DCJonah Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, Mantis said: I'm happy with our position, it's the performances I think a lot are angry about. I know we're already safe but we've just been woeful lately. Agreed but why get angry? We can see it's a combination of many things including covid and squad depth. We have nothing to play for, which also might be part of it. This is as comfortable as we've been since MON left. With the shit we've had to put up with since then, I'm going to take the opportunity to enjoy the fact nothing really matters for the rest of the season and get excited about what the owners will do. We've stayed up, put wolves back in their place and will finish above the darling of football Biesla. Success for me no matter what happens now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 We need to get back to having a settled first eleven, some it's forced through injuries, but we've been chopping and chaning the team too much recently, I'd just get back to as close to the starting eleven that we were playing when we were doing well, as possible. When Grealish returns he'll make a massive difference, in fact I'd be more confident of our chances against Spurs with him than I was of us beating Newcastle today without him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Just now, DCJonah said: I genuinely don't get all the concern and anger. We aren't going down. For the first time in over a decade we can just relax without our season being on the line going into the end of the season. That's huge IMO. We're a midtable team and our owners are going to invest again in the summer. This is all part of our journey back to the big time. Its going to take more than 2 seasons. There was European football to play for and we was heading for it. But we have dropped points against the poorest of teams, Burnley, Sheffield and now Newcastle, we will end up a bottom half team if we are not careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, jackbauer24 said: Losing faith. It's like the kid who has the best Top Trump card who just keeps winning. The second they lose that card you realise they don't even know how to play. You can't be THAT much of a one man team, especially after the summer spending spree. Line ups are poor, midfield is confused, tactics are none existent, substitutions are predictable and there seems to be no understanding of how the opposition play differs from team to team. Thank you but you, like Mings and McGinn, have reached your ceiling. We need some proper quality now. You cant just have plan A being "let Grealish run the game" and no plan B. Change at the end of the season if we have any ambition. No room for sentimentality unfortunately. Wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Just now, foreveryoung said: There was European football to play for and we was heading for it. But we have dropped points against the poorest of teams, Burnley, Sheffield and now Newcastle, we will end up a bottom half team if we are not careful. European football was a pipe dream with the money and years of Premier league football those top 6/7 teams have on us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 We started this season so well in part because we were on a high after ending last season well, we don't want the opposite to happen next season, that is for this season to end poorly and for that form to continue into next season, that's what happened to Sheffield United. We need to try and finish as strongly as possible, at least try and fight for a top half finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjvilla Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, foreveryoung said: There was European football to play for and we was heading for it. But we have dropped points against the poorest of teams, Burnley, Sheffield and now Newcastle, we will end up about where everyone expected if we aren't careful. FTFY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Think it's fair to say we got fortunate with injuries for much of the season when the vast majority of other teams weren't and it's catching up on us now, which is in turn highlighting how lacking we are in depth. The eleven on the pitch for most of that game wasn't any better than what we were fielding last season, particularly with how horrendous Watkins was. Was trying to be of a positive mindset that if we can go on a good run again fitness wise with Jack and Cash returning around the same time we could find a second wind to close the season out but...not at that rate. It's not just the results and performances but the manner of dropping points like that which really knocks confidence going forward. At this rate I'd be extremely pleased with the season were we to manage to hang onto the top 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermon Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 6 minutes ago, DCJonah said: I genuinely don't get all the concern and anger. We aren't going down. For the first time in over a decade we can just relax without our season being on the line going into the end of the season. That's huge IMO. We're a midtable team and our owners are going to invest again in the summer. This is all part of our journey back to the big time. Its going to take more than 2 seasons. I doubt Smith is content with how we are playing and I'm pretty sure he's concerned and angry about recent performances. He's even said if offered this position at the start of the season, he'd have taken it but that doesn't mean he's content with our recent performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 5 minutes ago, Mantis said: I'm happy with our position, it's the performances I think a lot are angry about. I know we're already safe but we've just been woeful lately. This is the 