The Kraken

Trying to get him out of the way for Sugawara to play sweeper. 5 full backs ftw.

I don’t disagree.

Devil’s advocate, but a CB is probably the least likely of players to get a few minutes of a game unless you’re trying to shore things up, and we’re very rarely in that situation. I agree though, it is somewhat weird.

You’re a very strange man 🤣

I think ABK is bad juju but his limbo of a situation does seem a bit odd.

I’m not sure I’d agree that today was “experimenting” to be honest, though there is a bit of truth to the injury situation (although tbf we did have two centre backs on the bench so it’s not as if we were completely out of options).

THB was contractual but it was a still a managerial decision to loan him with obligation to buy. Im not sure what the rest of your point is tbf so prob best leave it there. You think a lack of money was the overwhelming and primary reason we’re currently so bad. I disagree and think it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

We didn’t have to spend that money on existing players. It was a choice. You just said it yourself. £25m gets you a premier league player, if you get it right. We spent 4 times that amount. In extremely basic terms that demonstrates that the transfer policy in itself over the summer was flawed. Blaming a lack of money on all of it seems illogical to me.

And there we have it. We spent more than £100m in the summer. If spending that much and not getting more than “1, maybe 2 premier league level players” is not getting it wrong then I don’t know what is.

The problem has always been both the manager and the players. Anyone who suggests it’s all of one or all of the other is an idiot. Today was a perfect example of terrible management, awful formation and tactics, and below par from almost every player. Today I pin more blame on Juric than anything else as the shape and team choice was just utterly bewildering. But the players did themselves no credit either.

Shit from the players, shit from the manager. Dreadfully dull to watch and an unwanted return to Rusty’s U formation.

At one point I swear I saw Sugawara getting kitted up meaning that there was a possibility we could’ve had 5 on the pitch.

We’ve been doing it for most of the second half. It’s absolutely baffling.

This formation is really, really weird. 4 full backs, Joe Aribo consistently dropping in to the back three, no focal point up front. Really not very entertaining, it’s all too slow.

That one was really poor.

There were two defenders back on the goal line anyway. It was rubbish by Manning but he had plenty more to do than just dink it over the keeper.

Might watch the rugby.

Ashley Barnes needs to be getting the clippers to his head. An astonishingly bad thatch.

Cut that fancy shit out. Backpass.

Downes not even in the squad.

A consistent mistake, this one. The kit change wasn’t the 6-3 scoreline. It was 3-1, the year before, 3-0 up at half time when they made the change.

No, a 10 minute runout was always the plan after half time.

I’m guessing but all evidence seems to say “yes”.

This. Ralph was on his last legs the previous season when we lost 9 of the last 12 and got 5 points from them. Then over the summer he was forced to hire a coach of the owners’ choosing. And it was likely that his input into transfers was minimal. He certainly had his limitations by then but the handling of him and the first team was more shocking. Getting rid of Ralph ended up being the logical choice. That wasn’t the mistake, replacing him with Jones clearly was. By the time Selles took over it was well down the road of being game over.

I think we’re here. The new manager is nowhere near being impressive, but it’s clear to almost anyone that there has been a bit of a positive difference since he took over.