out to pasture

[Country Fox]

i have tried to be positive this season and look for the good aspects of individual and team performances but i think we have to face facts - i wasnt at todays game but from what iv heard of the match and from the commentary it sounds a familiar story - a flat, lifeless, passionless performance - it was the same story many times this season, only game iv seen where we really looked committed for 90 minutes was away at leeds.

the obvious question is why this lack of committment and the answer is equally obvious -

dublin and keown are almost certainly in their last season or 2 of football - they have stepped down a division to prolong their chances of 1st team football and must know their premiership days are over and are probably most concered with what they will do after retirment. they must also be fairly sure that they would have a minimal 1st team role to play if city went up this season

gemmil, blake, pressman and wilcox - a little more time left in their playing careers but they are basically here because they couldnt of done any better, not necessarily because they want to be, at city they can pick up a decent wage packet and play on at a decent level for a little longer, again know their prem days are almost certainly over

dabisaz - i dont think hes happy hes playing in the championship and IMO is only here cos he didnt get any better offers - i think his point of view is that hes here till something better comes along

basically there u have 7 players, most of whom feature regularly who know they will have very little long term future involvement with city, most know that they probably wont be here next season and some wont be playing football next season, and that in the now very very unlikely event of us going up most would have virtually no 1st team action next season - they have little to gain personally from city being successful this season and the only reason for them to give 100% every week is professional pride.

of course we had a similarly ageing squad 2 seasons ago but there was a crucial difference - most of them had been at the club at least 3 or 4 seasons already so had a genuine attachment to it and reason to play for the club instead of just for their careers and i think only dickov, deane and mckinlay had been at city less than a season out of the whole squad

 

[Graz]

I agree that a part of our problem is that the players have no real identity with the club and don't really care...although you would hope that they'd at least care enough for their own reputation to give it their all.

But while that may explain why some of those players under perform, it doesn't explain why the rest of our team is still so shit.

I think it's just a case of too many new players in this season. None of these players have had time to get to love the club really, or to play for each other. Hopefully if we stay down this season (increasingly likely), we'll keep some of these players around so next season it's not all new players.

Having a whole new squad was never really going to get us promoted.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

So how did Chelsea manage to gel a whole new squad? Do you try harder if you are not crap?

Today was truly awful, nobody up for the game. Even Tricky Trev's stumbles looked painfully embarrassing because he didn't score.

What have we come to when we call for Trevor to save us, and he cannot conjure up any magic?

Whatever is Craig Levein's version of 'tossing the teacups', now is the time to do it.

I would rather watch the entire academy have a spirited go than this lot. The absence of Tiatto cannot make that much difference to the sqad, surely?

 

[Scowcroft]

So how did Chelsea manage to gel a whole new squad? Do you try harder if you are not crap?

No, they're just players who can actually play football.