The trouble started with that Blackburn defeat. I think it knocked them all for six really, and we lost our best centre-half for a few games as well as missing Tavernier from midfield. Warnock lost his sh*t that day and I think that rubbed off on the players.
I also think Warnock started talking about next season way too early. It gave, or gives, the players an excuse for not winning or doing their jobs. The attention should always have been on the here and now, not next year. The top six was well within our grasp when he started talking about what he was going to be doing in the summer... it was a mistake, IMO. I believe a team plays in the image of its manager and this team is no different. We look a bit disjointed, unsure, unclear. I think a lot of our poor results over the past, say, 6-8 weeks were entirely avoidable(even accounting for the absence of Tav, who is streets ahead of anything else we have in midfield).
I think Warnock talking about next season so early implied that he didn't believe his players were good enough. Whether that is correct or not, it doesn't sit right with me TBH. He'd been very supportive of them all until February/March time and then changed tact. I personally think this has rubbed off on the team. They play like they don't believe now.
You can't start yapping on about next season in March when you're 7th or 8th and still with it all to play for.