[Latecomer]

Morning all,

After once again coming late to the party some thoughts on where we're at...

1) Good business in TW?

I make it:
IN
Fletcher
McMannaman

OUT
Samaras
Varela
Blanco
Daniels

Probably about breaking even on wages there; just the fee for Macca we need to consider. Overall, have to be happy with the two we've got in, Fletcher particularly - IMO our midfield has been giving the ball away far too easily recently. Fletcher will bring infinite experience and class to our midfield so has to be a massive upgrade on what weve got. Macca looks decent too but jury's probably out there for me atm.

Obviously we didnt address LB, LM, ST issues which is VERY disappointing but oh well, guess its time to buckle up and get on with it. As others have said, let's hope Sess gets more game time now and that Nabi is ready to step up a la Berahino.

2) Fans - best to worst?

I remember sitting here 10-15 years ago when we were yo-yo'ing between divisions and people thought of us as having some of the best fans in the country. The play offs game against Bolton (where we didnt actually go through) and some of those Prem atmospheres in the first few years were perhaps better than any other game I've been to. Sadly as the club has slid into mediocrity I feel our fans have too. We often come out as some of the quietest fans in the country now and even at Blues away the other week the atmosphere felt flat. I remember going to Blues away only 3/4 seasons ago with less than half of what we took the other week and the place was rocking!

Granted fans need something to cheer about and we all struggle when performances are sh*t but surely there comes a point where on a Saturday at 3pm you cheer as loud as you can and back the boys? I feel like some of our crowds need to step up a bit (and the club needs to price people back in!!!).

3) TP

I'll go on record as saying that I liked Alan Irvine.

I genuinely thought he gave us a decent balance - we kept a silly amount of clean sheets (only Chelsea and Soton more) and looked - at times - threatening on the break.

Sadly results weren't good enough and I agree he had to go. Sad but thats how it works.

So TP came in. I was initially quite optimistic. His job at Palace was remarkable. I went to Palace away last season and they looked an exciting team to watch. I envied their signings of Ledley, Ince, etc. that day. Even Chamakh looked decent (despite the penalty dive).

Having been to every game since TP arrived my mindset has changed dramatically. We're an accident waiting to happen now. Sure we've kept clean sheets but in my mind this is down to the poor opposition we've faced. We played pretty well against Spurs last week but that 20min spell at the start was the worst I've seen us this season. Teams will ship goals against us; that much is pretty clear.

Is TP the right man for the job? I fear he's not in this for the long run and I just see it as a matter of time before either party wants to go their separate ways.

Unfortunate again - the thing I want most at the Albion is stability: of Manager/HC, squad, performances, etc. and in that sense I want Pulis here for the long run... Even if we do look worse under him.

4) Sess

This guy is one of only two or three players in our squad that can genuinely unlock teams (plus Berahino, McMannaman (maybe) and now Fletcher albeit in a very different way. I would have put Varela in that category too btw.

Pulis doesn't like him...

What's up with that? Even if he's worried about his defensive work he's no worse than some other culprits in our side for that. For me he has to start and he plays in that #10 role behind either Bera or Vic depending on form and fitness.

-------------------------

Any thoughts?

[Kookiebags]

Afternoon Latecomer,
                               Totally agree with your assessment of how things look, and Sess and his conundrum.
Sessegnon can be frustrating at times, but has undoubted ability. With the new additions, and HAVING TO get on with what we have until next TW, Pulis should be looking to use the creative players we have, and set up something like the following:

            Foster
Wisdom     McCauley   Lescott    Pocco (who has not been given a chance as yet)

Sess             Fletcher       Gardener        McManaman

                      Berahino
                       Anichebe

On the bench we can choose from :

Myhill  Baird   Brunt    Dorrans     Morrison    Dawson     Olly (when fit)  Gamboa   Yacob   Mulumbu (when he gets back)
Ideye   Nabi

That is a total of 23 players, who, except Nabi, have experienced first team football and need to step up to the plate and be counted.
TP also needs to assess his options and not rely on the best trainers, but inject a bit of guile and talent as well as graft, or we could be in for a long , boring next 15 league matches.
Cheers,
            Kookiebags.
     

[Latecomer]

Agreed.

Except my 'ideal' team from what we've got would be:

Foster

Wisdom McAuley Lescott Poco

Fletcher Yacob
McMannaman Sessegnon Brunt (unfortunately)

Berahino

My bench would be:
Myhill
Dawson
Gamboa
Dorrans
Mulumbu
Vic
Ideye

[DanTheSmethwickMan]

Agree about Sess. Our best player by miles on his day

[RainbowTurnedEastStand]

Still think Ideye could do a job for us wide left as he`s got pace and a pretty decent touch.
We`ve still got 23 players to choose from and Pulis could actually create a really exciting starting 11.



............................................................FOSTER......................................................................

.....BAIRD....................................MCAULEY......LESCOTT...................................POCOGNOLI.....

..............................................................YACOB.......................................................................

...................................................MULUMBU.....FLETCHER..........................................................

BERAHINO...........................................................................................................SESSEGNON.....

..............................................................ANICHEBE......................................................................



Having Fletcher in there would allow Mulumbu to get forward more and he`s actually got goals in him as he got
8 one season under Di Matteo, not certain McManaman is up to starting games at the moment,James Morrison comes
in for Mulumbu unitl he `s back fit.

[BaggyBomber]

Strange how we see things differently, isn't it? I see Sess as flash but rarely with an end product.

[wba_1996]

Strange how we see things differently, isn't it?  I see Sess as flash but rarely with an end product.

To which I would point out that we STILL haven't won a game that Sess hasn't started since we signed him 18 months ago.

Quite frankly, if he isn't in Pulis' plans I don't think we will stay up.

[BaggyBomber]

Strange how we see things differently, isn't it?  I see Sess as flash but rarely with an end product.

To which I would point out that we STILL haven't won a game that Sess hasn't started since we signed him 18 months ago.

Quite frankly, if he isn't in Pulis' plans I don't think we will stay up.

You have the advantage of me with the statistic.  I can't recall a win that I've seen in that time (there haven't been many) where I thought he was instrumental.  As I said, strange how we see things differently, isn't it?

[wba_1996]

Strange how we see things differently, isn't it?  I see Sess as flash but rarely with an end product.

To which I would point out that we STILL haven't won a game that Sess hasn't started since we signed him 18 months ago.

Quite frankly, if he isn't in Pulis' plans I don't think we will stay up.

You have the advantage of me with the statistic.  I can't recall a win that I've seen in that time (there haven't been many) where I thought he was instrumental.  As I said, strange how we see things differently, isn't it?

Funnily enough, many of the matches where he stands out most have tended to be the ones that we don't win. The 2-2 against United and the first half of the 3-2 loss against QPR spring to mind.

He gives the defenders a lot more to think about though which opens up space for the rest of the team to exploit. Put it this way, I'd sooner have Sess in the team than the likes of Gardner, Morrison, Brunt and Dorrans who consistently fail to produce any kind of a spark.

[RainbowTurnedEastStand]

Still think Morrison has something to offer as he`s got that pace you need for the Premier League,
hasn't been played in his correct position (just behind the striker in a number 10 role) for quiete some time.