S-Clarke

At the moment, Sugawara - Bednarek - Stephens - KWP

I don't think he's proclaiming ripping everything up, more so just playing the better players in the positions that the weaker players are currently occupying. Smallbone and Aribo, I'm sure you'll agree, have been naff. It was a worry for me at the end of last season re: Smallbone, the game passed him by a lot in the Champ last season and he is going to be eaten alive at this level. Fernandes, albet a few games, already looks a few levels above either Smallbone or Aribo. What really worries me about our side is the attack though. I think we will all settle down once we get a goal from AA/BBD/Archer etc, at the moment I can't say with confidence where our goals are coming from.

Technically Smallbone or Aribo were taking his place, but how we were playing did mean that Stephens stepped into midfield when we had the ball. It's such a strange approach when we have better midfielders actually sat on the bench. For me, we have to go back to something that makes a little more sense. Straight back 4. Lesley and Downes in the two central midfield slots. Fernandes AA - BBD - Cornet as a three. (AA's place up for debate with Dibling pushing). I think BBD, physically, is our best option as an out ball if we need it. That should give us more control in the middle of the park, and width through Cornet and the full backs. That's how I'd do it anyway. We can still pay keep ball like that, but if we keep width (full backs) and have two '6's as such, we will have more angles. A lot of it is based on the receiving players providing the angle or the opportunity for a pass, we didn't really do that (we haven't all season), then we panic and it all goes to shit. Positionally it all looks a bit wrong at the moment.

He looks a bit like a rabbit in headlights so far. I have no doubts that he'll become a decent player at this level, but right now I think he needs to go back to basics a bit and calm down. Taking him out of the firing line is something I suggested too, ditto Smallbone. Sometimes for the sake of the player you need to take them out for a bit, settle the team down, and then re-integrate them when things are a little more settled. I think there are tools to work with here, but I do fear we are lacking any star quality in the top third to make much of a punch this season.

I hope to see more of Fernandes, but we need to see less of Smallbone or Aribo if we are going to make anything of this season. Feels harsh to say, but they're just a level below what is required for PL in speed and strength. You see it a lot - good Champ players that just cannot make that jump, in the end their careers level out and they become lower league. Unfortunately we currently have a lot of those sorts of players. A bit more game time from the likes of Lesley, Fernandes, Cornet, Sugawara, Ramsdale etc and we may be able to do something. I still think we've got way too much to do though given that we've been shown up so much by 2 of the weaker sides in the league. WHU played really well against Man City today but were done 3-1. This league is impossible if you cannot even compete with the dregs.

Stephen's hasn't made any obvious clear errors, but if you watch his game closely you can see him actually playing others into trouble. The THB mistake was because Stephens played a ball back that was never on. The Bednarek mistake was because Stephens ran in front of the ball and got in his way. He hasn't become a PL defender overnight because he's never been a PL defender. A squad player a PL level, sure, but this weird hybrid beckenbauer role at this level needs to stop. Two centre backs, Lesley and Downes in front. Fernandes in front of them. Full backs staying wide giving the GK and CB's angles. Job done.

He was signed at the start of the relegation season.

He's got a point to be fair. Kompany didn't get the Bayern job because he'd relegated Burnley by playing this 'brave way'. He got the Bayern job because he's called Vincent Kompany.

The worst of the first 4 was the Wigan home game, we barely turned up that day. Trounced by Arsenal though. We still looked like scoring goals though, by game 4 we had at least scored 5 goals and there was something to build on.

It's a really daft thing to say to be honest, he's trying to paint the daft narrative that English fans and English pundits/media are all about 'hit it long'' ''get it in the box'' Dyche style football. It honestly isn't that case. I'd say we appreciate sensible football that doesn't provide opposing sides with free goals every game.

I think we all fully expect KWP to leave for free. I'm amazed he's still here today. He'd be daft to commit at this point to a team that is pretty likely, at this point, to be back in the Championship rather sharpish. He will leave us in the summer and remain in the PL and he will leave with my best wishes.

I think he's struggled so far at this level (last season included). I know people talk about players needing time etc, but just look at guys like Dibling and Fernandes - they just look at home almost immediately, and that's usually because of their quality. Quality is always there. I think Archer will score goals, but he looks like a lower league forward to me. Much like AA, much like BBD. Lots of good Championship players, but pretty poor PL level players. I guess the hope is that they score enough collectively, but it's asking a hell of a lot - especially if we're conceding a bucket load a game. From this point I have no idea how we survive.

