01-10-2017, 19:15
(01-10-2017, 00:07)Slick_Footwork Wrote: When he was appointed, I wanted him. Reason being, under Irvine we had a really poor, aging squad and IMO we looked nailed on for relegation. We'd been flirting with it under Mel and Clarke in the previous 2 years and we needed someone who was good at getting the best out of a mediocre set of players. Pulis has done that time again time again.
And to be fair, I think since his appointment he's done a really good job.
You have to look at where we came to where we are. He took a squad which looked nailed on for relegation and in one transfer window turned us into a mid table side. Most of the rubbish players he inherited have been ousted to lower league or abroad and for best part, his transfers have been very decent.
However, now it's a different challenge...
It's no longer a case of just keeping us up. It's a case of pushing us on or if we're remaining mid table, at least improving our style of play. And this is where the problem arises, like we saw with Pulis at Stoke after they had become established - when he spends money on better players, his mindset remains the same as when he has mediocre players.
And that is why I'm starting to become frustrated.
We have a good squad and credit to TP for building that, I think he's recruited some very good players. BUT with this squad there's absolutely no reason why we're playing sides in the lower reaches, promoted sides, sides who barely survived last season and giving them so much respect. It's not good enough with this set of players.
I don't want him to be sacked as I think he deserves time with this squad to see what he can get out of them. Since Krychowiak arrived, Chaldi and Burke haven't been fit. Who knows, maybe TP will reintroduce Chadli with more legs to cover and we'll then start playing a bit more football...
Wouldn't hold my breath, but we'll see...
Plus we would get absolutely hammered in the media for sacking him after the job he's done for us.
So let's re-evaluate at the end of the season. At the moment I'm frustrated with the rubbish football and believe we could do more with this squad. But we have to be realistic and see that we've had 4 league games since signing Krychowiak, Gibbs and Burke and that really isn't enough time to see what TP can do with this squad. Had we not been robbed against Arsenal, things could be looking a lot more rosey than they are.
Should stay, to evaluate at the end of the season - unless we look like we're going to get relegated of course.
The post with the most sense spoken on here in the aftermath of the Watford game. St Charles Owl also very much spot on with what he has said.
Have voted no simply because it's far too early in the season to be swapping managers and I don't rate many of the currently available, out of work ones.
Personally out of all the managers currently I'd be tempted to bring in McInnes from Aberdeen. Had a rough time a Bristol City but I think he could make the step up now he's had more experience under his belt. Would be a decent successor to Pulis and to be honest, I could see Bournemouth, Swansea or another struggling club making an approach to Pulis in a bid to keep them up this season.
Had a good laugh yesterday though at one of our fans saying we should be in for Ancelotti on a football phone in. Absolutely deluded!