"Bristol City - their recruitment is very, very intelligent"

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, hodge said:

We wouldn't really have been able to loan anyone who knows the league and was in form, either they wouldn't be getting loaned out or they would be out of our price range (Grabban/Afobe) 

Couldn't we just pay for quality and cut down a bit on the multitude of players who we pay for shopping with the wife on matchdays ?

[Mr Popodopolous]

7 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Couldn't we just pay for quality and cut down a bit on the multitude of players who we pay for shopping with the wife on matchdays ?

Fine balancing act though, isn't it.

The depth, or at least the numbers- this is fairly necessary when you have injuries like we've had this season. Particularly from say mid November through to early March. Supposing we didn't have the squad players (and even a number of them were injured for prolonged periods), we may have fallen further and quicker (not to relegation but to midtable obscurity).

FWIW, I would agree on one of those 3 if at all possible- the icing on the cake a striker like that on loan (Grabban wages £30k a week, Mitrovic and Afobe maybe a different story). Purely a 6 month loan and with a decent FFP, I think it's absorbable. With a potential bonanza in May.

[JamesBCFC]

3 hours ago, Fordy62 said:

I think anyone would be hard pushed to describe us as pushing for the playoffs right now. 

We're 1 point outside.

The only argument you can make to say that we arent "pushing for the playoffs" is if you're going to be picky about the word "pushing".

We are 100% in a playoff race at the moment, despite our form.

So suggest otherwise would be to ignore reality.

[simon uk]

6 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Couldn't we just pay for quality and cut down a bit on the multitude of players who we pay for shopping with the wife on matchdays ?

Have to agree, the wages of diony woodrow engvall and taylor would have been better spent on 1 mitrovic. Or you could look at it that by paying woodrows wages we have freed up fulhams budget to help sign him in the first place?!

[BigAl&Toby]

12 hours ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

???? Sebastian? Church of England? Council of Europe? Chamber Orchestra of Europe? Corps of Engineers? Cost of Electricity? Crude Oil Equivalent? Council of Elders? Code of Ethics? Chief of Engineers? I give up!

Cock of excellence.

I don’t care if he was a professional footballer or an experienced anything.

I judge the ****** on two things.

One what he’s achieved or delivering here - and to my mind - admittedly without knowing his brief - it’s piss poor.

Secondly I judge him on the basis that whenever I’ve seen him he’s worn a blue suit with brown shoes. WTF? Brown in town? Never 

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, simon uk said:

Have to agree, the wages of diony woodrow engvall and taylor would have been better spent on 1 mitrovic. Or you could look at it that by paying woodrows wages we have freed up fulhams budget to help sign him in the first place?!

Mitrovic was not on the market at this time...

The only one in that list you can swap out really Mitrovic for, is Diony...Engvall, Woodrow and Taylor were all signed in a different context.

Mitrovic wages £1m for the season- so from end of Jan, to the end of the season. Could have afforded him under FFP even with said players, by afforded I mean gained acceptable losses over the 3 year period.

[BigAl&Toby]

6 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

We're 1 point outside.

The only argument you can make to say that we arent "pushing for the playoffs" is if you're going to be picky about the word "pushing".

We are 100% in a playoff race at the moment, despite our form.

So suggest otherwise would be to ignore reality.

James that’s bollocks.

Might only be 1 point off but the dip in form has been scandalous.

Think back to the Etihad and compare that to the shit served up on Monday.

Might only be 1 point. But I’m terms of form, potential and any other comparison you want to make its much more than 1 point.

[BigAl&Toby]

2 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Wonder if the £8 million ‘other expenses’ included a big fat seven figure fee to Tomlin to bring his wages into the top of our structure 

 

Actually deciphering what Clubs have spent exactly what on what is far from transparent !!!

Bit like Carillion, ToysR’Us, Google or any of the others who employ the likes of the Big 4 to either audit or do the accounts.

Never able to really see a clear picture until it’s too late.

What I find interesting is this:

Without asset sales the loss would have been greater. Eventually the cupboard will be bare. 

A sizeable loss is often better than a profit or break even. Gives the Beneficial Owner - who he? - a tax deductible expense elsewhere.

There needs to be a ******* massive increase in TO for this part of the Beneficial Owner’s investment basket to ever cover trading expenses or make a profit.

Smoke & mirrors. The way of the World. Everywhere.

