Fabrice29

That's exactly what "adaptable" and "not wedded to one system" looks like though? Those were the buzz words people craved so much but the result of those cravings was always going to be "yet to see a Will Still team" the moment we stopped winning. Trick is, and always has been, stop believing that changing formations and managers are the number 1 and 2 reasons for football results.

Rumour on twitter is Fernandes was at West Ham without the clubs permission yesterday. Anyway, another interesting post from the first page.

If your left side is particularly adept at winging in crosses signing a player who is good in the air and at finishing to get on the end of them from the right feels…sensible?

First couples of pages of this thread is quite funny how similar to most transfer threads start. ‘Another promising signing rather than any idea if he’s any good on the actual grass’ - Somebody has found a message board or twitter for some fan responses - talk of can he play in goal - is it done yet? questions. All the usual stuff and an argument about Cedric.

Sounds like Edwards is off to QPR. Also noted someone on Twitter saying this earlier too was also saying if Hackney agrees something with a PL team Boro could pull out of the Azaz deal.

I do love a signing being written off largely based of opposition fans reviews. Even more so when it's a 3rd choice keeper on loan. Think more recruitment teams should conduct their business based on messageboards and texts from mates tbh.

"Dylan often plays with the 21s and we do need three keepers on training at times, so just for numbers I think we'll look to bring someone in," said Still. "I think it would be tricky or we'd be putting pressure on people that we don't need to put pressure on yet if we didn't, just in terms of numbers. "But we need to get the profile and the person right, and that person needs to come in and actually help the other two keepers and not create chaos. "So we're just assessing the situation and trying to get the right person in." If you want an actual answer it's quite easy to find fwiw.

Play 5 at the back and Armstrong up front on his own. Not a bad idea.

We are playing a completely different way to the Championship last time. Not sure it's fair to say we are so far away in terms of quality for that season. Think most would take Fernandes and Charles over Aribo and Smallbone for example and you need to give Downs a season or two before comparing his figures to Adams. But because we're playing a completely different style then different qualities are needed. Armstrong is nullified playing this way, Adams gone and our third top scorer (Smallbone) is injured/not rated. We need to recruit for this manager. We are absolutely desperate for players who have a drive to get into the box and be a presence. Crossing the ball to a tiny striker with tiny attacking wide players joining them is not viable. Buy a 10 and buy wide players who are a presence in the box.

In fairness, he did that in the play off final and people thought we should have played that way more.

He's not useless but he's not playing in a team set up to suit him anymore. Not entirely sure why we are so insistent on winging crosses into the smallest striker in the league who is flanked by a kid and the smallest winger in the league and backed up by a attacking midfielder who also is pretty small.

Daft old thread this. Can we stop putting the results of every single match on the manager please ffs

It's not about formations for me. It's about player characteristics. Neither Fernandes, Downes or Charles have shown in their career they are midfielders who are suited to being in the box so asking Fernandes specifically to play off the striker doesn't suit his best attributes. If you want all 3 to play then yes you'll have to change the formation and bring a defender out but just doing that when there's no conceivable player in the squad that is going to score goals from midfield seems silly.

The only midfielders in our squad with goals to their name are presumably very high on supporters wish lists to leave (Aribo and Smallbone). So just sticking another man in the middle when they aren't very productive isn't the answer. Get a midfielder who actually gets into the box and is comfortable doing it would be a really good start and moving Fernandes back to a controlling midfield role would also really help.

The idea that suddenly become more creative and efficient just through a change of formation is silly fwiw. Started with 1 player with more than 7 goals in a league season to their name I think so okay, you stick another striker on and make that 2, that's still not enough.

That's on the players who didn't pass to him then. Not Downs.

Interesting that Still was quite content to discuss signing Kabore even though this signing was already wrapped up. Maybe Bree off too.

Well thats out of the blue.

Signing Romeu when we have 3 of the best CM's in the league in our squad and are currently playing the best one of them out of position because of a crying need for creative midfielders seems like a really dumb idea.

There wasn’t many more productive teenagers in the PL last season. That’ll be why might think he’s worth the risk. And the more important question is why we would sell someone who could be very useful in a promotion campaign for less than 40m.

Yeah man. On a completely separate note and totally not related to weird behaviour has anyone laughed at one of your ‘he’ll cook’ jokes yet? 😘

No idea. Just like I’ve no idea if he knows about the times you said we wouldn’t be promoted under him. Fingers crossed he doesn’t for both eh?

Our superior squad is again, rewriting history considering it's made up of a team that finished behind Leicester and Leeds the year before, RM's mates and a bunch of players that fans would like to see the back off this season in an ideal world. Changed my mind. I really dont think you're the person on this forum to call out drivel btw "The great Chris wilder achieved more either side of that season"

Pretty sure I said 87 goals not points. Edit: Also your point about Chris Wilder I'm pretty sure isn't true. He failed to get Sheffield United promoted last year so thats not achieving more and nor was in he charge of the Sheffield United side that got promoted before we did. Think he was struggling with Boro that year from memory. I'm disputing that our football was tedious and going nowhere. It wasn't. Yes, we conceded far too many but I quite enjoyed watching us attack and score goals and I think people are trying to convince themselves it was boring.