So ANOTHER defeat at home. I’m told, because I couldn’t bring myself to watch it, that we played ok but didn’t create anything.
So what has happened? Well I suppose we can only speculate – but I’m going to give my opinion. Before I do, let me recap on what has happened so far this season.
We have played 23 games. From a total possible 69 points, we have achieved 23, exactly one third of the total available. That’s an average of course of 1 per game, confirming that it is in fact, relegation form. Add to that, we have only won two – that’s TWO, games at home this season. Actually we only won 3 games at HOME during the whole of 2020, and you have to go back to October 2019 for the 4th. That’s shocking by any standard.
We had 28 points at this same point last season under Clotet, while he had said he was leaving – which clearly affected the players – fans were calling for his head then.
I’ll be honest, I thought the appointment of Karanka was a good one. He has proved he can get teams organised and tight at the back. He obviously managed to get Boro promoted, I was hopeful. We looked like we would concede any moment under Clotet and we had to fix that.
To be truthful, he did appear to sort that issue at the start of the season. We only conceded 5 goals in our first 9 games. You can work from that, be difficult to be broken down – then sort the forward play, and you can start picking up points. At the end of October, it looked like that had happened. Two consecutive wins, after a draw – and to be fair, decent performances, things looked better. Sadly it didn’t last – and for context, that is still out best run. Yes we had another back to back wins, but they followed and preceded defeats.
So what is going on, we’re on a run of 1 draw in 6 games, with 5 defeats. Well I have these thoughts.
Firstly, It appears that he STILL doesn’t know what his best team is, or the formation they should be in. After winning a match – or even a decent performance, he has a habit of making several changes. Now while I accept I have no idea about fitness or attitude etc., and I accept that there may be reasons why players aren’t picked – it isn’t occasional, it’s regular. That CAN’T help a good team spirit. If you play well and then get dropped, what message does that send?
Which brings me to my second point. It looks like the players are not playing for him. There appears to be no passion, no commitment – putting aside skill and ability, I think it is appalling that players put on a club shirt and not give any effort. However you have to ask the question, why is that?
Now for balance, I am making a general point and not picking on particular players – however the previous 3 games I watched seemed to indicate my previous point. So let me ask the question – has Karanka lost the dressing room?
You may like some players and dislike others, but putting that to one side, we DO have a decent squad. Not perfect, and definitely needing additional quality, but it IS decent, and certainly better than the position we find ourselves in at the moment. Just on that, it feels like that even IF we got some additional pace and skill upfront, they wouldn’t be used to their strength anyway.
So IF the manager CAN’T get the players motivated, I guess the question would be why? Is it style of management, style of play, not having a set side? I really don’t know – but you have to have serious doubts that things are ok in the dressing room. Finally on this point, his interviews are odd. He gives the impression of not knowing why we played badly or lost – I get his role is to not criticise the players publicly, but you could argue he’s doing that anyway with wholesale changes.
So the final point. The club itself. I feel the most distant from the club that I have felt since Sullivan days. I think part of that is cultural differences of the owners, however it “feels” like something isn’t right there either. If that is the case, that surely would impact on the playing staff. So is the real issue there? I don’t know, but it feels like we are spinning down the plughole. Unless someone can put the plug in, we look like we will go down this season.
I make these points as a fan of over 40 years, and remember the ONLY constant at a football club, ARE the fans. I accept that things may be different if the fans were in the ground – however at the moment it COULD be worse, especially if the side continue to play the way they have.
I genuinely hope that Karanka can pull it together and that the players play and fight for the club they represent, however at the moment, I’m not hopeful and I fear that we are heading out of the league at the end of the season in the wrong direction.
Spot on, while we have these owners in charge of our club, we are going nowhere, we are light years behind the likes of Wolves, Leicester and that lot from the village. It’s rotten from the top and it’s time for a clear out, get back to a formation of 4-4-2.
