I have a strong feeling O’Riodan isn’t the answer to our defensive problems. His £500k release clause has been well documented and if he was rated by any other club they would have stepped in and trigged it ab lbs sigh led the player. The fact no one else is willing to pay makes me think he’s just a project.

I said this before. When he’s out for long spells people forget how poor he really is. The fact we’ve supposedly turned down a few million pounds for him is insanity

He started 5 defenders. Changed formation. The problem since Ayala left we don’t have a player that’s going to dominate the aerial attacks. I just don’t see how a change in manager could make Brittain, Pickering, Hyam, Leo/Pears, or Trondstad or A Wharton start winning headers. This lot of players all seems soft, no one outside Garrett wants to put in a tackle and no one seems capable of winning a header in either box.

While JDT isn’t helping with the mindless passing, at this point I don’t see how any manager could make a change that would matter. We don’t have any alternatives in player choice. We don’t have the players sit 10 behind the ball and try and score from set pieces, or long throws. In fact sitting back is probably worse as we can’t defend crosses or set pieces. We don’t have pace to counter. The truth is, looking at the players available, this style is our best chance to get results.

I didnt see but 2 players who had the quality needed for a championship side. A Wharton, JRC were it today. The other 16 to step on the pitch looked like imposters.

Sign him to an extension

S Wharton is full of heavy touches. Brittain isn’t a winger, we don’t have a striker, Siggy can’t defend, Moran is incapable and Szmodics is still at home. Did I miss anything?

This is awful.

Moran is useless.

We simply cannot created chances without being completely wide open at the back.

Great save from Pears there. Brittan looks to be struggling now too and we’re out of changes

Hate to see the injury but it forced the changes JDT likely needed to make tiger a result here

Jrc on too. JRC to left back?

Just when we start to get healthy, Pickering added to Carter with a hamstring. Chrisene to left back. Siggy on.

No idea how we’re going to get in behind. Szmodics playing higher up isn’t finding space to run in, 5 defenders and 3 defensive minded midfielders. Seems a lot of Wharton, Garrett and Trondstad all checking into the same space deep in midfield. If we’re going to score we will need an attacking player or 2 on

We’ve played more crosses in today than the rest of the season combined. Either we’ve forgotten how poor Gally is in the air or we’ve seen him banging them in against our even worse in the air back line in training

That and we were much better defensively when JRC was playing over Wharton. For all Whartons quality JRC is a much better defender and tackler.

Can it be a bidding war if the highest bidder is submitting lower offers? £1,000,000 oh we’re winning, revised offer £750,0000…all the way to a loan and you cover the wages but we will play the lad 15 matches.

The beauty of the director of football and coach set up. Both can just blame each other! No accountability.

Defending has been an issue from day one this season. The only time we looked half decent was when A Wharton was dropped for JRC and we played with Brittain at right wing (5 defenders) on the pitch. That’s also when Trondstad came in for Trav.

We can only dream

Sounds like Batty had quite the performance. 2 goals and an assist.

Maybe Trav going out on loan has more to do with finances than we thought. From the LT when asked about Buckley “I was disappointed he went away in the summer. It was not my decision, I would rather have kept John,” Tomasson explained. “It was a financial decision to get his wages off the bill, now he is back. John is a good lad but it will take months before he is back, which is disappointing. so if we had to move his wages and now he’s back, we needed to ship off someone else to account for his cost?

Like this. But really not that impressive. https://youtu.be/jsjRdIgq8s4?si=gkjuYM68oslAujCh

Why not on a permanent? Seems the right level for him.