I think it's clear that Foster's head has gone. He's more interested in getting content out for his YT channel, and clearly not working on his catching and distribution which is still pretty bad. He seems like a really nice bloke to have as mate, but happy smiley with no work ethos for what he is paid to do is only going to drag down his performances further.
One thing that worries me is the speed of the players, we have two 30 plus defensive midfielders in Kucka and Sissoko that just look really slow. Looking on the bench we have Gosling and Cleverly who are both slow. If you watched the game today there was a time on about 80 mins that James went past Femenia and he just gave up and stood there. We are playing against Liverpool next week another fast moving team and I can only see a similar display. Looking at today’s game I think it was a really bad decision to get rid of Hughes and Chalobah. It’s ok blaming the defence but if the midfield gets beaten time and time again we will concede sooner or later.
Yesterday we seemed a yard slower than Leeds, didn't close down and couldn't pass. Our set pieces were awful as per usual. Maybe only player to emerge with any credit was Rose. Sierrelta was okish until injured. Him and King injuries big blows for us . WTE scares the s**t out of me every time he brings the ball out, His distribution is haphazard and slow and by bringing the ball forward he allows the oppo' to re set and also takes Sarr's ground meaning he gets the ball to feet and standing still and not into space to run onto. Having said that, on the one or two occasions Sarr did have the chance to run the defender he chose the wrong option and crossed badly. We deserved nothing but despite this, maybe should have got a draw. The ref gave the goal and VAR overturned it. I agree with MOTD pundits, Kabba was fouled not fouling and goal should have stood. Would have been a mugging ,but would have taken it all day long.
I agree with all of that, but I would say had we drawn, it would of probably given Xisco a longer stay of execution. It sounds terrible to say this, but I'm glad we lost. It's pretty clear Xisco is out of his depth, cannot motivate this side anymore and is a "yes man" to Gino. Has he lost he dressing room? Hard to say but it's very possible a few players are getting tired his demeanor and lack of tactics and how to set up a side. We need a better motivator and somebody who will raise his voice when things need changing. Our side is probably good enough to stay up but yesterday was a Sunday kick about.
Well, a point against Newcastle 2 seasons ago (an unlucky one at that considering their goal should have been chalked off) wasn't enough for Javi, so I don't think a ********* draw would have been enough for Xisco...
Yeah well done, as with the Sissoko rumour it seems you're capable of occasionally revealing things just a few hours before they actually happen - it's hardly especially ahead of the curve. Judging by the betting on Xisco's sacking there were some people who knew it was going to happen even before the match.
With Xisco now confirmed as sacked, and given the betting on Xisco being fired plus Giaretta's tweet last week, yesterday must have been an Ivic vs Huddersfield-type performance - i.e. the players and Xisco would have all known that he was getting sacked anyway before the match, as opposed to the match being why Xisco was sacked.
Even if that is true, it doesn't excuse such as half-arsed display against a side who we needed to be taking points off. No way should that be used as get of jail free card for yesterday.
At around 2.30 while queuing for the shuttle bus to the ground in the pi55ing rain (having spent half an hour in the pi55ing rain failing to find a cab driver willing to take us to the wilderness of Elland Road) I began to think maybe it would have been better to have missed this one. I was right. At least the rain stopped for the walk back to the station.
In fairness, we retained Aidy who turned out to be out of his depth in the Prem after he got us up and no one in their right mind would’ve wanted anyone else at the helm after that glorious day in Cardiff. Yes, you could argue that he’d more than earned the chance after he worked a miracle with misfits and largely average players, but my point is there’s always got to be a first time for everything, and in the case of managing in the Prem, if it isn’t after getting a team promoted, when can it be? Sometimes these things work out, other times they don’t.
A point might have given XM a bit more time, but I doubt it. We'll never know of course, but my feeling is he'd have gone anyway, even if the ref had allowed us an incredibly jammy point. Our squad isn't the strongest, but I feel it's still a lot better than what Xisco's been getting out of it. We've missed out on points that we would reasonably have hoped to gain against some of the division's weaker sides, and our performances have been absolutely dire. Too much for Gino to ignore.
I felt the same way (probably for the first time) and I’m one of the most positive supporters on here. Getting a draw would’ve annoyed me a lot more than Leeds getting another goal, and had it kept Xisco in charge, one measly point would’ve done far less for our survival chances in the long run than deservedly losing and getting in a much more capable manager will do.
Nah, I’m pretty sure I could find at least 3 posters from which it’s a direct quote - absolutely guaranteed, in fact.
Yep, seems as though the only thing in the way of Xisco leaving by that stage was getting a new man in place
It depends how you definite "getting it right". Ultimately we are considerably weaker than we were a few years ago and that is not the culmination of Gino consistently "getting it right".
Well, Aidy had a record of getting more from less, which Xisco never had, so of course he deserved the chance to lead us into the Prem, but were there any other realistic options we could have gone for back then?
Not having that. He is timeless. I predict BFS will be drafted in to save Salford United from relegation to the Championship in 2031/32 season.
We were almost as poor at home to Newcastle the week before, he was just out of his depth, simple as that, no conspiracy.
I think we’d have been a lot closer to staying up had King not got injured that season, we didn’t have any goals. Also, the Young sale may not have been as cut and dried if we were better placed.
Apologies I misunderstood. You are quite right that Gino couldn't give a tiny shyte about such protest.
I'm not sure that's fair. Training isn't a full-time job, it's a couple of hours a day give or take so players have to do something. He publicises his hobby and is quite successful (a Luton-supporting friend even admitted to subscribing!). At least he's not playing on the X-box all day like most players, or gambling like some others! That said, he isn't as good as he was and that imo is simply down to age. He's still playing because we've not got the money to replace him with anyone better. Bachmann is at the same level of ability as Foster but for different reasons.
Giaretta's tweet after the Newcastle game + the money suddenly being lumped on him being the next manager sacked prior to kick-off + the international break looming + a performance that was really even worse than vs Newcastle + the club having acted the same way with Ivic before Huddersfield + the announcement being so soon after the game = the decision surely having been made prior to the kick-off. Nothing to do with a conspiracy, or lack thereof, in this case.
True, but even under those circumstances there were plenty of managers who could’ve done better (not likely that any of them would’ve wanted to come to us, granted) - even before King got injured there were signs of his naivety and struggling to manage games, eg drawing 3-3 in the Fulham home game after being 2-0 up, conceding late goals - and then after his injury we continued to play the same ineffective way without any improvement (if anything, we got worse after Portsmouth away, the Sheff Utd home game set the tone for the rest of the season). Plus the reluctance to play Powell over Stewart, inability to get Francis (our only other player with Prem experience) more involved in the attack, his seemingly random signings that he failed to integrate into the team or were just crap (Priskin, Rinaldi, Kabba etc), generally negative tactics away from home even at poor teams like Charlton, Man City and Fulham, and hardly any points and goals against the top sides. It was a pattern that sadly continued into the following season, but for a season and a third he was great.
I am so shocked. They didn't use the corner flag picture. Standards have really dropped to an all time low.
It was more the attitude of the players and the way the team performed that was important yesterday. Nicking a point would have had no bearing on his future. All it did was confirm that he had to go, come what may.
But the Cult of Aidy and the mighty triumvirate declared that whatever players were signed, and there were some real stinkers, particularly up front, Collins John, Kabba, Hoskins, that his mighty will to succeed would be enough for us to thrive in the top division. Alas, it was a right load of b0ll0x.
