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Thanks for your reply. I really enjoyed reading the points you made and I agree with some of the things you've highlighted.
I agree that the Head of Performance is something that really needs fixing. I don't believe it's a coincidence that we have had so many injuries whilst he's been doing his job part-time and remotely.
Of course, I have no idea why that was considered the best option or even whether there is a direct link between that working pattern and our injury situation. To my mind, making a wrong decision is not a stackable offence ... What is important is how quickly you recognise a mistake and to fix it as quickly as possible.
I do think there are problems with Nourry's communication strategy but maybe not in the same way as some. I think he (and the club) should communicate in a way that is easy to understand and transparent. I, also, think that communicating the strategy is more important than communicating every detail. The way things have been done, I feel that the club wanted to change their long-term strategy (or maybe to actually have one). I don't think that has been communicated well.
My view is that this season was about revamping the squad so that it is younger, contracted well, with potential and no worse than last season but within a tight budget. If this is the first step in turning the club around then it is never going to be easy or bump-free. I think the league position objective was simply not to get relegated. I know very little about the club but is my opinion. The strategy wasn't clearly communicated to us and, I suspect, many would have accepted that.
Not communicating contracts or injuries makes sense from a negotiation perspective but is both frustrating and understandable to me.
I don't think the guy is infallible but I really want to see the club have a strategy, change things and stick to their guns. To my mind that means not getting rid of people when those changes mean a bump in the road.
I absolutely agree and, I hope, that it is something they are sorting out.
I'd say the biggest difference between this season and the end of last season is injuries. Is it bad luck or a direct result of the Ben Williams (I hope I have his name right) situation. Either way it needs something doing.
I absolutely haven't forgotten that we were nearly relegated last season. I am simply of the opinion that not being relegated this season having over hauled the squad is the right way to turn the club around.
Yes, the plan signings were vital last season and who was responsible for getting them in?
Yes, the signings lack championship experience and that was the strategy. The four people who oversee recruitment decided it was the right strategy.
Personally, I was unimpressed by Hodge apart from his debut but people have different opinions.
Yes, the whole Ben Williams things was a balls up ... Wasn't he head of performance? I get confused with who has what job title.
Morgan Fox is the back-up left back.
I never suggested Chair was the Messiah just that he was first choice left winger last season and was ear-marked as first choice this season too ... Am I wrong about that?
Morrison replaces Cook
We didn't start the season with two strikers who had never played a Championship game and, as I said, only having two players for each position was a little light.
Back-up centre backs Morrison, Fox, Dunne. Back-up left back Fox.
You say he changed tact with comms so isn't correcting a mistake a good thing?
Yes, he was part of the group who signed a dud striker.
Thank-you for trying to help me out but I have read most (if not all) of the posts on this and many other threads.
Whether the majority of people want Nourry out or not is irrelevant to the point I was making. I was simply disagreeing with the notion that "everyone" wants him out which is not true.
In particular, the biggest problem people have with him is the disastrous transfer window he caused in the summer. I don't think it has been the disaster that some believe.
With everyone fit I would say the intended first team this season would be Nardi Dunne Cook Clarke-Salter Paal Varane or Colback Field Chair Andersen Dembele Frey
So compared to last season that would mean Nardi, Dembele, Frey and possibly Varane were changes to the first team compared to last season.
I'd say Nardi is an improvement on Begovic and Frey is an improvement on Dykes and is scoring almost twice as often as Dykes did last season. The way Dembele started his first couple of games he looked way better than Willock and still has contributed to goals more frequently this season than Willock did last season.
Varane is showing real improvement in recent games in my opinion but is not quite up to Hayden's standards yet.
The problem is that, on form this season, I wouldn't start with Andersen as his form has fallen off a cliff. That isn't a recruitment issue though.
So I would say, of the four "first choice" changes this season, three were improvements and one is not there yet.
