TRon

The Birmingham game will be massive. It's quite conceivable we could get nothing, but it's equally conceivable we could get all three points if we are set up right. We must get the planning right for that game, because we have the better players to get the result.

Fair enough, but if we rate him, it might have made sense to get him in in January. He would have added another option for the sake of a couple of million.

I'll discuss it if we go down. Until then it's a moot point. Whether we go down or not from this point on will have very little to do with what Ashley & Mort do now. That is in the hands of the manager, the players, and the other teams in the scrap. It is the decisions they have already made which have put us in the position where relegation is a distinct possibility. It's like saying it's okay to drink drive if you don't kill anyone. The decisions at the start of the season were cautious, which was understandable if frustrating for us as supporters. The decisions in January were high risk, showed a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the situation, and are deserving of criticism whatever the outcome. Keegan had 9 days to try and sign players in the transfer window. importantly, players that he wanted. At that point relegation was not on the radar and the decision was made to wait till the summer to get genuine targets which was sensible what we are seeing now is people coming out of the woodwork armed with a shitload of hindsight, now that we have failed to pick up points.

Yes. So what are we supposed to be discussing? That Ashley is a t*** or a hero? Or both at the same time maybe? That he has to be responsible for the consequences of his decisions. No idea if he's a twat or not tbh. Everyone is responsible for their decisions. The board made theirs, whether they were right ones is a matter of opinion and the consequences are yet to be determined so we'll see who was right and who was wrong.

With us playing Spurs, Hammers, Toffees and Pompey and Liverpool away and then Chelsea at home, I think it's fair to say we have 6 nailed on defeats to.. West Ham are woeful at the minute. It's not beyond the realms we could go there and win.

Yes. So what are we supposed to be discussing? That Ashley is a twat or a hero? Or both at the same time maybe?

If we don't go down, Ashley spends millions, his chosen manager buys fantastic players and we charge up the Premier next season it will be all credit to Ashley and Mort. Discuss.

Makes you wonder why we made an offer in the first place then?

I'll discuss it if we go down. Until then it's a moot point.

The Giles Barnes deal was the only one I couldn't understand. If we wanted him we should have pushed it through. If he wasn't worth it, we shouldn't have been in for him in the first place.

Unfortunately Smith will probably play there instead.

The sickening thing is, it would be a miracle and euphoria if we got a point. Yet we chucked that same point away yesterday when it was in the bag against Blackburn just down to negligence. Criminal.

I'd agree that the spirit in the side looked good. Where the pressure told a bit was the finer points of decision-making - players taking another touch instead of hitting the ball first time (eg Duff), and then at the end, throwing everyone forward when a draw would have been better than nothing. You quote Duff there - he's a prime example of what this thread is about. An attacking player with no end product, and also looks the type to fail under pressure. His early corner-taking was woeful as well, failing to clear the first man on all three occasions. Zog should be starting ahead of him if only on the basis we know he can score goals when played further forward.

Read the first post again.

Read my sig, and for the next few weeks live by it. We will decide our future, no one else.

I'm not particularly an Owen fan btw. But the idea that Owen can't score with his feet any more because he's missed a few is laughable. I know a natural finisher when I see one and Owen has always been one. Whatever else he has lost from his game he hasn't lost that.

Like yesterday? No one is guaranteed to score in every match. He won't get three better chances than he had yesterday. He's finished. Quicker everyone accepts it, the quicker we can get shot and move on. He's not the player he was I agree, but he'll still get us crucial goals this season IMO.

Like yesterday? No one is guaranteed to score in every match.

Owen scores in big games when the heat is on. I think he could play a crucial role in the relegation head to head games.

I think that's true, for a start we don't have players capable of sitting back and defending for 90 mins. Which brings us back to the point of the thread. If we ARE going to play attacking football then we need to give our lads the artillery to do it. Smith out, Martins in for a start. Zog in and Duff out would also increase our firepower IMO.

1. Which of our midfielders are capable of smothering anyone?? if there's 5 of them it means less distance between them which should make passing a bit easier. In theory.

speak of the devil

Just makes me laugh reading through these threads tonight, seeing people calling KK a cunt for playing Smith and saying he should 'fuk' off. Anyone who watched us batter Blackburn led by the supposed up and coming Mark Hughes shouldn't have failed to be moved. These are players low on confidence who don't know where their next win is coming from, yet they went at Blackburn all guns blazing, even if the sights were off. Testament to KK's motivational skills. Just imagine what he could do with real quality players to work with.

Drop Smith and go 4-5-1. Two benefits: 1. Stifle the scouse midfield. 2. No Smith should improve the passing. Losing a non-scoring forward won't give us any less goal threat.

If anything I'm more encouraged and enthusiastic about attacking football than I have been in a long time after watching us pen back Blackburn for 90 minutes yesterday. I posted this yesterday when I was seriously down after another awful result. I have real concerns about attacking all out as if you don't have goalscorers, you leave yourselves open to be countered and picked off by better teams. I would seriously consider going 4-5-1 next week to make it harder for Liverpool instead of handing them the points. At least against the quality teams we should cut our cloth accordilngly. Against the struggling teams we have to go at them. Just reflecting again on yesterday's game if things were going our way, that could have been one of our best performances of the season. I don't agree with some of the team selections but the players gave it everything and deserved better.