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To start with today's 'must-win' game (and, if there is such a thing, I think it may have been - for team spirit, if nothing else), and while its true we kept going after a fashion, created one or two chances and weren't far away on a few occasions, Stoke still had more possession, scored two goals (one fortuitously disallowed by our supposed baby-faced nemesis Mr Ward, who actually performed like a converted homer - perhaps he reads LfW too) and hit the post. Limited and fairly unambitious as they were, for me 1-1 didn't particularly flatter them, and in Cannon (15 champ goals in 32 apps, for the record) they have a striker (whom we should have been into Leicester for like a shot, rather than poring over the Scandi data analytics on a shiny laptop) who can float like a butterfly for 85 minutes before stinging like a bee and who, unlike anyone in the vicinity of our building, looks the part, takes up threatening positions and can do old-fashioned things like shoot on target. If you could say that another day we might have squeezed out a win like a over-wrought w*nk, on another again we could easily have lost. As Cardiff and Preston both picked up a point, and Portsmouth now have a game in hand, we've trodden water at best in our current murk.
I was comparing the line-up today with our glorious demolition of Leeds, which feels like a parallel universe apart. As against that XI, the side out there today was missing JCS, Chair and Colback, which I think most of us would agree is our best spine, one which gives us a competitive measure of composure, creativity and calm. Both on paper and on the pitch, however, that's a big minus factor for sure. On top of that, Willock and Dykes are both gone, which I don't think too many of us had too much argument with, as has Begovic, who we've clearly upgraded on in the excellent Nardi. Sadly, Saito apart, the world and Jude the Cat can see the new recruits aren't cutting it (one of whom is out till February with his calf strain-cum-surgery). At the same time, it's hardly a brand-new team or squad, so what else has gone wrong?
Of the above trio, according to the club's unexpected bulletin, Colback is back for either Cardiff or Watford next Saturday, Frey the following week, and JCS and Chair available a week or two after that. It's not exactly a world-class assemblage, but it is a Championship-class one, but my concern is what shape they'll be in and how long it might be before any or all of the break down yet again. Our stats with Jack in the team, even if he'd difficult to love or even warm to, are pretty unarguable, but how committed he is, let alone fit, in the current context I feel is open to question. Even assuming he plays a decent number of games between now and May, he'll also be the best of a year older going into them than he was against Leeds. As to Chair, as we're all painfully aware, he's has had no pre-season and now he'll have been off the grass again for a number of weeks. I think it's more and more dubious with every passing week whether he'll really get himself, or us, going his season. We know what a whole-hearted guy he is, but his very preparedness to go the extra mile for the team is, what, ironically may pull him up short again. One more overstretch, one or two weeks too soon, and he could easily be crocked for another month or worse.
At the same time, it is increasingly untenable and irritating to keep giving Marti and Calm free passes for 'credit in the bank' indefinitely. He agreed his extended contract knowing the set-up and his role (or lack of it) in the recruitment. It's his team he prepares and puts out. If Marti is telling us he's working 12 hour days at the training ground, it's not unreasonable to wonder if his assistants and the players don't need to work cleverer rather than harder. How much of those long days are with the team, and what he's actually doing ? His coaching seems to be doing nothing whatever for Celar or Smyth, to pick two, though the latter seems to be uncoachable when it comes to occasionally hitting the target or crossing to a member of his own team (who also needs players to take up positions for him - I'm talking to you, Jan, but not only to you).
MC's performance tonight at the WLS debrief concerns me a lot. A number of elements - defending his past performance yet again as a coach (irrelevant), referencing the injuries (we know, we know), talking in the future perfect tense about looking back on the support he received from the fans today (saddening), and again dropping heavy hints by alluding to the 'improvements' he has recommended to the club, but by implication not seen (worrying) - suggest to me a coach who is prickly, anxious, emotional, minimising his own shortcomings, and potentially scaffolding his departure (if it happens, which - at least for now - I hope it doesn't and he gets to turn it round with a less injury-blighted team). That might be harsh; it might be an over-pressed over-reading. However, if he can't improve the team in any discernible departments, whatever the variables and mitigation, the rumbling counter-argument for his termination realistically sprouts legs.
