[GREGMT]

I don’t think the performances have improved and I’ve been disappointed but like others SA has had a grace period in my mind and I do hope to see an improvement against Wolves and West Ham but I would also hope to see him further supported in the market, not leaving everything until after we’ve played all of January’s games.

I expected more v Leeds and Arsenal. The Villa game I blame on Livermore and if GREGMT wants to talk about VAR cheating Bilic well let’s be fair and say it should have given Villa a red in that game.

The Liverpool game was the bar and I expect to see closer than that in the next 2 games and I will struggle to continue with the benefit of the doubt if we see much of the same as we will be cut off soon.

Yes absolutely robbed 100% with decisions v AV.  The sad thing is we were behind in the 3rd min and they totally bossed the game.  Livermores red and Grealish penalty was cheating.  We would have still lost though because we were c--p.

Contrast that with Gibbs red at Everton, Pereiras red v CP, both penalties at MU, wrongly awarded goal v Chelsea. That's an accumulation of league points gone.

You're more optimistic than me about BCD, we've just conceded 2 at Blackpool.  We are miles off.

[lewisant]

Yes absolutely robbed 100% with decisions v AV.  The sad thing is we were behind in the 3rd min and they totally bossed the game.  Livermores red and Grealish penalty was cheating.  We would have still lost though because we were c--p.

Contrast that with Gibbs red at Everton, Pereiras red v CP, both penalties at MU, wrongly awarded goal v Chelsea. That's an accumulation of league points gone.

You're more optimistic than me about BCD, we've just conceded 2 at Blackpool.  We are miles off.

Oh I’m not being optimistic, I’m stating what my expectations are of a manager that’s had a month with the squad and a week to prepare and has one of his own signings in. I’ve given him a chance and he still has more of January for me but I do expect an improvement now.

[OhBilics]

1. Getting rid of Austin...trying to sign a replacment
2. Trying to get Choudhry in
3. the obvious llinks to a CB

Trying. Yes, he is that.

Getting rid of Austin before signing a replacement is dumb. We might still be in the Cup if Austin hadn't been off to QPR. It would have been good for everyone to win a game, get some confidence back.

[OhBilics]

Why should Allardyce last the season if we carry on as we have? We should be assertive and sack him in March or April.

We should never have hired him in the first place. If Bilic needed to go then okay, but you don't replace him with someone like Allardyce whose way of playing is so different when it's blatantly obvious that the players aren't suited to that. That's not Allardyce's fault of course, you can blame the people who hired him.

[Albionic]

Trying. Yes, he is that.

Getting rid of Austin before signing a replacement is dumb. We might still be in the Cup if Austin hadn't been off to QPR. It would have been good for everyone to win a game, get some confidence back.

Even I'm not having that, as a 100% paid up member of the Anti-Allardyce camp, I cannot argue with getting the rotund £60k semi-mobile unfit "striker" off the books was absolutely the right thing to do.

Against Blackpool we could have put a kid up front, which would have made far more sense than no striker but thats another topic

[GREGMT]

Oh I’m not being optimistic, I’m stating what my expectations are of a manager that’s had a month with the squad and a week to prepare and has one of his own signings in. I’ve given him a chance and he still has more of January for me but I do expect an improvement now.

Oh how convenient to say all the previous matches don't count.  So who carries the can for Leeds 0-5, Arsenal 0-4 and  Blackpool 2-2?  Why are we now counting all the upcoming matches but not before?

Allardyce has had a lifetime in football.  You'd have thought he'd have a wealth of ideas to get us going in the right direction. 

I glossed over AV in game 1 (VAR impacted), fantastic v Liverpool in game 2.  And post Anfield I just thought he might do something.  The performances v Leeds, Arsenal, Blackpool were a disgrace, nothing less.

On what basis do we expect performances to improve with just Snodgrass and Grosicki?  I'd be amazed if we go under the x3 GA average in the next 3 matches.

[lewisant]

Putting words in my proverbial mouth there chap. Not once have I said previous matches don’t count.

I also think that you’re missing my point completely. I’m saying what my expectations are of SA or any manager, as in what I’d hope to see. I’m not by any means saying that will happen.

And what I’m also saying is for me, I wanted to give him time to settle in and the team to transition. And that time spell is getting close to being over and this is when I expect to see progress. Maybe I should use the phrase “hope for” instead.

[boinging_along]

We hadn't got out of our own half against Villa when the sending off happened.  That would have been another poor performance regardless.

[GREGMT]

Putting words in my proverbial mouth there chap. Not once have I said previous matches don’t count.

I also think that you’re missing my point completely. I’m saying what my expectations are of SA or any manager, as in what I’d hope to see. I’m not by any means saying that will happen.

And what I’m also saying is for me, I wanted to give him time to settle in and the team to transition. And that time spell is getting close to being over and this is when I expect to see progress. Maybe I should use the phrase “hope for” instead.

