Improvement

[Birdman1811]

Just to say, and I'm guilty of over simplifying. I don't specifically mean Okay and Diagne, rather those positions and type of players were preferred by Dowling rather than what Bilic wanted.

Dowling shouldn't have given in to Bilic on Krov and Grant and forced through what we actually needed.

[Shabby Russian]

Find this who wanted which player really tiresome.

So for example Grant is said to be a Bilic player, but weren't the club looking at him when he was at Charlton, before Bilic joined us.

We are where we are and are going to have to make things work. We have invested , by our standards, huge sums in Diangana and Grant and we need to make the transfers work and being in the championship might make that a slightly easier proposition.

[Cuzer]

Ah OK fair enough

100% one of the biggest failings this summer was not buying a holding midfielder, I’m at a loss to think how anybody at the club thought we would be OK this season without adding one

Cuzer

[Birdman1811]

Find this who wanted which player really tiresome.

So for example Grant is said to be a Bilic player, but weren't the club looking at him when he was at Charlton, before Bilic joined us.

We are where we are and are going to have to make things work. We have invested , by our standards, huge sums in Diangana and Grant and we need to make the transfers work and being in the championship might make that a slightly easier proposition.

We had interest in Grant. Not at 16 million. That was the problem.

[Birdman1811]

Ah OK fair enough

100% one of the biggest failings this summer was not buying a holding midfielder, I’m at a loss to think how anybody at the club thought we would be OK this season without adding one

Cuzer

Definately.

You knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it except Bilic. And he wanted one, but felt Krov was more important.

[Big Daddy Cool]

Signing Grant for that price was ridiculous. The summer transfer window was just a massive failure from the club.

[Crossbar11]

Im not sure how Dowling is still here , theres a lot of money been wasted on players he got here .
He's seen 3 managers struggle now is it ?.
Suspect if Allardyce stays then so will Dowling.

Depends if you call struggle getting promoted? 
In your book is Klop having a struggle?

Please don't compare Bilic to Klopp , Bilic was found out half way through last season and we fell over that line because Brentford blew up .
That's despite having a better squad than anybody else in that league . 
I'd have been horrified at the time but it looks more and more like Bilic should have gone in the Summer after the falling out over players.

[Birdman1811]

I think Bilic should have gone in the summer. Yes it'd seem overly ruthless, but we never cared for that before. Secomd half of last season, and even more so after Lockdown were pathetic.

[Tom Joad]

Ah OK fair enough

100% one of the biggest failings this summer was not buying a holding midfielder, I’m at a loss to think how anybody at the club thought we would be OK this season without adding one

Cuzer

Agree. Plus someone thought we would get by without a proper no. 9. Whether it was Slav or Dowling, failure to fill these 2 positions is to blame for our being unable to compete.
As someone else said, no one is without blame for us being so ill prepared for a season of such importance.

[SW4Baggie]

Ah OK fair enough

100% one of the biggest failings this summer was not buying a holding midfielder, I’m at a loss to think how anybody at the club thought we would be OK this season without adding one

Cuzer

Agree. Plus someone thought we would get by without a proper no. 9. Whether it was Slav or Dowling, failure to fill these 2 positions is to blame for our being unable to compete.
As someone else said, no one is without blame for us being so ill prepared for a season of such importance.

In fairness, most clubs get by without a traditional number 9 in this league... Fulham have one but rarely play him and Sheff Utd have plenty but can’t score.

Not adding a defensive midfielder was what killed us.