S-Clarke

Yeah, let's not start these 'Stephens as a DM' calls again! He is awful on the ball, gives it away too much - wouldn't want him anywhere near CM. Charles, like you say, is our only alternative to Downes. He at least has the awareness and discipline to cover, whereas Smallbone just goes walkies.

I think the difference with Sulemana is the fee - our record, 23m. And also because there's no time on anyone's side here, he will use us as a transport vehicle to another European club in the summer - so you do have ask what is the point of giving him any opportunity, might as well put all faith into SAA and Edozie at this stage. Edozie is a player who will grow with us, and is being allowed to do just that. Sulemana is just passing through, that's why I find it hard to have patience with him.

He's been injured for almost 2 years. He may not have officially retired, but he's all but retired in top level terms. Best he can get now is some money thrown at him by Wrexham for 6 months. But he probably does need to hang it up now. Was great for us in the Koeman years, one of our best LB's in the PL era imo.

That was always going to happen, the high 'future fee' advertised in the loan was just to appease some figures/numbers, it was never being activated. We'll probably negotiate an obligation in the region of £20ishm, with a loan deal for one of their wide players thrown in. (if we get promoted, they won't come here if we don't).

I don't think it was recognised as the official one, I've just had a look through and all the official ones have Maatsen at Burnley as the best LB. He certainly did get plaudits last season though, up there in the top 2 or 3. Again, absolutely no idea how. I guess the standard of the league has risen massively this year, but still. Edit: - it was Sky who had him in their team of the season. Think we can discount that then. Left-back: Ryan Manning (Swansea) - 7.26 Rounding off the backline is Swansea star Manning. The 26-year-old returned the joint-third most assists (10) in England's second tier, while no player made more key passes than the Swans full-back (108) in the Championship. As such, Manning deserves his inclusion in the side.

The Derby playoff semi final hit me particularly hard, don't think I went back to work that week. I guess I just knew that it was shit our bust for us that year, and the future was going to be pretty bleak.

90% of his dribbling stats equate to him ending up in a blind ally or in the opposite direction of the opponents goal. Worthless stats. He needs to do way, way more - as has been the case since he signed here for £23m.

But the point was that if the scenario above had played out, which wasn't unthinkable at the time, we would have almost turned over that 11 point deficit - whilst still having to go to their place. Of course there is still automatic promotion to grab and that's still very much the aim of the game, it's just that people saw the chance to win the league - there was a tiny glimmer, and our form and the fact Leeds and Leicester played each other opened the door ajar slightly - as long as we did our job, but we didn't so it's done. I don't think having hope can ever be constituted as having a twattish belief.

At least Luton are making somewhat of a fist of it, more than can be said of the other two promoted sides. It is looking likely that the 3 who came up will be the 3 who go back down, and once again Everton will survive the flush. Has there ever been a situation before where the 3 promoted teams go straight back down, and are replaced by the 3 relegated teams from the year before? It doesn't feel like it's a massively common scenario, but it's a genuine possibility this year.

Just to stick up for those who were starting to think this, it was whilst we were still unbeaten in 25 and had just done Huddersfield. If we (as we all totally expected) had won against Bristol City, WBA and Hull, whilst Leicester dropped points against Boro and Leeds, we'd have gone into the Millwall game on 73 points with a game in hand on them. They'd have still been on 78. Beat Millwall and it was down to 2 points and we were right on their coattails. A week or two ago it wasn't totally unfathomable that this scenario could have played out, but given we've not done our job it's now done and dusted and most will accept that. I don't think there was anything wrong with fans having a bit of hope that there could have been something to grab, certainly no need to now laugh back in the faces of fans of your club.

Not saying it'll be easy at all, still a very tough league. I do think (if it comes to it) we'd sort ourselves out enough to be in the playoff convo.

We aren't very organised I agree, the way individuals are exposed 1-1 is quite frightening. You get lucky against the lesser sides as they don't have the quality to really do anything, but against the better sides playing as high as we do without any real defensive structure is suicidal. You can't rely on just keeping the ball, there are times when teams break the lines and we cannot deal with that. It's not going to change though, this is how we play and we need to find a way to get the better of the good sides by playing that way. The standard of this league is very high this year though, that has to be said. But I don't think we are anywhere near the level of Leeds or Leicester, they're much more complete teams. Leeds defensive stats show that.

