The degree of unrealism that is being displayed by some of our fans makes me feel quite ashamed.

We are enjoying our longest ever run in England’s top division, widely regarded as the best in the world. Compare that from where we used to be and we all should be immensely proud of our club and its management.

We aren’t able to just buy ourselves out of trouble. When it hits, as it always will, it hurts. We have though managed to pull through in the past with the management, players and fans united and determined. We need to play our part and not expect the impossible.

Roy was brought back to hold the line for another year. No one expected most of our key players to get injured in the way they have. No manager has the capacity to deal with that easily. We always knew a change would happen this coming summer. Getting on Roy’s and the player’s backs now is not going to help them at all. It will demoralise, demotivate and depress them. They need to be encouraged and supported.

Just imagine if you were Steve and now searching for Roy’s replacement. How would they feel coming to a club with such toxic fans? Imagine Roy gets so affected by the mood he walks away and there is no replacement of anything approaching the same quality available.

This is not how we are. Put away the banners and start supporting. Everyone knows the football is uninspiring but grinding out points when you have a restricted list of names available is what you do. Survival is the target.

What is it that you would like him to do with the players at his disposal?
...

Firstly, you are, of course, entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. It's simply that we disagree.

As to what would I like to Hodgson to do (if eh stays):

I would like him:

1. to recognize that we are currently unable to be set up to avoid the opposition scoring. That is now 12 consecutive league games in which we have conceded, and in 10 of those games we conceded the first goal scored in the game. And yet, Hodgson still insists on setting us up not to lose. Roy's system worked ok in the first 11 league games - we achieved no fewer than 5 clean sheets but then we lost Doucoure. It should have been obvious fairly quickly thereafter that we didn't have a suitable replacement in our ranks and so a change of system and tactics was required. But not to Hodgson it didn't.
2. to recognize that both Hughes and Schlupp are only likely to get worse, not better whereas some youngsters who have been given occasional outings are only likely to get better if given more regular game time. Furthermore, youngsters such as Franca, Ahamada and Ozoh have the incentive to prove themselves. Schlupp and Hughes are well past that stage IMO. The youngsters are probably both quicker and fitter than those two.
3. to use Franca or Ahamada as a no.10 in Eze's absence, so as to at least provide more of an attacking threat. Now that Rak-Sakyi is almost back, I would hope to see him in Olise's position very soon.
4. to practise attacking plays with our available attacking options rather than only focus on such when both Eze and Olise are available (something he implied in a recent interview).

Finally, the arrival of both Munoz and Wharton does seem to provide some hope as both are forward thinking players. I hope Hodgson will recognize that and include them from the start of upcoming games.

In short, I want Hodgson to set us up to try and win games rather than trying to park the bus. I know we have limited resources but it's clear (to me, and it seems most others who've commented in recent times on this site) that Hodgson's system isn't working and that he doesn't seem to have a Plan B.

Edited by doombear (05 Feb 2024 6.20pm)

At last someone speaks some sense. I know the critics don't like to be told this but look at Charlton-their fans got ideas beyond their station when Curbishley was manager in the Premier, they are now not far off relegation to league 2. Be careful what you wish for. I say let's get behind the team and Roy or his replacement when there is one.

.

Sorry, but,
firstly, we're not Charlton and
secondly, as a fan of over 50 years standing I don't (and I don't think many others who disagree with you) have ideas beyond our station. Whilst I didn't want Hodgson to come back, I accepted it and supported him as I did throughout his first tenure when many were rubbishing him in the final two seasons of that tenure.

Unlike the Charlton fans, I'm not demanding that we go to the next level. That's not a possibility until, inter alia, we upgrade our ground and increase our revenue.

My issue with Hodgson is that he seems to have lost it and I simply want someone in who will keep us in this league, something I think Hodgson is no longer equipped to do.

The evidence?
1. His attack on young players
2. His attack on fans (yes I know he apologized for both but a manager of his experience should never have said what he did).
3. His persistence on putting square pegs in round holes instead of using the limited (young) round pegs he has in those holes.
4. His insistence of continuing with a system that isn't working when he doesn't have the players available for it.
5. Players' performances are worsening before our very eyes. Why? Is it because they know the system isn't working and they and so they're not committed to it?
6. His keep wanting to bring our two stars back before they're really ready. We don't know what has passed between the physios/medical people and Hodgson but he's been quick to point out that Eze and Olise have said they're ready to play as an excuse for playing them when the medical people have suggested a longer period would be advisable. How many more hamstrings have to go before Hodgson stops doing that? Let's face it, bringing Olise on at the Amex was criminal and that's not being said with hindsight. I groaned with foreboding when I saw he was being brought on as, I suspect did many fans. That substitution strongly suggests it was an act of desperation on Hodgson's part to try and keep his job.

Sorry, but,
firstly, we're not Charlton and
secondly, as a fan of over 50 years standing I don't (and I don't think many others who disagree with you) have ideas beyond our station. Whilst I didn't want Hodgson to come back, I accepted it and supported him as I did throughout his first tenure when many were rubbishing him in the final two seasons of that tenure.

Unlike the Charlton fans, I'm not demanding that we go to the next level. That's not a possibility until, inter alia, we upgrade our ground and increase our revenue.

My issue with Hodgson is that he seems to have lost it and I simply want someone in who will keep us in this league, something I think Hodgson is no longer equipped to do.

The evidence?
1. His attack on young players
2. His attack on fans (yes I know he apologized for both but a manager of his experience should never have said what he did).
3. His persistence on putting square pegs in round holes instead of using the limited (young) round pegs he has in those holes.
4. His insistence of continuing with a system that isn't working when he doesn't have the players available for it.
5. Players' performances are worsening before our very eyes. Why? Is it because they know the system isn't working and they and so they're not committed to it?
6. His keep wanting to bring our two stars back before they're really ready. We don't know what has passed between the physios/medical people and Hodgson but he's been quick to point out that Eze and Olise have said they're ready to play as an excuse for playing them when the medical people have suggested a longer period would be advisable. How many more hamstrings have to go before Hodgson stops doing that? Let's face it, bringing Olise on at the Amex was criminal and that's not being said with hindsight. I groaned with foreboding when I saw he was being brought on as, I suspect did many fans. That substitution strongly suggests it was an act of desperation on Hodgson's part to try and keep his job.