In a word....

[broughtonblue]

Sleep

[Ted Maul]

Why would you have a dig for us not challenging for the top 6  we're probably the 20-25th biggest club in the country, why the **** are our expectations at this level? It's bonkers.

[Foxboy]

4 minutes ago, Ted Maul said:

Why would you have a dig for us not challenging for the top 6  we're probably the 20-25th biggest club in the country, why the **** are our expectations at this level? It's bonkers.

Don’t be silly mate we’ve won the league. If we just had a better manager, like Sam Allardyce, I reckon we could easily push for top 4. #PuelOut

[GloverFox]

Merde

[lestajigs]

Is zzzzzzz a word ?

[RODNEY FERNIO]

Impotent

[Nalis]

Meh

[lgfualol]

Mahrezless

[HighPeakFox]

Tiresome.

[Livid]

Frustrating

[shailen]

We need a striker who will be a target man and link with other front players. People will probably laugh but I'd take someone like Rondon who can bring players like Maddison and Gray into play 

[pazzerfox]

1.  Does Puel need the summer to get the type of players in to fit the system and to ship out the players that don't?  It's quite clear that we are 'work in progress' but still in the top half.  Maybe the players we require haven't been available and he needs this time.

 

2.  It's clear Nacho doesn't fit this system whilst Ndidi is struggling also, but is the sign of a good manager getting the best out of the current players and abandoning his own system/style, or working to his own system and gradually (over time) bringing the types of players in that will suit?  Us fans want immediate results and some won't afford him this time however!

 

3.  I still don't know what to think to be honest!  All I know is that I see some signs of a positive future, then other times I see some really poor football.

 

4.  I can't see much business being done in January, purely because our squad needs trimming from the poor recruitment previously.

 

5.  Is this all Puel fault and do we need to cut him some slack?

 

[HitchinFox]

Floccinaucinihilipilification

[Stoopid]

Tripe

[FoxFossil]

10 hours ago, ithuriel said:

Qualitee, intensitee, mediocritee

No qualitee, no intensitee, no puelee.

[CosbehFox]

3 hours ago, Ted Maul said:

Why would you have a dig for us not challenging for the top 6  we're probably the 20-25th biggest club in the country, why the **** are our expectations at this level? It's bonkers.

Bingo 

[st albans fox]

9 hours ago, Mehrez said:

A move to Liverpool would ruin his career he won’t start ahead of Robertson so will end up on the bench and can then say goodbye to being England’s left back. Not happening

I can think of three others who would be pleased to take him off us ...... and where he would probably be a starter 

[Fox92]

3 hours ago, Ted Maul said:

Why would you have a dig for us not challenging for the top 6  we're probably the 20-25th biggest club in the country, why the **** are our expectations at this level? It's bonkers.

9th in the league, quarter finals of the League Cup, no danger of relegation. Fvck me when I was growing up and we were pissing about in the lower regions of the Championship I'd have dreamt for this position.

 

I backed Puel last season, then I went the other way (I got into an argument at Burnley away in which I agreed with the people saying "out") but saw a bigger picture and now back him. He's the first manager since O'Neill to not have us in a relegation battle. He's still got work to do on and off the pitch, mind. For me, we're about right - in an average position. Our squad is average and isn't any better than Everton's/Bournemouth's and I don't understand why people think it is.

[Fox92]

53 minutes ago, shailen said:

We need a striker who will be a target man and link with other front players. People will probably laugh but I'd take someone like Rondon who can bring players like Maddison and Gray into play 

Trouble is Rondon doesn't score enough goals and once he's had a run of 4/5 games without scoring people will start to slate him.

 

Our only aerial threat is out on loan in Turkey. Whether he's been good over there or not, Slimani's goal ratio he was decent. I just feel we didn't use him right. He just needs to stand there, strong and win headers not chasing the ball all over like we had him doing.

[Legend_in_blue]

Woeful.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

10 hours ago, Tringfox said:

The problem is were not in a position to hang onto those type of players like they can! As soon as Liverpool put in another bid for Chilwell he won’t want to hang around and we’re back to square one!

Exactly. 

 

This is the problem with ‘building a team’ in our position in this day and age. It certainly cannot work unless you have a charismatic manager who the players can relate to, someone who can engender a ‘connection’ with lads half their age.

 

Even then it’s difficult, but made impossible even over the medium term with Puel

 

We should be focusing on there here and now with a different type character in charge as with this guy we are not going to make progress from where we are now. 

Edited 9 December 2018 by NotTheMarketLeader

[shailen]

19 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Trouble is Rondon doesn't score enough goals and once he's had a run of 4/5 games without scoring people will start to slate him.

 

Our only aerial threat is out on loan in Turkey. Whether he's been good over there or not, Slimani's goal ratio he was decent. I just feel we didn't use him right. He just needs to stand there, strong and win headers not chasing the ball all over like we had him doing.

Agreed. I would welcome back Slim currently and potentially recall him in Jan if we can. Desperately need him and did ok for us previously.

[Charl91]

I think we flatter to deceive with our position in the table. I think by the end of the season we'll be lower rather than higher placed.#

 

I am firmly in the Puel out club. I can't enjoy football with him in charge.

[ithuriel]

1 hour ago, Charl91 said:

I think we flatter to deceive with our position in the table. I think by the end of the season we'll be lower rather than higher placed.#

 

I am firmly in the Puel out club. I can't enjoy football with him in charge.

Puels time in charge reminds me of Peter Taylors up to the FA cup game, we were not really very good but got results, we even reached the top of the table if I remember,  if we do not get a quality striker in and Vards gets a serious injury, because he has scored a lot of goals that has salvaged points for us,  I can see us replicating the latter half of Taylors time in charge too when he had a strikeforce that could not score in a brothel.

[Alf Bentley]

In a word? 

 

Transition

 

I agree with many of the criticisms of our current deficiencies. We're short on creativity and goal threat, and sometimes lack balance.

But we're a side in transition, both in personnel and playing style. Neither process is complete. I long ago assumed that this would be a transitional season - too good to go down, not good enough to reach Europe or win a trophy (probably).

 

But it's not as if nothing has been achieved.

- We do look more comfortable in possession and are able to use possession to create openings.....but then often lack the final pass or the goal threat.

- At times we can play good possession football, without having lost our threat on the break

- Young players are improving and becoming good-quality PL players: Chilwell, Maguire, even Gray (after 2+ years of "promise")

- New (or renewed) players are bedding in and improving: Maddison, Ricardo, Evans, Mendy - with others on the fringes: Soyuncu, Benkovic, Barnes, Choudhury etc.

 

Yes, it's often frustrating this season. The lack of creativity/goal threat makes it dull at times, and there are deficiencies.

 

But the time to judge Puel will be in 11-12 months. If the current squad continue to progress and bed in, we hold on to most good players (e.g. lose Maguire but no other first choices) and bring in a bit more goal threat and creativity.....we could have a team capable of challenging for Europe or trophies. If we've not progressed further in a year's time, that will be the time to question Puel's position.