(03-11-2014, 08:52)Ska Wrote: Seems a bit of a drastic conclusion to me. Not sure what kind of improvements you're looking for in the players, but in some matches this season - notably against Man Utd - we were passing the ball around better than we have in years, and scored two cracking goals. If only we could have done the same when we played them back in March, rather than rolling over to a 3-0 defeat! This, to me, is improvement.
It can't be stated enough that in four of the last five seasons, the team who finished 17th one year were relegated the next. Sunderland bucked that trend last season, but they're right back down there again now. In contrast, at the moment we're about where you'd expect us to be in an average season (as opposed to a season where we've made wholesale changes over the summer and are dealing with the fallout of eighteen shambolic months on and off the pitch), and though that could all change very quickly, for now it's a decent position. Gutting to be out of the League Cup, but the team that night should have been good enough to win. All in all, if we can avoid the nightmare of last season and regain some stability, then that's me happy.
Yeh, agree totally Ska'd.
MIDFIELD
IMO the midfield - who many people are criticising before the kick off - are passing and moving really well, better than ever. This MUST be, at least partly, down to AI as apart from Gardner they have been here for years.
Just because we have a new set of (perhaps) more exciting players waiting, doesn't mean they are going to gel or even hit it off in the PL. The grass isn't ALWAYS greener!
DEFENCE.
Well, the difference with this for me is that I'm no longer squirming every time the opposition gets into the final third, as I have been for the last few years; IMO we look much more solid and organised. Any AI infuence there?
FORWARDS
Whether Saido would've improved quite so much without AI we'll never know - but as we don't really like AI let's not give him any credit for this either
GENERALLY, surely we can all appreciate how difficult the first 10-15 games would be for AI - new job, a fairly negative reception, and, most importantly 11 or so new players to integrate into the squad. ELEVEN!! In truth, with all that going on it's a miracle we're not where Burnley are, so I, for one, believe that he IS doing a good job and there IS already improvement - which in theory should only increase in the coming months.
SO THERE!
