Concerned for next season?

[Sly]

On 21/07/2022 at 22:50, The whole world smiles said:

Mate, 

 

Have a look at this team... 

 

Study the players that are in it, and explain to me how in gods name they get less than 40 points next season? 

 

Madness! 

 

Oh dear ……

[Dan]

On 22/07/2022 at 01:52, Dan LCFC said:

I think if we got relegated it'd be one of the most disastrous in the PL era, up there with the very worst - given the level of talent we have in our side.

 

I do think if we have another few windows like the last then we'll force ourselves into the mix but I'd be gobsmacked if we came down. The fact we played anywhere near our potential about 4 times last season in the league and came 8th sums up how bad we actually have to be to manage to drop. Even on off days we're often bailed out by attacking quality.

Stand by this. What a disgrace.

[Dan]

1 minute ago, Sly said:

Oh dear ……

I'd love to know how many combined 90s his back five has for us this season. Hardly any.

[Sly]

Just now, Dan LCFC said:

I'd love to know how many combined 90s his back five has for us this season. Hardly any.

None to be precise! 

[Craig]

On 21/07/2022 at 22:58, Craig said:

Not gonna lie, we are in big big trouble with such a poor side. 
 

Derby’s record is under real threat 

In hindsight maybe I was being a bit pessimistic  

[Chelmofox]

Blimey. This thread is an interesting read. 

[An Away Move]

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

[ParkerPen]

5 minutes ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

we've been the 'nicest' team to play against for a LONG time.

 

got away with it on talent to some degree for a while, but we are a team of passive weak players

[beepee1984]

We played lower league opposition 6 times this season.

 

Lost to Blackburn

Drew against Stockport

Struggled against Gillingham & Walsall

But beat MK and Newport

 

Then add in the fact we lost to Southampton twice, but we did take 4 points from Everton and Leeds - 1 of them is coming down with us.

 

I don't see enough to think we will bounce back with this squad, but I don't think we will have half this squad next year so we have hope as long as Rudkin doesn't pick our new signing

[Wymsey]

Am concerned that Top has lost desire and interest in the club and doesn't know what to do.

[foxfanazer]

On 21/07/2022 at 22:42, foxfanazer said:

Oh yay another thread!!

 

This is genuinely not meant as a doom mongering thread or a Rodger in/out debate but am I wrong to be concerned about us potentially being in the relegation mix next season? 

Obviously the transfer window still as a way to go but i think it's pretty safe to say any dealings will be minimal.

 

My main concerns are these long runs of poor form and performances we go on under Brendan. It really does take us a long time to turn things around when we're in a slump. Another worry is obviously the set piece deficiencies that we simply never address which will continue to cost us goals. I've not seen anything to change my mind on that. 

Our inactivity in the transfer window is obviously a hot topic at the moment and although new signings aren't essential to a successful season they do help breathe some life into a lacklustre squad.

 

I do fully expect us to survive just based on the overall quality we have but I don't see it being comfortable. The reduced amount of games could be vital and hopefully we get luckier on the injury front also. 

 

So you glass half full fans do me a favour and alleviate my worries!

This guy knows his stuff 

[STEVIE B]

44 minutes ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

Was thinking precisely this watching the game tonight. 
We don’t have a single player with a hint of mongrel, or mean streak in them.

Instead we have spoon fed primadonnas, who spend most of their time at Spa Seagrave.

Some of our lot are in for a real surprise. 
 

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Oh dear ……

Well JJ and Ricky missed most of the season. Fofana gone after a couple games and Evans hasn’t managed more than a dozen 

kapser obvs 

 

we know it’s our defence is the reason we’re going down and that post merely re inforces that 

[J. James]

45 minutes ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

This for me is the most worrying aspect of life in the Championship, sure it's less skillful but it's way more hard work orientated and frankly we are unfit and weak.

If we had been hammered by top of the table Burnley then there may have been a modicum of comfort to be taken from the FA Cup debacle, but Blackburn weren't and aren't even in the play off spots!

Just as so many were so so sure "we are too good to go down" then l fear with the lack of good recruitment/ management/ leadership and plain bloody minded steel, we are gonna struggle big time next season.

I can really see another horrible season coming.

[Paninistickers]

1 hour ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

Amazing what a few tweaks will make. I just think we need structure. We became appallingly reliant on individual skill to bail us out. And it's proved disastrous. 

 

Hamza and KDH in midfield have the necessary fitness,. touch and workrate. It's proven that they do. 

 

I think Kristensen has too, tho I proven. Souttar is proven. Iversen, if we manage to keep him, is proven. JJ too, again if we manage to retain him.  

 

That's six players already who have the fitness and chutzpah for championship football. Vardy almost certainly will relish it. I think he's shown glimpses he still has enough, particularly against slower defenders. Add in 2 X loanees and 2 X championship potential high flyers (Drinkwater type young players, quietly doing a fine job at Rotherham or Millwall type thing)  who fancy a crack at a 'big' club

[Matt_Lcfc]

On 21/07/2022 at 23:13, Matt_Lcfc said:

No way would we get relegated with Vardy and Schmeichel in the dressing room. They just wouldn’t let it happen. Regardless though, having players like Fofana, Maddison and Ndidi at your disposal is so much better than at least half of the division. These are established PL players, make no mistake, these could play for pretty much any side in the division.
 

