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Dropping into the bottom three


The Prophet

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With our up and coming home games there's a massive chance we will fall into the bottom three. Not only will it be interesting to pick up the paper and read about an increased suicide rate stemming from the NO forum, but it will be a real test of character for our current crop of overpaid prima donnas.

 

It's unlikely but it would be a nice if it was to act like a shot in the arm, waking us up a little and allowing us to compete with the likes of the mighty Hull and Stoke. It would be cracking if we could actually turn a negative into a positive for a change.

 

The far more likely scenario is that the players not happy with the amount of sympathy they're currently getting from themselves will endeavour to seek more. Dropping into the bottom three is a massive negative and the players realising this might just all together give up.

 

More likely still is we'll continue to play the way we are, picking up the odd draw and the rare win.

 

Hughton's managerial genius makes me think the latter is the most likely scenario. If he really had anything about him he'd be at least attempting to turn the whole thing into a positive but knowing our players attitude it wouldn't be easy. For me we need to plan for the short term, with Kinnear's return looking like an absolute mille off we need someone who will take charge of the situation and Hughton is not that man, I hope for our own sake Llambias and the rest of his board room cronies realise this sooner rather than later.

 

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Interesting thread.

 

I agree with you, I don't see it affecting us a great deal either way on the pitch. It might just kick Ashley and friends up the arse though. They've got this idea in their heads that we're not really that bad. Well being in the relegation zone is about as bad as it gets.

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Have said before that I believe some of our first XI are merely marking time before the move on in the summer, relegation or not. It's a real mess, but has it been anything different with this club in the last couple of years?

 

This should serve as a warning (ala Leeds United) or what can happen when a club is ran by folk who know f**k all about football.

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It would seem the players are starting to give up. We will be in the bottom 3 by the time Kinnear returns, nothing will happen as thick Ashley will see Kinnear coming back as our saving grace. "Joe will sort us out" etc.

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It would seem the players are starting to give up. We will be in the bottom 3 by the time Kinnear returns, nothing will happen as thick Ashley will see Kinnear coming back as our saving grace. "Joe will sort us out" etc.

 

If Ashley didn't realise his policy of holding on for Joe risked relegation before, he does now. He looked like he was shitting bricks watching today's game.

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Have said before that I believe some of our first XI are merely marking time before the move on in the summer, relegation or not. It's a real mess, but has it been anything different with this club in the last couple of years?

 

This should serve as a warning (ala Leeds United) or what can happen when a club is ran by folk who know f**k all about football.

 

I think the Leeds situation is different to ours, Leeds' collapse was more to do with business and Risdale gambling the club's future. Financially Ashley has made us more stable. You make an interesting point about the players, relegation would obviously mean a clearout, but if we stay up (I think we will) then there has to be a permanent decision at manager (quicktime) and an evaluation of every player. There is a lot of deadwood at this football club that needs shifting.

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It would seem the players are starting to give up. We will be in the bottom 3 by the time Kinnear returns, nothing will happen as thick Ashley will see Kinnear coming back as our saving grace. "Joe will sort us out" etc.

 

If Ashley didn't realise his policy of holding on for Joe risked relegation before, he does now. He looked like he was shitting bricks watching today's game.

 

He certainly didnt look happy, but again Kinnear isnt in the dug out. I truly believe Mike thinks that when Kinnear returns we will be fine. He probably thinks the games between now and Kinnear coming back arnt winnable anyway.

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Us falling into the bottom 3 probably gives the other teams around us a little jolt in confidence as well. They will all know that if they put the SJP crowd on edge in home games, the tensions will be there for all to feel.

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Have said before that I believe some of our first XI are merely marking time before the move on in the summer, relegation or not. It's a real mess, but has it been anything different with this club in the last couple of years?

 

This should serve as a warning (ala Leeds United) or what can happen when a club is ran by folk who know f**k all about football.

 

Totally agree. And, tbh, who could blame them? The club is a complete farce atm and quite an unattractive prospect for players and managers.

 

Some players arent pulling their weight, though.

 

If you think about it though, we've got a bit of experience with players facing relegation battles. You've got Viduka and Smith who both suffered at Leeds, then you've got Nicky Butt who went down with Birmingham, Harper (who although hasnt played in any has been around long enough to know what it takes), Ryan Taylor who stayed up on the last day of the season with Wigan, and Kevin Nolan who avoided the drop with Bolton by the skin of his teeth.

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Have said before that I believe some of our first XI are merely marking time before the move on in the summer, relegation or not. It's a real mess, but has it been anything different with this club in the last couple of years?

 

This should serve as a warning (ala Leeds United) or what can happen when a club is ran by folk who know f**k all about football.

 

Totally agree. And, tbh, who could blame them? The club is a complete farce atm and quite an unattractive prospect for players and managers.

 

Some players arent pulling their weight, though.

 

If you think about it though, we've got a bit of experience with players facing relegation battles. You've got Viduka and Smith who both suffered at Leeds, then you've got Nicky Butt who went down with Birmingham, Harper (who although hasnt played in any has been around long enough to know what it takes), Ryan Taylor who stayed up on the last day of the season with Wigan, and Kevin Nolan who avoided the drop with Bolton by the skin of his teeth.

