S-Clarke

This is the main problem really, we've thrown away a great opportunity through poor recruitment and squad management. I'm not even including the crazy re-contracting of people either... If only we had an owner who had a clue about what's going on. Massive compliancy around the place it seems to me, in multiple areas. There are only two ways out of this horrible slide that I can see right now… Gao suddenly realises he needs to invest and ploughs millions into redeveloping the squad We get relegated, shift the squad around and rebuild back in the lower leagues as we did before. *sigh*

The sad thing is that it probably is the likes of Cedric and Hoedt who are the ones kicking up a stink. I don't often hate players, but I don't half hate those two.

I hate this view that we somehow 'have the players'. We don't, we have a load of absolute overrated garbage stinking out this club. Players who have failed for 3 seasons. It really is a sad state of affairs, but a new manager isn't going to come in and turn this awful group into 'players'. It will need at least 2 transfer windows and no input from Ross flaming Wilson. Wouldn’t care two hoedts if we saw the back of: Cedric Hoedt Stephens Lemina Gabbiadini Austin Long Forster Carillo Boufal Ward-Prowse Steven Davis There is a hell of a lot of work needed. We've been given a mini-fortune over the last 3 years as well, so it is absolutely devastating that this is the team we've ended up with.

There are 3 certainties in a day. Sunrise, sunset and Nathan Redmond morning at someone.

Ross Wilson.

or we could start talking about replacement players. They are the problem. Horrible bunch.

So basically, everyone else out before this horrificly unlikeable unprofessional wastes of space, footballers? When do they start getting the blame? Hojberg, Cedric, Lemina, Austin, Hoedt, Long, Gabbiadini. Absolute trash and the primary reason we are where we are and have been for 2 years. Recruitment ****, players not suited to eachother, rubbish mentalities. We can go though as many managers as we like but that ain’t changing.

He's more effective with better players around him, i.e Pelle and Mane. When he becomes the main man, which he has unfortunatley become because we failed to replace either Pelle or Mane, then his weaknesses are shown up for all to see.

Only on loan though.

Hoedt is one of our big problems, not just his footballing ability, but his lack of character. He's one of the guys (along with Lemina) who i can physically see wilt when the going gets tough. He starts doing stupid things, making hashes of clearances or falling over. For the good things he can do in a game (like that great tackle on Bissouma) he ruins it all by being dumb in the box in the dying embers of games, creating nerves for everyone else.

I'm not going to be as critical as others, as I don't think we've played that badly in the 5 games we’ve played (yeah, it’s only been 5 games….). I think we look more threatening and have more of a punch at the other end of the pitch, so obviously that is an improvement on last year. The big issues are the lack of leaders in the side and two crucial positions in the team which have substandard players. In my opinion if we had someone out there grabbing everyone together and leading/organising on the pitch, we'd have taken 6 points from the Leicester and Brighton games. The way we wilt when things go bad is a worry, we don’t seem to have anyone willing to grab the group by the scruff of the neck in the latter stages of games to see us through. You wouldn’t say Bournemouth or Cardiff – or even Brighton – have stacks more quality than us, they just have more leaders in their groups and they keep going, no matter what happens in the game. So……5.5/10 for me.

So that's why it all went quiet on him, I did think he was supposed to be a highly rated youngster. I must admit, the chances of him making it at the high level after 3 serious knee injuries in such a short space of time is quite unlikley.

So it's the fans fault?

At what stage do people start looking at the players here? This is the third manager who has struggled with this bottlejob group. For me the main blame for our current position lies with our recruitment and how they've managed to build such a poor team. We can keep changing managers over and over, but as long as the same morons are still making dumb calls when then going gets tough on the pitch then we're in the same position.

Probably good for him really, not sure if it was just me but he looked to be struggling at times last night. Limping quite heavily at one point.

I've enjoyed his game this season, but as with a good collection of our players he shrunk when the going got tough. He's been a very dangerous outlet for us this season so far though.

He's not been a world beater, but he's been ok so far I think. Not sure what people expected from him? He came here with good pedegree, just needs to settle into the side and get used to this league. He's really no different to Tadic.

A very depressing, yet somewhat unsurprising result given the last 2 years of slow and painful regression. We've not really played badly this season, in parts we've looked dangerous and look more likely to score goals - as we did last night. The main problem which continues throughout the spine and will continue for as long as certain individuals are present is our lack of bottle and leadership. Whilst the likes of Lemina may be individually talented, he doesn't half shrink when the going gets tough. We have some good individual quality, but we have a very, very poor makeup of a team. No real leaders, no real bottle. Just a bunch of nice and meek characters who shrink into the ground whenever something bad happens – whether that’s a sending off or conceding a single goal. I wouldn’t trust this lot to hold a 3-0 lead. That's 2 home games on the trot where we've tossed away two wins, not down to a lack of quality, but down to a lack of character and bottle. That won't change on the training pitch, that will only change with a player cull and a much better recruitment strategy. Given that we can't change any players now then this theme will continue I'm sure.

Oh dear, now what have you done! James-Ward-Prowse, doo doo doo doo doo Danny Ings....do....

No way. I can't get away from that song, now it's going to be at the football FFS.

They msut be missing Long.

All done, he stays. No one would pay even a small % of his wages, basically. He's earning too much here, but there were enquiries.

What a weird post. Not sure you even know what your point is! At the end of the day, if they're good enough they'll play. If they're not, they'll be playing for Burton. Simples.

It's very hard for the fans to jump on side when you witness the same crap as you've sat through for 2 previous seasons. For any season ticket holder over the last 2 seasons, in my opinion, we deserve some sort of loyalty discount. A season payment back would just about cover it. It's been kind of like throwing money up in the air and not getting anything for it. A right old waste of a saturday, but we still go. Although the regulars around me are no longer going, lots of single game folk there now. (maybe it was something i said).

We do lack a central figure in my opinion. If you look at our strikers, only Austin is the player you'd consider to be a central striker. Ings, Gabbiadini, Long are more support players. You need someone like Murray, Denney, Benteke, Tosun - someone who can be a central figure, someone you can build the play around. They can then help bring others into play. We seem to be a team who doesn't really know how it wants to play, caught between two styles without any real way to play either. A confused recruitment strategy and odd squad management have left us in a bit of a mess.