Sheaf Saint

Got to be a loan, surely. There must be a half decent striker warming someone's bench somewhere that is desperate for some game time ahead of the world cup, that would drastically improve our frontline.

Just feeling quite upLifted.

Did they live on Ocean Drive?

A young striker from the German second division for £6-8m. What could possibly go wrong?

OK these are all good points you make. But here's an example of how he indirectly "makes the defence nervous"... Shortly before one of Millwall's goals yesterday (first or second, I forget which), there was a ball into the box that was very easily going through to Bazunu to catch. Or at least it should have been. But he just stood quietly and timidly on his line, and in the absence of getting a shout from Baz, THB attempted to head it clear instead. The clearance wasn't great, and the ball got recycled and shortly afterwards it was in the back of our net. A confident, commanding keeper in that situation would have shouted at THB to leave it, and caught the ball. The Millwall players would have re-grouped further back up-field with the keeper in possession, and subsequently they don't score. That's the negative, unnerving effect he has on the rest of the defence. He's too quiet and doesn't command his box at all, which constantly puts the rest of them under unnecessary pressure.

Evidently. I was going to add "which is backed up by the stats over multiple seasons" to my last sentence. But I know trying to make that point with you would be as futile as trying to teach a goldfish to ride a bike, so I didn't bother.

The only opposition keeper we have faced this season who I would say is actually worse than Baz is Ethan Horvath at Sheff Wednesday - an emergency loan from Cardiff after their only other senior GK got injured. But even then, I've also seen him make occasional saves of the kind that Baz has never been capable of. He is not average for this level.

On paper, it should have been a good one to make. When he's playing to the best of his ability, Aribo is good in possession and less likely to give the ball away than JRob was. He's obviously been training OK, otherwise he wouldn't even be on the bench, but for whatever reason he decided to just phone it in today (and in other recent cameos) and that gave Millwall all the momentum. As far as poor substitutions go, it's not quite up there with Still taking off Scienza and replacing him with Jack Stephens at Ewood Park.

Yep, agreed. Was a really good hit and would have required an exceptional save to keep it out, rather than just a routine one. He made one really good save in the first half today, but then made a total hash of coming out to collect a spooned header and was lucky the ref disallowed the goal because it didn't look like a foul to me. Just another example of Baz not being strong or decisive enough. The only one of their three goals I really think he could/should have done better with was the third, but even then Manning should have dealt with it first.

He couldn't have looked any less interested today. Absolutely disgraceful performance.

Ok so on reflection, it wasn't quite as bad as our worst performances under Still. If we'd played like we did against Blackburn or Preston today then Millwall would have absolutely torn us a new one. No way we would have still been in the game going into injury time. Just too many players not on top of their game today. THB is so inconsistent it's infuriating. Stephens is his usual ball-watching self and Manning is such a liability, it's no wonder they targeted us down that side all afternoon. As for Aribo, what an utter waste of a shirt. Clearly far too scared of getting injured and scuppering any January transfer to bother putting in any effort at all. We completely surrendered the midfield when he came on. Shame because a motivated Aribo would have been good to have in midfield and hold the ball up and take pressure off the defence. Get rid ASAP.

I'm not convinced he would have had the mental strength to deal with the abuse he would have got from the home fans TBH. Not sure he would have made a difference.

Don't forget Manning. The three of them together are like the unholy trinity. Also a special shout for Aribo today for one of the most obvious phoned-in performances of all time.

That is just a fucking ridiculous goal to concede.

Outstanding finish, but where was the pressure on the ball? Aribo made a half hearted attempt to jog out to him but that was it. He's been very poor in all of his cameos recently.