What's blindingly obvious and widely rehearsed is that the club is not being steered competently from the top -or what passes for it. The very fact that we retained a clearly bummed-out and burnt-out Hoos for as long as we did is itself indicative of owners who are incompetent, inert or both, but, if people want to roll their eyes at that self-evident exhibit, there's plenty else I and we can point to, as we know. (Even though Hoos is still some kind of sinecure Club Chairman, not a peep of objection has been raised, as it's Nourry who's been getting it in the neck.) They're all responsible in whatever camouflaged proportions: the owners/Board, the CEO, the Chairman, the Coach, and the players.
To sum up in reverse order, if my eyes don't lie to me, too many of the players are probably not good enough, the coaching team is hardly covering itself in glory, and the management team/ownership don't appear fit for purpose. Add all that together, and, barring a remarkable NY reboot, it's hard to see beyond the ship sinking right now.
Sinton looks tired and fed-up and seems to have aged about 10 years in the last few months. Resembles a man who's been locked up in Wormwood Scrubs for a stretch. Guess we've QPRed him too.
Good, honest interview with Cook, who tells it as it is. Interesting, and also curious, he speaks so much of 'getting the fans back onside' and winning our 'respect', especially as the last thing, I think, has been the fans not supporting the team.
The Stoke game is strangely almost exactly a year to the day when Cifuentes got his first win in charge against the same opposition. Do I expect lightning to strike twice? More hope than expectation, I'm afraid, and not much of that either.
Makes sense re his level. Soulless, money-macerated, and doubtless corrupt. Obviously, Gerrard doesn't care too much about the company he keeps either.
At least he's tolerably far away from LR these days.
v Derby (H), 1-1, 76/77 (my first Rs game) v Watford (A), 1-2, 79/80 (sensational winner from Glenn Roeder, dribbled 50 yds, I think) v Fulham (A), 1-1, 1982/83 (scorcher from Lewington if memory serves) v Stoke (H), 6-0, 83/84 (I think Stewart scored the 5th or 6th from virtually the halfway line)
There's something about remembering untelevised games from years past that feels like recalling dreams.
I know he may feel his neck is on the line and needs to keep a low profile, but this recent image of our manager surely signals a final nail in the club's coffin.
Everyone out etc., regardless of the state of their skeleton!
Same futile cliches - working harder, understanding the basics etc., then nothing changes on the pitch. Either he/the club think we're stupid or are embracing the defintion of insanity about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (or both).
Mind you, with this inept, powder-puff, and crying-off squad, what are his options? The players (those who are semi-fit) don't look up to it, and the manager demoralised and out of ideas.
I wish I could grow super-long arms and embrace the 1,300 hardly souls in advance.
Given as 14,054 on the BBC. Watching on my stream, and judging by the huge gaps in SAR etc, it looked more like 11k to me. (Though Boro seemed to have a good following in the top of the School End - for a mid-week game especially.)
It might be a small point, but it hacks me off if the club is doing its smoke and mirrors thing with the crowd too. Though I guess it shouldn't surprise us.
Personally, I found that completely bewildering and professionally unacceptable from Cifuentes. Assuming Dembele, Fox and Kolli weren't all injured - though who knows these days when a reported blackhead could keep any one of our players out for weeks - if I were the board, I'd be having a word on Monday morning. That was a load of turd!
So our captain gives, what, a woebegone 7-minute interview to tell us, apparently in all seriousness, that there's no lack of effort or endeavour, what we're missing is quality, but then the answer is just to work ever harder, as echoed by our insightful manager.
Have neither of them never heard the idea that clever people don't necessarily work harder, they work smarter? Either way, the concept seems to be extra-terrestrial to our lot!
Are these people stupid, do they think we are, or is it a bit of both?
Where the f*ck is he? Another one of our epoch-lasting 'minor' injuries, or just more mismanagement by Marti the Messiah? At least he gives it a bit of heart, or is the idea to field a team that sucks it out of you?
Why do our Offish team sheets insist on giving him both his names? It doesn't make him a better player. Reminds me of Nick London and his annoying 'Mac Bonne' schtick.
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