No need to be concerned as such, but as another poster has said above, it’s a bit disappointing with the lack of transfer activity. All this talk about a refresh and for nothing to materialise isn’t great - it is evident where we need to improve, these problems have not been addressed.

 

It all seems a bit gloomy at the moment, but don’t forget, this is a strong squad. 8th place and a European semi-final last season and yet, it felt like a chore watching us.
 

I genuinely think that this squad can finish in the top seven. However, my main concern is that if you don’t invest, other teams will catch up. The division will become more competitive when you look at the transfer activity of clubs like Newcastle, Villa and West Ham.

This came to my attention since a poster just reacted to it. Reckon somebody hacked me on the 21st July 2022 @mods can you check this, please 

Edited 16 May 2023 by Matt_Lcfc

[MattFox]

2 minutes ago, Matt_Lcfc said:

This came to my attention since a poster just reacted to it. Reckon somebody hacked me on the 21st July 2022 @mods can you check this, please 

Tbf your one of the only people around that predicted villa doing well 

[Matt_Lcfc]

1 hour ago, MattFox said:

Tbf your one of the only people around that predicted villa doing well 

In all fairness I made about six or seven different assertions, I had to get one right.

Edited 16 May 2023 by Matt_Lcfc

[Daggers]

On 26/07/2022 at 17:06, The Doctor said:

Expected points does very much have perspective, it's an evaluation of the balance of a game and how one sided it was. Doesn't map to actual points of course but that doesn't mean it lacks perspective, it's an acknowledgment that smash and grab results are notable for their rarity (majority of the time, the better side wins).

 

xG is a measurement of attacking creativity, our inability to defend set pieces does not impact it. It does impact xGA (expected goals against) but we actually overperformed that quite heavily as well, mostly from open play (set pieces and corners we matched). 

 

Basically, we massively overperformed in attack and defence last season based on the chances we created and chances we gave up. That isn't exactly sustainable and we need to improve all-round play or we will slowly be dragged down into relegation battles and have a Southampton esque trajectory 

👏 

 

Its easy to point at those who made dumb comments, but hats off for the post of the thread. 
 

It’s incredible that everyone preferred to stick their heads in the sand and pretend we’d be alright - ignoring the evidence of their own eyes. We had been ropey and fragile, covered up with some individual purple patches. Remove that overachievement and there was nothing of substance in Rodgers’ squad.

[HybridFox]

4 hours ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

We'll be everyone's scalp next season no doubt

[Pliskin]

7 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Am concerned that Top has lost desire and interest in the club and doesn't know what to do.

I don’t think he’s lost desire. He has had a major personal bereavement which is bound to change him. Perhaps Top is a different person now he’s lost his father, in the circumstances he did. 
 

Tops biggest downfall is that he has surrounded himself with idiots. Rudkin is the master of our downfall, but I don’t think Top can see anything wrong with him.

[Pliskin]

If we do go down, we should be very, very concerned in my opinion. 
 

 

No one predicted we would anywhere near the bottom three this season, and we’re on the brink of a spectacular relegation….

 

The last 18 months have seen a rapid decline but it’s really been happening for about two years. 
 

With what we have seen in the summer, how could we possibly get it right? Like I said earlier, I don’t even think the club will have a plan, they won’t even be discussing championship until it’s confirmed. 
 

The squad turn around we need will be even harder to achieve in the championship, we’re essentially starting from scratch. 
 

It simply won’t happen, we would need a new manager, a new DOF and probably about 20 new players.

 

Just sit a think about all of that, and then think about how slow we are at anything….. it really is not a good situation. 

[The Doctor]

4 hours ago, Daggers said:

👏

 

Its easy to point at those who made dumb comments, but hats off for the post of the thread. 
 

It’s incredible that everyone preferred to stick their heads in the sand and pretend we’d be alright - ignoring the evidence of their own eyes. We had been ropey and fragile, covered up with some individual purple patches. Remove that overachievement and there was nothing of substance in Rodgers’ squad.

wild to look at that and see it was a bit optimistic in terms of the speed of our decline. the stats were pointing to this but I guess Rodgers attitude of data analysts only being there to tell him what he wants to hear is mirrored by the clowns on the board as well 

[HitchinFox]

9 hours ago, An Away Move said:

It worried me how Blackburn completely outplayed us. They had so much aggression and a great work ethic. Watching the Luton v Sunderland playoff game right now and seeing the same. Our team last night couldn’t cope against this on a weekly basis. 

This is exactly what I was getting at in another thread. And not only on a once-weekly basis – two games a week for most of the season. 

At the moment, defensively, we only have Souttar and KDH who know what's coming next season – and might be prepared.

 

The rest of them, it's going to be such a shock to the system that it will either take a lot of time to adjust or a case of crumbling in a heap. Can see the likes of Thomas, Faes, Ricardo, Ndidi and Mendy being bullied. 

Also, going forward, I know Barnes did well at WBA. But, as we're the "big boys" coming down in many people's eyes, the likes of him, Vards and whoever else is left will be targeted and definitely ones to receive those "make them feel you early" tackles. 

[Bert]

1 hour ago, Pliskin said:

I don’t think he’s lost desire. He has had a major personal bereavement which is bound to change him. Perhaps Top is a different person now he’s lost his father, in the circumstances he did. 
 

Tops biggest downfall is that he has surrounded himself with idiots. Rudkin is the master of our downfall, but I don’t think Top can see anything wrong with him.

He’s put his trust in someone that’s a

million miles out of their depth.