Injuries are part and parcel of every season. Yes they have happened to key players for large parts of the season, but you have to try and have the contingency plan for that in the squad. It can happen and has.

The problem comes down to the recruitment over the past couple of years. Was the money spent on Henderson and Franca the best way, when you look at the squad requirements? You only had to look at our bench to see that the board/recruitment failed badly in the summer.

It's fine having a policy of buying young players for the future. The problem is that you also need to have players who are good enough for now.

I take your point Painter, but we all know they weren't the players we really needed. Lerma - OK, Franca - injured, young and inexperienced, Holding - past it, Henderson - no words.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear about Mr Parish, I don't blame him for giving Roy the opportunity, but I do think he dithered too long in retaining him and putting our club in the unfortunate situation of having to announce Roy's imminent sacking at the same time as negotiations for his replacement were being finalised. I still think yesterday was a sad day for our club. Thank goodness Mr Parish had the decency to accompany Roy to the hospital.

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

I did think saying that he wasn’t worried about relegation in the Monday night interview was like waving a red rag at a bull!
I know context is everything but I am sure the Directors and Shareholders are definitely worried about relegation!

I, along with many others thought "Where is the right-back and left-winger? And another goalie expecting to be the first choice"

Better purchases in the summer and an average amount of injuries and we could have been looking at top-8. Both scenarios going tits-up and we are facing a relegation battle

I strongly disagree with that. Roy is not a greedy man and doesn't need the money. If we were talking about Sam Alardyce I'd tend to agree but Roy wasn't staying for the money.
I'd imagine the biggest motivator was pride and an unshakable self belief that he could turn things around once the key players returned from injury. Maybe he was right. We'll never know.
I dont imagine we'l see Roy Hodgson in a dugout again which is a little sad but all things must come to an end.

I like you & your reasoning.

I'm a blind man, i'm a blind man, now my room is cold,
When a blind man cries, Lord, he feels it from his soul.
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