It's oh so easy to come on to a thread like this at the end of a disappointing result with a shed load of criticisms and I'll probably agree with most of them.
The bottom line today though the players didn't play as well as they can do.
Why, though, should they be allowed to get away with such a p-ssp--r display? Do they have no concern for what the possible repercussions might be for such an appalling performance? And what can be done to buck this worrying trend?
So, yes, like you say, Insider, it is just 'so easy to come on to a thread like this ... with a shed load of criticisms', particularly 'at the end of a disappointing result.' But what else are fans supposed to do other than to make their feelings known, on sites such as this, in an effort to bring about a change of approach from 'the powers that be'? And, when you then see so little sign of change occurring as result of certain points being raised, it rather begs the quetion: what's the point?
Tactically, this season, Critchley has shown himself to be utterly clueless. He persists with certain approaches which have proved totally ineffective since the start of this campaign; he stubbornly continues to select players who simply 'aren't upto the job' of playing in a particular position, or, alternatively, will sometimes make the correct selection, but will then 'shoehorn' players into positions they clearly aren't comfortable with; and, lastly, time and time again, he has gone into games with just the one approach evident in his tactical armoury, with absolutely no sign of an alternative (or Plan B) being available in the event of there being an evident need for change. And these haven't been occasional failings; they
have been systemic.
In short, Critchley may have many coaching badges to his name; but, he's still got a helluva lot to learn ...