Id say the way to look at it is how many of our players cause the opposition issues. I would say only Gueye, Ohashi and Travis reliably get the opposition on the back foot. We need two more by Jan 31st who can do that. Add a couple of players who can stretch the other team and everyone elses performance will improve hugely from the space theyll get. Cantwell, Dolan, Brittain, ACD, Weiman can become good offensive weapons if they have room but they are not going to make it for themselves. Id go all out for a striker to partner Gueye and finish off, and someone who can get in behind out wide and has good delivery.

I think we can accept that Bristol City is as close to a nailed on loss as you get in the Championship. I'd never normally do this but I would seriously think about putting the kids in with the few seniors who have not had much game time (Sanderson, Buckley, Forshaw) and giving everyone else a rest. The key is then who we can get back fit by 31st January for 5 games in two weeks. If we have even some of Travis, Tronstad, Ohashi, Carter, Pickering back, plus a couple of signings we could get back into the driving seat.

Um by having a brilliant game unfortunately let down by everyone else? Really struggle to see how anyone wouldn't have thought he was our best player by miles...

Thought JB and JRC bossed the game till 40 mins. Then weak conceded goal (admittedly JRCs fault), Brittain injured and JRC moved to right back. Things declined substantially from that point.

Cantwell is so poor... Simple passes missed, dwelling on the ball, loose touches. I just dont get him. 2 winnable games we have managed to lose and a raft more injuries. Nightmare. Got Bristol City in 4 days, then a weeks break, then 5 games in two weeks...

Think we are playing 352 with Beck at LCB...

Great thing about the Championship is how shit you can be and still be in it. Weve gone on 10 game runs without a win and still be in the top six.

Game over.

Fuck Brittain must be injured.... Argh!!!!

Fucks sake.... Out of nothing. We had three chances like that and we dont convert. They get one and do it. Poor from JRC and Toth. First goal totally crucial in the Championship. Itll be a miracle if we get anything

Geyue gets a lot of stick for his first touch but I think its very very good. Hes played three or four top touches.

Yeah feel like as he understands the league more he could become a really top player at this level. Linked with a finisher like Dack or Armstrong he would be lethal.

Were really dominating this game, just need to convert something .

Becks delivery has been really poor recently. Had loads of it against Oxford and so wasteful and similarly today. Gueye doing a great job up front.

Like the shape we have, getting lots of players around Gueye. Think JRCs mobility is invaluable in the middle.

Looks like a 4231 with JRC playing the holding role.

Theres an outside chance this is actually the 442 we finished against Oxford with - Toth Brittain. Batth. Hyam. Beck JRC. Buckley Cantwell. Hedges Dolan. Gueye We did actually look much better when we did that change around 80 mins.

Yeah he's not the quickest, but it's very much exacerbated by a bad habit of often slowing down the ball down to walking pace, then trying to beat a defender with tricks that most often don't come off. He's a player who would really benefit from simplifying his game. At the other end he also tries to play one touch on difficult balls into him way too much when the chances of succeeding are really low. He just needs to play simple two touch and focus on running into good forward positions in space.

Well Brittain, Travis and Tronstad have and Tugay is light years ahead of those. Cantwell could do a lot more completely irrespective of other players like hold onto the ball, complete simple passes, beat defenders, anticipate where the ball will be in the final third and finish chances.

Yeah his stats on retaining the ball must be very poor and he has very few impactful attacking contributions. But the way football is player get bought on the basis of very recent form. 10 good games is enough to generate interest. If he has a strong run in everything changes.

I doubt anyone will offer enough to make it worth our while to sell him.

On current form no one is buying Cantwell. To generate any interest he is going to need put together a run of 10 good performances and I hope he does as we really need him to help get results. The players who will generate interest will be Travis, Tronstad and Brittain.

I missed the oxford game on the weekend but watched it back on Rovers player. The chink of light in it was how good Buckley was. Back to his best. He gets pigeon holed as a deep lying playmaker but hes far better playing box to box. Seemed like he had totally different instructions from his previous couple of games, instead getting forward at every opportunity. We need to build around that. Id still go 3 at the back but maybe change go for a 352 over a 343 and play Dolan and Gueye as a two up front. Given how static Forshaw is maybe try and play JRC, Cantwell and Buckley as a three in the middle. Its hardly ideal but I think its probably our best bet.

According to whoscored Sanderson has never played centre midfield in his life... would be a massive call to put him in there and given how hugely centre back (positionally rigid, ball always in front of you, only need to play simple passes, usually not too much pressure etc) is different from centre mid (receive ball and turn, immediate pressure, find clever passes, positionally fluid) it does not seem like it will happen. https://www.whoscored.com/players/384128/show/dion-sanderson Still remember with joy when Ferdinand (best ball playing English centre back of his generation) got completely owned in midfield at Ewood. A truly great day!

Coventry are such a bogey side for us. One of the worst we could play with the side in disarray from injuries. Feels like we may change things up and go 352 given massive midfield challenges and Sanderson looking a decent player. Pears Sanderson Baath Hyam Brittain Buckley JRC Beck Dolan Gueye Hedges Feeling like the workload is really putting Baath, Hyam, Brittain and Beck at risk. Cantwell needs dropping, he's had a few good spells in games like the second half against Portsmouth but overall he's probably been our worst player over the last six games or so.