Another 3 goals against Cardiff City's U21's/u18's team as well. It's pretty evident that the way he approaches games will cost teams goals. At lower levels he can make up for that as his teams score goals against weaker sides, but at this level there will be nowhere to hide unless he becomes a tiny bit more pragmatic.

I don't know what he's on about there. He's not reinventing football or doing anything revolutionary, he's just asking us to keep the ball and pass it sideways and backwards. Of course everyone will want to talk about the mistakes when they cost us 3 goals in the first 3 games. It's not about context, narrative or however he wants to paint it, it's a clear flaw in how we're currently approaching things at this level. British football has embraced Man City who play out from the back, quick 1-2's etc. The difference is the quality. We need to respect our limitations at this level, which are vast. Because if we don't and we live in this weird bubble that we're doing something so incredibly brave, then we'll end up having to be brave on 6 points at the bottom of the league in May. I tell you what'll be brave at that point - wearing a Saints shirt in public after we've been made to be the worst team in PL history, that would be brave.

Is this another case of a player becoming a world beater, once he's out of the team? He started well for us in the PL, but he switched off so much and was Hoedt-esque in some of the games he played for us. It's not like we're sat on the greatest defender in the world and not playing him. There's a reason he has absolutley zero market.

Yeah, that's probably fair. Our problem isn't the passing out from the back in isolation, it's how we often keep panicking in posession and playing balls back or sideways, in dangerous area's, that are never on. The second goal is a clear example. We moved the ball out to full back, rather than look for a quick pass forward we went backwards again and that was the trigger for Brentfords press. When we then tried to move it out from the back, via Bednarek, he was disposed because he shouldn't have had that ball in the first place. I know a lot is made of being brave etc, but passing backwards into the dangerous area is out of fear. Too scared to try a risky pass forward, so they play it backwards, get themselves all in a knot and end up making more of a mess than they would have if they'd just moved it forward or at least tried it.

All teams know what we do, they attacked us in the Champ last season and pressed us and forced us into mistakes. This isn't just a this season thing. Obviously PL teams are going to do the same and they'll press us like mad when we pass it around the back, pressure us, make us panic. We don't have the technical players at the back to handle that panic, that's the problem. It will only end one way and we all know it. We need to be a bit more pragmatic in our build up from the back. Get the full backs wider, give the GK and CB's some passing angles - at the moment they are forced to go so narrow and teams will just pick us off on any press.

That's the problem, we've been undone by Bryan Mbembo and Morgan Gibbs-White thus far, who as you say are bottom half PL players. The hardest game we had, which we still lost, was Newcastle - and they were awful on the day. Down to 10 men for 70mins, but we still lost. There isn't much hope on the horizon at the moment it has to be said. These are the games we really need to be ultra competitive in, yet once again we've gone to Brentford and have been absolutley pummelled. It wasn't even hard work for them.

He is very naive, although we all knew that. I think if we're all honest we were somewhat fortunate to be promoted, we were the worst of the bunch (Although a good bunch) - but we got there, so we need to give them an opportunity. I think so far the same issues that haunted us last season, which was far from perfect by the way, are there all to see again this year - nothing has changed, apart from being up against better players and managers who will just take the piss out of the approach. I'm not talking about ripping it all up and starting again, but there needs to be some sort of re-think. I always look back to our teams under Koeman and Adkins, some of the best times I've had supporting this club. There was nothing in their tenures about philosophy's or identities, nothing. We just put teams out to win, adjusting things as and when required.

What I will also add, Brentford aren't world beaters, and whilst their goals were from our mistakes, they did create quite a few more opportunities. There were a couple of moments where we spent what felt like 20 mins to get to the edge of their box, they nick the ball back and within 1 or 2 quick passes they are at our full back and crossing into the penalty area and having a shot. 2 or 3 passes. That's not long ball, that's not hoofing it, that's just being decisive, quick and sensing the opportunity. We just winced it around for 20 mins to get to the edge of the area, it's painful to watch because it won't provide us enough chances. We will need stacks and stacks and stacks of chances per game to score at this level, so mincing around for 20mins to get it to the edge of the area ain't going to cut it. As I said, I'm not talking long ball, but quick switches of play, spotting of space, players moving into space etc. All of these things that are food and drink for PL players, but we just want to spend 20 mins passing the ball around each other. That's not brave, it's wimpish behaviour because there's nothing easier than passing between CB's - the oppo will let us do that all game.