The remaining signings were to improve squad depth Is Ashby better than Reggie Cannon? I'd say yes Is Morrison better than shifting Dunne to centre back and playing Cannon? I'd say yes Is Madsen better than Hodge? I'd say jury's out but last game was an improvement Is Saito better than whoever we shoe-horned onto the left wing last season to replace Chair? I'd say yes Is Celar better than Armstrong? A big fat no
The rest were development squad signings or, in Santos' case, should be.
So Celar aside, where is the disastrous transfer window?
We have, at least, two players for every position in the squad (which is a little light).
If it isn't the transfer window then what has he done that is so wrong? Kept contract details secret? Kept injury details secret? Not let Marti speak to a forum? Ballsed up the Performance Director role?
Actually, yes, that last one seems like a mistake but the other's are water off a duck's back.
I don't agree but what happens next is on Celar more than anyone else. Either he wants to become a better all round player and become successful or his career is downhill from here.
Other than Santos and Celar, the rest of the signings have shown glimpses (at the very least) of why they were signed and need to keep improving.
Santos is a different proposition because he is, at best, our third choice right-back at the moment so should have the benefit of being given time to develop.
Other than those two, which of the first-team squad signings do you think have not demonstrated (at least once)! why they were signed?
In my opinion, the biggest problem this season has been how slowly we move the ball forward. That is not a recruitment problem but a coaching problem.
Isn't this the media creating something to fill space?
I hope the board keep the courage of their convictions and stick with Marti and Noury and give them the chance to turn around what has happened. I don't agree with view that many have on this board that Noury is an evil villain or that Marti is infallible.
I think we are desperately short of one thing ... We need Frey back as soon as possible and then someone needs to be working with Celar to fix his attitude and instill a work ethic into him. Didn't we employ a one to one coach or something over the summer? He should be working with Clear every second he can to get him to put the effort in. He obviously has some talent but we haven't seen it yet and his confidence must be shot to pieces.
Santos should be in the development squad and developing.
In the last game, it looked like Madsen showed signs of improving ... Now he needs to show his mettle and keep improving.
If there was only one problem we fixed it would be getting the stupid ball in the onion bag!
I don't think now is the time to sack anyone .. now is the time for everyone at the club to stand up and be counted. That includes the players, the coaches, the physios and the CEO.
I actually think everything is pretty much going to plan. The plan is to buy players, improve them over time and sell for a profit. If we bought well-rounded and Championship-experienced players, it is unlikely that we could then sell them on for a profit.
I can well-imagine that all four of those involved with the purchases this summer were perfectly aware of the limitations of the players they bought. I saw on the West London podcast the criticism of buying Madsen as he is a good technician but doesn't tackle or get involved enough physically. If he did then we either wouldn't have got him or, certainly, wouldn't have got him for the price we paid.
So, when he was identified, I suspect there was discussion along the lines of:
"Marti, we have this player who is technically good but needs coaching on how to put himself about and tackle. Do you reckon you can make that happen?"
"Yep, sure thing but it'll take a good season or so"
"Perfect, let's get him in on a long term contract then and improve him."
I think we are part way through that journey.
In my opinion is that the plan this season was to get a load of "rough diamonds" in and make them into diamonds further down the line. The only caveat would be "but don't get relegated".
Obviously, the don't get relegated bit is looking iffy at the moment but we have a good head coach and I have faith that he will get the best out of these players. We are already seeing signs of improvement in some of the signings but the pressure now is to make those improvements sooner so that we aren't relegated.
If we survive this season and all our signings are better at the end of the season than at the start then that is progress.
Buying "Championship ready" players hasn't worked previously and just saying we want to buy players, improve them and sell them on hasn't been enough. We are on a journey now to actually try to make that happen. It won't happen soon enough to satisfy some but, in my opinion, I have faith that it will happen.
Maybe we tried to change too much too soon but I think we will view the transfer business from this summer very differently on a couple of years time.
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