S-Clarke

Looks like another Man City procession then. The PL has been such terrible quality this year, when you've had Forest docked 4 pts and Everton 8...and they're still not in the bottom 3 after losing most weeks, that tells you the quality up there!

Don't forget that if we do make it up, THB is an obligation signing - so he will be ours by default for around £20mish. I'd say he's a PL level player, along with KWP. I reckon we'd also sign Downes and Fraser and I'd also put them down as PL standard. Our big 'new' signings would need to be... 1st Choice GK. We cannot continue blindly with the Bazunu experiment again. He'd become the cover. 1st Choice 2nd CB - Bednarek and Stephens would become squad cover. 1st Choice LB - upgrade on manning, he'd become squad cover. 1st Choice CM - upgrade on Smallbone/Aribo in CM. 1st Choice ST - replacement for Adams etc. Goes without saying, we'd need a PL striker (or someone capable of scoring goals in the PL). If we get those 5 signings right (8 including the perm additions of THB, Fraser and Downes) through the spine then I think we have much more of a structure to enable us to get most out of some of our younger lads too. Obviously would need to sign some depth in certain areas, but I don't think the overhaul should we go up will be as much as 20 new additions. I would estimate around 10/11 new additions (including making the loans perm). I wouldn't be comfortable with anymore than that.

I think there's an issue of trust there, similar to why we see so little of SAA and Dibling in the games that actually matter. On paper he is the most natural replacement or best player to compliment Flynn in a 'closing up' period of a game, but we've never used him in that way. Rather bizarrely, if you go back to the start of the season and during pre-season, we were fixated on using him as a CB rather than CM. I'd be interested to see the stats, but I reckon he's played just as many games for us at CB which is a little odd.

I guess what they've seen from that is that he moves his position towards the ball, with his arm. Probably a somewhat natural/automatic body movement, but it gave the referee a decision to make and he probably shouldn't have gone to ground like that. I've seen much worse pens given than that.

I don't think there are any easy games in this league at this stage tbh. (apart from Rotherham). Blackburn, Milwall and Watford have shown that - two fighting, 1 in the middle of nowhere. In the weird world of this league the table has flipped, as you've got the top 4 struggling like hell with the pressure and the bottom teams thriving in the pressure.

Yeah I'd say it's done and dusted for all the chasers for the Top 6. PNE in particular are 9 points behind (inc. GD) with just 12 to play for and have to overhaul 4 above them, they're done.

Not really, because we need to win every game to do it. There is nothing in our makeup which suggests we can do that. We've just won 2 in a row after not winning in 3. We will drop some more points between now and the end, but the problem for us we cannot afford a single dropped point now. Had we not tossed away the home game against Millwall, or drew with Huddersfield away etc we'd have a tiny, tiny margin for error - but we don't even have that. I guess it makes it easier as we know what we need, but based on what we've shown this season it's just not realistic what so ever.

Can you explain what specific reason Mara was brought onto the pitch for? As he didn't seem to provide anything to helped us.

Mara came on and played right midfield, the same position SAA and Tibling play. So, sure.

Yep, I thought Stephens was good at CB - but I just didn't agree with his move to CM, and Martin seems to always have temptation up his sleeve whenever Stephens is on the pitch to try and be ultra clever with his role. I think Bednarek reads the game a little better and is quicker over the ground, Stephens positionally and his sensing of danger has always been a bit suspect. I think Bednarek has been one of the best CB's in the league this year, I thought him and THB formed a really strong understanding - that's why I'd be pushed to partner those two again.

Ipswich have been an odd outlier on everything all season really! Not sure how to judge them. They've just flown on the crazy momentum that football can give you, easier to flow on that momentum in the lower leagues (Wrexham another example)

Totally agree with you on that, I keep seeing the view that ''we need a striker'' ''we need to score more goals'' - but we score shit loads of goals like you say. We have a player in our team who has contributed the most goals for any team in the league. When we're winning games 4-3, or 5-3, 3-2 the problem isn't goal scoring! Our issue is the goals we let in as you say, you can see the totals against for Leicester and Leeds to understand why they've got cushion over us.

What a weird end to the season. The Top 3 have certainly choked, but so have we in recent weeks - that's why even after they're all choking, we're still playing catch up. My feeling is that we still have way too much to do. The teams above us have been shit for weeks and whilst we have caught up a little bit, we are still some way behind. We need to win every one of our games, I'd say 95/96 points is looking like a fair target for a Top 2 place. For us to get to that we have absolutely no margin for error what so ever. The two results which I will look back on as the killers were Hull and Millwall at home, those two defeats put a sword in it. Had we even won the Millwall game we'd be right in it.