Obviously everyone will agree with your analysis and rightly so. However I have an extra comment if I may,and that is this- all true Blues supporters should treat this current playing situation as not BCFC. We have never been perfect but we have always shown a fighting spirit and that has always been our trait. This assembly of players haven’t that commodity. Not their fault as Karanka’s signing are basically has-beens and devoid of new challenges.Apart from being leggy,slow and certainly not physically able to compete in a tough Championship league, the desire is not there. Sad but startlingly obvious. Karanka is out of touch and managers of Wycombe,Barnsley,Luton,Coventry etc.simply leave him out cold. This Blues squad is not what we are used to and until we finally drop a league and rebuild with a Kenny Jacket type Manager, we will not show a fighting spirit. Pessimism and negative thoughts then yes,but this season holds nothing other. As said this squad is not the Blues we know and my hope is that we do not lose a younger generation of supporters as I for one, cannot recommend my club to any youngster to support.
Karanka has signed a fair few players since he came in only a couple have been decent but when you are signings frees and journeymen that’s what happens..(even our money buys have been meh).. The constant tinkering boils my piss and the players must feel likewise . Have a decent game then get dumped next time out ? I see a team without a leader and very little bottle let alone the ability to pass a ball to someone in the same couloured shirt. Too many Managers take all the credit when they win but roll out endless excuses at other times I’m all for praise when it’s due but believe when shite is served up then the players should get pelters … I very much doubt that hands in pockets sullen moping Karanka is the man for that….
trouble with falling down a division is it can take years to get back , I think this this is the longest spell for a long time out of the Premier, we need goals and that will be a goalscoring midfield and a striker to take pressure of the defence , clubs in this league play to win , without goals this club will struggle. Has not replaced Adams let’s hope we don’t start a corner shop mentality, we need goals now to survive
I think we need 2 or 3 players a striker a midfielder and a leader then we will be ok come on blues sort it out
Unfortunately this excellent article is spot on with the problems facing Blues.
The players, management and owners do not remember the last time Blues were in tier 3 of English football. It was the supporters who suffered and were ridiculed. It will be the same again. Owners will sell up and take their management with them. Players will move on or retire. The supporters will be left behind as usual to suffer.
The team predicament is baffling, it really is. In my opinion we have a good squad of players, and when you add the experience of Karanka to the mix we should be a top six team by now. As I say, baffling.
I’ve been a fan since 1964 – not 1864 as some suggest! – and I cannot recall so many St. Andrews defeats, and by growing margins at that. In my opinion we don’t control the midfield as we should, and consequently are not creating enough goal scoring opportunities. We also need a midfield that can thread a through pass to our forwards, and for that purpose I’d like to see Crowley given another run.
Up front Hogan will do the biz if given the service from midfield or the flanks. Leko is sharp as a razor anywhere on the field, and he needs a run in the team to show what he can do.
We also need to run at the opposition at speed. Defenders hate that, and it often brings it’s rewards. Bela and Sanchez have bags of ability, but are being subdued by team tactics. In other words our build-ups are often too slow and predictable.
Lastly, Clayton and Clarke-Salter were out of sorts a couple of games ago, yet were brought on as subs on Saturday. Pah!
i think and hope Karankas days are numbered as he obviously hasn’t got a clue and once again the board have got it wrong and we as fans have to suffer while other local sides put light years between them and us.It was said that Karanka builds his sides on being hard to beat and not conceding many goals,dont make me laugh.He continually plays one up front and then backs it up with a defensive minded midfield,surely if you play one up front you back it up with an attacking number ten and anyone will know that most promotion/title winning sides over the years were all based on having the same team in and out every week where possible but not with this clown,how the hell does he ever expect a team to gel when he keeps chopping and changing players/formation/every game and as for Dan Crowley I thought build a side around him this year as I thought he was one of the successes from last season but no he cant even get into a squad which is allowed five subs and crying out for a midfielder of his talent,he is probably to attack minded for Karanka if the truth be known and now the rumours that he is going out on loan in January if it happens would be a disgrace and I really don’t think that it matters that we are on lockdown and the stadium is empty because if we wernt I don’t think there would be that many there anyway to watch this shambles of a team run by a clueless manager.
