[Salopbaggie]

So someone is suffering from delusions!!!!

Is it some of my fellow posters and the press, who thought we were awful last night, lets remember, with respect, against a division one side? or is it TP who says about the game "its been very entertaining for the supporters". Does this sum up TP?  If he felt the game was very entertaining for the supporter, I would hate to see what he thought a boring game was. Sad to say I think the Port Vale fans summed it up with one of their songs last night “Premier League you’re having a laugh”.

I firmly believe a lot of our problems over the past two or three years come purely down to transfers and our inability to act early enough in the transfer windows, instead opting to wait for the fire sale at the end of the window and hoping the players we are interested in are still available, which they usual are not, as they have been snapped up by our rivals and we have to make do with whoever is available, usually the players no one else wants.

Our apparent inability to sign players for the positions that are so obviously needed,  it seems to everyone, except the people that matter, is mind boggling.

Now I am not advocating spending what we do not have, but while other clubs are signing players in which we have an interest on frees and for relatively little money, just what is going on?  Lack of ambition or just do enough to get next years bumper pay out?  It is not about the amount that is spent, rather the players it is spent on.

[Slick_Footwork]

Didn't go up last night, frankly can't afford to spend hard earned money on watching boring dross.

Seeing the line up, the poor performance doesn't surprise me. 4-4-2 with our personnel simply doesn't work - big holes between the lines which results in hoof ball football and players being isolated.

After Sunday, I was hoping we'd revert to 4-5-1 on a regular basis. After all, that was the first time we've looked like scoring a goal and with Berahino inevitably going, we don't need to 'force' a particular formation on the team to accommodate our best players together. However, despite that, looks like we're back to the same rigid formation last night.

Pulis did a great job of keeping us up last year, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to back him with the poor football and poor signings. James Mclean brings absolutely nothing and struggles to string a 10 yard pass together - so what chance of you got of him creating opportunities? James Chester to play at full back, despite the fact he's played most of his football in a back 3. I can't help thinking TP is a bit deluded with cash if he thinks we're big enough to spend £8m on a squad player.

Just hope the rest of the signings, which hopefully come, are definitely players who will improve our first XI in the positions that we need.

[devwakey]

I thought our performance against Chelsea showed a real positive attitude and desire to create chances and push forward.

15 attempts on goal is very creditable and a missed penalty could have made for a different game altogether.

[wba_1996]

I thought our performance against Chelsea showed a real positive attitude and desire to create chances and push forward.

15 attempts on goal is very creditable and a missed penalty could have made for a different game altogether.

I agree we were much better going forward against Chelsea, mainly due to scrapping the outdated 442 and going for a 451. But we were playing against 10 men, and they still could have had 6 or 7 goals if they finished their chances.

Our season hinges on what we do in the window over the next 6 days and, if I am honest, we don't complete deals anywhere near quick enough to get in everyone we need.

[BaggyBomber]

BaggyBomber, I did go to the game against Chelsea. I don't think it was that different. Endless aimless long balls fired up from Olsson which Chelsea dealt with easily for the most part. We only put them under any sort of pressure after they'd got a man sent off. We also looked incredibly vulnerable defensively so what was the point of our lack of attacking ambition? 

We watched different games on Sunday, obviously.

[Zinman]

For once, I actually agree with Tony Pulis in that last night was very entertaining......I haven't laughed so much for ages (well, it was either laugh or cry at the sheer ineptitude of most of the palyers and officials on view). Best comment of the night was from someone sitting near me early in the second half "Lambert's really up for it this half, you can tell by the way he's walking quicker".

[betterthanbaird]

People keep saying about the ten men for Chelsea but we scored One and missed a penalty before the sending off.

I think we'll continue with 5 in midfield for the league games but he wanted to play ideye and lambert yesterday.

I think a lot of the reasons people are so annoyed with the club beyond the obvious issue with the style of football is that some problems don't seem to change with new managers and we don't know why.

Some players seem to be ignored and frozen out. Others are played out of position or stay in the team longer than any of us can understand. We still excel at throwing away leads and some problems in the team just build up for years without being solved although we finally have added pace on the wings.

We're moving in the right direction on some problems, i think the average signing this summer will be much better than those last time but we aren't progressing on everything.

[Salopbaggie]

I think a lot of the reasons people are so annoyed with the club beyond the obvious issue with the style of football is that some problems don't seem to change with new managers and we don't know why.

As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in "The Sign of Four"

"Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth"

Well we have changed most of the players, all of the coaching staff, all of the senior recruitment team and a lot of the senior management.

Which one remains?

Not having a dig or moaning about a person who has kept us in the black and on the straight and narrow, just trying to give a possible answer to the question.

[aries22]

Our season hinges on what we do in the window over the next 6 days and, if I am honest, we don't complete deals anywhere near quick enough to get in everyone we need.

Although we don't know what goes on behind the scenes at any football club, I agree with you on this.

[Squirrel Regis]

Is it fair to say the targets we are going for have other irons in the fire ?
Jonny Evans for example is linked to Everton, so if Stones goes to Chelsea he may go to Everton but if Stones stays then he comes to us ?
Same might be true about Fazio ?
It's like a game of poker and you gotta keep calm right up to the deadline.
If 3 or 4 further players sign including LB, RB, CB and a couple in MF including a playmaker and left wing that would do me.