Season 2011-12, unlucky or just above average?

[reds123]

unlucky or cursed neither

agree, the title should have been: unlucky, cursed or just average?

[Daffy Duck]

We have been very unlucky to be honest, under normal circumstances (regarding luck ) we would have had a few points more, but that is no excuse for some of the matches we've played this season. I'd label all of this as lack of composure, concentration, creativity, technique, and a general winning mentality of the players.
The thing is, I don't think we need much more to get these things, also I don't think we need to sell a lot. Kenny has had us playing some very nice football this season, at home we have outplayed teams like City, United, Spurs and Arsenal, but lost points due to factors I've mentioned. You improve that and you take your chances, get points where you deserve them and even where you don't.
Improve the first team with a creative midfielder, a striker and a versatile attacking midfielder and we have a very good starting eleven, with players like Maxi, Kuyt, Bellamy, Henderson, Shelvey, even Adam (who's been **** recently, but has played some nice matches this season still) to chose from the bench - that's a very good squad depth. The only problems I see here are Downing and Carroll, the former being too **** and the latter too expensive to keep on the bench. I have no ****in clue what could we possibly do with these two, keep hoping that Carroll finds his rhythm and try to get 5m for Downing? If we just keep them here doing nothing that's 55m down the drain, leaves a bad really taste even if we do well next year.
The question is, should the owners take a risk with Kenny and hope that (after his long pause from managing) he's learned anything on the market and on the pitch? I'd personally give him another year, but if he ****s it up with Kuba, Bent and Cattermole that's it for him then.

[Icon]

Where have we been unlucky..?

[Daffy Duck]

Well okay, luck is a very relative concept obviously it can be discussed what it really means, but I would classify the 21 woodwork strikes, Lucas' injury, Suarez ban as factors that were not completely in our hands, so partially down to bad luck...? I don't know, but I don't think we're as bad as our league position is.

[kingfunk]

He never was and probably never will be.

I said til i was blue in the face that Meireles was/is a very good player and we shouldnt have sold him.

It's not *really* about goals/assists. If Adam had 10 goals and 10 assists, maybe you could make that point but the difference between them in these areas is insignificant. Meireles is simply a GOOD FOOTBALLER, he has better game intelligence, he retains and uses possession far better and is far more fluid.

Exactly this

[Shaggy]

Seems fair to point out Meireles has been **** for Chelsea and is unpopular with their fans. Although that could be mitigated by the fact they're a dysfunctional team, a sinking ship.

However I agree - I liked him, really didn't want him to go and is certainly a much better footballer (albeit less productive stats-wise) than Adam.

[Craig_H]

Seems fair to point out Meireles has been **** for Chelsea and is unpopular with their fans. Although that could be mitigated by the fact they're a dysfunctional team, a sinking ship.

However I agree - I liked him, really didn't want him to go and is certainly a much better footballer (albeit less productive stats-wise) than Adam.

He may well have been **** and unpopular for Chelsea, but it's not really important is it? The issue is how effective he was for us. He's a bit like a less emphatic example of Torres who ripped up trees for us, but has been **** for them. The point remains that Meireles was a very effective player for us, even if it didnt necessarily bear out in terms of sheer stats eg goals/assists. Likewise though, the same could apply (and before anyone says it, i'm not saying they're of the same level) to Alonso who never really bothered the goals/assists charts, but was still a very good and effective player.

[Shaggy]

No I completely agree, I just wanted to acknowledge that he's been **** for Chelsea before anyone else did and also before I agreed with the point.

He did a good job for us, and was clearly on the same wavelength as Suarez (and Maxi, and Dirk). People will say he wanted to leave but he only "wanted to leave" because we marginalised him. Clearly IMO he would've stayed had he been a part of Kenny's plans.

And, again, before anyone says it ...I'm not saying he would've made the difference between an atrocious league campaign and a good one. But we let him go and replaced him with someone worse.

[Craig_H]

That's the crux of the issue, the second half of last season, people like Meireles and Maxi were mainstays in Kenny's team and we played a very attractive and effective style. Now we have Adam, Henderson, Downing and Carroll and it's all gone back to a very basic 'rude and mentry' style which hasnt borne fruit. The difference between people like Meireles and Maxi, and Henderson, Downing, Adam and Carroll is alarming. The former are what i can 'proper' footballers who have intelligence of movement, vision, touch and control. The latter are a prime example of why England/Scotland/Wales etc will never come close to worrying the Latin nations when it comes to footballing honours.

[peekay]

Agree with Shaggy and Craig

He was integral to our style of play. Maxi, Suarez, Meireles triumvirate was brilliant - intelligent movement, making runs pulling defenders out of their comfort zone, quick short passing, efficient release of the ball. When they were in the zone they created chaos in the opposition's box. That style of football is very very difficult to defend against.

What we should have focused our efforts on in summer was to find a good intelligent striker and younger versions of Maxi.

[Kenneth]

He was decent, but the fee was pretty good for a player not in the managers plans. As with all sales, whether they make sense or not is ultimately down to who replaces them. And we did that really badly.

[cream]

We've been unlucky to have ended up with Carroll, Downer, Adam and Henderson.

[Exiled_red]

Re comparisons of Adam and Meireles. Meireles wasn't suited to playing a central midfield role in a 4-4-2, but Adam is no better. Meireles could at least play in wider midfield roles. Meireles is a better technical player but to be honest I don't think swapping him and Adam in centre midfield would have made a difference. I think Meireles could have improved the squad, playing the role he did late last season under Kenny but that's a different arguement.

[Bender]

We've been unlucky to have ended up with Carroll, Downer, Adam and Henderson.

[Mattshark]

I think we should change the title of this thread, it is a little embarrassing.