Galway saint

It can always get worse albeit in the context of this season feels like there's not much more to say

I think the need to be 'clever' is because the players are so shit. It was a failing of RM and whoever the manager he seeks to make up for the shortcomings of the squad by trying to be innovative and it just makes it worse I imagine if Juric had a couple of decent forwards and CMs he would play them in their conventional positions, but he doesn't.

We've won what 2 PL games in 37 and in that time we've had 5 managers. Theres come a point when you have to look elsewhere. I don't know whether Juric is a decent manager. He's got a fucking shit squad and was given nothing extra in the transfer window ( which was a good thing) but I just don't see how we can make any informed decision on his abilities this season in the circumstances. What do people expect ? Whoever we brought in would have struggled to get a tune out of our midfield and attacking options and today highlighted how poor a side we are. It's another loss today in a horrific season and we just need it to end as there's no fun in this.

Seems a bit odd that having recruited a championship strike force to play in the PL we might well lose a couple of key components in BBD and Armstrong for the championship but they may return of course. Personally I think if they do and we make a couple of decent signings and buy a decent keeper to replace ramsdale we could do well. Importantly we also avoided a splurge in the last window.

Summer2024 for me - the forward recruitment was lamentable and it seemed obvious to anyone with any football nouse that a forward line of BBD, Archer, TP, Armstrong and a crocked Ross Stewart was totally inadequate for the PL. Fuck knows who singed off on all that but it was completely negligent and effectively meant we were down before we started. I don't know what they were thinking but it's symptomatic of the way the club has been run in the past few years with poor recruitment save for the odd exception. What's the strike rate - one decent player in every 5 ? I seem to recall we only scored one or maybe two in our principal pre-season games and that forward line allied to the painfully slow build up play was a total car crash.

I think he's doing ok bearing in mind the squad is crap. The football is less soporific and frankly after the total dog shit managers we have had to endure over the past few years to have someone who is competent and not self obsessed is a welcome change.

Suspect we will start the season next year without AA, archer or BBD and which would have been a fantastic championship strikeforce, yet totally inadequate for the PL.

so looks like we will all be back down in the championship again next season not great for the health of the game

I think many things screwed us but the forward recruitment in the Summer is near top of the list. Absolutely abysmal and showed how dysfunctional the recruitment team is and was. At least Juric seems better able to play players to their strengths even if those are relatively poor in comparison to other in the PL.

Nice to win and best the tractor people sky's table suggested we had a 0.01%chance of staying up which seems unduly pessimistic to me

yes !

Increasingly looking like the decision to recruit the blades strike force hasn't worked out as planned. It was an add one at the time but I guess our recruitment team liked what they saw

I'm going for a defeat - not sure why but just a feeling I've got

Fast forward to the last game of the season against Arsenal at home and we are on 9 points, needing a win to eclipse Derby. The atmosphere is electric and who other than Ross pops up with a ninetieth minute scuffed winner to take the three points and a packed house goes wild, with the players doing laps of honour, juric in tears and dragan punching the air. Blackmore and Tessem leading a chorus of OWTS from the gantry. There’s talk of an open top bus and even a commemorative coin. Would put the play off final into the shade and go down as one the great days in the club’s history, making a hero out of Ross.

I think the current record is 29th March held by Derby Much depends of course on other results but we must be in with a shout of beating that

Think our best chance of a win will be when the season is effectively over for a lot of teams and they have one eye on the beach, but until then I can’t see us beating anyone in the PL.

I know what you mean but we have scored once this season from a set piece and that was an own goal. We are sub standard in every aspect of the game.. I recall reading that the set piece coach left and I am not sure we replaced him but I might be wrong

We have won 2 PL games in 36 ( give or take a game) involving 5 different managers over two seasons. I have no idea whether Juric is a decent manager or not but our inability to win games in PL clearly goes way beyond who the manager is. Any side in the PL that has to regularly play Adam Armstrong and bring on Will Smallbone is clearly screwed. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t reach double digit points as loosing is now ingrained in the club

if as reported there is no interest from the isthmian league, could we loan him to one of the soccer franchises we have an affiliation with ?

will be interested to see if thee any takers

Early days but I think he’s doing ok. Yes we are obviously still shit but feels like we are less shit then we were and with the exception of the Brentford game we are more competitive and the football has a purpose. However when you concede as many as we do then it’s tough to win a game and the attack we started with is hopeless in this league.

Sounds like just what we need - where do they get these players from ? It’s all so random. I get we’re not an appealing option but why can’t we sign someone who has been round the block, battle hardened and can make an immediate impact to a team desperate for some quality. If we can’t do that don’t bother adding to an already bloated squad. Looks like another punt on someone you’ve never heard of to add to the very long list of speculative transfers

Played really well tonight and felt good to actually be competitive. How often though do our subs make us worse - the squad is so thin and poor Think Juric has had a good influence but still no points unfortunately

shame - played well

a goal from a corner !