S-Clarke

Too much work to be done. To stand a sniff of a chance we need two CM's, a GK, a LB, 2 Strikers and a winger. Not happening.

The problem with getting relegated with this bunch is that they've proven to be soft as fuck, cannot take anything bad and their heads drop at the slightest turn in a game. They will be mentally shot if we get relegated and anyone half decent will be running for the door. We will be left with the likes of Smallbone, Adam Armstrong, Lyanco, McCarthy, Diallo, Moussa stinking the NPC out. It's not going to be fun for a few years.

When we've been in 'trouble' in recent years, I've always held the belief we'd be ok - we're not great, but we do have something about us. But this season is the first season since our year with Wotte and co that I'm resigned, probably 20th. Anything above 20th is an achievement. The squad is one of the worst, maybe the worst, we've ever had at this level. Bazunu - He is 'potential' one for the future, but we thought we'd get clever. All well and good if you have quality in other areas of the pitch to make up for his errors, but we don't. Probably a NPC keeper atm, but this season has the potential to destroy any potential he once had. Butland in the making. Perraud - Love his energy and enthusiasm, but technically terrible. Slow, poor touch, no technical ability on the ball. Generally as an attacking outlet he's null and void. Salisu - Bottom half PL/Top half NPC quality. Always prone to disasters and that doesn't seem to be going away as he 'matures'. Lyanco - NPC quality at best, maybe lower. Rash, and clumsy. Plays with heart and passion but with no actual ability to back it up. Inept. KWP - One of the very few PL quality palyers, but he was dross today. Moussa - Why we gave him a new contract is beyond me. He is useless. You only have to look at the few opportunities he had to take someone on, he'd either look backwards, fall over or his touch was so bad that it would end up as a throw. Really low quality player, NPC at best. JWP - He's a little boy lost in that midfield. He's too weak to do it all by himself, he's still one of the few PL quality players we have but he can't do it all on his own. Diallo - Jesus.h.Christ. I've never seen such an awful excuse for a CM at any level. What can he do? He runs around, gets tight to a player, falls over and then they're away anyway. It's torture having to watch him try to compete at a decent level. I wouldn't even say he's NPC quality. Edozie - Young and raw, he has some life about him but it won't be long until that's sucked out of him. I don't see what is different between him and Tella if i'm honest, both of a similar level ability wise. Ely - I hear he's debating about signing a new contract, well don't offer him one ffs. Not good enough, not strong enough, not quick enough. Not a PL player. Adams - tries hard, but for holy christ sake he is not a lone striker. Never has been, never will be. It's like flogging him to the lions. When you put that lot of misfits above like that you realise what a truly terrible, terrible team we have. The bench is littered with Armstrong, AMN, McCarthy, Theo - wonderful. Someone needs to turn the lights out, it might sound defeatist but that performance stunk of relegation and I can't see us recovering from that.

I hate articles like that, they actually say nothing. But it does scream of a club leak to a certain extent to help manage expectations. It's along the lines of the quotes we get ''we tried to hard to get x, but failed''. The 'January is a difficult month' is a bingo phrase for us. But if that is what we truly think, and we're going to limp on, then we will have to start planning for Millwall and Luton next year as it's done, turn the lights off. A nice homecoming for Jones tbf.

Yeah, this feels different. When we've got a 6-10 point cushion and people proclaim we are likely to go down, people are right to take issue with it. But now, given the state of our horrendous squad and the position we sit in today it's as precarious as it's been for many, many, many years. We're going to need something special 2nd half of the season, and truth be told I have no idea where that special thing is coming from without even more significant investment.

I think people are just commenting on what they saw the other night. I saw someone who couldn't trap a bag of cement, couldn't find his own team mates all night and was over-run in the middle. That isn't new either, he's put in a few of those since he's been here. He has been a massive, massive disappointment. I expected much more, but he struggles to look like a footballer sometimes.

2nd string doesn't really exist at Man City. All of their players piss over ours in their sleep, no matter who they put out.

Lol.

I'm sure Stoke thought as much when they went down, but they're never anywhere near. Relegation in the current financial climate with the PL getting richer and richer will be an unequivocal disaster for us, no other way to dress it up.

Not me! But I probably should have said 'PL Experience' rather than 'deliver now'. That's what I think we'll be looking for and is probably the safer bet. The risk is that they are more expensive, or just cast-offs from other PL clubs. (i.e Fraser)

I think we need players ready to deliver now to be honest, not sure we have the time to let someone grow into the team. I can see the attraction of someone like Ryan Fraser, not that it will set the pulses racing.

I mean Diallo isn't great, but I'd have him in front of AMN who didn't look like a footballer yesterday. Edozie for his running and positiveness has to start, but other than that we've not got a lot. Need a big January or it's curtains by March.

That's exactly it, Che is a good player to have in any team. We got the best out of him when he had Ings hitting the goals, he did a lot of the unselfish work to make that possible and also chipped in with his own few. But he's not and never will be your potential '20 goal a season' man, he just doesn't have that skillset, I find it shocking that the club have hung him out like that. His partner these days is Adam Armstrong who I don't know how to describe, just a non-entity of a footballer who is out of his depth.

We did this last season as well, before Selles was even here himself. I don't know who else could be instructing it! The GK Coach? (would be equally as odd mind)

That was pretty shit. That final chance for Adams summed him up, that is why he will never be a consistent goal scorer no matter how much we wish him to be. We need better to partner him if we want to score goals. Still, at least we won. But we looked terrible to be honest.

It's a shame we still have Salisu taking them then.

So, that's the mangers and the coaches all gone - yet Salisu still taking the long throws. Who else is going to be making that decision?

Pretty apt for us, we don't seem to be PL in any way right now.

Something about a disease in the turf, plus they haven't had the chance to relay it for a couple of seasons.

VAR disallows that every day of the week, not that I'm complaining.

So, a 'fresh start' and 21mins and the same issues are apparent. Powderpuff in the 10's with Elyounoussi. Terrible up front with Adam Armstrong offering no threat. Adams missing his trademark sitter. Terrible in midfield with no protection or cover for JWP, leaving us horribly exposed. None of this is any real surprise to be honest. 75% of this team is beyond horrific.

What has happened to AMN in the last few years? He doesn't even look like a footballer anymore.

I wouldn't have called this back in November after Saudi Arabia beat Argentina. It's been a great world cup to be fair, obviously lots of controversy and crap around it, but from a pure footballing point of view the final summed it up for me. A great watch the last month, even the groups were entertaining until the death.

Agreed, they have been refreshing to watch in the Semi Final. They seem like a really inteligent team as they know when to sink back, but then they can attack and pen teams in if they want. They've kind of come out of nowhere, but if you look at their 11 they do have a group of some top level/CL level players in their makeup. Amrabat, Ziech, Hakimi, Mazraoui, En-Nesyri

He hasn't really ripped it up at club level for whatever reason. The guy has always had such good technical ability but there is just something else missing from his makeup which means he's never consistent. Like Gaston in many ways. It wasn't the wrong decision to let him go, we just didn't replace him with anyone else who could impact our team.