Our defensive unit is currently shocking !

[hovewhite]

Bryan, Le Merchand, Mensah, Mawson, Chambers. Five defenders grabbed in some desperation during the summer, are any of them better than players that were here last season.

I think I would feel safer with:-

Fredericks , Odoi, Ream, Targett

:plus one:

Agreed.

Unfortunately, despite all that money spent, we don't appear to have improved.

Mawson & chambers both very poor today.

soon as reams up to speed can see odoi and ream reunited in the centre and it can't happen soon enough for me Chambers and Mawson to fragile.

[Riversider]

Plenty of people getting excited about our front line but for me it counts for nothing unless we tighten up at the back,
Our back line will make us or break us this season, we don't want to be in a position whereby we have to score 2 or 3 goals just to get a point !
If you own a bungalow there is no point in buying an expensive security door if you are then going to go out for the day and leave all your windows open.
Our defence at the moment is weaker than the one we had last season and by some distance the weakest in the Premier League,
We need a left back that is better than Matt Targett,
We need a right back that is better than Ryan Fredericks
And a centre back that is better than Dennis Odoi,
We would then still need cover at left back and at centre back,
So yes get excited about the front line, but remember it's largely irrelevant until the defence gets strengthened,
So two weeks left and lots still to be done, the way we've gone about our business up front and in midfield I'm confident that the signings will come and confident that they will to the standard that we've seen so far,
George Graham built a great Arsenal team around his back 4, I hope we can do the same,
""One nil to the Super Whites, One nil to the Super Whites"

This thread was started in July !
Take a minute to read the opinions and views of mere humble supporters,
Its astounding and beyond belief that none of those concerns were taken heed of by the likes of Tony Khan and Brian Talbot,
Is it any wonder that we're going down 😢

[Slaphead in Qatar]

Plenty of people getting excited about our front line but for me it counts for nothing unless we tighten up at the back,
Our back line will make us or break us this season, we don't want to be in a position whereby we have to score 2 or 3 goals just to get a point !
If you own a bungalow there is no point in buying an expensive security door if you are then going to go out for the day and leave all your windows open.
Our defence at the moment is weaker than the one we had last season and by some distance the weakest in the Premier League,
We need a left back that is better than Matt Targett,
We need a right back that is better than Ryan Fredericks
And a centre back that is better than Dennis Odoi,
We would then still need cover at left back and at centre back,
So yes get excited about the front line, but remember it's largely irrelevant until the defence gets strengthened,
So two weeks left and lots still to be done, the way we've gone about our business up front and in midfield I'm confident that the signings will come and confident that they will to the standard that we've seen so far,
George Graham built a great Arsenal team around his back 4, I hope we can do the same,
""One nil to the Super Whites, One nil to the Super Whites"

You were 100% right riversider

[MJG]

Plenty of people getting excited about our front line but for me it counts for nothing unless we tighten up at the back,
Our back line will make us or break us this season, we don't want to be in a position whereby we have to score 2 or 3 goals just to get a point !
If you own a bungalow there is no point in buying an expensive security door if you are then going to go out for the day and leave all your windows open.
Our defence at the moment is weaker than the one we had last season and by some distance the weakest in the Premier League,
We need a left back that is better than Matt Targett,
We need a right back that is better than Ryan Fredericks
And a centre back that is better than Dennis Odoi,
We would then still need cover at left back and at centre back,
So yes get excited about the front line, but remember it's largely irrelevant until the defence gets strengthened,
So two weeks left and lots still to be done, the way we've gone about our business up front and in midfield I'm confident that the signings will come and confident that they will to the standard that we've seen so far,
George Graham built a great Arsenal team around his back 4, I hope we can do the same,
""One nil to the Super Whites, One nil to the Super Whites"

This thread was started in July !
Take a minute to read the opinions and views of mere humble supporters,
Its astounding and beyond belief that none of those concerns were taken heed of by the likes of Tony Khan and Brian Talbot,
Is it any wonder that we're going down 😢

Considering it was " the greatest transfer window in our illustrious history" we did cover some of these listed but as of yet its not worked out.

