Season Flawed From The Beginning

Not is all lost yet but it's fair to say that besides all the off field antics our season was flawed from last summer. Although not a Malky fan when he was appointed, I thought that he deserved the full season in the Premiership. Although it was not the most entertaining football we seemed to be going in the right direction until he was sacked.

However, it was clear that we needed strengthening in certain areas and above all we needed an out and out goalscorer and some players with Premiership experience. Malky did not bring in a proven goalscorer and although bringing in Caulker he did not bring in sufficient players (e.g. Huddlestone) who had that Premiership experience and quality. There is also no doubt that Noone should have been played a lot more often well before he got his first game.

It is harder to bring players in January but yet again Ole did have an opportunity to bring in players e.g. Long, Jelavic but again although he arranged Jones in a swap deal he left his attempts to get a proven goalscorer until the last day when it was too late. This without a shadow of a doubt has proved costly. Why leave everything until the last day? Also crucially we have been found wanting at full back where again we did not strengthen with quality players and if it wasn't for Marshall we would not have got many of the points that we have got.

Questions have to be asked why Smith was retained in the squad and players like Mason and Maynard were released on loan.