Time for Puel to go

[Mike Oxlong]

14 hours ago, Fosse93 said:

I agree with pretty much all of what you're saying but I don't feel we're seeing enough progress on the pitch unfortunately. Surely you can see why some fans have had enough?

 

We were implementing Puel's 'evolution' much better during the first 3 months of his time here. Yet it seems the longer he's here, the more we regress as an attacking force.

Yes, I can see why some fans have had enough. It’s just that I’m not sure that there is a quick fix so I’d like to give Puel till the end of the season and then review unless relegation becomes a real possibility. 

 

A bit of patience might yield more than a perceived quick fix. If not I reckon we will have more time and a wider choice if making a change in the summer. 

 

Do we sack  the next manager too after two windows if we are not top 6 ? 

[The_77]

22 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

And I suppose we’ve never been unlucky such as in the Burnley game ? 

 

Or Vardy hitting the inside of the post and it ending up in the goalkeeper’s hands yesterday. 

 

If your your glass is half empty everything looks shit. 

How dare some of us ask for a little better than the Watford, Burnley, Brighton, and Palace games to be used as examples...

[cropstonfox]

Good managers make poor players average and average players good.They also make good players perform well each week. They also build better quickly.This bloke as nice as he may be is not up to it.Time for a change.We can't waste any more time with him at the helm.

[inckley fox]

21 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Doesn't really matter who's the manager. While the title winning squad are still getting sweet little contracts and clumping up the squad were gonna be stuck in this limbo

I'm not sure how much blame the title-winning squad members have. You can point the finger at them for their performances the season after we won the title but the core of that side has been dismantled. The allegations of them being snakes back then was unsubstantiated, and there's no concrete reason to believe we have players who habitually make life difficult for incoming managers.

 

In fact, some of our better performers at the moment come from the survivors of that squad - Schmeichel in goal, Morgan in defence (very unfairly criticised at times - has defied his years in recent weeks), Albrighton (surely the hardest-working player in our side). Fuchs stepped in and did a fine job yesterday. Vardy is out of form but his incredible goals-to-chances ratio last season is the single greatest reason for Puel still being in a job.

 

So if they're snakes, they're not showing it on the pitch. They're the last names I'd think of if I were singling people out for letting the manager down. As for the bench-warmers, few would doubt Okazaki's commitment either.

 

On the other hand, many of those who have let us down on the pitch this season didn't come from that squad. Maguire's had a rocky season, Ndidi likewise, Iheanacho hasn't got going, Ghezzal has offered nothing new, Diabate has slipped out of the frame, Silva and Iborra haven't made an impact, much like Slimani, Hernandez, Musa before them. Recruitment would appear to be a much bigger issue than the natural decline of our ageing veterans.

 

As regards 'getting sweet little contracts', many of the more recent contract extensions have gone to the newcomers (Ndidi, Maguire etc.). Equally, there are as many post-title players 'clogging up' the squad as there are 2016 team members - for every Simpson / Fuchs / King / Okazaki (the players I imagine you're referring to, few of which seem to be doing us any harm), there's a Silva / Iborra / Ghezzal / Diabate / Iheanacho. You could even extend our list of lingerers to Slimani and Kapustka.

 

So I can understand people asking questions of our past few seasons' worth of signings, or of our management team - even of those who decide what it is we want when we're looking for a new manager. Puel's ideas don't suit his squad, including apparently some of those he's brought in. It's yet to become effective and performances are either uninspiring or downright crap. Something needs to change fast, obviously. I can also understand others questioning our fans' expectations. It'd be brave for a club to fire its manager while still reeling from the sudden loss of its owner, in 11th/12th place, 2/3 places higher than when he took over, with a much younger squad, and a supposed mandate for a gradual transition (within which success isn't necessarily instant). But I can't understand people pointing fingers at our league winners.

[Mike Oxlong]

1 minute ago, The_77 said:

How dare some of us ask for a little better than the Watford, Burnley, Brighton, and Palace games to be used as examples...

