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Makes sense to those happy to promote cut backs rather than improve the team. Doesnt make sense to essentially replace your best defender not with a first team replacement but with a young lad who wasnt anywhere near the first team prior to 12 league starts in League 1 who could come back to make the numbers up. We should leave him there to continue to play and sign a proper replacement for Hyam. A centre back who can slot straight into the team in that middle position. Better late than never.

You nor chaddy have explained WHY it makes sense to prioritise "knowing a club" in appointing a manager. Nor why its especially important for those clubs. O'Neill didnt know the club ahead of his hugely successful spell there that ended in 2005. Wasnt important then.

The only thing unique about Scottish football is how Mickey Mouse it is, has and always will be. Clayton's left boot coming in 3 2 1 ...

If they have something planned for the Derby match as was hinted, maybe it's being kept under wraps until as late in the day as possible, due to potential spies and grasses on here or elsewhere who would try and prevent it or undermine it. Let's wait and see. My worry is that we've had two good results - while I'm glad we've moved clear of the drop zone for now and hope we can keep our head above water, I think that puts a significant portion of the fan base off protesting because they see it as unfair on the players and manager or just think you shouldn't protest if the team is winning.

You’re asking for explanations and ignoring them 99. Good evening sir.

I also said I expect Gueye to leave. There is your 3 spots for signing

Im not against the idea. Although it was a fair question by ossydave to at least ask why, and one you didnt answer properly.

So I doubt we’ll be signing the three that you would like to see come in unless someone goes out on loan potentially but I don’t think any of the squad will. We also didn’t include Garrett in the 25 (is he over 21 now?). Centre half will be a loan recall which makes sense to me. He’s been getting good reviews in the league below and is hopefully ready to finally make the step up.

How is that an explanation? That a team has appointed someone they used to have on what is for the moment a purely interim basis. Which could well be an attempt to appease the supporters or quite possibly a case of the owner/chairman pulling in a favour and asking an old mate to cover the team while they look for someone proper. A man who has been left behind in footballing terms, no job for 6 years, his most recent jobs being failures and big questions over whether he has been left behind. Scottish football isnt unique, youve seemingly just got a soft spot for it, but even if it was, I dont get why it specifically suits someone who knows the club. O'Neill hadnt played for or worked for (as far as I can see) Celtic before he had his successful spells in the early 2000s, so he didnt know the club then. My point is, why is it so important to "know the club" when deciding upon who to hire. What does that even mean? That hasnt been answered. The club he knew will have changed massively in 20 years.

You’re seeing it right now with Martin O’Neil! A man you’ve slaughtered over the past few pages of this thread. One more thing, I said Scottish football is unique in this, I think chaddy said the same and I firmly believe that.

Just watch Arsenal once and you'll see how any team can benefit from some real set pieces training. Saw a stat before this round regarding Arsenal: Goals from: Set pieces - 1st in the league Penalties - 2nd in the league Goals from open play - 17th in the league Table position - 1st It's a big part of the modern game. I hope they get rid of the long throws by adjusting the rules before next season.

Why shouldn't we have a set pieces coach? If its improve the team and we start being a bigger threat from set pieces.

Whilst I think your mark is slightly harsh, certainly agree with your comments on Wharton and need to sign a defender. TGH loved just booting the ball anywhere and was really lax on the ball, and once in particular just switched off. Cantwell comes back in surely. Neither Henriksson nor Miroshita have nailed down a spot or convinced.

Deep Purple - Black Night

1967 I believe.

I dont. And not in the patronising way you imply, where I am just being a bit thick. Ive yet to see an explanation as to why specific clubs benefit from someone who "knows the club" rather than just finding the best possible manager ignoring whether hes been there before.

Absolutely. Its a tired old cliche spurted out often by poor quality pundits. In Celtic's case, any joe bloggs would likely guide them to the title to be fair with the resources they have. And if its literally just a couple of weeks interim appointment, makes little difference. But in general, why do people deem it as so important? In what scenario does it outrank just getting the best possible manager to get the best possible results? What is so important "to know" about the club that requires an ex manager or player when the club would have been run by and employing different people.

Why do so many teams have set piece coaches? I dont get why its seen as necessary. Lots of teams do. Yeah, but why? Is it necessary. Team x and team y do. Superb counter arguments.

This Montgomery kid I know nothing about him, what is his preferred position. He looked good when he came on last week and we seemed to start playing better after he came on this week. Surely in line for a start soon. Can we accommodate Todd Cantwell now? or will he have to wait his turn, he should have to win back the shirt, not be an automatic choice right away.