[JamesBCFC]

2 minutes ago, BigAlToby&Liam said:

James that’s bollocks.

Might only be 1 point off but the dip in form has been scandalous.

Think back to the Etihad and compare that to the shit served up on Monday.

Might only be 1 point. But I’m terms of form, potential and any other comparison you want to make its much more than 1 point.

And form can change at any point in time.

We are 1 point outside, we absolutely are in a playoff race.

Sorry Al, but you've let the emotions of this bad run cloud your thought here.

To say that we aren't in a playoff fight when 1 place outside of them is bollocks, not the other way around.

Otherwise the playoff places are already 100% decided. Our squad has more potential than Millwalls and Sheffield Uniteds for sure, so them being below us must also be out of the playoff race. Everyone else below us has a larger points defecit, so they must be out too.

Can Derby and Middlesbrough fans now relax and know they are guarenteed a top 6 spot? Of course not.

Theres still a lot to play for.

[The Gasbuster]

3 hours ago, WhistleHappy said:

Ahh, yeah, things were all so simple then. Would we do it all again?, tell me, could we? should we?

Then along can TV and Play School with it's choice of 'windows' .... 

Things were going so well, we went through a couple of windows, beat Man Utd, we were riding high in the league, we gave Pep and Man City a proper scare...

Yes,We began to think it could be Christmas everyday...

Then along came the January window .... & had a proper wobbler when we went through the bloody Wobbly Window.... 

 

 Oh well, anyone for jelly?  

Hahaha !

Where T.F. did you get that from ?

[Big C]

I keep reading that we are on a bad run, but (and I’m ready for the deluge of rubbish icons) are we really on a bad run or is our sensational run up to New Year, which many people at the time were thinking and saying it couldn’t last, skewing people’s expectations.

Yes Monday performances was truly terrible, probably the worst I’ve seen from a City side in many a year but prior to that our form was basically pretty average rather than poor borne out by the fact that if you look at the form table for The Championship we are slap bang in the middle of it so how can people consider we are on a poor run? Does that mean that half the teams in the Championship are on desperate runs? We had a poor run at the start of the year when we lost 5 on trot (although two of those were too Premier League Sides) however since the last of the 5, we’ve lost 4 league game, two away against play off and promotion contenders, which were always going to be tough, the one against Bolton was disappointing but don’t forget they also beaten Villa recently and the fourth against a Brentford team that always beats us.

We’ve probably drawn too many games in that period but I’m off the opinion that an away point is always a good result, it doesn’t matter if you are playing Derby, Leeds (another team always beat us) or Burton. The Sunderland home draw was disappointing off course, but the draw against Fulham was seen by many as a good performance. Then you look at the wins against QPR with 10 men the demolition of Sheffield Wednesday and the result grinded out against Ipswich

So I refuse to bow to the pressure of stating that we are on a bad run. It’s an average one

[BRISTOL86]

22 minutes ago, Big C said:

I keep reading that we are on a bad run, but (and I’m ready for the deluge of rubbish icons) are we really on a bad run or is our sensational run up to New Year, which many people at the time were thinking and saying it couldn’t last, skewing people’s expectations.

Yes Monday performances was truly terrible, probably the worst I’ve seen from a City side in many a year but prior to that our form was basically pretty average rather than poor borne out by the fact that if you look at the form table for The Championship we are slap bang in the middle of it so how can people consider we are on a poor run? Does that mean that half the teams in the Championship are on desperate runs? We had a poor run at the start of the year when we lost 5 on trot (although two of those were too Premier League Sides) however since the last of the 5, we’ve lost 4 league game, two away against play off and promotion contenders, which were always going to be tough, the one against Bolton was disappointing but don’t forget they also beaten Villa recently and the fourth against a Brentford team that always beats us.

We’ve probably drawn too many games in that period but I’m off the opinion that an away point is always a good result, it doesn’t matter if you are playing Derby, Leeds (another team always beat us) or Burton. The Sunderland home draw was disappointing off course, but the draw against Fulham was seen by many as a good performance. Then you look at the wins against QPR with 10 men the demolition of Sheffield Wednesday and the result grinded out against Ipswich

So I refuse to bow to the pressure of stating that we are on a bad run. It’s an average one

Makes me laugh how obsessed people get with form. The only ‘form’ that matters is at the end of the season , and the form that’s relevant is the 46 game form. 

