joey_big_nose

Not relly sure what the thinking is with forcing Pratt out of the team. Pratts looked really reliable to me. Really puzzling that weve spent money/waged on Cashin who looks a bit of a liability. A lot slower than Pratt, less height. More quality on the ball maybe but i dont think thats the priority.... One positive for us has been generally defensively we have been okay but today really poor. Very lucky Ipswich didnt score a couple more. If we lose that defensive competence we are in huge trouble.

Even if thats the case overall i am not really sure Riberio or Pickering are better choices in the lwb role as they cant do it either.

Well the new lad is on there... Hope he has a goal in him. Wing backs look really really poor, and in the system we have they are the most important players. De neve has the engine but no defensive awareness, and TGH I am not really sure has the lungs for it. Feels like we could get absolutely battered. But then again felt that way a few times and we've done okay so hoping to be surprised again.

He'll come out and say something on his podcast when he's clear on it, he likely made a mistake like everyone does. Theres not any point putting anything out there till you are 100% on it as why risk being wrong again. For me he does a decent job in difficult circumstances. Certainly prefer his output than many of his critics (not all!) on this board.

Personally I like Morishita a lot and playing the RCM 352 really suits him with how he can combine down the right with different players. Was becoming very effective before his injury.

Yeah and leaving a club 8th in Ligue 1 which you are starting for, to move to 20th in Championship? That makes no sense.

Key thing in that wing back role is can you relentlessly cover the length of the pitch for 90 mins. I know Donnum has played rwb a bit but I suspect doing it in France is a bit different to how ridiculously physical and draining the Championship is. Few players can. Hedges being able to convert into is quite rare as he is very athletic. Id hate for us to sign a player to play a role, find out they cant do it, and then be unsure what to do with them.

Does the new Danish lad go straight in?

Good to go for a player with a solid goal scoring record. Much rather that than someone at a higher level who hasn't scored recently.

Does anyone have a clear idea who is back from injury? We need Gudjonsen up front desperately, and it's really unclear who will play left and right wing back? I guess with Cashin coming in alongside McLoughlin and Atcheson enables Miller to move out to RWB, but no idea what we do at LWB. Powell? Or suck it up and play players we know can't do that role (Riberio, Pickering, De Neve). I guess midfield we will play Baradji, Cantwell and Tronstad. Toth should come back in.

His complete lack of effort this season has been totally unforgivable, and he has to move on. But the right manager could have got a tune out of Gueye I think. Sure Allardyce would have for example. Not a good fit for Eustace or Ismael though who prioritise pressing from the forwards which he is hopeless at.

Well, we've turned them up before for little money (Szmodics, Adam Armstrong etc). I think we need to look at League 1 and 2 and take a punt on a couple of forwards with good goal scoring records at that level. I doubt loans are going to help us, or players from abroad. January loans tend to not be motivated, and players from abroad need time to get up to speed.

Tbh we look okay through the back and middle third with whatever combination of players (we must have played an absolutely vast number of different combinations across defence and midfield - around 8/9 different centre backs and around 6/7 centre mids?). I expected us to to get ripped apart today but we completely held our own. The issue is final third we have very very little. If we did find some quality up front we'd be fine I think

That forward line is hilarious... Hope the young lads can surprise us (as they have many times this season).

I am not sure I have ever seen as big a no confidence vote as that xi and squad and Riberio and Pickering! Really both of them need to go this window as clearly have absolutely no future with us. Will be interesting if it really is De Neve at LWB and Powell further forward or the other way round.