Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo

[SouthManchesterTree]

Can we please not get ahead of ourselves for the third season in a row? Talk of seriously competing is nuts, the squad is unbalanced and chocked full of shit currently, can't be fixed the easily.

We'll need at least four players to complete the squad (left back, two wingers, striker) and that's before any upgrades in positions we're well stocked in.

And if we manage to do that and trim the squad well at the same time, we're still only going to be aiming for mid table best.

I agree

First of all there’s still a serious chance we go down this swason

If we don’t, our realistic ambition should be to come about 15th. Any higher than that would be a bonus and would need a few things to go right at once

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Cooper also had to once again incorporate a bunch of new players into the side. It was obvious he was burnt out by the effort and as it stands our biggest problem is no settled side.

Look at our loss to Fulham this season. We started with 3 players who had been here the previous season.

Mangala, Toffolo and Felipe.

Against Sheffield we started 5. If I could be arsed to find out I bet our best results came when we had more players from last season in the squad.

So to sum up. Our recruitment needs to stop being so shit!

Our recruitment this season is much improved
Sels
Aina
Murillo
Adam ? (CH)
Dominguez
CHO
Elanga

Are all good quality epl players and all are worth far more more than we paid for them

Sangare - jury still - but I think he will come good

Turner/Vlach - poor signings - but Turner is ok as a number 2 for £7m

Loan signings -
Montiel/Origi/Santos - poor but only cost us wages
Tavares/Riena - both done a job
Riberio - really don’t know

For me - I really don’t understand the critisism

 

[Eddie Yates]

This is a very good point.

Question is, did Marinakis employ him to keep us up, or push us on this season though?

Only Marinakis will know the answer to that.

His focus / expectations probably changed post points deduction & the general dicking about from refs & VAR

Nuno is doing fine and will improve us over the summer when he trims off the chaff, tops up the quality & has a pre-season

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

His focus / expectations probably changed post points deduction & the general dicking about from refs & VAR

Nuno is doing fine and will improve us over the summer when he trims off the chaff, tops up the quality & has a pre-season

At last someone who talks sense

 

[Shearstone]

Our recruitment this season is much improved
Sels
Aina
Murillo
Adam ? (CH)
Dominguez
CHO
Elanga

Are all good quality epl players and all are worth far more more than we paid for them

Sangare - jury still - but I think he will come good

Turner/Vlach - poor signings - but Turner is ok as a number 2 for £7m

Loan signings -
Montiel/Origi/Santos - poor but only cost us wages
Tavares/Riena - both done a job
Riberio - really don’t know

For me - I really don’t understand the critisism

Our position in the table is the criticism. If they're such good signings why are we worse

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

His focus / expectations probably changed post points deduction & the general dicking about from refs & VAR

Nuno is doing fine and will improve us over the summer when he trims off the chaff, tops up the quality & has a pre-season

At last someone who talks sense

 

[Eddie Yates]

At last someone who talks sense

Nobody has ever replied to one of my posts with a comment like that

 

[Redemption]

Nobody has ever replied to one of my posts with a comment like that

Screenshot it and get it framed pal.

 

[Eddie Yates]

Screenshot it and get it framed pal.

No need to be nasty just because you're jealous

 

[Notcher]

Our position in the table is the criticism. If they're such good signings why are we worse

See the above posts regarding VAR and points deductions. They don't just cause tangible issues, it has an effect on everyone mentally. The set piece issue has also been the live grenade that we've never been able to pick up and throw away. We would have seen a much better return this season without this.

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Our position in the table is the criticism. If they're such good signings why are we worse

We are not worse.
We are a far more entertaining attacking team.
We have had to put up with a lot of s**t since NES came in. Undeserved points deductions, a whole team missing for a month with AFCON and injuries, all of these unjust VAR decisions and most importantly trying to recover from an appalling start to the season - where failed to beat Burnley, Luton, Everton and Brentford at home - the teams directly around us.

 

[mysteryduck]

Our position in the table is the criticism. If they're such good signings why are we worse

It's a good question. I think we've just come off the wrong end of fine margins consistently, be it VAR or stupid defensive and set piece mistakes. 11 of our 19 defeats have been by one goal. I don't know if that's a high proportion historically, but it for sure feels like we've just missed out on points a lot. Outside of the Fulham away game we've not really been thrashed.

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Nobody has ever replied to one of my posts with a comment like that

I really struggled to press the reply button when I realised who it was

 

[Bobby The Brain]

I'm all in for a boring stroll to 12th next year.

No dramas, no attacks on audio/visual equipment, just the sweet sweet success of achieving absolutely nothing.

 

[SouthManchesterTree]

Gotta stick with Nuno. He'll come good & has shown glimpses of us playing some great football like Wolves did.

We're always in games under him & a few tweaks here & there & I think we'll be more comfortable next season.

Been ridiculously unlucky with AFCON, refs & VAR and of course the points deduction.

He's improved CHO, Neco & Wood immeasurably.

Lopetegui looked a decent candidate but that ships sailed.

David Moyes has a good CV & record but he's so dour & his football so shit he'd make you depressed as f*** even if you're sitting mid-table. The City Ground would be like a morgue.

Stick with Nuno for me.

