Why some tough decisions will have to be made if we’re to progress at this level

I really do love writing about my club, but after games like this weekend’s – a 4-0 drubbing at home against Manchester City, just in case you missed it – the words certainly don’t flow as freely onto the page as they would after a win.

It was another sobering Premier League learning experience then – namely that we simply won’t be able to compete against the top teams if they actually turn up and play well.

That was certainly the case this Saturday, and after just 18 minutes I was begging for the final whistle. Some might say you should at least try to enjoy world class players playing at the peak of their powers right in front of your very eyes – and the goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Aleksandar Kolarov were stunning – but I simply can’t get any pleasure from seeing the side I love get crushed in that manner, no matter how hard I try. It was like watching my Mum go fifteen rounds with Mike Tyson.

What made it a little harder to take was that after Manchester City’s recent away form woes I perhaps foolishly expected us to give them a good game, or at least a much sterner test than we did when we got tonked 5-1 at the Etihad back in October.

Sadly those misguided hopes were sharply extinguished early on as we were pegged into our half from the off, and simply couldn’t get out no matter how hard we tried. I’ve already written - after our recent 3-0 defeat at White Hart Lane – how we can’t expect to play 4-4-2 against the best sides in the division and get away with it, but we clearly decided that we wanted to be taught the same lesson yet again.

We were trying to play out way out throughout, but we simply didn’t have the numbers in midfield or quality on the ball to help us reach the front two. Josh King and Lewis Grabban were consistently cut off from the action, and it was only in the second half when we changed to 4-5-1 that we looked even vaguely competitive. We were still distinctly second best of course, as we simply didn’t possess the level of technique or sheer strength required to grapple back any sort of control.

Which brings me onto a cruel but undeniable fact - if we’re to progress at this level (and be more competitive against teams like Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur), we almost certainly have to replace several of the players that have helped us get to this stage. Especially if we’re going to stick rigidly to a 4-4-2 formation, regardless of the opposition.

Nine of our eleven left on the pitch at the final whistle this weekend had played for us in League One, and several of them have fared far better at this level than I had any right to expect. Those back to back wins against Chelsea and Manchester United will live long in the memory.

Unfortunately the contrast in class between our squad and some of this season’s opposition has been stark to say the very least, and although team spirit can go a long way - it can’t help to bridge every gap.

In my eyes we need a stronger presence in the middle of the park – especially if we’re to stick with just four in the middle - as well as a composed centre half. A commanding goalkeeper would be a wise acquisition as well.

If we stay up I get the feeling that we could see more changes than just those in the coming months too - but all I know for sure is that our summer dealings certainly won’t be dull, and making sure we get the right people in (namely ones who won’t disrupt what seems to be a harmonious dressing room) will be essential.