Fabrice Fernandes no.1 fan

The Swindon Reading rivalry that is competing to be the bleakest place to be asked to go and work

I think it is learning what is working and what isn't which Martin just doesn't seem to be doing. Some of the football we played on Saturday was lovely, quick passes to work our way out of trouble and up the pitch, and a few times we worked our way into really dangerous positions. But from there we cut the ball back and realise we have no players anywhere near the box because they were all still struggling up the pitch from having made 60 passes in our own half to get there. We can clearly dominate possession in this league, but we aren't doing it successfully enough to create chances, or we end up with so many players out of position from trying to find space that we end up looking dodgy at the back. We're just repeating what Swansea did last year, and that will get us somewhere between 3rd and 12th in the league, but we could be doing so much more with the players we have.

I've seen you mention this game so often in the past few days, and I don't think the comparison is there. One is a game where we got 1 point against a team we should probably have got a draw against based on the balance of play and were relegated anyway. The other was a brilliant away win, against a quality team who should have battered us based on the amount of respective chances we had, that helped us be promoted. I'd have Kelvin from any season with us (except the first back in the PL) over Baz any day.

I don't get why more managers don't work as coaching consultants, and clubs use out of work managers to help them. If I wanted to get a team doing a high press for a season, and we'd started but needed some work I'd be sure to reach out to Ralph, get him to sign an NDA, offer him some cash and see what wisdom he has.

Bit of a cliche admittedly but isn't it nice to see players who stand up for each other like that and bite back a bit. Lots of teams we've put out in the last few years would have lost that game by losing their heads much earlier in the game

Also now a bid to rename it after Lawrie Mac

Agreed, something we've fallen foul of over the years is a lack of plan B, because we don't have players who offer anything different. A big lump of a striker to chuck on for the last 20 minutes if you're chasing a game and the opposition are just sitting in is always going to be more useful than someone who plays on the shoulder of the last defender, if the defenders are on their own penalty spot to start with.

We should look at any English batters in Div 2 who might want the step up to start getting their name in the ring for England contention. Someone like Rishi Patel at Leicestershire would certainly help

Everton making sure they seem like a terrible club by going one step further, and having the same shirt as us, but still having their sponsor slapped onto it...

I think we need a formal fan group, made up of long-serving fans local to the club, those the team is supposedly representing to hold the board, coaching staff and players to account. If you look at continental Europe the teams all have them and it makes such a difference having the fans consulted more often and with a clear correspondence channel to the club (not the shitty fans forum).

Very sad to have not seen this in time to get the signed shirt, whoever got that got a bargain!!

Hair Jealousy, otherwise he'd be in the squad every week

We need to concede less and score more, which is fairly obvious really. In terms of conceding less, the answer to me is simple, play with players in natural positions where they know their shape, and stop playing so much around the back, play out from the back by all means, but not between players. I'd play Bazunu (although his shot-stopping really does need improving still) in goal. At the moment the centre back pairing seems to be THB and Bednarek, and that I'd work with, but just try and give them some confidence in each other. Bednarek is an international with years of experience, he needs to be commanding the defence, telling everyone around him where they need to be. Get him some proper defensive coaching (fuck knows how Martin was a centre back for so long based on how he wants ours to play) and tell THB to do what he did last year. KWP at right back, playing actual right back. He plays wide and overlaps when possible, and then uses his pace to cover the ground back. He doesn't invert (he's tiny, he cannot play midfield in the championship) and he tracks runners like he used to. THB covers the back post for deep crosses so that KWP isn't exposed. Manning plays at left back, he doesn't invert either. He plays wide, overlaps but less expansively than KWP. Charles sits in front in a traditional holding midfield role, taking the ball from the defense and linking plays. He learnt at Man City so I want him forming little passing triangles with the centre back and full back, and then up the pitch. We play short from the back and spread the ball wide, then inside to midfield. We don't play across the box, we don't try and carry the ball out of defence, and we don't push the centre backs into midfield. Then, in front of that, Downes partners Charles (think Cork and Schneiderlin vibes). He plays box-to-box, and should in theory be the metronome of the team (as we all wanted JWP to be) taking us up the pitch when needed. We probably suit a 10 in front of that, ideally Charly once he's in the right place mentally, if not maybe Stuart. We want someone who is comfortable taking the ball on the turn and driving at a defence but with purpose (not Arma's shit touches and mindless runs to nowhere). Ideally they're playing the left channel, between a wide left winger, a right winger who comes inside, and a striker (see below). Ahead of that we need to be more direct and creative. Sadly most of our wide players seem to operate best on the left, but we can work with that. We play a wide left winger, who (because Manning isn't as expansive in my system) has the freedom of the left wing. Depending on form, I'd play one of Edozie, Sulemana or Fraser. Edozie and Sulemana are told to try and pin the right back of the opposition deep, go past them and be a nuisance. If it's Fraser I want him on the touchline, ready to get the ball, beat a man, and put it somewhere dangerous. The right winger is playing inside, allowing KWP to have the right wing when we attack which is where he's excellent. Not sure we have a player who fits this role particularly, until SAA has developed some more. His dribbling ability and left foot seem perfect for this role. Perhaps Fraser could do it too for a bit. Up top, we play Adams until Stewart is fit. The striker's role is to be a presence, hold the ball up for the players around him (Alcaraz, Downes, SAA) and then get into the box and be ready to finish off moves. You don't need to drop deep, or press excessively to wear yourself out, just be ready to score goals. Against 90% of championship teams this should be enough to control a game, keep a strong defensive shape and attack with better direction and some intent.

