Amazing improvement, pretty much a Diaz-level change but he already had a double barrelled name.

Szmodics goal

He can sit down now.

The league upheld his nonsense decision. There's nothing to be amazed by, business as usual as far as they're concerned.

Oh he won't. So, a Mowbray team in a death spiral in the second half of the season, and Ayala getting a long-term injury in the winter. It does feel like old times. Personally I wouldn't be that bothered if Ayala got a one-year deal if it was on significantly reduced terms, but he's unlikely to take something like that anyway. Even if he would, the better decision is still probably to let him go. We have some good players in that position now, most of whom still have capacity for improvement. Hyam, Wharton, Carter, Phillips...hmm, thinking about it, 4 for 2 spots is the usual mantra for a squad, but all 4 have had some injury issues, and Phillips is still very inexperienced. Plus we occasionally like to play three at the back. If we do let Ayala go I wouldn't be surprised if we move in for someone else. After all, we were interested in Porteous, so that's probably the plan. I don't know if keeping Ayala on a cheap one-year deal might not be a better option than going into the market or risking being short on capable CBs. Would give time for Phillips to bed in to senior football without having someone in his way longer term. There's also Sam Barnes though, who JDT seems to rate.

I'm fairly sure it's already been mentioned previously that he's back in training. So probably just avoiding repetition.

I don't think scoring the chance was all that easy either when you look at the replay from behind the goal. Keeper closed it down well. It was score-able but not necessarily a sitter. I'd hope for better from an attacker, but for a typical centre mid I think the effort was fairly par for the course. Not that I think he should be playing.

I can't even remember the last time you predicted defeat. I don't know whether that means I now expect victory, or if it's more like 'oh shit even Mercer thinks we're going to lose'.

But you've just demonstrated that you bring the opposite of a bit of luck. More like a bit of 'oh fuck'.

But...how do you know?

True! There's the legal costs though.

The problem isn't just the number of games that will be left when he signed. It's also that he will take time to get up to speed. No matter how good he was last season, this season he has only played 770 minutes of senior football across all competitions. That's equivalent to about 8.5 full matches. The last time he played was 17 minutes as a sub on the 25th January...in January he only played 105 minutes total. I wouldn't be surprised if his training intensity has dropped a little too due to the limbo, and not even being in Forest's squad anymore. I can't see him being ready to go as the player of last season for at least a few games. We may have to put up with him playing, potentially not all that well, to get him fully fit, at which stage there may only be a few games left. I certainly hope it doesn't pan out that way, and even then he may make a difference in the playoffs if we somehow are in them. But it's definitely a possible scenario that he costs us on the pitch before he is ready to help us on it. That said, Morton has been costing us on the pitch all season.

Their whole club looked lost, yet they still managed to sign a reasonable striker. Fancy that.

If he's that much of a Rovers fan, he probably knows we're liable to bugger it up anyway 😂

Can't say I'm optimistic- largely because I never ever like to play a side who just appointed a new manager. They're always trying to impress the new boss, and feel like their worries might be behind them etc. We seem to play sides who just got a new boss or at least a caretaker boss about 5 times a season lol Also been a lot of games the last week or so for a smallish squad depleted by injuries. The bookies seem to be expecting it too, they have far better odds despite having far worse form.

Brereton was just ok that season. For me Dolan has definitely merited a regular spot when not landing one, on several occasions, and Mowbray did fuck all to develop him. How exactly do you think he developed him? How was he handled well? Not playing doesn't develop you, and I saw precisely nothing added to Dolan's game in the time between, if anything he visibly went backwards. Elliott was a better player, no doubt about that, but bringing him in to begin with got in Dolan's way. I understand this if it helps us make a promotion push, but we didn't come anywhere near and he was still favouring Elliott over players who would still be here the next season when promotion was mathematically over with, and so was the prospect of relegation. What's the bloody point of continuing to develop another club's player when the season is essentially over? You're welcome to your opinion of course, I just think that it's a right load of old bollocks in this case. Mowbray sometimes gets flak he doesn't deserve, but I'm not having it that he developed a player who clearly stagnated and at times regressed under him. Side note, those needless skills...yes he does need to get wiser at when to use them and when not to, that will come with time, but the fact he could do anything with the ball at any given time terrifies and confuses defenders. Even if he does a trick that's 'pointless' (which I agree, he does), it can confuse a defender about which way he's going and what he will do at closer quarters. When I was a defender, players who could turn, bob and weave as quickly as him and had that unpredictability were the ones that had me most on edge. They were the ones that could embarass me, whereas the 6 ft 2 lump I was more than happy to see running at me with the ball (and usually happy to muscle it with). The skills are a big part of his game, without those he's just a hard-working short player who is quick over 10 yards but not over 40. When he gets them right, he shreds defenders.

Hard disagree there. Lad looked dynamite from the off, then TM brought in Elliott, an exceptional talent to be sure, but one who we didn't own then sat in Dolan's way for a season where we didn't threaten the playoffs. Despite this, he could and at many points should have played Dolan more often, as he had the versatility to play elsewhere. Mowbray was just scared to play two young flair players at the same time. I'm a big believer in momentum in football, especially for young players still developing, and Mowbray killed his repeatedly during that and the next season. Last season, Dolan looked less ambitious and confident in his play to me, and I believe being in and out of the team, as well as Mowbray trying to coach some of the flair out of his play, is why. Really, he is only getting back now to more or less where he was (think his game intelligence may have improved a little though, and maybe his shooting). I actually don't think he has really developed since he arrived, and that it's primarily down to mismanagement by Mowbray.

I'm not convinced by the bit at the end. I don't think it being an independent panel will kill the chances of other clubs appealing. They'll just appeal until they reach an independent panel themselves. I assume he is talking more in reference to them dragging up old cases...again they could seek independent arbitration though, and a precedent will have been set. It also implies, if the EFL have never accepted an appeal, and then one goes independent and wins, that the EFL's processes are not fit for purpose and likely self serving. The panel would be saying they go about things wrongly.

15. Not counting his 2 for Clitheroe (for obvious reasons). He also usually plays wide, whereas Dickov played further forward and more centrally, where you expect more goals. Given he's only been playing full senior football for 3 seasons, and probably has another 10 before the age where it can all go almost overnight...you're talking about another 50 ish (making around 65) just keeping the current rate. Which assumes he doesn't improve and assumes doesn't make himself a regular fixture in the starting 11 (people forget most of his games have been cameos off the bench). He's definitely capable of getting at least near 100 in his career if injuries or stagnation don't get him. Brereton leaving may open up a lot more opportunities for him too... Edit - might be 16 goals actually, transfermarkt probably hasn't updated yet.

If we end up having to pay his wages since Jan 31st. Otherwise it will be what, 2 months of wages?

I think they would probably get him on a bench a little before then, but he will need a period to get fit and sharp. Hopefully he is looking after himself, but I think I read someone say he hasn't played (maybe it was started) a first team game since Halloween!

.......you're serious with this? Nevermind, you do you.

Maybe Goddard? Regardless of how good they were? @rigger see, he does think a keeper being sub 6 ft makes them crap.

It was a young team we put out, some of them I associate more with the u18s, so with one or more multimillion pound players on the pitch it's not a shameful effort. Would be interesting to see how it went if we fielded a full strength u21 side.

Full time 4-2, deserved to lose. Walker looks decent, definitely has some technique. The first half was even, 1-1 was a fair reflection. Second half we were outmatched.