If you want to be beating the top 6 all of the time you should go and support one of them. There is a massive gap between what they can attract and what we can, even after the title win. 

 

Maybe that hat is something we can achieve but not without significant further playing personnel changes in my opinion. 

 

I think your post sums up that sense of entitlement that I have referred to. 

 

It implies that these other teams have no right to be on the same pitch as us ! 

 

We are obviously at different ends of the debate and neither of us will change our present view so I’m going to leave it there between us at the moment. 

[DerbyshireFox]

10 hours ago, Gerbold said:

You all seem to be forgetting that Srivaddhanaprabha died in horrific circumstances such a (still) short time ago.

It seems that all the whingers are rising to the top again after keeping their mouths shut during the time of the intense mourning.

Has it occurred to any of the 'Puel out' faction that it takes time to get over such a loss - and, given the admiration and/or affection of the players for him, it may be that they cannot get their heads around this tragedy as quickly as the critics feel is appropriate?

I suspect those fans who were affected deeply by this will be far more forgiving of the team and its management. Perhaps this will just have to be the season that is written off and, as long as we don't get into a relegation struggle, look forward to next season - when time will have eased the effect of his death. 

Now is not the time to change managers and certainly not the time to appoint a stop-gap. We cannot expect Topp to have integrated himself into his father's position already. He may understand the Club and players intimately but it's a huge step of confidence and skill in assuming the role of ultimate decision maker.

I know what I've written here won't affect those who are hell-bent on him going but it may remind those whose confidence is slipping that this isn't a normal situation.

 

 

The last thing on Top’s mind at the moment is going to be sacking someone who has guided the side through the most difficult 6 weeks in our history. We’ve seen how a large part of the side was so close to Vichai, do people really think that they’ve got over what’s happened in a few weeks! Yes the football has been frustrating in the last few weeks, but I think a reality check is needed. We were never going to be top 6 this season, that is something long term the club will aspire to achieve. If people thought the second youngest squad in the league was going to oust one of the big 6, then they must be mad. I would have been happy with top ten at the start of the season, and whilst we’ve slipped down in the past two games, we’ve been there most of the season. I agree we need to let the shackles off more, and maybe even try Silva in the middle with Wilf or Papy. People criticising the WIN over Watford, a large proportion of their fans said we were the better side on the day. I get people’s frustrations, but take a step back and put things in perspective!! 

 

“Through the good times and the bad, we always back the lads....” ?

[justfoxes]

46 minutes ago, AlloverthefloorYesNdidi said:

Shame that we didnt pick up more points against Palace and Fulham as we could lose a few games coming up and fans are already vocally on the team's back. Hope for Puel's sake he pulls something out of the bag against Man City or Chelsea

 

And we absolutely need to smash Cardiff

 

I dont even want to think about the Everton game...

Can’t see us get anything against Chelski Lidderpool or Everbore and the taffs have played some decent football of late, so don’t want to sound negative but really can’t see anything other than a miracle but just the 1 point from those 4 games going on previous displays and team selection !!

 

[Fosse93]

18 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

Yes, I can see why some fans have had enough. It’s just that I’m not sure that there is a quick fix so I’d like to give Puel till the end of the season and then review unless relegation becomes a real possibility. 

 

A bit of patience might yield more than a perceived quick fix. If not I reckon we will have more time and a wider choice if making a change in the summer. 

 

Do we sack  the next manager too after two windows if we are not too 6 ? 

Come off it, people don't want Puel sacked because we're outside the top 6.

 

And if that's anyone's reason for wanting him sacked then I'm sorry, but you're an idiot.

[Mike Oxlong]

3 minutes ago, Fosse93 said:

Come off it, people don't want Puel sacked because we're outside the top 6.

 

And if that's anyone's reason for wanting him sacked then I'm sorry, but you're an idiot.

You’re right. Some want him sacked because his post match interviews are boring ! 