What transition spell?  The previous games weren't friendlies!  The AV game was something like 19th Dec.  From then on it goes against Allardyce's record.

So if we'd have won all 5 games so far instead of 2 draws and 3 thrashings that wouldn't count either as it was the transition phase?

[lewisant]

What transition spell?  The previous games weren't friendlies!  The AV game was something like 19th Dec.  From then on it goes against Allardyce's record.

So if we'd have won all 5 games so far instead of 2 draws and 3 thrashings that wouldn't count either as it was the transition phase?

If that happened we wouldn't be here having this debate. I think I'm just going to draw a line under this now. Agree to disagree.

[boinging_along]

The fear is being 7 points from safety means scraping the odd backs to the wall draw isn't going to be enough.  We need to be winning some games and to win you need to score goals.

[OhBilics]

Even I'm not having that, as a 100% paid up member of the Anti-Allardyce camp, I cannot argue with getting the rotund £60k semi-mobile unfit "striker" off the books was absolutely the right thing to do.

It didn't have to be immediately though. Could have kept him for another match. The only risk is that he would have got injured, but the chances of that happening in any one match aren't that high.

Against Blackpool we could have put a kid up front, which would have made far more sense than no striker but thats another topic

Could have, should have. Same topic as far as I'm concerned. Whether SA was out to make a point or what, I don't know, but it was a crazy decision.

[TheJacko2000]

Quiet thread as expected.

Full week on the training ground. Much better organised.

Now 4 points from 5 games, so let's put the **** Bilić ppg to bed.

Snodgrass a shrewd piece of business with more to follow.

Big Sam's Barmy Army!

[kris_boing]

Quiet thread as expected.

Full week on the training ground. Much better organised.

Now 4 points from 5 games, so let's put the **** Bilić ppg to bed.

Snodgrass a shrewd piece of business with more to follow.

Big Sam's Barmy Army!

Well said Tom.  The longer Sam has with this team the better organised we will be. A few more signings will help.


Trust in Big Sam.

[BB74]

Well done Big Sam! The players showed an interest and played with heart.

[alex1]

Credit to him that we went for the win today and it wasn't 9-10 men behind the ball.  Otherwise we would never have scored 3 times. We need to attack and defend. Players need to get up and down the pitch, as we showed today.

[baggie82]

Well said Tom.  The longer Sam has with this team the better organised we will be. A few more signings will help.


Trust in Big Sam.

We desperately need to strengthen the squad, which I think Allardyce appreciates.

Massive result today.

Let's pray we can take some confidence into the game at West Ham on Tuesday.

[skyclad99]

Credit where credit is due I think.

That performance will fill them with confidence, and hopefully Sam can get a couple more it to go with the excellent Snodgrass today.

Not bad for a 33 year old

[Oldbury24]

I just couldn't see it coming before the game without a bigger change in personnel and despite the obvious improvement in organisation and work rate first half I just couldn't see the second half coming after the previous collapses.   it feels so good to be wrong!! 

[paulosull]

Well done Sam got the defence getting in challenges second half. Still have issues which hopefully new players can fix.

[boingboing1989]

Looked a lot more balanced today, tried to play football as well in there third and most of all actually had a bit of fight in them! Hopefully them coming from behind to win shows the players that it is possible and they stop dropping their heads after we go a goal down. Cut out the silly mistakes and play like this and no complaints from me about Big Sam's style.

[baggie82]

I just couldn't see it coming before the game without a bigger change in personnel and despite the obvious improvement in organisation and work rate first half I just couldn't see the second half coming after the previous collapses.   it feels so good to be wrong!!

We got the breaks today (at last).

I also think that having Phillips and Diaganna out and Grosicki in helped.

[Fritzl Palace]

Shows that he finally had some time on the training ground with them this week instead of game after game as it has been since his arrival.

I said at the time we pulled the trigger on Bilic and appointed Sam that I had more faith that he would keep us up which is why I had no issue with it. Hopefully with a few additions we start to see this from the building blocks put into place today

[baggie82]

Looked a lot more balanced today, tried to play football as well in there third and most of all actually had a bit of fight in them! Hopefully them coming from behind to win shows the players that it is possible and they stop dropping their heads after we go a goal down. Cut out the silly mistakes and play like this and no complaints from me about Big Sam's style.

We've looked decent and got results away from home a fair bit this season. So fingers crossed for the game at West Ham.

The home form is what we desperately need to improve, been battered in the last four home games.

[Oldbury24]

Full week on the training ground. Much better organised.

Big Sam's Barmy Army!
[/quote]

Yep.  Lots more pointing, shouting and obvious roles and patterns of movement.  I just didn't think the players would have the mental strength to come back.  Would love to know what was said at HT.