Barnsley - Nottingham Forest

[Paplane]

Eh?
We finished at the same time as everyone else.
And started at the same time.

We did but this is not a binary issue. Grabban played virtually every game on his own up front running the hard yards for the team. Our four hugely influential players, Samba, Cash, Lolley & Sow finished the season either out injured or playing injured. Ameobi was ineffective at the end imo due to tiredness. The team played many crucial must not lose games against top 6 rivals or local rivals in the case of the sheep game, which will have taken it's toll mentally. I can understand Sabri wanting them extra time to overcome things.

It's impossible for us to say if it was right or wrong but I respect Sabri's opinion.

Fair points Pap.
But he had a dozen new players.
He needed to integrate them into the squad in addition to getting players fit.
Big mistake imho.

But in the days after the Stoke game, when the calender for the next season was being determined, the manager didnt have all these new players. He will have looked at his squad and seen a team of walking wounded, and his cherished captain walking away. And don't forget, he was clinging onto his job too - why would he have expected to be furnished with a team of shiny new players whom he was expected to get ship shape for the start of the new season? As I say, it may have been right, it may have been wrong, who the hell knows?

I don’t believe for a second that he didn’t foresee reinforcements coming over the hill
If he did - then his planning was all wrong.
If he didn’t - then he miscalculated big time.

Anyway he got it wrong - and CH has the problem of righting the wrongs.

You know, I'm not entirely convinced it's been established that things are 'wrong' fitness wise! I recall I heard CH mention in one interview recently that the level of fitness was good. It pricked my attention because normally a new manager is critical of the fitness levels of players then inherit.

But let's assume it is a problem. The responsibility cannot all be Sabri's, surely? There are sports science professionals, fitness coaches, phycologists, directors of football etc etc who will have all had an input. We might have to agree to disagree on this one!