Why Norwich and Swansea and not us?

[zuluop]

Why are Norwich and Swansea in more or less safe positions and playing good consistent football while we fail again and again?
I wonder how we would have done had we kept the squad intact (more or less) playing with the same group that wanted to die for each other last season.......would we have had more performances like the 0-1 at Everton or 1-0 at home to Chelsea or would we have been even worse?
If worse....then why actually.....look at Swansea and Norwich with more or less same squads as last year.......why did we have to destroy what we had completely??? Have we brought in too many players that cannot gel? Or just the wrong quality? Or is it in fact that just that we destroyed the team spirit that was on our team last year??
I think most of the players we brought in are better than the ones they replaced, but are simply not playing as a team! Too many of our players have (or have had) personal agendas like getting in the england squad or proving themselves individually and I have yet to see that our so called captain has gathered a "team" around him. We just look like a group of mercenaries and like most of our players care more about themselves and very little about our badge. If we are to keep all these new players - no matter if we relegate or not - I think they can grow into a team but it will sadly not be in time to save us this season. The team we had last season might not have been the best team to ever win the championship but they played like a team and they were men that honored our badge.
The season is running out.......but I do dare hope that MH still have just about enough time to provide us with something that will make us (fans) proud!!

[rmj1982]

simple answer they both had a settled pre-season its has simple has that.

[West Acton]

Have you seen Norwichs first goal from yesterday you just cant buy luck like that.

But fairplay to the both of them no point hating. We came up spending the least in the Championship and potentially will go down having put our hands in our pocket.

[80sCasual]

I can't explain it, we were mid table at one point then boom we imploded, Neil lost the dressing room, started making strange substitutions and was playing players out of their positions. A few bad results and Neil was not encouraging the team (from what we saw) only praising certain opposition players in his post match interviews etc.
This all got to the players confidence and before we knew it we were on a downward spiral towards where we are currently placed.
The time was right for Neil to be replaced no matter what anyone says but unfortunately the players brought in had either been in A.Nations along with our other players or when they had returned haven't really had that much time to gel all arriving at different times.
Plus it didn't help that one of our so called answers to our problems goes and gets himself sent off (this could have cost us dearly and only time will tell what real effect it has had).
I believe when everyone is together we will have a good side, and managed correctly they will keep us in the prem this year. But it's not my belief that will save them it's up to the players to believe in theirselves and work as a team if it is to happen, that's Marks job, and good luck to him.
Either way I'll still be there but how many of the players etc will next year?

[ollyhoops]

I think the sale of the club that dragged through the summer played a major part in this.

Pressing the self destruct button and switching managers and bringing in that amount of players during the transfer window doesn't always work either.

[PeterG]

Swansea and Norwich went about their business professionally got thier players in and had a proper pre season with the squads and maintained thier spirit and momentum

we played russian roulette, the manager wasnt sure he would start the season, they players were not sure who was going to manage them or own the club, we didnt get our players in and had a pre season then brought half a team in once the season had started

but even given all that, if bernie and flav had just backed warnock and made sure we got graham we would be up with swansea and norwich now

Next season it we stay up we will be a different proposition

[rickyranger]

Why are Norwich and Swansea in more or less safe positions and playing good consistent football while we fail again and again?
I wonder how we would have done had we kept the squad intact (more or less) playing with the same group that wanted to die for each other last season.......would we have had more performances like the 0-1 at Everton or 1-0 at home to Chelsea or would we have been even worse?
If worse....then why actually.....look at Swansea and Norwich with more or less same squads as last year.......why did we have to destroy what we had completely??? Have we brought in too many players that cannot gel? Or just the wrong quality? Or is it in fact that just that we destroyed the team spirit that was on our team last year??
I think most of the players we brought in are better than the ones they replaced, but are simply not playing as a team! Too many of our players have (or have had) personal agendas like getting in the england squad or proving themselves individually and I have yet to see that our so called captain has gathered a "team" around him. We just look like a group of mercenaries and like most of our players care more about themselves and very little about our badge. If we are to keep all these new players - no matter if we relegate or not - I think they can grow into a team but it will sadly not be in time to save us this season. The team we had last season might not have been the best team to ever win the championship but they played like a team and they were men that honored our badge.
The season is running out.......but I do dare hope that MH still have just about enough time to provide us with something that will make us (fans) proud!!

