Originally Posted by
ramAnag
Oh c’mon Swale...firstly Lampard had two windows...summer 2018 and January 2019.
He brought three top flight loanees in which made a huge difference and when he left...they left too.
His ‘full time’ signings haven’t proved so brilliant have they...and were there not plenty of ‘guileless, gutless and piss poor’ performances last season too?
I can certainly remember a few. Leeds and Millwall at home anyone?
Of course I’m not ‘content’ with some of the ‘uninspiring’ performances but last year’s hit and miss outfit has had the heart ripped out of it.
The three loanees and Keogh provided the rock and the flair for that side last season. The first three were never going to be easy to replace and the Keogh situation was completely unforseeable.
Add into the equation whatever is going on with Jack Marriott - brilliant between September and November of last season and, one appearance at Elland Road apart, largely anonymous since - and it isn’t difficult to see that any manager would have his work cut out.
I imagine, years ago, you’d have been calling for Jim Smith’s head after the first third of that season...the difference is...Smith was able to see what was wrong and address the need for change immediately. Cocu hasn’t had that privilege, he’s been in the job for five months, during which the club has become embroiled in two horrible controversies. Only next month will he actually be able to hopefully make some changes on the basis of what he has learned from this season so far.
I wonder how successful Arthur Cox and Jim Smith would have been without the ability to make such ‘game changer’ on the hoof signings as Dean Saunders and Stimac...both made in October if I remember correctly. Suspect, if you had enough money - which we did - management was a little easier in those days.