Agreed plus they are being proactive, getting in players early including one for a couple of million. I wish we had done the same.

It would be a struggle to convince someone to be 5th choice so I would keep Carter rather than potentially be under prepared for a key half to the season. I would put the clubs critical need before Carters development just for 5 months and loan him out in the summer. It might be better for him but with such a critical half season ahead, we have to be fully prepared. Injuries, suspension and covid mean that it is far from remarkable to expect that at some point, that 2 from 4 will be unavailable. The club needs to come before Carter for 5 months. Johnson could do a job perhaps, Nyambe likewise or it could be left to a no hoper like Magloire or an untested kid, either way these are all solutions that significantly weaken us and could jeapordise our chance of collecting points if and when they occur. As you say Carter is a better option. It is different with some of the others in that none of them were close to and indeed in the main had never played prior for the first team.

Boro closing in on signing Riley McGree for a couple of million, outbidding Celtic to get him. They also are contributing to the wages of Folarin Balogun to get him on loan and have also loaned Aaron Connolly. Seem to be giving it a go.

He would be 5th choice and needed if only 2 of 4 centre backs are absent which considering Ayala's injury record and Lenihan's disciplinary concerns, plus the imminent threat of covid, is certainly not far-fetched. Barnes and Phillips have never kicked a senior ball, Carter has had a good loan spell in League 1 so is a more ready made replacement. Considering where we are in the table and the way of the world with covid, we more than ever need to have the quality in depth to sustain us throughout the season. If we had to consider the likes of Magloire or the 2 rookie kids you mention, we would struggle to continue getting results.

I just think that with such a critical half season amidst covid times as well as injury proneness amidst the centre backs, that we should play it safe and keep Carter. Loan him out for the whole of next season.

I just pray that Tyler Magloire isn't seen as 5th choice.

Seems very risky loaning him out leaving us with 4 centre backs for 3 spots. Surely we must get another centre back.

We can't be chucking in kids with no experience now. Surely it would be one of the 3 right wing backs.

We only have one right wing back who is ever fit. Makes sense to have two. But youve not really addressed my question regarding your assertion that Nyamhe isnt fully committed.

Hes already on loan at Sheffield United. Brilliant player at this level but dont see how that could possibly work.

Absolutely no proper suggestion that Nyambe doesnt want to play for the shirt. He certainly has shown that he very much is playing for the shirt. I presume that Lenihan and Rothwell also need to be dropped as they wont commit?

Not an exciting signing for Newcastle fans. Slightly weakens a rival though.

As @islander200 says, Nyambe certainly does not deserve dropping. Nothing to do with how fit Zeefuik is, Nyambe has been an important cog in a winnning team.

Even if he does sign before the weekend, there is no way that he should start ahead of Nyambe assuming that the latter is fit. Not sure cryptic and speculative criticisms from various mystery coaches help either way.

For no reason? The reason was that a player stood in an offside position was interfering play. The initial decision prior to VAR was incorrect.

Gallagher is a totally different player to Graham to be fair; the latter was an expert at holding up the ball and bringing others into play, whereas I can't ever remember seeing a Rovers striker as poor as Gallagher at doing that. It didn't seem that Mowbray's initial plan was to build around Graham initially even in League 1 and it is to his credit that he wasn't stubborn or too inflexible to realise that we were a better team with than without him at that time. That being said, I am not surprised that long term, that it wasn't a cornerstone in how he plays.

It is a well trodden cliche with an element of truth to it but of course it is unrealistic to expect to win every game at home therefore it doesn't translate, so surely against the worst home team in the league, it is a ripe opportunity to really expect 3 points.

There is no reason whatsoever that we should go to Cardiff with the attitude that anything other than 3 points will not be a success. We are 2nd in the league and have to get into an attitude whereby 3 points is a realistic aim from any game, we are 2nd in the table, 6 wins and a draw in 7 in the league, unbeaten in 9, we have had a full week to prepare, Cardiff are having a dreadful season and have collected 7 points at home all season, easily the worst in the league, and of course the stadium will be empty. They have also recently lost Giles who is a very good creative player at this level. Obviously it is not the end of anything if we don't win but I'd be frustrated all things considered if we don't come back with 3 points. When you are at the top end of a league, if you drop points even with a draw, most of your rivals tend to make ground up on you.