I started to worry when he said Hogan is a player who needs confidence then dropped him for the next match.
I was always in favour of appointing Paul Cooke who had mediocre Wigan players winning and producing good football. Having said that we’d have had to listen to that awful Liverpool accent every week.
Nice article. I know its sad, but i feel like we should go down based on 5 seasons now.. maybe it will slap some heads and realise that shit is real right now, but.. i fear that what if we end up like burton? god! its certainly possible. Like u said something is wrong deep down in the empire and it needs to be delt with pronto! please blues sort it out argh 🙁 KRO.
Excellent article Kev.
I wonder if Covid-19 has a huge role to play here. Players may be suffering after effects of infection, so be lacking in sharpness. This could explain the constant changing of squad. Karanka got a tune out of them when he first arrived, so it’s not his “ability” that’s lacking. Perhaps Crowley has Long Covid or lacks discipline (breaches lockdown?) or something the club aren’t likely to make public?
The home performances – in my view – are not helped by lack of home support. How often have we “taken the credit” for cheering us on to a critical win? We can’t do that now. We’re also reaping the benefits (more often) when we’re away of other home fans not being able to do the same.
I’m not letting Karanka off the hook. Like you Kev, I was impressed with his appointment and am disappointed with how his interviews are conducted and with his points haul. But I’d hope he is, too. We didn’t win back to back away games with a dreadful manager and zero team spirit. I don’t think he’s “lost the dressing room”. If he’s tinkering for tinkering’s sake he should stop, but if it’s been out of fitness concerns or other issues, he’s had less choice. Regardless it’ll explain unsettled performances. Get the right lineup and we’ll be ok. The players he inherited were all signed by different managers with different approaches in mind. He’s using them, in fairness, but he’s trying to use them in formations that best suits the majority on the pitch at the time. Perhaps – after January window – he’ll have the right balance of players to play to HIS system and ask the existing players to stick with that. Hogan lacking confidence isn’t AK’s fault. Drop him and Juke not scoring isn’t either. Yes, he could have kept Toral in after his brace, but I’m clueless why he didn’t. Again, fitness issues? He certainly could have left him in hoping he’d score two again. But didn’t. Perhaps he’s just bonkers. Or perhaps he knows better than me. Either way, I’m hopeful we turn things around, and soon. I’m DEFINITELY not in the “we need to be relegated to sort this mess out” club.
KRO
Excellent article and some good replies. My outlook on the season is one of bewilderment as to why AK keeps changing players and formation. A constant is needed to achieve success.
Hopefully the Chinese owners will come to their collective senses and get rid of one constant Dong, he couldn’t run a bath.
Here’s hoping KRO
Sorry but I’m as pessimistic as I have ever been, even allowing for the fact that I’ve got a shocking memory. Top to bottom, recent past to immediate future, tell me where there is a thread of real hope.
Disembodied owners who have done their money, longstanding backroom staff gone, a bewildered manager, demoralised players, relegation looming; all point to a gloomy inertia.
Beam me up Scottie.
Have we all turned into villa fans for gods sake He has had 4 months this rot and Home form has been going on for for a long time before He came stop panicing and lets see what transfer window brings if its still the same come march then start panicing we need 2 strikers plus juke As hogan Is a waste Of space 4 year contract a joke will sit on his money for next 3 years like He did at the vile
Excellent article on rubbish management but players mediocre at best and no spine in the team whoever he picks.
I think the the rot is set too deep in the team for it to recover with this manager.i think Paul cook would be a good fit.i prefer Liverpool humour to Spanish non humour any day, his team takes must be woeful
Craig Gardner’s return is interesting.