Centre backs a bit different though. Scott Wartons a talent but I wouldnt say Carter or Ash Phillips are ready to start. Centre mid Buckley, Adam Wharton and Jake Garrett all are good enough to start and Morton is taking a space. It just seems a massive no confidence in those three to bring in an experienced player. One of them will seize the spot for me.

Gregg comes across so well... and I agree with everything he says tbh. What's the point in signing experienced players to block areas of the team where we have a lot of young talent (such as centre mid for us).

Why would we sign a player for £2M when we have a lot of pretty decent cover in the wide forward area (BBD, Dolan, Hedges, Szmodics, Markanday, Gallagher can fit in there too), when what we obviously need a proper goal scoring central striker.

I don't think we need a centre mid at all personally but if we did sign one I wouldn't be signing another young player.

I think a loans a good shout for him, but I don't thin he's finished at Rovers. I can see him having a good spell at Charlton and coming back into contention with us next season.

If Dortmund sign him Ill eat everybody's hats. To move to a CL club you would expect him to be unreal at this level. Hes looked competent, but nothing special...

I don't think he will ever make a CL player, if he does happy to eat my hat. Might - like Buckley or Adam Wharton - make a bottom half Premier League player. He's a bit like someone like Cleverly who came through at Utd. At a top club from the academy but drifted down the league.

Morton is very very similar to Buckley for me. Almost identical players really who sit relatively deep and tick the game over, and try to find the right through balls on the half turn... Adam Wharton is also similar is maybe a bit more of an attacking mid who will end up as a number 10. Anyway - if Morton became unavailable (Liverpool recall him, or he gets an injury/suspension) I don't really think we would see much improvement or deterioration by having two out of Buckley/Garrett/A Wharton in there. In the few games where Morton hasn't been in the side - such as last weekend - I haven't been sitting there thinking "what we really need is Morton on the pitch..."

Dack I think has massively improved in terms of his pressing and dropping into support the centre mids. I expect us to dominate midfield in this one. Cant agree on Travis, he so far off it at the moment and easily our worst performer on the weekend. Id be really surprised if he starts.

We've tended to win games against struggling teams with JDT, so hopeful we will continue that trend. I imagine Hedges will come back in, and Gally should be fit. So.. Kaminski JRC Hyam Ayala Pickering Morton Garrett Hedges Dack Diaz Gally Pretty good team that... Front four all offer a goal threat, maybe the best pair of CBs in the league and top keeper. While not ideal full backs have improved a lot last six games or so.. And centre mids get a lot of flack but I think theyre pretty good and improving. We really should win this one.

I'm pretty hopeful we will make playoffs. Looking down the fixture list it's only Sheffield Utd and Burnley that look like games that we will be outmatched in. Every other game we've got a great shout to get points, and we have done a good job of that so far.

Agree with this. That said addition of Dack at number 10 should help us in that regard, he can find the right pass or arrive late for a cross. Other bit that needs solving is centreforward. Gallagher is at his best running around in lots of space. Getting on crosses in a packed box really isn't his thing. Or any of our alternatives like Vale or Markanday.... We need to sign someone whose can physically dominate the opposition centre halves. Haven't had that since Gestede and its a big miss.

Agree with all of that except signing a midfielder. If we sign an experienced player we will take a huge chunk of playing time away from our developing players. Assuming Morton keeps his place as looks likely it could mean Garrett, Wharton, Buckley all get virtually nothing for the rest of the season. Also not a sniff for Travis to re-establish himself. I think between the young players we will hit the required standard. Also Dack has improved a lot in terms of dropping in and making a three in midfield which is what is really needed.

Yeah... JDTs been pretty ruthless. Everyone apart from Kaminski, Hyam and Morton have been dropped at one time or another. Does feel a meritocracy though. Players previously frozen out who have performed well have come back and got regular starts (JRC, Dack, Garrett, Buckley). Only players who look a bit hard done by to me are Markanday and Adam Wharton. Both I would have thought would have more minutes by now and when they play they look decent... Must be some off the field stuff.

