Don’t look now!

kimtoon

Well it’s fair to say that yesterday should be the final nail in Steve McClaren’s coffin. I think that has to be the single worst performance for a must win game I have ever seen. The day we got relegated we played with more heart than that and that’s saying something.

From the moment the team selection came out it had defeat and surrender written all over it. Quite why he started with Emmanuel Riviere – who has shown nothing to warrant a start – I will never understand. With him there was no chance. With the inconsistent Ayoze Perez (as Steve put it) there was at least that chance – and score he did. It was a beauty, set up with a class pass from Jon Jo Shelvey.

Apparently there is a meeting between Charnley and Ashley set for today. We can only hope common sense prevails and the nice but lost Grin Reaper that is Steve Mcclaren is hooked because quite simply, this cannot go on.

I was never Alan Pardew’s fan but he suffered the hate mob long before Steve McClaren has and whilst in a far better position too. Like Pardew and John Carver before him McClaren seems unable to get a decent tune out of the team. Even more worrying is a lot of the players didn’t even look interested yesterday with the exception of Shelvey, Steven Taylor, and Rob Elliot.

Credit though to Perez and Aleksander Mitrovic who tried to rescue us when they came on. That we are relying on two youngsters to pull us out the mire when we have experienced internationals not pulling their weight tells you how bad the malaise at the club is.

Shearer was spot on with his summary on last nights match of the day; ‘we are a shambles from top to bottom’. Mike Ashley simply must act and right now or we are down for sure. Don’t look now Mr Ashley, but relegation is staring you right in the face. Again.

Kimtoon

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215 thoughts on “Don’t look now!”

  1. Harry Redknapp till end of the season. It’s Ashley all over. That way he won’t have to keep him on if we go down and can start again with someone very cheap.

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  2. Well I cant believe Ashley will keep Schteve in the role. I expect him sacked by tomorrow afternooon latest. Cheers for the thread Kim 🙂

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  7. Cheers Kim, mistakes are inevitable when you’re banging out a quickie 😆

    Stuart…I’d take anyone at the moment even if only until the end of the season…and I mean anyone! 😕

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  8. I voted no Kim. Hall say’s booing the player’s isn’t going to help and we should support the team! Well I think that’s rich considering he sold the club to the worst possible owner. He couldn’t read the future I suppose but even he said he would sack McClaren. Ashley did put 70 million into transfer’s this season so I will give him some credit. Carr is vegetable and pays over the odds for the crapest fucking player’s on earth. Lee’s not a football man but even Troy could pick a better manager than McClaren.

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  9. We are in this mess because of Graham Carr. He picked the team for the past four fucking years. There simply not good enough. He really anger’s me and the poor manager’s are just victim’s. Pardew did well working under Carr’s conditions, he knew the bobble was going to burst and tucked, tailed and run. Carver tried but the player’s Carr’s buying are not good enough for this league. McClaren is also struggling with Carr’s signing’s and reasoned with the board to buy british. Carr has got us into this mess and so has McClaren. I’d fire them both.

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  13. I look at the situation the club is in and I understand when people blame Ashley, Carr and Charnley but I think the most important think to look at is the quality of managers/head coaches we have had under Ashley. We’ve never appointed a proven, top class manager. They are the most important people at any football club apart from the players of course and I genuinely do not believe the players we have are that bad. They’re certainly better than the likes of Bourenmouth, Watford, Palace, WBA and even Leicester to a degree, surely it’s time for the club to hand the most important job at the club to someone who has proven they can do it in the PL and give the players the best possible chance of success?

    It’s incredible when you think of Ashley’s whole modus operandi is to buy players, improve them and then sell them on at a profit why doesn’t he choose someone who will give him a better chance to improve them players and give him the best chance of a bigger profit?

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  14. Looking like Palace will be out of it too now…

    The saving grace we have is playing Norwich and Sunderland. If we can get 6 points in them games we will be ok I reckon. Big IF mind….