Well it didn't take us long to be brought back down to earth after May. We're certainly back in the utter misery of the PL, such a miserable league to be part of if you're a poor side, sadly you need to be here financially though. Doesn't make it any easier to take getting beaten every week, just like we were two years ago. Nothing has changed. We scored a goal though, who'd have thought it. Smallbone needs to be taken out of the firing line for his own sake, not good enough for this level as it stands. Aribo the same who is just a mess when he's pressed. Armstrong missed chances like that last season, but he got another 2 or 3 in the same game to make up for it. In this league you get 1, that's it. He thrives on space which we don't get at this level, he isn't quicker than PL defenders, so sadly he is a pointless player to have in a PL side. I hoped last season would have brought him some confidence and belief, but sadly it's quite clear that he's just not up to the level. THB is a young player struggling, looks very nervous. He didn't get caught out like that last season, in fact he was one of our better ball playing CB's. I'd probably take him out of the firing line for a bit as well. Fernandes, who is only young and just in this country, is immediately of a better standard to that of Aribo and Smallbone - you can see it from a mile off, even in the warm up he's better. BBD looks a bit of a carthorse it has to be said, bit of a shithouse though. Although being a shithouse and still losing is a pretty miserable place to be. A very neive display all in all. The playing from the back bollocks got us caught out in the Champ, but the quality wasn't there to punish it, as everyone and their dog said...do the same at this level, with the same players, the mistakes will happen and you'll get punished. There's no refinement about it, or practice at it, you just need better players if you really want to do that. But we don't have good players, so we really shouldn't be exposing them like this. The problem isn't passing from the back at all times per-say, but it's the passing 'back' to pass around the back which does it for us. Unnecessary passing. We just need to move it quicker through the midfield and it wouldn't be such a problem, but we seemingly don't have the players to move it quickly. It's been a very tough lesson thus far, although not really surprising. We've all seen this story before so we know how it ends. Stephens, Bednarek, Aribo, Armstrong trying to play PL football doesn't really work.

That's really optimistic I think. £7m tops for Onuachu as he still has a market. The other two don't really have a market, I can see them going the same way as Hoedt and Boufal where we have to pay them off.

What we lost in the summer - (players leaving/loan expiring) Che, Stu, Rothwell, Brooks, Charly, Mara, Charles, THB, Downes, Fraser What we added to replace those lost - Archer, Fernandes, Lesley, Cornet, BBD, Lallana, THB, Downes, Fraser Other positions - We added extra quality at full back in Yuki and Charlie Taylor. Added more depth at CB in Edwards and Wood (and ABK, weirdly). Fairly sure Yuki and Taylor were signed to aid the impending exit of KWP, but now we have a nice problem of having them all here. Added extra quality in goal with the addition of Ramsdale. Undeniably we've raised the level of the team with the additions that replaced the 'lost' players, that's all you can ask for with that really. We also have the interesting conundrum of ABK and Onuachu still here - so you have to count them as more options, if we can register them that is. In my mind we had 3 priorities going into the window and we've attacked them all pretty much bang on. 1) - Sort out the GK position. We did that and then some 2) - Sign Flynn Downes and other key loanies to continue squad unity - Sorted 3 - Add quality/strikers to the attack. Somewhat sorted with Archer, BBD - but I still feel we missed the trick with a proper number 9, but I do still feel we have goals in the side with what we've added so it's not as catastrophic as it could have been. So we're in a good place, didn't lose anyone we wanted to keep, raised the level of the squad and threw our hat into the ring of PL big spenders again. We've given ourselves a good chance. I'm not giving a score as we've all been bitten by that before

He's a player that has pissed me off before, he was excellent in that Burnley game. He needs to play, WHU aren't fussed with him whatsoever but he's never really had a chance there - they spent £20m on him. Gives us another option in attack as he can also play right side or through the middle.

Sounds like this is one for the U21's to bolster their squad.