Why as fans don't you set a precedent and get behind a manager who has the quality to succeed,but has been dogged by bad luck.

Trust in Coyle.......it makes sense.

Top article fin, and I completely agree with the lot of it.

Finlay what you are saying is right but apart from the first two coyle has had time to rectify the other situations knowing early on or before the season that this was the case.

You don't acknowledge the three flops that have so far been coyle signings. If coyle had been able to get these players playing to their supposed standard we may be a better player. Only one of your inconsistent players muamba has not been brought to the club by coyle. That leads me to saying that why would that be any different with mears and Alonso.?

The flops being tuncay ngog and kakuta.

We could have given Elmander a new 3 year contract with the N'gog money (inc his wages).

Before Sturridge came we scored 29 pts in 19 games, after he came, we scored 17 pts in 19 games. In fact Elmander scored more in the games he played up front than Strridge did.

So we miss Elmander more than Strridge, yet could have kept him.

What is alarming is how poor the defence is with pretty much the same defence as last season and that is something Coyle should have addressed well before now.

Don't make excuses for coyle, his worse than kean

We could have given Elmander a new 3 year contract with the N'gog money (inc his wages).

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The point is though, I wonder what wages Galatasaray offered him, we offered him a new contract.

Elmander is also 30, he would be 33 by the time that contract ended. He had one good season out of three that is not worth a £40k a week contract IMO.

It is clear we have tried to stengthen our defence, unfortunatley luck has conspired against us.

Agree with you Finlay, good article.

We have been so unlucky, in fact the whole of 2011 has been a disaster football wise. We need to end it well, and hope to goodness that Coyle can turn it round this month. If we finish 2011/12 season like we started 2010/11 we will be laughing.

I do question Coyles tactics and the way he sets the team up sometimes, and by no means is he immune from criticism, but ultimately i do think he can do the job, and I can't think of anyone else I would prefer atm- a bad Dec/Jan my patience might well have been spent.

Elmander was average for 2 of 3 seasons. I am glad he had a good last season, but I am equally glad we didn't offer him the reported £70,000 he is on at Galatasary... Not worth it. Can get a lot more options, including loans for that salary... We need to get someone in jan on Loan no doubt. Coyle has prior with this- Wilshere/Sturidge anyone?!?!

Regardless of luck, injuries, bad refs, no money ... it's all irrelevant - we are where we are ...and it's a precarious place to be, if our Prem status is the be all & end all. The burning questions that beg to be asked are;

Can Owen Coyle work with the resources he currently has, and turn this around by early January?

Could any other manager do better with the resources currently at our disposal?

If the answer proves to be ' NO ' to the first question, I suspect we will get the chance (first hand) to see whether it's a YES or a NO answer to the second ....

Thing about Elmander was no matter how bad he was playing he'd take some pressure off the team with at least 1 decent ball carry or was willing to close the defender down to try and force a mistake.

Holden & Lee were essential players in the side, Holden in holding together the midfield and Lee with being the out ball finding spaces out wide and wherever he went. The replacements for which aren't as good, or play a different style.

RB. Also we had not decided to sell Ali when Elmo agreed terms with the Turks, so keeping Elmo instead of Eggnog was never an option as we didn't have the cash in the bank to make a better offer to Elmo. However, 90% of the posters on here would've slated OC for keeping Elmo and not adding a pacey striker to replace Sturridge.

Agreed that the performance and more so the balance of the team was better before Sturridge arrived and was evident in that lead up to Xmas.

However, have to disagree with the feeling that OC hasn't strengthened the defence. Why do so many people across so many forums keep saying this. OC bought Mears and had introduced Alonso and bought Wheater last season. Incredible that people look at our injury laden defence and still blame OC for having to play Robbo and Gretar.

OC has strengthened the defence, personnel-wise, though only Wheater has played any part this season, so it will appear to some that he's done nothing.

Of greater concern (for me) is that the defence (whoever's playing) always seems to be disorganised and not working as a unit. The old adage ' build from the back ' was a priority for the likes of BSA. Maybe it still is; perhaps it's just that the coaching isn't up to the same high standards of the BSA era?

Big Sam will always be a legend for what he did for us, but sadly I don't think it will be reproduced any time soon. Will always remember those great times of scaring the big boys.

I'd echo that ^^^^ A once in a lifetime experience, probably ...which doesn't (unfortunately) help any managers following on from that, as they'll always be livin' in Sam's shadow .... OC (or whoever follows him) will probably need to win the FA Cup to exorcise that ' ghost ' ....