joey_big_nose

Clarkson needs to get hooked for one of the wingers. Apart from that I haven't really got a scooby. Just nothing on the bench.

This is the first game I've really been able to properly watch. Clarkson seems a total non entity to me. Anyone rate him?

I think Dolan will have a very good career. He makes a lot of mistakes but his raw materials are so good and he scores and creates goals at a very young age.

I guess McBride. Wouldn't mind seeing him get 20 mins. So I've figured out Buckley is playing right wing. I'm a fan of his but he isn't a winger. We've got two wingers on the bench - Khadra and Butterworth. Wtf?

What's happened to Trav as well - seems a shadow of his former self.

Started okay but really fallen apart last 15 mins. Confused what role Buckley and Clarkson are playing.

Has anyone figured out how to watch full game replays? Are international subscribers able to watch them or do they not exist at all? If not at all that's a massive downgrade. Really miss iFollow. Started off poor but by last season was a very decent service.

It's hard to think of a statement more damning about the future of the club really, but its true.

It would have been easy for him to speak to a few around the club and find out how chaotic it is. Most managers won't fancy it I think. Why work for an absente landlord with a complete lack of clarity on investment? The way the club's run must sound mental to any manager, even if the budgets etc have turned out to be okay until this summer. A decent manager is only going to come imo if they can speak to the owners and get guarantees on investment.

Ah makes sense thanks! Though I guess atill Mowbray being give f all now means a new manager could spend more next summer (assuming the funds are available).

Wilder is never going to come to Rovers? Not unless Venkys promised him massive investment? He could pick any Championship club.

Could the strategy be explained by the coincidence of Mowbrays contract and the FFP cycle? So basically Mowbray limping on with no investment to clear the FFP balance and then giving someone new a clean slate with significant resources in the summer?

Watched highlights of all Southampton's games. I was skeptical that he would succeed at Premier League level, but he looks right at home. Good on him.

I completely agree with this - from a professional perspective he shouldn't have done it. All I was saying that it was a racist hostile crowd makes no difference. Players equally shouldn't remove their shirt playing Luxembourg in an empty stadium for the reasons you say above (ie. they could get sent off/suspended).

Reasonably we have to sign at least one senior striker. You can't go into a season with only two first team strikers who have played senior and scored at least a few goals. In terms of league goals scored across squad we must be one of the lowest in the league, if not the lowest? In the team we have Gallagher who scored 6 last season and Brereton who scored 7. Beyond that several squad players chipped in 1 to 3 goals each. Only Dack - out till Jan - has any sort of scoring record. That's a pretty amazingly bad situation. We're doing okay with the defenders and mids chipping in at the moment, but when the shoes on the other foot and were in a death spiral I really worry about us.

I don't really see why anyone should modify their behaviour to appease racists. Players take their shirt off all the time, get booked, move on. Stirling should get fined and censured for it, but same as taking his shirt off at any game.

With Senor Diaz out for 2-3 games we literally have 1 first team striker available. That's incredible. If Gally gets injured or suspended we could have none available. Has that ever happened? I guess we would just throw McBride on, or Mowbray could quite happily start a front line of 3 wingers.

Yeah if no young players come through I would look at dropping Foden into midfield. Hes more of forward running link up player by nature though, not sure he would adapt that well to sitting deeper and dictating play. But I can't see any other options really. It will be a real challenge to find someone who can compete with Jorginho, Pogba, Pedri... But we need to do it.

We made a good signing post window in Holtby a couple of years ago. You'd think there must be one half decent striker free agent we could sign out there? Surely?

Yes. I think having Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham all coming through at the same time totally screwed Carrick. Partly because he couldn't even get in the XI. But even if he did due to injury etc none of those other mids wanted to battle and tackle in midfield and give Carrick the ball. They all wanted to be bombing up field. Balance was all wrong. One thing the current England team has got is balance. Players fit the roles they play and work very well together. Just need a bit of quality in the middle and genuine world cup contenders for me.

Yes, the total physical domination from Phillips and Rice is not as talented as the 2006 vintage but it really squeezes a game. Hungary didn't have anywhere to go. Think we do need some passers in there though when we play teams like Spain or Brazil who will run rings around us. Not really got anyone who can do that from the middle coming through. The player from years past who this side really needs is not Lampard or Gerrard imo but Carrick or the Scholes of his latter career when he was playing deep.

Not on tonight's performance, but we know they're a good side from the Euros. We completely outclassed them in a way the Germans and the French couldn't. Its a single game but bodes well for Englands continual improvement.

Have to say really impressive performance from England against a good side and a hostile crowd.

I think we've done pretty well. Kane should have scored. The player is don't get is Mount. I get that he's good at closing down but give we have 75% possession is that really necessary? He offers very little going forward. Rice and Mount off for some more creative players would be good. Edit - great tackle by Rice, great pull back by Mount. We score. What do I know!

I agree - feels like morale should be rock bottom but seems the opposite from the performances. I guess a lot of the kids will be energised that they have a real opportunity to further their careers significantly. When we get on the wrong end of some results though it might turn quickly though. That's always been the way with Mowbrays teams. Great when on a run, but really sink in the mire.