Parker’s quote says it all

[clarkey]

It's not just the start of this season.

The defence was kind of fixed, and looked solid when it has two/three shielding midfielders and forwards playing like Bobby DR and really acting as defensive wingers.

But we have lost the ability to win games. And that is down to being very negative in our set up, having a naive and inexperienced manager who can not change a game when it is going against us, having an absence of goal scorers.And game management.

We have also played most of the season with ten or even nine men. Cav is not a Prem player, he is awful and yet Parker has picked him week in and week out, RLC had his best game yesterday and still was no help to the cause, and Mitro sadly has been injured. PLus our only inventive player with any class in TC has been demoralised and injured.

We played badly in the Championship and somehow got promoted, we did not put games to bed, we scored rarely and we were very univentive.This was all foretold and yes the start was terrible but two months ago we looked in good shape, had a patched up defence that was working but tactically we were still very poor, and selection and subbing (yesterday's was hopeless, the Villa subs worked for them) has been rank.

We are for the first time looking very frail mentally and need some fresh impetus, like that Everton win.Maybe Friday.....it's the hope that kills you.Parker needs to leave at end of year whatever. Good experiment but no good.

[filham]

The Man City game showed that if you pressure our defenders long enough they will make mistakes.  Leeds and Villa have learnt that and never allowed us to play out.  Like most teams when pressured, we tend to make mistakes as indeed Villa did.  You need a little variety and hit long balls or release to midfield as they press.  Predictability allows team to plan and negate our strengths.  Today we had more options, with Mitro up front we had the but never used it. 

A good post, fully agree with all you say.
Would just add that it is suicide to sit on a one goal lead and invite pressure onto your own defense. However good the defense there can be all kinds of mishaps that can lead to a goal being conceded. The right tactic has to be to continue to attack and get that second goal.

[Slaphead in Qatar]

Yes we are just way to negative in our approach and set up. People are focussing on the last 15 minutes. I think look also at our first half - for a team fighting relegation we were just so tentative passing it sideways and backwards . Newcastle on the other hand played with a lot of endeavour.

[Fulham 442]

5 games won out of 30, second lowest goals scored, 3rd worst in losing points from winning positions. I think that has a lot to do with Parker.

It's not simple though is it ?. We were promoted with a team that was not fit for the Premier League. To build a team during a playing season is a recipe for disaster which others should take some responsibility for.

Exactly this Whitestone.  I have said this on numerous threads.  When we were promoted under Tigana we came up with a Premiership side already in place and ready to compete which made the world of difference.

[FFC In Oz]

What's this luv in with Grealish?
The bloke is a cheat

He is also a very creative player Brede, wish he was playing for us.

Exactly.

He's miles better than anything we have at the moment.

He would walk in to this team and make everyone around him better too.  He scores and assists with regularity.