malcolm waldron

Could not agree more with this. I watched most of their game against WBA at the weekend, and West Brom caused them all sorts of problems defensively and on another day would have scored 4 or 5 - away from home. So Leicester (I felt) were there for the taking last night as all the pre game pressure was on them, and yet we simply created absolutely nothing. Not one shot on target in 90 minutes.

Leicester's loan player played very well last night I thought when banging in 3 goals with an assist.

Think that only applies in the FA Cup - not league games, but not 100% sure. Someone will know. But his cup game was against Swansea though - and I think they're Welsh (as are Cardiff too if I'm correct - although who knows 'these days') and so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that counts him out for tomorrow. It's too much of a risk - the last thing we need is to bring him on for the last five mins of an away win, get promoted and then find out in mid August - after a long protracted legal case - that he was ineligible and we get docked the 3 points and are suddenly de-promoted.

Can anyone confirm whether Cardiff are putting a full strength side out tomorrow?

Is there a scenario where both Leeds and us only need a point each to guarantee automatic promotion? If so it would make last nights Preston team look like the hardest working side in European football....

I can't believe (after the Easter games) that we've managed to get back in with a chance of top 2, but I'm not so confident that goal difference is unlikely to be an issue. Ipswich are quite capable of - say - putting 5 past Huddersfield on the last day of the season as they seem to bounce back from adversity quite well. Where would that scenario leave us? Maybe still needing to win asll 4 and needing both Leicester and Leeds to stumble.

Huddersfield and Watford aways too.

I saw the back end of it, from down the other end of the pitch - only in as much as there appeared to be a coming together, followed by what I thought was Mara wrestling (throwing?) their player to the ground. He was a big lad who I suspect went down very easily and so it will be interesting to understand what footage is available that shows what really happened. I'm not sure what triggered the flare-up, but at the time I was thinking - wow, he's certainly fighting a lot more than in the Cov match....

Coupled with a really bizarre team selection that no one saw coming - or can work out the logic behind it......

Will that be only for the XXXXS and XXXXXXXXL sizes, with all other sizes due 'at some stage in October due to unprecedented supply chain problems. The club apologises for this inconvenience but would like to re-iterate that it is completely out of our control'.

Yes - he needed to move quickly to close down their fullback deep in our half and could barely muster a slow jog over to the left. We thought Smallbone looked equally gone at the hour mark. There was a couple of quick breaks down their left this time in the second half and, again, he was jogging back. Not that he'd be quick when at full pace in the first minute of a match. As someone said earlier, I thought we'd been told that chasing the ball all day leaves our opposition tired hence loads of late goals......??

I only thought we were just trying to beat Millwall....

And that's a really good point. I've been wondering since QPR home (?) or maybe even before that - Plymouth away, when I seem to recall in both games RM saying he was unhappy with the way players were trying to play. I think that's been a feature this season particularly with some games where we've come out looking a very different (and worse) side than in the first half. Surely though this is entirely under the managers control as he then has 45 mins, standing yards away from the action, to change things that in his admission aren't working. This is a very different issue than, for example, Che missing two sitters in two mins at the last home game.

I'm not sure what the original comments were (too depressing to go back and try and find it) but when we equalised I thought - great, we've effectively reset the match now that we're level. Even better then to go 2-1 up fairly soon after. So for me their 2nd and 3rd goals were key. if we'd gone 0-2 up then of course their subsequent 1st goal would have greater significance because it could be seen as the one that started the comeback. That might have been what was meant....?? Anyway - on to Blackburn!

Since the Leicester home game back in September I've quietly been comparing Mvadidi (tricky, pacy wide player) with our own tricky, pacey Kamaldeen. 12 goals vs 0 (and I know KS has been out injured for a while) highlights what we're not getting so far from our investment.

Based on a sample size of just one though surely...??

Are you referring to yesterday's game specifically???

Ipswich remind me a little of our 11/12 team who also went straight through the division. A hard working side, sticking to a plan but with versatility if that plan isn't working - coupled with a relentless ethic to take games deep. I watched the last part of one of their games a few weeks ago (Bristol C I think) where they went 2-1 down quite late on, and still went on to win - having missed a penalty too. That - and a healthy degree of luck having seen some of the Blackburn game on Friday. All I will say for next season though, if we don't go up, is that there are good players available if managed correctly. I thought Woolfenden was a real rock at the back last night, Davis was a threat down their left, and Broadhead took his goal well. I doubt any of these cost much, and yet have been galvanised to perform at very high levels. Which begs the question - how many of our players (in a technically stronger squad) have been similarly galvanised?

Sadly I'd been looking at those dates (or rather wondering which specific days they'd be) since September (2-1 away to Boro).

Off his goatee'd chin if I remember correctly? Might have been Leeds at home in the mid 90s? 1995? I seem to remember The Echo called it a 'goatee goal' at the time.

Does anyone know if the shop will still be open? I may as well make a long trip down worthwhile by looking for some half price bargains. I appreciate with roads closed, 18 appliances in attendance, local residents being told to stay indoors etc that I may have to go through a tortuous route to enter the megastore......

For those of us really looking forward to seeing what Brooksy can do on the big Anfield stage tonight, I have an update. I've just bumped into him at Fleetsbridge Tesco Extra - where a close examination of his basket showed a large bag of Dorritos, salsa dip and a rom-com DVD (£1 - he likes a bargain). This looks like he's setting down for the night in front of the TV. Gutted.

I think thats the issue. In the first half Smallbone and Charles I thought went missing for large parts of it (you could see THB getting increasingly frustrated about the lack of passing options when we had the ball at the back). That, plus giving the ball away, led to a disjointed first half. Stu coming on gave us more drive (and risk) with the ball going forward but left us horribly exposed when we lost the ball high up the pitch - which we did a lot. The lack of any sort of control worried me.

I think we're now starting to get a real insight into RM's philosophy around player management. Dropping Brooksy, for reasons that have still yet to be adequately explained, from the entire matchday squad midweek was unbelievably harsh - particularly as many of us on here were crying out for David to start against Watford. Clearly whatever disagreement between the two existed must have been resolved behind the scenes as yesterday Brooksy looked fired up and with a point to prove when coming on. Well done Russ!

Fairly sure that the rules were changed last summer - and so frustratingly I think we're unlikely to see Brooksy in the starting XI again this week due to playing for B'mouth. Obviously that all changes after the Liverpool game and if we dont beat them then his 'cuptiedness' (?) will be over - so expect to see him make his full debut against Birmingham.