Quote: Dita's Slot Meter "I don't think anybody would say we are - However, back in 2002 we had a squad which suffered from a lack of investment and the level of performance it gave was almost inevitable.
Now, we have a squad which, though undoubtedly in decline, is definitely underperforming... People are rightly worried because its been slipping since 2011 and not just 3 or 4 weeks ago.'"
Post of the thread
That 2002 "squad" (bar Briers, Burns and one or two others) had all the RL ability of the Dagenham Girl Pipers. Langer, Gee, Nikau, Kidwell etc had all gone home. Van de Velde (he did have good contacts) had gone earlier, and Peter Deakin had left for Sale (iirc). These were replaced by Championship standard players, and a coach who was as much use as t1ts on a fish.
As I said in the Custard Smelling thread, our transfer policy since 2011 has been, at best, poor. Veteran players not replaced. Incoming players not playing up to standard, and youth policy lads hitting the heights straight away, then fading just as quick.
There's blame to be taken in all quarters, for our recent malaise. It's about time these people looked themselves in the mirror.
As an aside, when we're playing cack, we always seem to bring up that Godawful 2002 season. Now, for those of a similar vintage to myself, does anyone else recall the "detritus" served up in the 84-85 season, under Reggie ####ing Bowden. IIRC, didn't we lose 6 on the bounce, and then just stagger to safety, on the next to last game of the season to avoid relegation. That was atrocious stuff, considering we'd finished 3rd the previous year, behind the 2 Hull clubs, who were dominant, at the time