Too Early to Panic?

Ok, it is only two games. True, Liverpool would have beaten every team in the division, including Man City, in their first home fixture post Champions League Final defeat. Fair enough the players are comparative strangers. I also get that Bournemouth are under rated and had a fantastic preseason. But the fact remains that, but for Huddersfield, we would now be rock bottom of the division and, to finish with just 38 points, already need more than a point a game. So is it already time to panic?

Most will scoff at the idea of a crisis. "Panic?" goes the mantra, "We just need time." The optimists point to Pellegrini's impressive CV and £100m of signings. But the trouble is, the Prem doesn't give you time and, as all financial investment vehicles will tell you, past performance is no guarantee of future success.

Pellegrini has a great CV but he may be on the slippery slope to inglorious retirement. Let's be honest here, Man City have looked a much better team under Pep than they ever did under the Chilean. Then there is the little matter of China. If the Greying Pelle really walks on water as his advocates suggest, why did he take a job out there instead of slipping in to the hot seat of a European giant?  And who has replaced him out there? The Welsh Wizard who took Sunderland down to the old third division!

If Pellegrini really is so smart, why the hell did he mirror Liverpool's formation for that opening fixture? We all know they are better than us, player for player, in just about every position, so the only way of stopping them is to offer a chllenge in terms of team shape.  The aim had to be to frustrate for 60 minutes and then, with their fans getting anxious about an early setback, to go for the jugular. Instead, Pellegrini played a high line, no holding midielder, a flat back four and Anderson in a role where he was expected to track back to protect Masuaku. I saw the team and predicted 5-0.

Then along came Bournemouth. That game was even more worrying because the Cherries could very easily have scored five. The warning signs were there in the first half when Wilson walked on to a simple defence splitting pass and Fabianski was forced into a good save; and again when Brooks fluffed that header. But what did Pellegrini do at half time? Sweet FA. Worse still, he then sat on his hands as Bournemouth took total control of the game as the second period unfolded and only made a change when we fell behind, taking off our best hope of scoring an equaliser! Tactical genius? The word numpty sprang more readily to my mind.

And it wasn't just about team shape. Does anybody think it was clever to drop Rice from the squad? OK, like the rest, he was exposed by Liverpool, but he is an exciting prospect and we should be developing him, not humiliating him by dropping him after one poor showing. What about Snodgrass for Antonio? How many of us felt that was a good call at kick off, never mind by the time the man who has been relegated with three different clubs was substituted?

Then there is the decision to play a flat back four with Masuaku at left back. The guy can't bloody defend! He is an accident waiting to happen in his own final third as our defensive record shows when he has started as a left back. Cresswell may not be Maldini, but he is at least half decent when it comes to the business of stopping the opposition from scoring.

But the biggest worry of all is how few options we have defensively. Zabaletta is old. Our new right back looked Championship class at Anfield and his confidence will be at rock bottom having been dumped after one game. The centre back pairing are too slow and have no idea what each other are doing. True we have Diop but if Pellegini had any faith in him, why didn't he start after the Liverpool debacle and why wasn't he brought on to shore things up at the back against Bournemouth when they were running riot? Was I alone in thinking, where is James Collins when you need him?

Is Fabianski good enough? Not to keep Swansea up last season! Is Sanchez the answer to a brittle midfield? Most of the fans didn't seem to think so when we signed him. What about Anderson? Well I have seen nothing to get excited about so far. He received the ball standing stock still far too often against Bournemouth. He seemed reluctant to run at his full back. Too often he looked for the easy ball rather than taking responsibility for making something happen. And when he gave the ball away, there was no appetite to chase back and help out his defence. Pedestrian, lightweight and lazy? Is that what £40m buys in the current market? Brooks looked a much better player to me!

But it is surely too early to panic isn't it? We just need time. Well I would buy that if Time was a secret signing who could play left back, right back, holding midfield and centre back all at the same time. There remain glaring holes in the squad  and time alone will not solve that problem. £100m has been spent, but it has not been spent wisely.

