10-05-2021, 20:42
(10-05-2021, 19:55)BaggieSteve Wrote: I think our squad in the first promotion under Megson was technically inferior to this current squad by some distance but it had a hunger and passion that endeared it to the fans (let's face it, if you played for Megson with less than 100+% effort, you were dead!). I agree Slick that there seemed to be a resigned air to this team from early in the season, an attitude that Bilic should have resolved as the coach, although you wonder if the players were mirroring his approach, as he never seemed to exude the sort of passion we needed. I also agree that the balance of the transfer dealings was wrong; we were too lightweight in midfield and the defence had precious little cover as a result.
As regards Grant, I don't know what to make of that piece of business; we seemed to have been tracking him for a while and yet, when he arrived and we saw him play, I think many of us wondered why we had been so keen. I guess our problem was that, if we were looking for a 'Charlie Austin' type of player to act as a focus for the attack, we probably had limited options, in terms of availability and affordability. Fulham had Mitrovic, and he would have been the type of player who may well have suited us, given the other players we had or recruited. Sheffield United pissed £20 million on Brewster, having previously, and unbelievably, spent the same on Ollie McBurnie, a player who makes Grant look like a bargain. (for these reasons alone, I would not want Chris Wilder as manager). Maybe Grant will be an inspired signing for the Championship, since he wasn't one for the Premier League.
Despite all this, I'm looking forward to next season, regardless of who is managing us, although I would struggle with a return of Pardew! I enjoy the Championship, there are some great away days, there's no VAR, we rarely take a beating and our interest is usually at the top end of the table, rather than the bottom. I hope to see a number of the young players feature in the squad, which is probably likely given Lai's reluctance to provide funds.
So, f*ck of season 2020-2021 and hello 2021-2022
Absolutely. 2020-21 was a bad year overall, but next season with the return of fans, let's enjoy a few wins and a squad reset.
Plus the return of my favourite away day - Peterborough United. Hopefully a nice midweek trip to London Road to refresh some good memories!