Bobsmith

I'm willing to give the new joiners time, but then we need to be smarter about how we deploy them. If we start our best team and then chuck on five subs, the drop off in quality can be pretty massive. Surely there's a better balance to be found by mixing and matching, so we always have a blend of our best players and the new lads on the pitch. It also makes me wonder whether certain players just work better with others. Would Mbama look better playing alongside Scienza or Larin and Dobbin, for example? Maybe it's less about whether individual players are good enough and more about finding the combinations that actually get the best out of them. I think we've got a strong midfield when Jander is back, and the defence is TBD pending Abbott but is probably fine, along with GK. RW is basically the same as last season, while LW is similar with Scienza and Edozie. So really, it's striker where we're weaker for depth, and unfortunately that's probably the one position where you can least afford to be short. It's up to the manager now to work out how we get a tune out of Mbama. If he can't, then try someone else and find another way to keep the goals coming from the rest of the team.

Edozie gets a lot of hate but he tried to create more than I saw Matski doing most of the game. Dobbin did nothing apart from his shot, and Mbama didn't have one good touch except for when he won a throw by the corner flag. Eckhert to blame for this, with his subs and tinkering with defense to appease the squad.

I meant on the bench 😅 but would still prefer him as an option off the left than Dobbin

I'm guessing Edozie will be back this week or next. He's our only natural replacement on the wing and better in that position than Dobbin

I'd have preferred a loan in the Larin mould, someone with pedigree who wasn't getting minutes, or a younger lad out of Germany like Jander. Either way I'm not convinced loaning Archer was right, not without a replacement lined up.

Loaning Archer out weakens us unless someone else comes in. Add the Edozie situation on top and we're light on the wing too. Like everyone's been saying, we're one Larin injury away from struggling for goals.

Dobbin looks rubbish to me. Either a poor touch, poor pass or he goes backwards. Most of the team looked out of sorts but playing Dobbin instead of Azaz and moving Scienza central seems a mistake

I'm not a fan of what Ross has done, but we had a contract extension clause and chose not to exercise it until after we knew we were in the championship. Pretty shoddy behaviour from the club and he's repaid it in kind.

Parsons, the entire legal team working this case, the entire media/PR team working this case, all need to be sacked immediately for negligence. I would keep Tonda as I think he's proven to be an exceptional manager. Like the Bielsa situation, having a top manager would make us much more likely to get promoted this season, and with our top players leaving, it will give him space to rebuild relationships with the rest of the squad.

We won’t get a better manager for next season so I say keep

Not at all. We needed to wrap this up with legal obfuscation for months and months until we were already in the prem. The amateurs admitted to it and expected a softer penalty. Sack the lot of them

I think we should be keeping Tonda as he's demonstrated his ability at this level. Most of the disgruntled players will be gone so we can try again next season.

No surprise that we basically asked for this sentence by admitting guilt and complying thoughout. Parsons and the entire legal team have to go. Likely advising him to admit the crime and go for a lesser sentence is one for the worst defences ever

The match going ahead highlights the EFL corruption. If they want to kick us out, fine, but to maintain their payday they reinstate Boro

I think we need to go scorched earth here. Being nice boys has got us nowhere and the board need to show some backbone and competence to earn back any goodwill

Then why were they so moronic as to allow this to happen. They should have fought this legally to prevent the case being heard until after the final. Again our leadership and legal team must be so naive. How are we so incompetent.

Let’s hope we do as all I’ve seen from this board so far is us rolling over

100% so many wet fannies saying this was deserved. It absolutely wasn’t. The corrupt EFL have been disproportionately influenced by Gibson and his media stooges, and our legal team were no where near the standard required.

I want to see some balls and competence from a club that has demonstrated a complete lack of it over the last month. Put out a message that inspires confidence, hire a top lawyer and go after the EFL, show that we don’t roll over and except unreasonable punishments and tie them up in litigation

The days when we had a competent and ruthless chairman. Personally think our priority should be getting the final delayed so we can litigate this properly

This club are fucked if we don’t win the appeal or we don’t get bought by the Saudis. The club need to throw the kitchen sink at that and the courts otherwise they are done

Its clear the commission wasn’t independent and has been used by middlesborough to overcome their inability to win on merit

We need to go scorched earth with the EFL over this. We’re like the nice kid that never complains and is constantly taken advantage of and middlesborough are the local bully boys. If Dragan doesn’t do something then they can all leave and take the legal and media departments with them

100% we need to go to war with the EFL over this and make them regret punishing little old saints to appease their mates up north. Reeks of corruption

Then he needs to pull his finger out and do something as this has been an absolute shit show so far