since december

[nose returns]

since december
and that is 11 games, not once have we scored more than 1 goal.
since the new manager arrived we got 3 in his first game against southampton and really i am not sure he had anything to do with that victory
and to be fair we only got 0 three times
on the other hand in each of the  last three we have been in the lead and gone on to surrender it including against oldham mid table in league two and without a manager when we played them, 2 1 to a relegation rival and 2 1 yesterday to spurs b team, hardly an endorsment of our improved defencive system to concede two so often.
we did kee[p two clean sheets against the hapless huddersfield the only team below us and no goals at newcastle, and some people thought that was a turning point. it seems it was a false dawn.

brighton and crystal palce are surely last chance saloon if we are to get out of it but if we cannot defend properly for 90 minutes, and we cannot, when we are conceeding 70% possesion then we have a problem
also our most creative midfielder either is forced to play out of position or sit on the bench, the last time we won it was his first time pass to sess that got the move properly underway and nobody else in the team has that vision, we need him now in the same we we needed kamara in the great escape, and my only quarrel ever with roy was that he never wanted to play kamara because he was aboyt of a loose cannon. but without him we would not have turned the game round at man city.... it is the same with this, we need our captain playing as playmaker, it is as clear to me as night follows day. plus a center half and two fullbacks and perhaps another forward if possible.

multiple signings are needed now more than ever.

[The Rational Fan]

If some of the players we bought are worth half what we paid for them then be have lost our maximum $35 million already, and there is no money for new players.

[Woolly Mammoth]

since december
and that is 11 games, not once have we scored more than 1 goal.
since the new manager arrived we got 3 in his first game against southampton and really i am not sure he had anything to do with that victory
and to be fair we only got 0 three times
on the other hand in each of the  last three we have been in the lead and gone on to surrender it including against oldham mid table in league two and without a manager when we played them, 2 1 to a relegation rival and 2 1 yesterday to spurs b team, hardly an endorsment of our improved defencive system to concede two so often.
we did kee[p two clean sheets against the hapless huddersfield the only team below us and no goals at newcastle, and some people thought that was a turning point. it seems it was a false dawn.

brighton and crystal palce are surely last chance saloon if we are to get out of it but if we cannot defend properly for 90 minutes, and we cannot, when we are conceeding 70% possesion then we have a problem
also our most creative midfielder either is forced to play out of position or sit on the bench, the last time we won it was his first time pass to sess that got the move properly underway and nobody else in the team has that vision, we need him now in the same we we needed kamara in the great escape, and my only quarrel ever with roy was that he never wanted to play kamara because he was aboyt of a loose cannon. but without him we would not have turned the game round at man city.... it is the same with this, we need our captain playing as playmaker, it is as clear to me as night follows day. plus a center half and two fullbacks and perhaps another forward if possible.

multiple signings are needed now more than ever.

If we do not get six points from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Crystal Palace, I fear we may have missed the boat.

[The Swan]

I agree with Wooley that we must beat Brighton and Palace to have any chance of staying up.

[davew]

The boat set out weeks ago, too late to think about that now!

[Woolly Mammoth]

The boat set out weeks ago, too late to think about that now!

Is the boat 🚤 still afloat or has it sunk to the bottom of the sea bed.

[Twig]

I'm with Nose.  Seri is decent but we need TC with his vision and ability to hold the ball in midfield, we either give it away or play an ineffective forward pass far too often.

[BedsFFC]

I'm a big TC fan. I really wanted him to be a hit in the PL. I think if we play against a team when we expect to have the majority of possesion and be on the offensive most of the time, TC has to be integral to that side. However, against a strong midfield that is looking for goals, there's no getting away with it, he is a bit of a liability as he is quite easily overun.
Its a fine line, as without doubt when we do have the ball, he rarely gives it away but under Ranieri, the style just doesnt suit his game.

I said before that I had no idea who Anguissa was before we bought him but what I heard was that he was a deep lying midfielder and tough tackler of some merit. He sounded the perfect support for TC's game. I was, like many other excited to see him play. I fully accept that players need a good half season to acclimatise to the PL (I think Seri's many knockers on here will start to soften very soon) but what an absolute blow him getting injured has been. The player we hoped he was is (in my opinion) our biggest need. Someone to protect the back 4/5 and someone take some pressure of TC & Seri.

What a blow. I dont even know whats wrong with him. Is there a return date?

[Robbie]

Face it CR has done nothing. No New Manager bounce.

[davew]

I said before that I had no idea who Anguissa was before we bought him but what I heard was that he was a deep lying midfielder and tough tackler of some merit. He sounded the perfect support for TC's game. I was, like many other excited to see him play.

We share something in common, I too had no idea who he was and now he has joined us, because in my opinion he has no idea either! I would have liked to have seen him play but to date I have not, well at least not well anyway! He has gone awol, injury maybe who knows, have to give him the benefit of the doubt anyway, I think his injury might be to his pride! How much has he been paid since he joined us and how much has he contributed, big gap there! Sorry to say I hope he is gone by the end of January, we could have bought 3 or 4 good Championship players for his fee in the Summer!

[filham]

Turn your minds back to the beginning of the season, would anyone then have predicted that Anguissa and Cairney would not have been in our starting line up, I really thought our team was going to revolve around them.

[hovewhite]

Turn your minds back to the beginning of the season, would anyone then have predicted that Anguissa and Cairney would not have been in our starting line up, I really thought our team was going to revolve around them.

I hoped the same!

[PokerMatt]

There was naivety from Slav - specifically not adapting instructions to the full-backs not to both bomb forward all the time. And we dropped the ball not bringing in a DM who can operate and sit right in front of the back 4 - a better Kmac, essentially. But (a couple of exceptions aside) at least we were trying to use the ball and attack. We weren't good enough, but we weren't likely to be that good as a promoted team.

Yes we were a shambles at the back (still are) but now we don't want the ball, yet don't have any pace to counter. Our strengths are far and away in attack, yet now we try to defend for 60+ minutes of every game (roughly based on our possession stats) and I absolutely hate watching it.

It wasn't much fun getting smashed every week under Slav, but it's less fun watching 11 behind the ball and still getting smashed. I'd have rolled the dice again before Burnley, personally, but obviously that wasn't going to happen and we're stuck with Ranieriball now. We don't even try to play football now and that's even more depressing than it was before.

[HV71]

PokerMatt - agree with all of your post and we have also lost our identity. Sad times