Forester

t I confess to once turning up wanting us to lose for this very reason, and it was Steve Wigley. Got my wish that he was sacked, but sadly we still went down! While we were in a worse position league table wise there are some uncomfortable parallels as that season we wasted a lot of very winnable home games before Xmas. While Harry had his faults for sure, the team he put together was much stronger after January but we had left things to late. So since then I vowed to be careful what you wish for!

For most of the first half I thought we blunted a below par Chelsea and gave them one real chance that Willian wasted. Will watch the free kick on tv but judging from reaction on here and elsewhere it sounds like a poor wall. But our approach in the second half until Boufal came on was woeful. I used to enjoy away trips under Puel, Koeman and MP, where we would dominate the ball and win, lose or draw be there giving it a go. Worrying performances in terms of attitude and stomach for the relegation battle from Redmond, Gabby and Lamina. They all look like they are hating life out there right now. Question marks still for me on concentration levels for Hoedt too. As I have said on the Manager thread we have only got Spurs to play for the first time and highly likely to see us lose that too. Then in second half of season we have extra away game because of Wet Spam Stadium shambles. Udders game is absolutely huge and if, god forbid, we lost that I could see us stuck on 18 points after 21 games with Liverpool, City, Spurs and Chelsea all to visit St Mary’s gunning for title or European football. I can see the argument for firing MP now. I can’t possibly imagine he could survive a failure to beat Udders. Finally what on earth was the fight between two Saints fans next to the food and drink bit in the concourse about? Embarrassing...

Spot on. I struggle with our less intelligent fans not understanding the difference between a 53 game season and what may be a 40 game one, a fully fit squad with Lamina and Hoedt versus last year, etc etc etc

I am not too sure you gave that much thought, did you? The rest of the post if you read it again seeks to help you answer the question you pose.

We face a serious battle to stay up and this struggle is underestimated in my opinion. Consider the following: - ignore the Udders match coming up as that is actually the first time we have played the same team twice. So the true halfway point is after the Chelsea and Spurs games. Then we have played all 19 teams once, and I don’t see a point in either game. So we will be stuck on 18 points, double it and you get to 36 which is relegation in all likelihood. - because of the Wet Spam switch we face extra away game in second half of season. And our home matches are tougher with Chelsea, Spurs, City and Liverpool all to come down here all chasing title or Champions League football - we have had a virtually injury free squad, stronger than under Puel, and because of Wolves Reserves fiasco have had no European or League Cup distractions. Again much easier than under Puel. We must assume that injuries and suspension will increase after Xmas - there isn’t any evidence that we are any better now than we were in Aug. He has week in, week out, uninterrupted coaching time. Where is the progress? I would never have sacked Puel, but this guy feels a downgrade and I don’t see a reason to sit and gamble given all of the above that he will suddenly come good. I think we have a good squad, a tall striker apart. He isn’t getting anything like maximum from them.

Enjoyed that, and by the way parking in AFC Bournemouth car park for just one pound!!! Close enough to kick a ball to the stadium too! Back to the football thought it was an excellent game with unusually high number of clear cut chances for both teams. I thought Forster, Bertrand, VVD and Romeo were all excellent. Well done Pied after an understandably shaky first ten minutes. I was very critical of MP before the Everton game. Irrespective of the results, these last three games show some evidence of a coaching pattern and coherent tactics which I wasn’t seeing earlier in the season. Let’s hope we have turned a corner.

You are thinking of stopping going to games because this guy got the book thrown at him for homophonic chants? Crikey. That is some sacrifice...

Spot on. Wenger used to moan that away teams didn’t open up at the Emirates. Why the hell should they?

Granted that was as poor an Everton side as we will probably ever see, however you still have to dispatch teams like that and we did so with some style. As others have said we get good crosses in most game but there is rarely anyone hungry to get towards six yard box to finish. Cue Austin! I thought both fullbacks, JWP, PEH and Boufal were excellent too throughout. Been critical of MP, deservedly so, but well done to the manager too. Let’s hope he has learned something from today, and it will do wonders to confidence.

Armstrong and Horne both terrific players, albeit Horne more of a Romeo player than a modern number10

I am disappointed that he hasn’t been fired this week, but will put all that to one side come kick off time as this is a very significant fixture. The echo showed a scary comparison with our home results in our last PL relegation campaign, and many will remember that we squandered winnable fixtures under Wigley. Although we finished bottom we were a much better team in my opinion under Arry with better players signed and he got Crouch scoring. But the home fixture list was much tougher after Xmas. It is hard to see us being above 20 points come halfway stage if we don’t win this one. If we don’t, and performance again is poor, I will vent my feelings at the final whistle but not before

Very sensible and balanced, and I agree with your conclusion

I would make change s in personnel and formation for this. Would play a diamond midfield four with two strikers upfront,so... McCarthy Cedric, Yoshida, VVD, Bertrand Lamina, Davis, JWP, Boufal Gabbi, Austin This formation would give us domination of the ball in midfield but would demand full backs get forward. Ironically it’s the formation Puel favoured in first half of last season

A good post, albeit I think Keegan is past it and I think Dyche could be tempted. Everton seemed not to want him. One other punt couldn’t be Martin O’Neil and Roy Keane. Certainly wouldn’t tolerate any thing less than 100%! My preference would be either Howe or Dyche. Surely our potential is great person than their current clubs. Or Rodgers?

