“But But But… The Squad!!”

[KratosBaggie]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing Judgements of opposition quality on 30 second highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

It's not knee jerk, we've been watching this shit show for the last three and a half seasons.

Under how many different managers? Isn't it obvious that it's irrelevant who is in charge. We keep changing the manager and getting similar results. 

I'm not saying Bruce is the perfect messiah, but he's what we can afford, and he has a proven record of earning promotion from this league. There's far worse candidates out there, and most likely better (at a cost we can't afford, or a gamble we can't afford). 

Unfortunately we're a mid-tabled club, with no given right to compete for promotion, or even the play offs. The sooner people accept that's our lot, the sooner we can stop the arrogant facade that we should be romping the league and steam rollering sides week in week out. It's not realistic.

Nobody has said this. No one.

We should be winning more than 1 game in 7.

The arrogance of some posters, and their expectations that we should be challenging top two implies that this is what they're expectations for us are. Delusional and unrealistic.

[fuzzbox]

The arrogance of some posters, and their expectations that we should be challenging top two implies that this is what they're expectations for us are. Delusional and unrealistic.

This may be semantics, but expectations of 'challenging' for top 2 is fair. 'Expecting top 2' or 'demanding' it is probably pushing realism in my opinion.

But even so, why does this have to be down to 'arrogance' and 'delusion' or 'utterly embarrassing'?

Why must everything be so confrontational and inflammatory these days?

[Duffers]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing judgements of opposition quality on 30 second weekly highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm not sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

He’s been in charge for 26 games. We’ve won 8 of them.

[Brandywell]

I'm the first to note that maybe Bruce doesn't work these players hard enough - although rumours from Toon fans aren't always the most reliable source of news. But Townsend, Bartley, O'Shea, Ajayi, Grant, Livermore, Furlong, Phillips and Zohore were all part of a squad which:

• Completely lost its energy and focus during the last few months of Bilic's tenure
  
• Rebelled openly against Allardyce's demand for harder training and better application
  
• Failed to put in the effort demanded by Ismael
  
• Denied Bruce his "new manager bounce" by their lack of effort
  

I wish Bruce weren't so convinced that old pros are the best pros, and that he'd improve the fitness and application of these people. Is he the right man for that job? Could anyone make a silk purse out of this sow's ear? But i also see a man reeling from the realisation of the job he's taken on. Maybe Allardyce told him what it would be like, maybe he thought he could work within the constraints and get a tune out of this squad. We certainly lack a competent striker as the focus of our attacks, no-one fit and available has that skill set. I also think we've saddled ourselves with a poor goalkeeper, just like the days of Crichton or Zuberbuhler. Is Bruce entirely to blame for persistent poor recruitment and transfer business?

You forgot to add Grady to the list

[Bob Fossil]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing Judgements of opposition quality on 30 second highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

It's not knee jerk, we've been watching this shit show for the last three and a half seasons.

Under how many different managers? Isn't it obvious that it's irrelevant who is in charge. We keep changing the manager and getting similar results. 

I'm not saying Bruce is the perfect messiah, but he's what we can afford, and he has a proven record of earning promotion from this league. There's far worse candidates out there, and most likely better (at a cost we can't afford, or a gamble we can't afford). 

Unfortunately we're a mid-tabled club, with no given right to compete for promotion, or even the play offs. The sooner people accept that's our lot, the sooner we can stop the arrogant facade that we should be romping the league and steam rollering sides week in week out. It's not realistic.

You said earlier that we can't compare squads so how do you gauge that we are mid-tabled club?

I don't know a single Albion fan, either in real life or on here, that has said we should be romping the league or steam rollering sides week in week out. 
What I have seen and heard is frustration that we are not performing better and raising relevant questions, based on this, or, in the more extreme cases, suggesting what they think the answer is.
If the fans should "accept that's our lot", then why not the players, manager and owners. Would you accept it if they came out and said "That's our lot folks, midtable, get used to it!"

[KratosBaggie]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing judgements of opposition quality on 30 second weekly highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm not sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

He’s been in charge for 26 games. We’ve won 8 of them.

Last season has no relevance to this season. Points don't carry over, squads change, as does the league, and you start with a clesn slate, as far as I'm aware. Unless I'm missing something that your expert and never-wrong eye has spotted?

[Duffers]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing judgements of opposition quality on 30 second weekly highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm not sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

He’s been in charge for 26 games. We’ve won 8 of them.

Last season has no relevance to this season. Points don't carry over, squads change, as does the league, and you start with a clesn slate, as far as I'm aware. Unless I'm missing something that your expert and never-wrong eye has spotted?

Look, I know you’re not very smart, and you’ve demonstrated that by using phrases like “expert and never wrong” when everyone else was just debating normally, but…

Last season has plenty of relevance. Especially considering the issues we saw last year have carried over into this one. It proves that a manager, despite having a whole pre-season to prepare, is incapable of making changes and finding solutions.

[Psalm23]

You know the rules Duffers, Bruce's results last year don't count because, (a) he didn't have his own players, (b) he needed a pre-season, & 2-3 transfer windows, © all the players had lost the will to live due to having to play Valball.

[Bob Fossil]

Not sure anyone can truly compare squads with each other, unless you're telling me you know the ins and outs of the other 23 squads in the league, and watch a good percentage of all matches (an impossible feat!). Or are we basing judgements of opposition quality on 30 second weekly highlights? (More likely the case!).

Do we have a god given right to be above the likes of Luton or Rotherham (arrogance if you genuinely believe that), and are we seriously comparing our performance using the league standing after seven games (delusional and stupid).

Yes, we're getting too many draws, but it's still early season, teams are still finding their feet. The main positive is we're not losing games, and we've had a number of tough fixtures to begin with.

Finally, I'm not sure you can say we've got a good squad, when 1/4 of our match day squad contains Bartley, Livermore, Phillips, and Zohore. They're no where near good enough.

In short, it's still far too early to make any reasoned conclusions. Some of the knee jerk posting on here has been utterly embarrassing.

He’s been in charge for 26 games. We’ve won 8 of them.

Last season has no relevance to this season. Points don't carry over, squads change, as does the league, and you start with a clesn slate, as far as I'm aware. Unless I'm missing something that your expert and never-wrong eye has spotted?

Yet your expert and never wrong eye can ascertain that we are a mid-table club after 7 games, despite, by your own admission,  making a judgement based on this is, in itself, delusional and stupid?

[SophLad]

I thought we'd all agreed it was Val's fault?