After 40 games only 6 teams have been in better form than us, and considering most of the league spend more money than us that’s some achievement.. 

The last game has zero bearing on the next one which has zero bearing on the next one etc. Yea we’ve been streaky but net points is the only thing that matters and as of right now we’ve netted more than the overwhelming majority of the opposition!

Get a grip people! 

[Londoner]

14 hours ago, Robbored said:

Excellent post P. 

Lets hope the critics of the recruitment policy read it. Hopefully it'll help them understand it a bit more.

Doesn' mean their any good does it. 

[JamesBCFC]

6 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Makes me laugh how obsessed people get with form. The only ‘form’ that matters is after games, and the form that’s relevant is the 46 game form. 

After 40 games only 6 teams have been in better form than us, and considering most of the league spend more money than us that’s some achievement.. 

The last game has zero bearing on the next one which has zero bearing on the next one etc. Yea we’ve been streaky but net points is the only thing that matters and as of right now we’ve netted more than the overwhelming majority of the opposition!

Get a grip people! 

And if we go up we'll only have 38 games.

Our form doesnt go bad until the second half of the season so we'll be laughing 

[BTRFTG]

1 hour ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

You called him “Wee Lee” to distinguish him from his Dad? Me and the chaps around me in the ground had a much more cunning way of doing that....we called one Lee and one Gary....

In which case you really won't want to know what we called his dad.....

[General Zod]

3 minutes ago, Big C said:

I’m off the opinion that an away point is always a good result

I always think a point away from home against perceived lesser teams puts a hell of a lot of pressure on your next home game.  Loose or draw at home and it’s easy to see how pressure adds up.  We’ve not worked out how to play away from home which is disappointing.

Even if form tables show different my eyes are telling me for months now we have been terrible form, performances on the whole shocking and the beautiful football of early season is an all to distant memory with no sign of anyone at the club being able to turn it round. 

All I want is to see us recapture a little bit of our identity, spark, our style of play and confidence and have a real go and a few shots.  We are so close to the playoffs but at the moment it feels like it it may as well be 100 points away.  Every game I turn up thinking we are a good team and today is the day it will change and being a bit of a mug I’m sure I’ll do this until the gap widens and games run out but in truth our creativity and team displays are going backwards and management seem to have run out of ideas and are starting to panic and make crazy decisions.  That’s a massive concern for me.

 

[Robbored]

13 minutes ago, Londoner said:

Doesn' mean their any good does it. 

What?     

[Mr Popodopolous]

18 minutes ago, Londoner said:

Doesn' mean their any good does it. 

They have varying levels of ability, granted...

• Pisano- Good, but made of glass.
• Flint- Nuff said, quality.
• Wright- Good squad player and indeed filled in at Right Back solidly enough.
• Baker- quality.
• Smith- Nuff said.
• Brownhill- Good player, serious room to grow.
• Diedhiou- Scores goals but can be called into question in terms of the shape and the impact. Great option to have in the squad however! The injuries hardly helped.
• Taylor- One to be moved on, but 5 assists last season in a relegation battle. Did it help us? Indeed it did! Goals v Palace and Stoke in the Cup, assist v United also...but has outlived his use I feel.
• O'Dowda- Took a while to settle, but really was doing great until his injury, bang in form. Given his age too, if he progresses correctly he should only got better.
• Walsh- Think he WILL be good, just not for a year or 2.
• Eliasson- Bit of a puzzle. He actually played not bad in the Cup games, is he not showing in training? Maybe he doesn't fit the system...can hardly call him a success but in a different system , maybe 4-3-3 with wingers could be flourish a bit more? Is it worth changing systems, to give him a crack? Only LJ would know that. Perhaps one to move on, can't say he's had a serious chance though.
• Paterson- Wasted out wide but had brilliant form in December behind Reid. Cannot help but feel that taking him off v Wolves could have hit his confidence, but maybe that's a longish shot. I accept he can blow hot and cold though!
• Pack- A quality passer, a quality midfielder. Could be even better in a 3 IMO (same goes for Brownhill, Smith and Walsh about improving in a 3).
• Djuric- First reserve striker, wins everything in the air. We have not seen a fully fit Djuric I think, a fully fit Djuric could cause defences real issues.
• Magnússon- Has his weaknesses and his detractors, but has had some good games too. Not saying he's brilliant but he can play left back, can fill in at CB and is capable of playing the back 3 role. Versatile.
• O'Neil- BIG disappointment. His wages, his experience at this level- injury, living in London I believe, has genuinely not fitted the bill. To be moved on IMO.
• Hegeler- Disappointing, but versatile. A useful option in some ways to have, can pass from the back, or if played in a back 3, as a passing centre back, a midfield 3 or simply between the back 4 and the midfield, could help screen. More somebody in most instances to bring on absorbing pressure IMO. Could easily make a case for moving him on, though I do wonder if his versatility would be an asset. Too many injuries too.
• Bakinson and Hinds are quite clearly for the future.

