We're now well into the season. FourFourTwo magazine has written of our Premiership jitters but if we want to stay here, we need to step up. The question is: how?
Plow Ahead
We've played well, but ineffectively. Draws that should have been won (Fulham), losses that should have been draws (Portsmouth) seem to be more mental deficits than physical. Opposing coaches have, with few exception, praised our XI and we've thrown more than one team off their game.
Shake it Up
On the other hand, when there have been shake-ups to the line-up (e.g. loss of King, Foster), there seems to be a renewed spirit on the pitch as the reserves explode with desire to prove themselves. Alas, it rarely lasts more than one game. Boothroyd has stated his desire to get another striker after the first of the year, but with a limited budget in their first year in the Premiership it remains to be seen if an impact player can bet had.
Conclusion
I think we should concentrate on seeing to it that our current squad get the opportunity to coalesce and grow in this division with spot changes as the opponent warrants.
I started rooting for Watford without knowing where they were in the league (see first entry) and the promotion was icing on the cake, but they are running the risk of relegation. For the long-time fans, this is a special season and I hope they stay up but even if they don't, building a Premier-tested squad will help them climb back up the year after.
No comments:
Post a Comment