It was stupid of the club to go into this season with so many players who would be at Afcon

Club decision making has been poor this season on many fronts

 

[Shearstone]

We are not worse.
We are a far more entertaining attacking team.
We have had to put up with a lot of s**t since NES came in. Undeserved points deductions, a whole team missing for a month with AFCON and injuries, all of these unjust VAR decisions and most importantly trying to recover from an appalling start to the season - where failed to beat Burnley, Luton, Everton and Brentford at home - the teams directly around us.

Yet last season in a league vastly superior to this one we accumulated 38 points something we are very unlikely to match even if all our deducted points are returned to us.

That's not to mention the crazy injury problems we suffered last season.

So I ask again how have the signings this season improved us?

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Can we please not get ahead of ourselves for the third season in a row? Talk of seriously competing is nuts, the squad is unbalanced and chocked full of shit currently, can't be fixed the easily.

We'll need at least four players to complete the squad (left back, two wingers, striker) and that's before any upgrades in positions we're well stocked in.

And if we manage to do that and trim the squad well at the same time, we're still only going to be aiming for mid table best.

I totally agree.
We need 3 or 4 players to compliment what we already have and then we can aim for mid table obscurity.
That represents good progress

 

[ARedChester]

I was quite excited at NES arriving, after seeing what he did at Wolves, and whist I was gutted SC was sacked, I thought NES would be good and it was the correct decision as mu h as I wanted SC to continue.

I have been disappointed with NES though. Odd team selections, team set up and subs. PGMOL is no excuse, FFP I'd accept as a distraction.

All this said, I think he should be given the close season at sort out the issues and have a proper window to form his squad. But I expect better from the off. The club also needs stability.

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

Yet last season in a league vastly superior to this one we accumulated 38 points something we are very unlikely to match even if all our deducted points are returned to us.

That's not to mention the crazy injury problems we suffered last season.

So I ask again how have the signings this season improved us?

I will reply after my chilli - which I am just about to eat on the patio

 

[Eddie Yates]

I will reply after my chilli - which I am just about to eat on the patio

Haven't you got any plates?

 

[SouthManchesterTree]

We are not worse.
We are a far more entertaining attacking team.
We have had to put up with a lot of s**t since NES came in. Undeserved points deductions, a whole team missing for a month with AFCON and injuries, all of these unjust VAR decisions and most importantly trying to recover from an appalling start to the season - where failed to beat Burnley, Luton, Everton and Brentford at home - the teams directly around us.

The points deductions and Afcon absences were big mistakes by the club. As is the atmosphere of instability.

Agree the start to the season was terrible - everyone got distracted by a win at Chelsea and avoiding thrashings in our away games - ignoring the fact that we were a disgrace in our most important matches

The defending has remained appalling under Nuno but he’s improved the style of play and the attacks.

So Nuno isn’t faultless. In fact he’s probably been a bit disappointing. But overall the problems have come from elsewhere.

 

[PlayedOnGrass]

I will reply after my chilli - which I am just about to eat on the patio

Back now - suitably refreshed chilli washed down with a nice glass of Merlot.
Now what was the question?
As per my original mail - most importantly - last season we gained a lot of points at home against the bottom 5 - this year we played them all early doors and got one win against Blunts.
Simply not good enough and probably the reason SC was sacked.
The promoted teams from last season are dire - but as above we didn’t beat them at home. Add those 6 points and there are no problems.
Also - a new manager with new ideas - it takes a bit of time.

Your opinion is valid of course.
I just think, long term, we are moving in the right direction with the nucleons of a good squad and a manager who knows how to succeed in this league.

 

[Alf-engelos Mindminackers]

His focus / expectations probably changed post points deduction & the general dicking about from refs & VAR

Nuno is doing fine and will improve us over the summer when he trims off the chaff, tops up the quality & has a pre-season

Yeah fingers crossed. If he doesn't get a ton of players dumped on him like in previous windows, he may stand a chance.

With FFP that may restrict the club even if they want to do it, so getting that trimmed squad he's after may actually manifest.

 

[Erik]

If we don’t, our realistic ambition should be to come about 15th.

Our business model last year had us finishing 12th (source - independent commission into ffp breaches commenting on our accounts so pretty concrete).

It's not unreasonable to expect the owner to have been more ambitious this season and next season.

It is not unreasonable on that basis for us to anticipate that the owners target is at least tenth (as per press reports in December) and given that he does not accept why we are so accommodating of 'failure' why should we not have the same expectation as he does?

So top 10 should be a minimum expectation from the supporters based on the owners expectations.

15th is too low a benchmark for the owner and should be for us.

 

[Harry1982]

I was quite excited at NES arriving, after seeing what he did at Wolves, and whist I was gutted SC was sacked, I thought NES would be good and it was the correct decision as mu h as I wanted SC to continue.

I have been disappointed with NES though. Odd team selections, team set up and subs. PGMOL is no excuse, FFP I'd accept as a distraction.

All this said, I think he should be given the close season at sort out the issues and have a proper window to form his squad. But I expect better from the off. The club also needs stability.

It was always gonna be a hard slog switching from low block to a progressive play, cooper had the same issue.

NES will come good, with a preseason, I suggest another striker that can hold the ball up and cause a nuisance like awoniyi, wood good but awoniyi helps the others get more space