I just don’t get it

[Statto]

I really miss the team of players that finished the last season for the club.  The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.  Not saying they could finish each other's sentences.  But they had such an understanding, moment to moment, on the pitch. Situational football.  We weren't a physical bunch (as we aren't today either).  But the passing!  The movement.  The bull rushes up, creating man advantages, yet still able to get back in transition (for the most part).  Some have said that team if all still together this season would have been too slow to compete in the EPL.  Not enough foot speed, I've heard often.  Get beaten in transition.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Maybe.   I thought Slava had created something special.  A team that played a continental style that could compete in the Prem.  Not at the level of the top of the table.  Of course not.  But good enough to stay up in the lower half of the table.  I know some of you felt the same way.  Did the new players gel with those that got us back up?  Clearly not.  And it really showed in the back.  And when possession is first lost and counterattacks commenced.  Cairney recently commented that this current team could thrive if they avoided the physical game and concentrated on the ping pass and move style.  One touch your way about, which makes size advantage and speed advantage less of an advantage, at least when you have the ball.  I think he's right.  We assumed the new players were better than the ones that got us to the dance.  But this is a team sport.  Chemistry, trust, situational awareness and reliance count for a lot in this game.  Now we need to find a new chemistry.  I see it a bit at times.   I think Slava was the man to bring that out, but there's no bringing him back now.  The club rolled the dice with Claudio, and, well...

I agree with a lot of this, but was it Slava who picked the team and integrated the new players too early which then spoiled the team chemistry. I don't know if that was the case and we certainly had some injuries to key players at the beginning of the season so that may the reasoning there.

I felt all along that the team that got us here should have been the team that started the initial games to prove themselves. But we are where we are now and I can see some gelling of players, Seri is improving for example but it could be too late for this season now.

Much as I was and remain an SJ fan, I do think there is sense in the point you make. Whether he chose to break up the old team or was pushed by TK to use his new signings we will never know but in hindsight it was an error.

The annoying thing is, if you look at our first 6 games, they were respectable performances and results. At the time I had the sense we'd get even better and be in no danger of relegation. Which does make me wonder why he was still making 3-4 changes every week. Contrary to what some on here say i think he needed to be more, rather than less, stubborn and persistant with his team selections.

[Sting of the North]

The annoying thing is, if you look at our first 6 games, they were respectable performances and results. At the time I had the sense we'd get even better and be in no danger of relegation. Which does make me wonder why he was still making 3-4 changes every week. Contrary to what some on here say i think he needed to be more, rather than less, stubborn and persistant with his team selections.

This. The lack of points didn't really bother me too much back then, since we played positive (albeit too naive) football that should have been good enough. I agree with all of the above, as I also think the pressure to produce results got to Joka and he kind of panicked. A shame, I think we would have been in a better position now if he had stayed instead of CR coming in with a new style and effectively restarting us from zero.

[nose returns]

The annoying thing is, if you look at our first 6 games, they were respectable performances and results. At the time I had the sense we'd get even better and be in no danger of relegation. Which does make me wonder why he was still making 3-4 changes every week. Contrary to what some on here say i think he needed to be more, rather than less, stubborn and persistant with his team selections.

This. The lack of points didn't really bother me too much back then, since we played positive (albeit too naive) football that should have been good enough. I agree with all of the above, as I also think the pressure to produce results got to Joka and he kind of panicked. A shame, I think we would have been in a better position now if he had stayed instead of CR coming in with a new style and effectively restarting us from zero.

I agree he panicked and could not manage to reconcile the lack of decent defenders and trying to stop the other teams scoring. however V liverpool I think he proved we were at a positive crossroads. In the end the question was did anyone thing he would turn it round, and I was sure he would especially if we got a defender or two in January. What i also knew was CR was a joke alternative and in reality we are much worse. the perceived improvements are actually just a matter of keeping more players back. we are still losing. CR has managed two wins, and one of those was huddersfield and the other after conceding 2. the saints win is not down to CR he hardly had arrived at that stage so not fair to include that.

and we lost to oldham, even slav beat exeter and millwall with less good teams.

[Statto]

I also think the pressure to produce results got to Joka and he kind of panicked

yep, if i had to guess an explanation that would be it

[Twig]

The annoying thing is, if you look at our first 6 games, they were respectable performances and results. At the time I had the sense we'd get even better and be in no danger of relegation. Which does make me wonder why he was still making 3-4 changes every week. Contrary to what some on here say i think he needed to be more, rather than less, stubborn and persistant with his team selections.

This. The lack of points didn't really bother me too much back then, since we played positive (albeit too naive) football that should have been good enough. I agree with all of the above, as I also think the pressure to produce results got to Joka and he kind of panicked. A shame, I think we would have been in a better position now if he had stayed instead of CR coming in with a new style and effectively restarting us from zero.

I agree he panicked and could not manage to reconcile the lack of decent defenders and trying to stop the other teams scoring. however V liverpool I think he proved we were at a positive crossroads. In the end the question was did anyone thing he would turn it round, and I was sure he would especially if we got a defender or two in January. What i also knew was CR was a joke alternative and in reality we are much worse. the perceived improvements are actually just a matter of keeping more players back. we are still losing. CR has managed two wins, and one of those was huddersfield and the other after conceding 2. the saints win is not down to CR he hardly had arrived at that stage so not fair to include that.

and we lost to oldham, even slav beat exeter and millwall with less good teams.

Agreed