The where did it all go wrong debate

For me its been 3 successive summer transfer dealings.
The start of the prem season was a disaster. Getting rid of Malky for Doherty, not buying Crouch...I still can't believe a football team with pretensions of staying up would play Charlton and Flem as a centre back pairing with the Doc as a targetman. Truly, stupefying....

We should still have walked the league last year with Huckerby, Safri, Ashton, Green and Shackell in the side, trouble is Francis and Holt were sold and the replacements (Jarrett!!)weren't even pathetic. We effectivley were playing 4-1-5 for most of last years and if Safs was away or injured that midfield became a 0. I think there was one game where we had a midfield of Huckerby, McVeigh, Brennan and Charlton !!
Worthy realised the midfield was the problem laughably late and bought in Etuhu and Robinson which obviously answered everyone's prayers.....

To last summer where with the squad needing a complete overhaul we bought...........Lee Croft.

No one point but a steady record of catestrophic incompetence over 3 years.

The defence isn't great at the moment although when DD plays instead of Doc we're pretty good. The problem is still the midfield. To go against opinion on this board but Hucks IS NOT a left winger and when he plays there we lose. We have to play him there now because him and Earnie up front looks a bit lightweight for this league but we end conceding too many goals. with him there. The rest of the midfield is better than it was but still in need of improvements. Dickson "1 game in 5" Etuhu needs to get consistant or get out. Safs needs a bit more consistancy too and Croft has been solid at best, I'm hoping for better from Chadwick. It still means that on off days our midfield is totally porous and offers no protection for the defence.

Ipswich was the worst example of this. Everytime we lost the ball in their box they ran unchallenged all the way to our box, and when I say unchallenged I mean noone even slowed them down let alone tackled them. Given this its no wonder we leak goals.

I think Earnie is the best striker we've had in years but if hes sold its not the end of the world. My fear is if he stays Hucks will go back to the left and we're going to end up being a poor side again. I don't think its a coincidence that our form improved when Hucks went up front and dipped again when he went back to the wing.

Anyway interesting times.

Posted By: matgore, Apr 10, 13:56:28