(25-11-2020, 02:42 PM)ThePromisedLand Wrote:

(25-11-2020, 12:49 PM)Sniffer Dog Wrote: I think everyone is missing a very important point here.

It's not signing the likes of Cafu, Fred, Diallo and Blackett to blame for our form and performances. Those players are not playing so how can that be the reason? It makes no sense at all.

Plus there are plenty of players who were doing very well at the club last season who are still at the club and yet for whatever reason this season they are just not doing it. Samba, Ribeiro, Yates, Lolley, Ameobi, Grabban to name 6.

So where does the problem lie Sniff?
It clearly ain’t working so far.
How long before Hughton comes under pressure ( and NO I’m not suggesting anything )?
I’m just genuinely curious as to your take on the situation - if it is going wrong at who’s door does the problem lie? ( If I was EM I would already be asking some pretty searching questions given my investment )?

Or - as I am beginning to think - are we just bloody cursed? Payback time for all that success we had under Cloughie?

(25-11-2020, 02:33 PM)Username Wrote:

(25-11-2020, 11:17 AM)wassy04 Wrote:

(25-11-2020, 10:47 AM)Sniffer Dog Wrote: Some need to read back through the summer transfer thread, most were lauding the signings we made and the owners for signing them. It's the players and managers who need to take a good look at themselves not the owners. The owners gave us what we were all begging for in terms of mainly British players with a good pedigree and Championship experience and a British/Irish manager with experience of getting teams promoted from our league.

And all this S**t about Vrentzos, what has that got to do with the way the players and manager are performing once they step onto the pitch.

Wouldn't blame EM for selling up to a bunch of Chinese and f*****g off.

We don't deserve him.

Yeah agreed, no-ones saying there weren't some strange decisions (Diallo, cafu, blackett) but again are the first team really struggling because we signed a few extra backups?

The signings of Christie, Ioannou, McKenna, Soh, colback, arter, Freeman, Taylor, knockaert were all welcomed. They came with decent pedigree a lot from recently promoted Fulham. Only really two have worked out so far (although Colback is the new scapegoat this season, gave away a pen that was outside the area and a debatable foul but again not the reason for our issues) so I'm classing him as a success personally.

We lost Watson, Cash, Sow (essentially) from last year's squad plus Ribeiro had been struggling. Plus Figs struggling and Worrall injured. So most of these signings were at least necessary.

I think had we have literally just signed Christie, Colback and Arter people would've complained we were missing a striker. Ok add Taylor, but we need a new new winger, fine Knockaert. We still need that box to box midfielder, Arter is available. Worrall is injured so we're pretty short at CB, Mckenna would be good.

You can't win and I refuse to believe you lot would've been happy with just replacing the players we lost from last season who by the way collapsed and threw away a playoff place so not exactly the greatest team ever.

IMO, the loss of preseason has made this a lot harder and some weird decisions from above have contributed but not to the extent its made out. I dont see this as a lost season, I think we'll gradually climb the table and be around where Millwall were in Feb/Mar.

However, looking out our next 5 games we can expect plenty more anger

You lose credibility when you use phrases like "were all welcomed" and pass it off as fact when it's patently not true.

We (ie you and me) have exchanged posts on this specific point more than once.

If you are defining the likes of Colback as a success then, quite frankly, you are part of the problem. There is absolutely no basis where the signing of Colback can be deemed that. I'm singling Colback out because you did, I've addressed the rest of the signings too earlier on.

You are right that "you can't win" but it shouldn't be about what everyone else thinks. It should be about delivering success and to do that we have to get player acquisition right, or at least substantially better than we have.

My point here is what does the big man think about this, looking at our current league position and results to date?

If you refuse to believe that people "would've been happy with just replacing the players we lost from last season" then you are myopically taking yourself on a journey that is not based in reality. 

The squad finished seventh. It needed some additional quality and to replace those that left, in order to make a tangible step forward.

(25-11-2020, 12:47 PM)Alf Wrote: Being brutal, McKenna & Taylor, poss Knockaert, have been the only real successes from 14 signings.

Last year I'd say Samba, Ribero, Silva and to a lesser degree Sow were the only real successes from the 11 signings recruitment made (we all know Sammy Ammy was MON)

25 signings, 7 "successes". That's a club killing level of failure.

28% "success" ratio. I think you've got to be hitting around a 50-60% success ratio to be progressive.

Also, 2 of the 4 successes from last year EM tried to pinch for Oly.

(25-11-2020, 04:10 PM)Strawberry Avenger Wrote:

(25-11-2020, 12:47 PM)Alf Wrote: Being brutal, McKenna & Taylor, poss Knockaert, have been the only real successes from 14 signings.

Last year I'd say Samba, Ribero, Silva and to a lesser degree Sow were the only real successes from the 11 signings recruitment made (we all know Sammy Ammy was MON)

25 signings, 7 "successes". That's a club killing level of failure.

28% "success" ratio. I think you've got to be hitting around a 50-60% success ratio to be progressive.

Also, 2 of the 4 successes from last year EM tried to pinch for Oly.

Sow?  Lesser degree?!

His inclusion in the side powered them into the top six.  Twice.

SA.

(25-11-2020, 12:47 PM)Alf Wrote: Being brutal, McKenna & Taylor, poss Knockaert, have been the only real successes from 14 signings.

Last year I'd say Samba, Ribero, Silva and to a lesser degree Sow were the only real successes from the 11 signings recruitment made (we all know Sammy Ammy was MON)

25 signings, 7 "successes". That's a club killing level of failure.

28% "success" ratio. I think you've got to be hitting around a 50-60% success ratio to be progressive.

Also, 2 of the 4 successes from last year EM tried to pinch for Oly.

(25-11-2020, 10:38 AM)Paplane Wrote:

(25-11-2020, 10:08 AM)ThePromisedLand Wrote: Isn’t that why we’re here?
To try & win the odd game.
It’s getting easier to criticise when the performances are so poor week in week out.

That's the point though. Apart from last night I think the performances have been improving generally under CH. Last night felt like it was a step backward and it feels bad more so after the Barnsley defeat, but there was some good stuff played in the Barnsley game. We shouldn't be forgetting that. In fact the Barnsley performance was up there as one of the best I've seen since the turn of the year.

All this talk about how useless the owners are is directly related to the two defeats. This thread is never resurrected after a win.