[General Zod]

18 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

The last game has zero bearing on the next one which has zero bearing on the next one etc.

Do you really believe this?   How about momentum spreading confidence throughout the team.  We could see earlier in the season run what wins did for the team.  Unfortunately it’s the same in reverse with this bad run.  We would all have liked Brentford to have been a one off but for me it sums up our decline since Christmas.  With games running out and a team who seem to have forgot how to play attacking football there seems too much  wrong in too many places to put right.

[BRISTOL86]

1 minute ago, General Zod said:

Do you really believe this?   How about momentum spreading confidence throughout the team.  We could see earlier in the season run what wins did for the team.  Unfortunately it’s the same in reverse with this bad run.  We would all have liked Brentford to have been a one off but for me it sums up our decline since Christmas.  With games running out and a team who seem to have forgot how to play attacking football there seems too much  wrong in too many places to put right.

I wasn’t talking about the psychological impact - I would be the first to agree that form can influence mindset. 

My point was that every single game is an independent event - a chance in its own right for 3 points - this ultimately the only form that is even slightly relevant is the form after 46 games. 

You could your last 10 games of the season and finish 7th or lose your last 10 games and finish 6th. Who will be best pleased with their ‘form’ do you think? 

[General Zod]

2 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

I wasn’t talking about the psychological impact - I would be the first to agree that form can influence mindset. 

My point was that every single game is an independent event - a chance in its own right for 3 points - this ultimately the only form that is even slightly relevant is the form after 46 games. 

You could your last 10 games of the season and finish 7th or lose your last 10 games and finish 6th. Who will be best pleased with their ‘form’ do you think? 

But you can’t separate the ‘psychological’ impact of a bad loss of form.  Whilst you’re right in so much as the next game is a different 90 minutes and a different 3 points they are just too inter linked and you’re carrying that baggage from game to game.  

Wherever we finish this season our dramatic loss of form, loss of attacking ability, loss of confidence and loss belief in our style of football will be a concern for me along with the managements lack of ability to address this quickly.  If we would have got to May with the usual ups and downs of a long championship season and finished say 10th I’d be ecstatic.  I’d see that as great progress by players and management a like.  It’s the extremes that I find concerning, the nature of the performances since the turn of the year make me question so much about the management and players ability to grow, learn and improve.  The league table should mean I can go off on my summer holiday full of optimism about next season instead our problems fill me with concern.

 

[BRISTOL86]

I see what you’re saying and I’m as disappointed with our slump as anyone. But ultimately as I say points over the course of the season are in truth all that matters. 

Would you rather have 80 points of which 60 come in one half of the season or 70 points spread very evenly throghout? You can’t twll me that you wouldn’t have been delighted with 10th place and a consistent profile of point accumulation, so it seems somewhat backwards to me that we’re in pandemonium because of the manner in which we’ve accumulated the points, rather than looking at the quantity of them accumulated.

Personally I’m assessing our season on the merits of the season as a whole. 

[BobBobSuperBob]

Just now, BRISTOL86 said:

I see what you’re saying and I’m as disappointed with our slump as anyone. But ultimately as I say points over the course of the season are in truth all that matters. 

Would you rather have 80 points of which 60 come in one half of the season or 70 points spread very evenly throghout? You can’t twll me that you wouldn’t have been delighted with 10th place and a consistent profile of point accumulation, so it seems somewhat backwards to me that we’re in pandemonium because of the manner in which we’ve accumulated the points, rather than looking at the quantity of them accumulated.

Personally I’m assessing our season on the merits of the season as a whole. 

