egg

What Ballard needs for his development is to play regular men's football, not sit on the bench coming on for 5 mins here and there. It's also important to remember that all Ballard has done is play well against kids. Mara, who you think should be behind Ballard in the pecking order, looked a world beater when playing for our B team. We made the correct decision with Ballard imo.

That's the theory, but he ain't registered in our EFL squad for whatever reason.

Ha!! Ditto!

Yep, and there's about 10 million reasons why he'll still be unemployed next year....

I can't comment SoG as I'm not a sex addict and wouldn't want to join in the speculation. All I know is that he admits to having been very promiscuous and predatory, so I can't see that there's anything salacious in stories about him having lots of sex and pursuing women for consensual sex. Sure, his approach looks wrong when assessed through 'normal' eyes, but in the same way that a gambler doesn't bet normally, and an alcoholic doesn't drink normally, a sex addict won't have a normal relationship with sex. Addiction though can't possibly excuse the alleged stuff with that kid though, and the other serious allegations which he denies. Those allegations need to play out in the correct way, not via the media/social media/etc.

Ha!! Don't expect to see him anytime soon though - he's not registered in our 25 man squad.

I think the captain choice is the least of our concerns. I'm more interested in having a team with our best players in their best positions, the full backs playing at full back, the players working hard and tackling, and being coached so that they can attack/defend/create and look like an actual football team.

I get the sentiment but Wilder played under lapping wing backs and over lapping centre backs. That said, I'd take him. He's tried and proven at this level and I agree that we need someone who is. Martin wasn't, and it's going about as well as I anticipated unfortunately.

I think that's harsh. He's not a DM and is being hung out to dry being played there, especially with Aribo and AA as his partners. Poor kid ain't got a prayer.

Exactly! Anthing is possible...

Could it be 3 at the back? Manning in the middle 3? Fraser and KWP as wing backs?

We have one. He's playing him CB. And putting CB's on the bench. That's a mental line up. Absolutely mental. I think there'll be a curve ball though, Fraser at full back perhaps.

The point I made in response to SoG was that the stuff he's done and said which marks him out as a toe rag, isn't stuff that will be determined in court. It doesn't stop us forming a view about the bloke though. The stuff with the 16 year old, even if only partly true, ain't illegal but it crosses the line for most people you'd imagine. On the rape and criminal stuff, I've seen enough criminal cases in real life to be able to say that when the case looks overwhelming, that things are often very different when the evidence is tested. Whilst it looks bad for Brand on the face of it, that stuff needs to play out.

Glastonbury

Dunno...I think there's a dedicated 12 step programme...kind of like AA but for sex addicts.

I CBA to get into this with you SoG. I haven't mentioned Evans and have no interest in other cases. If you want a tussle with Duckie about what he's said, have it with him. I will say this though. You plainly have no understanding of addiction and how it manifests itself. An addict, by definition of the illness, has lost the power of choice. That said, if Brand has crossed the line and done anything non consensual or otherwise illegal then he must face the music. However, being a sex addict (consensually) isn't a matter that he should be judged on.

Yep. It doesn't look good at all. There seems to be a case to answer there.

Route

The genius tactic of pushing the best attacking RB in the league into midfield, and then pushing your actual midfielders god knows where, is definitely different.

I get that SoG, but Brand will not be tried in any court in any country for legal but immoral behaviour, legal but unpleasant behaviour, pursuing woman and then having consensual sexual relations, being an addict, being a shit comedian, or for being the general toerag that he seems to be. Let's see what happens in terms of any alleged criminal act - ultimately that's where all this seems to be leading.

Yep. The writing was on the wall before he arrived. The letters are getting bigger with each game, unfortunately.

I can just imagine people racing to get home, finding a space on the street, getting their little cable out and plugging it into the lamppost and catching up with the neighbours all doing the same. Lovely.

Every village and town will like like bloody Blackpool if we stick enough street lamps up to serve the vehicles that aren't on peoples driveways! Rows of terraced houses may have a few street lamps, but 2 cars to most houses. Zero prospect of the street lamps servicing that lot. Blocks of flats similar. It's a pipe dream.

Behave. It's been downhill since Wednesday. He arrived with naive tactics and still uses the same naive tactics. If the performances are positives, the fans will be.

He needs to show some insight that what's happening is a clusterfuck and needs changing pronto. Not acknowledging that, and trotting out the same naive tactics on the pitch, doesn't inspire any confidence.