S-Clarke

I find it hard to have much sympathy with him to be honest, if you're good enough then you'll create openings. Both Danny Ings and Broja had the same support acts around them, they were fine. Adams scores the odd goal as well as he has other facets to his game. I wouldn't class Ings as a target man, but he was clever in his movement which alone created those openings. You need more than just hit and run. I know this isn't an AA thread, but he's had too many chances here and is one of the first I'd be shipping off to L1 or wherever in the summer, he's one of the main reasons we are where we are. If you see the times he has been given an opportunity he'll hit and hope it, smash it, no real composure or technique to his play. (He had a chance against Bournemouth very much like that). But on the note yeah, it was a schoolboy error from Selles - and in typical head boy fashion Theo adhered to it!!

I just cannot understand what has happened here, it's not like he is some sort of unknown quantity - he scored in the world cup, and the third place play off. He's a bronze world cup winner FFS. Scores regular in European Competition. Why on earth is he not playing in front of Elyounoussi or Adam Armstrong? Granted, he was pretty shit against Grimsby, but both Elyounoussi and Armstrong have been shit every single game since the creation of time yet they still continue. He hasn't been given a crack and I just don't know why, he doesn't even seem to be a devise character as his former fans talk about how much of a leader/ambassador for the city he was. That article says he's rinsed us, but I'd say we've absolutely taken the piss out of him.

That whole note situation was a bit cringe wasn't it, I think Billing at one point tried to take a glance at it. I imagine it read something like ''Compact, be patient, it's ok we have another 5 games'' But I don't have any time for the players opinions on stuff like this to be honest, especially from failures like him. He needs to just shut up with his views and learn how to play football, but sadly I think that's a lost cause.

He probably did say something, but I'm sure the financial guy popped his voice in as well. Good success for those guys though, as they say it doesn't matter where we finish - just how we develop players, but ultimately that just means what they make profit wise.

Don't make the club aware of that, we'll end up having that put on the banners outside the stadium and claims that we had a successful season because of that.

It's a good achievement because in the main this is the U18 group, that's where the core players have come from. Ballard, Doyle, Amo-Ameyaw, Meghoma, Bragg, Dibling, etc. They've done really well and have played above their age, good sign for a couple of them maybe being ready for a step up to senior football in some way. There was a bit of focus on the U18 team in the summer to bridge a bit of a gap in quality and It's fair to say that worked, probably the only thing that has worked mind, but worth giving credit for that.

I'd expect to keep Sulemana and Alcaraz. Sheff U kept Sander Berge around as well, he was a £30m signing for them in a January window I think. So it shouldn't be beyond the realms to keep some of these guys, plus I'm not sure if Sulemana has done anything to warrant any interest in him yet. It's the crap we're going to have a headache over though, we'll probably have to do a few 'contract pay off' type deals as we did with Boufal/Carillo etc.

Ummm...not sure, it's a hard one! When we last went down we at least had a Radio Station and Catering to be proud of, now we have pink seats, a nonsense squad and an infected pitch. Other than that we're sound.

Yep that's it - well put. It should be about developing our club, that's what anyone wants the priority to be. But we've got it the wrong way round, our club policy seems to be in place to develop players irrespective of what happens to the 'holding pen/football club' they are part of. It's not football to me and I'm not sure that's something anyone can support.

Ings was the sale that broke the camels back for me. The club even came out (I think it was Gareth Edwards at the time) to say how good the deal was for us, and we did well to get what we did, pat on the back for all etc etc. Good for you. Just a shame they reinvested it in an absolute moron called Adam Armstrong.

They're taking the piss out of our history really. Every club is a selling club, it's inevitable. But the difference here is that we've become a glorified creche and holding pen for players. We know it, the players know it, their agents know it. It's no longer a case of having a player do well and then seeing what the future holds, we sign players with set release clauses so they can leave after x amount of years to the club we bought them from. I hate it. It's not the way to run a club.

We are due our 9-0 at some point. You know what'll happen though, it's a chance for these charlatans to put on a show to potential suitors against a 'bigger team'. So they'll play well. They only play well when it suits them for their benefit.

You played well I thought, you've pulled it out of the bag these past 6 or so weeks. Credit to you. Your new owner will ensure that you continue to compete as well. We'll be playing catchup to you for a good few years I feel.

What's the point? If we do make a change now it has to be with a view of next season, let someone come in and get a good feel of what is needed in the Championship. Aldardyce is a rescue act for clubs desperate, we're beyond desperate - it's done, so no point clinging onto any hope of ''oh we can win the last 5''.