[ithuriel]

.

[Rigga]

Puel is here to stay I reckon.. Will last until the end of the season for sure.

until then, I’m afraid we will have to suffer much of the same with the odd inspired individual performance from someone.

 

We continue to spend bucket loads of money without looking like a half decent team. 

 

I worry because Ndidi and Gray young players that have been with us for a couple of years now have not improved. Gray especially frustrates with his inconsistency.

 

we have a young team that should be as fit as any team in the PL yet we don’t press anymore and play at a pedestrian rate.

Maddison yesterday was guilty of standing watching in the build up when Palace scored.

It was pathetic. 

[Cincinnati Fox]

On 15/12/2018 at 16:55, Peckfortonfox said:

Just not good enough. We are in regression. Puel has had over a year and cannot even get the team to have pride in their performance.

 

The players also need to take a long hard look at themselves 

I got suspened for 1 day starting this post.

Mr Puel has turned our team into a passionless, soft touches and needs to go.

Blocking people who voice an opinion on this is wrong.

[elvisfmcfly]

45 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

You’re right. Some want him sacked because his post match interviews are boring ! 

But most want him sacked because we haven’t seen one single bit of progress not only from his time with us but also his time with Southampton,the same things continue to happen and will continue cause he doesn’t learn from his mistakes,he constantly tinkers the line up even after wins and his football is brain dead and boring. 

[The_77]

1 hour ago, Mike Oxlong said:

If you want to be beating the top 6 all of the time you should go and support one of them. There is a massive gap between what they can attract and what we can, even after the title win. 

 

Maybe that hat is something we can achieve but not without significant further playing personnel changes in my opinion. 

 

I think your post sums up that sense of entitlement that I have referred to. 

 

It implies that these other teams have no right to be on the same pitch as us ! 

 

We are obviously at different ends of the debate and neither of us will change our present view so I’m going to leave it there between us at the moment. 

Jeez. Did I write that we should be beating the top 6 all the time? Seriously, man, what are you reading?

 

If you think that the returns on investment (from all sides) have been good enough and if you’re pointing to a 2-0 win against Watford as the highlight of the season, then by all means, be happy. But god forbid if the rest of us dare to expect (and think the club deserves) a bit of competitiveness (that’s it) for the hundreds of millions spent. If that sounds entitiled to you, then I don’t know what else to say. 

 

We have a team full of internationals and can’t even score a goal in three tries against Palace. 

[The_77]

17 minutes ago, elvisfmcfly said:

But most want him sacked because we haven’t seen one single bit of progress not only from his time with us but also his time with Southampton,the same things continue to happen and will continue cause he doesn’t learn from his mistakes,he constantly tinkers the line up even after wins and his football is brain dead and boring. 

3-0 loss to Palace

0-5 loss to Palace

0-1 loss to Palace 

Looks like progress to me!

[Ric Flair]

8 hours ago, brucey said:

My main concern with sacking Puel mid season is that his successor may decide to revert to playing the old guard and offer them contract extensions. We already know Puel won't do that. I'd rather wait for that option to 'expire' at the end of the season before replacing Puel.

Well not if those in charge of hiring a new manager do their due diligence. The model of this club is to recruit younger and talented players and either move them on for a profit or build a strong team over several seasons. Hence the links to Jardim, Martinez and Rodgers who are all very pro younger players. That's why Benitez would be a complete change of direction if we went for him.

[FilbertFrog]

For me Top is  not sacking him unless we get no points between now and fa cup 3rd round and are in danger 

[Rusko187]

I can only see us getting 3 points in our next 10 league games.. that's a win against Cardiff. 

 

Naturally some very tough fixtures but don't think we're capable of causing an upset.

That leaves games against Wolves, Palace, Southampton and Everton outside of the Cardiff game. 

 

If he doesn't end up getting some shocks we could be well and truly stuffed!

