splan80

As hard as it is for us all, if this fiasco continues, no fan should buy a season ticket in any phase whether that be Dec/Jan/Feb. Just from march onwards. To any normal club, That would send a message. Unfortunately DC will Interpret that as "tickets must be too cheap, so I'll make em more expensive" lol.

Redone with name!

Done

Brilliant. If only we had his sitting crouch as the a too and the current logo is sorted.

I think we'd like to rest who and what we can. For me this would prob end up being: Dawson Agbontahoma, Ihiekwe (iorfa at half time),james Hunt(or glover if not fit), Vaulks, bakinson, brown Mighten, Paterson, Wilks Subs: Charles, iorfa, sesay, fdb, Johnson, cook, cadamarteri.

Best way to clamp down on it is to stop the match clock on deadballs. Would save loads. Ref to man up with keepers who go to ground to waste time (10 sec from moment you have possession should do it). Mind you the other biggest waste is a ref blowing to just have a word for the 50th time, before losing his patience in the 92nd minute haha. Having said all that it won't last the month and the only team it'll directly cost in terms of result is us. Always is. Its like the unwritten rule haha. I've still only seen 1 keeper get done holding onto the ball, that was Grant v Utd.

I don't mind the notion of 5 subs, as they are not increasing the number on the bench. Every rule is exploited so it will get used to time waste etc. It all comes back to having 65-70 min game which stops at deadballs. Which includes keeper wasting time after falling to ground on routine shot! No more time wasting or ref giving sort change on injury time. Whatever the game does (or doesn't do) sportsmanship etc are things of the past. Every trick and mind game is used to get an edge.

I don't think you'd ever stop time wasting as it's done to stop momentum. That's is where the ref needs to have a back bone. I hate it when we do it. As I've said for years and been backed by refs, we should proceed with the independent clock that stops at dead balls (and when the keeper takes possession of the ball as they are the biggest culprits!) It's been proven that even in the Premier league games, most only see around 60 mins of actual football. The lower the league (or certain teams) this is even lower. Change the game to 65 or 70 mins and we'd see more football. Of course as said, this won't stop gamesmanship, but it will give teams a fair chance of exposing those teams who abuse it, instead of stupid little amounts of injury time and the copusous amounts of play acting. Give the fans a chance of seeing a full game once in a while. Haha

Sorry cut the top half off. Under allowance of time:

It is indeed a rule. The ref will always add ok 30 seconds per sub and per goal. It is also 1 minute for every physio stoppage. So by actually denying that player the physio in the 2nd half, but allowing him time, it did us out of stoppage time. This is the general rule, doesn't specify the time, I'd find if I had more time.

For me the choice was Darren Moore, for getting it right, no square pegs in round holes. A proper strike partnership, keeping Bannan high up. Allowing Luongo and Byers to do their thing. Taking Sam off to protect him for other games. My player of the game was Gregory, no goal, but the difference between him and the other strikers is that he knits everything together. Can hold it up, lay it off, set tempo, finish. That gave a confidence and platform for everyone else to play. I know we were foot off after 65mins, but you could see the difference when kamberi was on. The amount of looks of disgust Bannan gave him was telling. It seemed to me that by the end they were avoiding playing to him even simple balls. Says a lot. That midfield 3 is top championship quality, they see the game like its the matrix. So much time on the ball and such quality. BPF 7. 1 good save, almost 1 big ********-up. Storey 9. Immense Hutch 9. Immense (love how peeved he was to be subbed despite having only 1 leg!) Gibson 9. Immense Hunt 9. Attacked well Johnson 9. Attacked well Luongo 10. Brilliant Byers 10. Brilliant Bannan 10. Brilliant. Glad he's enjoying playing further forward. Gregory 10. Must play Berahino 10. Glad he's on the score sheet. Hopefully help his own confidence. Needs a run of games. (Though personally when fit I think Windass is better overall bigger picture wise). Iorfa 7 nice to see him get more minutes. Sow 6. Was hungry to play, being ball boy etc for most of his time. Kamberi 4. Fluffed his chance with a back pass shot. Thought we lost dynamic when he came on. Doesn't win any headers. Bannan had a reyt number of stares and shouts at him. He's not a striker for this level. Brilliant performance. I think we can score a few when we continue to press instead of sitting back when 1 or 2 up. Hopefully we can continue that for the next 4 to get us in the mix ready for the final throws. Feel bad for marking Kamberi down after that overall performance, but it just highlighted what we lose when he plays, you could sense it in the crowd and players. Just goes to show how injuries to the wrong players can hurt you and important of having a squad capable of stepping in.

