S-Clarke

He's another one of those players who never makes absolute howlers, but you are always left wondering if he could have done better. He's not really made any saves since he's been back in the side, nothing that stands out - yet he's picked the ball out of his net 7 times, which is a bit odd. I'm not saying it's on him at all, but I just find it odd that our GK's don't make saves.

Exactly, it's not down to individuals per say, it's the style. We don't have a viable alternative way of playing if Downes is unavailable and there should be some squad flexibility to allow us to cope with that. But we never do, we just blindly do the same thing but with players who aren't suited. Granted, I think we have left our midfield massively short this year which hasn't helped - but it's the 'play this way no matter approach' that's harmed us.

So, we just airbrush those games because they add to the tally? There's no way we should be losing 5-0 twice in a season, mixed in with a 4-1 and 4-4 as well. It's not like we've isolated our crappy goals against to a few games, we gave up 3 at Bristol, 3 against Huddersfield at home, 1 to frigging Rotherham. No matter how you dress it up we should not be conceding over 61 goals. I hear a lot about the morale and 'scar tissue', but why didn't Leeds and Leicester face the same turmoil? What was so different with them? They were also relegated with us after having horrendous seasons, they both had equal turmoil in the summer with players leaving left right and centre. They both changed their managers and backroom staff. If we cannot seemingly cope with 'scar tissue', then why can they?

I think it was Liverpool who tried to change him into a CM, but I feel like you - it never seemed to click, he never looked right in there. I don't think AOC is what we need, he'd be a headline signing for sure, but Aaron Ramsey was a headline signing for Cardiff and his fitness has meant he never plays for them. He'd be another massively expensive gamble that I don't think we can afford in our second season down (if we stay down here). We were bitten by Stewart last summer, let's not do it again.

I think there have been some very reasoned posts in this thread. I had my doubts when he was appointed, he didn't feel the right fit, but you had to get behind him which 99% of us did at that point. The start we had didn't help the nerves, but the recovery and the unbeaten run steadied the ship and brought a lot of us some hope, but the failings at the start of the season were still nagging in the back of most of our minds. Sadly all of those nagging doubts have come rushing back since February, we went 26 games without losing and have now lost 7 in the last 15 which is absolutley bloody horrific and has killed our season. The concerns the fans have are valid in my opinion, a genuine promotion candidate cannot concede in excess of 60 goals - it just doesn't compute. Those goals have come across the entire season, we started it with a 5-0 thrashing and have ended it with another - so in my opinion the fans have got genuine reason to ask wtf is going on. As a team with THB, KWP, Bednarek, Downes etc in the defensive third....we should not be conceding over 60 goals. I know the counter argument some like to play is that these players are shit, they conceded goals whenever they are etc - but this is a level down, they are internationals of varying levels and they are good enough to not be letting in the amount of goals they are. The fundamental issue is our approach in my opinion, no matter how much Martin denies it. 1) - We are wide open, we attack and we push high and leave our CB's playing as midfielders, full backs as attackers etc. When a team press us well and they transition well we are exploited, the gaps are there for all to see. It's been a clear target that oppositions have hit us with - press us, transition with pace and we're done for. It's like groundhog day. 2) - We're too interested with just keeping the ball for keeping the ball sake and passively trying to win the ball back ourselves to transition. This has lead to us standing off so much in the hope we can nick it without fouling, but teams are quick to that and the top sides like Leicester, Ipswich, Hull etc have players who can do a quick 1 - 2 and dance around our passive approach. We fanny around with it in areas of danger and we are pressured to within an inch our life now, it's not about being brave it's being bloody stupid. There's nothing wrong with possession football as an approach, but you cannot build an entire philosophy just on that. The basis of football is keeping the ball, but a philosophy needs to evolve beyond that - and that just hasn't happened here.

Absolutley, that's the main thing - to come up with substantially more of the ball and to lose 5 goals is the clearest illustration of a fundamental flaw in everything about this 'philosophy'. It ain't working. I know he came out yesterday and said it's not about tactics, or the way he setup the team, it's about players willing to run etc etc etc. No, it's about the way they're being told to play and how awfully open and exposed we leave ourselves.

That's the thing though trousers, we have flirted - never anymore than that, we get to within a point or even into 2nd for a game or two and then we're back to 10 points adrift before you can blink. Nothing but on the edges sadly, and that's not been good enough.

Hmm, maybe this was all on Wilcox then. I don't believe you can go into a club as a new regime and demand a specific style of play from the get go, you have to work with what you've got and then evolve. This nonsense about teams becoming a possession based 'over night' is propaganda. That sort of talk rings alarm bells for me.

I don't think it's just me, but I hoped that we wouldn't have conceded over 60 goals with 2 games to go. I hoped and thought we'd be properly involved in the auto race, but if we're honest we've never been anything more than on the periphery of it for the entire season. Sure, the top teams have set the pace...but we just haven't been able to get near them consistently and that will always have me feeling pretty underwhelmed.

My thoughts on Brooks is that our play doesn't suit him. He's a quick tempo, 1 touch type player - looking to get and give, get and move etc. Our style is more of a get, keep, get, keep and I think it makes him look more languid than he actually is. If we played quicker and moved it quicker in tight spaces you'd see the best of him. Rothwell is a winger, or an Armstrong type player - not a CM, everything I've seen of him suggests that. Keep him as far up the field and away from the central area's as possible. He's crap there.

That's the number one thing we look for in any potential new signing, so this is a goer.

It might make him slightly more gettable in the summer I guess, but either way we need 2x CDM's imo. Either him and 1 other, or 2 new.

I think Cooper was still in charge of Forest at that point, so it was always a bit of a long shot. The people in control at that point were desperate for Ralph to go so they could make their own mark (Rasmus), and our start gave him that opportunity. To this day I still believe we'd have stayed up had we kept Ralph in place, I know some don't agree with that - but the decision to get rid of him couldn't have gone any worse. I have seen some fans calling for Cooper if we fail to go up this year, but that couldn't be more unrealistic. Once WHU have stopped flirting with unrealistic options themselves, like they always do, he'll end up there.

Start of this season? Pretty ambitious to think he'd join a Championship club! He'd be a good shout for a newly promoted side next year.

Big game for Leeds on Friday, if they beat QPR then Ipswich will have a ton of pressure on them with 2 games in hand. It's not quite the same chasing when you have games in hand, I found it a massive disadvantage. The two games in hand for Ipswich at that point will be away at Cov and away at Hull. If I were an Ipswich fan I'd be hoping for a QPR shock on Friday, otherwise they likely go into the final game behind or even out of the equation.