Legod Third Coming

You would genuinely sign a striker to sit on the bench? Someone better than Barnard? What would be the point unless we were to have a disaster that took out Guly, Lambert and De Ridder?? What do you think we have got away with?? Doesn't our style of play mean we simply aren't reliant on a striker like we were under Pardew? Our goals are crafted in the much the same way as Arsenal's - they seem to come from midfield most of the time, even if Lambert scores them. Barnard cannot get a sniff of first team action and Connolly is fit and well. I just can't see what another striker would do other than mow the grass at Stapleford.

I was also at Palace. We were inept up front but still had chances to win the game and missed them. Thankfully we have four strikers ahead of Forte and we score from midfield regularly. Swindon I couldn't comment on.

He is good enough for an impact player. He's not good enough to start. So what should we do, play with ten until 65 minutes...??? The point I'm making is that there are very few if any players as good as those we have who would come in as 'cover'. If we're going to buy anyone we should buy BETTER than we have. Otherwise we have a squad already.

If someone is available and will sit on our bench, they aren't good enough.

Guly's first touch is poor? You make it sound like we're lumping it up to Rickie? His part in the goals against Peteborough was to take a free kick that, in truth, anyone could have taken. I don't dispute he is a brilliant player who we would miss. Can you name any other player of his quality we could bring in who would be happy to sit on the bench?

And defence is the one weak area of our team. we concede sloppy goals possibly because this is the one area where there is limited competition.

We need a new centre forward!!! This has been proven. If anything happened to Rickie we only have Guly, Connolly, Lallana, Chaplow, Hooveld and De Ridder scoring regularly. And only Barnard to come in from the bench.

His touch is sublime. Sometimes fans want to watch someone run around all afternoon but do feck all with the football. To them, can I recommend a marathon?

Be a realist. We would not be top if we didn't have the money. In case you need a reminder: Lambert - £1m Fonte - £1m I could go on. Money alone does not guarantee success. But I'd love to know how you feel Adkins would be doing with a back four of: Lloyd James Ollie Lancashire Matt Mills Jo Mills ??

SISU under Ray Ransom bought Coventry in 2007. Markus bought us out of administration in 2009. SISU has sniffed around when Lowe/Wilde/Crouch were looking for investment from memory but those who think somehow this was a choice for Markus and Nicola between us and Coventry are mistaken. Yes, two years earlier Markus might have bought Coventry - and the point remains, we are bloody lucky that either SISU did not buy us and/or Markus did not buy Coventry. And we shouldn't forget it, or take the p*** out of other clubs who find themselves in a position that we could easily have been in.

Are you soft? He could afford Southampton because we were in the shyte and therefore attractive and available at a cheap price with a potential resale at a profit. Coventry were/are owned by SISU who are looking for a return on their investment.

That's no different to any of the others, though. Mittal hasn't given his money to QPR, Abramovic hasn't given it to Chelsea. I think on that basis we're talking about wealth of the owners in each case.

Because Coventry wasn't available or in adminstration?

Michael Ball coming on for Everton at the Dell, to the sound of someone singing 'Love changes everything'...

I had a day out with a Pompey fan at Fontwell today (he's alright though, thankfully) and he reminded me that we are about the fifth/sixth richest club in the land. We shouldn't forget that when we're riding high. Because if we do, we will attract the same sort of jealousy as Chelsea and Man Citeh. And while I don't like 'buying' anything that hasn't been earned, it's not a fault of long-suffering fans like yours truly that we happen to have been blessed by Markus - god bless him. I feel for Coventry because but for a bit of luck THAT could have been us.

That will end badly, you marx my words...

I agree 100%. This season we have only won 75% of our games. We are only five points clear of West Ham. We are only the division's top scorers. The manager has only won over two thirds of all games for which he has been in charge. The manager is second only in success to a man who is in his third decade as manager of Manchester United. The guy is a bloody joke and needs to wise up to your knowledge.

Currently available at 5/1. Should we get on??

A bit??!!! Hammond knitted me a new bobble hat, Morgan gave me the first chapter of his autobiography to translate and Lallana updated his Facebook profile during the second half...

Anyone who thinks that was nervy needs a slap. 1. We would have won that game 4-0+ if they'd kept 11 players on the park. 2. It was so easy it looked like a training game and that's how the players treated it. 3. Kelvin Davies made NO (that's zero saves). We switched off for one minute and they got a goal we should have defended. After the goal they didn't mount another attack apart from one poor free kick - for a foul that did not exist. 4. The manager called this 100% right on Solent. We were too slow with our passes - because it was too easy. There was no crispness from the moment their player was sent off. We won that game not in second gear, nor even in first gear. We were in neutral. Bring on a stiff challenge.

I thought Jos actually tried to persuade the ref to let the lad stay on??

What have the Romans ever done for us eh? Would love to have heard this! Say what you like about Darren but I think the old man has form...!!!

He is not a genuis. But we are winning 2/3 of our matches. That is exceptional, truly exceptional. When he can provide a theory on the speed of neutrinos he might be a genius. Until then he's just a brilliant football manager.

I don't understand the confidence behind the away wins. We have really struggled to put poor teams to the sword away from home and both Coventry and Bristol will race their games against us, for sure. The home games will be a penalty kick if we play as we have been. But the away games, I'm not so sure...