[Beechey]

6 hours ago, The_77 said:

The fan base wants results on par with the investments made by Vichai and Top. They’ve made investments that justify expectations to qualify for Europe. 

An £83 million spend (net) over the past three years is less than Fulham's spend in the last transfer window alone (showing that spending money is not everything...). We have not been spending as much as Everton (£160m net over the same period) or West Ham (£108m) to name two other clubs who might think they should be in that 7th spot. Why do our fans seem to think we've been spending some incredible amount compared to others? It's really not that much considering our rivals spend much more.

[elvisfmcfly]

2 hours ago, The_77 said:

Jeez. Did I write that we should be beating the top 6 all the time? Seriously, man, what are you reading?

 

If you think that the returns on investment (from all sides) have been good enough and if you’re pointing to a 2-0 win against Watford as the highlight of the season, then by all means, be happy. But god forbid if the rest of us dare to expect (and think the club deserves) a bit of competitiveness (that’s it) for the hundreds of millions spent. If that sounds entitiled to you, then I don’t know what else to say. 

 

We have a team full of internationals and can’t even score a goal in three tries against Palace. 

He must be looking at a different league table where Watford, Burnley, Brighton, and Palace are top 6 clubs.

[bpfox]

iam sorry BUT he has to go, his team selections are poor, his subs are terrible, and the team could not score in a brothel with a pocket full of money. to be honest we have nothing in attack and the same players keep getting picked, he could at least try different players and systems rather than keep going down the same dead end track. GOD HELP ARE SIDE AGAINST MAN CITY , THIS WILL NOT BE PRETTY TO WATCH.

[Dan]

14 hours ago, Blanchflower78 said:

Cardiff will be the game that decides it. Expected defeats at Chelsea and City either side in itself not ground breaking. Anything less than 3 points against Cardiff will be huge in Puels continued tenure. 

This Cardiff game is nowhere near a given win either. It's a very different prospect going into a game like that on the back of four losses (which I'm 95% sure will be the case, five if you include the cup game). Cardiff will be viewing us as a great chance for some points and given our vulnerabilities, I don't think it's that unlikely that they get any either.

 

We've got to win that to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle. In theory it should only take 3/4 wins to survive from here but we have blown so many winnable games yet again and in the next ten, we have...

 

Chelsea (a)

Manchester City (h)

Cardiff (h)

Everton (a)

Southampton (h)

Wolves (a)

Liverpool (a)

Manchester United (h)

Tottenham (a)

Crystal Palace (h)

 

We're in danger of being pulled into it if we're not careful.

[RODNEY FERNIO]

5 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

This Cardiff game is nowhere near a given win either. It's a very different prospect going into a game like that on the back of four losses (which I'm 95% sure will be the case, five if you include the cup game). Cardiff will be viewing us as a great chance for some points and given our vulnerabilities, I don't think it's that unlikely that they get any either.

 

We've got to win that to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle. In theory it should only take 3/4 wins to survive from here but we have blown so many winnable games yet again and in the next ten, we have...

 

Chelsea (a)

Manchester City (h)

Cardiff (h)

Everton (a)

Southampton (h)

Wolves (a)

Liverpool (a)

Manchester United (h)

Tottenham (a)

Crystal Palace (h)

 

We're in danger of being pulled into it if we're not careful.

Brutal run of fixtures … the Cardiff, Saints and Palace home games are vital.

Given the fact that Saints seem to be on the up and we always lose to Palace might need to pull

some rabbits out of the hat in the other games.

[Shaun the fox 1]

Sack puel today please top 

[hairy]

I thought he should have gone last season but I am now sat on the fence

 

We need goals. To do that we need to get the ball to Vardy's feet or the two attacking midfielders start scoring. There is no point constantly putting crosses into the box which appears to be the only thing we can do at the moment.

 

Lets see what he does next month in terms of transfers before we start calling for his head. We have had some very good, strong spells in recent matches but need to find the back of the net

 

A big factor in scoring goals is confidence. We appear to be running very low on that