[Albion] Players not manager?

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

You are absolutely right that it is a bit of both. Potter has undoubtedly made mistakes. I was just so frustrated watching that today and other games recently that it did take me back to the end of last season and the same frustrations I felt then watching a lot of the same players.

I was anti Hughton at the end and wanted him out but in his defence, maybe he and Potter have been left with squads that are just not cut out for a long premier league season. And I do think a lot of it is mental rather than ability as they have proven they can be good enough on their day.

I just knew Potter was going to get a lot of stick today and I don’t think it’s entirely fair when to me he’s been let down by the players and also the board/recruitment.

Yeah, it's been a frustrating season. We're close, I think, to being a decent team but we make too many mistakes at both ends of the pitch. If, if, if we'd taken our chances in numerous games this season we'd be comfortably mid table and we'd all be delighted. Unfortunately we haven't. That's purely on the players, they've done the hard work a lot of the time by creating plenty of good opportunities and then fluffed their lines.

The defensive issue I do put down to Potter. He's implemented a style of play that leaves us very open and whose defensive solidity depends on keeping the ball well and/or outstanding individual defensive displays. But he's inherited a squad of players not capable of keeping the ball well enough consistently enough and with the exception of Dunk defenders who aren't especially good defenders when isolated as the system dictates.

As for the mentality of the players, they seem to have fully embraced Potter's style so I'm not sure it's a case of not caring. I'm just not sure as a squad they're quite good enough to implement it successfully. I think we have a lot of quite good players but not enough very good ones.

I too was in the Hughton out camp by the end because it looked very much like he had run out of ideas and ways to motivate the team. We just need to stay up and then next year we'll get a much better idea of what Potter can do.

 

[southstandandy]

Would agree though that our recuitment has been pretty culpable in all of this.

The bigger money signings of Webster £20m, Trossard £18m, Ali J £17m, Locadia £15m, Izquierdo £13.5m (most of his time crocked), and Suttner £4m (no longer with us), have all largely disappointed equating to the best part of £90m!

Ironically it's those costing less like Mooy / Ryan at £5m, Gross £2.7m and players who have been at the club a while like Dunk, Duffy, and even March where the value has been. Just shows that even splashing the cash doesn't guarantee anything - just ask Newcastle who blew £40m on Joelinton. As much as a gamble Tony took with the appointment of GP, our recruitment team must take some of the blame too.

 

[LamieRobertson]

No team has won any league by changing the whole match day squad every game. Far too much.

Won the league eh ..phew

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I think the manager now has questions to answer, and I say that as someone who really likes what he is trying to do.

His persistence to rely on average right backs providing all our width down that side really annoys me.

What I would like to see in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, is to start with two genuine wide players (even if they play slightly narrow) and two genuine full backs (no dig at Burn he does what is asked).

We have the players, we have the manager, he just needs to be braver. He'll have to be now that we're going up against the big sides in our run in.

I've seen enough from us against Spurs, Utd and Chelsea that we can pick up the 12 points need.

If we really do end up needing another 12 points then l think we are as good as down, I was thinking prior to kick-off today that perhaps another 9 or 10 might be enough, but l think we will struggle to get that many now.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Would agree though that our recuitment has been pretty culpable in all of this.

The bigger money signings of Webster £20m, Trossard £18m, Ali J £17m, Locadia £15m, Izquierdo £13.5m (most of his time crocked), and Suttner £4m (no longer with us), have all largely disappointed equating to the best part of £90m!

Ironically it's those costing less like Mooy / Ryan at £5m, Gross £2.7m and players who have been at the club a while like Dunk, Duffy, and even March where the value has been. Just shows that even splashing the cash doesn't guarantee anything - just ask Newcastle who blew £40m on Joelinton. As much as a gamble Tony took with the appointment of GP, our recruitment team must take some of the blame too.

I totally agree that our recruitment over the last two or three seasons has been abysmal, Paul Winstanley and his recruitment team have much to answer for. You say those players you mention have largely disappointed, well l think that they all have, bearing in mind the inflated prices we paid for them.

I also wish we would stop continually signing 'players for the future', when the 'future' finally arrives who knows what division we will be playing in, probably the Championship!

I would much rather we took the Palace route, and just but tried and tested players, older maybe, but more experienced, just short term signings who have a far better chance of keeping us up, then we can replace them within a season or two if necessary. Gary Cahill for instance is a wonderful player, and he went to Palace on a free transfer l believe.

 

[zefarelly]

But Potter was brought in as he was going to be able to make the players thrive. He is obviously not quite the coach that they thought!
For me our squad is good enough to survive but the players are swapped and changed so much and they are playing different systems, with different personal every week. We need a manager who has some idea of his best team!

I don't disagree, but you either have a manager who, (seemingly) like Potter wants to do it his way, but doesn't have the players. . . .or you have an old school manager who can get the best from what he's got.

If you get a manager who can do both, he's going to get paid more by a bigger club