I thought exactly the same when I read that, the other reports focusing on the fan base and how they can use it as a reset etc. For us it seemed like Blackmore was reading from the club sheet again. That entire fricking model is why we are where we are, so if we can do away with that then all the better for it. As a fan I want to feel a connection with a team and players, I haven't felt it for years as there's just a continuous cycle of ins and outs. When we came up through the leagues we didn't focus on selling, we kept the core of players who rode with us - we were all in it together. That's why it was successful, everyone bought into it and the the goal was clear - PL football. Now our goal has just become soulless and making sure we continue our mantra of being a shop window, we'll never have a team we can get behind with that philosophy. Fair enough we'll sell players, I'm not daft enough to think otherwise, but we advertise that as our model to all to see and our goal is just to make profit, which fans don't give a shit about. All summed up by Semmens comment ''It doesn't matter where we finish in the league, it's about how many players we can develop'' - sod off with that shit.

This is a very good point actually, it's the first time I've seen it mentioned. They went into the multi club buying model with a scattergun approach as well, it just seems to be how this lot operate sadly. At a even lower level just focusing on ourselves, they've jumped before they walk on most things - massive scattergun splurge in the summer, changing the structure internally, throwing out all the coaches etc. Whilst most people would agree that it wasn't perfect at Southampton, not by any means, they went into it like a bull in a China shop once they had the full keys. The chaos they've created has lead to our rapid decline. Everything they seem to do is incredibly scattergun and I'm still waiting for them to make a good decision.

No denying that he's part of our decline over the last few years, but he's one of our better options - although certain aspects of his make up do highlight our problems in my opinion (the crab like football, the lack of leadership on the pitch, not brave enough on the ball).

Adams will stay in the PL, he will get takers. He won't be here. I'd personally pay up Armstrong and Aribo, sure Armstrong may have done it at Blackburn for 1 season...but he doesn't fit here, he's never going to make it and if we try and prolong the Armstrong agony next year because he scored at that level before, then we're in for the Stoke/Swansea fun and games.

This is what I think, but....I keep looking at all the decisions and the choas that has reigned since they've been here. It's not all about money, it's how you use it. (Chelsea an extreme example). This is how the last year has played out: 1 - Keeping Ralph after they'd undermined his position in the summer. They should have cut bases then rather than do half the job with the coaches. 2 - Staff turnover - Crocker, Hale, Shields, Clapham, Butterfield, Davis, Watson, Fleming, Steele - huge turn over in staff. Shields and Clapham in particular in and out in a matter of weeks which rings serious alarm bells. As does the likes of Crocker and Hale walking. 3 - Transfer Window. Deciding to merge with the Man City academy, that was seemingly our main philosophy. We made the decision to stick with Adams and Armstrong as our strikers and that was catastrophic. I don't care if we 'tried' for Ramos and Gakpo, they were Hollywood attempts but even a Goykres in the summer would have left us in a better position than we were. 4 - Nathan Jones - need I say anymore. Someone thought he was a good idea and then proceeded to give him an entire 'pre season' and a transfer window to play with. 5 - Getting Marsch, but then not getting Marsch. Ending up going with the current yes man in Selles and thinking that was the right idea. 6 - 3 managers in a single season. So...what is happening under their tenure has so far been chaotic. I'm not against change and we did need change in some aspects, so they are trying things....but they're just doing it all wrong, it's like they have no experience of football and are trying to be overly clever and making everything 10x worse.

It shows up the rest of our 'players' that an 18 year old kid can come in and take more responsibility than any of them. Even Alcaraz as a 19 year old, he was poor last night giving the ball away, but he tries things, he takes responsibility to have an impact. These are kids showing up the nonsense we've had to put up with, and I include JWP in that.

Is that why he leaves him on the bench? It's very confusing. We adopt a long ball approach with Theo, Adam Armstrong and Ely as the attackers. Don't make any use of Onuachu at all or Mara. I feel a bit sorry for Onuachu - I know he's been called out as a Carillo etc, but I honestly don't think he's been given a chance. The attacking tombola changes are doing my head in, never a chance to build any relationships.

Hilariously I reckon it'll be the likes of Bednarek, Diallo etc jumping up and down not wanting to play Championship football, completely ignorant to the fact that they're part of the reason we are there.

That's an unknown. These same players lost to L2 Grimsby, struggled to Pens against L1 Sheffield Weds and sneaked through against Lincoln. I don't think they've shown anything to suggest they can even compete at a lower level, in fact it will be a wake up call for a lot of them. I think we need to be absolutely brutal this summer, if we have money from sales I'd be tempted to pay off contracts just to clear the deadwood out. We can't try and hang any positivity on the players that have consistently failed us.

You can't forget the setup against Forest at home though, that was a total ''WTF'' show. I have no idea what that was all about and we deservedly lost that one. Lumping balls down the channels all game to small players. Granted we did very similar tonight, but part of me is starting to wonder if this is what the players default to as their safety mode.

Yep, awful night that one. The performances haven't really got any better since that day either, over a year ago. We've lost most weeks since then. Same core - Bednarek, JWP, Adams, Armstrong etc. Flawed.