Ultimatt

The club want to pump up the academy again and play the kids as often as possible. You can't expect to win consistently with kids that just aren't at a top 8 premier league level. Occasionally we get stars coming through, but how many of our current lot will move to a big club? You either build a team to win today, or you build a team for the future (sale). This season the clubs gone heavily for the latter. Everyone old, with the exception of Davis, has been shipped and we've bought young. It's our weakest squad since coming up and it shows in the results.

Injured half the time and then plays only half the time when fit so 9 or 10 premier league games a season

Can draw parallel's to the Indian Premier League. Similar population, a sport that gets way better TV ratings than football does in China, and yet still most of the franchises are losing money. Not sure these Chinese team owners have a chance in hell to make their money back directly through the football. Maybe that networking thing that was touched on earlier.

A target man. Someone in the mold of Ibra, Costa, Giroud, Benteke, Carroll, Slimani, Kiessling, Pelle Even Crouch would improve us right now. Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

At the start of the season I would've said something like this 8th/9th in the league Reaching the QF in both cups Europa league 1st knockout round Now with the Europa dissapoint we'd need to push on a bit in the other 2 cups. The squads definitely the weakest it's been in years. The club needs to invest next season in quality over quantity (no European football so 1 game a week) so we can push for a Europe spot in the league in 2017/18.

In. He's inherited the weakest squad we've had in years. Our best 2 attacking players (Boufal and Austin) have both played less than half the season and barely played together. He's been undermined by Fonte and possibly other players. He's given our academy players a chance again. Our attackers can't score, our keeper can't save. Despite at times creating a lot of chances, and consistently conceding very few chances against, No goals, no clean sheets. He deserves until the end of the season to see where we end up. Going down to 1 week a game will make a huge difference in letting him pick what he thinks is his best team; then we can judge him if his choices don't work.

Quoting what I said in the "From what i've been told" thread before this news broke My take on the situation. Fonte and VVD have had a big falling out. The club has to choose between 1 or the other and are choosing to keep the better player with the brighter future happy. Goodbye Jose. He once had a punch up with Osvaldo, now Fonte has become Osvaldo.

Time for Fonte to go then. He's always had a bit of arrogance to him (watch the SKD testimonial locker room speech) and this was before his Euro's win. He must be unbearable now. Great player for us but now that he thinks he's too good for us we should reward his service with a move of his choosing.

So 7 English teams are above us with us in 8th, and as of a few days ago those 7 teams were above us in the table with us in 8th. What's your point?

Our most common XI (based on minutes played) 2016/17 - Forster / Martina,Fonte,VVD,Bertrand / Romeu,Davis,Hojbjerg / Tadic,Austin,Redmond 2015/16 - Stekelenburg / Cedric,Fonte,VVD,Bertrand / Romeu,Davis,Wanyama / Tadic,Pelle,Mane 2014/15 - Forster / Clyne,Fonte,Alderweireld,Bertrand / Schneiderlin,Davis,Wanyama / Tadic,Pelle,Mane With Forster's current form he's no better than Stek. Clyne > Cedric > Martina Schneiderlin probably slightly ahead of Romeu but could be called a draw. Romeu has been good for us. Wanyama > Hojberg who's far from a completed product. Pelle = Austin Mane > Redmond We have our weakest team in a few years. Add all the extra matches and there's no way we can expect to finish as high in the league as the last 2 years. This is on the board/Les to invest again, especially with the huge windfall that's coming from the inevitable VVD sale.

Because of no pressing and slow tempo passing.

Puel talked at the start of the season about how we can't play a pressing game or fast tempo because of all the fixtures. I think his instructions have us playing this slow boring way and it's making it so easy for teams to setup against us. We can't penetrate a deep line and then all they need is a couple of chances on the counter to break us down. Too early to call for the sack with our crazy congested fixtures this season. He needs to show he can turn things around when we get to 1 game a week.

More shots for and less shots against than under Koeman last year. A keeper that can't make saves and attackers that can't shoot. Blame the players for awful form, not the manager.

We've played 28 matches so far this season on the back of a shorter preseason due to Euros. We've had the least shots on target against us of all clubs, ruined by a keeper incapable of making saves. We're 6th best for shots on target, ruined by our best striker injured and the rest of our attacking players incapable of shooting well. Both shots for and against are better than under Koeman last season. Too many of our players are just in garbage form probably down to all the matches and rotation.

If he wasn't English we'd have looked to sign better. Same with Hart @ City. He's the personification of a gentle giant; no bravery, no fire, no passion. He never imposes his figure. He should scare the living hell out of strikers when he comes charging at them. This one's a big black mark on Dave Watson. He's had 2.5 years to improve him and he hasn't improved anything.

Given we're largely down to 1 game a week now we'd only buy to replace someone sold or a "one for the future". A CB is the only possible target imo.

Great player for us but I wouldn't want him back. He doesn't fit our system. Too slow moving the ball, too much backwards/sideways. We've been crying out for our CM's to attack and move the ball forward, that's not Schneiderlin.

We're 6th in the league for shots per game, ahead of Arsenal and only barely behind Chelsea. We've had games where our systems created plenty of chances but how long has it been since we've been clinical in front of goal. Our best shot today was Bertrand, a defender. Our last 2 goals in the Europa League were by VVD, a defender. In our 6 Europa games we averaged 14.5 shots per goal compared to Sparta's 5.375. I don't think it's fair to blame Puel. It's the attacking players that are bottling it in front of goal. Austin is the only out and out striker.

Pep would love him as he's so comfortable on the ball. Perfect for his system. Would be a good fit for both.

Minutes played / goals this season in the PL & Europa Long - 803 mins / 0 goals Jay Rod - 435 mins / 2 goals Tadic - 1239 mins / 1 goal Redmond - 1720 mins / 3 goals Boufal - 430 mins / 1 goal JWP - 930 mins / 1 goal Davis - 1286 mins / 0 goals Hojbjerg - 1123 mins / 0 goals Clasie - 749 mins / 0 goals Romeu - 1840 mins / 0 goals Austin - 1078 mins / 8 goals No Austin, No Southampton.

Fonte gone and a January replacement seems plausible with him still not getting cup tied.

He's infinitely better than Stones but Stones is English thus the price tag. No way was Sterling worth what they paid either. Man City pay a premium on young english talent. Realistically you can't expect £60m for a defender. I'd value him more at £40-45m. Hopefully we can keep him till the 2018 summer at which point he'll be approaching his peak and ready for that galactico move.

I think you're all reading too much into it. Clearly Fonte just doesn't have what it takes to perform on the European stage

Sparta 9 Saints 7 Hapoel 4 Inter 3 Still in our hands to top the group with 2 wins.

I think the system has potential. The strikers are getting chances, or almost-chances (if they can beat the offside trap). 32 of our 53 league goals last season came from Mane/Pelle/Long; Long is out of form having had a late start to preseason, the other 2 are gone. Puel still has about £30m to spend on 2 attacking players. We're judging him with a weaker and incomplete attacking group. I'm holding judgement until the windows shut and our squads complete. As for defence, we've conceded 2 poor goals vs Watford and Sunderland but our back 5 hasn't played together yet this season. No Bertrand, Cedric & Fonte are out of form with a late start. Again, I think it's better to give Puel and the team a few weeks after the international break before judging.