question himself what he is doing potentially. Narrow defeats and draws o think he will brush off as “just football”…. Lots of questions could be answered over the coming games, with Ipswich being the big one.

I bet it gets overturned! They must be confident it will be otherwise you wouldn’t bother appealing surely?

It’s not the point that’s the issue, which is the point people are missing….. it was the performance, against the worst team in the division…… it was rancid. Perhaps a proper hiding might make Enzo rethink, which is probably coming against West Brom, I just hope for this clubs sake he gets it right going forward.

And it’s this nonchalant mentality that saw us relegated. Having critical thinking isn’t negative. Fine probably won’t cut it in reality. There are definitely concerns and worries… with the games coming up as they are, a bad run of form could see that cushion to third disappear. Nothing is certain… but there’s definitely concerns going forward, there’s still an element of a soft underbelly about us.

We’re not talking premier league…. We’re talking championship. We just NEED to get out of this league,

The question remains…… what prompted Chelsea to buy him for the money they did? He’s a fish out of water….

I agree with you. There’s just something about this whole situation that I feel uneasy about, even when we were winning game after game, it still didn’t feel right, that to me suggests the quality of the team is getting you by…. Theres a lot of unknown about Enzo, but the concerning thing for me is that, he has already suggested he is not going to change his approach, it’s an approach that could cost us, but equally could eventually come good. If you were to take a Farke, for example… I think he would comfortably see us promoted. What concerns me more than anything is there’s a hell of a lot riding on this season, failure to go up will cause some immense problems for the club, with the colossal finances going out of this club, a second season in this league will result in a world of pain, it scares the life out of me personally. Enzo has a huge couple of weeks coming up, and it could go either way.

They’ve got the pace and power to completely run us over. I’ve got a feeling this will be a significant loss, 4-1 I think, I think it’s on the cards too we’ve looked frail since the international break, it’s the lack of quality in the opponent that’s let us off.

I would suggest in this current climate, on paper we are a Ferrari. In my opinion, we probably should be sat top of the table without a defeat….. as arrogant as that sounds, we’ve got the players to do it, I just think that the system is somewhat restricting our creativity, and some of the players aren’t wholly comfortable with it, even if they like the idea of it. I like Enzo’s philosophy, it’s one I share, there’s a reason why it’s used throughout Europe, however, it’s a style of football that demands the right kind of players to work…… and we’re shoehorning players into a system that doesn’t necessarily suit them. Defensively we’re okay, but for me Ricardo is wasted in CM, he is probably one of the best full backs in the league, and his best abilities aren’t being utilised. KDH isn’t a high 8, he’s better deeper in the pitch, although his energy and endeavour makes up for this. N’didi too isn’t an AM, again he has started this season well, but he is movement in the pockets of space a 10 would usually occupy isn’t good enough….. the wingers are often doubled up on straight away, and our strikers are at this stage, misfiring. My point is, there are very particular skill sets running through this team, that would be better suited playing a less rigid, military style of football. We’re better when we have an element of freedom, when there is a sense of chaos…. The unpredictability of us is probably one of our strengths. Eventually if we’re not careful we will hit a rut like we did under Rodgers, and Puel….. an over coached team that lack the spontaneity to change a game. This next run of games will define our season, and we’re hitting bad form just at the wrong time…. Point is, Enzo could probably change this with a systematic tweak, but he’s as good as said he won’t.

But it’s not that simple is it…. Especially when there’s fans who have a sound tactical grasp of the game…. Not just some happy clapper in a filbert the fox hat…… The philosophy Enzo is following may well be a good one, but only if it is used correctly…. Imagine buying a Ferrari, and then deciding to use it as a long distance car…. All of the time…. That’s essentially what it happening here…. It’s a bit Rodgers and Puel. This team has pace to burn, but it lacks the technical ability to play how Enzo wants to, consistently well. Defensively we’re okay, but in terms of retention, Winks is the only one who looks really comfortable on the ball… the rest of the midfield excluding the wingers look like they’re being played out of position. We’ve got the best full backs in the league, pacy direct wingers and experienced strikers…. Yet, we’re playing a slow possession based game, which is now starting to cost us goals due to a large amount of errors….. At some point you have to change something, and at the moment other than personnel we aren’t seeing this. The tempo is too slow, and when pressed we make more mistakes and are unable to control the game. So far out of all of the teams at the top, we look probably the most fragile at the moment. Enzo just needs to understand when the time is right to change something, and that’s it’s okay to change the system to benefit the team…. Because at the moment this style is to the detriment of it.

Because the warning signs are fast becoming potential writing on the wall…. He’s already point blank refused to adapt “if the fans don’t like it when tough” which is pretty much what he said. We’ve just drawn to a team and club on its arse, it’s comfortably the worst performance I’ve watched in some time. It’s worrying, because the stakes are too high not to go up, the future of this football club could well hang on this season, if it goes wrong, we’re ****ed.

I absolutely agree. At the moment the quality in our squad is getting us by, but it’s also being strangled and shoehorned into a style that isn’t suited to all. There’s so much pace, and power in this side, yet we’re approaching the game like a bunch of wet flannels. It’s baffling that you wouldn’t want to utilise the strength in your team just to play a certain way. It’s a recipe for disaster, and of Enzo isn’t prepared to try something different, we will sing quicker than the titanic.

They will win comfortably.

Probably get shot for saying this, but I don’t think he will last the season. If he does, I don’t think we will go up…….

It may as well be….

Too angry, this lot can **** off…. Has someone let Puel and Brendan back in?

You can’t sugar coat this performance at all. We’ve drawn to a team rooted to the foot of the table, and are absolutely horrendous. I don’t want to hear this “No easy game” bollocks, this lot are dog shit, and they made us looked average. It’s a disgrace, that performance was vile.