Pwoite

We apparently don’t need to sell. We apparently have targets agreed we want to bring in. Therefore it is in everyone’s interests to get such deals done now: striker, keeper, attacking midfield. Then put the ultimatum to those potentially leaving that if they want out then they need to have an agreed deal by August 1st, or they are here for the season. If we have the cards, we need to use them.

Yes, the chances of an eight year old, signed up, ever playing for that club’s first team are small, though probably better with us than a Chelsea, but I’m talking about the cream who have risen to the top at fifteen or sixteen. They’ve already defied the odds to get that far and be recognised, possibly getting international honours. It would be interesting to know how many British professionals across the top two divisions came from the Big Six academies, and how many moved to them, relatively late, and broke through.

Understand the comment, and it’s jam today for the kid and his family, with a signing on fee and good earnings, but………I cannot think of any youth we’ve lost in the last five years who has forged a career elsewhere. There have been several big name departures, but has any of them proved successful?

How far off are Wright or Moody?

I’d totally agree, it’s ALL about promotion next season but equally we invest huge sums in the academy and that needs to be a production line, creating some opportunities. Now, that might mean Caribou Cup starts and Championship bench, and training with the first team squad, but it makes sense to develop the best from the U21s so that they are either first team regulars in time, or sold for a profit. We seem to have seven or eight youngsters who have had the chance already to play in a cup match. How many of these are potentially good enough to step up? And who are they?

I’d agree, but we also have Brandon Williams and, potentially,Sesay, coming through. I can see the club wanting both of them to get some exposure. I do wonder who else from the U21 squad will be given a chance and which ones will be released. Anyone got an inkling?

With the changes to how clubs can spend and manage losses, the fact we only have one more parachute payment, P&Os announcement, and the departure of several high earners, I do wonder whether Dragan might be prepared to financially gamble in an all or nothing approach to promotion. Whilst we might not be able to stop some departures, might the incentives to stay and chase promotion be dangled in front of key players. After all, the financial risk of not going up is so significant that failure next season will mean massive cutbacks and a potentially prolonged period in tier two. The alternative of gambling that bit extra to get promotion might actually be pretty good odds. If I’m right, this summer could be another rollercoaster.

But I bet there are get out clauses that could have been exercised.

The previous statement came from Parsons. Today’s statement is anonymous. However, today’s statement says that we got our response to the initial EFL’s charges wrong. Whose decision was this? What advice had we been given, and was this followed? This was a major judgement error. The Operations Manager arranged for Salt’s ticket to the north east. Really? Did he question this? Surely, he mentioned it to his boss, or was his boss already aware? Who did know? Who does the OM report to? As for Spors, he either knew, or he was so sidelined that you have to ask how could he be in a position to not know! It strikes me that we either have a house of cards here, where the Club are closing ranks because otherwise we are not talking one potential ban but multiple bans across the Club’s management, and the delay in any FA announcement is that they are digging deeper. Alternatively, the authority came from above, and the Club decided to throw Tonda under the bus on the ‘l’m an innocent foreigner’ card, hoping that might wash and get a sympathetic response. As they’ve admitted, they got it wrong. Our best, possible only, hope, is that the FA consider the punishment has already been enough, and therefore take no further action. after all, there’s nothing in the regulations, as I understand it, preventing spying in the EPL. However, I doubt that will be their response.

People talk to us losing a potential £200m, whilst forgetting this isn’t a lottery win. Sure, there is the status, level of competition and exposure, but a lot of that money, if not all, would be tied into extra wages and transfer fees. A straight £30m would be the minimum for increased basic wages for players, before bonuses. Then add in support staff, the cost of higher profile transfers and investment needed the EPL matches. With those transfers come the risk of having to offer three year deals, and the risk of more Ramsdale situations. Yes, of course we’d be in a far better position than we now find ourselves, and we could have afforded a couple of £30m players rather than a couple at £8m, but it’s never as simple as saying that total has been robbed from our piggy bank.

I thought Simon Peach was very straight and level headed in what he said. I do wonder, though, whether the delay is to give the club time to talk to sponsors, and the players, and gauging opinions more widely, rather than jumping in with announcement. I would suspect that clandestine conversations with managerial options are taking place behind the scenes. Maintaining radio silence, in such circumstances, makes sense.

Reading ,and being reminded, that Gareth Southgate was once on our books, I was wondering which other players we’d had on our books and then rejected, only for them to forge top level careers. Kevin Phillips and Danny Ings come to mind. Do I remember that Tyrone Mings had started with us? Who else? Are all clubs as good at throwing away talent, or is it something else we specialise in?

I hope this is cautiously optimistic. Does anyone know what the sell on for Fernandes might be, if talks of a £80m sales are to be believed. Add to this our wage bill should be reduced with Aribo, Romeu, McCarty and Ramsdale gone, freeing more cash. Maybe some of this will be put towards the ‘appeasement fund’, as a bonus for players who stay till September 1st but who missed on on a promotion bonus this season. For example, those four players leaving will save c£7.5m in wages. Spread that over 15 players sticking with the club, is a sizeable £500k thank you/loyalty bonus, and eliminates the risk of having to buy and replace the likes of Bree, Downes, etc, as well as next season giving them the opportunity of another promotion bonus.

I can’t believe we used 47 players as it seems it was from the same 22 for virtually every match since the New Year. Even bearing in mind the Leicester cup game,it seems like way too many. How many of the 47 played three or less times? Fifteen?

