Rebuild

Here’s my simple view of it all.
Last season we had the basis of the PL team with those players who’d won promotion but knew we needed to fill key roles to support them (obvs the Pukki feed, and the well-documented Skipp/Tettey replacement).

We all know that didn’t happen and so more incomings this summer and - they’ve not enabled the core to return to form and push on, but they also don’t look like the next generation foundation of a new team.

That’s why I feel like we see odd moments when everything clicks, but then there’s not enough to actually get that strong core that lets us get it right each game.

And my quick conclusion is that we’re going to have to forget about propping up/filling in/finding the next Buendia and building from scratch. If we get this right in the summer (and big if, given both Webber’s approach and the money) then next season would be more like Farke’s first, effectively Wagner’s first, and allow us to push on for a great 2024-25.

By the way this isn’t an excuse for Deansmith either - I wouldn’t have wanted him as the manager for a rebuild and the downfall of the original ‘stars’ under his watch has accelerated the need for all this. And I know I always say that you can’t just have a manager who wants a new squad on arrival, but there’s a time when one squad ends and another begins.

Anyway what do I know, but I had a real deja vu of the end of good eras and the start of the long wilderness spells yesterday.

Posted By: camcan, Feb 12, 10:14:55