Burnley had 12 points after 7 games last season and we have 10, so in theory no, but they only lost 2 more games after that run, and only 1 in the first 7 (3 draws was their initial hurdle). Sheffield united had 14 points, and finished the season on 91 points, so only 1 off maintaining an average of 2 points a game all season. ( The season before that, Bournemouth were unbeaten in their first 15 games, and had 15 points from 7 games, but Fulham were more up and down, and lost 10 games across the season (they didn't draw many games). The season before that was Norwich and Watford, Norwich had 13 points from their first 7, and Watford had 14. Basically, we need to win a tonne more games than we're on track to, to even think about automatic promotion, and we'd need a lot of teams above us to lose form too. That being said, 3 points separates 4th to us in 13th, so play-offs aren't out of reach if we turn things around.

Billy Sharp has 6 goals in 245 minutes in the MLS, Messi has 1 in 247 minutes, maybe we should have kept him...

We seem to have got the recruitment right ever since we formed a team, we've constantly had a group of young players who are developing well under MSC's excellent coaching, and a few older players to keep thing steady. A few of this year's squad have WSL experience or international experience, so we are really kicking on. Pike is such a talent, a brilliant signing, and keeping hold of Kendall, Morris and Collett will keep this team going, they all could easily be WSL players, maybe not for the big teams.

When should we expect Antony to also sign for Getafe then

For their respective ages, Prest and Middleton have played quite a lot of cricket this year, I would think they're probably knackered by now, and the season still has another two rounds and the one-day final! I'd like to see Prest kick on, but he seems to have done so already in white ball so I'd expect his test batting to improve in the next year or so, and Middleton will need more time, he's still very junior really. Eddie Jack and Dom Kelly both featuring regularly for the England u-19s is good to see too.

I wonder what course, one in the forest direction clearly he's trying it out before move to Bournemouth. If it was anything north of Winchester then it'll be Palace, and anything east he's off to Brighton. Only way to know for sure he's staying is he was halfway round the muni course.

Not our fault England u19s nicked two of our players who helped us get out the end of the group stage...

As is Dom Kelly I think. Semi is today, Warwickshire already 4 down, Barker bowling as you'd expect!

I wonder what the rules (and morality) are of bringing in the players who have been eliminated from the hundred to play the rest of the competition (particularly the final if we get there). Howell, Dawson, Crane, Wood, Turner and Ellis have all been eliminated so should we be getting them ready for Sunday...

Seeing Bednarek, Stephens and Vestegaard's name together has triggered some sort of PTSD in me. Thank goodness Hoedt and Yoshida aren't playing for Swansea and Leeds respectively.

We're still not proportionate to the population even then, there is no way if you took a sample of women from the country they'd be as objectively attractive, young, and healthy as the lionesses. If we truly want to be representative of the nation we need some players who travel to games using their bus pass and have no teeth of their own.

A lot of the Spanish players play club football for Barcelona who play a very enjoyable style of football, much more than the men’s team at the moment. poor finish, needed to just hit anywhere in one half of the goal