I do think it is key that any new forward does fit into the current method of how we play, for example I wouldnt sign a big brute of a target man just to be a plan B as he would never be able to fit into our plan A. That being said, I think the definition of what a striker is nowadays is very flexible and subjective, do we really not play with strikers? Is Brereton not a striker? Yes he is quick and he moves into the channels but ultimately he is a goalscorer and whilst we can not expect another 20 goal striker to be easily signed, we could do with an actual forward who can play similar to how Brereton does on the other side and crucially also offers us another serious goal threat. I dont know the European market enough to be able to think of any obtainable targets, so can only name types of forward. An Adam Armstrong from last season, a Gabriel Jesus, a Mason Greenwood, (left footed could be great) a Son Heung Min, at our level a Karlan Grant. Someone who is an actual goal threat and more of a striker than a hybrid winger/number 10 type but equally one who would fit how we play easily. Burke for example may be quick and he also is a wide man who has played (terribly) as a striker in the past, therefore if you are pigeon holeing a player based on style, then maybe he fits positionally as someone who could play as the right sided forward in our current formation, but ultimately he is crap so that should be the end of it.

I didnt think it was a foul necessarily, but an offside player was clearly interfering with play in my opinion. The referee has the final say even with the use of VAR which if he uses it correctly as he did last night (maybe should do it quicker but thats splitting hairs) then it benefits him.

The one main focus of injustice is something that Shearer touched on. You cant have VAR at only some grounds within the same competition. You either have it if possible or if that isnt the case then you keep consistency and dont.

The problem is that even defining a clear and obvious error is subjective. If a ball flicks off a hand slightly in the build up, if a player was just a bit offside in the build up etc, we would with justification feel aggrieved if that went against us because it wouldnt be the correct call. Once you start analysing the goal, you are then judging it on 2 parameters, legal and illegal, and anything that makes it the latee becomes clear and obvious. It would be really difficult for a ref to look back and watch a goal and see a slight offside/slight handball and even having seen that the goal according to the rules is illegal, give it anyway on account that it isnt blatant. It is a difficult one, grey areas will always exist so the 2 options are no VAR, a more free flowing but ultimately inaccurate game or the opposite. I do appreciate your frustrations with the time taken but both with and VAR have frustrations and their own pros and cons.

I am torn on it. Ultimately there is no argument that VAR does anything but increases the amount of correct decisions made, it gives the referees extra help. The question is whether that extra help and the improved accuracy of decisions is more important than the disruption of re-watching incidents, I think you can argue the toss either way. Like anything, it relies upon the people using it and that will never be perfect. There are things like seeing players being ruled to be offside by a tiny margin, something that is difficult to avoid whilst keeping decisions as close to objective as possible. There is also linesmen keeping their flag down which again is unavoidable in trying to ensure that genuine goals arent ruled out by officiating mistakes. There is also the fact that much of football is subjective including the definition of a clear and obvious error. Others seem keep to question the referees integrity as if VAR favours teams, I think that is a load of nonsense.if anything, a referee without the ability to re watch an incident could claim not to have seen things to favour teams should he wish. I think it is part of the tribal nature of us football fans to love to blame a referee. The Villa player was offside and obstructed Cavani, therefore the decision was correct to disallow the goal in my view. It wasnt a foul in isolation but the Villa player did impede Cavani and therefore IMO was interfering with play. Referees make mistakes, in this instance he utilised the VAR and for me disallowed a goal that would have otherwise wrongly stood. Youve got a perfect example of my earlier comments on how I judge VAR. I feel like VAR has helped the referee make the correct and fair decision as it should. That being said, the time taken and also the definition of clear and obvious error provokes people, often those who never wanted VAR in the first place. I hated the idea at first but I can see both sides. True, and them having VAR would improve the accuracy of their decisions by giving them extra help. You seem to want to have your cake and eat it.

I thought the decision was correct. The timing isnt ideal but it depends what matters the most, time or accuracy? You slag off refs in the Championship weekly and perhaps fairly but would be totally against the most obvious solution.

I have always thought that he was over rated but Rashford looks so lethargic. Tonight perhaps shows that all of United's woes cant be pinned on Ronaldo.