>>mclaren is being blamed,
And so he should be.
Ashley has backed him with millions for players and they are still no better.
To be honest I am not sure why they even appointed McCLaren, he has little success as a manager (apart from briefly in Holland).
He was at Derby last year and could not even get them up when they had been near the top all season.
Look how well Howe has done at Bournemouth, with limited funds and many injuries.
Also the manager at Watford is working with a hotch potch of players (many of which he did not sign) and they are doing well (4th best defence in the Premier League).
I am afraid McClaren is highly to blame for the current mess (though the owners take a lot of blame for appointing him).
See the answers on this topic about Newcastle from last September. If a couple of us could see how bad McClaren was why could the owners not see it ?
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Sport/Question1439649.html