[Riverside]

Its not just the players but the coaches

I may be adding 2 and 2 to make 5 but Stuart Gray's departure I think is also a factor . Parker certainly was not a replacement
And I hate to say it but I think that was Slav's decision

[toshes mate]

Plenty of people getting excited about our front line but for me it counts for nothing unless we tighten up at the back,
Our back line will make us or break us this season, we don't want to be in a position whereby we have to score 2 or 3 goals just to get a point !
If you own a bungalow there is no point in buying an expensive security door if you are then going to go out for the day and leave all your windows open.
Our defence at the moment is weaker than the one we had last season and by some distance the weakest in the Premier League,
We need a left back that is better than Matt Targett,
We need a right back that is better than Ryan Fredericks
And a centre back that is better than Dennis Odoi,
We would then still need cover at left back and at centre back,
So yes get excited about the front line, but remember it's largely irrelevant until the defence gets strengthened,
So two weeks left and lots still to be done, the way we've gone about our business up front and in midfield I'm confident that the signings will come and confident that they will to the standard that we've seen so far,
George Graham built a great Arsenal team around his back 4, I hope we can do the same,
""One nil to the Super Whites, One nil to the Super Whites"

You were 100% right riversider

+1
Indeed he was, but it is his shopping list that really sets up the arguments he won in his posting.

'Better than' are the two words that someone should have mixed down to 'who is better than' and not settled for the 'who is as good as (maybe)' or 'who is the equivalent of' that fits some of what we recruited.   I didn't get excited about anyone coming in apart from Mitro who had already been tried and tested.   I also objected to the way recruitments were announced on the offal which was, IMHO, inviting longer term ridicule.

[Twig]

You were dead right Riversider and I don't know why JoelH5 had to take a pop at you back in September. 

To be fair I was ignorant of the quality of some of our overseas signings so didn't quite know what to expect but I recall that Statto and I were united in our criticism of the last minute timing of so many summer signings.  We argued it left no time for preparation, team building, etc. Again, we were told by some that we didn't have a clue.

Well it has all come crashing down and I for one am gutted that after working so hard to get back into the Prem we find the club sliding ignominiously straight back down again.

[FulhamStu]

Mawson is an Upgrade and we tried hard to get Targett, we los Fred in January.  Ream, Odoi..backups nothing more.  Chambers could still do a job at centre half now he has settled.  I have not given up on Bryan and Mensah should go back. Max done ok but nothing special.   We would have been much smarter to have spent the Anguissa money on another centre half, then again a defensive midfield player is still required if Chambers goes to central defence.   In every club many many transfers don't work out.  I have to say however we don't seem to have done very well, especially with such a big outlay.  Took too many risks on untested potential and still too many loans.

[Riversider]

Plenty of people getting excited about our front line but for me it counts for nothing unless we tighten up at the back,
Our back line will make us or break us this season, we don't want to be in a position whereby we have to score 2 or 3 goals just to get a point !
If you own a bungalow there is no point in buying an expensive security door if you are then going to go out for the day and leave all your windows open.
Our defence at the moment is weaker than the one we had last season and by some distance the weakest in the Premier League,
We need a left back that is better than Matt Targett,
We need a right back that is better than Ryan Fredericks
And a centre back that is better than Dennis Odoi,
We would then still need cover at left back and at centre back,
So yes get excited about the front line, but remember it's largely irrelevant until the defence gets strengthened,
So two weeks left and lots still to be done, the way we've gone about our business up front and in midfield I'm confident that the signings will come and confident that they will to the standard that we've seen so far,
George Graham built a great Arsenal team around his back 4, I hope we can do the same,
""One nil to the Super Whites, One nil to the Super Whites"

This thread was started in July !
Take a minute to read the opinions and views of mere humble supporters,
Its astounding and beyond belief that none of those concerns were taken heed of by the likes of Tony Khan and Brian Talbot,
Is it any wonder that we're going down 😢

This was started in July, but it's only now that some of you are finally starting to wake up and smell the coffee,
As I've said before (and got slated for my views) if we are not really, really careful now we are heading for League 1 as Sunderland did and as others before have done,
The job ahead in January is far too big to be completed in one window, we MUST sign two top notch full backs, one maybe two center backs, an entire new midfield and an entire front line (Sess and Mitrovic won't be with us next season )
Surgery is always painful to go through but you will recover in time and hopefully feel better for it,
Time to have a heart to heart with Cairney as well and try and find out whether he wants to be here or not, another disgraceful performance from him today and the sooner he is replaced the better.
Painful reading for some of you, but you know what they say about the truth.

