But for an unlucky deflection (again) against arguably the best attacking team in this league, we'd be sitting top, 3 points clear of second and 11 points clear of third.
Forget the possession stats, playing the ball along the back line gets your possession stats up but doesn't score you goals.
For all their possession, it was their keeper who was the busier of the two.
If Phillips but that chance away (as he should have) half of the comments on this post wouldn't be there.
Some of the existing squad need a rest, some new blood needs to be added.
Don't panic chaps!
Not yet 
There's certainly no need to panic. As I have said before, Bilic has worked absolute miracles to get us to where we are right now and I have full faith in him to continue to work them provided we support him in the transfer market. It is imperative that we back him as our current squad, from an attacking perspective as much as anything, is threadbare.
From the Christmas period a few things come to mind. HRK is back to the HRK of old, insofar as he just is not a very good footballer. He had his purple patch where he was much improved and I thank the Lord that he did as it got us out of a hole at the time, but moving forward he cannot be our starting striker I'm afraid. I am not sure whether now is the time to be investing in a striker, I think I would prefer to bring someone in on loan with a decent loan fee to provide us with that focal point and the ability to run in behind, just imagine Pereira's eyes lighting up as he realises he has someone to put through that actually has the pace to get on the end of it. Edwards/Krovinovic, neither are up to starting at this level and with Phillips being the epitome of frustration, someone that you know
can do it, but more often than not either does not have the fitness or confidence to actually do, it leaves us painfully light on the flanks, we need to bring in at least two wingers, potentially a third if Grady does go back, which I personally do not think that he will.
The fitness of Gibbs aside, I am relatively happy with the starting back five. I would bring in a secondary left back as Townsend just is not and never will be good enough, and leave Furlong and Ferguson to battle it out for the right back slot unless the latter is sold, in which case two full backs will be required. I still feel another centre back on loan would be handy, but they would be in as fourth choice so it becomes a hard sell so I would be happy enough with O'Shea covering. We will not be signing another keeper so, whilst I do have reservations on Johnstone, it is not something that we will address in this window.
I am hoping that a rest over the next week or so will bring Sawyers and Livermore back to how they started the season. Make no bones about it, Livermore cannot pass, and in the past few games that inability to pass has put in trouble time and time again which is where we need him to revert back to the player he was early season that spent his time breaking up play and only making stray passes in the final third where it was not such a hindrance. For him to do that, Sawyers needs to come back to the party as he is massively off the boil. He needs to be that metronome in the midfield just keeping the ball ticking over and supplying the passes through the line that force Pereira to come alive.
At the minute, we are basically a team of one tactic, to soak up possession and to get the ball to Pereira with a hope that he can make something happen. It is no coincidence that his goals/assists have dried up as teams now man mark him which frees up space elsewhere, but with our current attacking options, we just cannot exploit this.
My tenpenneth in any event. Most will likely disagree but such is life.
