Chez

When Stephens got injured, we brought on Smallbone and dropped Aribo to CB rather than bring on ABK. Seems a good opportunity for the local press to ask why not ABK?

Same for me. 8 minutes of injury time was stressful. They say its the hope that kills you, but I'd love a second win in a row and a little bit of hope.

First time I've looked at the league table all season. Not pretty reading, but better today than yesterday.

Until I read the part about the two the goals I wondered who you were talking about. Is that straight line heading vertically down?

it was, and some statistical "end product" for those that don't think beating several men and getting a dangerous cross counts.

I didn't think the ball stuck that much. The odd time, but not enough. He looked tired from about 55 minutes. The press was non existent from him. However, he's in the box when the balls falls - and in the end that's what won this game. A lot of his goals in Belgium and Turkey were like the one he scored today. I will never be a big fan, but if you want to score, you have to get in the danger area and he does that all the time. Not all our strikers do.

Thought Delap ragdolled Bednarek a couple of times and turned him with ease. He's a good player and powerful lad, but I don't expect my cbs to be outmuscled. We have too many CBs that simply don't have the basic attributes required. Not easy to find players that AND can play too, but that needs solving in the next 18 months.

I thought Wellington looked pretty good. Late on he ran half the length of the pitch to stop a break, made a tackle and I think that was what got him injured. That kind if work ethic combined with decent stuff with the ball could be a good sign. Early days.

Waited all season so gonna enjoy this. 2-3, 1-2, what's the difference.

love your optimism Dave. Keep on keeping on. We certainly look stronger than last week.

Players that give the ball away cheaply are also infuriating and I fully understood why Martin dropped him from his starting eleven. Shipping him out so soon after Martin arrived did feel hasty, especially given his age, but Martin saw him every day in training and perhaps he just didn't think his ball retention was up to it. Who knows? Seeing as he wasn't going to get a game, it made sense to cash in and recruit some other young talent. Sadly neither RM, or the recruited talent worked out...

I didn't create the x or y narrative. You did. We sold him because he did not fit RMs possession-based style. Quite simply, he gave the ball away too often for Martin's liking. That's not to say the funds didn't help to buy other players who have not worked out.

if they play their first team, then they will have an advantage of being a team winning every week and brimming with confidence, while obviously we are low in confidence and not winning. Next season, our squad might contain a lot of the same players, but hopefully will be in a very different state of mind.

still annoys me that he missed out on the WC and we missed out seeing him another season (or two) more of him in his prime.

Excellent. Love JayRod and always will. Bloody brilliant for us. Look forward to seeing him scoring some massive goals on the Disney series in the near future.

What about selling Alcaraz to afford to buy Fernandes? I know which I'd prefer.

Both are under contract next season, so will be here unless someone meets our valuation. That is the largely the case with th erest of thre squad. All under contract, so will be here. Many however will be out of contract the following summer. Which is perfect when you need to perform a overhaul/upgrade on promotion (hopefully).

Very good. On the one hand we have fans on here saying we bought players last summer to help us get promoted next season - which sure is is `long term' transfer planning, while on other, the suggestion is that they don't even talk about transfers until half way through the window. Of course, both could be true, but something tells me neither are terribly accurate.

The fact we are trying to put an obligation to buy (assuming that is accurate) suggests Juric/the club doesn't fancy him. I guess Archer may have indicated he wants to leave, so inserting the obligation works for him and SFC? If the `obligation' element of the news stories is true, then one way of the other his time at Saints seems almost up. Good question. Everyone keeps saying `Armstrong will score a bucket full of goals back in the Championship and without Martin holding him back', but I'm not sure. Having several strikers would be a good plan. Maybe Juric thinks they are too similar and doesnt want both. If that is the case then you allow one to leave - and that obviously requires a suitor. Maybe Armstrign doesn't have one.

If we are struggling to balance the books and meet the finacial fair play rules for this single season we will sell before end of June. If not, it will be after to get it into the 25/26 season. Both single season fogures and rolling three year fogures need to be taken into account. Potential profit and subsequent tax due is another consideration, although even with a Dibling sale you'd imagine after spending £100m in the summer we wont make a profit. Having actual cash in the bank from any sales as early as possible in the summer would allow us to get on with our incoming transfer business, but as always, we are probably going to have to see some players going out the door to open up squad places - and (KWP apart) that probably wont happen until the latter part of the summer.

As was the case with BBD and Sheffield United, Archer should learn a lot from Leeds' reluctance to include a `must buy if you get promoted' clause in the loan deal. It would seem they fancy him as a player to help them get promoted, but not a player to help them once in the Prem. If they go up they will clearly be able to afford him, so not agreeing to buy on promotion suggests they think they can do better with a PL place secured. Or am I missing something? If that is the case, there seems little point in him stepping down a division now (unless of course Juric/SFC has indicated he doesn't want him). He may as well stay here, fight for his place and get some more PL games under his belt.

I was never convinced by Martin, but considering the absolutely shit show he inherited, I respect the job he did in uniting the squad, setting a pattern of play and getting us winning games. Whatever his limitations, I think he should be credited for that - so I'm never going to call him a "terrible manager". Let's see how the next manager, Juric or whoever, handles the job of turning a sinking ship (full of disgruntled sailors) around in the matter of a couple of months. I can see Archer scoring goals in the championship. He's quick and seems to know where the net is. Not sure anyone in the Prem is going to buy him in the summer, so unless he joins Leeds now (which looks unlikely), we will probably get to see that.

It seems to be a `done deal' on here that Armstrong will fire in the goals next season. I hope you are right, but right now, Armstrong's confidence is completely shot. He dithers and hesitates, all fluency is lost, nothing looks natural and he doesn't strike anything cleanly. Obviously, that was the same the last time we went down. Thankfully, he refound his confidence and form, and by the end of last season was at his most instinctive and decisive best. I don't think its a certainty he refinds that confidence and form though. I have concerns.

Very positive about Wellington. Looking forward to seeing him play. I'm not expecting the next Roberto Carlos, but an attacking fullback with pace and ball skills would be nice.

Next season, "more than alright" is getting promoted, right? That would be my hope/expectation, but my concern is that it's a worse side than the one that came 4th last time we were in the championship - and for that side to be even close to the 23/24 season one, it relies on them once again working out a way of winning most games and Armstrong once again getting his confidence back and scoring 20+ goals again (which I think is far from certain).