Hold The Players To Account

Let's be blunt: the blame for that second-half fade can't land on Danny alone. The first half showed what this team can do when it's on it, but the second half was a different animal. Apart from Rommens' chance early in the second half we barely threatened. That kind of drop-off isn't just tactical misfortune — it's players switching off and losing identity.

Not just a manager's problem

I've seen the posts saying Danny isn't the man to take us forward and that his half-time changes didn't work. Fair enough to question selection and approach, but the players are the ones out there. You can't go from looking like Barcelona in the first half to looking ragged in the second and pin the whole thing on the dugout. If the team chooses to hide and defend a lead, it's on them to show the guts and skill to do it. We simply don't possess the kind of organised, all-out defensive DNA that a vintage Juventus had — and pretending we do is naïve.

Midfield, mentality and the transfer truth

Two things stood out: our midfield was getting bypassed too easily and our mentality dipped. The best form of defence is attack, yet we retreated and allowed the opposition to build rhythm. O'Neill set his lads up to make us uncomfortable and it worked, because we stopped playing forward. That's not purely a tactical failing; it's lack of response from the players.

Look, I get the optimism after a strong run. I was with those saying we'd be in the title fight by February. But truth is, we're not close to a finished article. It won't be fixed overnight. If you want a proper, balanced squad capable of seeing out games and switching tempo reliably, it'll likely take two, maybe three transfer windows to sort. That's not an excuse — it's realism. Hold the players accountable, keep faith in the process where it's earned, and accept rebuilding takes time.

Written by JorgAlbertz 11: 13 March 2026