Its anazing how better a side we look with actual centre backs playing and clearly our best midfield 3. Assuming we stick with this formation, for me it would be: BPF STOREY IORFA HUTCH HUNT BYERS LUONGO BANNAN NML WINDASS GREGORY Bench: WILDSMITH PALMER DUNKLEY DENNIS DELE JOHNSON KAMBERI. For me Iorfa and Hutch are quality so must start. To be honest I haven't seen enough of Dean to oust Dunkley, whose aerial threat is immense, or Storey (and his form) but don't think there's much between the 3 so horses for courses. Palmer has been playing great though to be fair. It would be NML and either Hunt or Johnston. Byers, Bannan and Luongo bring bundles of class Dennis and Dele bring good energy if needed. Striker is the most worrying position outside our best two. Don't think any are good enough. Personally I'd go 4231, harsh on the quality of CB we now have, but think we'd do better going forward.

That's the third home game where I've seen improvement and feel offensively we are starting to click as a team, we just need to be more clinical to kill teams off. Defensively I thought we were solid. They scored from their only 2 on target and one was deflected. Paterson is 5 times the player Johnson is in that position. BPF 6. Blows either hot or cold. Struggles when he isn't invoked. Could've done better on the 2nd as seemingly took a step left initially for their goal. Brennan 7.5 like and rare him. Showing more composure and is defending is getting better and better. Dunkley 8. Since we've lost both hutch and iorfa he's been a rock. So solid and commanding. Paterson. 8.5 (MoM) he was unlucky deflecting the first. Needless for 2nd, but he's being played where needed and won most of his aerial challenges and intercepted/cleared a lot. He gets it as not playing in his natural position. Like a Lee Bullen. Hunt 8.5. Best game offensively I've seen him have. So dangerous and some lovely balls in. Could've walked away with 2 or 3 assists. Thought he was took off too early. Both wingbacks were great going forward. Shodipo 7. Glad he's now got a goal. Put in some great crosses too and hot into the box too. Luongo 8.5. Makes such a difference this kit when fit. You just can't nameany mistakes when he plays. Biggest compliment you can give was it didn't feel like we only had 2 midfielders in the middle. Thought. He tired a little, but was awesome. Bannan 7.5 Hes bannan and we know he does so much so well. Thought he neshed a few tackles first 60 mins and his dead ball freekicks aren't great. Wish he'd let others have a crack to mix it up (like we've started to do on corners). Windass 7. Still feeling his way in. Glimpses of what we know he can do but took some wrong decisions. Nice to see him get another. Kamberi 6.5. Frustrates the living crap outta me. For some of the great link up play and control with hunt, he was equally poor with headers and holding the ball up. Has a powder puff shot, under hits passes and miscontrols a loyt and fluffed a few chances. He's a real mixed bag. Gregory 7. Thought he was outta sorts until we grabbed control after the stoppage. Just half a yard shy all game. Keeper made a blinding save from his downward header and he still assisted a goal tho. NML 6.5 carried on with attacking intent of hunt, which is pleasing to see. Not quite as dangerous. Theo 6. Didn't really influence in his time on the game. Dele 6.5. Energetic as usual. Will cause problems Last few games has started to give us some impotence and confidence as fans. Hope it continues to look this way.

I think that it's the ability to use the PP to continue the spending trend, instead of being held in trustee and only being used for wage revenue loss. Which gets redistributed to the EFL clubs if a team is promoted. Also any agent fees should only be paid by a player not by clubs, cos its getting out of hands. Especially those that represent both parties. I do find it funny that Parry is coming across as the pauper and hard done to, when he's one of the architects of these issues and they can't regulate their own house and clubs. He may think they can operate and manage the changes themselves, but in fact they can't. He's trying desperately to save his own face. Things won't change as there is not enough interest in the game as a whole. Everyone looks after their own interests. (players included). It needs independent and rational thinking without ego. Money should be silo'd for fans too and the cost of the game. There's nothing better for the game or fans than a full crowd. It safe guards mental health, communities etc. Fixed pricing would be a start. Get that right and regulate properly off the back of that and there would be more fairy tale stories.

