[skyclad99]

If by some miracle we did get promoted, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be trying to compete with this lot of losers in the Premier League?

Very little money would be spent by our owner and it’s probable we would be thrashed every game making last season look respectable and we’d end up with beating Derby’s record low points total.

Not sure we need to worry about that, and you have hit the nail on the head about us regarding investment by the board. I have serious doubts that that VI’s style will translate at all in the premier league.

[johnny Cash]

Can’t disagree with any of that. However, when team defend in low blocks (like the last three have) you have to play out from the back to draw them out their shape. Also, what’s the point in playing 3 at the back if you aren’t going to use the centre halves in possession? But I agree you also need to vary it up at certain points in games.

I think we are on the same page. If during the second half we had said ok, it’s not working and knocked it about a bit at the back it would have made sense, draw them out. If they don’t come out you knock it about in there third. Keep changing the pace

[Blowee]

Might be an unpopular opinion but I’m convinced we are doing ok. We have no Devine right to be winning every match and we are not significantly better than other squads in this league. We have spent a lot of money but have probably paid well over the odds for many of our players. We will have to battle and grid out results. If we are still there or there about at Christmas I hope we can bring in a striker with quality. For me that would make a huge difference.

[gazberg]

Not sure we need to worry about that, and you have hit the nail on the head about us regarding investment by the board. I have serious doubts that that VI’s style will not translate at all in the premier league.

Champo managers have already sussed the system out let alone some of the most astute managers in the game in the PL. Players and gaffa would be out of their depth equally as things stand.

[baggie82]

Is now a good time to point out that Charlie Austin was/is a much better player than Hudgil?

[albion59]

These are the players we have got, this is the squad.  Some of them are not good enough but no player goes out to deliberately miss a chance,  give the ball away, under hit a backpass ect ect. I am sure they all try their best. So to read some of the posts on here slandering our players is an utter disgrace and frankly embarrassing to read. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but dear me. We haven't spent any money so what do you expect? I do not blame the players in anyway,  this mess is all down to the owner and his cronies.

[Baggies]

Cue the melt down on here and on Twatter.

Do you have any opinions that aren't about other fans having opinions?

[DevonInStripes]

If we start playing it out from the back we really will have problems . Remember what a disaster it was under Big Dave when we did that ! Several of the players who couldn’t cope with it then are still in the team , so expect the same outcome if we do .

[alex1]

Might be an unpopular opinion but I’m convinced we are doing ok. We have no Devine right to be winning every match and we are not significantly better than other squads in this league. We have spent a lot of money but have probably paid well over the odds for many of our players. We will have to battle and grid out results. If we are still there or there about at Christmas I hope we can bring in a striker with quality. For me that would make a huge difference.

Agree with a lot of this. You can't expect us to go out steamrolling teams based on the set of players we have. They are mainly decent players, but they are not worldbeaters.

At the same time, some players are better than others. I thought Phillips was looking very sharp and up for it today, and he shouldn't have come off unless he'd run out of steam. Same applies to Diangana.
Overall disappointing that we couldn't get past a bang average outfit like Preston, but we will be battling up around the top of the league for the rest of the season.

[Baggies]

A worrying thing for me is Val constantly using only 2 subs. When I was looking up his record at Barnskey and LASK, Google always had him using 3 subs. Admittedly  it was usually to swap out his front 3 who had probably run themselves in the ground, but he always made 3 changes.

More often than not this season however he has only used 2 subs. It's almost as if he doesn't really trust many of the squad we have and only wants to utilise a select few.

The summer transfer business at the minute looks like it's left us short. Selling Pereira but not attempting to replace even part of his creative output seems a big mistake. The likes of Hugill and Mulumby are either not showing much on the pitch or not enough in training, we lack a genuinely good goalscorer while the academy players who we thought might get a chance have disappeared back into the black hole at the Walsall HQ.

I'm still not going to panic as I think there's something about Ismael that could work out, but he's changed very little this last 4 games despite 4 lacklustre attacking performances. Surely there are tweaks he could make to this side to help them create a better quality of chance for the forwards? It would be nice to see him reconfigure the midfield and attack either next game or atleast at half time. Surely the 3 man midfield with one of them pushed forward into a number 10 type position might allow us a bit more creativity and see us score more goals.

[JMullen95]

If we start playing it out from the back we really will have problems . Remember what a disaster it was under Big Dave when we did that ! Several of the players who couldn’t cope with it then are still in the team , so expect the same outcome if we do .

You’re entitled to your opinion.

Just don’t complain then when we don’t create anything against teams defending in a low block, which will be at least 50% of the division.

[ttree30]

Might be an unpopular opinion but I’m convinced we are doing ok. We have no Devine right to be winning every match and we are not significantly better than other squads in this league. We have spent a lot of money but have probably paid well over the odds for many of our players. We will have to battle and grid out results. If we are still there or there about at Christmas I hope we can bring in a striker with quality. For me that would make a huge difference.

It would - but just how difficult is that likely to be in mid-season (with our expensive underpowered squad already hoovering up the resources)?

We’re three without a win, and the victory in the game before that was lucky. What really flattened me today was the sheer poverty of our play against really limited opposition - draws can also turn into defeats when you play as poorly as that.

I completely understand the nature of this Division - its relentlessness, its unpredictability and its marathon nature. Teams have bad games and poor spells.

But if we seriously hope to be promotion candidates we can’t consistently turn in displays and results like this game after game - because that starts to become the standard.

Four poor games (notwithstanding a half-decent 45mins against Derby) is concerning - if it stretches to 6, 7 or 8 matches that would be unusual for a successful promotion-chasing team.

I’m not saying it can’t improve but it definitely needs to - or we won’t be “there or thereabouts.”

We need to do better with what we have, rather than waiting for a saviour to join us in mid-season. Because history suggests that won’t happen.

[wodenson46]

Same old issues, same old problems, same old moans and same old moaners. Oh what joy to be a Baggies fan!

Good effort and work off the ball to get or re-get possession, keep it going. Get it fora`rd quickly- no problem with that, but please not just the aimless 35 yd hoof we are getting at the moment.

Needs more composure, better touch and vision and cleverer movement. Best players at this we let go, and they are difficult to replace. Besides which, composure touch, vision and movement  are rarely found together in one player with the level of off the ball chasing and challenging we want to do. Mowatt, is a bit of an exception for us, and we could do with a couple more like him.

But it is not all doom and gloom, we have not played well - granted; but there is or will be improvement available, and we have also been a tad unlucky at times.  Desperate defending, good goalkeeping and decent chances missed all part and parcel of the game, have prevented us from winning, fortune has not gone our way very often so far, but still we are there with a chance.   As bad as our defence seems to be, I believe it will be a very lucky team that turns us over, and on the other hand we could easily, with reasonable luck, take some team/s to the cleaners in the future.

So whilst it is by no stretch of the imagination good at present; it it still nowhere near as bad a picture as the usual suspects are painting.

[JMullen95]

I’m always happy to see the alternative view, as that’s the point of public forums, right?

But I just don’t see the logic behind going from back to front in one, two passes against a team that packs out its penalty area.

Goes wide, cross, cleared by one the big 3 centre backs, repeat.

[johnny Cash]

If we start playing it out from the back we really will have problems . Remember what a disaster it was under Big Dave when we did that ! Several of the players who couldn’t cope with it then are still in the team , so expect the same outcome if we do .

Nobody is saying go full blown Barca or city, but the odd pass in our third and patience would do us the world of good

[richjonawba]

I’m always happy to see the alternative view, as that’s the point of public forums, right?

But I just don’t see the logic behind going from back to front in one, two passes against a team that packs out its penalty area.

Goes wide, cross, cleared by one the big 3 centre backs, repeat.

Completely. Doesn't help when you have two incredibly limited players as your wing backs - arguably the key position in this system in terms of creativity, they certainly see a lot of the ball anyway. The way teams play against us in this league we don't need 3 centre backs, the only logical reason for this would be if we had a couple of top quality wing backs - we absolutely do not. 

Personally think we should be playing 4-3-3 with Snodgrass, Molumby and Mowatt in the middle (basically anyone but Livermore). Players who when they get the ball can get it under control and pick a pass rather than hammering it forward - generally out of play.

[gazberg]

It does feel we are still some players short that suit this style of play. We still have a few too many lightweight toe dippers from previous eras at the club.

From the limited bits i saw of Barnsley last season most of his players there were worse footballers than ours but stronger and more direct/ physical.

[paulosull]

This hoof ball isn’t working and the lack of ideas from coach is becoming concerning, love if we could play out from back but our defence has major deficiencies being that Semi and Bartley are poor on the ball. Think we are to light in midfield and need another body in their id go for a back four to accommodate

[baggie82]

You’re entitled to your opinion.

Just don’t complain then when we don’t create anything against teams defending in a low block, which will be at least 50% of the division.

…and of course that never happened last time we played at his level under Bilic and got 86 points without a goal scorer. Think back - apparently that wasn’t good enough!

[WorcsWBA]

Champo managers have already sussed the system out let alone some of the most astute managers in the game in the PL.

Why didn't they suss it out last season with Barnsley then? You can only assume that Barnsley's players were better at it than ours are, or else our players are proving slower to make the style of play tick. Valerien said several times that he was happy with the squad, so it's down to him now to make it tick. He's got almost a week to work with the full squad now (except those who are injured), so let's hope things improve on the back of that.

[Oldbury24]

Why didn't they suss it out last season with Barnsley then? You can only assume that Barnsley's players were better at it than ours are, or else our players are proving slower to make the style of play tick. Valerien said several times that he was happy with the squad, so it's down to him now to make it tick. He's got almost a week to work with the full squad now (except those who are injured), so let's hope things improve on the back of that.

Where were Barnsley in the league/how many.points did they have after 8 games with Val in charge?   Im sure they would have been delighted to the unbeaten in 3rd? Is it more that our expectations are higher?  Worth a Google.

[ttree30]

Where were Barnsley in the league/how many.points did they have after 8 games with Val in charge?   Im sure they would have been delighted to the unbeaten in 3rd? Is it more that our expectations are higher?  Worth a Google.

18th with 7 points - had just won their first game.

[mikehy]

18th with 7 points - had just won their first game.

he was not manager at the start of the season. Came in about November

[gazberg]

Why didn't they suss it out last season with Barnsley then? You can only assume that Barnsley's players were better at it than ours are, or else our players are proving slower to make the style of play tick. Valerien said several times that he was happy with the squad, so it's down to him now to make it tick. He's got almost a week to work with the full squad now (except those who are injured), so let's hope things improve on the back of that.

Teams didn't worry about Barnsley enough to change their style of play to counter it specifically in my view. From our opening good run I think teams realised trying to play football against us wouldn't yield results, for the mediocre EFL teams anyway. They would be happy with a point against us and they get it everytime.

[ttree30]

he was not manager at the start of the season. Came in about November

Ah OK. I’ll have another look.