StrangelyBrown

I'm my head the style of play should be more of a vision statement and the strategy might be to recruit people to fulfil the vision. The strategy could also be to grow our own talent. On the other hand our vision might be to create a platform to grow and sell players. I'm which case the strategy might be to be led by someone someone who could bring out the best of players, but then the style of play would be irrelevant and could be a recruitment decision.

Seems a sensible strategy to get him a few games to see if we can get him back to some sort of form

Not sure why everyone thinks Ipswich are suddenly a brilliant team? Delap aside they really aren't that special by championship standards. They got up through consistency and confidence. The confidence won't be the same next season.

You are being kind. I seem to remember Smallbone getting pelters for being lightweight, poor at tracking back and only passing sideways for at least half the season.

We switched to 4 at the back, then scored... Back to 5 at the back for the next game then.

They've not been any worse with 4 at the back and arguably we've looked marginally less shit at the back with a back 4.

3 at the back again... Because that works so well 🤯

It's a cock waving contest where the action can only be seen with a microscope.

Is defence first really a good strategy when you have defenders who aren't very good at the basics of defending and have too few defensively capable midfielders?

The penalties were both nailed on IMO - just shocking defending. The only things I had a problem with were every 50:50 going to villa and the "advantage" before villa's first goal, which took our players completely by suprise. The officials should have done something about the diving early on, but sadly this just seems to be an accepted part of football these days.

Its worse than that - he gave away a penalty, was ball watching on the 2nd and 3rd goals and in both cases lost his man who scored. He's an absolute clown and shouldn't be anywhere near our team let alone the fucking captain.

Bednarek and Stephens have been at the heart of this shit show for far too long. They are a big part of the problem. Today Stephens didn't do anything much for the most of the first half, but got away with it. Bednarek continues to be at the heart of most of our shit defending alongside Harwood-Bellis. I'm hoping we ditch all three next season and try and establish some proper solidity for the first time in years.

Is there some mental instruction from the board to play 3 at the back no matter how shit it makes us? I'm really fed up with it. We don't have the ability to play that way and not get overrun in midfield.

Really??? Villa at least had the basics of a functional team. We had a piss poor team that had over performed with Hassenhutl...

The ref really doesn't want to give us anything. Same old.

Harwood Bellis' hair really does make him look a proper twat. Him and Bednarek absolutely shite for that goal.

Lallana was a known entity and clearly a pointless signing before we got him. All the rest were gambles that didn't pay off.

Let's be realistic.... We were absolutely dogshit when we got relegated. We sold our best players and replaced them with players who were good in the championship. We bought more championship quality players in the summer. Did we really think we'd be anything other than dogshit when we were promoted to the premier league?

Palace had a major clear out a few years ago (mostly by running down contracts) and have gone from perennial strugglers to a decent side. We need to do something similar - we have a squad of proven failures and weak minded players.

I'm not sure that's how multi club models work.... I always thought the club at the top of the pyramid benefits from the other clubs lower down... But maybe I'm wrong and Man City only exists to fuel the rest of the city group 🤯

No they didn't - it was £40m!

No one will be spending £50m+ on a championship player so if we want that sort of fee we'd be better selling now than at the end of next season. I don't know why anyone thinks his value is going to go up with a season in the championship - while logical in reality it just doesn't seem to work like that.

To be fair I the championship we sometimes swept teams away brilliantly, but we were inconsistent at best often riding our luck rather than putting inferior teams to bed.

I think you've missed the point.... Half the time Russ' football was anything but beautiful - it was often incredibly tedious. We so often lacked the courage in the final third. So often played the ball backwards in good positions. So often gave the ball away in the same old positions in the same old way. Give me Koeman, Poch, Ball or Nichol over Martin any day - those guys knew what good looked like and knew how to entertain.

There's something very iffy with the way the PL is officiated, but maybe Liverpool benefit from the same bias that persists in the media - even when they were bang average they got far more airtime and praise than they deserved.