[Riversider]

24 Days in to The January Transfer window and still every single problem that needed addressing in July is still relevant today, and that is truly shocking,
We are going down, but looking at some of the rubbish hovering above the bottom 3 and you realise that it wouldn't have taken too much to survive just a small amount of competence at a senior level,
As I've warned before we have got all the hallmarks of another Sunderland, the squad is poor and unbalanced and any half decent player will be leaving in the summer, leaving a massive rebuild , something that Tony Khan and Brian Talbot are seemingly incapable of doing,
How have we been allowed to get in to such a mess and how do we get out of it ?
Season 2019/2020 already concerns me greatly, anybody else ?

[Lighthouse]

I think there is a general consensus that we needed help at the back and simply didn't get it. Too late now. Our season has been a disaster built on disaster. No real point in trying to rectify or reanimate a team that simply needs too much done to it. Mistakes from owners and coaches and players have all brought us to a point to where many fans feel that we can happily right off our season. A shame but it is what it is. Whatever improvement we have shown will not be enough.

Best to regurgitate this thread in the Summer because it's just is too late now.

[nose returns]

we all know we are poor at the back. the keeper was a statue on the line against spurs and I have said for ages he is poor at crosses into the box and I think even his fans have woken up to this weakness.
Ream's error for the first was disgraceful for a player of his ability and bryan's error for the second totally unforgiveable as he simple did not track winks. this was not TC out side the box, it was a LB failing to mark the man he was supposed to be markin in the box itself. uf he woulkd have just stayed with winks we would have got a draw.

But on top of that, ranieri's philosphy is all wrong. he said he thought when we went forward we should have gone to the corner and run the clock down for a draw.... that is crazy, the game was thre for the winning, we do not have the players to play keep ball like that or the defence to retain a lead... we just had to try and win the game. Ranieri bringing on cisse for seri sealed the defeat. his whole outlook is 100% in error, he playsn a style he is comfortable with rather than a style that best suits our players. He has unsettled the squad, AK has been with us for ages and his outburst and all that went with it a function of his very poor handling of the players. We have the wrong manager, I see that with the clarity of knowing branfoot, campbell and jol were all wrong.

[Woolly Mammoth]

We may know in the next 6 matches if we are further in the soup or not, subject to any recruitment that may occur by the end of the month.
But on top of the fact that we only have 14 points out of a possible 69 points so far.
I am not convinced we have enough of the right kind of players for a relegation battle, let alone a defence that can defend a lead, any lead.
Then of course there is that small matter of scoring goals, not forgetting that if i told someone from another planet we have in excess of a Hundred Million Pound team, they may advise me to have a check up from the neck up.

[Matt10]

Before Spurs, everyone was saying we'd lose.

We lost.

Yet, we're upset. Why? The predictions came true?

We could have drawn. People are mad that Ranieri wanted us to go into the corner.

We didn't.

We lost.

So...what are we wanting here exactly? We want to be 100% right, or do we want points?

I want points. I didn't know Ranieri wanted them to go into the corner. Yes, the match was there for the taking, but after the match, we all would've loved for a point against Spurs.

Our crappy defence, almost allowed Spurs only 1 goal. If we bring that into the next match, at that same level of play, why wouldn't we be able to beat Brighton and come away with points? If we lose to them, where it seems we're predicting points for us, then that's where my cause for concern would be.

[YankeeJim]

I seem to remember Khan getting a ton of stick over not spending, which was never true. Now he has spent big and got little for it.  So now he is just stupid. He's even more stupid because he can't see our obvious problems and should spend to alleviate these problems. See a pattern here?

Spending for players is always a risk.  Note a certain Greek. Also note that the big boys spend far more than FFC historically does yet, still come up with a lot of turkeys. That is why they have so many players on contract. They spend and then filter out those not good enough and loan them out to help cover the cost. How many players go on loan to Chelsea or ManU?

