Five years, gone backwards.

[sinkov]

Just looking at the team that was playing in the Championship five years ago, 2013/14. The strike partnership was lethal, Sam Vokes and Danny Ings, we won promotion, but five years, two promotions and millions of pounds of TV money later we haven't improved on that Vokesy/Ingsy thingy.

Not only have we not improved on that partnership, we've gone backwards, £30 million spent on Wood and Vydra but Sean prefers Vokes and Barnes. You'd think we'd have progressed since then but no, we had a better strike partnership back in the Championship five years ago, something for the new Technical Director to ponder ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

The jury must still be out on Vydra but if Wood is any better than Vokes, Ings or Barnes, I will show my arse in the club shop on a matchday.

Wood is not an EPL footballer, give me Andre Gray any day of the week and boy, did that lad get some stick on here!


Attachment 10876

[1959_60]

The big problem at the moment is that our front men are not getting the service.

I am convinced this will change soon once Brady and Defour are back.

And I reckon Vydra will be very successful here.

Most teams would miss a player like Ings though. And we can't afford to buy a player like that, unless we unearth a gem from somewhere.

[Altobelli]

I'm astounded how we have trudged along for 4 years with Vokes and Barnes, I'm not holding my breath for when Brady and D4 return either 59/60.

[alfinyalcabo]

Thought this was a thread about BT and Alto..

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Since I started back at the gym with cortisone and steroids you would not recognise me Alf!

[Supersub6]

Interesting concept. When the International Break came in 2013 we were top of the Championship having played 11 won 8 drawn 2 lost 1 and scored 21 with 7 against.
The next 17 matches saw us win 6 draw 9 and lose 2 and scored 21 with 16 against and were then in 3rd place.
Thus, after 28 matches we had scored 42 goals at an average of 1.5 per game and conceded 23 goals at 0.82 goals per game.
Compare this to now, having played 8 won 2 drawn 2 lost 4 and scored 10 with 12 against.
Thus we have scored 1.25 per game and conceded 1.5 per game in a higher division and stand in 12th place.

I hope that we continue to go backwards at this sort of rate for another 5 years.

[sinkov]

I hope that we continue to go backwards at this sort of rate for another 5 years.

You're a very naughty boy Sub, you know very well I'm referring to our strike partnership, which is much less effective than it was five years ago. I can't be bothered to check but I'll be amazed if there's any other PL team fielding a strike duo worse than they had five years back.

[sinkov]

Wood is not an EPL footballer, give me Andre Gray any day of the week and boy, did that lad get some stick on here!

Would that be the same Andre Gray who has scored just 14 PL goals from open play in 71 PL games ? If so BT then I would suggest he didn't get enough stick. You can tell how poor Gray is, because the not an EPL footballer Chris Wood, has scored 10 already from less than half the games Gray has played, just 33.

Anyway I haven't given Gray any stick for a while so this is overdue, Gray traps a ball further then I can throw my cap, his hold up and link up game is non-existent and his scoring record is abysmal, I'm still amazed that Watford haven't prosecuted us under the Trade Descriptions Act for selling them someone we described as a PL striker, when he clearly isn't.

[Norder]

.

a Watford Fan....commenting on S.D's move to Burnley - back in 2012.

"Get ready to be bored senseless burnley fans! I had a season ticket at Watford last year and the football we played was some of the worst I've seen at the vic!"


but still - many were sad to see him go...he'd got them winning - lifted them up the table...and they appreciated what he'd achieved with a weak squad and small budget.

then - there was a jont statement from Banaszkiewicz and Garlick - in which they said....his attributes were complemented by "a Fantastic ability to maximize resources" - and weren't they chuffed - it worked.
so what if....the idea back then - are still the same ideas today....achieve maximum return from minimum input - then where do we go from here ?....as if to compete requires a shift in commitment, then some big changes need to be made....and not just in the board and team - but with S.D - as if he fails to prove his ability in a different, more sophisticated level of the game....there'll be no excuse.