Could be waiting til 5th November

If only Pears had been as good as average, he's just a poor keeper all round. Not saying Toth is a Big Brad or A Sir Roger but he seems a clear upgrade on Ainsley.

Source?

There's been some very disjointed performances this season, heads have been down and I'll openly admit I've questioned if the players liked VI or indeed understood what he's trying to do. Otherwise happy looking players have looked miserable as sin. In hindsight maybe they just care and don't like losing though? He doesn't really come across as a likeable person, but you don't always have to be to be a successful manager. Yesterday they looked like they were playing for him for sure, hopefully a couple of wins breeds more confidence. I have to say though, our last 2 opponents have looked like teams with managers on their way out, so it's no surprise Still has been binned off tonight. Like us, Bristol appear to have played struggling teams at the right time recently but came a right cropper at weekend so it'll be interesting to see how it pans out on Tuesday.

Watched Gudjohnsen's first goal a few more times and what impresses me is just how quick he sorted his feet out in order to hit that first time. He totally had his feet messed up but he sorted them in a flash and finished well. Passing and close control leaves a bit to be desired but he did provide the pass that ended up going to De Neve and then got in the box for the finish so all good work there

Bit late but here's my ratings: Starting XI: Toth (8) - pulled off a fantastic save to deny Mavididi in second half. Has been a vital factor in securing our last two wins. Has the potential to become a top-end Championship goalie if he improves his left foot and distribution. De Neve (6) - did OK before getting substituted at half-time for tactical reasons. Provides athleticism on the left hand side but still struggles with the physical aspect of the game. McLoughlin (5) - thought he was quite poor and struggled to contain Fatawu at times. Doesn't look assured on the ball. Wharton (4) - played poorly in my opinion. Was caught on the wrong side and didn't put his body behind the ball which gave Mavididi a great chance to score early in the second half. Later lost out on pace to Daka during a transition moment and had to be saved by Miller. Sorry to say this but he has become worse since the lengthy spell on the sidelines last season due to the serious injury. Winning a couple of headers isn't enough. We need to sign a center back in January if Carter can't be trusted to come back into full fitness and play regularly. Miller (8) - has improved vastly over the past few weeks and stood for a commanding performance with his battling attitude. Tackled, intercepted, tracked back and even helped his teammates to recover the ball when they struggled. Alebiosu (9) - man of the match for me. Signing of the season so far and an absolute steal for £500K. Not only does he have pace but his ability to read defensive situations and block/screen opposing players from getting to the ball inside the box is impressive to see. The run he made to skip past two Leicester players, bombing down to the byline inside the box and finally square it to Gudjohnsen for 2-0 was the icing on the cake. Will be a Premier League player by next season or so if he keeps this up. Tronstad (5) - have no idea what has happened to him other than the contract situation. So wasteful in possession. TGH (4) - really poor performance from a technical standpoint. Provides a bit of athleticism in the middle of the park but is causing problems for his teammates with his poor passing decisions. Squandered a great chance early in the second by skying it with his weaker left foot. Also has problems in the defensive department as he fails to track his runner at times. Henriksson (5) - likes to press but is overly aggressive trying to win the ball with sliding tackles. Right decision to pull him off at half-time as he was already booked. Ohashi (7) - really good at pressing and forcing the opponent to make mistakes and win the ball high up the pitch, especially in the first half. Gudjohnsen (8) - the goal against Southampton last week gave a real confidence boost. Poacher's instinct to be on the end of the first one and resolutely fired home the second from close range. Has also improved somewhat in keeping hold of the ball and link play, albeit looking a bit weak in the challenges at times. Subs: Montgomery (6), Morishita (5 - wasteful in front of goal/ final third, needs to improve his decision-making), Hedges (6), Forshaw (N/A), Gueye (N/A) Coach: Ismael (7) - got it right with pressing high up the pitch and making it difficult for Leicester to play out from the back. Correct substitutions at half time as well. Match summary: thought we did really well at times by creating some momentum whenever we won back the ball high up on the pitch. Our right hand side in defence looks really strong at the moment with Miller and Alebiosu. The problems we faced came mainly from the left side and Fatawu in particular. Have to say that our central midfield is shockingly bad when in possession and is often the main cause to attacks/transitions breaking down early. Hopefully Baradji can make a real difference here when he gets fit because the current level of our midfield is sub-standard for Championship. Thought otherwise that our running capacity and willingness to press was impressive to see. Leicester didn't really manage put any substantial pressure on our goal after our second.