Yeah think so, Pickering filling in at LCB? Or could be the other way round with Chisene as LCB and Pickering LWB. Trying to figure out if there is any way we stick with a back four? I guess only if we did this... Pears Brittain Carter Hyam Pickering Tronstand Wharton Garrett Szmodic Chisene Gallagher Doens't look right. Must be a back three. It would hearten me greatly as - at last - we are trying something different. Probably.... Pears Carter Hyam Pickering Brittain Tronstand Wharton Chinsene Garret Gallager Szmodics Happy with that. Will be interesting if we play a bit deeper and don't over commit.

Personally I still have the view that the utterly key signings are a striker who scores goals and (very frustratingly) a good keeper. We have enough in other roles to get by. Id much much much much prefer to sign a decent striker and keeper than split out resources and attention and sign four mediocre players.

As I wrote on the transfer thread I would play this team (though swapped Garrett for Sigurdsson on reflection for a bit more bite in the side) Pears Carter Hyam S Wharton JRC Tronstad A Wharton Pickering Garrett Gallagher Szmodics We are starting to have some more decent options off the bench too (Brittain, Chisene, Ayari, Sigurdsson) - getting a bit more hopeful about Telalovic too. Moran getting a proper rest could refresh him. However I will be utterly amazed if we change from the 4231. JDT's thinking seems to be along the lines of "in for a penny, in for a pound". Frustrating as I think if we did do something like the above we could massively lower our chances of conceding an early goal which should be our absolute number one priority.

Very good! Made me laugh 😄

Hard to think of a player less suited to how JDT wants to play. More of a big sam sort of signing. Hes a proper target man but as his goals record is so poor and hes nearly 35 this would be bizarre in the extreme.

Yeah Lenihan was a fantastic on the right side of a back 3. Perfect for him. Think Carter the same tbh. Given we are leaking goals for fun and Carter and Wharton suit a back three would like to see Pears Carter Hyam S Wharton JRC Tronstad A Wharton Pickering Szmodics Gallager Sigurdsson I reckon we wouldn't concede the way we have been doing, and could cause a bit more damage up the pitch.

I know we rate him highly (£20M?) but from the perspective of another club paying 12 million for a player out of form doesn't work. Likely all these sorts of transfers they happen when the player has had a sustained purple patch of good performances which makes the buyer think the investment is worthwhile. And then hopefully for the £20M we want. When the player is struggling no one will pull the trigger on a major money deal.

He's not been playing that well recently, I doubt there will be many keen to pay a premium for him. Can't really see him going.

We really should focus on not conceding early.... But Jon does not roll that way. We're playing a way that would make Kevin Keegan blush. At least he had the likes of Shearer, Ginola and Asprilla to base his strategy on... All we can hope is we get the first goal and we should be alright. But I am not hopeful!

My working assumption is that the Travis money has not been used yet, as I think JDT would have called it out if not the case.

Yeah those comments are really worrying. While we have a very major issue with set pieces teams are generating loads of chances from open play as well. We give away the ball cheaply in midfield and teams run straight through us. Or long straight balls front to back beat our back line. Feels like JDT is in denial.

To be honest I think JDT is suffering very severely in the fans eyes because he doesn't seem to be doing anything about it. If results were the same, but we were more defensive and not committing players forward etc, then I think the fans would be more focussed on the fact we have signed a really poor keeper and no strikers. Theyd see the manager is responding to the situation but needs help. But that we continue to play the ultra open way we are when shipping 2+ goals every game and losing virtually every one means that all the focus is - quite rightly - on him.

Brittain, Hyam, Carter, Pickering are all decent players. Think if we imported Lenihan, Bell, Nyambe anyone into this system when confidence is low and with a terrible keeper theyd get hammered. The issue is we are trying to play champagne 424 football when we are conceding 4 goals every week. Its absolute lunacy.

If we think we were just as good as them then we have even bigger problems. There have been times this season when we have been just as good and be unlucky to lose. But today we were utterly thrashed without WBA getting out of second gear. They could have scored 6, 7, 8. We, I think, maybe only had 2 decent opportunities outside the one we scored from. They carved us open at will. That we are saying that its not the tactics or the approach just individual mistakes alone is just daft. Passing the ball around the middle third a bit without creating chances is not being "just as good as them". He'll be gone pretty soon I think.

Youd imagine Sweden would be thinking "we need a manager who can galvanise a team and get then organised, competitive and solid against superior opposition " Can't imagine JDT ticks many boxes

I suspect he genuinely thinks its the right thing to do and results will turn around. Often happens when someone is committed to a particular ideology - when things aren't working its seen not that things need to change, instead what is required is more of the same

Well, if that is his approach to management - to let the team lose out of spite - he will have a short and unremarkable career.

Its a shame really as JDT has a lot going for him in terms of developing players and style when things are going well. But if you cant defend or compete when you go behind you are toast. Would love to see a number of points won from losing positions stat. JDT must have one of the worst ever.

I cant see JDT resigning. Compensation aside future potential employers will remember your last job the most and to leave now will close doors to him. Lambert resigned early enough to get away with it, JDT looks at the moment like a total incompetent. What decent club would touch him? On the other hand I can see us sacking him. That we dont seem to be responding in any way to the huge amount of goals conceded must be concerning people across the club. Theyve now seen the financial impact of league one, so I can see changes happening if we cant turn it around in the next three games.

Yeah agreed - the defence is not really a personnel issue for me. Obviously the players have weaknesses but on the whole a reasonable set of players the keeper aside. Were rock bottom on confidence, conceding a ludicrous amount of goals, yet every time we go forward we commit 8 players forward and ask two cbs to handle any counter. Its not sensible. That on top of a keeper who is absolutely hopeless. We have to switch focus and start thinking how we can concede less chances.

Has anyone ever seen a combination of defending terribly for game after game yet the management not doing anything to help the defence? Its so bizarre.

Well he hasn't got much care for his own career if he is playing this way against his will.

Eh? They've completely battered us!

Garretts funny, looked for all the world a Travis style defensive mid, but hes got a lot if attacking quality about him. Good technique, makes clever runs.

Only real positive for me is Garrett looks a good player. Feel like he will be a very solid Championship player.