07-12-2014, 02:48
I suppose it depends what your yardstick is. Yes, I'll readily admit we've been far worse at times both this season and last season than we were today; this wasn't like Everton in September or Cardiff away last December. But at the same time, Hull were awful, and we were poor enough that we couldn't punish that at all. (To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if Hull fans were saying the same thing in reverse about us; it was just one of those games). The football is still tedious and toothless, and there are few if any signs of progress. I'd love to believe that we're on the first rung of a ladder and Irvine's taking us upward, but I just can't see the evidence for it right now.
At the moment, I'd love someone at the club to just come out and talk about a long-term plan. If this conservative approach at the moment is just laying the groundwork to build an expansive, attacking side around soon (as you could argue Hodgson's organisation allowed Clarke to deliver that fantastic autumn in 2012), then fair enough; I could get behind that. But it feels like we've taken a step back without any idea of how to take the next two steps forward.
At the moment, I'd love someone at the club to just come out and talk about a long-term plan. If this conservative approach at the moment is just laying the groundwork to build an expansive, attacking side around soon (as you could argue Hodgson's organisation allowed Clarke to deliver that fantastic autumn in 2012), then fair enough; I could get behind that. But it feels like we've taken a step back without any idea of how to take the next two steps forward.
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley