I think the lack of experience, as Ed says, with selling all our experienced players, now means the guile and the fight is no longer there to see us through the bad times.....like this past month (and the opening half of the season).
Suarez was an anomaly. Without him, the emperor has no clothes.
When you look at the situation against Hull.
An old warhorse in charge, schooled in the Fergie tradition of
scoring a last minute header to win a league. He's not going
to roll over to a bunch of kids worried about whether they're
earning a 100 grand a week.
He'll instill into his defence of likely journeymen defenders to
give us nothing. The younger defenders will look to the older
ones. Everyone on message:
"Do the simple tasks of defending well" - repeat
After half an hour, the confidence grows. Half-time bloody euphoria.
Now, you throw Suarez into the mix and the older journeymen players
are on edge, their resolve weakened - defeated before they go on the pitch.
The younger players see this and the nerves sweep through the defense,
mistakes creep in opening up opportunities.
Yet we see in this relegation candidate of a team, everything we lack.
Our manager can't send a team out with a relentless purpose and get
a result because he prefers to indulge technically accomplished but
mentally weak players and there are no steely pros on the pitch to whip
these guys in to shape and set an example.
So after year 3 there is not enough motivation within the ranks end of
season to defeat Hull, West Brom and Villa. I simply don't understand that.