ivor_the_injun wrote:Some good points Peewee, but a manager can only do so much.
Rafa could send a team out with the best tactics in the world, but if the players can't string passes together between one another, I can't help but think some of this anger and blame is misplaced.
Players throughout the team are underperforming. That's the crux of the problem.
I am absolutely adamant that the team Rafa put out could and should have been good enough to beat Birmingham. Let's face it, Babel and Voronin aside it's much the same group of players that started for us in the majority of games towards the end of last season.
of course mate, i agree to a point that the players have to share some of the blame, its not really rafas fault that kuyt can not trap a ball or hit the target consistently, but then its rafas fault for playing him regularly when he isn't good enough, its rafas fault for playing babel out of position even though its not rafas fault when he mis controls the ball or runs down a blind alley.
so although the players do have take responsibility, we also have to remember that the players are playing under instructions as to tactics employed, they can't be responsible for tactics, only their own shortcomings about control or playing the wrong pass etc.
sadly every player can not do 100% of the things they do during a game correctly, just as rafa can not get it right 100% of the time.
but for me, if i put my hand in the fire and it burns i never do it again, i don't keep doing it for 3 years in the hope that one day it will stop burning, we learn from our mistakes mate and 3 years is a hell of a long time to still not realise that something that works elsewhere is not working here, its like wasting 3 years trying to fit a square peg in a round hole when most people would have given up and got a round peg and used that every time.
wow so many analogies
i agree the team we put out should have been enough to beat both pompey and birmingham but sadly it wasn't good enough, we played a weakened team and paid the penalty and dropped 4 points.
i know people will say we are unbeaten and only conceded penalties blah blah blah but 38 draws a season means f*ck all at the end of the day, its 38 points.
there is a massive difference between 1 point and 3 and we shouldn't be settling for 1 as thats not going to win us the title. i know we had an early start after the internationals etc and i am sure it must affect the players routine a little, but thats all the more reason to make sure we are at full strength for these games and not saying "oh well, we had an early start after an international so its ok"
i do feel we have the squad to win the league, but not being able to get a winning result against birmingham said to me that we will not win the league
Grrrrrrrrrrr its monday and I still havent calmed down 
