Yes we may not have played the most attractive football, but at least he learnt from his mistakes.
After we were relegated in 98/99 he stated that maybe he had been a little naive in trying to play expansive football and that if / when we came back up we'd have to be tighter and harder to break down. From then on we won the Championship and never looked like getting relegated, but that wasn't enough for some of our fans who expected a club of our stature to be challenging for the UEFA places year in year out.
Maybe now some of the people who told me I didnt know what I was talking (mostly those on NA to be honest) about when I tried to tell you that if you don't concede you don't lose football matches will see this as both goals we conceded last night were totally avoidable and this seems to be becoming a common theme this year! Carry on like this and were down.
Someone needs to have a word in IDs shell like and tell him to solidify the team. It might be boring, but it wont cost us £25m when the new TV deals comes out next season.
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I fear that I am going to be proved right.
That said it is still too early to get on Dowie's back when you consider that every one of HIS signings (bar JFH and Faye) has been injured. That is appalling luck for any manager.
However if we are still bottom 3 after, say, 14 games ie a third of the season, I will be calling for a change and if Curbs is still out of work I hope, having had a break, he would consider coming back refreshed to dig us out of the s**t.
The reason we are in this mess is down to Curbishley and the way he ran down the squad leaving us with the weakest squad out of any of the teams in the Prem and got out to save his reputation.
El Kak (fitting name), Hughes and M Bent are all great Curbs signings and they are the reasons we're struggling - along with a tough start thanks to the fixture list.
Dowie has tried to remedy it by bringing in some players we desperately needed ie tacking midfielder Faye and dominant centre-back Diawara and it should all be ok over the season.
Don't fall into the trap that the lazy media do and view Curbs through rose-tinted glasses...
Excuse me? Im quoting Curbs himself and he did tighten it up when we came back up and we stayed up every season quite easily did we not?
Curbs tried to get rid of El Kak and ID brought him back...
M Bent has hardly played so you cant blame him. Hughes is a decent squad player and wouldnt be in the side if we had other options there.
So next time you try and tell me Im talking "total rubbish as usual" give it some thought eh?
I hope you are not suggesting a negative approach to Saturday's game, I have had enough of that the last two seasons thank you very much. For sure Kish in for Hughes would make us a lot more solid and I'd agree with that.
I am still very much behind Dowie and the team and looking forward to the rest of the season.
Not at all mate, solidity doesn't have to mean boring. Look at Chelsea. They play attractive football, but are solid at the back (granted they have much more talent at their disposal)
Add Konch and Euell to that list too.
Dowie can't change Hasslebaink and Herman missing two free headers in two games, both go in, and we're on 5 points, got a result out of Arsenal, and a decent point at Fulham
Should have stuck with music. Bands never let you down and if they turn crap you can just listen to the old stuff or a different band.
Someone post up some five chioces or something to cheer me up.
Dowie or Curbs
Dowie or Curbs
Dowie or Curbs
Dowie or Curbs
Curbishley was most definately one of the main reasons we are in our current position, but to suggest he is the sole reason is wrong. We have since spent very good money and brought in a number of players, 5 of the starting 11 have been signed this summer, so its not all Curbs old squad.
But no one likes 'i told you so' messages when the chips are down, particularly when its still early in the season, they just wind you up. The one point Dan makes that is true, is that after our run, Curbs would of gone there to have got a 0-0 last night, and would likely of achieved it. It would of been dull and crap, but we would of been a point better off.
Dowie is a good manager, but doesn't have a fully fit side at his disposal yet, despite the results I can see what he is trying to achieve. Last night other than a ten minute spell after Jensen came on we were the better side, but lacked a cutting edge, JFH and Bent don't seem to combine that well.
Diawarra looked knackered and was at fault for Jensen's goal but in a match or two he'll be ok, other than that he had a good game. Ditto Reid, neither went missing, but neither look superstars, but they could both become good solid players. Reid didn't look match fit and in the centre of midfield we need a bit more bite, hopefully that'll be Pouso's job. Hughes was our worst player, way too anonymous.
The side worked hard and didn't give up, not even at 2-0 down, the spirit is there.
Myhre, Andersen, HH, Young, El Kak, Sorondo, Perry, Fortune, Kish, Holland, Hughes, Romm, Ambrose, Thomas, M Bent, D Bent, JJ, Lisbie, Bartlett
To my mind that is the poorest squad since we were first promoted to the Prem. and we would have been dead certs for relegation. Only one person can be blamed for that and he knew the writing was on the wall so he got out.
Dowie has correctly identified the areas we were weak in (centre-half and centre-mid) and tried to sign some athletic, dynamic players as he saw last season how teams like Bolton, Blackburn etc. were outmuscling us
We were hurt last night by Jensen, a quality player and one of a long list of quality performers - Konchesky, Murphy, Smertin, dare I say Euell - who Curbs fell out with and then allowed to leave. They were replaced with the likes of the journeyman himself Hughes and the abysmal M Bent.
I say again you are talking absolute rubbish as usual if you think things would be better under Curbs.
There's no way 1500 would have been there last night for a start!
I think thats it, we are a killer pass away from being a decent outfit. How many times were we 20 yards out last night with no clue at all?!
EL Kak had been farmed out to Qatar. Sorondo was on loan and was then signed by ID. I watched Perry at the weekend and he was much better than either El Kak or Fortune. Oh and you forgot Gibbs.
Well I and AFKA believe we would have been a least a point better off and I'm sure we wouldn't have conceded three against West Ham under Curbs. Having the lead and a man sent off he would have shut up shop.
Konch joined his childhood club having been told he wasn't guaranteed to play LB, which was a good decision in my eyes cos his positional play is pony. Smertin took his family back to Russia. Murphy was dire and had a handful of good games. Euell isn't the player he was once. I'd take off your rose tinted glasses if I were you.......
Interesting that you feel you have to start throwing a few insults around to back up your argument!!
Spot on.
Sorondo joined full time before ID and anyway he played well under him at Palace when he was on-loan there. The guy has never been fully fit since he joined us so to an extent he's an unknown quantity.
If we hadn't got El K back from Qatar we really would have been in trouble - remember Faye played at least two games as an emergency CB.
To follow up WSS's point...we need a creative midfielder, someone to play behind the strikers, too often we got the ball there last night and ran out of ideas. Hopefully Reid can develop into this player? Maybe Ambrose? Or do we start making enquiries about Sidwell again?
Curbs knew how to close out a game. It wasnt often pretty but always effective.
We would have had another 3 points - Villa, Pompey and Fulham.
Dowie has won 9 games out of 46 in the Prem, I think that says it all.
Bolanos might have been, but he has to manage with what he has.
It's history now- move on!