ageoftherover

I rewatched the highlights of the Stoke game at Ewood earlier in the season. No obvious howlers, but note his positioning on the save at 1:00. Its a particularly good camera angle to highlight the problem. Yes he reacts well to parry, but look how much room he's offering on his near post. A half decent striker glances up and strokes that home comfortably. That's criminal keeping at this level, even if at first glance it looks like a good moment for him. This is back when he was in his so called purple patch just before we went on our run of 6 straight. It's not just problems with his confidence and mental fortitude, he's got significant technical issues in his game that should have been rooted out at a much lower level than the Championship. Contrast that with Johanson's performance in the same game. Yes Pears makes the odd decent stop and even a string of them from time to time. Can we imagine him pulling off anything like the sublime save at 1:17? I'll forgive the odd moment from a keeper if he can make saves like that. Swap keepers and we get 3 points there, no doubt about it in my mind. He's gotta be replaced. And a few steady games from this point won't change that.

Is that from North West England's equivalent of The Onion? If so it's genuinely quite funny. If it's real it's even funnier.

We've beaten all 3 promoted sides this year.

The heart bleeds for you Derby. 😂

That is interesting. For all the complaints that have been around about our recruitment, that suggests the people in those positions have done a pretty good job with not very much to work with.

Amazing what some competition for spots will do for players who previously had little of it.

Why does 100% of the blame have to be apportioned to anyone? We've now heard (indirectly) both sides of the story and on balance the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

If the lads roll over for that game we might as well pack it in. You cant imagine they'll be anything but massively fired up as a unit, no matter what they say publicly about Eustace.

High, wide and handsome is the line I always remember from back in the day.

3 points (assuming we hold on), would be lovely, but by far the most important outcome of tonight is knowing that the manager shit isn't deflating the squad. They seem really up for the fight in what should have been a very dangerous game.

A lot of week left too.

Practising my biggest big papi smile right now.

Sure, but we're hardly Liverpool either.

I can't wait for the subsequent years of arguments about his win percentage.

How is a rule like that going help a nation like Wales? It's all well and good when you're poaching a Championship level midfielder, but it won't be much fun when you're watching prime Gareth Bale playing for Spain.

Put me down for Allardyce. A direct style would suit our personnel atm and I reckon he'd have the players motivated which is our best shot of pulling off a miracle this year. Plus, I do enjoy his podcast now and then and appreciate the broad scepticism he has with modern techniques, particularly below the absolute top tier of the sport.

You're still responsible for your words, no matter the subtext we might read into them. You don't get to expound cliches then dart behind "i was just expounding cliches" when your actions don't line up with your prior statements. Hence the narratives his camp have to build up surrounding his exit, let down by the club, not given assurances by management, unfair treatment of his players etc etc. The last one in particular is a bit much. Yeah the squad has been badly let down by the club wrt contracts, but are they better off showcasing their wares in an enthusiastic, galvanised squad that makes the play-offs and potentially beyond? Or are they better off showcasing their wares in a rudderless ship that fades out heavily to a lower mid table finish? The club bears ultimate responsibility for this, but let's not pretend JE jumping ship helps the players in any shape or form.

I think being embarassed/disgusted by our ownership (small o) and management, while simultaneously being disappointed in Eustace for the timing in which this has happened is pretty natural. Whatever you want to say about the club and its brass, the players don't deserve this given the way they've performed against the odds this year. Yes, the club wouldn't have shown loyalty to JE, hes been let down, this is a business etc etc, but it wouldnt feel like that to the players, it would feel like they're being abandoned on the battlefield by their general. Travis' alleged reaction speaks volumes and while we can't know what's really happened (not yet anyway), I'd be disappointed if the playing group weren't fired up in a whole bunch of directions. The only hope I have in this mess is that it galvanises them instead of deflates them, and somehow they pull off what would be a miracle promotion that triggers a sell off by the scum in India. Statues for the lot of them if they pull it off.

I'm all for scepticism around those running the club atm, but the one area we have form in recent times is picking decent managers.

Also, just on the disallowed goal. It's worth remembering situations like that when people are going on about the evils of VAR (and video tech in sport generally). Overall it helps much more than it hinders.

Toth obviously should have done better with the first, but it wouldn't even make the top 5 in terms of Pears howlers. Couldn't do anything about the second goal and made a really good save in the second half.

It's like that South Park episode. Aaaaaand it's gone.

He's got tools enough for the remainder of the year by the looks of it. Good to see the lads are still up for it given what's going on too. If nothing else, it's a good look for any vaguely competent potential replacement.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed with Eustace given how this is playing out. I have the utmost sympathy for him given how diabolical out management/owners are, but he's still a leader of men and its hard not to feel he's leaving them mid fight right now. His is the minor role in all of this of course. But it still doesn't feel right.

We're that roguishly handsome, abusive, drunk. All her friends have told her we're bad news, but deep down there's that little voice telling her that she could be the one to change us.