Sacking Stuart Gray the stupidest thing we’ve done?

[RaySmith]

Shameful effort by anguissa and christie on the Sigurdssons two goals, could not be arsed to follow their man.

Hard to believe that that was the reason - they were too lazy. Surely our players are strongly motivated to  do their utmost to win-  maybe they were expecting someone else to pick Sigurdsson up. Plus, if you chase one players, then you leave others  unmarked coming through.

Whatever, errors that need to be dealt with, but I don't know what is achieved by slagging off the players' attitude, even though it may look that way, but I find it hard to believe that was the case.

I'll watch it again.

Watched it again - they did us for pace and skill, finding space which our players found hard to deal with. We needed more support from midfield in picking up players. Nothing to do with lack of  effort, more  inexperience, and  lack of pace and organisation, failure to pick up players coming through.

Everton really turned it on in the second half, and also, once again, we were taught a lesson about  taking your chances when they  arrive. We should have been at least one up by half-time in that game.

Everton didn't have many chances , but took them, unlike us.

[RaySmith]

I do find it hard to believe that one  defensive coach would make that much difference, when there's other experienced coaches, like Parker for instance - who must surely know a lot about defending, plus the manager - but others disagree.

[hovewhite]

Gray has more experience than Scotty,also without the full understanding of how the training schedules are planned and works in practice it's easy for us when a defensive coach leaves it's easy to put performances down to one public highlight I guess.
Just hope slav and the coaches around him are addressing the defensive problems.

[filham]

Well with Bryan's injury and TFM then the back 4 will change again. Lack of consistency is as much of an issue with the back 4 as change of coach.

That is true, it looks as if to date we have been unable to field a back four that has been as settled and strong as last season's line up of Fredericks, Odoi, Ream and Targett. So wish we could have kept Fredericks  signed Targett and bought a top fit central defender. Things may now be better.

[hovewhite]

If can be a big word!

[Carborundum]

Stuart Gray commands a lot of respect, but presented with players who weren't up to Championship standard he couldn't work miracles and we ended up with Richard Stearman at full back in an effort to grind out results. 

The current players are definitely Championship standard, trouble is that's not the question being asked of them...