saintant

Is Steve McClaren still in the frame? Asking for a friend.

The way this side is playing now you can't rule out an automatic spot.

Thinks our scintillating soccer is making them look poor. This side should start marching up the table because not many will live with their fluency.

Yes, it was a good stop at a crucial time - low to his left as well.

So did Leicester 🙂

Has he got the job yet 🙂

Yeah I did think that at first but he is very precise in his replies and I reckon the pause is there to give him time to consider his response. He tends to give answers where he doesn't always agree with Blackmore and then gives a clear explanation. To me he has an inward confidence that may bely his sometimes startled look and certainly has his own mind and believes in himself.

Last time I looked we were 4 points off the play offs and 9 points above the relegation zone 🙂

Yes 🙂

Maybe it's the manner of the win against Charlton but I'm even starting to warm to his press conferences. I particularly like the way he takes a moment to think and when he replies he rarely just agrees with Adam Blackmore, you can almost see the wheels going round inside his head. He then gives an informed response and explains his thinking. Most coaches seem happy to agree with the presenter whereas Tonda nearly always prefers to put his own spin on his answers.

Their centre backs are very slow and we should be looking to exploit that by playing through them on the ground and making them turn and run back towards their own goal. No high balls required because that will be food and drink to them - keep the ball on the grass.

Why not make them worry about the likes of Leo, Fellows and AA on current form? We need to be on the front foot from the first minute. Let's put them to the sword, beat them and lay down a marker - make the rest of the Championship teams sit up and take notice.

If I was a Leicester fan I think I'd be worried that Scienza and Fellows might tear my side apart 🙂

Agree and also first in a while who literally gets the fans out of their seats whenever he's on the ball. We've not had a player who gives the crowd a buzz like that for quite a while. To me he has a look of Marian Pahars about him. Leo is a genuine match winner and seems to get better every game.

With Leo on the left and Tom Fellows starting to cook on the right we have a pair of devastating wide men who can also cut in and cause havoc in the channels. Happy days.

The guy is a wizard on the ball. He can be unplayable in this league which means he'll get plenty of rough treatment. The way he just drops his shoulder then puts on the afterburners is a joy to watch. I guess if he keeps these performances up he'll soon be on the radar of bigger clubs.

I get what you are saying but, for me, the big change against Charlton was the shape of the side and the type of football this produced. Some of the interplay and running off the ball to find pockets of space on the wings and down the channels was very good to watch. Yes, it was only newly promoted Charlton and they were missing some players (as were we) but the encouraging thing was that we actually looked like a well drilled football side. We need to see more and tomorrow will be a big test to see what Eckert can do against a side like Leicester.

As good as Cam Bragg was yesterday I'm wondering if he is keeping that spot warm for Oriol Romeu. Ok, we none of us know what he has in the tank but there are older players than him still putting in a shift and he certainly seems to have looked after himself physically. With his know how and strength he might well be a good foil for Caspar Jander. It will be interesting to see how Oriol fits in once he is up to speed. He'll probably start with appearances off the bench to assess how he does but I'm hopeful he'll be a very useful acquisition over time.

Maybe but we'll need to get promoted first 🙂

I'm getting the distinct feeling you don't rate Baz.

Coincidence?.....because of?.....or, in spit of? Take your pick.

Somewhere in a parallel universe maybe 🙂

Agree this is probably the acid test for Eckert not least because we have a poor record against Leicester. If he sets us up to do well in this game and we win or maybe even draw and perform well he'll be earning big brownie points. Yesterday brought real hope so let's hope it doesn't turn out to be a false dawn simply due to Charlton playing into our hands. A good display on Tuesday should give us belief in Eckert.

Cam Bragg played very well yesterday but he'll obviously face far tougher tests. If he plays against Leicester and does equally well we may be on to something. Some youngsters are just born to shine as soon as they get first team action and I've seen that from the likes of Steve Moran and Steve Williams. They came into the side and straight away you sensed they were the real deal, they thrived on performing with and against better players and so it proved as they reeled off top quality performances. These players are the exception rather than the norm but maybe Bragg can emulate them. Here's hoping.

Nah, would have been 5-0 🙂