Crooks is emblematic of precisely why we are where are at the moment. He was presumably signed to replace Saville. He’s a No8, a box to box man. He puts himself about, likes a header and a tackle and covers the pitch. He has more presence than Saville. But we’re playing him off the front or, a couple of times this season including today, as the striker while the target man Warnock spent a season banging on about sits on the bench.
McNair was terrible in defence while the two orthodox centre halves sit on the sidelines. Howson let people run off him all afternoon. There were gaping holes right across our midfield. You’ve got a nippy striker up front feeding off long balls. Payero starts and looked completely lost. You would do, wouldn’t you, playing in that midfield. The plan seemed to be give it to Jones for the first 20mins and then just boot it. Then you bring a kid out of the Conference South and pick him ahead of Watmore and Ikpeazu. Why? I can’t get my head around anything he’s trying to do any more.
It’s madness. A complete mess.