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  15. Well even until yesterday I thought we were just flirting with relegation and we would win enough home games to turn things around. Now I honestly think we are getting relegated for the second time in seven years under Ashley. The whole operation is rotten to the core and I do not think Moyes or anyone else will be able to turn it around in ten games. Once we lose to Sunderland for the SEVENTH time in a row, that’s it, we’re DOWN. I can’t believe that this is the truth and not a joke, how is Charnley clinging on? It beggars belief!!

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  16. Stuart mate, I think you underestimate Leicester’s players. They have Huth who I think has won 2 titles. Then Drinkwater was Man U youth, Vardy, Kante and Mehrez are very good players. I think Okazki has like 50 goals for Japan. Also, Ranieri has always been a very good Manager and has been very close to top honours throughout his career. That might happen this year as well, and they may have caught lightning in a bottle but they have some very good players.

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  17. If McClaren is such a great coach, why are we still not scoring from set pieces? The personnel have changed but we still don’t score.

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  18. But, Eric, I think we’ve got some good players too. We just have never had a better than average manager.

    We have Gini, Dutch player of the year. De Jong, ex Ajax captain. Sissoko, French International. Townsend and Shelvey, England Internationals. Janmaat, World Cup semi finalist for Holland. Cisse, proven PL goal scorer.

    These players need a better than average manager to lead them, that’s all in my opinion.

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  19. Totally agree with you Stuart that we are underachieving. I was only saying you were underestimating Leicester.

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  22. I think our players are totally confused as Schteve and the gang change their tune from week to week. It isn’t about setting up for a particular opponent either it is flailing about in the desperate hope that something from the coaching manual might actually work. Sometimes they even get lucky but I don’t see much of a gameplan when one week we are a pressing/possession team and then the next we set up strong at the back and counter-attack with no thought of who the opposition are and how THEY play.

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  25. Whatever the players say, I think they have tuned Schteve and his coaches out. I blame Blackie 🙂

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  26. I don’t think we can under estimate the fact that a lot of these players see us as a stepping stone. The bottom line is they have no affiliation to the club other than it paying their wages. No one can tell me those players were playing to their best ability yesterday, some were literally strolling back to defend or worse still, stood still. As much as Steve’s tactics and selections are wacko, some of them players should be ashamed. It’s the same as what Jose had to endure at Chelsea, if players want you gone they’ll do their best to do it. They no longer believe in him ,if they ever did, but where I ask is their professional pride and respect for the fans.

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  32. That’s two teams down to ten who have come back into a game one drawing and one winning. We can’t do it with 11 🙄 well done Saints and Pool

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  33. Kim, What Ashley should do is get every single player in a room and tell them that if we go down they will not be going anywhere. They will be staying playing Championship football and getting us back up. They’ll sharp change their tune then. At the minute they just think they’ll be sold if we go down so why are they bothered…?

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  34. You have to love Klopp though. He is such an infectious character (whereas Pards is an infectious disease).

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  35. We need to win three games just to catch Swansea and Palace. Villa have as much of a chance to catch us! Norwich will go down with us because of their difficult run in. The mackems will escape with nowhere near 40 points, 33-35 points may do it. They will beat us and one other team and get 3-4 draws, that will be enough. We will get less draws than them as we can not defend. This IS happening, wake up and smell the smelling salts, rub them deeply into your nostrils and take a deep breath. Boro are back in the top two of the championship, next season will be Sunderland and Boro in the Premier League. 😯

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  36. Stuart exactly what I said last week, tell them they are going nowhere regardless of what league we are in. It’s just a shame you can’t refuse to release the feckers for the Euros too!

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  37. Stu , I said the same thing on previous thread mate, that’s exactly what’s needed now. They have no worries as you say, the likes of Sissoko, Janmaat, Gini all know clubs will be in for them. No matter what the financial cost I would keep them all and make it crystal clear right now.

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  38. Richietoon: Sissoko is the only one of our underachievers going to The Euros.

    Townsend and Shelvey might and haven’t underachieved. Elliot will go and has been our best player. Dummett might and has played OK, up to his ability I would say. Holland didn’t qualify.

