Comparing this season to 2014/15 Great Escape

[SouthStandUpperTier]

6 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

The defence in 2014/15 before Huth stepped in was equally as crap as this season

Not really. After 21 games in 14/15 we'd conceded 33 goals with 4 clean sheets. After 21 games this season we have conceded 46 goals and have just 1 clean sheet.

[Mickyblueeyes]

I am deluded, I still think we have a hope to stay up. I accept that. I just dont feel like I did in 94/95, 2001 (?) 2003 (?) and 2023. I have seen us go down and boy are we in the shit right now but I cant explain it. 

 

Call me a deluded fool if you want - but its different. The only other time I have been this sure deep down was the Great Escape season. 

 

They need to help me though. 

[Bilo]

20 minutes ago, TheGoldenGod said:

and Saints at home! I know they're gone but another 3 points guaranteed 

We've just got to hope and pray that they have won their first away game by the time they come to us, or the Ever Obliging Leicester City will make damned sure they don't end the season winless on the road.

[kushiro]

6 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

If my memory serves me right it was when we introduced the clappers that our fortunes changed.

King Richard wants a word with you.

 

 

To be fair, I was thinking along these lines while watching the game. 'We've dominated Palace like we did Man City. We only lost narrowly at Villa.Could it be a bit 2015?' 

 

Then the second half happened and I realised I was just blowing bubbles.

Edited 16 January by kushiro

[tickler28]

Just now, whoareyaaa said:

I'd take them all over the current crop.

 

Koncheskey over Kristensen

 

De Laet over Justin

 

Upson over Faes or Vesterguard

 

Dean hammond over Winks 

 

Konchesky was berated by our fan base

Upson barely played and when he did he was doggo

De Laet was so good he was shipped out on loan the following season 

Dean Hammond was stealing a living as a footballer and was Championship lower end standard at best

 

The spirit was there but I argue the quality was not bar the magic Cambiasso sprinkled on proceedings

[daddylonglegs]

I actually think yesterday was the first time I felt reminiscent of that season. 

Palace were not the better team yesterday, we were competitive. But lost. That must've happened 10 times before we beat West Ham in that season.

 

[Stevosevic]

15 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

The defence in 2014/15 before Huth stepped in was equally as crap as this season

Agreed. People look at the first 30 games of that season with nostalgia.

 

We were dreadful for large parts and had some terrible home results 

[thegaffa]

I posted a long while back that when we lost the likes of Huth/Morgan/Fuchs/Kasper, we started to lose virtually all the leaders in not just the squad but the starting line up.

 

These types of players set the standards around the club with regards to professionalism, conduct, camaraderie, characteristics, mentality and also expectations of how the squad train and play.

 

This is why Man Utd where a great team under Fergie but are no longer the same as they have lost those leaders and values.

 

we need to get the right characters into the club from staff to playing staff.

 

[bovril]

5 minutes ago, kushiro said:

King Richard wants a word with you.

The West Ham game was literally days after he was reinterred right? The winning goal scored by King. Then we finished top the next season, and York bottom of the entire football league.

 

I am absolutely a Richard III truther. There is no other explanation. 

Edited 16 January by bovril

[Iwebema]

8 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

I am deluded, I still think we have a hope to stay up. I accept that. I just dont feel like I did in 94/95, 2001 (?) 2003 (?) and 2023. I have seen us go down and boy are we in the shit right now but I cant explain it. 

 

Call me a deluded fool if you want - but its different. The only other time I have been this sure deep down was the Great Escape season. 

 

They need to help me though. 

I have lost alot of faith after last night, the hope I think comes from Ipswich, Everton and wolves are all in a similar position of being bad, it will just take 2 of the 4 to find a little something. I honestly think the gap is such you might find all 4 end up on less than 30 points.

Edited 16 January by Iwebema

[bovril]

Someone find Cardinal Wolsey under a car park and phone Cumberbatch...

[hejammy]

34 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

In that season we had 17 points at this stage and were 3 points off safety. We went on a terrible run then in the next 9 matches picking up just another 2 points and were on 19 points at matchday 30 and 7 points off safety.

 

I know we are all feeling the doom and gloom at the minute but if we can just add a couple of players and get things right I still believe we have a chance. It's in our hands (we have Everton, Ipswich, Wolves) still to play and need to get behind the lads.....

 

Great escape V2.0 followed by Premier League win v2.0 next season? 

Oh you are a Tickler aren't you!  (or you've been on the tipple early morning)

[filthyfox]

35 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

In that season we had 17 points at this stage and were 3 points off safety. We went on a terrible run then in the next 9 matches picking up just another 2 points and were on 19 points at matchday 30 and 7 points off safety.

 

I know we are all feeling the doom and gloom at the minute but if we can just add a couple of players and get things right I still believe we have a chance. It's in our hands (we have Everton, Ipswich, Wolves) still to play and need to get behind the lads.....

 

Great escape V2.0 followed by Premier League win v2.0 next season? 

NO CHANCE!

[kushiro]

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

The West Ham game was literally days after he was reinterred right? The winning goal scored by King. Then we finished top the next season, and York bottom of the entire football league.

 

I am absolutely a Richard III truther. There is no other explanation. 

 

F*** Me! York finished bottom? I never knew that. Makes it even more freaky.

[cityfanlee23]

21 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

We actually had a good squad though and a manager who had been with us for some time with proper coaches and backroom team all aligned, this is completely different.

