Utrecht post matzzzzzzzzzz

[SimonNo7]

We don't have time. The club is on a crisis on and off the pitch. The last big team this happened to, ended up getting relegated and ended up in the 3rd tier of all the English leagues: Leeds. Everyone said they were too good to go down and they had a very impressive squad. But they went down and have been ****ed since. Gillete and Hicks have tore the club up off the pitch. Roy Senile Hodgson is tearing the team up on the pitch - he's deluded and his defeatest attitude is is filtering down to the players. His tactics are terrible - 3 Fulham players have already come out and said this. He's not going to change managerial methodology. The squad we have is good enough for the top four - the manager isn't. He treats draws against poor opposition as wins - what kind of manager does that. **** off Roy.

Well IMO we do have time, we've played 6 games.

The club is definitely in crisis off the pitch but on it we are still learning together, new manager, new ideas (ie what the manager wants the players to do which will be done if a different way to Rafa), new players but yes if it carries on then questions will have to be asked.

The difference between us and Leeds is that Leeds had a fire sale, we have not. In reality we have only lost two fantastic players in Alonso and Mascha. Both wanted to leave, one because he felt he was treated harshly by the previous manager and one because his family wanted to be somewhere where they spoke the language.

As for our squad being good enough for the top four, they aren't, well not in a guaranteed kind of way. They should be able to fight for it, but it certainly is not a given even on paper. There are at least 5 squads better than ours in Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Spurs, yes Spurs.

Our manager doesn't treat draws as wins, when he talks about them he tries to come out and look at the positives in the media to try and instill a bit of confidence in our players who are still suffering from the shocker we had last season which is more likely where the defeatest attitude comes from, not Roy. How many other managers do you hear coming out and saying 'yes we should of beaten so and so, they are such an inferior side to us blah blah', you don't what you hear is, 'we should of won that game, we played well, better than them etc etc' even when they have just lost 3-0 and played shockingly. It's the way managers are and have been for years, just look at the king of bull, Slur Fergie.

[SimonNo7]

We do have time. The squad isn't good enough for fourth, and no ****er worth having will take the job. We need to get off pitch matters sorted while avoiding relegation in the mean-time, which I don't think is realistically going to happen (relegation that is).

[SimonNo7]

Nicked off RAWK

At this stage last season:

P W D L F A PTS
6 4 0 2 16 9 12

It was seen as a disasterous start and it's fair to say that the pressure was on us very early from the press. Look at Man Utd in 2nd place this season.

P W D L F A PTS
6 3 3 0 16 9 12

This season we are here:

P W D L F A PTS
6 1 3 2 6 9 6

That's half the points total we had at the same stage last season.


After 10 games last season:

P W D L F A PTS
10 6 0 4 24 13 18

So if we win all of our next 4 games, well be where we were at the same stage last season.
So very differing reactions from the fans and the press when comparing us last season and Man Utd this season.

It will be interesting to see the reaction of the media if we win our next 4 but only equalled what was seen as a disasterous start last season.

Too many draws but then again you have to say the overall points total* compared to last year could be classed as distorted because we hadn't played 3 of the perceived stronger teams then. We have lost to City and united this season where as at the same point last year we had lost to Villa and Spurs.

*Obviously I can see that we had 6 more points last year at the same point but you get what I'm saying about how they could be classed as distorted.

[Mattshark]

We do have time. The squad isn't good enough for fourth, and no ****er worth having will take the job. We need to get off pitch matters sorted while avoiding relegation in the mean-time, which I don't think is realistically going to happen (relegation that is).

The squad is good enough for forth, we only missed out last season by a small margin. It is just that we have a manager completely mismanaging the squad to add to the board completely mismanaging the team.

[Mattshark]

Too many draws but then again you have to say the overall points total* compared to last year could be classed as distorted because we hadn't played 3 of the perceived stronger teams then. We have lost to City and united this season where as at the same point last year we had lost to Villa and Spurs.

*Obviously I can see that we had 6 more points last year at the same point but you get what I'm saying about how they could be classed as distorted.

And it is still our worst start for god knows how long, we are playing worse than I have ever seen us and we have a manager who is clear not understanding his players and dragging us backwards.

[SimonNo7]

The squad is good enough for forth, we only missed out last season by a small margin. It is just that we have a manager completely mismanaging the squad to add to the board completely mismanaging the team.

So is that what we had last season as well?

