You read all sorts of stuff when things are not going well and that is certainly true at the moment. I'd just like to address a few things. Some in defence of Brendan and Some the opposite.
- I've read quite a few posts suggesting that last year was simply down to two players, that Brendan was lucky, the team made him rather than the other way around. I do not agree with that at all. Tactically he was spot on last year, he learnt from his mistakes and corrected things that weren't working, dropped players that weren't performing. He switched up formations throughout the season. We started with one up top, played 3-5-2 for a time (with limited success), switched to a diamond with lots of success (notice it is now the in vogue formation for many teams this season? That is down to our success last season IMHO). He also switched the skipper to a holding role mid-season, a move that was criticised by many but proved a master stroke. The manager deserves a lot of credit for last season and our performances this season should not take anything away from that. There are even a few murmurs suggesting he should go, I'm not surprised but get a grip. It can all change pretty quickly in football, ask Alan Pardew or Sam Allardyce and the same can happen for Brendan although I fear it won't be in the next seven days. I just want to see a return to the principles of the last season and a half and that means having a forward line that interchange, that play with pace and tempo. No statues, no Balo, no Rickie.
- The next aspect I wanted to address was transfers, I keep reading whispers about hands tied behind his back, resale values and transfer committees etc. Come on, no excuses the club have bought poorly over the summer and the manager has to take it right on the chin. 60 million on three defenders in the last two windows and we are still shi...te at the back. The two centre-backs (Sakho and Lovren) can't head the ball! Has anyone else noticed? Never a clean header, it's embarrassing. Moreno has some qualities but he won't use his right foot, case proved again today, he took a touch in the box with his right so that he could take the next one with his left, just put your bloody foot through it lad. But the worst is what we have (or haven't done in the window in terms of forwards). That's the biggest mistake by far, £20 million spent on two players who are both change-up players off the bench at best And neither of whom suit our style of play in the slightest, they are square pegs in round holes, completely unsuitable and I don't understand what the manager was thinking. It was crazy to be in a position where the fitness of Studge is the deciding factor for our season. It that is where we're at. I don't know the market so well but there must have been a Suarez type of player out there that we could have gone for, someone who plays on the move with skill and movement. Even an older hand like Tevez would have done the trick. The bizarre thing for me is that Brendan went after and failed to get some really good players prior to use getting in to the Champions league (ie. Willian, Costa, Mikytirian). What happened?
- The next one is back room staff. Why are we talking about some thing that is completely unmeasurable? It's completely speculative isn't it? I don't know what Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh bring to the table, I'm guessing they brought plenty last year but not a lot this year? Who knows. And all the Steve Clark talk, we weren't exactly setting the world on fire when Clarke was first team coach and pretty much running all the training were we? It's a bit of a non-topic for me.
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