It would have been a bit like Rovers appointing Dunny. Popular ex player but not cut out to do anything more than blowing the balls up for training.

It was a " Coylesque " type of appointment. Relegation written all over it. What made them think he would be a successful manager ?

So does Walton unfortunately.

That's the difference. If you can get around the sides of teams and play the ball in it makes life so much easier for the strikers. Defenders get turned around so they're running back towards their own goal. It's a lot easier to lose your maker then. Lumping it up from the halfway line makes it easy for the defenders because they see the ball and whoever they are marking. The thing about Dack's pass to Bennett was he gave it early instead of taking an extra touch like lots of players do.

Two good bits of play from Dack today. He made the first goal look simple when it would have been easy to panic and throw a boot at the ball. Then a really nice inside ball for Bennett to run on to for the second goal. Getting in up the byeline like Bennett did is a killer, all the defenders are running back towards their own goal, it's easy to do what Gallagher did and just get away from your marker for a side footed shot on goal.

Mm, I suppose we'd be getting a decent wedge off the wage bill.

I've only seen brief highlights but early on he got down to parry a simple shot from distance and he looked like he was getting into bed after a night on the ale. He's OK if you bang it right at him but if the ball's going to the side he makes it look like really hard work. I know Raya had his faults but this guy isn't an improvement.

Any mention of a fee ?

Yes I thought that myself to be honest. We ended up in a bunch under the ball yet we still didn't deal with it.

What's the chances of Mulgrew being back in January ?

Just seen the goals. That's a very clever bit of play from Dack for the first one. It would have been easy to hit a defender from that position but he managed to deftly guide the ball into an open space. A real finishers goal. Nice inside ball for Bennett to gallop onto as well. Cool side foot finish from Gallagher. When we were talking about strikers needing service the other day that's exactly the sort of move/ball you dream about. .Walton should have done better for their goal. Why he didn't muscle his way through there I'll never know. 9/10 the ref will give a foul on the goalkeeper.

Downing didn't play after all then ?

Shop window for Stoke in January ?

Maybe he's improving their fox trot and samba ?

I think a loan is the best we can expect and only then if either of Samuel and Brereton also go out on loan.

The thing that Rhodes had was his sense of anticipation of what was likely to happen in any given situation and his calmness in the act of shooting at goal. You rarely saw him give the ball more power than was needed to get the ball over the line and you rarely saw him miss hit the ball.

I agree up to a point but you could argue most strikers will score a few if shooting chances are laid on a plate for them. Ideally you need your strikers to to be able to 1) make their own shooting opportunities 2) make opening for other players.

Mind boggling. Bell's on more than Nyambe ? Gallagher's on £40k a week to run about aimlessly on the right wing . Travis is next to the worst paid player who is Sam Hart who's playing for nothing.

I wasn't keen on heading the old balls. They were really heavy when they were wet. I've seen stars on more than one occasion. I really good pal of mine who was a tremendous header of the ball both as a centre half and a centre forward has Parkinson's now.

He needs to go somewhere else, for his own sake as well as ours.

Maybe they've been reading about all these old players with brain injuries and they don't fancy ending up the same way.

When I saw him in that game against Rochdale I thought I could see a player there. He's a big lad with two good feet and although he's not quick he had a good change of pace and once he gets on his bike he could be hard to catch. He could go either way with the ball, left or right. Having said that 2 years out may be an insurmountable amount of ring rust

What I can't understand is how a lad well over 6 ft tall is so easily dominated in the air. If you put him and Gallagher together you wouldn't have a good header of the ball and they're both really tall lads.

Makes sense to me. I rate Nyambe a lot but like a lot of other quick players he's prone to muscle pulls and strain type injuries. Regarding Gallagher, I'm not his biggest fan but surely if he is going to play he should be up front centrally and not out on the wing.

I wish what you are saying was true but unfortunately the Dingles don't lose heavily very often.