Are we a squad in decline?

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Discuss. We’ve seen all the traditional big clubs decline and need a rebuild in the past 5-6 years now. Is it our turn?

Our results aren’t what they used to be. There’s no fear factor to us. Our football isn’t as attractive and we don’t dominate games in the same way. Our best players are getting older or already left and a lot of our younger or newer players aren’t as good as those replaced.

Does anyone disagree or is this just how it is now?

[Simister]

We're already in transition.
Probably weaker overall than three years ago and some of the players we've brought in are mediocre but OK for squad level.
We have one or two top guys coming through, but we need three more worldies I reckon.

Top quality final season : Aguero, Fern
Top quality for a few years yet : KDB, Sterling, Ederson, Laporte, Walker
Top quality developing - Foden, Torres, Dias, maybe Ake?, maybe Jesus, maybe Stones, maybe Bernado, maybe Cancelo
Squad only : Gundog, Mahrez*, Rodri, Zinchenko
Possible youngsters : Delap, Doyle, Hardwood-Bellend (needs to renew contract ffs)
Need to go ; Mendy, Garcia

Who have I forgotten?

*doesn't do it often enough

[CTID Hants]

We are definitely a team in transition which I'd say we're at lease two seasons if not more.

Kaptain K being the pivotal point for me and since Merlin etc.

Problem is we've been spoilt at times, that's not to say we've got some amazing players still on the books and some recent signings looking like they start pointing us back in the right direction, as Simister says above maybe 3 or 4 grade A signings to get us back on track, along with a renewed belief from the likes of KDB, Razzer etc

Hell if we've had our "day", what a day it has been, one that I honestly expected never to see, I'm happy, but I know we won't ever go back into obscurity whilst I'm alive...... (Famous last words)

That all said and done, I still don't think Messi should be part of our plans unless he comes on a free in JANUARY and Sergio stays at least one more season.

p.s. I've had a few beers & not proof read this, so if I've have contradicted myself or spouted bollox, please forgive rather than pulling me up on it LOL

[Mase]

We wouldn’t have been as much in decline had we already got an Aguero replacement in.

[Hazy2]

More transition for me, however we need a big name, big player signing even if Pep wants Robots. That said I would be buying Kyles back up Max Aaron’s from Norwich. Looks a similar athlete.

[Mase]

More transition for me, however we need a big name, big player signing even if Pep wants Robots. That said I would be buying Kyles back up Max Aaron’s from Norwich. Looks a similar athlete.

If Tavernier wasn’t 29 I’d say he’d be spot on for a back-up

[Hazy2]

More transition for me, however we need a big name, big player signing even if Pep wants Robots. That said I would be buying Kyles back up Max Aaron’s from Norwich. Looks a similar athlete.

If Tavernier wasn’t 29 I’d say he’d be spot on for a back-up

Good shout, we need that defining signing to reset us with or without Pep, Haaland ticks so many boxes. No brainer that we need to break the bank to replace Sergio’s goals presence. A ruthless finisher takes so much pressure off. My mates is a Villa fan and he tells me Watkins has transformed the club with his personality confidence bring it on attitude, which with Grealish now having quality upfront to play off allows the defence a breather and hides the issues they had last year, plus they are full of legs, something we do not have.

[Dubciteh]

I think defence and goalkeeper is more or less sorted.

A dynamic midfielder and a striker would see us return pretty quickly to the form we had. Both would need to be top class.

[salford city]

I think defence and goalkeeper is more or less sorted.

A dynamic midfielder and a striker would see us return pretty quickly to the form we had. Both would need to be top class.

Pretty much where I am. Defensively, we look more at it and add a top striker we win 1 and 2nil pretty much every day

[carl_feedthegoat]

All we needed to do was buy a decent forward and a left winger.....Baldie FINALLY bought, what looks to be , an excellent CB and also a very good defender in Ake.

But once again , the bald cunt has decided not to buy a forward and also not to bother to fix the left side of the field -instead relies on false forwards getting the goals and make does on the left.

These are reason's we will battle to win anything this season.

[Mase]

All we needed to do was buy a decent forward and a left winger.....Baldie FINALLY bought, what looks to be , an excellent CB and also a very good defender in Ake.