I'd take a draw in that game right now if offered tbh, as it stands I cannot see beyond a pretty comprehensive Leeds win. Leicester can absorb 2 defeats given their gap, so they can get back on the trail against QPR the following week. I think Leeds will just want this one too much for Leicester to handle. The two best teams in the league IMO, best this league has probably seen in many years standard wise.

The drop off next season if we fail will be enormous. The following won't be here - THB, Bednarek, KWP, Sulemana, Fraser, Brooks, Adams, S.Armstrong, Rothwell, Downes - and we'll probably get bids which will be hard to turn down for Adam Armstrong (as he will only have a year left). Core of the team next year if we fail will be built around Stephens, Charles, Manning, Mara, Bree, Smallbone, Dibling, SAA - things of nightmares tbh. Of course we'll reinvest and rejuvenate the squad, but there won't be a like for like replacement quality wise. The drop off will be quite steep, but hopefully the league won't be as ridiculous next season standard wise so a playoff push should still be a genuine target.

I'm looking at the next block of 4 - Millwall, Birmingham, Middlesborough and Sunderland - 12 points required from that to keep us within touch, anything less and Leeds will be pulling far away into the horizon and not to be seen again. 100+ points plus for the top 2 this year IMO, which is mental. I think we'll get high 80's, low 90's at best. Not to discredit as in most seasons that is an auto promotion tally and a great season, i.e our last two promotion efforts, but the level required this year is ridiculous and I don't see how we do it with our run and Leeds run. That's how it feels to me right now. The level requires us to be faultless, and we haven't been.

You're talking as if these guys are pampered PL players and have never played at this level. Armstrong, Adams, Downes, THB, Manning, Fraser, Brooks, Stephens, Smallbone, Rothwell have all played regular Championship football in their careers, some as recent as just last season. I don't buy that the players are only used to a PL schedule, that's nonsense.

Like other's have said, the critical element of this tactic when it's countered is the out ball. That's either down the flanks with arcuate passes to the wide players, or over the top to a striker who can hold it and bring others in. If you do that, there's space and things open up. But we were aiming balls at Sam Edozie and Armstrong's head, which was totally the wrong thing - and they were both very, very static in their movement. Mara was the definition of useless in terms of an outlet, so we were pretty much playing with 10 men for that first half and we had no way to get out. The team was full of all the wrong players to be able to execute the counter to the high press.

To sum him up, there was a moment in the second half where Manning was struggling to defend on the left. He got some help and we got a throw in from it. Who helped him? KWP, the RB, who'd run across the field to bail out his left back. You can't be any more inept than that, KWP could have played both positions last night and still been better.

We would have to change on promotion, but I don't think we'd will - so yes, I follow your same fear! Imagine doing what we did last night in the first half at Man City, or Spurs - 9-0 drumming's could becoming multiple season occurrences.

He's honestly so bad, not seen as bad a LB as him for us for many, many years. I'd prefer Rudi Skacel back there. Nice lad, seems to put in a shift, but so out of his depth at the top level of this league it's frightening. No idea how he ever won POS in previous years, absolutely no idea. He's not good.

There was a funny shout around me in the first half - ''Just hit it long!!!'', so they did what he asked and hit it long on a few occasions. The response to one of them? ''Absolute shit, why are we hoofing it aimlessly?'' - it was the same person, honestly. There were a few ''get it in the mixer' shouts as well, not sure what that would have given us seeing that we only had Edozie and Mara in the 'mixer' at that point.

What are you on about now?

I don't remember him saying he didn't want to play for us? I don't think you can question Smallbones lack of ability on the ball, technically he's good - but he's weak as piss, that's the problem. He will get walked over by anyone if he doesn't have protection around him. If he has someone sitting a bit deeper and he has the space and time, he'll look good technically. He's just a bit meek.

We'd have to play them in the final anyway tbh, doesn't really matter in my eyes. Coventry are a good side as well, will cause us problems when we play them.

Not sure if Bree is going to be fit to start, so I'd either have Stephens or Charles at FB. Manning seems a good lad, puts in a shift, but technically he is just horrific. No where near the required level, he's just championship fodder. Downes straight back in for me, he's not been out long enough to need to be eased back. If he's available, he starts. Aribo is a good shout for the '8', added real energy in the second half. Didn't think I'd be saying that a year ago. Agree with the attack, although toss up between Stu and Edozie for me (moving Brooks into the 10). I thought Stu was so, so, so bad tonight.