I'm not certain that we will pick up any significant number of victories that will guarantee the amount of points needed for assured safety. Hodgson's game plan is basically to negate and nullify and hope for a break. We don't seem defensively capable of holding out until the final whistle, we play the same style every week and frankly it has got us nowhere except a steady slide down the table. Doesn't matter whether it's Liverpool, Luton, or Forest or Fulham, the approach is always the same, and frankly, it's not going to win many matches. At the time of writing Bournemouth lead at Old Trafford and we are 15th.
A different approach is necessary, and some additions to the ever depleting player pool come January.

Roy might have no option but to play Ozoh and Ahamada from the start and maybe even Ebiowei or Franca off the bench although I suspect it’ll be Riedewald and Hughes.

I would be interested to see the foul count for the scousers because it seemed like they fouled us every time we got the ball first half, but not 1 booking, even on the totting up basis.
Edited by Eaglecoops (09 Dec 2023 3.53pm)

Edited by Eaglecoops (09 Dec 2023 3.55pm)

This is the question that Roy lovers cannot answer or simply chose to ignore. If we had a performance like that, then you can be pretty sure the Everton, Luton and Bournemouth matches would have been different results. Maybe it’s a motivation thing because the attitude today was different. The buck stops with the manager though and we expect that sort of effort every week.

I would suggest Roy’s whole identity revolves around making life difficult against far superior teams. When it comes to actually ‘out-footballing’ and defeating inferior teams, he’s very limited. It is often quite poignantly regarded as ‘anti-football’. It’s why youth and flair players often struggle to even get game time. Rigid structures and a demand to adhere to robotic instruction.

I’d rather get hammered by the big boys but beat most other teams then get the odd point against the big boys and continually struggle against those around us. Football would be far more appealing too.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

It's a strange one for sure. Third game in seven days, lazy and listless for the first two, yet surprisingly unfatigued and up for this one. So we only raise our standards against the top clubs?
W 4 D 4 L 8
These aren't great stats.