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Shinguard 12:58 Sun Dec 4
Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

I saw a few signs even towards the end of last season as the team started conceding too many goals, 23 in the last 10 Prem games.

We needed to sign a top class full back and CB, instead the club sold Tomkins at 27 years old and kept 33 years old Collins which surprised many.

We needed a top class striker and failed to sign one. The least said about Zaza & Callieri the better, other signings look very ordinary bar Fernandes and Fletcher who are promising but inexperienced. Ayew will do well in time.

Overall the team just looks very disjointed and Bilic must hope that the injury problems start clearing up soon, Cresswell and Antonio were sorely missed.

Sir Alf 12:02 Sun Dec 11
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Stubbo 5:50 Mon Dec 5

best assessment I have read anywhere mate. Exactly my thoughts too

terry-h 9:02 Sun Dec 11
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Sullivan's poor transfer window started the rot. Our pre season in America and Austria was a shambles. Bilic has lost the plot.

That just about sums up our present crisis. The next few games will bring things to a head and decisions will be needed urgently,otherwise I can see disaster on the horizon.

Darby_ 7:21 Sun Dec 11
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Probably that Bilic isn't very good, the players are unfit and have lost confidence.

Hammer and Pickle 11:29 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Come to think of it, it is Brady though, isn't it.

jakehammer 10:51 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

cheapskate owners trying to run things on a shoestring.

and players not listening to bilic.

Hammer and Pickle 10:48 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Whenever I watch us and see the lack of movement and desire I am also tempted to put it down to the players.

But then I can't help thinking about everything else that's gone on and the especially the owners' interest in the Move while Bilić has had such a shocker in the transfer window, not to mention him selling Tomkins and trying to convert Antonio into a full back.

Not an easy question really.

the exile 10:32 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, too much has been said on threads like this about the main problem being the new signings. The fact is, every single one of our established players has underperformed this season. Yes, we could possibly have recruited some better quality, but the established players have set the tone of underperformance for the new players. The greater responsibility has to lie with them.

Spandex Sidney 10:06 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

I fear we will be asking this question in May 2017 and the unequivocal answer will be 'We should have sacked Bilic in November'

Lertie Button 10:03 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Would be a lot easier to say where it has gone right, er nowhere.
A fucking disaster so far, now the big question is can we retrieve things before it's too late.
No I don't have a clue where to start either (that's me and "decidedly average Slav" both).
The revival starts tomorrow.

Hermit Road 9:41 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Simple, underinvestment and what little investment there was, was invested poorly. It's left us with at best, a team a bit less better than last year after departures, while everyone else has improved.

Athletico Easthamico 8:52 Sat Dec 10
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

A Perfect Storm.

But mostly gutless players.

Biggie Biggs 6:10 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Stubbo 5:50 Mon Dec 5

Arbeloa at right back , seriously ?

CaptainBlueAndClaret 6:03 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

With the main focus of the Duchess of Knightsbridge and the TWO BOB Daves employing 'snatch squads' and plain clothes agents operating along the lines of the GESTAPO and the STASI, what possibly could go wrong on the pitch?

goose 6:01 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Stubbo 5:50 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

that team you've put up will conceed a boat load of goals.
and Ayew has been awful everytime he's appeared.

Stubbo 5:50 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Everything about this season screamed shambles. From every club message spreading the idea (and the associated complacency) that "we've arrived".

To Payet coming back after the upper-then-downer of the Euros.

The new players not putting any pressure on the old.

The huge misjudgement over using Antonio at right back.

The non-stop bleating by Sullivan about signing a marquee name and failing to deliver (meaning the tone of failure was set).

Plus...

Not spotting our biggest issue was conceding goals. Not spotting Antonio vs the full back is our biggest goal threat and using that at every opportunity. Not spotting that we lacked real dynamism in the middle of the field.

And now we have an unbalanced squad. 3 senior centre halves and wanting to play 3 at the back. Our most dominant midfielder (all be it he started the season poorly) playing in the back line. Couple that with injuries, poor form, disjointed pre season...this season shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, and the whole club from top to bottom is to blame.

There are so many aspects to why this season has gone wrong, and for a lot of them it is too late to just 'change'.

Bilic needs to decide who would run through a wall for him and build a team of those guys. 3 at the back in a 3-4-3 is attacking on paper, but in reality we lack the quality in central midfield to make it work. Going forward all we have is give it to Lanzini or Payet and cross your fingers.

Noble has been a great servant, but the first thing he needs to do is replace Noble with Lanzini so we can use the ball more quickly and intelligently from deeper.

Get Ayew playing every week...he's our record signing, scores goals and is a good athlete. The one player who should have improved us but he won't get consistency with a few mins here or there.

And buy a fucking right back....a proper one.

And go back to 4 at the back. My team monce Kouyate, Cresswell and Antonio are back would be:

-----------------Randolph

Arbeloa Kouyate Reid Cresswell

-----------Lanzini------Obiang

Antonio---------Ayew----------Payet

--------------------Carroll

No great shock it's actually at CB and RB that we look so weak, as well as lightweight in CM.

