Well, I do think you may be over rating some of those, but the problem is that

in order to completely rebuild a side over two or three years, we will also need to sell to raise funds, and any significant funds isn't going to be from anybody other than our best players.

Also, we really don't know whether Tzolis and Idah have this talent we attach to them. So far we haven't seen evidence of it. Maybe the occasional flash from Idah but he is now 22 and not a talented teenager anymore. Is Tomkinson any good? No idea. Hasn't played enough. Can Bali Mumba (is that who you mean by Samba) be good enough in the championship or higher? Also no evidence of that so far.

Nunez - is he really that good? He has a wonderful passing ability but it is inconsistent, and he also seems unaware of his surroundings much of the time and doesn't always make good decisions.

Is Sorensen a decent midfielder? Why hasn't he made that position his own in the years and with the 3 managers since he has been with us? His best runs have come out of position and he really hasn't looked good at DM when he has played there.

Onel - love him but he can't shoot and can't cross and gets all in a fluster anywhere near the penalty area.

McLean, Dowell, Sara, Hanley, Gibson, Krul, Dimi, McCallum, Idah - we've had all but Sara for years now and each of them looks great at times but more frequently make mistakes, bad decisions or simply bad technique which gives away goals or waste attacks, so no I don't think we have the core at all.

Yet any of them who might turn into a good player (e.g. Sarge earlier this season although that's dropped off last couple of games) will have to be sold to fund a rebuild unless eight or ten of them develop that way suddenly.

And finally - about that defensive anchor. SO few teams have one as effective as we seem to expect that most teams have to find a way to play a style without one. Seriously. We were lucky we found and kept Tettey for so long, and then extremely fortunate that we had Skipp on loan for that one season. But how many of the teams at the lower end of the Premier League, let alone the Championship and further down the pyramid, have a defensive midfielder of the calibre we expect? I think it is possible to have a system not relying on that and in fact I think it is crucial that find it because most teams in our league have managed. Personally I simply think that four years now our defenders have not been good enough, and the positional sense and defensive work of our midfielders in general is poor and that is a bigger issue than focusing solely on the fabled DM.

I agree with Camcan. This has felt like the edge of a cliff since the moment we saw the new signings and the style of play under Farke in the last Premier League season, then failed to fix it at the time when it was possible under Smith and now it is too late. Rebuild needed. Too much baggage now obtained with the existing squad.

Posted By: Legacy Fan, Feb 12, 12:04:15