sbfox

Mediocre squad, maybe. Awful support, definitely. Zero atmosphere.

Enzo days not looking so bad now huh?

Dunno if anyone has said this and I'll whisper because it might be dumb, but is the open start to this year's season a result (at last) of the PSR regime? Yeah it feels like the Big 6 are still gaming it, but it definitely feels like a more open season...

Who doesn't want to be here?

Clean sheet, 3 points, great goal. Stop moaning and go and enjoy the weekend.

Maybe we're seriously underrating it?

This squad is obviously a lot better. It's just a lot of our supporters are trapped in a doom spiral.

Is anyone here saying they'd prefer either of the Charlton CBs to Vesty?

Foxestalk - waaaaah, this squad of Premiership blooded and international players is poo. Play the kids. Also Foxestalk - waaaah, this squad of kids is poo. We're gonna get battered by... Rob Apter.

What 'willy puller'-y things has Winks done?

Probably worth taking a look at the other Championship starting 11s later to remind yourselves that this isn't a bad squad.

I miss Enzo

What's a 'proper' footballer?

This is a good shout.

Yeah, we could keep booing our players when they score, let's see how that goes for morale!

Spent a lot of time trying to work out where the rot set in on the supporter side of the equation. Was it just after the FA Cup and parts of our fanbase thinking we were bigger than we were? I only say that because whilst the end of Rodgers reign was painful to watch, Maresca team was a breath of fresh air (mostly). And yet still, the fans didn't gel with him, despite cantering to the title. The appointment of Cooper really seemed to nail the cross in the door and now it's very obvious that we have a large, very toxic element to our fanbase. Not saying that's WHY we're where we are, but it definitely explains part of it. I then spent a lot of time thinking back to my first games at Filbert Street and really, the supporters weren't much different, so maybe it's just an 'us' thing...

Yeah, but they don't. Simple.

Kinda proving my point... Yeah, they get paid insanely well, too well, as all footballers are, but they're still human beings at the end of the day.

Like I said in the Hudds match thread, if you're a player, you know that the fans already hate you or will turn on you if you do something that is subjectively 'wrong'. I hate to say it, but I don't think we have the most supportive group of fans and if I was one of our players, I honestly think I'd find it a fairly difficult and toxic environment to play in.

Need a poll - who is worse, the fans or the players?

Dunno if I'd be THAT bothered by trying to win back over Dean from Market Bosworth if he thinks I'm a see you next Tuesday for subjectively playing badly a couple of times.

Why on earth would anyone work to their best in an atmosphere they don't feel comfortable in? If you're saying fans can express themselves, then players have every right to give it back.

I think the issue is that a lot of our players realise some of our fans hold bizarre grudges against them, or dislike them for inane reasons. Not sure I'd like to play for us!

Soumare didn't get us relegated...

Tbf, newly promoted clubs are better off with massive (wise) investment in players, rather than anything particularly tactical. Maresca would have kept us up with 'his' style had the Board authorised a number of high quality signings (rather that Oliver Skipp...).