Yes, every one of them, with three generations of the family, along with 16 away league games and memorable cup trips. The entertainment in those three MAY, repeat, MAY fixtures, a bizarre schedule never to be repeated at the end of a 50 odd match season, was poor. I guess the big difference is that, recognising the completely different challenge that Puel had , including the great cup run, and losing Pelle, Wanyama, Mane and then Austin and VVD for half a season my expectations of the fag end of the season games were low. And also, I recognise that there is something between a standing ovation and firing someone. Still, we reap what we sow

Nothing has changed since my last assessment a fortnight ago. And the clueless bunch that hounded out Puel will doubtless reflect that we have conceded more goals today than the four matches we played against Liverpool last season combined, where we kept four clean sheets with the same personnel available plus VVD today. I also pose the same question, which if it wasn’t about points, or entertainment, but was allegedly the dressing room, then why aren’t the presumably jubilant cabal of players playing with boosted motivation? We have made a historically poor decision in the summer. I repeat, look at the next seven games, add up the points at the end of it and double it. Do you get to 40? Zero shots on target today....

I a man not saying that we WILL be relegated, but I genuinely think we will be involved in that part of the table in the spring. My worry is that there is only one team I am very confident of finishing above, and that is Swansea. I still think Palace will finish strongly under Woy. Investment in a tall target man in January I think should see us clear of drop zone, but in absence of this I think we are in some trouble with fixture list before we reach the halfway point. Don’t forget we have extra away game in second half of season because of Wet Spam shambles

Whitey you seem to focus on the result of the final. What about the glorious away wins at Arsenal and Liverpool, five clean sheets against PL opposition, in getting to Wembley in the first place. Any crumbles of credit for that?

As a consistent critic of the decision to sack Puel, following a season where some of our less intelligent fans didn’t seem to be able to factor in that: - we played over 50 games with European travel - went on a glorious run to Wembley (where we were robbed) failing to concede a goal against all PL opposition and winnin away at Liverpool and Arsenal - finished comfortably below three teams who, unusually for them, didn’t have European football (Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea) - sold Pelle and Mane - missed VVD for half the season - brought through McQueen, Sims, Hesketh, Stephens and developed Romeo, Redmond and JWP (the latter two earning England call up) - bizarrely faced three home games in the fag end of a tired May I hope people can now stare at what a mess we are in. Following the humiliation to Wolves Reserves, MP has week in, week out, coaching on the training pitch with no distractions. The entertainment BOTH home and away is lower than last season. We have wasted many winnable games, and we are now staring at being in the drop zone once our horrific fixture list plays out over the coming weeks. And, with Wet Spam game rearranged, we will have to play more away game soon than home in the new year. It is good to see that one or to are honest enough to say that they were too hasty calling for Puel to be fired. But many would rather eat glass than say it. The biggest irony, and to be fair if tru is the most compelling reason to have sacked Puel, is that allegedly some players were unhappy. Well those same players must be truly delighted right now then. I assume the are performing highly and must always be listened and pandered to. I have only ever called for Branfoot, Gray and Wigley to go. I really that unless we act quickly and fire MP we will be relegated. With a considerably easier hand to play than Puel, he isn’t failing miserably. Of the remaining eight teams we are yet to play, six are against last season’s top seven. Add the points you expect from them, plus Bournemouth away and, yes, Puel’s Leicester, add it to 13 and double it. Do you get to more than 40?

We have fired a good coach, who took us to Wembley, faced 50 games and European travel, had three dead end May home fixtures but was either too boring or, according to some, lost trust of key players. Well the latter is laughable as I assume they are now excelling? In 30 years and 20 odd managers I have only ever called for three to be fired: Branfoot, Gray and Wigley. I didn’t even want Portfleet sacked as he was just given a bunch of kids. However this guy is taking us backwards. We have wasted many winnable home games (shades of our last relegation), the entertainment for BOTH home and away games is lower than last season with fewer distractions following the Wolves Reserves fiasco and, most worryingly, there is only one team I am genuinely confident of finishing above, and that is Swansea. So make that another happy clapper that wants him out now, while we have international break

I think Glasgow is getting worried that Puel may not be quite so crap as he thought......!

Big mistake to fire Puel. MP has week in, week out uninterrupted coaching time following the Wolves shambles. As a result of the terrific League Cup run, and the disappointing Europa stuff, Puel had to manage a dozen more games before January than MP will have. And MP has Lemina (hopefully!), Hoedt and a fit VVD. I heard him say yesterday that end of season target was between 50 and 60 points. The lower end of that to me, given the very different circumstances compared to Puel, would not represent progress. Like many have commented, I am concerned that our league position and points per game so far is overstated given that we have only played one team who finished above us last season. Consequently we are going to need a massive second half of the season to get anywhere near MP’s own target, which as above I think is a soft one. I would not pull the trigger yet, and still believe that the squad lacks an effective tall and genuinely match fit striker to give us a different way of playing. Reed needs to take the blame for that. However I think that December will be the key to MP’s future. I think an optimistic view gives us 19 points after these next four games, and then from the other five clubs we are yet to play I can’t see more than six. That would get us to 25 from playing everyone once. In my opinion that is the absolute minimum to keep MP for the January window and beyond.

Check my posts. No revisionism. Not sure how many away games you went to last season in league and league cup but it was way better than this

On train home, draw about right in a dull match. We played better at Stoke and lost, so a point not a disaster. However, while folk will have different views on sacking Puel (I wanted him to stay, and enjoyed many good away trips watching us last season) surely what no one can argue is that we have improved this season. One shot on target. However, unlike CP, MP has week in, week out uninterrupted coaching time. He will have managed a dozen fewer games than Puel had by January....

That is exactly what I think we should and will do