Time for a laugh 
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I think a thread with bets is due.
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More often than not…
I am all for Slot right now, he does need time. I think he will get the tactics right eventually. The team had a huge tragedy this summer. People cope in grief in different ways. It is not easy for them to sit in that same dressing room before each gamem.This has to be taken into account in my humble opinion
Talk about changing manager in November is madness right now.
I think we should re-evaluate the situation after the next 3 games.
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Is there anyone who has actually made that argument though? About this being a game we needed to win rather than it being a now wasted opportunity to get the preferred combinations on the pitch in a relatively low stakes environment and let them build the understanding that Slot has been claiming we need more time to develop?
When someone is underperforming and gives an explanation for that it is reasonable to expect their responses to be aligned with addressing that problem. We have responded to a “we need more time to gel” excuse with a “we have a busy schedule” response. So for me the issue is only partly the performances, and more a growing concern with the way Slot is publicly responding to it, the relative lack of any signs of improvements, and now a seeming disconnect between the excuses and responses.
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I remember reading that Edwards analysed Klopp’s last season with Dortmund to see whether he had lost the plot, and determined that he was just unusually unlucky. It can happen.
Edwards and Hughes will have worked closely with Slot over the Summer signings, and if things aren’t working, they will presumably analyse the data and suggest to Slot what he needs to do to make things work.
The only reason I could think that they may want to change the manager is if he was incapable of coaching their plan, not if that plan is failing. They will have analysed every game and worked out what needs to change.
I think there are a few things that have happened that have caused things to go off the rails.
- They had obviously banked on Guéhi joining as a replacement for Gomez. That fell through, and whilst we still have Joe, he obviously isn’t regarded as a first choice.
- we signed 3 other defenders, at least 2 of which were regarded as first choice. The Leoni injury is a blow. Frimpong’s injuries are also unforseen, as he has previously had a very good fitness record. That leaves Kerkez, who has struggled but is the only one of our 4 defence targets that is still fit.
- The Isak thing is a perplexing one. He was clearly a major target, but he hasn’t had the chance to get up to full match fitness before becoming injured.
- Ali and Grav getting injuries is a further blow as they are obviously key players, and quite what has happened to Mac is mystifying.
It’s hard to get a new set of players to gel when so many are missing. We have also had bad luck in terms of hitting the woodwork and so on.
I suppose the question is whether Slot can turn this around. He obviously has a talented squad. If he just can’t get the players coached, then that’s an issue. If it’s Edwards and Hughes getting it fundamentally wrong, then changing coach isn’t going to make much difference.
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I never wanted Klopp out back then. But the circumstances were different in several respects. I also understood that we were facing a massive injury crisis and relying on a teenager and a stopgap winter transfer solution to play centerback. I don’t think Slot has the same excuses, especially in light of the investment in the squad this summer.
But, as I said, I’m generally inclined to give him some leash, but I do need to see progress.
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We don’t always agree, rarely actually, but it is a very valid point from a fee paying match going fan.
I could imagine how I would feel if I had traveled all the the way from NZ, got tickets and ended up watching the team that he selected.
I may agree with his reasoning but it would leave a sour taste, but I do forgive quickly, but he has to get a result on Saturday or the knives will be out and sharpened.
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I didn’t say it .
We laugh at Man U & Chelsea sacking manager after manager, yet we wet the bed when we don’t get the results and yes I do agree that our performances have gone stale since Feb, but the same thing happened the previous season under Jurgen.
I would have hoped with the players we bought we would have seen better performances, but atm moment we are now seeing the effects injuries have on us.
I wonder whether the excessive travellingm with all the away games has had an impact, I know I hated trying to play even after an more than an hour in the car, but then again I never had the benefit of masseurs
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Ah I didn’t realise you had to be a 20 year veteran before you were allowed to comment.
What you find is first impressions last and my first impression of yourself is you are wrong and you will hound people who have a different opinion.
Great post and especially about how preseason would have been affected
The season we hadnt spent 400mil and just won the league.
Its a well and good those saying they didn’t expect us to win the league thats fair. But if they are trying to use this as a justification when we could possibly be out of contention by the middle of November are deluded.
The only counter to this is we won 4 games in preseason and first 5 games. This notion is cropping up now its gone to shit not from the start like you would expect.
You’ve made a great start to your time here.
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But that is also about games coming thick and fast and if players didn’t get a full preseason that can have an effect, as we are now seeing more injuries compared to last season
Don’t understand your point in reply to my post, it doesn’t make sense?
We missed maybe about 3 days. I think summer internationals is likely a bigger issue (specifically for Mac) for fitness issues than that missed time.
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‘Edwards and Hughes will have worked closely with Slot over the Summer signings, and if things aren’t working, they will presumably analyse the data and suggest to Slot what he needs to do to make things work.’
I asked this (to no-one inparticular) a couple of weeks ago because it’s genuinely puzzling to me. As in ; are tactics , formations and personnel still solely the reserve of the head coach or does the DOF get involved ?
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