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I keep reading that the team spirit is so much better this year than last but I first questioned this a couple of months ago and nothing since has changed my mind. Yes of course they are going round with smiles on their faces because (until recently anyway) they were winning more than they were losing - which they should be anyway because they are playing massively weaker teams. But team spirit is surely measured when the chips are down. And it is here that this team has really been shown to be lacking. Forest so clearly wanted it more last night. And its not the first time we have seen that this season. Barton, Green, Dunne and Hill aside, how many players have looked really determined this season? Even Barton when it went badly against Leicester was back to his old petulant self. Even our much fabled defence has been saved on numerous occasions by the shocking level of Championship finishing.
I'm not slitting my wrists because poor old Tony is clearly being pushed by Harry to splurge another fortune in this transfer window and I'm sure the striker issue and one or two other holes such as a midfielder to play alongside Barton will be addressed. But I do hope one or two of the happy clappy posters on here who laughed smugly at anyone who identified the faults ages ago will now open their eyes. You saw last night how a technically limited player like Mackie was more effective than an incredibly gifted one like BAE because he really wanted it.
For me the lessons of late are: Zamora isn't ready for first team football anytime soon, Barton was right about Henry because he is a pub player, the Spurs lad is nothing special and isn't a patch on a fully-fit Faurlin, the full backs need to attack and support the wingers, Hoillet and Phillips need to start as at least they run at the opposition with pace. I still think Krancjar will come good, though he isn't a patch on Adel.
Rhodes and Ince for me.
All that is fixable. But is the team spirit?
I'm not slitting my wrists because poor old Tony is clearly being pushed by Harry to splurge another fortune in this transfer window and I'm sure the striker issue and one or two other holes such as a midfielder to play alongside Barton will be addressed. But I do hope one or two of the happy clappy posters on here who laughed smugly at anyone who identified the faults ages ago will now open their eyes. You saw last night how a technically limited player like Mackie was more effective than an incredibly gifted one like BAE because he really wanted it.
For me the lessons of late are: Zamora isn't ready for first team football anytime soon, Barton was right about Henry because he is a pub player, the Spurs lad is nothing special and isn't a patch on a fully-fit Faurlin, the full backs need to attack and support the wingers, Hoillet and Phillips need to start as at least they run at the opposition with pace. I still think Krancjar will come good, though he isn't a patch on Adel.
Rhodes and Ince for me.
All that is fixable. But is the team spirit?
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