BlackburnEnd75

Trav at right back presumably.

Still keeping our powder dry for a top striker who'll fire us to playoff glory.

I would be surprised if we did. You don't see clubs call a player within 2 weeks of the start of the loan.

If brittain, jrc and batth are all unavailable for Saturday then I genuinely don't know what JE can do. Especially at the back as we've not got 4 fit defenders. They've loaned o'riordan and duru (who'd be starting Saturday if he was here), they're selling mcfadzean. They're loaning garrett when I'd have him starting ahead of forshaw. Assuming pears will be back from illness. So what's it going to be? Pears Weimann Sanderson. Hyam. Beck Buckley. Forshaw Dolan. Cantwell. Hedges Gueye Subs: toth, Leonard, some kids. Could really do with batths injury being just a knock. Then sanderson can play right back. But that is startingly bad for a team (currently) in the top 6. It shows the real lack of investment in the side. Firstly because the front 4 you could argue have actually played the most mins in those positions this season and they aren't good enough. Then you've got the car crash signing of forshaw forced to start in cm. Then the lack of depth giving us 3 fit defenders. We need a signing by Saturday but won't get it. If there's a kid in the 21s who they think may have a chance of making it then they need to give them a go.

Thought forshaw was rubbish again. To add to his lack of mobility we can add awful on the ball. If it's not a 10 yard sideways pass he doesn't know what to do.

Get both gone.

There's a lack of people willing to run in behind. We've missed ohashi in that respect.

Which sub par attacking players will eustace put out? Which combination of misfits will he use to fill the hole left by Travis and tronstad? How can we get some energy back into the side with a tight turn around, a knackered squad and no reinforcements? Feels like questions with no answers for JE. But as always I predict he'll suprise me with what we can produce. Not looking forward to this one nonetheless.

As someone else has said above. We're about to find out how important tronstad is to our defensive record. I'd also take a clean sheet and hope for the best.

Perhaps he's naive. Perhaps he's covered himself in his contract. Perhaps he just needed the work and income desperately at the time. This is not something we are going to be privy too.

I think he will get trapped the same way jdt did. The club wouldn't accept his resignation meaning the next club he managed would still have to buy him out of his contract (probably one of our only saleable assets). He could resign end of the month having proved he's done a good job during water into wine, hope another champ club buys him out. Or wait for his contract to expire and move on a free but that runs the risk of people forgetting about his good job here.

The problem is all the cm options bar Travis are only viable when played with tronstad.

Me. He was 17 and although he was crap you could see he had all the tools of making a top centre back.

Me. He was 17 and although he was crap you could see he had all the tools of making a top centre back.

Take him off in the last 20 mins for sanderson if we can get in front

Pears Brittain. Hyam. Batth. Beck Tronstad Buckley ACD. Cantwell. Hedges Leonard (Gueye for Leonard early 2nd half) Subs: toth, sanderson, JRC, Forshaw, weimann, dolan, gueye + 2 young lads.

Half agreed with this in that it was the wrong team selection. Weimann up top didn't work and was a gamble but I really don't see gueye as being an effective starter as he doesn't have the legs. I would've started Leonard and I probably still would vs Oxford on Saturday. ACD should start most weeks out wide as he's the most likely to create something, however he's come back from illness so there may have been a doubt on wether he had 70 mins in him. He'll start on Saturday.

Up there for player of the year for me. Our bad run in sep/oct came when he was out injured coincidentally.

I think he has to start most of these games in january. That is until ohashi returns from injury or a striker is signed. I really do think there is a player in Leonard (I think he's got a lot more potential than Vale for example). If you look at some of performances last season under jdt before his injury they were actually pretty good. Take how he led the line away at Ipswich for example. It appears the only other alternatives are Gueye or repurposing weimann or dolan. I think gueye should be brought on after an hour. He hasn't got the legs to play more than half an hour in my mind. Dolan would press really well and is still first choice in the 3 behind the striker. Has weimann actually played up top? Could be worth a shout as he can finish and has it between the ears. I'd be going Leonard for an hour.

To quote Mr souness we need to "wee with the willy we've got". Eustace won't be given the money to add that quality so he might have to find another route.

Pears Brittain hyam. Batth beck Tronstad. Buckley ACD. Dolan. Hedges Leonard Subs: toth, sanderson, JRC, forshaw, cantwell, weimann, gueye, youngsters.

A lot yes

I'm listening to the full thing now. It's genuinely hilarious, the lack of awareness from both but particularly Jerome is breathtaking. 'Sometimes people just want to stick their fingers up at you for no reason' Oh there was a reason Jerome, your either being deliberately obtuse to that reason, disingenuous, completely thick or all 3.

I think he has at times. Or he did earlier in the season. I'm not sure he's had the opportunity to recently imo.

These are my thoughts also. I'm just praying we are holding back what little resources we have to get that winger / striker we need on loan.