Same Old Story

Three defensive lapses, few chances created, plenty of huff and puff, another away defeat. Sound familiar ?

The New Year's Eve victory over West Ham has proved to be a false dawn. Renewed optimism, although limited, has already evaporated. A decent performance and a comfortable 2-0 victory has to be taken into context as to against whom it was achieved. West Ham, recently promoted, are in the middle of their own run of five straight defeats and were hardly 'buzzing' themselves. A midfield consisting of Rommerdahl, Hughes, Holland and Kishishev are a match for no-one in the Premier League and yet we got away with it. Why ? Because West Ham were poor. We played well but against most other sides we would have struggled. A much needed win but once again it was just a case of papering over the cracks, just as the Sunderland win had done. Two days later and Everton proved that point.

The facts are we have won just three home games this season, against the three promoted sides incidentally, and just five in the whole of 2005. We have taken just six points from those sides currently occupying the twelve places above us and that includes the three from West Ham. We have suffered four straight away defeats with Chelsea next up. Everton, who are having an awful season apparently, are just two points behind us. We are currently just six points off the bottom four and play two of them at The Valley, hardly a fortress, before the end of the month. And all this with the best squad ever assembled by Alan Curbishley and, salary wise, by far the most expensive. Yet the squad still needs major surgery.

Several players should leave with them being replaced by three or four major signings. Take your pick from Keily, Johansson, Lisbie, Bartlett, Holland, Euell, Hughes and Jeffers. Maybe even throw Murphy's name into the mix if he isn't 'up' for it. The squad numbers may then be down but the quality needs to be drastically improved. The Board need to back Curbs but if they do then Curbs is definately in the last chance saloon. Further failure and his number is well and truely up. Things can't continue as they are.

Whether we like it or not we are very nervously looking over our shoulders when we should be challenging for Europe. It's time for the talking to stop. If Curbs can't sort it out then someone else will have to.