16-12-2020, 18:02
I agree with most of what has been said. I do feel for Bilic, a nice guy who has been woefully let down by the board/owner. Unfortunately the board/owner are not going to sack themselves (even though they are the problem) so we are where we are.
As much as I like Slaven he has made some pretty poor decisions this season, although on last nights performance it didn't look like he'd lost the dressing room.
On to last night, we really should have lost based on the chances City failed to take, but it was about time got a break or two.
Johnstone and Ajayi were absolutely awesome and were the main reason we got a point. O'Shea, Gibbs, and Furlong played their parts in a resolute defence and I thought Phillips and Diangana did well in their defensive roles which was alien to them both. Yes there were a couple of poor give aways from Diangana and he lost his man for their goal, but I did think there were signs he will still be the player we hoped for.
What makes last nights point even more remarkable in my opinion, is that it was achieved with effectively 9 men. Grant continues to offer nothing and is looking more and more like a complete waste of money and probably a major factor in Slav's downfall. I have also been a critic of Sawyers for sometime, and last night made a point of watching him closely to see if my criticism was justified, it was.
On the odd occasion he tried to pass forward it went to the opposition, when he got the ball in the final third his first thought was to pass it backwards. At one point going from the edge of the City area to Sam Johnstone!! He doesn't provide the bite or creativity in the middle that is needed. You can argue that he is not alone in this and I wouldn't disagree, but he really is a passenger who has not rewarded Slav's faith in him. Massive improvement needed to impress the new guy and not be confined to the bench. Personally don't think that either Sawyers or Grant will feature much over the coming months, unless Alladyce (or whoever) can find something which I just don't see.
There are some really good players in our squad, who are capable of securing mid table. Already mentioned Ajayi and Johnstone, Gibbs, Furlong and O'Shea, but the one absolute diamond we have is Gallagher, what a player he is, and is going to be.
As much as I like Slaven he has made some pretty poor decisions this season, although on last nights performance it didn't look like he'd lost the dressing room.
On to last night, we really should have lost based on the chances City failed to take, but it was about time got a break or two.
Johnstone and Ajayi were absolutely awesome and were the main reason we got a point. O'Shea, Gibbs, and Furlong played their parts in a resolute defence and I thought Phillips and Diangana did well in their defensive roles which was alien to them both. Yes there were a couple of poor give aways from Diangana and he lost his man for their goal, but I did think there were signs he will still be the player we hoped for.
What makes last nights point even more remarkable in my opinion, is that it was achieved with effectively 9 men. Grant continues to offer nothing and is looking more and more like a complete waste of money and probably a major factor in Slav's downfall. I have also been a critic of Sawyers for sometime, and last night made a point of watching him closely to see if my criticism was justified, it was.
On the odd occasion he tried to pass forward it went to the opposition, when he got the ball in the final third his first thought was to pass it backwards. At one point going from the edge of the City area to Sam Johnstone!! He doesn't provide the bite or creativity in the middle that is needed. You can argue that he is not alone in this and I wouldn't disagree, but he really is a passenger who has not rewarded Slav's faith in him. Massive improvement needed to impress the new guy and not be confined to the bench. Personally don't think that either Sawyers or Grant will feature much over the coming months, unless Alladyce (or whoever) can find something which I just don't see.
There are some really good players in our squad, who are capable of securing mid table. Already mentioned Ajayi and Johnstone, Gibbs, Furlong and O'Shea, but the one absolute diamond we have is Gallagher, what a player he is, and is going to be.