We have stood still since the treble

[Rashid]

Its odd that as soon as we revert back to the defensive football, all our attacking players seem to have gone off the boil.

 

El Hadji Diouf (before he went to ANC), Harry Kewell, Michael Owen, etc are all looking off colour.

 

Needless to say our most defensive players - Heskey, Hyypia, Hamann, Traore etc all look great when they play. Coincidence?

 

Against Arsenal in the 2001 cup final, we played the following team.

 

Sander,

Babbel, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher

Murphy Hamann Gerarrd Smicer

Owen Heskey

 

Last night we finished with:

 

Dudek*

Finnan * Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher

Murphy Hamann Gerarrd Smicer*

Owen Heskey

 

Only 3 players different from that side. Wheras that Arsenal side now have Lehman, Lauren, Campbell, Gilberto, with a host of top class youngsters coming through. To be fair their team would have changed a little more but for the lack of funds at Highbury.

 

So what has happened in these 3 years?

 

1. Poor signings (we have spent £60M (approx) on players since then including, Dudek, Kirkland, Finnan, Kewell, Diouf, Cheyrou, Baros, Diao, Le Tallec, Pongolle, etc)

2. Poor coaching

3. Poor style of play

4. Lack of desire from the players

5. 'Plateu' (sp!) lasting nearly 2 years

6. Have Hamann, Heskey, Owen etc all on their last 18 months of their contract - why did we let that happen? One is our most valuable player and the other two cost £20M combined, they should have been either signed up again or sold last summer.

 

I don't see how any club can justify keeping a manager who has destroyed all his own good work and is clearly not good enough anymore.

[aws]

Rashid - the players you list as "poor signings" cost about £45m.As a package that looks like great value to me.