Weve got four pretty decent albeit young central midfielders who can be used interchangeably (Morton, Buckley, Garett, Adam Wharton). We only have one centreforward - Gallagher, who has also had a lot of injury issues. Id say the priority is going to be a number 9

Thought BBD was decent tbh. Caused them a few worries, created an amazing opportunity he then missed. Worry for me is Travis. Never seen a player regress so much at such a young age. Looks like hes going to end up being frozen out, after starting the season as captain and two cracking goals. Whats really concerning is not the passing so much - we know its not his strongest suit - but that he is well behind the pace of game. He used to be ahead of the game. Whats happened?!

Really good defensive performance so far while Norwich have been on top.... been impressed by Carter who seems to be a lot quicker than I remember. And Vale has looked a huge upgrade on Hirst. On balance of chances Norwich probably should be ahead, not us. But our defending of the box last ditch has been very good as always. Probably that's the big difference for me since JDT has come in, we defend in numbers really well. Pears has pulled out a great save too. Think essentially everyone has done okay except maybe Travis who is still struggling to keep up with the pace of the game, and then find a decent pass once he does get the ball. If we are making subs I would be tempted to bring Adam Wharton on for him.

Yup, absolutely phenomenal player. On his day could do things I've only really seen the likes of Thierry Henry do... that goal against Boro was ridiculous. Shame he was a nut case, as if he'd had his head screwed on he would have been one of the Premier League all time greats. Instead he bounced around, had periods of top class form (like he did with us) and then would sit out long periods on the bench.

We've got a dedicated director of football who has a staff and a background in bringing players in so I would be very surprised if we were not a bit more active than we have been in previous Januarys. But I suspect the players we will bring in will be folk very few have heard of. Loans from top league academies or some left field perm signings.

A big part of it was Mark Hughes. I don't think we would have got those players without him. Same with Souness bringing in Yorke and Cole. Big name former players always have a great pull factor for signings. Got one now in JDT, albeit from outside the country. Wonder if he will magic up something from his connections.

Lots of folk after an additional experienced central midfielder. I can't see the point in that personally unless we are getting someone who is real proven quality, and what are the chances of getting that? A Wharton, Buckley, Garrett, Morton, Travis have all performed well imo, and while there is always room for improvement I think they can do that from their own development. I am very aware that over the ten years in the Championship we have signed a lot of experienced midfielders, and none of them have really performed that much better than our current set of mids (maybe Johnson first season with us, but that's debatable. Holtby maybe), and lots of them a lot worse (Akpan, Evans, Murphy, Guthrie etc etc). People have mentioned Rothwell but he took a while to settle and be used effectively, and came as a raw signing from League 1 which is not really what people are saying we need. For me the only real show in town is how do we find someone who can score goals regularly, ideally as a proper number 9.

Yeah, full weeks rest before & after then a game a week till mid feb. Theres no 2/3 games a week for ages. So we may as well play first team for match sharpness as much as anything else.

Just done a bit of reading up... I haven't been following the Premier League much. Sounds like Everton are all over the show with no money and desperate for a striker, so selling Simms to buy a striker could be on the cards. That or just giving Simms a go in the Prem. Hmm...

Simms looks like an ideal fit to me. Proper target man, links up play, scored goals regularly where-ever he has gone. But I doubt he is coming here... why would Everton sell such a promising looking player for a relatively low amount of money? Would they really rate bringing in Diaz as worth letting go of a promising young player plus cash.

Very good article. For what it's worth I thought our long passing has been really good last couple of games. Morton, Buckley, Garett picking up the ball on the half turn and find a crossfield ball or through ball has been really effective. We should stick with it. Also I think Dack has done a better job of dropping in to help the midfield two also which has been crucial. We've got a great run of games in Jan now to try and put a bit of distance between us and 7th. Feb looks a bit tricky so we want to still be in a good position once we get there.