DutchRover

Ah yes Adam Forshaw, the scouse Yaya Toure as Ismael likes to call him when we are 3-1 down...

Even the happy clappers might be forced to support boycott given the way we are playing

Formation, players, manager, execs, owners.....

Desperate form and horrific injury crisis, relegation looming, and Rudy's "exciting plan" is two signings, one of whom is a loan we have to play even if he is crap. Jorgenson seems a decent prospect (by our standards at least), he made more runs in the channel in his 30 minutes against Ipswich than the rest of the team combined over the season (only a slight exaggeration sadly) and has some pace which is good. Might be more a wide-forward than a central striker but could mesh well with Ohashi (similar) and Gudjohnson central. Cashin had a horrible debut, no question, and while he may be talented and just need nurturing, the signing is unbelievably stupid. We are forced to play him ahead of Pratt who is younger, faster, taller, and on the basis of season so far a better CB, and most important actually our player. The signing is actively detrimental, thanks Rudy. I said at the start of the window we didn't need a CB, for all our lack of goals our defence has been ok, and Carter is about to be back giving us McLoughlan, Miller, Carter, Pratt, Atcheson, Litherland which is not ideal but manageable. A replacement for Hyam, who we should never have sold, was only CB I would have been interested in, and Cashin is the exact opposite of that; short and slow, not tall and injury proof. Offloading Gueye was good, but why do we still have Ribeiro and Pickering who Ismael refuses to play? Why not offload them and bring in an actual Wing-Back while Hedges is crippled, and before he leaves on a free when he gets better (shades of Weimann?), because De Neve is the worst positional player I have ever seen in both attack and defense. I said in the match thread god only knows why Kortrijk kept him and loaned out Alebiosu. CM remains an issue as well, Tronstad has checked out and we refuse to resign him, again god knows why (oh wait yeah our ridiculous self-imposed wage cap; thanks our Billionaire owners), TGH and Forshaw are not good enough and neither should have been signed. Baradji has talent but missed half the season and looks better further forward than CM proper. Henriksson has been another awful Gestede signing, a shame that one as he seemed a decent prospect when we signed him in summer. Then again, I keep forgetting we support a club run for Suhail's bonus not success on the field...

As long as it's cheaper and Suhail can get his bonus...

Awful performance, no fight at all. Refereeing terrible and I'd say we suffered more from the lack of pen and what should have been two reds for Furlong, but they also didn't get a stonewall pen and we would have lost either way. Surely we have to change formation now, 3-5-2 is offering us nothing going forward, and with guys coming back from injury I think we should change back to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, with a defensive left back (Pick/Rib/Cashin) and then a wing back on right (Alebiosu). Jorgenson can tuck in as a wide striker from right, and hopefully Morishita will be back to play on left. Midfield three of Tron, Baradji and Cantwell, then Ohashi/Gidjonson able to rotate up front. Centre back would be the issue, Cashin and McLoughlan might struggle, and Miller can't be the RCB in a two. But worth a try at least surely.

That was also a stonewall pen, Cashin at fault again

Maybe we bribed them not to give us decisions, give us an excuse when we get relegated?

Same player who shoved Ohashi and should already have seen red

That's an argument to improve the team then, not to get relegated and start from scratch.

Stonewall penalty, pathetic refereeing

We've finished in the top 8 in 3 of the last 4 years, relegation shouldn't have been anywhere close, it is the deliberate actions of Suhail and Gestede that have made relegation possible. And unlike last time, we won't bounce straight back, they'll strip more assets and cut the budget further.

In the case of Cashin yes, no salary from us unless we don't play him... We would literally have to pay him not to play, thanks Rudy

We're gonna get embarrassed here. Cashin having a shocker, own goal, poor defending for 2nd, and can't even pass down line. De Neve is the least positionally aware player I have ever seen. No idea how him and Alebiosu came from same level.

Great start boys....

Deeply embarrassing for the LT

Maybe Gestede read my rant from earlier 🤔 These two actually look like exciting signings, especially if both are permanent deals.

Elliot's contract roundup on LT is tragic, completely peddles the club line "would love to extend Tronstad/Toth/fill in player here, but deal seems unlikely..." etc How's about you actually renew them then? Or offer million pound signings more than a 2-year deal? It's just so depressing at this point how much of a joke this club has become. Offering L2 salaries on short term deals and then turning to the fans, too many of whom still lap it up, and saying "well we tried". On the Hyam front too, why not use that money for the pitch you haven't invested in for 15 years? Instead of Ismael ceding his transfer budget? Oh wait there was no budget and we still won't fix the pitch I bet. Common thread is Suhail, this exact same process happened when he last had total control and took us to League 1. Mowbray sidelining him was the only reason who got where we've been in last few years. Suhail would have had us in National league by now if Mowbray hadn't meddled and gone direct to Venkys in India. Rant over, hopefully we sign someone soon haha

TGH is definition if average squad player. But wouldn't he need to basically half his salary for our arbitrary wage cap? He's supposed to be on more than 15k at B'ham no?

Two-year deal is pointless, just guarantees we sell him this summer or next summer. I wish we supported a club who actually tried to build a squad and not just line agent pockets. Furthermore, its clearly the usual desperation and unwillingness to sign anyone in Jan. Baradji is the easy deal since it's already agreed, but they'll try to point to it and tell the fans "look we are signing players". Good deal, but pathetic by the club.

I posted about Max Dean as an overseas English option playing in Belgium a few weeks ago, didn't necessarily want us to actually go after him. Probably where to rumour came from tbh, I'm deffo not an itk, just a Football Manager player lol. Young so should develop; good last year, but poor this year; English but plays in Rudy's favourite league.

So we've made a loss on Gueye then? Great player trading by Gestede, really shows what can be achieved with full alignment at the club: slagging off our own players that we are trying to sell, and then flogging them to the lowest bidder, while underbidding anyone we want to sign and offering them a contract from Nat League

How is Nixon working out we are selling Gueye for an 800k profit at 1.8 million, when the reported fee when we bought him was 1.8 million? Am I misremembering or are they just lying about the add-ons as usual...

Classic Venkys January so far, don't see it getting much better. Given quality of summer signings vs academy lads we may as well just play the latter (tongue in cheek), but we desperately need some quality in, which we just aren't going to get. Two strikers, two wing backs and maybe a centre mid should be the aim, and to permanently sign Baradji who has looked good. I doubt we get more than two new guys even if we shift 3 or 4, and they'll be Woodrow type loans knowing Gestede.

Looked caught in two minds Doherty, should have taken shot with right foot but instead waited too long and let Coyle get back to cut of left foot shot.