Saint86

Seriously? After the blackburn shit show and these appalling tactics first half. He has got to go - i would sack him now and give lallana the 2nd half - we're already losing, nothing to lose....

Still and sports republic out.

This formation is utterly atrocious. Few snippets recently implying Spors and Still are being medalled with from other forces in the club. Still going out of his way in the press conference to say he wants to play 4-2-3-1 but isn't able to atm... and yet still we persist with 5 at the back nonsense (seemingly in any old shoe horned formation). Just ridiculous.

Shocking the last 10min. Any semblance of a game plan has utterly fallen apart. The defenders are basically stood around watching ffs.

Blackmore just says "that is fortunate" when the ref gives us a freekick when we are on the counter. The man is an idiot.

Shocking on manning there, and not for the first time from a preston player on one of ours... this ref is fucking pathetic.

Also, already the ref/linesman are showing themselves to be complete jokers.

Preston are a dirty niggly side. That much is clear already.

Given we couldn't even get this going for Sadio Mane (who fits it perfectly), i doubt we'll shoehorn Leo Scienza into it

And yet Still is being lynched for dropping Aribo 😆

Context/explanation required please convict. Normally i follow your posts with at least a wry smile, but i've had a few and this is totally lost on me...

You are correct. Fellows was top for assists last year (14). Adam Armstrong (described above as "just okay" based on his "last full championship season") was top for combined goals and assists (with 34) - 10% higher than the player in 2nd place (Sammie Szmodics) with Summerville (who i think got player of the season) managing only 28😆. Always weird to see how we denigrate AA on here, he's a great player for the champ level, and if people think we're struggling now i'd dread to think what we'd be like without him....... Finn Azaz was also 3rd for combined goals and assists last season with boro with 23 (11 assists, 12 goals) - and worth repeating again that Fellows was top for assists on 14. Incidentally, Piroe came top last season with 26 (19goals - top scorer) in a far far better side than boro (which incidentally is also a long way short of AA's "just okay" 34... FML 😆). Moving to Charles. Fotmob have him as statistically the 8th best midfielder in the league last season, in which he was largely used defensively - Not bad for a young player having his first full season on regular senior football in a very average Sheffield Wednesday side. For reference, he was behind Brownhill (promoted), tanaka (promoted), Cullen (promoted), Jason Knight (Bristol C), Hackey (boro), Souza (now Bundesliga), Mowatt (WBA). All of those players had more experience than Charles and played in better teams than him, whereas he will have been developing the entire time. So yes, he is one of the best central midfielders in the league (should be obvious to anyone watching him imo). Sadly i'd expect him to be one of the first ones out the door in the summer when the club needs to raise more funds. Respectfully, i'd suggest that anyone who doesn't rate the above players as some as the best in the league for their respective positions is letting the current negativity get to them or somehow trying to defend Still. And that's without considering players like Downes, Jander, Scienza (who is quality) etc. Our CMs / wingers / AMs / STs should be doing far far better than they are. We blatantly have a very good squad on paper - its on the manager to get them performing.

We are either give Still time, and are therefore are prepared to give him and spors this season and another 2 windows (winter & summer) to clean up the team. Or we boot him out and hope whoever we bring in has enough about them to command the respect of the players whilst also being good enough to get us promoted within 18months. There are clearly bad apples in the dressing room, or being kind/optimistic, just players that that don't want to be here anymore and aren't prepared to put the effort in - which is bad enough without trying to unsettle the team and/or undermine the manager. Reading between the lines its at least some off Edozie, Aribo, THB, and Downes - Which is 3 of the most senior players plus Edozie, and probably a 3 of our highest earners. If players aren't doing what they're told it makes it harder to judge Still's tactics (which i've not been a fan off until now). But equally, if he can't control the squad then he's out of his depth. Eitherway, its pretty grim reading - the club is in a real mess and things could potentially get much worse before they get better.

I'm yet to see a serious suggestion who I'd confidently say would do a better job that Challinor 🙃

How much money (let alone amortised) have we spent since we refused to buy Ralph a proper striker?

I agree on that, I think it's fairly well accepted that rasmus was interfering too much previously - or at least there can be no doubt that that kind of spin has officially been put on it since last season's debacle.

He's got more and more outspoken recently. Comes across as quite negative towards the running of the club and the way things are going at times (not saying he's not right to do this), but it's hard to know whether he's just generally disgruntled at how shit its going (like the rest of us), or whether he does knows more. My view of him is also slightly cautioned by watching the games through the club site now, and consequently realising how much rubbish he comes out with at times when he's commentating, and with so much certainty in what he's saying 😂😅

Thanks trousers. Listened to it now. Not clear if Blackmore knows more than he's "suppositioning" there, or not. It is odd that spors is being linked for an exit already. I think the business we've done has been good generally. Scienza, fellows, azaz, jander are 4 very good signings for this level. We've kept Charles, thb, and downes (which basically all fans wanted us to do pre season, and most said we'd regrettably lose thb at that time), and we've signed jelert, quarshie, and roerslev as cheap deals. Downs is the only real disappointment signings wise, that and a lack of a stronger keeper. But seen within the prism of resetting the club and trying to balance the books and landing in the champ, I don't think spors has done much wrong.

Do you have a link to it trousers, I've totally missed this. Was it still complaining that doors is interfering in his team management? Or is it still /spors complaining that SR are interfering. If the latter then it's damning and very concerning... The mystery 5 at the back explained again via a rasmus connection?

I also wonder where we'd be if we hadn't loaned Ramsdale to Newcastle. Suspect we wouldn't be looking at getting another manager, paying two sets of wages, possibly a compensation package, and would in fact be much higher up the league... Even with still's defensive frailties. And it's not like Ramsdale is going to the world cup sat on the bench at newcastle let's be honest

I have found myself wondering about our sports science department recently. Players keep getting injured through too much game time - and that is directly on the physios to sort out and advise. Similarly a number have been declared fit to play and then rule themselves out on a match day or after travelling etc as ill. Still is the easy target there - but the team around him must shoulder a lot of blame.

No question that he is one of our best attacking players, up there with AA for effectiveness and more skilled and enjoyable to warch (re AA before someone tells me of - I mean for this level and when used properly he is a very good attacker, whereas scienza I think can step up to the prem ability wise). Scienza, Charles, and AA should all be the first names on the teamsheet. Sadly charles is now injured. Rotten game yesterday 😭

Stockport were a national league side, he's taken them to the cusp of the championship and never finished outside the playoffs in his entire managerial career at any club. The guy has evidently shown he knows how to setup a squad and team to win, how to manage players, and that he is extremely adaptable. He must have one of the most impressive CV's in the football league.... This is Stockport County, not some fallen premier league giant with a 30k stadium and a youth academy, nor some Hollywood love in sponsored by United Airlines and pulling in US celebrities on a given match day 😅. His record is remarkable and speaks for itself - 14 seasons, 4 clubs, never outside the playoffs, and 2 titles and playoffs again last year with Stockport... I said in the summer that he had a better pedigree than still, I stand by it 🤷

Honestly, spors has done a great job with these players on the recruitment front. Weaknesses remain in CF and GK though - perhaps a degree of realism over how much can be achieved over a summer as I think spors has shown enough for me that he can deliver. Sadly though, I think he's ballsed up the manager recruitment.

I love Adkins and what he gave the club and the bond he has with the fans. But people need to be real here - he cannot come back and do a job for where we are right now - he has done very little since he left us and he simply wouldn't command the respect of these players. Ralph maybe could come back in, but I think he is probably a spent force (and I loved Ralph as well).