5 Points From The Last 39...

[GrahamC]

Or 6 in 42, take your pick.

Yes, I know it is a hard league, I looked at Wolves’ team on Saturday with its’ spine of Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Karl Henry, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle and thought that’s not a bottom six Championship side, but the truth is they hadn’t won in their previous 9 games and other sides had made them look ordinary, but we made them look like Barcelona.

We’ve now reached the stage where we are seemingly scrabbling round for an idea of how to get any points, however at season’s start we played a flat 4-4-2 with Foster and Cunningham as full backs, Carey and Fontaine the CBs, Skuse and Pearson in centre mid, Woolford and Adomah tucking in on the flanks and the hard working Taylor and Stead up front.

That may not look a world beating side but with the addition of Sam Baldock for game 6 it earned us 3 wins in those first 6 games, then Greg Cunningham got badly injured, Jordan Rhodes destroyed our back four and the team selection/formation merry go round began.

7 different centre backs have been used already and the 2 strikers that the manager spent most of our transfer budget on are now usually to be found amongst the substitutes.

And there’s an important question-why did he commit what appears to be all his funds to an area where he already had 3 competent squad members, whilst spending nothing at all on central defence and midfield?

We’re now playing a variation of 4-5-1, but without a natural holding midfielder following Kalifa Cisse’s summer exit and so it seems to me this tactic is designed to simply pack the middle of the park rather than to have designated roles.

It is confused and confusing, a system deployed presumably to try to keep games tight but with City having the worst defensive record in the division, one which is currently doing anything but.

McInnes also signed Mark Wilson, Jody Morris and Paul Anderson in the summer but none of them have been given any sort of run in the side, prompting the question as to what the first two are offering us that academy products Joe Edwards and Bobby Reid don’t, he also signed Danny Wilson on loan from Liverpool and three games later he’s been on the pitch for just one minute so far.

I do think that McInnes is a decent bloke, his gesture to the City fans stranded at Brum showed that and obviously as a lifelong Red I badly want him to succeed, but sadly can see no signs that he is learning or that we are making any progress at all.

With Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich both away coming up in our next 3 games, how much longer will he be given to turn this around?

[Mendip City]

Good post. It's tough isn't it, Derek is obviously a decent, nice bloke... But nothing is going well and constant shuffling has just made things worse - it looks desperate.

In answer to your question.... If both those away games are lost then I can't see any way back for Del or our season. In truth, he could go anytime now. I just hope that, if it comes to it, a new man is lines up. We can't drift for a further month interviewing, talking etc as happened last time.

I'd suggest he goes if we lose on Saturday with a view to a new permanent manager in place for the next home game.

[Dolman Block B]

Or 6 in 42, take your pick.

Yes, I know it is a hard league, I looked at Wolves’ team on Saturday with its’ spine of Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Karl Henry, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle and thought that’s not a bottom six Championship side, but the truth is they hadn’t won in their previous 9 games and other sides had made them look ordinary, but we made them look like Barcelona.

We’ve now reached the stage where we are seemingly scrabbling round for an idea of how to get any points, however at season’s start we played a flat 4-4-2 with Foster and Cunningham as full backs, Carey and Fontaine the CBs, Skuse and Pearson in centre mid, Woolford and Adomah tucking in on the flanks and the hard working Taylor and Stead up front.

That may not look a world beating side but with the addition of Sam Baldock for game 6 it earned us 3 wins in those first 6 games, then Greg Cunningham got badly injured, Jordan Rhodes destroyed our back four and the team selection/formation merry go round began.

7 different centre backs have been used already and the 2 strikers that the manager spent most of our transfer budget on are now usually to be found amongst the substitutes.

And there’s an important question-why did he commit what appears to be all his funds to an area where he already had 3 competent squad members, whilst spending nothing at all on central defence and midfield?

We’re now playing a variation of 4-5-1, but without a natural holding midfielder following Kalifa Cisse’s summer exit and so it seems to me this tactic is designed to simply pack the middle of the park rather than to have designated roles.

It is confused and confusing, a system deployed presumably to try to keep games tight but with City having the worst defensive record in the division, one which is currently doing anything but.

McInnes also signed Mark Wilson, Jody Morris and Paul Anderson in the summer but none of them have been given any sort of run in the side, prompting the question as to what the first two are offering us that academy products Joe Edwards and Bobby Reid don’t, he also signed Danny Wilson on loan from Liverpool and three games later he’s been on the pitch for just one minute so far.

I do think that McInnes is a decent bloke, his gesture to the City fans stranded at Brum showed that and obviously as a lifelong Red I badly want him to succeed, but sadly can see no signs that he is learning or that we are making any progress at all.

With Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich both away coming up in our next 3 games, how much longer will he be given to turn this around?

Good post GC.

6 points from 42 is simply shocking.

6 from 45 could see a change?

[cheshire_red]

I honestly believe he has underestimated the quality of the Championship and brought in players who appear to be short of the quality required (and he must also believe so otherwise they would be playing (Morris, Anderson, M Wilson). We struggled to bring in any sort of CH, were we really hoping Monk would agree to come after his injury only to be knocked back? If so that was foolish as games came and went and were lost.

I also get the impression the Board hoped to compete without splashing too much cash and reigning in the wages budget, no problem with that other than we appear to have kept players who weren't up to it whilst discarding those that were. Cunningham has been a big loss without doubt he was the left back that gave Woolford the confidence to play his game.

I also cannot comprehend how Bolasie was so underused, the lad is tearing up trees for Palace, put in several top class crosses last weekend and can take a corner, something we have't done for a few seasons. Ok he played mainly on the right for Palace but his end product and link up play is considerably better than Adomah's.

I hope he can turn this around but like the OP I can't see it happening otherwise surely it would have by now?

I told a few Wolves fans they'd win, they wouldn't believe it, we were lambs to the slaughter, utterly incompetent and the system employed showed a lack of understanding in what is required in this League. How the hell we beat Boro I cannot understand.

[cheese]

The trouble is you're concentrating on results.

[RedM]

5 from 39 is shocking, embarrassing and humiliating, any manager who would apply for a job with that on their CV would get their application binned. i'm glad I'm not in the position to decide what happens next, but it's a real 'head says/heart says' struggle.

Yes Cunningham was injured, and i agree we have missed him but the way we have failed to compete on the whole can't be all down to 1 player. OK we replaced him and was hit by injury yet again, and again in other positions. But other teams seem to cope. We seem to have plenty of players, yet none of them the right ones.

We seem to have held out for Monk, it didn't happen, Baldock is totally wasted as we can't seem to use him, and did we need him anyway,was he a deal to balance the books with West Ham for Maynard?

I'm going over old ground again saying we had other more urgent positions to fill, but the truth won't go away. Unfortunately the fans will though. many people I know were totally shattered by Saturday, not the result, we can take a drubbing, but the way we just lay down and handed the game to the opposition. We are meant to be the home team for flips sake! there has always been hope before, but now it just feels hopeless and sad.

[chipdawg]

<BUUUZZZZZ> "What is the most elaborate way to say exactly the same as has been said in 57 other threads since Saturday?"

<DINGDINGDINGDING>

"CONGRATULATIONS CHIPDAWG, YOU'VE WON TONIGHTS... JEAPORDY"

"Oh my god! I've never won anything before..."

[Northampton Red]

Well summarised Graham, I'd like us to go focus on the basics and to revert to the formation and methods we employed at the beginning of the season. I'm not saying Cunningham is the messiah, but things did take a turn for the worse when he was injured, and we were forced to change the shape that been largely successful.

Hopefully when he returns, we can play a more effective 4-4-2. If Fontaine, Skuse, Elliott etc. feature into this and it fails, it's time to get rid of the old guard once and for all.

[exiledinwatford]

As if we didn't feel bad enough!

Surely with three points for a win we'd have more points than that if we had tried to attack our way out of trouble? After all it's where our strength lies. Copied this from bcfc.co.uk about Delboy.

"He has since rebuilded his squad and developed an exciting brand of attacking football, suggesting there are plenty of reasons for optimism should he remain in the hot seat for years to come." I guess it should now read -

"He has since lost confidence in his squad and is now playing a cautious brand of defensive football, suggesting there are few reasons for optimism should he remain in the hot seat for years to come."

Rebuilded? Who writes this stuff????

[Red-Robbo]

Or 6 in 42, take your pick.

Yes, I know it is a hard league, I looked at Wolves’ team on Saturday with its’ spine of Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Karl Henry, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle and thought that’s not a bottom six Championship side, but the truth is they hadn’t won in their previous 9 games and other sides had made them look ordinary, but we made them look like Barcelona.

We’ve now reached the stage where we are seemingly scrabbling round for an idea of how to get any points, however at season’s start we played a flat 4-4-2 with Foster and Cunningham as full backs, Carey and Fontaine the CBs, Skuse and Pearson in centre mid, Woolford and Adomah tucking in on the flanks and the hard working Taylor and Stead up front.

That may not look a world beating side but with the addition of Sam Baldock for game 6 it earned us 3 wins in those first 6 games, then Greg Cunningham got badly injured, Jordan Rhodes destroyed our back four and the team selection/formation merry go round began.

7 different centre backs have been used already and the 2 strikers that the manager spent most of our transfer budget on are now usually to be found amongst the substitutes.