[alunevans]

Here's a fairer comparison than Lec's as it compares fixtures like for like

Roy
Arsenal (H) Drew 1-1
Man City (A) Lost 3-0
WBA (H) Won 1-0
Birmingham (A) Drew 0-0
Man U (A) Lost 3-2
Sunderland (H) Drew 2-2

2009-10
Arsenal (H) Lost 2-1
Man City (A) Drew 0-0
WBA (H) not in the league
Birmingham (A) Drew 1-1
Man U (A) Lost 2-1
Sunderland (H) Won 3-0

Not much different to be fair.

6pts from 6 games as opposed to 5pts from 5 games.

[Mattshark]

So is that what we had last season as well?

We were a far better looking team last year than this, we played far better, we made more chances and we actually could defend.

[Lecter]

Too many draws but then again you have to say the overall points total* compared to last year could be classed as distorted because we hadn't played 3 of the perceived stronger teams then. We have lost to City and united this season where as at the same point last year we had lost to Villa and Spurs.

*Obviously I can see that we had 6 more points last year at the same point but you get what I'm saying about how they could be classed as distorted.

Thats a fair point and its why I've also included performance levels in any criticism of Hodgson

If we had played ok and not gotten results I'd not be worried but not only have results been poor but the performances have so far been terrible

The next 4 games will make or break Hodgson

In my eyes its already beyond the point of no return

[SimonNo7]

We were a far better looking team last year than this, we played far better, we made more chances and we actually could defend.

Ok, gave a politicians answer to the question so will try again.

We, according to a lot on here had a better squad last year which surely was good enough for 4th but didn't. It spectacularly (for a team of our stature) failed and finished 7th with a double figure count of league losses and nearly a double figure count of draws so, the question again, as Roy is mismanaging the team this season, was the team mismanaged last season?

[Mattshark]

Ok, gave a politicians answer to the question so will try again.

We, according to a lot on here had a better squad last year which surely was good enough for 4th but didn't. It spectacularly (for a team of our stature) failed and finished 7th with a double figure count of league losses and nearly a double figure count of draws so, the question again, as Roy is mismanaging the team this season, was the team mismanaged last season?

It didn't spectacularly fail, that is tabloid hyperbole. Last season had so many other mitigating factors not least of all a severe injury problem and we still looked like we were capable of challenging for the top four, we at least had shape and we could actually defend. This season is the worst I have ever seen us play and it is clear that Roy is no way near good enough to manage at this level.

[Lecter]

Here's a fairer comparison than Lec's as it compares fixtures like for like

Roy
Arsenal (H) Drew 1-1
Man City (A) Lost 3-0
WBA (H) Won 1-0
Birmingham (A) Drew 0-0
Man U (A) Lost 3-2
Sunderland (H) Drew 2-2

2009-10
Arsenal (H) Lost 2-1
Man City (A) Drew 0-0
WBA (H) not in the league
Birmingham (A) Drew 1-1
Man U (A) Lost 2-1
Sunderland (H) Won 3-0

Not much different to be fair.

6pts from 6 games as opposed to 5pts from 5 games.

As I have said before results paint only half the picture the performances have been absolutely atrocious far worse than last year

Oh and for the record last season (for a comparison with West Brom) 3 teams were promoted Wolves, Burnley & Birmingham

We beat Wolves & Burnley and drew with Birmingham

[Lecter]

Ok, gave a politicians answer to the question so will try again.

We, according to a lot on here had a better squad last year which surely was good enough for 4th but didn't. It spectacularly (for a team of our stature) failed and finished 7th with a double figure count of league losses and nearly a double figure count of draws so, the question again, as Roy is mismanaging the team this season, was the team mismanaged last season?

Yes the team was mis-managed last season just like it is being mis-managed now

However we had more points last season than we have now, we also scored more than double what we have so far

And performances levels were better than now

[SimonNo7]

Yes the team was mis-managed last season just like it is being mis-managed now

However we had more points last season than we have now, we also scored more than double what we have so far

And performances levels were better than now

Thanks Lec for at least answer the main question and as we have already discussed the points issue could be distorted due to who we have played so far compared to who we had played by this time last season. As you say, lets see where we are after the next 4 games and if all goes well we could have exactly the same number of points as last season.

[Arn]

Ok, gave a politicians answer to the question so will try again.

We, according to a lot on here had a better squad last year which surely was good enough for 4th but didn't. It spectacularly (for a team of our stature) failed and finished 7th with a double figure count of league losses and nearly a double figure count of draws so, the question again, as Roy is mismanaging the team this season, was the team mismanaged last season?

We didn't had a better squad last season. A few of our youngsters is one year older and more or less ready now to fight for a place in the senior squad. A fit Meireles instead of Aquilani is a big improvement. Poulsen instead of Masch is a big step down. Ngog is much better this season.

The squad is probably better this season than last season.