Not my discussion but you may think me strange 86 but I’d take the 70 gained in a consistent manner

That would give me far more confidence looking forward regarding stability and the chance to build 

I don’t really care too much about Play Offs (Would have been fun) or the Premier League as it stands but I would like to see us stabilise and progress - I’m not sure these extreme rollercoasters in form give that reassurance , as fun and enjoyable pre Xmas was

[BRISTOL86]

6 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Not my discussion but you may think me strange 86 but I’d take the 70 gained in a consistent manner

That would give me far more confidence looking forward regarding stability and the chance to build 

I don’t really care too much about Play Offs (Would have been fun) or the Premier League as it stands but I would like to see us stabilise and progress - I’m not sure these extreme rollercoasters in form give that reassurance , as fun and enjoyable pre Xmas was

Interesting take Bob. I don’t care about staying in the PL - I hate pretty much everything about it - but I very much want to see us achieve promotion to it just to say I have seen it. And as of now, for this season, playoffs are the only route available. 

I don’t think anyone likes the rollercoaster but I think a lot of the hyperbole about the ‘bad run’ is only because of what went before it last season. The run this year whilst very poor compared to our first half of the season is nothing like as bad as people make out. You’d think we were losing every game reading on here whereas in reality we’ve kept touch with the chasing pack. 

[JamesBCFC]

3 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Personally I’m assessing our season on the merits of the season as a whole. 

As would any rational person.

Will there be disappointment if we don't reach the playoffs, given where we were in December? Of course. But even if we finished as low as tenth it would have been better than I thought we'd do preseason, so on that isolated basis it's been a decent season.

A cup semi final is about 4 rounds further than we normally get, and we went at Man City far more than many Premier League sides did.

We have exceeded my expectations in 2 competitions, so for me we have had a good season, making the playoffs would make it a great one.

However, the repetion of a big slump in form is a cause for concern, and hopefully something that doesn't rear its head next season.

 

[BRISTOL86]

1 minute ago, JamesBCFC said:

As would any rational person.

Will there be disappointment if we don't reach the playoffs, given where we were in December? Of course. But even if we finished as low as tenth it would have been better than I thought we'd do preseason, so on that isolated basis it's been a decent season.

A cup semi final is about 4 rounds further than we normally get, and we went at Man City far more than many Premier League sides did.

We have exceeded my expectations in 2 competitions, so for me we have had a good season, making the playoffs would make it a great one.

However, the repetion of a big slump in form is a cause for concern, and hopefully something that doesn't rear its head next season.

 

Agreed. Ultimately what we’ve seen is us settle into what is logically roughly our rightful place after a spell of overachievement. Others, with considerably more resources, had a spell of under achievement  

The test, assuming we don’t get promoted, will be in ‘going again’ and seeing if we can match or improve upon that. A top half finish this season and next will mark consistent and considerable progress. 

[General Zod]

1 minute ago, BRISTOL86 said:

I see what you’re saying and I’m as disappointed with our slump as anyone. But ultimately as I say points over the course of the season are in truth all that matters. 

Would you rather have 80 points of which 60 come in one half of the season or 70 points spread very evenly throghout? You can’t twll me that you wouldn’t have been delighted with 10th place and a consistent profile of point accumulation, so it seems somewhat backwards to me that we’re in pandemonium because of the manner in which we’ve accumulated the points, rather than looking at the quantity of them accumulated.

Personally I’m assessing our season on the merits of the season as a whole. 

If I'm to buy into the clubs philosophy which seems to me to be of the ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ year on year improvement  and gradual steps towards promotion approach then yes the way we accumulated points last season and more so this time around plus importantly the lack of apparent ability from LJ to address the rapid decline in performances when they happen is very concerning.  

If it’s a long term project and LJ and his management team are here to stay then surely an approach of consistent improvement is the one the board is looking for not the pattern of the last 2 years

 Personally I believe we wasted an opportunity by not be more adventurous in the window in an attempt at the very least to cement a playoff place but as I keep being told, that’s not how the ‘project’ works.  The seasons not dead but as things stand unless LJ works out a way to improve things we may as well be 100 points outside the playoffs.

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Interesting take Bob. I don’t care about staying in the PL - I hate pretty much everything about it - but I very much want to see us achieve promotion to it just to say I have seen it. And as of now, for this season, playoffs are the only route available. 

I don’t think anyone likes the rollercoaster but I think a lot of the hyperbole about the ‘bad run’ is only because of what went before it last season. The run this year whilst very poor compared to our first half of the season is nothing like as bad as people make out. You’d think we were losing every game reading on here whereas in reality we’ve kept touch with the chasing pack. 