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  39. Stuart I wouldn’t say we have better player’s than Leicester. There not top of the league for nothing. Ranieri was available last year. We could have signed him but Carr wanted McClaren. Carr also get’s the final say on player’s, which most manager’s dont want. Why is he only scouting midfielder’s ? I don’t think much of Mareaux, Riviere, Carbella, Thauvin, Gouffran, Mitrovic, Saviet, Siem De Jong, Darlow or Lacelles for that matter. There not good players mate that’s a lot of dead wood and money waisted. We also have other weakness’s like Colocini is past it. Tiote want’s more money. Sissoko want’s a champions league club. The one’s that are happy here is the player’s like Obertan and Taylor, although I can’t blame Carr for that. A manager has a heck of a lot of **** to deal with. It’s not worth destroying your rep

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  40. Then there’s the injuries to deal with. If McClaren gets sacked Carr should go too. I’m sorry but his just as guilty as McClaren even more I would say mate.

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  41. Blimey, DJG, a tad negative that? I reckon we will do it if we appoint a manager with a proven track record in the PL. we have better players than Sunderland and Norwich and as I said, if we can muster wins in them two games we will stay up.

    Stick with McClaren and we’re doomed however.

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  42. I think Carr has made mistakes but I think the jury is out on Mitro and Saivet and I don’t think de Jong has ever been fit. Perhaps the club Dr failed to realise a collapsed lung was an ongoing issue 🙂 Wasn’t he just let go?

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  43. McClaren has to go. There is no doubt about it. I held off criticising him because I didn’t really want to be accused of being a merchant of doom after I laid into Pards and Ugly John so heavily.

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  45. I just feel sorry for the season ticket holders who have paid hundreds of pounds to sit there in the cold and watch what the players and McClaren served up yesterday. They should be ashamed of themselves. Most of them are millionaires and ‘star’ players. (If you believe that) Most of the Bournemouth team are British non-internationals, who have come up from League 1. There is no reason why our group of players couldn’t win yesterday, they just couldn’t be bothered. Bournemouth on the other hand, deserved their win and played well.

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  47. Stoke City are safe, Southampton are safe, Watford are safe, West Brom are safe, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Swansea City are nearly safe. What have we done in a previous life as a group of fans to deserve this? To be relegated below clubs like this. (with all due respect). 🙁

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  49. Eric…True, maybe I should have said internationals generally but I’d still argue that Shelvey has been as **** away as the rest of them, ditto Dummett and Janmaat et al, it’s about effort and fight as much as ability…Elliot would escape but then keepers don’t have to put in effort 😆

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  50. I still don’t get Troy’s Pardew. He has now presided over the worst run of form in Palace’s history and yet they will probably stay up and they battered us.

    I think it does tell you that the players can only believe in his patter for so long and then tune him out. Like Schteve? However, Schteve also started badly, I think we had 3 points after 8 games. Now we have gone on a similar run – 5 losses in 6.

    His win ratio is getting into Ugly John and Shearer territory.

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  51. I agree, Eric, it’s a bit of a joke that he’s not been sacked yet. Some say it’s because they don’t have the replacement lined up, but how hard can that be? Unless they’re not prepared to alter their stucture and therefore can’t get anybody to say yes to them. Or maybe Charnley doesn’t work Sunday’s… After all, our players don’t seem to work weekends either.

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  52. Psychs
    You’ve cut and pasted my post from months ago. My words after 10 games or so.

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  53. Richietoon: I would say Shelvey has been our best outfield player since he arrived. He tried too many long passes against Stoke but nobody played well.

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  54. A better coach, head coach or manager would have us on 44 points a season – 20 in McClaren’s case. Yes he needs to be sacked. We also need rid of a few midfielder’s to make way for a LB, CB and a experienced PL striker. No more midfielder’s please. Marveaux, Carbella, Thauvin and Gouffran should be enough.

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  55. Troy: did I? I said to sack him after about 8 games and then changed my mind. If you remember, I said I was about 60/40 to sack him in November but said I didn’t ALWAYS deal in absolutes like you do.

    I am am certain he should be sacked now though. That is an absolute 🙂

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  57. On your other point about Pardew. Give him time at Palace and he’ll go on a winning streak and have the fans cheering again.
    You made the same mistake when he was here.
    Carver and McLaren followed him and made a right hotch potch of things and looks like we are going to be relegated.