 

We need a miracle 

Starting to want him back tbh. 
I really like Ruud and he's one of my favourite ever players, but it feels like he's a coach. We don't have a lot to go on so I can't judge too harshly, but I haven't been given any indication so far that Ruud is a proper leader and a warrior who is going to make the team run through brick walls. 
Looking at players like Bouba, he's improved massively in terms of his overall output and his ball play, but I still see him constantly jogging around whilst teams walk through us, jogging back to the box like he has all the faith in the world in his back 4. 
Under Pearson he would be out instantly, a player like Skipp would be breaking his neck to get back to the box under Pearson, and that is exactly what we need. 
Ruud really needs to get these primadonnas under control, we need siege mentality and we have basically none. 

[Bert]

The difference is the mentality. It’s nothing more than that. 

[The boy Linacre]

48 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

In that season we had 17 points at this stage and were 3 points off safety. We went on a terrible run then in the next 9 matches picking up just another 2 points and were on 19 points at matchday 30 and 7 points off safety.

 

I know we are all feeling the doom and gloom at the minute but if we can just add a couple of players and get things right I still believe we have a chance. It's in our hands (we have Everton, Ipswich, Wolves) still to play and need to get behind the lads.....

 

Great escape V2.0 followed by Premier League win v2.0 next season? 

Appreciate the sentiment, and mentally its the right approach to take to be positive.  Everybody at the club wanted to stay up then, they just were short for the 1st 30 games, but there was devil in that team.  They weren't just taking the coin.  This squad is mixed.

Wout has NEVER owned a mistake in his life, how does he match up against Wes & Big Bob, Chalk & Cheese, Venus & Mars etc.

We saw the Vestergaard of 23 last night, I mean he had a mare

A couple of players is 4, you realised last night how limited we are without a RW last night, too hard for JJ and he can't defend now anyway, and it might make Stephy slightly better IF there was somebody on the other side, and Vardy is missing too many decent chances and sadly Patson is more likely to kill somebody in the stand than hit the target.

After 20 games we have 2 yes TWO wins against decent sides, lets discount Southampton & we nearly lost that.

The hierarchy was supportive, this one with Junior running the show is a car crash.

I would love you to be right, but can't see this one happening, this was the big week, 2 winnable home games, last night was winnable and we created next to nothing.

[filbertway]

The major difference was a change to a back 3/5 whatever you want to call it. Performances started improving and we looked better.

 

We either need to sign quality that will make the most of Ruud's tactics, or he's going to have to make an adaption to get the best out of the current squad. Whatever that is, he's the one being paid handsomely to figure that out.

 

He seems quite adaptable so far I'm hoping he can find a way.

 

The problem is that his only 2 premier league quality players both play in the same position.

 

I do wonder if a 5 2 2 1 would work with Facundo and Bilal sat in behind a striker with basically free toles. Width coming from the wing backs. 3 CBs, can even have Faes as the aggressive CB who plays a hybrid CB/DM role.

 

Would mean having Daka up top as your striker needs to play a vital part in the game and speed would be important.

[Bilo]

33 minutes ago, kushiro said:

 

F*** Me! York finished bottom? I never knew that. Makes it even more freaky.

York finished 18th.

 

EDIT: Misread! They did, and that has freaked me out.

Edited 16 January by Bilo

[Gubbins]

54 minutes ago, tickler28 said:

The defence in 2014/15 before Huth stepped in was equally as crap as this season

No defence we've had in the past 30 years has been as crap as the current one. I honestly believe that. Relative to the level they're playing it's the worst I've seen.

[Fox92]

35 minutes ago, kushiro said:

 

F*** Me! York finished bottom? I never knew that. Makes it even more freaky.

Yes. It was very strange we won the football league and they finished bottom.

 

They got relegated again after that too.

 

But should be back in the football league next season hopefully, just as we get relegated  

[filbertway]

1 minute ago, Gubbins said:

No defence we've had in the past 30 years has been as crap as the current one. I honestly believe that. Relative to the level they're playing it's the worst I've seen.

May I present you, the Scottish Womens Premier League table

 

[Stadt]

A lot of the squad in 14/15 had a lot to prove, they were young, hungry and upwardly mobile. We mostly have the opposite now.

 

Plus Pearson fostered possibly the best team spirit and mentality I've ever witnessed in sport. Through his own force of will, alignment between the backroom staff and by only recruiting players that got it. That's gone.

[Babylon]

1 hour ago, Dan LCFC said:

Couldn't feel any less like it. I could see Ipswich pulling similar off though. They've got that same camaraderie about them.

 

There is absolutely nothing about us that feels positive. That wasn't the case last time.

Last time it was our first season back after a long stint out and dropping down the leagues. This time, people have got the mentality of "back where we belong" (not the case), rather than the buzz of promotion and being in the premier league. 

 

Then of course we lost our manager, and one of our best players. Then we get someone else in totally different with a poor short term transfer stratergy. 

 

This season isn't comparable to that season in any way shape or form. To stand a chance the crowd need to get behind the team and get a buzz back into the stadium. The negativity and the expectations mean it just won't happen though, or not until it's too late. 

[Pliskin]

You have to look at the characteristics of the squads in the battle. 
 

The great escape team did have some quality in it, there was Vardy coming into his prime, Mahrez who was technically as good as any in the league, two hardened centre backs and an experienced rolls Royce in Cambiasso in the CM. The great escape in my opinion was down to a switch in formation that got the best out of the players we had.

 

It was though looking desperate, I remember resigning myself to relegation, yet look what happened. 
 

There are some subtle similarities, in terms of at times we’re not playing badly, and there is some quality in the squad, however….. there’s a soft underbelly to us which is never good when you’re in a scrap. 
 

6 defeats in a row, you’ll be forgiven for feeling hopeless….. but, there is always a chance until it’s impossible. We need to recruit the right kind of characters into the squad, and it really does boil down to this window… I still believe one or two decent signings will make a difference. I think we need to get a CB in along with a winger and a striker if possible.