That was right in front of me, the ball from Morton to Hedges got stuck under his feet and he couldn't set himself for the cross, by that time he had been closed down and all he could do was lay it off to Pickering who saw glory, it was horrible to watch.

This has been a "thing" for a while now, I used to remember Amari Bell under Mowbray would stop at the half way line like he'd hit an invisible force field, it was happening last night almost every time we had the ball across the back 4, they were sat all square to each other playing it sideways with about 15-20 yards of space in front of them. When Wigan had the ball in a similar situation they would carry the ball forward and make the ground, with the full backs providing an "angle", getting them on the front foot for every attack. Second half a couple were urging them to move forward to carry the ball. Our lads look two scared to commit forward, they've been coached to move the ball quickly up the pitch, which is fine in theory - but every "attack" we're basically asking lads like S. Warton, Pickering, Carter to basically make an inch perfect Hollywood pass at home in front of an already disgruntled fanbase and the Sky cameras, to a forward line who are the most static I've seen in a long while. For me it's confidence thing and a fear of failure in what is a set of tactics designed for players we don't have, we don't do the basics right. All the hesitation does is allow the opposition to get back in their banks of 4, and we've been nullified again. The Wigan players were receiving the ball and turning immediately, bursting forward and pressing with the ball. We had a 30 yard gap between defence and midfield, you could have coned off the middle of the park and it wouldn't have mattered. The good thing about Thomas was his movement second half, he would change it up, change the pace, point inside, go outside, just to get Wigan thinking. Vale and Dack basically stood static all game waiting for the ball - and Diaz, I'm not sure what his tactic is, hug the touch line and hope someone plays it to him with his back to goal where he gets outmuscled every time, why can't he vary it - I remember one attack in the first half where he loitered at the back post waiting for a cross, but there was acres of space around the edge of the D, why not come short and make a run to the front post, make an angle for the crosser - it's so easy to play against. I thought we were meant to have a "fluid" front line?

100% well said, it's embarrassing

Because it could get misconstrued and influence the case by any number of means - I agree it's not a court case but it's wise to keep things under wraps until it's been sorted.

Brilliant post, couldn't agree more. Well said. 👏👏👏

Yeah and there's also a lot of prissy little spoilt Karens amongst our fanbase who love a scapegoat and just shout "sack him" and "shambles" and "disgrace" at the first person they see on TV, without really engaging their brains. People love a visible figure of hate. I think people don't like Broughton as he's well spoken, clearly educated and has good vocabulary, talks modern football lingo - he does the modern business advisor speak - and people feel like he's perhaps talking down to them in some way. But you get rid and what have we got? JDT out and Waggott overseeing recruitment? With the approach to ticketing and stadium maintenance I can see that going well... If it does turn out to be his fault then fair enough, or if it's a cover up due to lack of inexperience, or some conspiracy that in the final minutes we were scared by the terms - I'm sure he would leave, but do fans really think he was the one sending the forms in?

Waggott's tie caught in the toaster and the sprinklers have gone off?

Are you for real? Forest have no room to talk.

Exactly. A club like Forest with their transfer activity can't be throwing stones! I don't know which forum member said this but it summed it up superbly for me: “We've battled to the 5th Round of the FA Cup which, so far, has been worth £333k in prize money for us which isn't an insignificant sum. It's just over a month's salary for a player Forest deem surplus to requirements 6 months after spending £9m acquiring him.”

“Really frustrating. Lewis is a player we like and a player who works very hard, and he’s a good guy,” Cooper said. Didn't like him that much did they.

yes, MY BAD

No it ain't - the DoF should be able to trust his staff to fill a form in FFS - like I've said he'll have overestimated the ability of the club. You could argue GB taking a young player out for a meal as part of the welcome to the club a really good thing, that's part of his job, not doing basic admin tasks.

I hope so. Does Broughton have a line to the owners without SW being involved? I agree with @Tugay Et Labore, Broughton has always behaved professionally. Idiots online and on here calling for GB's head are shameful, some of the comments are childish at best. We get rid of him, and we're still left with the same shite backroom staff. He had the balls to front up about it, you can tell he's furious - he left a simple admin job to the staff and they fucked up. And anyway, who do you get in as a magic replacement, as if a new DoF is suddenly going to procure 4-5 signings per window of quality players and solve all the issues with the owners. People calling the "project" - of course it's a fucking project, due to FFP we can't sign anyone and we have to develop our own lads and make the odd shrewd signing. I get it we're used to the classy operation of John Williams - but GB at least is trying to sort the club out on the footballing side. I get the criticism of Hirst, but GB didn't miss that penalty against Cardiff did he? Imagine if Hirst had put that in, who knows. For me, the main thing he is guilty of is underestimating the level of competence of those already at the club. The other thing is perhaps panicking and pushing the boat out for O'Brien which seems to be at odds with anything they've said before with regard to "the project", but the chance arose and they went for it, so I don't blame them for taking the opportunity to get a class CM into the club.

I really hope JDT gives it the whole "do you know who I've played for, do you know about my career" etc etc and now having to deal with people like Steve Fucking Waggott.

I can't seem to find it anywhere, were we going to be paying his wages or not?

