That's a very rational viewpoint and I think you're right. Frustrations also aside, Roy had to retire at some point and hence we needed a new manager. It's not like we just got rid of Roy in the search of glory. Viera has done a good job overall when he came in and we were also unlucky with a lot of points missed prior to this losing run.

Someone else in this thread was talking about how even the teams slightly above us have spent millions to limited effect. Man U, Everton, Arsenal, etc. We don't have anywhere near the budget of the big clubs and hence our only real possibility is to bring on talent that we can develop (Eze, Olise etc) and hope that they can become big stars one day.

Frustrating time period though and a win would help a lot to change the mood..

Its just an opinion and a feeling something is not right, only time will tell

“That’s a joke son, I say, that’s a joke.” “Nice boy, but he’s sharp as a throw pillow.” “He’s so dumb he thinks a Mexican border pays rent” “ “Son… I say, son, some people are so narrow minded they can look through a keyhole with both eyes.”__ Forhorn Leghorn

Those who say they are not worried about relegation need to take a long hard look at the current PL table where we stand just 6 points from a relegation place and this would reduce to three points if Burnley win their game in hand. so even a mid table finish this season seems a long way off. The team this year is of course vastly different to the team last season and we also have a new manager. All this makes us as vulnerable as any other team coming up from the lower league, this season is going to be difficult and the risk that we may be relegated is considerable. Whilst to some extent losing key players to injury contributes to the downturn in form it is more likely to be that other teams now have more information on the way we are going to play and they have now come with a plan to counteract that and as a consequence the early season promise now seems a long way off. We are also having difficulty defending set pieces and making mistakes at the back which are proving to be very costly. We continue to have problems up front with the inability of our so called strikers to score goals. It remains to be seen how PV can counteract these problems and what improvements can be made to the team during the next transfer window. IMHO this will be a very worrying time right up until the end of the season and I just hope that PV can keep us up!

To be clear I like Viera and have enjoyed the season thus far. I also think he's been let down by our finishing at match winning moments with Benteke (yet gain) and Ayew being most culpable.

But I've got nagging doubts about the fortitude of the team given the nature of the goals we've conceded and his tactics and use of players. I've not listened too closely to his interview after the game on Sunday but understand he was frustrated by our inability to be brave and play out from the back whilst selecting Schlupp and Kouyate and having to use a right back and centre back who hadn't played much over the last few months. That said there's still an argument we should have won.

Any manager is only six or seven games from their job being under pressure and ultimately the owners biggest concern will be to protect their investment. He needs a result in the next three IMO.

We had the opportunity to sign Gray, but turned it down.

This is the main point really. I think we all got a bit excited, and fair enough. We were playing some great football and arguably deserved an extra 8 points than what we have. That's football though and it doesn't always go your way. I think however, the games against Leeds and Villa have given us a bit of a reality check.