S-Clarke

I imagine this guy is going to be our Crocker replacement and Joe Shields replacement wrapped up in one.

It's often a good sign when fans at his previous club hold a player in such, such high regard. He's not just 'liked' by their fanbase, he's absolutely adored and has legend status over there. Bit of a late bloomer at 30, but it's weirdly refreshing to see us adding someone who has done it at the highest level of mens football - not kid football.

You're getting a little bit too overemotional LGTL. He's not purposely come in to break us with an agenda, as others have said he's taken a well paid job like we would all do if we were offered it. It's not his fault he's out of his depth, the people who recruited him take the blame for that.

Yeah I wondered that, I think it was Baird who he said had noticed that. We'll find out soon I guess, couple of bits on twitter I saw over the last few days suggested he'd done his ACL or MCL. Seemed a bit innocuous.

To be fair I did admit that I over-egged that, as I even admitted a lack of an attacker is going to kill us. I guess I was excited by the early showings of ABK and Lavia that it clouded my judgement a bit! I don't think our recruitment was all bad in the summer though, we had the right idea and definitely targeted some good young players, better than we have in previous years...but we didn't back it up with the established quality we also needed which has become even more apparent as the weeks went on.

I saw a lot of disillusioned players against Forest to be honest, they looked a bit lost. This isn't me sticking up for the players, as they have dropped their own bollocks many times, but there's just a lack of engagement from players - especially Adams, totally isolated and lost with the ball being pumped 10ft above his head all night.

Adams is another guy who has been somewhat hung out to dry. I know people laugh about the term 'support striker', but that is what he is at this level. His running and tenacity can open the space for players who are better finishers, as we saw with Ings. We have put ourselves in a position where we are expecting him to be someone he never was and never will be. He needs to be supported by clinical players, as he's the sort of guy you do need to do the hard grafts and the hard running, but expecting him to be the goal scorer on a consistent basis is somewhat hanging him out to dry. Don't get me wrong, he can and will score goals, but you'll never get enough from him alone to create a successful team.

Didn't the players do similar regarding Ralph as well? At some point they have to take responsiblity too, this is equally on them and has been for many years. Although it's hard to disagree with them on Jones, they do have to look into the mirror at some point.

I was wondering if we were keeping him back for the cup games, and introducing him there. We'll find out soon I guess. Also find out about ABK soon, I saw some murmurings on twitter that he'd done his ACL. No idea if that's true.

Theo Walcott, and he's already on the books. He'd do a better job on the touchline and I'm not even joking.

I think that's what were doing....''Just get it in the box'''. You don't have to be a genius tactician to instruct that. Don't get me wrong, these players are frustratingly crap as has been proven time and time again, but they weren't really given a foundation to play from at any stage on Wednesday. The way we were being instructed to play (which I visibly saw Chris Cohen directing) was to lob it diagonally to either Ely or Edozie in the later stages. How the fuck was that ever going to work, just dumb-ass dinosaur mentality football.

With the current crop it's difficult, as our midfield is way too weak. What I'd personally do is fill the midfield, play 3 in there. One as a deeper shielding player in a pivot and then two supporting members who can advance and get into the box. In the current situation I’d play Lavia deepest, with JWP and Diallo supporting in more advanced positions. (get JWP to pull out wide right more often, so he can throw Beckham-esque balls into the box) Adams up top, as our only physical outlet if we’re honest. Edozie is worth a shot in one of the wide positions, but another creative player is a must as Moussa/Ely/Aribo just don’t cut it in any position. (Which Orsic is going to be by the looks of it). The CB's, in a pair, are decent. I'd go with ABK and Salisu, flanked by KWP on the left and Tino right if fit. I don't think filling the midfield blunts us anymore than we are today, in fact it should allow us to control the game a little more and have the bodies to push up. At the moment we are over-run in there way too easily, and teams know that. It would also give us more bodies to pass to in that central area which would aid with a quicker tempo, at the moment it's all a bit too slow and sideways.(or long) So to make that work practically I think we’re short 3 players. A proper DM (I’d personally keep Diallo away from the side) another wide player, a striker who can lead a line with pace and power (and maybe another striker for depth). What we’re trying to do at the moment with 3 at the back is daft, because it removes the numbers we have further up the pitch, isolates the physically lacking attack and allows the midfield to be over-run. We don’t have the profile of player in the middle of the pitch, or up front, to get away with this system. I don’t know why we keep persevering with it.

This was the biggest concern, it was obvious to anyone in the stands. Us, media, opposition, coaches - but why not our manager or his coaches? It was disorganised chaos after around 80 mins, you had CB's at LB, then Edozie at LB, then balls being launched long to Elyounoussi. Aribo coming in from deep and just running across the pitch with no actual position. JWP was deep between the CB’s, then he ended up wide right. It felt somewhat surreal, I couldn't quite believe what I was watching. The entirety of the game was shit, but that last period was just a rabble. I don't think the players had any idea wtf was needed from them. I'd have expected better if a fan was plucked from the stand and asked to coach the last 10 mins.