 

That's not a good thing.

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The team lacks confidence and it lacks spark.

 

It'll just get worse with each defeat and is a downward spiral.

 

New manager is a solution but unlikely to happen.

 

New signings are out of the question, and an injured player coming back is just swapping like for like.

 

I'd like to see a couple of young players come into the team, freshen things up and maybe light the crowd up with a bit of optimism. Krul, Carroll and LuaLua would be the obvious candidates.

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No doubt that there are experienced pros who are choosing to go missing at the moment and have been doing so for a while. We've got the 5th highest wage bill in The Premiership, and look what it's got us. We should rename ourselves to 'Hasbeens United' and regardless of what happens, this club should stop becoming an easy pay day for players who are past their best, or spend more time on the treatment table then they do playing. Viduka, Smith, Owen, Geremi in particular as well as the feckless Ameobi. Butt has plenty of effort, but he's just not at the races anymore.

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Have said before that I believe some of our first XI are merely marking time before the move on in the summer, relegation or not. It's a real mess, but has it been anything different with this club in the last couple of years?

 

This should serve as a warning (ala Leeds United) or what can happen when a club is ran by folk who know f**k all about football.

 

Totally agree. And, tbh, who could blame them? The club is a complete farce atm and quite an unattractive prospect for players and managers.

 

Some players arent pulling their weight, though.

 

If you think about it though, we've got a bit of experience with players facing relegation battles. You've got Viduka and Smith who both suffered at Leeds, then you've got Nicky Butt who went down with Birmingham, Harper (who although hasnt played in any has been around long enough to know what it takes), Ryan Taylor who stayed up on the last day of the season with Wigan, and Kevin Nolan who avoided the drop with Bolton by the skin of his teeth.

 

That's not a good thing.

 

Why?

 

Would you want a team full of inexperienced players who are in the deep end an just cant perform under the mental strains of a relegation dogfight, or would you want experienced, steady-eddy type players who keep calm and grind results out? I know which one I'd have and on paper we have later, but on the pitch it looks like we have the former...

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with hughton in charge i can only see it having an adverse effect on the players and their confidence. i just can't imagine him marshalling the troops for battle when they know they need to do that bit extra than the other sides to lift out of the relegation spots.

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That's not a good thing.

 

Why?

 

Because you've just described 3 players who have been relegated before and 2 that were lucky to stay up :lol:

 

:laugh:

 

OK, I get what you mean, but their (bar Smith) all good players. Good, experienced players who should have the bollocks to stand up and be counted.

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I think there has been complacency shown by the club recently that we would not be relegated.  Let's hope today has given them all a kick up the backside.

 

We may have winnable games on paper in a few weeks time but if we have been thrashed a few times before then and other teams pick up (stoke for example have more fight in them than our lot do), morale may be rock bottom by that time.  We have to pick up the odd point from these tough home games and win at Hull to give ourselves a chance.

 

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Stoke will stay up.  Have you seen there run in compared to ours?  The only hope is that West Brom remain shit and Hull continue to drop like they are.

 

Blackburn are now looking decent though so that leaves one other.  I think its between us Boro and Pompey for the last spot.

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Stoke's run in is very comfortable, they have a lot of winnable games, at home they are pretty damn good, away they have been awful. They have two of the easier trips to make in the prem, so there's a real chance that they can improve that terrible away record of theirs.

 

Our next few homes games are awful, but we have 3 very winnable games towards the end of the season at home. Away I can only see us picking up a point or 2 more at best. We are not too good at winning "winnable games", so I'm going to 6 more points total for the season. I doubt 34 pts will be enough to stay up.

 

I still think we are screwed, unless things change drastically but on and off the field. Those reductions in season ticket prices may not seem a good deal after all.

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Just looked at the table, never realised the clubs immediately around us all have a game in hand atm. Dire.

 

Also noticed we're the only club to have come away from OT with a point so far this season. (Course, that was under a different manager way back then.)  ;)

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Just looked at the table, never realised the clubs immediately around us all have a game in hand atm. Dire.

 

Also noticed we're the only club to have come away from OT with a point so far this season. (Course, that was under a different manager way back then.)  ;)

 

Reading drew on the opening day of last season at Man Utd as well.

 

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Guest BooBoo

Under Hughton's feckless and passionless stewardship, relegation is staring at us in the mush. It'll be oh so ironic if Kinnear's absence (of all things) costs us. At least he would offer a bit of blood and thunder in the dressing room. Hughton is as insipid as they come.

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One thing is clear, we all need to stand firm and together over this.  We have 11 games to save our premiership status.  That means everyone needs to be doing all they can to make results happen.

 

Whilst we cannot control what goes on behind the scenes, or to an extent on the field, we can still support the team.

 

Now is not the time to be worrying about how big the transfer budget is in the summer or the motives of the NUSC, but more about getting the results we need to be safe.

 

Whilst on paper we are starring at 3 pointless home games, they really do not get much bigger than the next three home games. 

 

Time to give the team monumental support (and the management) and fight for every point we can.

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