That was not my point at least. My suggestion is that you need to have options upfront with different strengths. Pace for counter-attack and as a threat when opposition has a high line. We need flair and dribbling to cause unbalance when the the other team is digging in. Needs someone who able to hold-up the ball and link play when we are under the cosh. Also great to have someone who is good at getting at the end of crosses if other team is defending very narrow. The size of player is not that important. Also a plus if a player can bring more than one attribute to the table. I think Breo ticks a lot of boxes in that regards giving his form this year. Rheda is also a lot more than a pace merchant.

I watched Burns for Scunthorpe Yesterday. He put in a good shift, but not able to make much of an impact otherwise. They faced Exeter who was a far better team so he didn't have much to work with. Looked to play right wing, although switched at times. They failed to utilize his strengths and the couple of half opportunities he was a bit slow to pull the trigger. In general League 2 is very physical and the quality is pretty low. The ball is pinged in the air and it's a big difference from U23 where everything is played on the ground.

I've seen both on several occasions. For me Wharton reminds me a bit of Tom Cairney. Box-to-box midfielder who can control a game with his classy passing. Left footed and looks like he has all the time in the world. "Sees all the pictures" as Mowbray would say. His defensive side has improved as well. Garrett is someone I really like. He is more of a sitter (defensive midfielder). Played against Leeds in a pre-season and looked good. Will tackle anything that moves. He's a great tackler but a bit rash at times, and picks up quite a lot of cards. Needs to wise up when and where a tackle is needed. The best thing about him is that he is very good passer as well. Very calm in possesion, and almost always pick the right option. Can switch play and hit short and long with his left foot. For me he is someone who can challenge for Travis spot in the couple of years. He is far better on the ball than Travis. Incidently I think Wharton and Garrett should work well together.

Not sure if Markanday is the one. Think he is more like Rheda / Poveda. We do need a focal point as an option, who can hold the ball up. Was well impressed with Adebayo at Luton Yesterday, but probably too expensive now. Big unit with good movement, held the ball up well and looked dangerous throughout. Bournemouth struggled defensivly especially when Luton bypassed their midfield.

Given his Indian background, this is a deal I could see the Venky's taking a big interest in.

Spurs fans are pissed on the prospect of letting him go, so that's a good sign. Kudos to the player for rejecting their contract and wanting to play senior football. So many young players are happy to stay on big wages and never getting a chance.

Rovers has just announced it will be available for a stream for only a pound. Does anybody got the option for the match on their Rovers TV? It's not appearing on my subscription options EDIT: It is now available 🙂

As someone mentioned, Johnson can play as a make-shift centre-back, and Nyambe can probably do a job centrally in a crisis. Yes I agree that Carter probably is the better option, but in my opinion it will far more beneficial for him and the club to allow him to go on loan. He has outgrown U23 and if he plays there he is only stands in the way of the next batch, but that is the only way for him to have some match fitness. We kept all the youngster from going on loan in august, which they suffered from a development standpoint. The only option left after the transfer deadline was Non-League loans.

No point having him around as sixth choice. Much more beneficial to follow Wharton's path, developing on loan with regular game time and come back when he is ready for this level. In a real crisis there options like Sam Barnes who pretty much the same level as Carter. Young Phillips might also be an option. If against the odds, Lenihan leaves the club would probably bring someone in to replace him.

Played in pre-season and looked shaky. Was decent for the U23. Another reason for letting him was go was Eastham who is a better prospect. There is also the Greek guy who is a bit of a wild card, big Joe Hilton currently at loan in Scotland, Dowling who played Last U23. In addition Goddard for the U18 is supposwd to be promising. For me Eastham looks better than Pears, quite similar to Raya as a keeper. However needs a loan to adapt to senior football.

Fisher is probably better than Pears, but that doesn't say much. Fisher was never going to be our number 1, so it was fair to let go at 22. That's how the Academy is supposed to work. Producing players, some for the first team and some good enough to make a career later which result in some extra fees to the club.

Isn't that what we are currently doing? Most of our U18/U23 are rejects from Liverpool, United, City. Travis (Liverpool), Butterworth (United), JRC (United) all examples. I do get your point though. Instead of using 3 millions a year to run an academy, why not use a similar amount to purchase talent? Today's model have to produce to justify the expense.

Hate? Come on. Nyambe has been a regular starter since Tony took over 5 years ago. He's played 30-40 games each season, mostly limited by injuries. In two brief spells when fit, Bennett and JRC has been preferred. If Mowbray "hated" him, wouldn't he replaced him in those 5 years? And why try to give a new 3.5 year contract?

Watching Forest - Arsenal in the cup. Arteta just pulled off their left back Tavares for his performance after 30 min, at 0-0. Home crowd singing "You're fuc... shit". Tavares pissed. Poor man mangement in my book.

U18 game vs United was just cancelled after the teams were ready for kick off. Emergency services was not present and delayed + watery pitch. 8 pounds wasted on ManU TV 🙂

Why are people assuming that the potential new right back is to replace Nyambe now? We've talked all season that there is no cover there. JRC is too injury prone to be considered, in addition he can play multiple positions and considers himself a midfielder. The Irish guy is punt, coming from a league that is off-season and needs to get up to speed and tried at U23 level first. There is injuries, suspension and illness waiting so we need more bodies. A loan deal with a buy clause seems very sensible. In the summer we will know what the score is regarding promotion and contracts. If we are promoted, the squad needs a large overhaul as not that many are PL quality.

The way clubs run in the Championship are totally unsustainable, and we are one of the worst. https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-footballs-wage-crisis-sits-in-the-championship-rather-than-the-premier-league

He scored against Millwall as well with a similar header, though I wouldn't to be the strongest in the air.

I'm not the only one who has seen the improvement.

Nyambe would play in Premiership not doubt, especially if his main responsibility is not bombing down the wing and cross. He has not stood still at all. His positioning and heading have improved dramaticly. Timing and decision making as well. His offensive progress has not been as good though. Blaming coaching is a cheap shot. Not sure how many world-class coaches who would be able to turn a 19-year old, who have relied on his physical attributes into a modern-day Cafu. It's a bit late in the game to make up for the Techincal ability and awareness needed.

Great player, although Forest would have to pay some wages to compete with Besiktas who can offer a pre-contract and sign him as free agent in the summer.

Very much agree with the importance of keeping the U23 in the top division. They have really suffered for letting Pike, Burns and Vale go on loan this autumn couple with injuries to key players. They might Vale around for the U23 as well as backup option for the first team in case of injuries. Expecting to see Costello and Dack featuring some matches for the U23. Could help on result, although sometimes it's more distrupting.

I really don't hope we change style just to optimize Dack's output. Finally found a system where the whole is stronger than the parts. It's better to wait untill Dack is fit enough to play the system. I also think Dack is more than collecting knockdowns from a target man. He was roaming midfielder in his Gillingham days, so should be able to play the Buckley role when fit enough.

I think they cancelled the season right after he went there. Always been a fan of Vale, but I think he is a confidence player. Think I read an interview when he was younger that the coaches was working with his belief in his own ability. Attribute-wise he's probably been the most rounded striker for the U23 over the last years. Can hold the ball up, good pace and go past people. He's surely going to have a professional career, but similar to Butterworth at an age they need to kick on. Probably looking at a new loan for him, U23 will not do much for his development, also the Academy is looking to expose more of the U18 like Harry Leonard in the U23's

Think he was experiencing some of the same issues as Buckley regarding the physical transition from U23 to senior football. Has great quality and will surely have a good career. His loan probably came a year too soon for both parties to have the impact hoped for.