Yup.... especially since tactically we are all about through balls, and he takes all our set pieces. Needs to have a rest. But I think Liverpool have agreed he has to play every Championship game when fit.

I'd drop Morton for a game (if we are allowed to by the loan terms, which I doubt) and start Buckley and Adam Wharton. I suspect we will improve. If not we can always bring Morton on from the bench.

Yeah... there's a lot of folk who have already decided that JDT and Broughton need to go etc, but realistically they've only been here 5 minutes. It will take time, that's just football. You can appoint a manager who transforms the club overnight and you end up getting promoted (Cooper at Forest last season being a prime example). But that happens incredibly rarely, so if that's our target we will be turning over the entire structure of the club every 6 months until we strike gold, and to me that sounds more like a recipe for relegation than promotion if you havent got the resources to pay off the entire staff and hire new ones like Chelsea or Watford. Results are definitely bizarre, win games we should lose, lose games we should win. No draws. Definitely a challenge in creating and scoring goals.... First real test of the management for me is if we come out on 1st Feb looking like a team that can score more and make a comeback in games. If we are much the same team on 1st Feb as on December 31st with no progress, then that will be my first genuine concerns.

Yeah, with strikers it really does come down to you dropping levels till you start scoring... For Vale his only real route to making it at this level I can see is to become a poacher. He needs to figure out how to find space in the box. Hes way way too deep to do that, partly as we play way too deep to help him do that. He doesn't have the pace to play on the counter.

Jack Vale is a likeable busy player, whose tidy enough and works hard.... but his role we need players who score goals and worry centre backs. He just doesn't do that. He was supposed to be our centre forward on Saturday... how many times did he actually get in the box or get on the end of through balls? He caused the Rotherham defence zero worries... We need more dangerous forwards on the pitch.

Morton had another game yesterday where he did little that was incisive and lost the ball a few times. Not our worst performer, but no one looked at that performance and thought thats what a premier league midfield needs. As it stands he wouldnt get into Sheffield Utds midfield, let alone Liverpool's.

First half I was okay with, thought we played reasonable and looked dangerous, although we couldnt finish. Rotherham scored a good goal. Second half was totally unacceptable as we couldn't create anything at all, and our defending totally fell apart. There was no focal point to our attack. Weve got small wide forwards coming out of our ears. We need something different to change our approach. One quality central striker will transform the team.

For me if we had a decent central striker we will have won this game. As it is all six of our forwards who have dont want to get in the box... Need to find someone who can physically compete in the air and on the floor, and is all about goals.

Centre backs a bit different though. Scott Wartons a talent but I wouldnt say Carter or Ash Phillips are ready to start. Centre mid Buckley, Adam Wharton and Jake Garrett all are good enough to start and Morton is taking a space. It just seems a massive no confidence in those three to bring in an experienced player. One of them will seize the spot for me.

Gregg comes across so well... and I agree with everything he says tbh. What's the point in signing experienced players to block areas of the team where we have a lot of young talent (such as centre mid for us).

Why would we sign a player for £2M when we have a lot of pretty decent cover in the wide forward area (BBD, Dolan, Hedges, Szmodics, Markanday, Gallagher can fit in there too), when what we obviously need a proper goal scoring central striker.

I don't think we need a centre mid at all personally but if we did sign one I wouldn't be signing another young player.

I think a loans a good shout for him, but I don't thin he's finished at Rovers. I can see him having a good spell at Charlton and coming back into contention with us next season.

If Dortmund sign him Ill eat everybody's hats. To move to a CL club you would expect him to be unreal at this level. Hes looked competent, but nothing special...

I don't think he will ever make a CL player, if he does happy to eat my hat. Might - like Buckley or Adam Wharton - make a bottom half Premier League player. He's a bit like someone like Cleverly who came through at Utd. At a top club from the academy but drifted down the league.

Morton is very very similar to Buckley for me. Almost identical players really who sit relatively deep and tick the game over, and try to find the right through balls on the half turn... Adam Wharton is also similar is maybe a bit more of an attacking mid who will end up as a number 10. Anyway - if Morton became unavailable (Liverpool recall him, or he gets an injury/suspension) I don't really think we would see much improvement or deterioration by having two out of Buckley/Garrett/A Wharton in there. In the few games where Morton hasn't been in the side - such as last weekend - I haven't been sitting there thinking "what we really need is Morton on the pitch..."

Dack I think has massively improved in terms of his pressing and dropping into support the centre mids. I expect us to dominate midfield in this one. Cant agree on Travis, he so far off it at the moment and easily our worst performer on the weekend. Id be really surprised if he starts.

We've tended to win games against struggling teams with JDT, so hopeful we will continue that trend. I imagine Hedges will come back in, and Gally should be fit. So.. Kaminski JRC Hyam Ayala Pickering Morton Garrett Hedges Dack Diaz Gally Pretty good team that... Front four all offer a goal threat, maybe the best pair of CBs in the league and top keeper. While not ideal full backs have improved a lot last six games or so.. And centre mids get a lot of flack but I think theyre pretty good and improving. We really should win this one.

I'm pretty hopeful we will make playoffs. Looking down the fixture list it's only Sheffield Utd and Burnley that look like games that we will be outmatched in. Every other game we've got a great shout to get points, and we have done a good job of that so far.

Agree with this. That said addition of Dack at number 10 should help us in that regard, he can find the right pass or arrive late for a cross. Other bit that needs solving is centreforward. Gallagher is at his best running around in lots of space. Getting on crosses in a packed box really isn't his thing. Or any of our alternatives like Vale or Markanday.... We need to sign someone whose can physically dominate the opposition centre halves. Haven't had that since Gestede and its a big miss.

Agree with all of that except signing a midfielder. If we sign an experienced player we will take a huge chunk of playing time away from our developing players. Assuming Morton keeps his place as looks likely it could mean Garrett, Wharton, Buckley all get virtually nothing for the rest of the season. Also not a sniff for Travis to re-establish himself. I think between the young players we will hit the required standard. Also Dack has improved a lot in terms of dropping in and making a three in midfield which is what is really needed.

Yeah... JDTs been pretty ruthless. Everyone apart from Kaminski, Hyam and Morton have been dropped at one time or another. Does feel a meritocracy though. Players previously frozen out who have performed well have come back and got regular starts (JRC, Dack, Garrett, Buckley). Only players who look a bit hard done by to me are Markanday and Adam Wharton. Both I would have thought would have more minutes by now and when they play they look decent... Must be some off the field stuff.

Weve got four pretty decent albeit young central midfielders who can be used interchangeably (Morton, Buckley, Garett, Adam Wharton). We only have one centreforward - Gallagher, who has also had a lot of injury issues. Id say the priority is going to be a number 9

Thought BBD was decent tbh. Caused them a few worries, created an amazing opportunity he then missed. Worry for me is Travis. Never seen a player regress so much at such a young age. Looks like hes going to end up being frozen out, after starting the season as captain and two cracking goals. Whats really concerning is not the passing so much - we know its not his strongest suit - but that he is well behind the pace of game. He used to be ahead of the game. Whats happened?!

Really good defensive performance so far while Norwich have been on top.... been impressed by Carter who seems to be a lot quicker than I remember. And Vale has looked a huge upgrade on Hirst. On balance of chances Norwich probably should be ahead, not us. But our defending of the box last ditch has been very good as always. Probably that's the big difference for me since JDT has come in, we defend in numbers really well. Pears has pulled out a great save too. Think essentially everyone has done okay except maybe Travis who is still struggling to keep up with the pace of the game, and then find a decent pass once he does get the ball. If we are making subs I would be tempted to bring Adam Wharton on for him.