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+----- Thread: On Reflection (/showthread.php?tid=6869)
On Reflection - talkSAFT - 24-05-2018
I wonder how we'd have done this Season with a fully fit:-
a) James Morrison. I seriously think he's the linkman we never had. (Assuming Pulis/Partridge had played him in his best role).
b) Chadli. I can't even remember if he was that good last year, but he'd have been a better option than Barry/Liversalts/Pole at trying to create something in the other half of the pitch.
c) McCauley. He was consistently our best player (arguably) for about 3 years, and although Evans/Hegazi, then Dawson were pretty good at the back, they weren't as impenetrable as when Gareth was talking to them. I know he's 38, and his time had to end soon, but people weren't saying that a year ago, before he got injured.
Easy enough to come up with excuses, but if we'd been able to play those 3 in about October we probably wouldn't have gone into freefall. Every Club has their fair share of long-term injuries to key players, but I think we were a bit unlucky losing the 3 of them.
Any more "on reflections"?
RE: On Reflection - Alouion - 24-05-2018
My principal reflection is that we lost 26 points from winning positions which was much the worst in the division. You can only blame the managers so much before you get to the players' shortcomings.
I agree very much, Talksaft (you should change your name!) that MacAuley was a big miss. Our defence looked much less solid without him. I think MacAuley made Evans look a better player than he was, last season and I won't be sorry to see the back of him. However age catches up with us all and Gary is no exception.
I also believe the board were totally useless. In not acting against the bloody useless Pardew sooner they cost us our place in the league. I can't believe he left rather than was sacked after his performance.
Had he been kicked out just a couple of games sooner, we may well have been playing Wolves next season.
RE: On Reflection - Slick_Footwork - 24-05-2018
McAuley was fully fit for most of the season, was just out of favour. To be honest, on the occasions he did play, such as Chelsea at home, he didn't cover himself with glory. The reality is, at 38, his timing just wasn't up to it at Premier League level anymore.
It pains me to say that, because for me he's the best out and out defender I've seen in the club in my lifetime.
The problem is that he wasn't replaced with sufficient quality. With McAuley in the side, we rarely looked like conceding anything in the air as he was probably the best aerial defender in the division. Hegazi was brought in as his replacement and is good in the air, but not at McAuley's level. When you look at some of the points lost from winning positions - Newcastle and Watford at home, 2 games where we went from 2-0 to 2-2 - both equalisers were headed goals from set plays. Big Gaz in his prime would've made a huge difference, but unfortunately at his age, he was no longer the answer.
Failure to replace him also cost us goals scored too, as he was great in the air in both boxes.
Chadli, likewise, was fit for a lot of the first half of the season just out of favour with Pulis probably due to the Austria debacle. On the one occasion I remember him starting, Leicester away, he scored a free kick in a 2-2 draw but was dropped in the subsequent game. Ironically, after Pulis got the boot he then got injured when he probably would've played. He was a miss because he is without a shadow of a doubt our best footballer. But you have to blame the TP for not playing him when he was fit.
Mozza was a huge miss IMO. That said, he's never been a world beater and considering the amount of time that we have been in the Premier League and spent big on midfielders, the fact we're still reliant on him shows how poor the investment has been. He was a big miss, but wouldn't have been if we had invested better.
RE: On Reflection - talkSAFT - 25-05-2018
Thanks, Al & Slick.
GaryMac probably lost match fitness which, for over 32s (say), becomes increasingly difficult to get back.
I forgot to mention Yacob. I think his biggest hurdle was that Premier refs recognise him, because he's always in their face. He's got one of those "dirty foreigner faces*" and once he gets that yellow card he's got to behave himself.
(* Is that xenophobic?)