1. Both had much better managers than us for most of this season (Warnock).
2. We were doing ok until Warnock started to Publically criticize certain players, Faulin and Traore and lost the dressing room. Do you remember that mid table feeling?
3. Both had better players championship players than us and to be honest we were lucky to b promoted.
4. Neither have lost anyone to either the ACN or to long term injury.

If we can stay up this year we will pass them both by with ease so come on let's remain positive until it really is to late.

[Wiz]

Err, we've had 3 key defenders, our number 2 keeper and 1 striker out with long term injuries and you, like so many others, mistake quality with cash spent.

Having a good manager is vital of course.

[jmelanie]

Swansea until yesterday was basically their home form. For some reason they have done really well at home. Perhaps this is because most premiership teams had never played there. I'm still not sure that they are safe and could do a Blackpool. Four of their last six games are against teams near the bottom. I think this could prove significant.

[QPR Richard]

Swansea shouldn't even be playing in the English Premier League. It seems to have been forgotten that the people of Wales voted for devolved powers, including Culture and Sport. The Welsh have their own league.

[ollyhoops]

Well you have to admire them, they are far better teams than us.

[swanleyhoop]

Think our problems actually started last March, when the Faurlin affair broke, which clearly destroyed the players' confidence and we limped along for the rest of the season, drawing games we would previously have smashed -- it also meant promotion, when it came, was a sigh of relief rather than a huge celebration -- no parade, no real euphoria or momentum to take us and the players through the early days of the new season, hence the awful first-day result.

The delay of the takeover, NW allowing Taarabt to go on honeymoon rather than coming back on time for pre-season (yes, the club gave AT permission), having to buy players late in August that no-one else wanted, NW giving Barton the armband before he'd kicked a ball, Barton slating top-scorer and top-assister Taarabt and seemingly succeeding in turning NW against Taarabt (could you imagine Norwich and Swansea doing that to Holt and Sinclair??)...lots and lots of factors which we have had working against us.

Whether or not the club can recover from what has been a lot of turbulence is yet to be seen.

[BUSHRANGER1982]

Err, we've had 3 key defenders, our number 2 keeper and 1 striker out with long term injuries and you, like so many others, mistake quality with cash spent.

Having a good manager is vital of course.

Oh, boy.....you had better keep hoping your luck holds, because when it finally goes awol, and your bargain buys live up to expectations, and Paul Lambert proves to be as uninspiring as he sounds, then I'd advise you to keep off our message board, because if you don't, you won't half get it in the neck from all of us here.
Say what you like, but the day I've described above, just gets that little closer with each passing game.

[BUSHRANGER1982]

Swansea shouldn't even be playing in the English Premier League. It seems to have been forgotten that the people of Wales voted for devolved powers, including Culture and Sport. The Welsh have their own league.

Have to agree.
I've never really understood why we allow Welsh teams to play in our leagues, I mean, WHY FFS?
The Welsh want seperatism, let's give them seperatism, in EVERYTHING.

[Shania]

Think our problems actually started last March, when the Faurlin affair broke, which clearly destroyed the players' confidence and we limped along for the rest of the season, drawing games we would previously have smashed -- it also meant promotion, when it came, was a sigh of relief rather than a huge celebration -- no parade, no real euphoria or momentum to take us and the players through the early days of the new season, hence the awful first-day result.

The delay of the takeover, NW allowing Taarabt to go on honeymoon rather than coming back on time for pre-season (yes, the club gave AT permission), having to buy players late in August that no-one else wanted, NW giving Barton the armband before he'd kicked a ball, Barton slating top-scorer and top-assister Taarabt and seemingly succeeding in turning NW against Taarabt (could you imagine Norwich and Swansea doing that to Holt and Sinclair??)...lots and lots of factors which we have had working against us.

Whether or not the club can recover from what has been a lot of turbulence is yet to be seen.

Well said!