I see it in a more simple way

Teans that perform well aren't just cherry-picks of talent, they're a combination of talent, motivation, direction, understanding, confidence, and a she'd load more attributes. If you get a combination of these, then you get a team that plays well.

Under Lambert, we had that. The lack of apparent quality didn't cause such a problem as we had a team dynamic and individuals (BGH for example) that were oozing confidence and commitment.

Under Hughton, the key ingredients separated and many went all together. To spend ?30m and produce a side worse than last season sums it up. Our purchases were undoubtedy the worst in our history. No leaders, no spirit, no confidence, no energy, no motivation. And if you dot have those, then you can have a world class team on paper and it'll still fail to perform.

For me, the board are largely culpable because there was evidently something missing from this squad and that had been the case for nearly 18 months. And yet, they chose to do nothing. Now they (and we) pay the price.

To tell you the truth though, I'm not overly fussed that we're down. I'd rather see us rebuild and find a more positive long-term objective, than be happy to just exist in the prem with the hope of keeping out heads above water. Especially when the football was barely passing as entertainment.

Posted By: talbotsunbeamer, May 3, 19:43:25