Have to be honest this seasons dip / run , however we describe it   Intrigues me But almost worries me more looking forward

It doesn’t include 8 defeats and points per game won’t tally but the extreme drop off 8n performances from a side who were flying is alarming 

I thought some of the factors last year were obvious  , this time round far more puzzling and  some of Lees selection / tactical decisions , since Xmas have baffled me tbh , and , concern me 

The lack of application / attitude on Monday , the most baffling of all ,

As I’ve said consistently our recruitment concerns me and we could do with either start to again **  to make the most of the players we’ve got or improve our recruitment 

** Now before Christmas he was absolutely doing that , or certainly getting the absolute max from 12/13 players and playing with a style that was breathtak8ng at times   (Though being hyper critical it would have been even better if he could integrated one or two of the fringe players or loanees to sustain it longer)

He had fewer options then and needs to realise why that worked so well for him / side and get back to it

There is a strong hint of tinkering IMHO and playing with toys again if I’m honest 

A bizarre season all in all

 

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, Big C said:

I keep reading that we are on a bad run, but (and I’m ready for the deluge of rubbish icons) are we really on a bad run or is our sensational run up to New Year, which many people at the time were thinking and saying it couldn’t last, skewing people’s expectations.

Yes Monday performances was truly terrible, probably the worst I’ve seen from a City side in many a year but prior to that our form was basically pretty average rather than poor borne out by the fact that if you look at the form table for The Championship we are slap bang in the middle of it so how can people consider we are on a poor run? Does that mean that half the teams in the Championship are on desperate runs? We had a poor run at the start of the year when we lost 5 on trot (although two of those were too Premier League Sides) however since the last of the 5, we’ve lost 4 league game, two away against play off and promotion contenders, which were always going to be tough, the one against Bolton was disappointing but don’t forget they also beaten Villa recently and the fourth against a Brentford team that always beats us.

We’ve probably drawn too many games in that period but I’m off the opinion that an away point is always a good result, it doesn’t matter if you are playing Derby, Leeds (another team always beat us) or Burton. The Sunderland home draw was disappointing off course, but the draw against Fulham was seen by many as a good performance. Then you look at the wins against QPR with 10 men the demolition of Sheffield Wednesday and the result grinded out against Ipswich

So I refuse to bow to the pressure of stating that we are on a bad run. It’s an average one

We are on a fantastic run if you think , what is it 3 wins ? , since January is fantastic. 

[BRISTOL86]

2 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Have to be honest this seasons dip / run , however we describe it   Intrigues me But almost worries me more looking forward

It doesn’t include 8 defeats and points per game won’t tally but the extreme drop off 8n performances from a side who were flying is alarming 

I thought some of the factors last year were obvious  , this time round far more puzzling and  some of Lees selection / tactical decisions , since Xmas have baffled me tbh , and , concern me 

The lack of application / attitude on Monday , the most baffling of all ,

As I’ve said consistently our recruitment concerns me and we could do with either start to again **  to make the most of the players we’ve got or improve our recruitment 

** Now before Christmas he was absolutely doing that , or certainly getting the absolute max from 12/13 players and playing with a style that was breathtak8ng at times   (Though being hyper critical it would have been even better if he could integrated one or two of the fringe players or loanees to sustain it longer)

He had fewer options then and needs to realise why that worked so well for him / side and get back to it

There is a strong hint of tinkering IMHO and playing with toys again if I’m honest 

A bizarre season all in all

 

Can’t argue with it being a bizarre season! But i still think a lot of the over reaction to a disappointing spell is coloured by events of last season. 

In truth the dip in form this season has been nothing akin to last season, last season we went from playoffs almost all the way to the bottom....this year we’ve gone from 3rd to ... erm....7th - and people acting like we’re getting relegated. 

Monday’s performance was as bad as I’ve seen under LJ but let’s be honest in the context of this season was something of a one off. 

I don’t think he’s been as bad for tinkering this season tbh. None of us know where players are at fitness wise at any given moment. It’s been a long slog of a season and by Christmas we’d already played more football than any other championship side with a modest squad. 

I still trace the decline back to that night against Wolves. See that game out and I honestly think the season would have charted a different course. Two big mistakes from experienced players cost us a lot more than 3 points that night.