[Albion] A list of everything that's wrong and who is to blame

[willalbion]

Blame. Why the impulse to always blame?

Three teams have to be relegated in a division made up of the very best clubs in the country. I don’t for one minute imagine that anybody at the club is shirking or not pulling their weight. Everybody there, from the first XI and all the way through the back room, will be trying their very hardest. Our current predicament is maddening and quite often befuddling but it is not something that can simply be scapegoated. Or at least it can be but that isn’t necessarily all that helpful.

I’m just going to keep supporting my team of forty years and hope it all comes together. And if it doesn’t? If it all goes boobs up and we plunge beneath the dotted line of doom and into the murky reaches of the Championship? Well, I shall just come back for more next season and will look forward to August with a sense of hope and anticipation, just like I do every season.

Post of the year right there.

 

[portlock seagull]

I think it's a tad harsh to criticise the players for missing penalties, both were well struck and hit the woodwork.
It's the fine margins again.

Personally I felt that given the situation Welbeck's decision to go for the corner was ill-advised. If ever there was a penalty that needed to be on target and force the keeper to save it, that was it.
Just smash it down the middle Welbz, FFS.

Please do NOT go there! Well struck by that definition (ie missing) includes Leo’s infamous space odessy amongst all the others we keep missing. Plus Maupay, Lallana, Trossard, Connollys ‘well struck’ misses from 1ft,3ft,5ft,7ft,9ft (edit as appropriate depending on which week it is) are also well struck. Just not into the net ever it seems!

 

[portlock seagull]

I can't apportion blame, I am not in a position to know all the facts but we can see the results. Re. The paying of transfers and money, how much more to we expect Tony to invest? His business must have suffered during this year. I would rather have a financially viable club than a broke one.
We do everything right except score. The frightening thing is that the goalposts are no bigger in the Championship. If we cannot hit the target now, we won't in a lower league.
Any team that cannot take even one of two penalties awarded or regularly misses the goal from a few yards, will be at the bottom end of any division they play in.

We haven’t got a financially viable club btw either. We make enormous losses (as nearly all clubs do). £64m per annum isn’t sustainable or secure in anyone’s book including Tony’s. We can weather though because of the perceived value of several players if sold. Personally I think we should have cashed in on a couple. And obviously we will if we go down.

 

[portlock seagull]

Post of the year right there.

It’s not though is it, really? I get the sentiment behind but be a boring website if fans just happily applauded defeat each week without passing comment or judgement or debating the reasons for. If you’re simply always happy with what you’re served come rain or shine then not sure why you’d ever come on NSC. Just read the match reports and move on unaffected by. That however is probably a trait of sociopaths too! How can anyone NOT be affected by losing eg to a last min goal against Palace?! Or a game like yday? I actually pity anyone for their complete lack of emotional intelligence if such results don’t keep you awake, cat decided to stay out, wife slept in spare room etc! What was it Danny Baker said about people who don’t follow football?! It’s similar if you don’t get affected

 

[golddene]

Let's be crystal clear about this.

If Karbownik is a left back - if - then our head coach prefers a central midfielder and a 6ft 7 mid table Championship centre back to him in that position. So is the issue the players or the coach?

I think his age may have a bearing on GP's thinking here, he has only had a handful of appearances for us and for the coach to be convinced a 19 year old is going to be our saviour this year in that position is wishful thinking GB, he's been bought in to compete for our team in the future and to gain experience over the short term, even Lamptey was given five or six months to acclimatise here before being thrown in at the deep end and we were surely more aware of his potential successful integration from being able to witness his career prior to his signing from Chelsea.

 

[deslynhamsmoustache1]

I really hope that was to get him up to match fitness and he starts next weekend.

If Lamptey is fit to play too. we will look a different side.

Perhaps Connolly should move down to the U23s to get some confidence back!

This. It was always standard procedure to drop back into the reserves when either out of form or on the way back from injury. Don't know the rules regarding named squad players, i.e., can the same player drop in and out of the 25 man first team squad? I would like to think yes but so many things change.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I think his age may have a bearing on GP's thinking here, he has only had a handful of appearances for us and for the coach to be convinced a 19 year old is going to be our saviour this year in that position is wishful thinking GB, he's been bought in to compete for our team in the future and to gain experience over the short term, even Lamptey was given five or six months to acclimatise here before being thrown in at the deep end and we were surely more aware of his potential successful integration from being able to witness his career prior to his signing from Chelsea.

Karbownik may be only 19 but he made 33 starts in the Polish league for the reigning champions as well as appearing in the Europa League and for the national side. He knows the left back and left wing-back positions. He's not some kid fresh from the under-18s. For all we know, he may also be better then Dan Burn at stopping someone strolling into his zone and getting a free header at goal.

 

[Swansman]

Karbownik may be only 19 but he made 33 starts in the Polish league for the reigning champions as well as appearing in the Europa League and for the national side. He knows the left back and left wing-back positions. He's not some kid fresh from the under-18s. For all we know, he may also be better then Dan Burn at stopping someone strolling into his zone and getting a free header at goal.

The Polish league is League One standard and making the adaption to Premier League from League One within one month of arriving at the club is a big task. He is one for the future.

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

Karbownik may be only 19 but he made 33 starts in the Polish league for the reigning champions as well as appearing in the Europa League and for the national side. He knows the left back and left wing-back positions. He's not some kid fresh from the under-18s. For all we know, he may also be better then Dan Burn at stopping someone strolling into his zone and getting a free header at goal.

Spot on.
Our season now depends on some radical changes. For whatever reason it's not working so surely we have to do something different. We have been begging for some consistency with the team selection for ages but it now needs freshening up.

Drop Maupay and Connolly
Drop Burn immediately and play Karbo
Get Moder in and give him a chance
Give Percy a game
Start Lamptey at the first opportunity
Start Andone as soon as he's fit.
Give Zeqiri a go