28 Jan 2021 08:49:27
So it's pretty much back to the drawing board for Nuno and Jeff. The experiment to try to turn us into a more possession based, forward thinking team has well and truly failed. At least for now. After the Seville game last season, Nuno accepted that we needed to change in order to become a regular top 6 team. And quite rightly so. But from that moment on, the plan went horribly wrong. To make that change, required thorough planning. Identifying our current players that would suit or adapt to such a change and targeting the new players that we could bring in to make it happen. That's where it all went wrong. We brought in some players that were more suited to our old style and some players that were just not suited to any style at premier league level.

Who was ultimately responsible for recruitment, I'm not sure. But Nuno has to be held responsible for making changes to the team, even though he must have known we just didn't have the personnel to pull it off. The top 6 are the top 6 for a reason. You just don't get there without consistently good planning and getting the players in that you want and need. Taking players simply because they're available and maybe have some potential is not the right way forward. I guess they know that now.
So, as I said, it's back to the drawing board. Noses to the grindstone for the remainder of this season and we should live to see another day.
Let's hope lessons have been learned.

1.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 09:51:02
Superb post again Sharesum.
No pre season and some injuries also didn't help but again surely we should have been aware of the fact that we weren't getting a pre season and it would have been incredibly naive or even arrogant to think that injuries were not a possibility.

2.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 10:20:49
Did we not play possession style football with a similar backbone of the team when we won the championship. We can do it again. This year of course is a write off regarding top six. We have to stop conceding goals for the time being and make sure we get 40 points. Imo we will switch styles over the remaining of the season as opposition determines. Personnel will change both on and off the pitch (I don't mean Nuno)

3.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 10:58:37
Spot on Roofmandan!

4.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 11:24:57
Roofmandan
You're probably right. We've discussed before how stubborn Nuno can be so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a reappearance of a back 4 in certain matches. But I think the grand plan will be shelved until next season when we will recruit accordingly.

5.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 12:50:05
IMO we played with 9 men last night!

Dendonker as usual (so his fans say) got into wonderful positions (twice) but the end product was bad.
I'm a big fan of Traore but last night he wasn't up to his usual standard-he spent most of the first on the ground via slips (does he wear studs? ) . Does he have anything else on his mind because I thought last night he didn't WANT to play.

6.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 18:48:18
Dendonker was a collusus. Forget about the chances. No one else was getting into those positions.

He covers every blade of grass. I'm sick of the negativity he gets. We are so much better with him than without him. He will get more goals it's just not happening for him atm.

To say he was like playing with 9 men is ridiculous. He made some exceptional tackles in our box and worked his socks off. Some fans are so short sighted!

7.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 20:37:02
If Neto had put it in a proper decent cross instead of a poor cross behind dendonker then most likely dendonker would of scored.
I can see how frustrated it must be for nuno, but he knows its football and nuno knows what he is doing.
At the end of the day Matt it's about enjoying the match I enjoyed it.
Roll on palace.

8.) 28 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021 21:07:45
The header chance for dendonker I was on about,