derry

A bit of perspective called for here, and lost their last home game 4-2 having drawn 5 on the trot at home. Next two games Birmingham and Brighton at home won't be walkovers. Brighton won't be easy for Reading on monday. Long way to go still.

Maguire was troubleing Richardson, Guly the nearest player who should have rushed in and covered his inside, turned and strolled towards the corner of the box whilst Maguire made bit of room and hit a screamer beating Davis at the near post. He could have blocked Maguire off but just couldn't be bothered. He has been pretty poor since the new year and on todays display doesn't rate a place. Lallana went down three or four times looking for free kicks and didn't get them and although I was too far away to see the detail he went down again in the box when he probably should have stayed on his feet. Today he was missing and allowed the right back to attack our right side causing us problems. Bringing Harding on did nothing but disrupt the shape. Harding for Lallana maybe but Sharp was an outlet, after that we never cleared the ball out of our half. Davis was hopeless today, the management wanted him to hit Lambert who was winning everything up front but he kept putting his defenders under pressure then had then to clear himself under pressure when the ball came back to him. One of my biggest criticisms is the number of passes we make behind the target forcing the player to come backwards and FFS why hit a pass crossfield to Richardson when a forward pass to DeRidder also free was the pass. It is a shame we haven't a midfielder like Grant McCann who is a good forward passer. Either way I think we are strong enough to kick on.

Agree but I think you are a bit harsh on DeRidder as he needs the passes to release him and just playing off scraps. I think we either pass him in or don't play him.

Bill. Just ignore the daft twerp.

My sincerest condolences to you and your family at your sad loss.

If every team in the league went into administration every two years there would be no penalty, no debt.

Schneiderlin is the problem, a luxury we can't afford playing in a strolling low tempo, rarely passes forward nearly always turns towards his own goal and usually plays his passes behind the target rarely in front. Oakley of old would be the answer but probably past it now. We need a playmaker that passes to our forward players.

No we won a lot of games without really dominating. Doncaster, Leeds, Millwall, Barnsley whilst Reading were playing catch up and everyone else has been dropping away. We aren't there yet and need a lot better than yesterday. The central midfield has been poor for months.

Spot on.

We got where we are before Christmas by high tempo and quick passing that is sadly no more as we try to stroll through games boring the opposition but we aren't good enough. Get back to the 'in your face' high tempo.

I lost count of the number of times players up front made an early run and were ignored while we went through the ten passes midfield to back four to goalkeeper and back again until the lump upfield to our outnumbered attackers. Blackpool nailed us yesterday by exploiting our slow build up in our own half to consolidate and close down our attackers then hit the space left wide by the narrow diamond and expose the full backs and suck in the central defenders.

Morgan Schneiderlin is one of the problems He has the skills to do so much more but is just a strolling passing link in midfield. He might pass a lot but where does it usually end up, mostly with our goalkeeper whilst opponents win the second ball and put us under pressure. The central midfield is hopeless and creates little. Doncaster was route one again a Fonte clearance to Sharp, a Fox corner. If the central midfielders would get ahead of the strikers Schneiderlin v Millwall I think, Cork against Leeds we can create overloads but not by camping in midfield The reason the strikers struggled was the poor service and the time taken passing it around in our own half allowing 11 opponents time to get goalside and outnumber our two or three attackers.

Holloway was interviewed before the match, he said along the lines of, they have two systems, I have a good idea which one they are going to use so I've selected a team to counter it. So out we came with the diamond, nearly scored, missed a penalty then were well and truly sorted out. Blackpool played two wide and a spoiler up front with Dobbie in the hole, we left acres of space wide and the full backs exposed so consequently the centre backs were under pressure. The ball was played into the wide space and we were cut to bits. We conceded a questionable penalty, a route one from the goalkeeper ineptly defended and a corner that left the scorer totally unmarked whilst Marie Antoinette on the line flinched and ducked like a girl. Adkins didn't react until half time but by then we were out of it. It's a waste of time playing SDR as the central midfield and right backs are so incompetent he rarely gets a pass. It's all very well having 70% possession in your own half if all it achieves is to allow 11 opponents in their own half and our attackers saturated. Schneiderlin is not a playmaker, he could be but he isn't and rarely shows any inclination to play forward. Yesterday we had two shots on target, a free kick and a penalty FFS. The missed penalty was the turning point, score that and we might have pulled it off. We have been asking for this sort of beating for a few months, our central midfield is hopeless and lacks attacking inclination. We have to get central midfielders through the strikers but because we never do there is now really no movement up front, just waiting for the ball up the line or the big boot from the goalkeeper. Lallana is the only spark and when he gets crowded out not a lot happens.

Draw, West Ham win, leaves the biggest margin for error. WHU 3 points behind, Reading 5 points behind. Reading still to play.

£25m:lol::lol:

Lambert.

It will take 7 days to organise a strike, everybody will have a full tank, the filling stations will all be topped up, Texaco and Wessex Petroleum aren't involved, topping up won't empty the filling stations so the strike could be inneffective.

Aided and abetted by money from West Ham, Cardiff, Reading and Birmingham.

Steve or anybody, do you happen to know whether the amount of the CVA1 that will be factored into CVA2 is the gross (£83.5m) or the nett (£16.5m). It seems almost fraudulent to factor a debt twice.

You are up early. Make sure you take the dog this time:lol:

Looks on the money to me Bill. Did you get back in one go?

I suspect that the billionaire Leibherrs will only sell to someone that can afford to pay out of petty cash.

Interesting, who broke the Pinnacle story?

I know the basic level for one of our best players and that is nowhere near the excessive amounts quoted. They have a bonus scheme for results that pays out dependent on position. Below top two it drops off considerably. Therefore the overall wage would be very good but dependent on results and top two position. We have a lot of players and support staff and I can't see us breaking the structure for overpaid mercenaries on their way down. Our turnover, provided we reach the Premier, will leap up, so provided we don't go stupid, we will be in a terrific position financially.

Saints Reading Brighton, Blackburn Bolton Wigan. Too many NW and London clubs.