nogs

So what were you saying the year Moyes finished 17th?

What I can't for the life of me understand is Silva is trying different combinations and personnel all over the pitch now - except central defence. Its like Koeman insisting on playing Gana and Schneiderlin week in, week out. Keane and Zouma doesn't work, do something else.

And I think I have been pretty clear too - in my opinion, from watching football for 30 plus years, it takes most managers longer than 7 months to have a genuine impact on a club. I think I have also been pretty clear that I don't agree with your view that the signings made last summer are so outstanding that our failure to be 7th in the league is all Silva's fault. Players, like managers, take time to bed into a team. Two of those singing have not yet even held down starting places. Two of the others have been inconsistent. I don't rate one of the other two. I also don't think those 6 signings were enough to put right the imbalance, the lack of depth and the lack of quality in key positions that were obvious last May and are still obvious now. In short, given all of the above, I am not in any way surprised by how things have gone this season. Which part of any of that are you struggling to understand?

Pete - why can't you just accept people don't agree with you on some things? You're now telling me what I do and don't think ffs!

No I'd do neither you numpty. I'd give them time to get used to the Premier League (in a Digne, Bernard and Mina's case), I'd say thanks very much when his loan was over in Zouma's case and find someone better, and I'd give Silva time to see what he can do with a squad that was quite frankly a mess 7 MONTHS ago. You're not getting this patience thing are you??

I've given up tbh if he wants to see our signings last summer as 'massive improvements' to justify his view Silva should be sacked for mishandling them, let him.

We've been here before Pete. The bar you set for 'big improvements' is clearly lower than mine. Three of them have done OK but are inconsistent, Digne the least so. Zouma imo is not good enough. Would all four walk into the Wolves, Leicester, West Ham, Bournemouth and Watford teams? I don't think so.

But what about the teams above us, like Wolves and Watford? Or the team we're above on goal difference only, Bournemouth? Or even the teams we're just a point ahead of having played a game more? It's almost touching how much you cling to this 'massive upgrade' bollocks.

Whatever the reasons are, we are not where we were 5 years ago. And we won't overtake Wolves to finish 7th, just like we couldn't catch Burnley last year.

At the moment, it's absolutely ambition rather than reality. We've lost ground on where we were 5 years ago.

I don't necessarily disagree. I never really got the at-all-costs pursuit of Silva. But what I will say is this - if we come to the conclusion that yet another manager is shit and has to be sacked, then I'm going to find it very hard not to conclude that our owner is an absolute muppet who hasn't got a clue what he's doing. And I don't want to face that possibility just yet because that could end in some bad, bad places.

But when some of the players haven't performed great under two, three, even four managers, it makes sense to start questioning whether they might not be the problem.

Where the fuck do you start... From where I'm sat we're a big standard midtable squad. As Bailey says, we can't even put out a first XI of genuine top 10 Premiership players. It's the kind of squad which, if things started to slide, you could easily see us getting dragged into a relegation battle. I'd be gutted if we only make one or two signings in the summer. But I also understand another summer of huge upheaval would be dangerous, and besides, there doesn't seem to be any more cash forthcoming. I think Brands first job will be clearing all the crap on loan, trying to recoup what he can for the likes of Schneiderlin and Bolasie and getting them off the wage bill. I think we have to focus on the spine of the team. Kenny deserves a chance at RB and can at least do a job until Jan or summer 2020. We're overloaded with wingers/forwards without having a main striker, especially if Vlasic gets rehabilitated and we finally sort Onyekuru's visa. So I'd be looking: CB: Pass on Zouma and go all out for a real leader in there, potential captain material. I don't like Keane and Mina could yet prove another huge mistake, but I think with a proper organiser and Holgate/one of the U23 CBs who are getting good reviews as back up we'd see an improvement. CM: I'd take up the Gomes option as I do think he's a very good footballer, just been inconsistent. I like him but I'd take the PSG money for Gana if it's still there, then reinvest it into more of an all rounder, someone physical and mobile who can still pass. Ideally I'd sign a third CM as I think we're really weak there but I doubt there'd be money for that. CF: Well that's the easiest one, we just need a proper goalscorer. I still think DCL is good enough as back up, but I'd sell Tosun and reinvest in a cheaper, younger prospect. If money was an issue I'd consider selling Walcott to fund the above. I also think the elephant in the room is Sigurdsson, he's too much of a luxury player for our needs right now and doesn't seem to fit any system other than the old fashioned 4-4-2 Iceland play (OK he did well at Swansea too but they built a team around letting him play). If we could get £30m+ for him from Germany or somewhere I'd consider selling. But that's maybe one for a future transfer window. Realistically, I don't see the full turn around of this squad to be complete until August 2020.

Managers cannot control what players actually do on the pitch. They can coach them, explain tactics to them to get them playing together in a certain way, motivate them and so on. But when it comes to a ball being flung into the box, a manager can't do anything about a player not tracking a runner, or being a split second too late in their decision making, or not fancying getting an arm in the face from the big centre half with a run on them. And so what if 50% of the defence and midfield were Silva signings? (it was only two v Wolves actually). That doesn't stop the players we saw being shite last season not being good enough, and imo Zouma was a bit of a last gasp stop gap because Silva and Brands had nowhere near long enough to make the changes to the squad that are really needed. But I get it Palf, your agenda is Silva out and you believe a new man at the helm will result in some miraculous up turn in fortunes. I'll be gutted if this same set of players are turning out for us in a year's time, whoever the manager is.

And while you could argue it's up to the manager to fire players enough to do put their head where it hurts, that only goes so far. Some players just aren't up for it.

Every successful team is built on a sound defence,” Unsworth said . Hope Marco is reading!!

Here here. Which is why I find it amazing that Keane and Zouma come in for less criticism than certain players. Regardless of where people stand on set pieces, neither have the courage, desire or concentration to dominate the centre of the box in the air.

We have far bigger problems than a 20 year old who should really only be playing off the bench at this stage of his career.

And we kept conceding 3 or 4 and finished 11th twice. I for one stopped being able to enjoy the attacking decide because we were so awful at the back.

He's not good enough. I'm not going to revert to the Pete0 school of dedicating my life to proving it to everyone else but I've never been convinced by him, his reading of the game and concentration are suspect for me and you can't affird that in a CB at the top level.

I don't at all advocate reverting to Allardyce type football but if we were switched on and professional about our defending, we go in one nil up today. Then you have a platform to win games. Yes we're not great up top and yes we need more creativity in midfield, but we could add those things with the current defence and still come unstuck. Coleman is finished and I don't care what anyone says, Keane and Zouma just do not cut it. If Mina is another £25m fuck up, then why not give Feeney and / or that lad we signed from Newcastle a chance with Kenny at RB. We probably wouldn't concede any less as the Premier League is a tough, tough place to learn your trade, but they might just rise to the challenge.

Enough of this shite, I'm off to watch England cheer me up in the Test match...

We need three quarters of a back four. Digne can stay, rest can fuck off. Don't care how bad Silva is setting them up, do you think you'd have ever seen Martin Keown allow forwards such an easy time whatever the coaches were telling him? Defending is all about mentality, preferably with the physical attributes to back it up. Our centre backs and sadly now Coleman lack the former.

Get in woken up at last!

Confirmation of what we should have known so far, the team that won the Championship last year is a far better side than us.