2nd season in 11 seasons we dont have to worry what league we are in the next season. Its ok for once to have a boring season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, KenjiOgiwara said: Tbf. We are within 1-5 points from European football with 10 matches left and our best player coming back. You'd have to be French to say we're finished for the year. Mathmatically yeah but I don't think the confidence is there to believe that we're still chasing it, the players don't have the urgency The "blame" for that will lie with your predetermined opinion of Smith, those that don't rate him will accuse him of not being able to fire the players up, those that are happy won't care too much The one thing for me is that again in a game that we looked so bad in the final third ultimately we've come away having missed great chances 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, DCJonah said: Agreed but why get angry? We can see it's a combination of many things including covid and squad depth. We have nothing to play for, which also might be part of it. This is as comfortable as we've been since MON left. With the shit we've had to put up with since then, I'm going to take the opportunity to enjoy the fact nothing really matters for the rest of the season and get excited about what the owners will do. We've stayed up, put wolves back in their place and will finish above the darling of football Biesla. Success for me no matter what happens now. I don't think we will. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said: Tbf. We are within 1-5 points from European football with 10 matches left and our best player coming back. You'd have to be French to say we're finished for the year. Need 60 points minimum to finish even 7th I think so going to be a December style run to get close and we're miles off that. Look back to that period and we were brilliant at West Ham but somehow lost so general performances are miles off that standard currently against mostly bottom half teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_Afro Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I think the reason I get annoyed is because Smith doesn’t seem to try and change anything to get us working again. We have been awful for weeks but he mostly picks the same players in the same system! When he does change it, I rarely see the point of his changes. It makes no sense. Only once since C-19 have I been happy with his starting midfield 3 and that was last week against Wolves. It actually worked really well so why effing change it tonight? It’s bonkers. McGinn.......no! Elmo.......no! Ramsey........not yet he is not ready! Play Trez if you want to play Barkley but if you are going for a solid midfield 3 then Trez....no! Finally Dean..........no!!!!!!!! Sort it out ffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 We do look a bit tired and leggy now but we're going to finish the season on 50-52 points IMO, a huge improvement on last year. Few more players in the summer and we'll start next season in a very strong place We do need more attacking options as we are void of ideas when Jack is out. I'm sure Dean knows that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjvilla Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, bobzy said: I don't think we will. Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippo Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, useless said: We started this season so well in part because we were on a high after ending last season well, we don't want the opposite to happen next season, that is for this season to end poorly and for that form to continue into next season, that's what happened to Sheffield United. We need to try and finish as strongly as possible, at least try and fight for a top half finish. Very good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenjiOgiwara Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, villa4europe said: Mathmatically yeah but I don't think the confidence is there to believe that we're still chasing it, the players don't have the urgency The "blame" for that will lie with your predetermined opinion of Smith, those that don't rate him will accuse him of not being able to fire the players up, those that are happy won't care too much The one thing for me is that again in a game that we looked so bad in the final third ultimately we've come away having missed great chances Fair enough. To be honest before we scored I was thinking normally we'd go on and lose that match. So I guess a draw is a minor improvement, bitter as I am about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 1 minute ago, M_Afro said: I think the reason I get annoyed is because Smith doesn’t seem to try and change anything to get us working again. We have been awful for weeks but he mostly picks the same players in the same system! When he does change it, I rarely see the point of his changes. It makes no sense. Only once since C-19 have I been happy with his starting midfield 3 and that was last week against Wolves. It actually worked really well so why effing change it tonight? It’s bonkers. McGinn.......no! Wut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, villa4europe said: Because who else is there? Who from our squad who isn't over 21 was actually missing today? Cash was a precaution, fit enough to play if desperate, engelsnproabbky the same The squad is looking thin and poor right now by that logic, wouldn't it have been better to use some of our promising youth stars who have been training with the 1st team, rather than a unfit player there to make up the numbers??? Why not put Bidace and big Chuk on the bench? Edited March 12, 2021 by VillanousOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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