This is why there must be more to it - I know rules is rules but how can the EFL do this to one of their players - it's pretty sad. Surely there can be "mitigating circumstances" i.e "ahhh yes I see you were signing for the Rovers, they are a shit show". Anyway if and when the worst happens he must have a legal case against us. No one would blame him.

Or even: "we've never done this before, this one's a bit tricky for us, it's got clauses and things in it, can you do it?"

It looks like they were from the statement: "Due to the complex nature of the various agreements to be included within the overall registration, legal advisors were brought in to assist in part of the process." I think they've been caught out by the complexity of the deal at short notice, and haven't had the heads around them to get it sorted, this then caused them to be late with the Brierly deal too. ...and yes why Waggott was at Birmingham is very odd indeed, one can only speculate.

Broughton said it would be a quiet window. Every club wants a combative centre mid and a striker. Can't just magic them up. We could still yet get a striker on loan. The signing of Sorba Thomas helps us play Gallagher or Diaz down the middle, effectively changing the striker situation, Tomasson historically likes to play 442 with wingers but he hasn't had this chance yet due, hence this fluid front 4 business. Hirst was a flop but you never know with these things, remember BB before he became BBD? I like Markanday on the ball but he needs to toughen up and learn how to defend if he is to play week in week out in the championship, getting him game time at Aberdeen is a good idea for me - get him ready for next season. I think Broughton will just be as angry as we all are - and is probably now realising the mess he has got himself into, surrounded by Waggott and co. They are the real problem with the club.

Yeah I don't get this at all, we were told there's no budget and yet this was a big outlay - it's the inconsistency and mixed messages that I don't understand - we're either not challenging for the playoffs and then we're doing a deal for a serious midfielder that has a contract with terms written into it based purely on promotion. I don't get why both deals have gone south though, that is really weird and suggests something very odd has happened. I think people should drop the criticism of Broughton and his team, he'll just be as furious as we are, and he'll be the one who has to front up about it - either covering for some conspiracy out of his control or a hideous paperwork error. Either way it's embarrassing, do you really think he wanted that? He's actually been trying to move the club forward on the footballing side in quite a short space of time, tying down contracts, making some decent signings (OK I agree we paid too much for Sammie, I like the player but that was a big fee). There's been some pretty vile stuff written about them on this forum and on twitter that is pretty shameful and unwarranted, makes us look stupid - I know this is a bad time to be saying this, but seriously, think about it, he's not in charge of applications is he? It's Waggott and this Pascha bloke that should face the heat, "the powers that be", they've been doing the death by a 1000 cuts thing for too long now, poor pricing, the lack of offers for fans, the neglect of the stadium etc etc. It's been a period of poor, poor management, do the bare minimum attitude. There's some pretty uneducated people on here too, people saying things like "Broughton is shit because we haven't dipped into the Scandi market" etc - do your research and learn about work permits etc

I don't think that's crazy at all, I can imagine them trying to pull something like that and getting caught out. The bit I don't get is why both deals have gone south - maybe it's connected with the above? Brierly's deal should have been pretty straightforward should it not?

Woah, OK that's me told - bet you loved rolling that out. Still doesn't make a jot of difference - so, what do you know? Doesn't matter who you are unless you're in there working for the recruitment team. It's all speculation. If we don't sign anyone, then yes be worried. Anyway it's all pointless, for the sake of declaring who we all are I'm actually a cocooned fly that's been wrapped in a web in the top corner in one of the Brockhall offices, my captor, the spider, has since died. Due to Venky's mismanagement and therefore cutbacks on the cleaning budget, I've been left here for years. During that time I've evolved sentience from the snippets of football talk I've overheard, and without an outlet to pour out my new found knowledge I have joined the forum out of sheer boredom (lockdown was hard, even for half-dead flies). From my vantage point I can just about make out the recruitment "geeks" at their computers talking ball retention stats, but there's a water cooler in the way. But anyway, I'm just a smashed up fly and I still don't understand, so I won't make a judgement. But it's much better being up here than when that barrel chested chap Wencoyle worked here, bastard tried to prise me off the wall with his many wooden used Feast lolly sticks, stuck together with what's left of Anthony Stokes's sock tape, dark times, tried to stop me learning his secrets he did etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc Anyway, "why aren't we all over Dembele - it's a joke lads" etc etc.

^^^ This 100%

Proves my point WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW? To even make that comment... Just because you've played Champ Manager? I'm not sticking up for them but Jesus Christ this is insane - they might have made all the right decisions, all the right targets, I have no idea either - but those higher up the chain are probably at fault. Ever heard of occam's razor? "The simplest answer is the most likely": Venky's.

Wow, I bet you're fun at parties. There's being realistic and then there's being negative for negative's sake. I can imagine some were just as miserable during the Souness years under John Williams. Direct your ire toward the Venky's and co, not GB and his team until they window is out. Then again, do what you want it's a message board as many say. We just know so much more now so the opportunity to moan and spit bile is more than ever. Slightly patronising tone here - I agree, it's part of a wider behaviour associated with social media, instant content, instant reaction - but I see in the stands in real life. There's critsiscm and then there's calling people a "fucking joke". I get we're all frustrated, but why double down on it. I do take it seriously, I'm upset about what's happened to the club - this all makes it worse. ...and I'll do it for you: "maybe you should stay off the forums then" 🤣