01 Dec 2025 22:30:07
There's 2 things that stand out to me about this squad;
1. When one of our players takes a nasty foul, where are the rest of the players having a go at the other player to defend their own?
2. When Butland loses a goal to ANOTHER defensive mistake, where's the anger? McGregor and Goram used to take a goal against as a personal embarrassment and lambast the culprits.
Now I know these are only 2 of the many problems we have but I think they sum up the malaise/cowardice/lack of desire (*delete as appropriate) in the current squad.
Interested to know everyone's thoughts.
01 Dec 2025 23:40:04
Id hope that's not a dig towards Butland athole,
He's been our best player by far this season.
02 Dec 2025 07:13:26
I'd also add that when the game is flat we don't have a player that's willing to do something that gets a reaction from the crowd and changes the pattern of the game.
02 Dec 2025 07:48:57
Baz - it's not a dig. It's a fact. He, along with the full squad are missing that nasty streak.
I have a lot of time for JB as a person and he is a good keeper, not a great keeper, but what I admire most is the fact that he fronts up to fans and the media when things aren't going well.
What you're talking about baz is form. Big difference. i'm talking about his inherent personality trait.
02 Dec 2025 07:51:26
EHL - that's also true.
Different era I know but you'd often hear older players saying they'd recognise the team and fans were flat so they'd go in and smash a player to spark everyone.
We have no one who'd do that now.
02 Dec 08:05:08
Completely agree athole and EHL, I've been saying to friends for what feels like forever about the lack of emotion/anger/joy/frustration towards other players or each other when tackles go in or mistakes are made or even when big tackles are made on our part.
Maybe it's just a new school of thought about being too nice to each other etc but when I played football and made a mistake I got slaughtered and wanted to make sure I put it right. If my mate lost the ball I'd do everything to make sure that mistake didn't count for anything.
If a team mate got cemented you'd be right on top of the c*nt to let him know what's coming.
Also the amount of times our players go down looking for a foul when it's been a nothing tackle is embarrassing, where's the fight? Where's the willingness to win that ball back?
Our team is full of powderpuff players who lack a winning mentality and quite frankly the quality required on the ball to do what's required.
Sick to my back teeth of needing a rebuild, the best we can hope for imo is keeping as close as possible then getting 3,4, or 5 players that can really help us in January but that's a massive ask.
02 Dec 2025 09:26:21
Too many players in the squad coasting through games.
Not bursting a gut to track back as if they have no responsibility.
It's the same traits other managers have had to deal with.
You get the feeling some of these players were glad to see the back of martin, forgetting that they now have to impress a new manager and keep the fans onside.
02 Dec 2025 12:51:34
Give them a break guys they didn't know that's what a leadership group is supposed to do, they thought it was to go behind a managers back to the hierarchy to tell them how bad the manager is. Makes me angry every time I think about those absolute losers saying anyone is poor at there job, some (all) of them need a look in the mirror.
They didn't produce when the manager went, they still haven't produced to this day ? I'm not saying phil was a great but it's clearly evident that the players where hugely responsible, but had no qualms blaming someone else, cowards!
02 Dec 2025 13:35:40
Agreed 100% GMW, we don't have any players doing that, no fight in our team mate, if think we'll see far more work rate and fight against United Tommorow, but it needs to happen in every game, seen Tavernier with Arfied after the just game finished, and Tavernier with a smile on his face, unreal, slap back in the day.
02 Dec 2025 14:22:37
Go in and smash someone now u gwt a yellow card or maybe a red on var.
Really not worth that for a song from the fans mate.
02 Dec 2025 14:23:44
Problem is athole, you get booked for surrounding players and smashing into them these days and considering how bad the refs are they'd probably send our players off. Fans criticise Diomande for example for smashing into players saying it's not needed and he's a liability for it and Butland can't complain cause he was shocking towards to end last season, just like McGregor cost us 12 or so points under Gio.
02 Dec 2025 14:53:28
EHL you are right about when the game is flat you need experienced player's to do something really brave and gritty to get the crowd going.
In the 1970's three players spring to mind who could this consistently; Grieg, Mcdonald and Forsyth. These moments would turn the game around and we would go onto win.
02 Dec 2025 15:46:10
we have Tavernier who points around fantastically well while strolling around waiting fir the next throw in.
02 Dec 2025 17:12:07
Probably some of the finest pointing I've ever witnessed, makes me proud. Who's going to point like that after he leaves. You never know what you had until it's gone.