Are We Going Down?

[BomberBowyer]

Running stats also - Dyche was right- they ran almost 5k more than us… sprinted more and won more tackles and second balls.

Disappointed we lost yes, am I surprised we lost no. Leeds away was always going to be tough as they show fight, put on the effort and aren't as bad as some people think at playing football.

Yes team selection and set up is to blame and not for the first time this season. But so is the attitude and performance of many of our players. Sloppy goals conceded, too many 50/50s lost and don’t even get me started on our corners.  I’m not defending Dyche but I’m not sure what getting rid of him before season end would achieve because we’ll still have the same playerrs who are putting in these inconsistent and lacklsutre performances.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

[Cornish forest]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

Absolutely agree. 
It’s not entitled either, quite happy with the first two seasons when we were fighting relegation. 
But this season just feels like one of mass self destruction. 
We already know that Nuno keeps West Ham up, because of course he does. West Ham were getting relegated this season until we gifted them a decent manager. 
Don’t completely blame Dyche, in fact he’s way down the list of blame, but I concede he doesn’t win enough games. 
It’s ruined Europe for me as well, the extra games have just become a hindrance. 
Not entirely sure how we will react to going back to the championship.

[PsychoStooge]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

If we stay up, and it's a very big if, there's a lot more that needs changing than just the management. 

It was clear there were issues at the back end of last season, on the outside it seemed to start with Marinakis entering the pitch vs Leicester but it'd clearly been rumbling on longer than that. 

The summer was completely unstable, you may call Nuno a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them, he knew the ship was starting to leak and got out. You can't build half a squad of players with two weeks left in a transfer window and that's before you even talk about the dodgy stuff with Textor, Joobrachian and Bertolucci. 

A season that should've been the best we've had in decades, with the best foundations laid the season before has ended up an absolute disaster because, not for the first time, we've tried to run before we can walk.

So I agree management does need to change but so does everything else, right from the top. No more silly transfer dealings with agents of the month, no more flitting from plan to plan trying to shortcut to success because a season like this one is what you get as a reward. Find a plan that works (again!) And stick with it, for a few seasons, at the moment we shouldn't be trying to rival the top 6, that will come with time, patience and some harmony. It has to happen otherwise we'll just continue circling the drain spending huge amounts of money until, eventually we do go down.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

If we stay up, and it's a very big if, there's a lot more that needs changing than just the management. 

It was clear there were issues at the back end of last season, on the outside it seemed to start with Marinakis entering the pitch vs Leicester but it'd clearly been rumbling on longer than that. 

The summer was completely unstable, you may call Nuno a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them, he knew the ship was starting to leak and got out. You can't build half a squad of players with two weeks left in a transfer window and that's before you even talk about the dodgy stuff with Textor, Joobrachian and Bertolucci. 

A season that should've been the best we've had in decades, with the best foundations laid the season before has ended up an absolute disaster because, not for the first time, we've tried to run before we can walk.

So I agree management does need to change but so does everything else, right from the top. No more silly transfer dealings with agents of the month, no more flitting from plan to plan trying to shortcut to success because a season like this one is what you get as a reward. Find a plan that works (again!) And stick with it, for a few seasons, at the moment we shouldn't be trying to rival the top 6, that will come with time, patience and some harmony. It has to happen otherwise we'll just continue circling the drain spending huge amounts of money until, eventually we do go down.

I agree with your excellent post Psycho.

Mistakes cannot be repeated and lessons must be learnt.

[Salvatore Matrecano]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

If we stay up, and it's a very big if, there's a lot more that needs changing than just the management. 

It was clear there were issues at the back end of last season, on the outside it seemed to start with Marinakis entering the pitch vs Leicester but it'd clearly been rumbling on longer than that. 

The summer was completely unstable, you may call Nuno a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them, he knew the ship was starting to leak and got out. You can't build half a squad of players with two weeks left in a transfer window and that's before you even talk about the dodgy stuff with Textor, Joobrachian and Bertolucci. 

A season that should've been the best we've had in decades, with the best foundations laid the season before has ended up an absolute disaster because, not for the first time, we've tried to run before we can walk.

So I agree management does need to change but so does everything else, right from the top. No more silly transfer dealings with agents of the month, no more flitting from plan to plan trying to shortcut to success because a season like this one is what you get as a reward. Find a plan that works (again!) And stick with it, for a few seasons, at the moment we shouldn't be trying to rival the top 6, that will come with time, patience and some harmony. It has to happen otherwise we'll just continue circling the drain spending huge amounts of money until, eventually we do go down.