I just don't get DM at all. He sees things in his own little world. I don't think anyone else sees it like him. Truely Bewildering. It's all very well saying we battled well to get to 2-1, but explains nothing about again being so poo in the first half. How he lined us up, why he continues to play players out of position, how the team looks so clueless, why we can't create chances in open play, why we can mark at set plays. We he can't influence a game once it goes. Does anyone know anyone else who would have played Johnson at CB and Shodipo at wingback? Am sure Theo seemed to also be at wingback for a bit. It's just so ******** weird and I've never heard myself saying "WTF" so much!! I've also yet to see us string more than 20mins decent play in any game. Why don't we actually go out to press and impose on games. We should be all over sides in the first 25 mins. Sure we may not get a lead etc, but it stops them from getting into their own rhythm. Make adjustments at half time and crack on with it in the 2nd. It won't work all the time, but at least it gives the fans something to get behind and believe in. Release the shackles and let them use their talents, cos whatever DM is doing it ain't working and we haven't progressed since game 1. That should not be the case. It's frightening.

Sorry I know I went on there, but I couldn't help it...... Haha

I just don't get DM at all. He wants to win, he wants to create a fear factor here....... So why play 5 at the back with only 1 centre half? Why have 66 wide attackers and never play any. Why can he not drive a plan? Why can he not influence a game? Why are his changes reactive/why is he scared of going after teams and getting them on the back foot. Making them unsure of their own game plan. Doesn't matter if you don't score straight away. Get the fight out of them in the first half. Instead he puts square pegs in round holes, it took us at least 25mins for the players to get to grips with our own formation and plan. Without evening thinking of getting on top of Lincoln. It was a flat poor performance. Somehow we got a goal (undeserved) but then failed to build on that. If you discount the 5 mins after. He was gonna make a chnage before we scored. Bottled it once we did and game soon settled into the same pattern. It's horrendous. I really thought he'd done a good job with the squad, but he's not utilising it. Does every manager lose the plot, cos all ours seem to. It's frightening. I thought we'd play a build from the back but attack teams with the players he'd brought in. How wrong can it be. He started that, but failed to mix it up instead of constantly play from the back. After that it's gone completely pear shaped. We've barely put a 45min together, never mind a full game. At this stage of the season that's worrying. It says it all when home fans cannot tell you the lineup or the formation once the lineup is in or guess how we want to go about winning the game. We should be putting an attacking side out, going after teams for the first 25 mins. If we get in front great. If not try a few different things to test the response. Then at half time, make a change and plan based on what we've seen. Then even if we don't win, Put them under so much pressure they come out of hillsborough knowing they've bloody scrapped for 95 mins. I know that sounds like Carlos and he had better players and went bat poo crazy, but his initial plan was solid. If you don't have beasts in a side, be a team of scrappers, don't give em a minute. If they like possession, give them wingers to deal with that run at them and make they worry about defending. If they wanna push up, mixed it up with some balls behind. We just seem to pass it around (and run out of ideas after about 5 passes) then lose it. We are scared to use the ball. I really don't know what he's doing. I agree that managers like Warne and Lowe are refreshing, and more honest in responses and even nativity to try to impose your own game plan. I wish we had that. To be honest out of it all I'm more disappointed in myself. I always have hope come game day, right up until kick off (even after seeing those line ups). When will I ever learn!!!!

BPF 7 - did what was needed effectively, comfortable on the ball Hunt 7 - got up and down well Iorfa 8 - you'll never beat iorfa. Des better watch out. Hutch 7.5 - calm and collected. Missed him when he went off. Palmer 7 - best overall game yet at LB. Got forward in first half. Defended the pacey lad well in 2nd. Byers 7 - no panic or danger. Played well. Worried once ref started totting up the unnecessary yellows. Wing 7 - did things quietly. Looked tired by the end. But more to come from him Bannan 8 - as much as it pains him, he's more effective further forward. If he continues to link in with the new lads we'll continue to get better. Dennis 7 - it's not his position bit gave it everything. Will be a fan fav and run forever. Johnson 6 - another game under his belt, he needs these game, but right now I think his place is under threat. Gregory 7 - does what a striker does. Put himself about. Could have had more. Kamberi / Paterson got involved well. Dunkley did well in the aired, not so much with the ball. Looking forward to seeing more of the squad over the next month. Pleased we are improving game by game. Should've had more and I think if we can be more clinical, it'll stop teams having little periods against us, but I'm more confident this team will hold out. Ref 3 - when you see 9 yellow cards, you think it must've been a blood and guts kinda game with a square off of both teams. Nowt could be further from truth. Registered on 30 free kicks during the game. 6 of those were in last few mins/injury time. God knows what was wrong with him. But book 4.5+ cards in any game he's involved in. Will be like printing money.

