qwertyell

Yikes. Boro were shite as well - missed several absolute sitters to kill the game. Yikes.

Even game against the bottom club. Boro growing into it as the half wore on. Not sure it's very reassuring that we're holding our own against the worst team in the league, but here are. I think we'll nick it anyway in the second half. Not much quality on show, but what little there is is wearing white.

He said they went more pragmatic against Ipswich.

Nothing much of note: "bravery", "courage", "scar tissue" and all the greatest hits. Repeating that his teams have gone through the same rubbish spells at his previous clubs but have come through them to be "brilliant". Seems convinced he's been signed as a long term appointment, so it's all gravy. Downes is fit to play. Bednarek fit to start. Stewart not happening any time this side of the international break. Stephens a way off.

According to the Echo his name wasn't on the initial list due to lateness of the deal, but his name has since been submitted.

And another 109 goals to concede at the current rate.

To be fair, the EFL trophy is basically u21 football - and we already know Ballard is good at that level. He was sent to Reading to get experience in men's football. I didn't notice anyone starting a thread about him after the weekend in the senior side where he didn't get a kick for 50 minutes before being subbed. Let him develop away from this shit show. Frankly, everyone's already gotten worse since the beginning of the season - he's better off out of it.

I suppose the most concerning thing is, Ipswich are just standard championship slop. They haven't done anything remotely special beyond the basics. I think we can still turn this around and get a result - they're not out of sight and we're not entirely without threat. But we are not a team that's going to be anywhere near a promotion contender.

Didn't the manager already tell everyone that Bazunu will be in the team of the season? Is he suggesting that he'll need to intervene if anyone else repeats his claims? Weird.

He's not getting sacked any time soon. The club have gone all in on their Swansea fetish - added a couple more of their youth coaches today, having already signed their manager, all their senior coaching staff, their academy director, and a few ex players (and failed to sign Nathan Wood). There's clearly a plan in place. Replicating the non-success of Swansea is not a very good plan, perhaps, but one that is unlikely to be abandoned after just a couple of months. Better get used to celebrating those sweet possession stats. And not much else.

Ruben Selles has won more matches this season than Russell Martin, with a club in financial meltdown (docked another three points this week) who have had to build a squad out of kids and bits found in a skip. Funny old game, Saint.

Too enamoured with his own genius to respect the basics of the game. Downes, Smallbone, and a diminutive, out of position striker wouldn't even be a midfield of substance in a testimonial. Not a tackle between them. In a competitive, physical league, it's taking the piss - and getting rightfully mauled.

Is that three games out of three where Downes' limp clearance has been our last touch before a goal conceded? Definitely against QPR. I've blocked the Sunderland goals from my memory.

Is that the mythological Jake Vokins he sends to the shops? I'd heard tell of such a creature, but no-one has seen him play a game of football in about three years. And yet he's still here.

Well, I went early doors and declared he'd turn out to be a Poundland Brendan Rodgers, during the Norwich game, and I'm sticking with that (for now). It's surely not a coincidence that none of his teams can defend at all. Which makes the unwavering adherence to his "philosophy" an exercise in futility, as it clearly doesn't work in at least one fundamentally crucial way. I don't see how he can be so self-satisfied with his approach that has thus far yielded fuck all across three clubs. It's all smoke and mirrors. Propaganda football, as Wee Gordon might say, between mouthfuls of almost expired yoghurt.

Who even knew Shaka Hislop had so many memorable quotes?

A centre back who can't defend, a left back who can't defend, a defensive midfielder who can't tackle, and a striker who currently can't even walk is perhaps not the most encouraging crack unit ever assembled. But I'm sure they'll have better days. Sure-ish. Objectively, Harwood-Bellis, Downes and Fraser are decent players. Charles is very promising. Holgate and Manning haven't made great starts - and maybe they'll turn out to be flops in the long term. No club in the history of football has a 100% hit rate with transfers. I doubt we're about to buck the trend. It's impossible to make any kind of assessment on Stewart until we see what physical condition he returns in (whenever that might be) after a career altering injury. It is what it is. We're a championship club now and have built a team that looks very much like a championship team. What else was expected? Whether we challenge for promotion will boil down to what this manager (or the next, or the next) can get out of the group. There's certainly enough there to stave off weekly 5-0 drubbings, you would hope.

Well, football dream weaver and philosophy nonce Martin was right the other week when he said we wouldn't have conceded 4 against Norwich with Flynn Downes in the team. It would've been 5. Not sure "pick Flynn Downes" should be a manager's sole defensive tactic. But then I'm not sure he's got many more ideas up his sleeve. Inept. And entirely on brand.

Shambles from start to finish. That's on the manager. We already know he can't set up a defence, but the midfield and attack make no sense today either. Why has Mara been picked to fail out of position on the wing when he made a difference last week as centre forward? Why is Adam Armstrong up top when he's been excelling in a deeper position? Why has Shea Charles been dropped so we can play Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong in a midfield with no physicality? Just your daily reminder that the managerial fraud Ruben Selles has won as many games this season as football visionary Russell Martin, with a team made up of kids and bits found in a skip. I'm amazed how many people are unable to spell Bazunu given how often his name crops up around here. It's past the point of even mentioning his contribution - what else is there to add at this point? Rubbish all round.

That's Russell Martin. His teams being defensively appalling is one of his quirks that we're all supposed to be impressed with, because he's got a philosophy. Our possession stats will still be super.

Selles is playing 4-4-2, so Ballard could form a decent old school little and large partnership with Kelvin Unspellablename (whose younger brother is in our 21s) who has been going well for Reading. Should be a good set up for him to get some men's football under his belt. I don't really think he can thrive as a lone striker - too small and lightweight as things stand. That's rarely been an effective combination for any striker since football widely abandoned two up in the early 2000s in favour of more physical lone strikers who can do a little bit of everything: hold up play, head, run in behind, get into wrestling matches. Whether Ballard can buck the trend, time will tell - his career is just starting out. But he'd get swallowed up whole leading the line for us currently. Adam Armstrong barely gets a kick unless deployed in a deeper role. And he's an experienced campaigner at this level.

Name popped up at the very beginning of the window, and was never mentioned again.

Forget that - he snapped his Achilles. No player ever comes back from that the same physical specimen.

He was released in July. Currently without a club.

Supposedly has a release clause of £20-25m, so it's probably irrelevant if his value skyrockets.