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Charles showed glimpses but really dropped off IIRC. I remember thinking he looked good as the anchor man but wobbly at centre back. The Sheff Weds loan looks like a really good decision in hindsight. It’s hard to project Bragg’s ceiling but he has had such a good season considering his start point. I don’t think many would have had much hope for him being able to come into the side and put in the kind of displays he has. The either/or question strikes me as a poor attempt at a wind up. Bragg not being a more complete midfielder than Charles at this stage in his development is not a helpful measure. Charles is an established international who has been player of the season for a championship side. Bragg is making a breakthrough after a stop start development.

If I’m being super picky Wellington struggled to get up to speed in the game but Blackburn were having their best spell and we had lost a little shape and momentum when he came on. He’s probably a little rusty too! The flip side is how well we are managing games and the squad - to be able to ease him back into the fold while giving Archer a start, resting Stewart and (hopefully) giving Bree a slight rest is testament to Tonda and the wider team around him.

Hopefully just a breather for Bree and not an injury…

You have to think it would have to be at a lower level or doing some work as an assistant to try rebuild and develop. He’s got time on his side. He was clearly the wrong man at the wrong time for us but came across like a nice bloke. I hope he learns from his time with us and builds a career elsewhere.

I was okay with a yellow for that. It was daft and deserved a card but he’s just trying to get on with the free kick and oversteps the mark. Either way good to see we had them rattled!

Worth a mention for how well he did despite being on the yellow. He still marshalled an impressive Dowman well - much the same when Madueke came on. I’ve not been his biggest fan but he’s looked a lot more defensively solid of late - maybe genuine competition an a bit of confidence, almost definitely good coaching based on the way the team are talking. Just while I’m on yellow cards. How on earth Ben White didn’t get one was beyond me. Lots of niggly fouls on a frustrating night for the lad.

It doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with their fans. They started well but their squad is lacking and they lost two of their more important players I. January. I don’t fancy him here but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get another job in the championship at some point.

From what I’ve seen of Hackney they are quite different players. It would be good to see both in the prem. Hard to say who the better player is but I wouldn’t swap Leo - love everything he has brought to us this season!

Good shout on Larin. Not his best game but he kept their defence honest. He helps directly and indirectly with the play around him. I think he tired and struggled in the latter part of the second half, I did find myself wishing we could bring fresh legs on up top without sacrificing the physicality- a fit Ross would have been ideal. It’s nice to see us being able to do the hard, ugly stuff. The team feels a lot more suited to the Championship than it did at the beginning of the season. Hopefully we can get the job done against Oxford then have a few weeks to rest tired legs before we go again.

Any other rationale than the potential number of games? Personally I can’t see us getting past Arsenal. I don’t want us to throw in the kids but my priority would be Wrexham and I wouldn’t be upset to see a few changes to manage the squad accordingly.

I didn’t see that in the comment you responded to but may have missed it. I agree a coach having no input feels disjointed. Some clubs do it - I expect some may arguably even do so successfully (though how you measure success is a whole other question …) but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Since we’ve had Spors in place we haven’t had 100% hits but we seem to have a decent return. If he is leading the recruitment but working with others with relevant expertise and input (including Tonda) I’m quietly confident we could continue building a quality squad.

It’s not. I’m all for coaches/managers having input but I don’t expect them to be trying to identify signings. For all Martin’s failings the club clearly dropped a bollock not having a proper DoF in place. We signed some utter dross! If we go up I hope Tonda can have some input on the profile of player he wants but otherwise focuses on coaching the first team - a job he’s currently doing well at.

I think it’s fair that many didn’t warm to the Tonda appointment early doors. His appointment was a pretty big risk but, so far, it looks to have paid off. I’m a big advocate for continuity - especially in senior positions at the club - and would want to see Tonda stay for the foreseeable unless there is a clear reason to dismiss him if he does get poached I hope it’s because he’s got us back to the prem and given us a fighting chance to staying up.

to be fair if Stewart was going to miss any gam this would have probably been the one we would have picked. We should still have enough to get the job done while giving him chance to rest. Hard to argue with the other changes 🤷‍♂️

I often felt similar about Coventry. Especially after they took the SISU bullet - very much there but for the grace of god and all that. Lampard is a bit of a berk but their fans generally seem a good bunch. Much the same Wednesday. They have been truly shafted by Chansiri and I respect the ways they tried to force his hand. The fan on TSP seemed to think they might end up with Ashley and was fairly prosaic about it. For their sake I hope they get somebody who can put them on an even keel.

Yeah, command of his area could improve but he does look like he’s willing at least with some of the punches he comes for. He looks like he has the physicality/temperament to command the box reasonably well so hopefully this is something he can build on.

You’re not wrong. Lots to like about him and he’s very young in goalkeeper terms. If he signs up permanently it would be interesting to see his development with us.

He’s likeable as a player. It’s been ages since we’ve been able to say that about many of ours. He works hard and seems committed. He has some technical ability and puts himself about despite not being the most obviously physical. Easy to say when we’re on a run of good results but since January it’s felt like there is more of a bond between the team and the fans. I’m willing Stewart to stay fit and fire us to the play offs. Larin to prove his doubters wrong and get to the World Cup. Leo to keep dancing, dribbling and hitting worldies. Peretz has a touch of the mad goalie about him and seems to have real drive. It’s a ramble but most of us couldn’t give a flying fig about who left after we came back down. Now? I actually quite like a lot of the squad and Matsuki absolutely epitomises this. He’s had to wait for a chance but he’s taken it and added serious competition for places.

No chance. He picked a weakened side to rest players and give others minutes - when you do that you accept you are less likely to win but it’s clearly not the same as sending a team out to lose. Tonda gets some things right and plenty wrong but it’s bizarre how some seem determined to blame him for everything that goes wrong yet dismiss anything that goes right as pure dumb luck or being on the players alone.

Anybody able to share a bit of insight on the young players on the bench? I would be interested to know what sort of players they are.

Really see the point but the counter is should Peretz get injured would we want Long to at least have had some game time in a less important game?

Interesting shout. Has he been capped before? With his injury record it’s a big if but if he can hit double figures before the end of the season you would think he’s worth a look given their paucity of options. That being said i would prefer Clarke has no interest in looking at him in the March international break - much rather he had the time to manage his fitness with us.

Heart says yes, head says no. Either way if we can build momentum and a settled side there is no reason that can’t carry over into next season. Our abysmal start has cost us this year - so many reasons for it we all know about. If we do somehow go on a great run and get past the traffic it will be bloody brilliant. While I would be anxious as hell going into the play offs anything can happen 🤷‍♂️

I don’t really expect much else but it’s still just a bit pathetic. They are acting in self interest of the club which is their job but the weaseling out of things has left a bad taste and i would just once love to see someone come out and say yeah we fell foul of the rules and accept there had to be a consequence, we’re getting the house in order and will do better. It’s not going to happen and I’m very man yells at clouds here, I’m aware 😅 They’re certainly far from alone and there are also plenty of arguments to say the rules aren’t fit for purpose. Their fans on the whole seem like a decent bunch but the legal clever bollocks just pissed me off I think. I’m probably just bitter about our attempts to beat the rap for our second points deduction failed so spectacularly. Hypocrisy and tribalism from a football fan? Who would think it!

It feels like they’ve got off really lightly - assuming there isn’t more to come- and yet their board have come out with a pithy statement railing against the injustice of it all. Muppets! I think a their more sensible fans will probably be just glad to have it resolved.