This season has been the most comfortable season for us by far. The closest we've got to the relegation zone is 16th. We had the Pardew season with a great start but then had the last half of the season with utter tripe.

We've been consistent and not had any real panics, which considering we've spent over half the campaign with no real striker and having injuries to players like Tomkins and Sakho for the last part of the season shows just how well we have actually done.

This is exactly what we needed as a club. No pay offs for sacking a manager. No expensive staying up bonuses for a new manager. No panic January buys to keep us up and the added bonus of moving on fringe players. Discovered a new home grown talent.

Home results aside, I'm really not sure what there is to moan about and why Hodgson is being questioned so much. We have a lot to be grateful for, I think.

Have we actually been 'good' at home in any of the seasons since we came up? Personally I think it is a matter of personnel. We have the perfect team for counter-attacking football, with a solid defensive unit in the centre and very quick wingers and attacking fullbacks. However, we don't have a playmaker for when teams sit deep, someone who can unlock a defence. I think many of us hoped that would be Meyer, but he is yet to convince so far. Also, we have operated without an effective striker for a large part of the season.

Towards the end of the season Hodgson definitely seemed to be setting us up for results rather than performances and the fact we are 15 points clear of relegation support his pragmatic approcach. However, as we are unlikely to have the funds to push much beyond midtable I hope we can at least explore how we can provide more entertainment on the pitch, especially at home.

You do realise he only has the players before him to choose from.
He cannot make a particular player who under pressure or has little room to move make space for himself and find a teammate if this particular player cannot actually do it, you understand that these players are the ones that eventually end up being in the championship don't you and thus you also understand that the ones who are good at it end up with the top six, so ....not Hodgsons fault

Hodgson plays the same tactical formation despite and irrespective of, the quality of the opposition. He did the same whilst England manager. Basically it's a park the bus scenario which cedes the midfield to the opposition and hopes to effectively work on the break.
With the squad available I think we have far more possibilities than what we see under his one dimensional tactical approach.

I like Kouyate in the side.
Provides physicality in midfield and makes penetrating runs forward both with and without the ball.Plays with his head up and likes to open up his body and run at opponents.
He filled-in at centre-half at W.Ham when they had injuries.
I recall speaking to someone about Kouyate when he was at W.Ham - he told me that in his opinion he wasn't the finished article but that was probably about 5 years ago.