- Sep 3, 2011
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I don’t agree with this at all.
We have got a lot of top quality players that many clubs would love to have. This isn’t a knock on Ange but look what happens at other clubs when a good manager comes in and gets them playing.
All of a sudden Forest have got an amazing squad, Bournemouth, Brighton etc etc. We and others weren’t saying this a year or two ago! The manager has found a rhythm and got everyone singing his tune is all.
It was the same with us under Poch. Yes we need a couple of top quality additions but the squad as a whole has a lot of talent in there.
Squad on paper vs reality is quite different.So are you saying we have a squad that should have the following record in last 49 league games:
W19
D7
L23
So 64 points with a 39% win rate and 1.3points per game?
If that's what you think is par or even close to par for this squad then fair enough. If you don't then ask yourself why those are the stats. Why are we 14th in mid January and likely 15th before we next play? Could no one do better?
Take these points
1. Sonny. He was top scorer in Conte’s full season. Tactics suit him to a tee. And Kane was KDB-ish that year. But he can’t seem to make those outside the box shots or crosses anymore, not forgetting his loss of pace and poor backs to goal hold up play.
Is it tactics / managerial or player declining?
2. Injuries & “luck”. Odobert, new signing, played 3-5 games? Richie same. Moore got virus just when he was getting a run. Bentacur never could play 5 matches in a row. Vicario’s also very unlucky. Even Cuti’s recent quad injury isn’t the hamstring one that afflicts Davies Destiny VdV
These are all important squad or first xi players that never got to contribute.
3. Form. Deki n Porro are the biggest victims of no rest here. Biss also to a certain extent.
Johnson Timo Son Madders form very much dependent on results, they play well when we are winning, they hardly do when we are losing.
Maybe I should have phrased it better, I meant in my post that we are suffering results wise because we don’t have the squad to cope.
of cos I agree that this squad should be doing better, and if it’s just the 3 hamstring of Destiny Davies n VDV only, I think we would be much higher up.
but it’s like context and circumstance don’t matter to a lot of you, just results.
4. with better squad depth and quality - left back and right winger - just these 2 plus allowing Gray to play CDM to see if he’s the answer there - and recoveries from injuries, then yes we have a squad that can compete for top 4-6.
right now tho? Squad is 6-8th and with these injuries and circumstances, squad is 8-10th level. IMO of course