[Albion] Premier League 13-15/4/24

Hometownglory said:

I'm surprised big clubs are still looking at RDZ when Emery has built a very, very good team.

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Hometownglory said:

I'm surprised big clubs are still looking at RDZ when Emery has built a very, very good team.

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Hometownglory said:

I'm surprised big clubs are still looking at RDZ when Emery has built a very, very good team.

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jimhigham said:

Just seen the Palace goal on MOTD2. Annoyingly superb in its simplicity. The sort of goal we scored last season. Glasner’s been in charge about the same length of time it took RDZ to get things moving. Have to hope the vultures some shopping in the summer because the buggers are getting organised. Might not be the pushovers we’ve had so much fun with most of this season.

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Milano said:

You’re kidding right? Liverpool created enough chances to win 3 games.

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jimhigham said:

Not kidding at all. The Nigels defended like their lives depended on it. Compare that to the clown car that rocked up at our place.

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Triggaaar said:

I've been wondering this for about a year. Yes, we did have a great season last year, but Villa's form was better than ours once Emery joined them. Just a couple of days ago Alan Brazil was on talkshite saying about Liverpool or Utd getting de Zerbi, and I'm wondering why they'd want him.

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Triggaaar said:

I've been wondering this for about a year. Yes, we did have a great season last year, but Villa's form was better than ours once Emery joined them. Just a couple of days ago Alan Brazil was on talkshite saying about Liverpool or Utd getting de Zerbi, and I'm wondering why they'd want him.

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Hometownglory said:

I'm surprised big clubs are still looking at RDZ when Emery has built a very, very good team.

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Triggaaar said:

I've been wondering this for about a year. Yes, we did have a great season last year, but Villa's form was better than ours once Emery joined them. Just a couple of days ago Alan Brazil was on talkshite saying about Liverpool or Utd getting de Zerbi, and I'm wondering why they'd want him.

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Kalimantan Gull said:

Well obviously i disagree. I think if you went back 2 years and sold Mac Allister that summer and then had March, Mitoma and all the rest injured for that season we not only wouldn't have finished 6th but also wouldn't have been sitting 10th with six games to go. If you want to argue the opposite then be my guest but it aint very likely to convince me.

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London Irish said:

Yes -astonishingly if we had sold our best players two seasons ago without adequately replacing them, we wouldn’t have been in an especially good state then either. I think the penny might be finally dropping there?

The reality is these past few months have shown how dangerousy overreliant the squad is on a few creative players. Even a brilliant manager like RDZ is treading water faced with that. This should not be regarded as cause for satisfaction or great confidence, nor should the symptom of a tumble from 6th to potentially 13th (Palace at least won’t catch us thankfully).

It all points to a huge job of work over the summer where the board will have to put right the unbalancing of the squad by the sales and the signings that haven’t worked out.

Remember, for those pollyannas who think it’s all just fine and dandy now - we currently have a situation where a growing minority of fans want to get rid of probably the best manager we’ve ever had. If that isn’t a wake up call to action, I don’t really know what is

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Kalimantan Gull said:

Alright. We started this when you said we had taken a step backwards this season. Although our team isn't as good this season, clearly, and frustratingly, i believe that our fundamentals are stronger, and hence that we have not taken a step backwards. All teams at any point in time have a floor, the worst they will do, and a ceiling, the best they can do. Although we as fans are always chasing that ceiling, the job of the clubs management is to raise that floor as high as they can, and keep raising it, which guards against risk and keeps the dream of the ceiling closer. It's not sexy but it's the good management we are always praised for. Leicesters ceiling was incredible, but it turned out their floor was relegation.

We saw close to the ceiling last year, an amazing season. This year we've seen closer to the floor. But my point about 'what if we'd sold Macallister and lost Mitoma and March before the 22-23 season' stands, and you acknowledge it - we wouldn't have got sixth and could have been in a relegation battle. This season this did happen to us, but we're still, for now, in the top half. Our floor seems pretty decent, our club is stronger, so i reject that we've taken a step backwards.

We might have lost Mac and Caicedo, Undav and Sanchez; Lallana is clearly nearing the end and Veltman looks past his peak. But look what we've gained. Igor, Pedro, van Hecke, Barco, Adingra, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Verbruggen. And Gilmour, Ferguson, Lamptey, Buonanotte have a full season under their belts. I think its silly to say we've become over-reliant on a few players - that was more true of last year, this year we've spread responsibility around a lot more players. We've lost several stars for all or part of the year but the rest have kept us comfortably mid table.

A higher floor. We didn't get close to our ceiling this season because a lot went against us, but the European adventure was fun and we haven't had to look over our shoulder. And we know we are capable of tooling up again next year and the year after because of the finances.

Is this really nonsense? To finish 13th or higher with the issues we've faced is pretty decent, no? We are only home wins against Burnley, Sheffield and Everton away from sitting in 6th, give or take a few goals, and would you honestly bet against us doing exactly that if March, Mitoma, Enciso and Pedro had been available for every game? That's literally the margins we're talking here.

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Kalimantan Gull said:

Alright. We started this when you said we had taken a step backwards this season. Although our team isn't as good this season, clearly, and frustratingly, i believe that our fundamentals are stronger, and hence that we have not taken a step backwards. All teams at any point in time have a floor, the worst they will do, and a ceiling, the best they can do. Although we as fans are always chasing that ceiling, the job of the clubs management is to raise that floor as high as they can, and keep raising it, which guards against risk and keeps the dream of the ceiling closer. It's not sexy but it's the good management we are always praised for. Leicesters ceiling was incredible, but it turned out their floor was relegation.

We saw close to the ceiling last year, an amazing season. This year we've seen closer to the floor. But my point about 'what if we'd sold Macallister and lost Mitoma and March before the 22-23 season' stands, and you acknowledge it - we wouldn't have got sixth and could have been in a relegation battle. This season this did happen to us, but we're still, for now, in the top half. Our floor seems pretty decent, our club is stronger, so i reject that we've taken a step backwards. Its not a step backwards if is just a fluctuation between the floor and the ceiling.

We might have lost Mac and Caicedo, Undav and Sanchez; Lallana is clearly nearing the end and Veltman looks past his peak. But look what we've gained. Igor, Pedro, van Hecke, Barco, Adingra, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Verbruggen. And Gilmour, Ferguson, Lamptey, Buonanotte have a full season under their belts. I think its silly to say we've become over-reliant on a few players - that was more true of last year, this year we've spread responsibility around a lot more players. We've lost several stars for all or part of the year but the rest have kept us comfortably mid table.

A higher floor. We didn't get close to our ceiling this season because a lot went against us, but the European adventure was fun and we haven't had to look over our shoulder. And we know we are capable of tooling up again next year and the year after because of the finances.

Is this really nonsense? To finish 13th or higher with the issues we've faced is pretty decent, no? We are only home wins against Burnley, Sheffield and Everton away from sitting in 6th, give or take a few goals, and would you honestly bet against us doing exactly that if March, Mitoma, Enciso and Pedro had been available for every game? That's literally the margins we're talking here.

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jimhigham said:

Not kidding at all. The Nigels defended like their lives depended on it. Compare that to the clown car that rocked up at our place.

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