Yep absolutely nailed it there PS

My worry is its not the Marinakis way and never has been. We have the rollercoaster for better or worse.

[Red Dog]

There are a lot of things that are currently wrong with the team/style of play/tactics etc. We are now facing 1/3 of the season remaining, we are 6 points clear of West Ham, which in all likelehood will be 3 points after the weekend and our better GD will have been reduced from 6.

Simple equation is we need to better than West Ham over this period. Is this possible? Mood says NO, not sure what my head says yet. I am not sure whether we should stick or twist with Dyche but I think a firm decision HAS to be made and adhered to.

Hate saying it but Europe should not even be a consideration in all of this but it will be as winning the Europa League (I know, I know....) would bring the ultimate goal of UCL. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made.

All of this said, i think i trust Dyche to keep us up....JUST! I hate roller coaster rides....

[RyanR]

There are a lot of things that are currently wrong with the team/style of play/tactics etc. We are now facing 1/3 of the season remaining, we are 6 points clear of West Ham, which in all likelehood will be 3 points after the weekend and our better GD will have been reduced from 6.

Simple equation is we need to better than West Ham over this period. Is this possible? Mood says NO, not sure what my head says yet. I am not sure whether we should stick or twist with Dyche but I think a firm decision HAS to be made and adhered to.

Hate saying it but Europe should not even be a consideration in all of this but it will be as winning the Europa League (I know, I know....) would bring the ultimate goal of UCL. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made.

All of this said, i think i trust Dyche to keep us up....JUST! I hate roller coaster rides....

One of the difficulties in replacing Dyche is who would you get? The kind of manager that would keep us up is probably not the kind of manager we would want to start next season. We can’t risk someone unproven in the Prem until the end of the season, but who would join us until May? We’d then end up missing out on the likes of Silva (if we manage to stay up)

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

I can't wait for this season to end.

I have never felt like that before usually I hate summers with no football.

I just hope that when it does end we are still in the PL.

Looking forward to a change of management and a good pre season.

If we stay up, and it's a very big if, there's a lot more that needs changing than just the management. 

It was clear there were issues at the back end of last season, on the outside it seemed to start with Marinakis entering the pitch vs Leicester but it'd clearly been rumbling on longer than that. 

The summer was completely unstable, you may call Nuno a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them, he knew the ship was starting to leak and got out. You can't build half a squad of players with two weeks left in a transfer window and that's before you even talk about the dodgy stuff with Textor, Joobrachian and Bertolucci. 

A season that should've been the best we've had in decades, with the best foundations laid the season before has ended up an absolute disaster because, not for the first time, we've tried to run before we can walk.

So I agree management does need to change but so does everything else, right from the top. No more silly transfer dealings with agents of the month, no more flitting from plan to plan trying to shortcut to success because a season like this one is what you get as a reward. Find a plan that works (again!) And stick with it, for a few seasons, at the moment we shouldn't be trying to rival the top 6, that will come with time, patience and some harmony. It has to happen otherwise we'll just continue circling the drain spending huge amounts of money until, eventually we do go down.

Yep absolutely nailed it there PS

My worry is its not the Marinakis way and never has been. We have the rollercoaster for better or worse.

That is correct SM as I have commented on before.

Hence I only spoke about a change of management.

Psycho is right of course but unfortunately nothing will change except for the management. Even if Edu, Ferriera and Syrianos all left (hopefully they don't, just change the way they do things would be good) it will still be more of the same but with a different recruitment personal.

[Salvatore Matrecano]

That’s correct Sniffer, Edu hasn’t exactly endeared me to him but we would probably replace with similar were we to change. Its worries me the way we operate just isn’t sustainable in the Premier League.

However As I have said before there is the case for EMs defence, compare with the “well run stable clubs”
Bournemouth highest league finish 9th
Brentford highest league finish 9th
Brighton highest league finish 6th then disappeared back to mid table
Erratic basket case Forest got 7th in their 3rd season and were a whisker from Champions League

There is no logic to this, lets just see where we end up.

[Trailer Park Tom]

I think we deserve to go down and wouldn't have a problem with it.

[BomberBowyer]

I think we deserve to go down and wouldn't have a problem with it.

Fair view but I’d ask in that case do you think we deserve to go down anymore than say Wolves, Burnley or West Ham? Even Spurs and Palace are struggling this season and very poor so what makes them any less deserving of being relegated?