The Prem is a lot like government. It is self sustaining for the top. The rest of us just shed a lot of tears for years on end in the hope that we'll have a night in Hamburg. And that, is somehow enough. Says a lot about us, doesn't it?

Stand up if you still believe! COYW!

[nose returns]

Before Spurs, everyone was saying we'd lose.

We lost.

Yet, we're upset. Why? The predictions came true?

We could have drawn. People are mad that Ranieri wanted us to go into the corner.

We didn't.

We lost.

So...what are we wanting here exactly? We want to be 100% right, or do we want points?

I want points. I didn't know Ranieri wanted them to go into the corner. Yes, the match was there for the taking, but after the match, we all would've loved for a point against Spurs.

Our crappy defence, almost allowed Spurs only 1 goal. If we bring that into the next match, at that same level of play, why wouldn't we be able to beat Brighton and come away with points? If we lose to them, where it seems we're predicting points for us, then that's where my cause for concern would be.

Ranieri's thinking is wrong. We had a chance on the day against spurs b team. Ranieri lost the game with incorrect substitutions, that is why i am upset, on the day he recued defeat from the jaws of victory.
And for the third game in a row, having been ahead we ended up losing 2 1... i think tht is good reasoon to be upset

[Sting of the North]

Nose, maybe you should get some perspective. Bar Mitrovic none of our players would have started for Spurs' "B"team (well, maybe Seri). So it was not as if we were expected to win. Easier than normally yes, but Spurs were still huge favorites.

[The Rational Fan]

We may know in the next 6 matches if we are further in the soup or not, subject to any recruitment that may occur by the end of the month.
But on top of the fact that we only have 14 points out of a possible 69 points so far.
I am not convinced we have enough of the right kind of players for a relegation battle, let alone a defence that can defend a lead, any lead.
Then of course there is that small matter of scoring goals, not forgetting that if i told someone from another planet we have in excess of a Hundred Million Pound team, they may advise me to have a check up from the neck up.

The Best Defensive Players we can hope for is "lower premier league" defenders or "top championship" defenders, but they will still take two to six months to be a great unit, which means buy now and they will be ready to win "The Championship" next season.

[nose returns]

Nose, maybe you should get some perspective. Bar Mitrovic none of our players would have started for Spurs' "B"team (well, maybe Seri). So it was not as if we were expected to win. Easier than normally yes, but Spurs were still huge favorites.

based on the what actually happened on the day it was unfortunate we didn't get a second when we were well on top BUT in the second half ranieri simply got the team to sit deeper and deeper and then he made some spectacularly foolish substitutions and still tried to sit deep which in the end invited them onto us. each change made us worse and freed up their players to come forward... that in the end was the predictable outcome of the manager's failings, that is all the perspective I need.

It was as obvious as alf, in 1970, taking off bobby charlton and trying to protect him for the next game (which never came) and protecting the lead with a more defensive player..allowing beckenbaur freedom of the park and it killed us then, just as the same errors of judgment killed us last sunday. even as a child i knew alf was wrong, and on sunday i knew ranieri was committing football suicide...

[Sting of the North]

Nose, maybe you should get some perspective. Bar Mitrovic none of our players would have started for Spurs' "B"team (well, maybe Seri). So it was not as if we were expected to win. Easier than normally yes, but Spurs were still huge favorites.

based on the what actually happened on the day it was unfortunate we didn't get a second when we were well on top BUT in the second half ranieri simply got the team to sit deeper and deeper and then he made some spectacularly foolish substitutions and still tried to sit deep which in the end invited them onto us. each change made us worse and freed up their players to come forward... that in the end was the predictable outcome of the manager's failings, that is all the perspective I need.

It was as obvious as alf, in 1970, taking off bobby charlton and trying to protect him for the next game (which never came) and protecting the lead with a more defensive player..allowing beckenbaur freedom of the park and it killed us then, just as the same errors of judgment killed us last sunday. even as a child i knew alf was wrong, and on sunday i knew ranieri was committing football suicide...

Fair enough then, and I agree with this, just thought that you meant that we in general should have beaten that Tottenham team. But on the day based on how the game went I agree, especially with the part on the first half where we should have scored one more.