And there’s an important question-why did he commit what appears to be all his funds to an area where he already had 3 competent squad members, whilst spending nothing at all on central defence and midfield?

We’re now playing a variation of 4-5-1, but without a natural holding midfielder following Kalifa Cisse’s summer exit and so it seems to me this tactic is designed to simply pack the middle of the park rather than to have designated roles.

It is confused and confusing, a system deployed presumably to try to keep games tight but with City having the worst defensive record in the division, one which is currently doing anything but.

McInnes also signed Mark Wilson, Jody Morris and Paul Anderson in the summer but none of them have been given any sort of run in the side, prompting the question as to what the first two are offering us that academy products Joe Edwards and Bobby Reid don’t, he also signed Danny Wilson on loan from Liverpool and three games later he’s been on the pitch for just one minute so far.

I do think that McInnes is a decent bloke, his gesture to the City fans stranded at Brum showed that and obviously as a lifelong Red I badly want him to succeed, but sadly can see no signs that he is learning or that we are making any progress at all.

With Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich both away coming up in our next 3 games, how much longer will he be given to turn this around?

Spot on, Mr C, as ever.

I'm afraid I can only see us having a chance of improving without McInnes. It would mean major upheaval and maybe even getting worse before we got better, but at least we might get better - I just can't see us improving under Derek.

The fact we can't get organised to either take or defend a corner says it all. We're going backwards.

[old parkender]

5 from 39!!!!! A truly appalling Statistic. Tell me how many managers in world football would survive that sort of record? The glazers would give even sir Alex the sack for that, and lets not even mention abramovich!

I like del and was happy when he was appointed but he is just not doing the job he employed for.

When he professed 'surprise' that wolves were bigger and more physical than us it convinced me that the club is being run in a slipshod Sunday morning type 'lets play him there' way, did nobody watch wolves beforehand and notice they have a big strong back line and pumping long balls to a lone striker was unlikely to work?

I don't know what he's gonna do next game neither do the players it seems but one things for sure if we get beat by Wednesday he should be clearing his desk

[Aizoon]

one things for sure if we get beat by Wednesday he should be clearing his desk

My first thought was "that's only tomorrow". Sorry, I'm cracking up.

[old parkender]

My first thought was "that's only tomorrow". Sorry, I'm cracking up.

Well if we were playing tonite he probably would be clearing his desk by Wednesday!!

[Mr Mosquito]

I honestly believe he has underestimated the quality of the Championship and brought in players who appear to be short of the quality required (and he must also believe so otherwise they would be playing (Morris, Anderson, M Wilson). We struggled to bring in any sort of CH, were we really hoping Monk would agree to come after his injury only to be knocked back? If so that was foolish as games came and went and were lost.

I also get the impression the Board hoped to compete without splashing too much cash and reigning in the wages budget, no problem with that other than we appear to have kept players who weren't up to it whilst discarding those that were. Cunningham has been a big loss without doubt he was the left back that gave Woolford the confidence to play his game.

I also cannot comprehend how Bolasie was so underused, the lad is tearing up trees for Palace, put in several top class crosses last weekend and can take a corner, something we have't done for a few seasons. Ok he played mainly on the right for Palace but his end product and link up play is considerably better than Adomah's.

I hope he can turn this around but like the OP I can't see it happening otherwise surely it would have by now?

I told a few Wolves fans they'd win, they wouldn't believe it, we were lambs to the slaughter, utterly incompetent and the system employed showed a lack of understanding in what is required in this League. How the hell we beat Boro I cannot understand.

Great post cheshire_red. Remember that old English teacher at Cotham Grammar - Mr Badger? - he'd probably give you an A+ for that post. I was writing on ziderheads earlier about Yannick Bolasie because he was our young player of the year last season and we let him go to our rivals Palarse ????!!!!! Hollowhead must be rubbing his hands with glee - the Sir Bernard Lovell School Gas barsteward.

[Mr Mosquito]

And there’s an important question-why did he commit what appears to be all his funds to an area where he already had 3 competent squad members, whilst spending nothing at all on central defence and midfield?

We’re now playing a variation of 4-5-1, but without a natural holding midfielder following Kalifa Cisse’s summer exit and so it seems to me this tactic is designed to simply pack the middle of the park rather than to have designated roles.

It is confused and confusing, a system deployed presumably to try to keep games tight but with City having the worst defensive record in the division, one which is currently doing anything but.

We've lost Kalifa Cisse and Yannick Bolasie under Del and Doc's tenure - the type of players we now badly need. It seems to me that Del and Doc have the financial backing but not the charisma to get more calibre players in to complement the class of Neil Danns.