Yep true, but it's nice to hear something from the background! I think a lot of assumed that they were blocking out the noise and were steadfast in their decision, if there are doubts then any more defeats are going to give them a decision to make for sure.

I blame Eric Black. In all seriousness I'm sure the underlying recruitment team are still there, working to the same criteria as set. It's only the 'heads' of that department which keep shuffling around. Needs a bit of a restructure in my eyes.

Thanks for sharing, it's somewhat reassuring to know that they haven't got their fingers in their ears.

Not against that at all, but that really does bring to the fore the horrendous recruitment we've had to endure over recent years. He was allowed to go as he was a squad player and we were evolving the squad, yet here we are a few years down the line and we want him back as first choice. Heads should roll over the state of our recruitment over the last few years. Financially constrained at times, yes, but we must find better than Lyanco and Perraud surely.

I do somewhat agree, as I said in another thread I don't think their approach in the summer was all wrong - it was the right idea, but they executed it wrong. They went balls deep in youth and underestimated the level of experienced quality at our disposal, in fact we actually diluted that. There is no doubt that this regression has been happening for many a year, we've been hindered by a lack of investment and resorted to having to punt on Lyanco's and Perrauds. So whilst it was totally accepted we needed a big change up in the squad, it needed to be a balanced approach. To me they've come in with two eyes fixed on the long-term rather than looking at the here and now, but we needed help 'now' and they miscalculated that in the summer.

I liked Ralph, not going to hide from that. I was sad to see him go but it did get to the point where it was recognisable that change was needed, but the problem is they've made the wrong change. Like you said under Ralph we had a plan, our identity somewhat diluted this season, but you could still see the basis of what we were trying to do. Had he been given a goal scorer in the summer and another wide player we would be having a different chat right now in my opinion, but that's where we are. We have been poor all year, but the games since we've come back have been worse than anything I've seen in many, many, many years - going back to the Wotte and Poortvliet days. From having a somewhat diluted identity to having no identify, after having worked with the team for 6 weeks, is a huge, huge concern.

That's very damming, and from another manager who often sit on their side of the fence even more damming. Fair enough he's a fan, but he still has the other view point and that's not even changing his views. I agree, he looks totally out of his depth. Rabbit in headlights is what I'd say, and I can't help but feel sorry for him as Paul said in there - he's been thrown under the bus, he should not be at this level. It worked at Luton because he was able to create an environment which worked for him, players he knew, players who could suit that way. He's come in here to a team full of International players and I don't think he has any idea what to do. The 'hit it long' tactic is something you see most teams try at the end of games when they're desperate and they're throwing tactics out of the window, but to play that way in every game for 90 mins is indictive of no tactical plan or tactical skills - just hit it long and hope for something. Our players, whilst very limited, are still better than that. I don't see how he goes though, that's my concern. There are a lot of egos which would need to be hit very hard in order for the change to happen.

I agree, I don't like to knee-jerk either and you have to give people a fair crack but he isn't helping himself in any way. I still think it's going to be exhausting if we keep hoping for him to be sacked though, I cannot see how they'll ditch him today, tomorrow, next week or next month. He's going to be here and it will dictate our survival chances, and SR will live and die by that call.

I think you're right, and this is why stats and stats alone in isolation of everything else doesn't work. There's every chance you could get lucky once or twice, but in the grand scheme of things stats should be used to backup opinions/views on an approach rather than entirely dictate it, which sadly seems like it has done here. Too much is given to stats when at the end of the day it's what you see in front of you that matters, not probability statistical data.

It's going to be mentally exhausting if we go on like that every week, wanting to lose so it gets rid of him etc. I think we need to accept that he's not going anywhere today, tomorrow, next week or next month.

The main thing which stuck out to me was his 'looking' backwards and saying ''well, we didn't do this well before me'' ''well, we were lucky to win at Bournemouth'' etc etc. That's not really what anyone wanted to hear. Whilst he did take the blame for this, as he mentioned in some later press releases, he still focused on deflecting criticism away from him when possible. This was picked up by some neutral fans as well who I spoke to today, a reluctance to accept full responsibility for our issues and to try and pass the blame away.

It's a weird one, not complaining as he seems a good player and the word 'Intelligent' sticks out to me, but why does he want to come here?? I guess we've thrown a lot of $$ his way! We certainly need a player with some intelligence in the final third though and have done for many years. This is only one part of the puzzle though, the goal scorer still remains the absolutely critical no-excuses addition.