I feel sorry for the likes of Dibling and SAA watching this guy get minutes on the pitch. They should both be way, way, ahead of him.

Agreed, he was much better than Bree. Our full back setup was odd most of the game, looked unbalanced from the start. Bree has been pretty crap since he's returned to the side, looks a very limited player. Manning added more balance down that left side and I thought that provided us the opportunity to throw the kitchen sink after they went 2-2. If I was in charge the back 4 for the remaining games would be - KWP - THB - Bednarek - Manning. Just stick with that, don't change it, don't piss around with it. Injuries and suspensions may happen for sure, but no more clever shit please.

That sub scared the shit out of me, we weren't cruising in the game and we needed a focal point up top to hold the ball and give us an outlet - so we brought on Mara. I have no problem putting him on when we're 3-0 or 4-0 up, but not when we are in a tight game as he will hinder us. Hope we get a French club offering us something for him in the summer.

Once again we're struck by a goal which leaves everyone with the question ''should he have done better?'' - it's one of those that if he saves it, it's a ''what a save!!'' moment - but he doesn't seem to have those moments in his game. You need your goalkeeper at whatever level to produce a few of those a season, and I'd expect them to.

For the first 30 mins I felt as if this was going to be another Swansea/Blackburn home game, done and dusted by the hour mark - but we just lost our shit as soon as they got a fluky goal. We couldn't contain them, they were pressing us hard and we couldn't keep the ball - we kept inviting them onto us. Half time came at a good moment I thought, but the second half started just as bad. Very disjointed, very loose out of possession and when in possession - their goal felt inventible at some point in that 2nd half, but weirdly it came during the time when it felt like the game was petering out. Absolutely hopeless play by Stephens in midfield, as he has absolutely no idea about positional play and where to be. It's a good finish by their player, but once again you have to question it because it wasn't hit with power, it wasn't high into the net, and it still didn't produce any form of save. I was pretty resigned at that point, the way we'd fucked around from 30 mins looked like it killed us. The subs didn't make us any better either. The winning goal that late on is one of those euphoric moments for, we got one hell of a slice of luck to bundle that in. To our credit once it went to 2-2 we did put them under pressure, but I just don't understand why we stood off them so much after 30mins. Stephens defended two moments really well against their attacker, but the obsession with having him at the team in any position is killing us. Bednarek and THB built a partnership, they need to be the two. Downes needs to stay as the 6, his rotational option is Charles. Stephens for me is the third CB and if we keep pissing around with his role we will continue to ship goals. Great spirit from us to get over the line, but our porous defending continues to hurt us and unless we sort that we will have a real uphill task in the playoffs.

They've been after him for weeks and weeks, back at Christmas or just after their manager bit back at the fans who started booing the team. I reckon he'll walk at the end of the season either way. In a snap shot you look at them still top of the league and think the criticism looks bizarre, but the way they have collapsed is unacceptable really and questions should be being asked. I watched them last night and they bored the shit out of me, quite similar to us at our worst in that sense - lots of aimless passing without any speed to it. The game at the King Power should be a game for the record books. (highest percentage of ball passed between the CB's)

Leeds and Ipswich have been handed it on a plate here, it's all in their hands. Leicester have chocked it. 3rd for them.

They'll have to sell everyone who moves, and they have a transfer embargo so they wouldn't be able to replace. No underestimating what failure would do to Leicester. Could end them as a club.

Not worth the effort and all the working outs. It's not going to happen, probably 98% probability that we finish 4th. Get the money on that!

They're in a bit of Financial trouble, there's no way they'd reject a bid in the 2-3m ballpark IMO. They'll sell anyone who moves in the summer.

I agree, I don't think either of those will do it. PNE have the best chance as they have to play Norwich, which could reel them right in, but PNE blow so much hot and cold it's crazy - so they've got some other shockers in their locker before the season is out I'm sure. I think it'll be as is - WBA and Norwich in 5th and 6th. Leicester have collapsed to a degree, but they'd need to continue collapsing if they were to fall into the playoffs IMO. I reckon it'll be Ipswich or Leeds. We just need to focus on (what I believe) will be the two WBA games first!

It will be kept as KWP, otherwise we've scored an illegal handball goal.