I don’t think the bench needs to be weaker. Yes, we’ll lose maybe six from the first team squad, but we brought in some excellent signings out of (almost) nowhere last summer, and nearly all worked. If we can get three or four youngsters come through, plus find an equivalent to Jander and Scienza, and entice one or two top championship players across, we could actually be stronger, as Wood, Bragg and Robinson will ave more experience. On the other hand, if the Independent is right, and players can walk away, if could get a lot worse, though whether the likes of Manning, Downes and Fellows would be able to get as good a deal elsewhere is questionable.

When Alfie House suggested that there were a number of players who were being disruptive, he added Arma as a possible. Yet Armstrong was team captain up until four matches ago. What happened? Was something said or done in the frank conversations after the Hull game? Did the situation get out of hand or were bridges burnt then? Immediately, there were rumours that Armstrong wanted out, and the club has done, apparently, nothing to keep him here. There must be a story behind this. What did happen?

I can’t believe the lack of rumours on here. Either things are genuinely quiet or we are keeping our cards very close to our chest, which is increasingly difficult in the modern world. My take is as follows: Edwards is too short and lacking the presence to make it at top level, and either we are bringing in an experienced player to be what Stephens was supposed to provide, or they see Kaya Sanda as our fifth man, now he’s returned from loan. There will be a Downs replacement, probably a loan, probably from Germany. Any other incomers will depend on shifting Aribo, Edozie, Fraser etc, and freeing up wages and emptying the squad. Finally, if the Alfie House rumour is true, then we might see a move to get one or two of the alleged troublemakers out, and replaced, though if it is Downes, with Charles coming back, Lander, Bragg and Williams, we might not do a like for like replacement.

I was dragged to their match on Wednesday night, and sat with the home fans during the match. I caught a train to and from the ground, queued on the platforms, went round their shop , had a burger and a beer in the ground. I was no bad behaviour, heard nothing any different from being at SMS and felt it was just a normal crowd at a normal match. Sure, there was a significant police presence, around the station and the stadium, but I didn’t see them having to do anything. I had been expecting a fairly lively evening, and was somewhat surprised to find it so calm, relaxed and ordinary. So, Wade Garrett, I don’t know where or when you experienced Millwall fans that caused you to give such a strong, bigoted opinion, but I saw nothing like that. Maybe today will be different, maybe you’re remembering ten or twenty years ago, but I saw a genuine community club with decent people watching. Mind you, the football was dire, and whilst Millwall attacked with pace down the wings they were largely toothless in the box.

I fear your second paragraph may well be true, but I can’t accept the first. if Dragan sacked Still, rather than Spors doing the deed, then there was no time to line up candidates. Maybe clandestine conversations had taken place, we don’t know, and maybe Gary O’Neill was being lined up, but again we don’t know. SR have made many poor decisions, so I think time, consideration and some common sense are required this time.

Why? There is no obvious candidate, and everyone suggested, so far, has had as many detractors as supporters. Appointing today doesn’t help with three matches in eight days looming. Eckart could not have done more in the first two matches in terms of results. Whilst I don’t particularly want him permanently, a two week break will have enabled him and the players to work on a few things. If the club has identified a candidate, currently working, then presumably we are negotiating a settlement, which takes time. Whilst I have limited confidence in SR making the right call on this, I have a little more faith in Spors. Let’s see how the next one, two or three performances look like, any improvements, player response. Whilst it seems that Still wasn’t inspiring, maybe this guy is. No point throwing this 32 year old baby out with the bath water.

Agreed, but they currently face the problem of no obvious, or widely acceptable, alternative. They also have acquired a snowflake squad which is small and susceptible to being bullied. It’s a case of who wants to manage us, as much as who do we want as manager. Therefore I’d rather have a prolonged search period and an attempt to find the next Poch than jump in and appoint next week.

I might have missed this, but I’m presuming this table is based entirely on expected goals scored v expected goals conceded. I’ve not seen our actual v expected for conceded, but can I presume the actual is worse? if so, it means misfiring strikers and poorly functioning defenders. The former the manager has little control over, but I don’t accept that for the defence.

I don’t buy that we have 22 crap players. I will buy that we have a squad that is failing to be motivated, failing to understand what they are being asked to do, and failing to deliver what they are capable of, and for me that’s down to one person.

The trouble with looking for seven points is that would five be okay, if we’re denied a second win by a referee’s decision. Or is six? It has to be how we play as much as what we achieve, and we are failing to dominate matches, we’re brittle and we’re looking demotivated.

Look, we played well for the first twenty minutes on Saturday, so Still should start with that eleven, but tweak it slightly. Obviously, McCarthy should start. He might consider the same back four, though swapping out the central defenders, as they were prone to errors. Mads was not the best, so also needs resting. In the centre, we know we have the strongest players, on paper, in the Championship, but Downes could be brought back, and it’s an opportunity for Aribo to show….. The attacking midfield did little wrong, apart from lacking control, not creating chances and giving the ball away, so they can be replaced wholesale, whilst maintaining our strategy of rotating the striker means it’s probably Matsuki’s turn to start. With Still’s clear game plan, the players ability to respond and the team all having a lucky rabbit’s foot hidden in their shorts, what could possibly go wrong???? Ive bought a lottery ticket, on the principle I’ve a better chance of winning than Saints have tonight!