Chez

Not sure if Mara is the answer, but he looked a real handful tonight. If that's the norm, we have a proper player. Hopefully it wasn't a one off.

He is incredibly slow. If you've not noticed that yet, you don't have a clue. Too small for Jones, who needs some height at the back to make up for lack of it elsewhere. why do you think we are playing 3 CBs? He couldn't lace kwp's boots. Have another go.

Composed. Like what I see.

He was shite tonight imo (I'm sorry he got injured but it was a blessing in disguise) and has been poir for us full stop. There's been no improvement at all that I can see. Ralph's decision to give him a new contract based on a couple of half decent performances at left back must go down as one of the worst decisions ever.

Perraud is too slow, too short and too limited.

Got to say I was impressed by Mara. Absolutely no idea why he was taken off. Che was a massive step down. Diallo had a very good game, finally showing some defensive capability and some pace too. Alcarez can play. Give whoever scouted him the keys to war chest. Djenepo is clueless. Orsic looked out of his depth. Armstrong actually looks on his game. He starts with Mara and Edozie for me.

Worse than Ely. Total non entity. He ain't saving us that's for sure.

For real. If he is going to play left wing then a dribble and cross every now and then might be required.

Hanging on fit grim life. They are on a different level to be honest and pass through us at ease. When we tire they are going to kill us. Impressed by Mara. Good touch, held the ball up well, good skills and movement. Decent workrate too. Looks a talent to me and lead the line well. Not enough options for Lyanco when he has the ball. A lot of possession conceded. Orsic has done be nothing so far.

Likewise. Nasty injury though.

Ralph gave Payne a debut in the Cambridge game and brought Edwards and Ballard on, but in the Sheff Wednesday and Lincoln games the youngsters (Morgan, Ballard etc.) didn't get a minute. Yes they are very young, and we are not exactly short of young players in the side, but this crop of u18s are possibly a little bit special and see themselves as equal to some of the senior pros and thus perhaps expected to get some playing time in the cup games. I am pretty sure they were glad to se the back of Ralph, but getting opportunities in a relegation dog fight is going to be tough. Next year there will be other pressures on the manager. You have to wonder if the likes of Ballard or Morgan will get any first team opportunities next season either?

God help us defending set pieces with that side. It's not wonder Jones plays Lyanco and mentioned the need for a little more size in the squad in his recent press conference.

He made Justin james first choice at 18. The idea that he didn't trust young players at Luton is bollocks.

We certainly won't. The fee will cover the cost of the academy for a year or two.

Yep. Their offer will be too good to turn down.

There is a pattern developing already, with Dibling the first and now Jimmy Jay.

It's hard to determine that just from stories in the press. Often deal are completed well before we announce. We often will have enquired and dropped the enquiry long before the press stop talking about it. There is also occasions when there will be a chain that we need to wait for. Also, we may not be starting work on a new deal. A deal could be well in progress. Who knows?

I know that some of the extremely talented players coming through were unimpressed with the first team opportunities provided to them by Ralph and NJ coming in has not improved matters to date. This is exactly the sort of game to give a young player a start.

he's added an extra `tall' player by playing Lyanco at RB, but it still hasn't stopped set piece goals going in. JKWP, WP, Diallo, Lavia, Perraud, Ely, Edozie...these guys just don't strike me as being all that good in the air, so you can kind of see why.

Larios may as well get the holiday brochures out.

I agree, although agents seem to reveal everything to the press these days, so its not easy to keep things quiet. The latest Brighton transfer target, Mykola Matviyenko, has been widely reported in the press and that deal has rumbled on for a while now - I think the link to him first came up about two weeks ago.

Doesn't the fact we signed Che, Armstrong and then Mara in the first place, prove that it can be rather tricky to sign a decent CF?

Not sure they have. There are a couple of transfer rumour type websites that say Udinese `value him at €25-30m', and another that says they are `warming to the idea of a €25m sale' (what a load of bollocks), but they aren't exactly trustworthy sources. There hasn't been any kind of statement from anyone at the club. There is a story from last January where the Udinese chairman said "the Pozzo family never let their major players out during the half-season market window. Therefore, there's no way Beto is going to be up for sale in January".

A guy scoring goals for a mid table Italian top flight side ain't joining a Prem team facing relegation in January, especially one of our limited size and prestige. Not a chance. Yes money talks, but there will be other suitors come the summer that will pay him handsomely.

I've been flogging his virtues on here for ages, but not a chance would I pay €25m on him (not that I think that is accurate). A loan with a view to a move is what we should be pushing for, especially as there are rumours of him having fallen out with the manager, but Villarreal seem to feel they hold the cards, so ain't gonna accept that. There is powerful, bullying type runner with the ball there, like a young Lukaku type, that might help get us up the pitch, give us a real threat on the break and perhaps move opposing high defensive lines back a bit. He may be able to lead a line, although not 100% sure about that. He's scored some pretty impressive goals at youth level and the odd one or two for their reserves, but you'd have to be pretty brave to say he will come in and score five or 6 goals to keep us up. That said, other than Ings, I am not sure who that guy would be though as we create so few chances and thus the guy would need to clinical AND on fire, as Ings was 3 seasons ago. One question I have i, are we going to play one up front (with wingers) or two?