And before anybody replies, we are too good to go down, please, remember Defoe, Di Canio, Cole, Carrick, Kanoute and company!

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In Defence of the Board

OK, this doesn't come easy as I am no fan of Princess Brady and the Dildo Brothers, but with so many knives drawn because of our failure so far to land a marquee signing, I think it is time to say a few words in their defence. This isn't going to make me popular but I am used to that, so here goes...

The big complaint at the moment is that we are bidding low and so risking losing the services of Anderson and co. It is a familiar gripe, of course, as season after season we are linked with players who ultimately we fail to sign, but before we all get carried away, let's just stop and reflect on the business done and not done in recent years..

To begin, the club has shown that you don't have to break the bank to bring in quality. Antonio was a snip. Lanzini was a bargain. Cresswell was a steal. Obgonna was damn good business. Obiang was cheap. Kouyate was excellent value. Hernandez may yet prove to be an astute signing. Zabaleta proves that not all freebies are to be sniffed at. Adrian may not be top drawer but was a better buy than Hart would have been! Fernandes has shown glimpses of being a quality player. And, of course, at £11.5million, a certain Dmitry Payet proved that there are gems out there in the bargain buckets.

Who were the best buys over the last few years? That would surely have to be Leicester's capture of Kante and Mahrez, and neither of those brought the bankers out in a cold sweat.

Now let's flip the coin and look at who we could have signed. If the rumours were true, we bid somewhere in the region of £30million for Lacazette. Now, given he can't score regularly for Arsenal, would that have been money well spent? At the £40m asking price, I would call that a bullet dodged personally. Then there were rumours of a £25m bid for Benteke. Anybody fancy that deal now? How about the £20m wanted for Zaza? Or the £24m paid by Leicester for Iheanacho? Do they look great deals now?

Of course we have splashed the dosh too. £20m plus for Ayew! How many of us complained at the time, but was that sensible? How about £8m for Fonte or £10m for Snodgrass? If you pay whatever you are asked to pay, then you generally pay too much. Then there's the £8m for Hugill of course. Stupid bloody money!

So now we come to this summer. Even before the injury to Lanzini, we needed at least five quality players to make us a decent team. Now with our most creative player out for the entire season, I make that six. And how big is the transfer budget? Well we are told £75m and whilst that seems like typical bullshit, let's take it at face value for the moment and do the sums. Divide 75 by 6 and you get £12.5m per player - or six Dmitry Payet deals!

True we have already landed a free transfer, meaning the available funds equate to £15m per player or, God help us, five Andy Carrolls!

Now if this is the case, would it really be sensible to splash £30m plus on one midfield player, especially a midfield player untested in the blood and thunder of the Premiership? Personally, I suspect not.

So I put it to you all that Sullivan is right to only buy on our terms. The Board proved with Arnie that they are prepared to pay big when the price is right - and once Bilic was gone, that proved a fantastic deal.

Sod what Pellegrini wants, he NEEDS a quality squad, not a second rate squad with two high earning big names. And, to be honest, if he is a decent manager, then he should be able to work with the team he has inherited and get decent results. Are Burnley any better than us, player for player? We would take Pope, of course, but how many of the others? What about Watford? Or Everton for that matter? Bilic lost control of the players and Moyes was too cautious by far. Surely a half decent manager should be able to incorporate Hernandez, Antonio and Arnie into a potent attacking team with Kouyate and Lanzini, when fit, also breaking into the box? Sort out the defence and replace Lanzini and top 8 should be a realistic target surely?

So let's get real. We are not Man City or Liverpool. We haven't just sold Gareth Bale either. Let's focus on realistic targets. Defenders who can defend would be good. The ugly midget from Stoke would be useful. A decent keeper at a realistic price would be great. I don't want a marquee signing personally, I want round pegs for round holes and, most importantly, players with a good fitness record.

Bugger the Bentekes and Lacazettes. I would rather have the next Pope, Payet, Kante, Morgan  Mahrez and Maguire personally. They are out there somewhere. It is the Pelican Panini's job to find them!