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  58. Maybe so, but it wasn’t his fault he was appointed. Why would he turn it down and why would he resign? There’s a bit of a character assassination in the article when all he’s doing is his job. The fact he’s not good enough does not make him a fraud or many other things you branded him.

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  59. Troysta: who should we get to replace McClaren now that Clark is taken? Be realistic for once and don’t say Pearce because that’s not going to happen.

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  60. Eric…That’s what I said, away from home he’s been **** like the rest of them 😉
    I agree he’s been our best outfield player but to be fair being our best outfield player is no indication of playing well 😆

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  61. Eric, how on earth can you say Stuart Pearce so happen given Ashley’s track record? Could you see Joe Kinnear, Alan Pardew or Steve McClaren?

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  63. Stuart: I live in hope. I didn’t expect 82 mil invested so maybe Ashley will finally realise that the Manager is the most important investment and stop being conned by Carr who has somehow taken control of the club after being an average scout and failed Manager.

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  64. Stuart79
    What makes you think we will beat Sunderland and Norwich? They were were outplayed at home by Bournemouth. (Who should have scored more) (It could have been 1-5)

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  65. I can’t remember if I ever said anything good about McClaren, I doubt it. The best I have seen said from almost everyone is “I didn’t want him but give the bloke a chance, you never know”. I think that was because of the belief that nobody could be worse than Carver. Schteve is testing that theory 🙂

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  66. DJG – As I said, if we stick with McClaren I don’t see us beating them. With a new manager, someone who knows what he’s doing and has a proven PL record then I think we will beat them. We have better l,Akers than them, we just need a manager to lead them.

    That said, I’m not convinced we will sack him and of we did, were as likely to appoint Nigel Pearson as we are anybody else.

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  67. I think that is what is going on as well – that Charnley is the finance guy and defers to Carr on football decisions. They have carved out their own little fiefdom and don’t want to appoint a strong personality as Manager because that would disrupt their world. Thus they appointed Steve and now we are all seeing the results of this power grab.

    We all know what should be done. Appoint a strong Manager now. Sack Charnley and Carr in the summer. I would say sack them now but you don’t really need too much disruption for the next 2 months.

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  68. Well I think the fact that it’s nearly 17:00 and he still hasn’t been sacked speaks volumes. Charnley is probably eating Sunday roast and Brussels sprouts round fat Mikes’ house.

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  69. DJG: I hope so as that would mean they are at least thinking about changing Manager.

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  70. Actually, I wouldn’t mind keeping Charnley as long as he is not MD and is only in charge of the finances. It is like Woodward at Man U who got promoted to dealing with football matters after running the financial side of it and has made a hash of it. There must be a different skill-set required.

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  71. He has conned his way through in and he has nothing to turn this situation around. He shouldn’t be a manager, he should stick to coaching. Conman is a word you use for someone pretending to be something he isn’t. Step forward McClown

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  73. I think you’ll find that an employee is exactly what his employer decides his/her title will be. They gave him the title ‘head coach’ so that’s what he is. Whether you think he’s a good ‘head coach’ is another matter altogether, but he is in fact that very thing a ‘head coach’ as decreed by his employers.

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  74. So Stuart: you are saying we don’t have a Manager and that is a problem?

    We have a finance guy – Charnley

    We have a de facto and self-appointed DoF – Carr.

    But, correct me if I am wrong, Carr is not running stuff day to day because he is not there, so it is left to a non-football-man, Charnley. So, in effect, McClaren takes care of the coaching and reports only to a non-football man on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the owner is on his yacht and the DoF is in Lyon or Amsterdam.

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  75. Carr was manager of Weymouth and Dartford so god know’s what manager he will pick next. He wasn’t in a job very long at that rate. Blackpool the biggest job his ever had and that was for one season. He use’s a scouting agency that hasn’t been very reliable of late. Still his the one making all the decision’s. He is a con man as well. He picked McClaren so god knows who we will end up with next. Probably the present manager of Weymouth.

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