Tie him down to any contract he wants. If we don't get promoted and needs must, I think there'd be plenty of suitors in the summer. However, like any player in the last year of their contract, if nothing is agreed, you gotta sell. Sick of losing players for nothing.

For me depends on if Shodipo is fit and how he sees Gibson fitting in. BPF Hunt Iorfa Hutch Johnson (brown/gibson) Adenrian Bannan Wing Theo Gregory Shodipo (Johnson moves forward if not fit) If he likes Gibson enough then could play 3 at the back. BPF Hutch Iorfa Gibson Hunt Byers Adenrian Bannan Johnson Theo Gregory

Ipswich please.

I hope both Johnson and Sims follow Byers quickly. I think we can then afford to bide our time for rest of window for a back up CB and a STC that will really make the diff. As people have said being in league one is actually a real big slog. But with the squad restrictions and injuries athletic players and those who can play multiple positions (in a way DM wants us to play) rather than square pegs and round holes, will be key. DM continues to impress me in his squad building and balance to it.

Considering where we were having finished the season, both on and off the field, all credit has to go to DM and the recruitment team for what we are assembling. It's miles better than I would have imagined, even if some of the players don't turn out as good as we'd hoped, restrictions or not from the EFL. The bonus is I think its given us fans a shot in the arm, meaning we are starting the season with a little optimism, when it could have been all so different. I hope we can have decent start to help carry this for the fans. If we can get Johnson and Sims then either a ST or CM and a reserve CB, we are well covered, as we have players that can play several positions if needed. If we can do that, then get some of our youngsters on loan for game time, I seriously don't think anyone could have asked for better.

Also look for players that are great on the ball, show a bit of invention and creativity. Am looking forward to watching Wing and Shodipo early doors. Any attacking intent and no longer relying solely on bannan will be a nice simple change I'm really looking forward to most tho.

I like what we've done this window after a slow start and the restrictions we are in. We've kept enough with experience to help the new signings who in turn offer athleticism and a want to prove and progress. I'd like to see a squad that cna cope with injuries and suspensions without being cut to the bare bones. I completely agree in wanting to get some of our existing youngsters our on loan. We've been guilty of not helping them develop in that manner of late, so if we do I'd imagine we could still look for 4/5 signings to make us complete. For me I'd want cover at CB (but maybe go back for someone like Bola who would be able to accept that role), LB as I think Palmer could be asked to cover all across the back line, so could do with another fullback to help with that. With this in mind and having a squad to cope, I'd want Johnson as he can cover/play on wing too, or be a very attacking fullback where we need in games. I get call for ogilive and that'd be totally fine. Further up another CM would be good if we sees outgoing loans. We need to learn to play without bannan, as teams will gang up on him and that was our downfall in many games last year. Everything had to go through bannan, so having additional options is a must especially if playing with a 3 and luongo having previous injury concerns. Whether that is Byers will leave that to DM. A winger would be good too, so signing Sims would be good business. Though if ogilive is the LB option for me it would be Sims or Johnson. I do think up top we need 1 more body. As really we only have the new guy and Paterson, with windass being injured. I can see Green & the Everton lad up there if no other signing, but if budget can stretch I would try for one. I'd like Ellis Simms or would try for Hudlin from Solihull. That is a big ask and don't expect all that, but if those positions are covered in some form then I think we can all be more positive about the direction we are aiming for. If it's a concern about cash, then if bannan were to go, it could very well pay for 3 of them too. All if buts and maybes of course, but I'm more positive in DMs signings than last few windows. There is a direction, a plan, a balance. Its been a long time since we've seen that!