joey_big_nose

Southgate has lost three key games where the sides were reasonably evenly matched - Netherlands in Nation League, Belgium at WC group stage, and Croatia in the semi. He's won three key games Spain and Croatia in Nations League, and colombia at WC. Sweden at WC is one you can write off as an expectation we would win. So it's an okay record, nothing more, nothing less. I would say he deserves a chance to improve on it. The players he has are not particularly great. Only Kane and Sterling are truly world class. GK, Midfield, Defence are considerably poorer than Hoddle, Venables, Eriksson, Capello had available. So all in all reasonable performance in my book. Need to see how things develop. On a side note the emerging key player in my book is Harry Winks. When we play him we look a much better footballing side. Hope he plays again tonight. He's not an exceptional footballer but he ties everything together extremely well. We need to nurture him.

Ben Brereton has to be one of the wierdest signings in all my time following Rovers. At least with Grabbi or Davies they had good records, or you could see with Formica or Rochina they were talented, or Chris Brown was cheap. Brereton has no record, no discernable quality and inordinately expensive. Totally and utterly mad. Will go down as maybe our worst transfer ever, and we've had a fair few turkeys.

I watched the whole game. Thought we were poor generally, and really Leeds should have absolutely slaughtered us but for poor final passes and shots from them. Funnily enough one player who did have a decent game, imo, was Bennett. Leeds have a very competent defence. Managed us very easily except for the goal. Ultimately gulf between us and Leeds is huge.

Somehow we are still in this. Major surgery required at half time though.... Armstrong off for Rothwell is a given, he looks totally out of it. I also think we could use Bennett's energy in central midfield as they have so much room currently. Not sure what to about right back though.

Personally not really. What we need is a couple of old school defenders who can run, win the ball in the air, have strong positioning and can clear their lines. Tosin is more of a sweeper tbh. Not saying hes a bad player, just why he offers is way down the priority list. I'm sure City would be looking for serious money also.

Championship is such a strange league anythings possible. We tend to struggle more against direct football. I don't think Bielsa is much like that, so we should be able to compete a bit more. I saw something suggesting Travis is out injured? If so that's an absolutely massive problem. Without him we are buggered. If he is in we stand a chance, but not a big one.

I don't know. I watch the games and Bennett does get beaten, but I don't think any more or less than our other full backs do. Not saying hes great, but I just dont see him being a weak link per se as all the links are weak.

Lenihan has to play as he can dominate aerial duels. No one else we have can. Maybe Tosin but I'm yet to be convinced. Everyone else is weak in the air. As others have said I'd move Williams to left back and pair Tosin and Lenihan. To be honest it's hardly like we've got many options! On Nyambe Vs Bennett at right back - I think both have significant weaknesses. I wouldn't say there is much between them.

If we went 442 it becomes a problem to fit in the likes of Dack, Holtby and Rothwell. We'd have to play a CM combo of the likes of Travis and Johnson for stability and wide players who can get up and down. It would make us defensively very fragile to pack a midfield four with Dack, Holtby etc. Our best players are attacking central midfielders - hence why we end up with 451 or 4141 to fit them in with the requires support.

Think you're right on the team except Holtby for Evans. Unchanged from last game. On the up side I do like the way we can pretty fluidly turn from 4141 to 4231 like we did against Preston around the 35th minute. Gives another string to our bow. We are also likely to rotate Armstrong with Gally up top to use his pace. Again a decent option. On the down side the names on the teamsheet just look like they will concede more than they score away from home no matter the configuration. Put a couple of commanding defenders and a striker who can get 20 a season in there and it's a decent team. But we don't have those players.

"You smash in a goal Tosin, then I'll do the same"

Watched the whole game back on ifollow. Undoubtably we were the better side. Should have scored a couple either side of half tome. Wednesday offered virtually nothing till the last 10 mins when they went direct. A deserved result on the balance of play. However when they did go direct though we were all over the show. Peel off a target man on Nyambe or the full backs and we're in trouble. And I think really that is why we concede so many late goals. We can't handle to direct stuff. They could have scored 3 in the final 10 minutes. How do we sort it out? We need defenders who are solid under the high ball and positionally astute. Only Lenihan I would say is comfortable under a high ball, and his positioning is weak. Williams is positionally okay but weak in the air. Nyambe I don't think can really be a dominant aerial player. Tosin maybe, but looks more comfortable with the ball to feet.

I have to agree with this. If you look at so many of our (few) goals this year they result from Armstrong's pace opening up the opposition. We make more opportunities out of him than any other player except Dack. Wish he was more consistent, but if he was he would be playing at a higher level.

To be fair we used 4141 last week and absolutely battered Preston in the first half, I can see why we gave it another go. Mowbrays bought himself a bit more time with the win but he's gonna have to put a run together.

Wow... But can we not concede!!!!! Please?!?

I like Rothwell but he did nothing last week. Holtby and Downing look much more effective than him. Travis, Downing and Holtby coming back into the side will improve us a lot (I hope anyway).

A loss next game will do it personally. He looks like he knows he's on thin ice. Just a gut feeling.

Preston went route one and we couldn't cope. We would have conceded from other chances. Mowbrays bought the squad, he chooses the players, he trains the team. It's all on him.

Worst sort of loss this. I'd be surprised if Mowbray goes today, but lose the next one and he's gone I think.

This is mental

I don't think we have any effective strikers, Id rather play Holtby, Rothwell, Armstrong and Dack together than drop one of them for Gallagher, Brereton, Graham or Samuel.

Great post. From where I'm sitting, while frustrating, Armstrong consistently creates chances and at least scores some goals so can't be dropped. Gallagher offers virtually nothing. I think we should stick with 4231 and play a front four of Dack, Rothwell, Holtby, Armstrong and stick to it. Get JRC, Buckley and Chapman on as subs. Try and buy a proper striker in Jan. May as well just write Gallagher and Brereton off. Graham looks nearly done too.

I dispute this. I don't think either Gallagher or Brereton played well for other clubs. Gallagher had a decent spell for us but average/poor elsewhere. Brereton has been totally average/poor at Forest.

Tony has made the following 100% factual errors 1) Bought two utterly ineffective strikers for 12m 2) not bought any central defenders despite being low on numbers and quality and it being a clear issue. 3) implemented a new tactical setup that is not effective, now lost and scrambling to figure out a new model On top of that there are the perceptions that we are unfit, that good players are being used poorly, that morale in the dressing room is low. He's a gonna, just a matter of time. He's set out his targets (top six) if we lose 2 out of the next 3 I expect him to be sacked. If he pulls a few results out of the bag he might limp on for a bit but I think he's mortally wounded as I don't think the three things I have spelled out above are solvable quickly enough.

The only time he could have been potted this year would have been on that abject run I'm Feb March. He hasn't had the critical mass of poor results up till now.