But once again , the bald cunt has decided not to buy a forward and also not to bother to fix the left side of the field -instead relies on false forwards getting the goals and make does on the left.

These are reason's we will battle to win anything this season.

He said we didn’t have enough money for a striker, but we had £600k a week for Messi

[sheblue]

I wouldn't use the word decline. Transition yes. We have a lot of very good players many of which have a lot of good years ahead of them.
For me the question is who is the manager who will continue and complete the transition.

[Hazy2]

[quote="Mase"]We wouldn’t have been as much in decline had we already got an Aguero replacement in.[/quote

Signing a forward of the level we need is no easy feat. I think we were in for 1 maybe 2 We had a price they had a price. Messi is not part of that Imho. I repeat we need 50 more goals when Sergio leaves or we are in trouble.

[carl_feedthegoat]

All we needed to do was buy a decent forward and a left winger.....Baldie FINALLY bought, what looks to be , an excellent CB and also a very good defender in Ake.

But once again , the bald cunt has decided not to buy a forward and also not to bother to fix the left side of the field -instead relies on false forwards getting the goals and make does on the left.

These are reason's we will battle to win anything this season.

He said we didn’t have enough money for a striker, but we had £600k a week for Messi

Laughable isn't it.

They honestly think we will swallow whatever bull shit they come out with.

[Mase]

All we needed to do was buy a decent forward and a left winger.....Baldie FINALLY bought, what looks to be , an excellent CB and also a very good defender in Ake.

But once again , the bald cunt has decided not to buy a forward and also not to bother to fix the left side of the field -instead relies on false forwards getting the goals and make does on the left.

These are reason's we will battle to win anything this season.

He said we didn’t have enough money for a striker, but we had £600k a week for Messi

Laughable isn't it.

They honestly think we will swallow whatever bull shit they come out with.

When the chairman does his end of season speech some actually do though

[Hazy2]

Our owners have delivered in skip loads have they not. Haaland and Laurentus are on the wish list. What Bull shit ???

[Mase]

Our owners have delivered in skip loads have they not. Haaland and Laurentus are on the wish list. What Bull shit ???

Didn’t he say we’d be making x amount of signings and did we fuck.

What was that bollocks this random CFO came out with the other week? Was the cunt bored? We’ve not heard from him before and he starts telling us Mendy is fuckin class

[carl_feedthegoat]

Our owners have delivered in skip loads have they not. Haaland and Laurentus are on the wish list. What Bull shit ???

Didn’t he say we’d be making x amount of signings and did we fuck.

What was that bollocks this random CFO came out with the other week? Was the cunt bored? We’ve not heard from him before and he starts telling us Mendy is fuckin class

I swear he was pissing himself laughing when he said that...probably took about 20 takes till he managed to do it with a straight face.

[Beefymcfc]

Not in decline, more a slight transition. Losing our legendary spine is a huge loss but you can see the next generation coming together.

Covid times makes the situation look worse.

[nottsblue]

Whether we are in decline remains to be seen. It assumes we will regress further and not add to the pots and success of the last decade. I don’t think we will see such a thing.

But we are definitely not as good as we were a couple of years ago. That’s a given. But I do think we still have the squad to win the PL and/or cup competitions. I don’t see that any of our rivals have better squads than us. Arguably Chelsea have as good as we have. Spurs have a decent forward line but their midfield and defence isn’t as strong. The dippers are about to be tested severely at the back. Arsenal are still a work in progress and have a soft underbelly. The rags are simply not good enough and have an idiot as manager. Leicester, surprisingly are dark horses and if they stay injury free like in 2016 could surprise us all.

It’s obvious we need to replace Aguero but that is easier said than done. There are literally a handful of guys in world football who are in the frame and as such getting one in isn’t straightforward. I really do think our management honestly thought we were bringing in Messi in the summer which would have bought us more time and as it didn’t happen we were kind of stuck with what we had. Maybe we could have bought a striker from somewhere, but if he wasn’t a prime target anyway then perhaps it wouldn’t be the best in the long run. Thinking of Bony here.

But it’s the manager who trains the squad. It’s the manager who decides the tactics. It’s the manager who picks the team. It’s the manager who reacts to the situation a game is in with substitutions. I would turn the OP question around and say yes we have got a decent squad, have we got the right manager for the squad we have or is the manager in decline?