Bethnal

A life well-lived. RIP.

Dolan is the definition of a confidence player. Some excellent work since his assist. Surprised to see JRC spurn a chance from taking his foot off the gas at the crucial moment. That goal would’ve been huge. Really want to see us remain balanced and vigilant here. We struggled to see games out last season and it has to change.

I said in his debut cameo that he didn’t look the required standard and I stand by that. Even still, he is scoring in the behind-closed-doors and U21s games, so there’s obviously something there. As a punt - which he was - I’m happy for him to spend the next 6 weeks getting up to speed, but if he’s still not staked a claim after Christmas, I think we’ll know.

Cardiff aren’t here to play much football and they currently look a level below us. We aren’t causing much bother to their in the box, though. Got to remain balanced and focused, they will get the opportunity to break, we need to find something to make the break a lot less important when it comes (ideally two goals!). We are now a very technical side and increasingly look like a cohesive team, which is pleasing. Standard of coaching must be leagues ahead of where it’s been in recent years.

Has the “death by a thousand cuts” feel to it, although how I’m reading everything doesn’t point to a Rovers funeral, I don’t think. I think if you’re being investigated like this and there’s a story dripping out every week, there’s a lot more blood to be let. Although we should all be careful about what we say definitely and what we speculate on, I would suggest that lazily using the incorrect vehicle for cross-border investment in your rent-a-mate, low-grade, faded pop star acquaintance’s doomed-from-the-off music startup is the kind of thing that a sophisticated investor tends not to do. In the words of the inimitable Logan Roy, these “are not serious people.” Although probably more suitable for those in question would be his shorter, more brusque catchphrase.

Agreed. An incredible find. If he sticks around on a permanent, he’ll be a serious asset to us in this league and potentially the one above. A frankly remarkable upgrade on Diaz.

Has the Raya deal gone through yet? At this rate, we could be getting jiggered out of the sell-on. He looks completely overawed by his situation.

Genuinely think this whenever I watch Match of the Day. We go up and we get Balaji flying back into Ewood, an aged Ronaldinho staggering behind him, off his private jet, bottle of curaçao in hand and a letter from Madame sanctioning “four leased players.” We’d break the Derby lowest points total record, nailed-on, especially with the administrators we have in charge.

They’re mic’d up, aren’t they? He could just as easily have said something through an earpiece.

He’s had more than his fill. How many times can you lose money to Akon in another investment before your number is called? There simply has to be a limit.

I don’t think you’re wrong, but I also don’t think Gilsenan gets on the pitch either. He could’ve been the 19th man (either of them), I’m just grasping for a bit of meaning in the circumstances. To be fair, if JDT has told them to get it launched into the box, Telalovic is a bigger aerial threat, so it may be as simple as that.

Waggott. Balaji’s physician (he’s doing too good of a job, for me).

I don’t think he was coming on unless maybe we were a couple up for the last five. There are others better-placed than me to know if this is the case, but travelling, rooming with someone, going to the pre-match meeting, warming up, being in the dressing room, half time keep-warm and post-match warm down for a player who is definitely still integrating, is probably all really important to getting him back on the pitch, especially because it’s been so stop-start for him.

I’d be wary of trying it, but on paper, it should probably be Tronstad and Wharton in there. Not sure what you do with your club captain and last season’s break-out, consistently top performer, but that’s why they don’t pay me the big bucks.

I really don’t want this to be true, but I think especially when you have both on at the same time, this is true. Would probably do well in the league below and really cause trouble but there are some quality defenders here and I just haven’t seen enough to think they can do much for us at this time. Ty has dawdled on a deal and will probably be moved on, Markanday is at least a year behind on his development, basically, having been held back at Spurs and badly injured here. He’s also being asked to play wide when - as many on her have stated and I’m now beginning to see - he is only cut out for a 10 role. Sigurdsson needs to be starting he brings a lot to our forward play but we lacked fluidity by the time he was on. Criminal to pass his chance up like that but I’ve watched excellent footballers at the highest level do similar or worse and I believe he has inherent quality to make the right choice the majority of the time. He’s got so much visible desire, as well.

It wasn’t a bad performance, it was more defensively solid than it has been. Hit and hope after a little bit of distracted defending and we’re nowhere near a second ball. Goal, mistakes get punished. That phase of play happens. We’ve had a goal dubiously (but probably correctly) chalked off and missed a 3-on-2 sitter. I could see signs of excellent mentality at times and I suspect with the form we’re in, mentality might be coming into question. I’m at QPR on Saturday. I’ve not witnessed a loss or a draw in the flesh for a good five years, so brighter times are around the corner.

If you don’t do enough to win, you run the risk of losing. We’re ending up on the wrong side of that equation when we’ve done enough and when we haven’t. Not promising.

No urgency. You can’t force it, I get that, but the central defenders are far too slow to get it forward.

Tronstad struggling with the team’s shape and speed of the game.

I’d be livid if it was given against us, is the thing. We need to permanently make space for Hill, he’s adding a lot of security.

Weird line up, but I don’t hate it (save for a recognised striker and Siggy not starting). Dolan’s started brightly, as have the front four as a whole. Hyam storming forward as a stopper is a role he is visibly not comfortable with. Weird one that we keep asking it of him. He’s positionally solid, dashing forward nullifies this trait. Carter’s clumsy, so I get why you wouldn’t want him doing it, but maybe just don’t have a player doing that? Intrigued to see what happens, we need to walk away with something here and a clean sheet is top of the wishlist.

In the end, we didn’t have the killer instinct or the stamina to stand up to this challenge. “Men against boys” is probably a fair assessment, literally and figuratively. Their forward line wages are probably our whole squad’s wages and while that’s not the most telling of metrics, it’s a good shorthand for what we saw today: a gulf in quality. I don’t dislike our shape and formation in certain games, I think it can get us somewhere. Today, though, we clearly needed three in the middle. It should have been a three, with Sigurdsson, Moran and Szmodics up top. A much closer affair, likely. “We’re going to score more than you” only works when you actually do that. Somewhat prone to overthinking it, but this style of play is set up for developing players that will go on to bigger and better things. Those who give their all in our squad deserve better, but this is what the CEO has publicly instructed the manager to do. The manager could merely be giving the CEO what he wants. Szmodics, Moran, Brittain and Pickering had good games. Carter and Wharton could do with a spell out of the first team. I’d be cautious to add Hyam to that, but he’s looked poor recently. We move on, Coventry is a tough-but-winnable Wednesday night challenge and QPR should net three points. COYB.

Good finish but Leo was barely competing for that. 4-1 is poor, even against the team I think wins the league at a canter.

He’s not able to do the full 90. Don’t think he has the fitness (yet) to do that and his mistakes creep in as the game goes on. Some excellent moments but the mistakes and the fitness need to improve. Fingers crossed for a 5-minute Semir hat trick? “Give the lad a chance” I believe the shout is?

All rather aimless at the minute, but 20 minutes left, so we have to be a bit more strategic than tactical and stay in the game long enough to push towards the end and try to knock the wind out of Leicester’s sails. A draw here is a good result, playing to keep that aim alive is alright. I want more than we have on the pitch, unfortunately. Dolan and Markanday have basically the same attributes and flaws, which are easy to marshal. There’s no recognised striker, no aerial threat. We’re hoping for Sammie to find a second rabbit in today’s hat, which is a big ask of him every week.