JayeMPee 5:19 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

It went wrong before the season started, the promised marquee signings did not materialise and we became embroiled in the worst ever performance in the transfer market. Not a single signing has made the squad stronger, in fact in the main they have made it considerably worse.

Thank you Mr Sullivan!

tnb 5:06 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

On top of the signings as has been discussed to death, there just doesn't seem to be much of a 'plan', either collectively oe individually, right now. A few games ago someone raised a similar point and referred to it as the team lacking an identity. On that occasion I said that we did seem to have an identity when things are going well (ie not this season) but that managers earn their money by maintaining or changing the identity/ plan when things aren't going well. I am now starting to worry whether the true picture is actually grimmer than that and when things went well last season they were actually going well IN SPITE OF Bilic, not because of him. Most of us were happy to entertain that possibility with regards to Allardyce and the Sakho/ Valencia partnership - now I'm no Allardyce apologist and nor do I want to see Bilic fail, but at this point it seems only fair to consider whether the same question should be asked.

Look at Saturday. Granted the Collins injury necessitated a rejig (although it has to be said that no one seemed particularly surprised by it, which begs a question - as does the presence on the bench of a Carroll who was clearly not considered fit for more than 20 minutes or so) but following that change, Fernandes didn't seem to have a clue where he was meant to be on the pitch. Ditto Ayew when he came on (despite Carroll having been warming up first and even stripped ready to come on), which actually seems to have been a problem every time I've seen him so far. Up front, initially, as I said at the time Fletcher was doing some good things but there's no point doing good things deep and out wide when you're supposed to be the lone striker. And his was a role which was not fundamentally altered by the Collins injury.

I think we'd all agree we are a better team with Cresswell in it. But is that a case of 'if only', or is it more that Cresswell is one of the few players who has the intelligence to be able yo figure out what to do for himself despite a lack of clear instruction?

It just seems like muddled thinking all around - in terms of tactics, and in terms of personnel - which, yes, does also link in to recruitment issues. Who is our first choice striker? Sakho probably. But who is his backup? Zaza? Callieri? Carroll? Ayew? And given we did recruit those first two recently, it doesn't look good if the answer is actually that rushing back a less than half fit Carroll is suddenly the answer to that question in spite of them. What is Arbeloa? Is he our back up right back at least until Byram comes back? If so, where on earth was he for about a month - injured? Persona non grata? Oh look, suddenly he's back with still no clarification on the intervening period, and looking as if he hasn't trained at all the whole time.

I'll say it again - I want Bilic to do well. But there doesn't seem to be much direction coming from his side at the moment. Or if there is, and as he himself seemed to suggest that he is giving direction but a lot of the players aren't listening to it? The truth may be somewhere in the middle, and if so then it doesn't reflect well on Bilic's self awareness if he can't see how he may be contributing to the problem.

A lot of questions right now - and not long to find the answers.

Billy Blagg 4:31 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Shinguard 12:09 Mon Dec 5
Yep and sorry but the 'players aren't interested' thing continually raises its head too. But they do and you'll probably see it again in April when we go on an unbeaten 7 match run to just avoid relegation AGAIN.

under the thumb 3:07 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

Last season we were exceptional in games.

The one thing we had in abundance was pace. Even at home we would hit teams on the break. Moses, Sakho, Valencia, Payet, Lanzini, Antonio

Remember Payet's second goal against Newcastle at home? Moses picked the ball up on the edge of our penalty area and carried the ball 70 yards.

When we play now the build up is so slow and laboured. I've said it so many times and had slanging matches with loads of you on here, but the way we are set up with everything seeming to go through Noble our transition from defence to attack is so laboured.

Noble had a very good season last year but he has been absolutely dreadful this year and I can't fathom out how people still think he justifies his place in the team.

On Saturday he was a joke. How many times did the Arsenal midfield just breeze past him and he was left chasing shadows.

Before anyone starts saying I'm signalling him out I will also add there were many others who were just as piss poor and I include Payet in that.

Letting Moses go back to Chelsea when we had an option to buy him was a big mistake when you consider the shite we have signed this year. Tore, Feghouli, Calleri, Ayew, Zaza

There is about £50 million of shit amongst that lot. What have we had in return? Sweet FA Add in selling Tompkins instead of Collins and you can see where the problem is. We are so desperate for a right back it's embarressing. We've wanted one for three seasons.

I like Bilic and some of the stuff we played last year was as good as I can remmeber for a long time. I felt last year any game we went into we could win no matter who we played. This year I feelthe total opposite and as a supporter it is a horrible feeling to have.

We lose heavily next week at Liverpool and I really fear for Slaven.

goose 12:29 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

mallard 4:48 Sun Dec 4
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

reading that really makes me green with envy. our board are so out dated in their approach to football.

penners28 12:26 Mon Dec 5
Re: Where and why has it gone wrong this season?

nothing to do with the stadium at all

best migration in history

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