Assuming Brittain and Hyam aren't fully fit I'd go with the same team as the Watford game, with Hedges coming in for Brereton-Diaz.

His mistake?

What's Vale done to warrant a game of football for the First XI ever again?

Vale, Gallagher and Brereton-Diaz haven't scored since the World Cup break (12 games). There's defeatist then there's realist.

We need to give it up at this point. He'll miss his third game on Wednesday - with the speed that this is being resolved he'll miss his fourth game on Saturday (even if he gets here on Thurs / Fri he won't be match fit, nor will he have trained with the team). For such an expensive loan, the benefit has now passed - the Playoffs are gone.

Out of interest, how many Champions Leagues have you won?

Nottingham Forest.

His head has gone and he's completely out of form - but you can see he's still putting a shift in with how laboured his running is late in games.

Best keeper in the world, that lad. Someone should offer £80m for him immediately.

I laughed at the time. As I've always said, when Gallagher walks through that door / runs out like a gazelle onto the training pitch every single new coach will think "bloody hell, we've got a 6'4" monster here". Then you see him try to trap a ball or shoot and your heart sinks.

Brereton-Diaz and Gallagher (or Thomas, or Dolan) are asked to cover in a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3. It's only when you play them upfront in the 5-3-2 (or whatever variation you want to call it - 3-5-2 etc) that you don't find them tracking back with the Full Back. He's not being asked to do anything out of the ordinary - it's a staple of the 'new' formations in football. The reason people are saying we were 'playing with a back 6' is because Watford were on the front foot.

It has to have failed - he'll miss the game on Weds too now. That's 3 matches he could have played - gets to the point where the loan isn't worth it.

No highlights I've seen (extended or otherwise) have shown the blatant dive for their FK. Poor, that. Also no highlights have shown Sarr's run down their left where he rinsed JRC and Carter (both tried to slide in and foul him, but they couldn't get near him) - it was the most impressive thing that happened today.

Hedges.

Porteous threw himself to the floor.

To me you can spend the budget how you like, as long as you get results. I imagine they were eating into the transfer budget to pay O'Brien's wages. The difference is that Mowbray had (almost) twice the money in wages to play with - in addition to all the transfer fees paid - and he spent it very poorly. I'll be brutally honest - I hope the transfer doesn't go through because it seems a waste of resources.

Holtby was poor for most of his time here - when he wasn't injured. I just picked out a couple, I could list a whole host of them, really.

You think he'd be a passenger? Everyone else is telling me he's the best CM in the Championship.

The annoying thing is that Mowbray was allowed a whole host of passengers on big money. Douglas, Downing, Holtby, Rodwell etc etc. JDT / Broughton aren't afforded the luxury of any, such is the new wage structure.

Your new CF cost £11m.

Vale, Gallagher and Brereton-Diaz haven't scored since the World Cup break. Dolan today put in a massive shift - he really puts Vale's work ethic to shame - but he's a 5'6" attacking midfielder (of some guise) being asked to compete against two 6'+ CBs. He can harry all game long, but he's not going to score you many playing there. When the window slammed shut without a striker being brought in our promotion challenge was over. We simply don't score enough goals and won't do with this current set of players.

He'd just sit out his contract in that case.

I only like loans if you're pushing for promotion. Mowbray used them to prop up his squad because his recruitment was terrible. I much prefer the 'project' we've got in place now - develop your own Academy players and pick up promising young players from elsewhere. Porteous, for example, would have been a cracking signing for £500k (or whatever it was) - that £500k would have been spent on a loan fee under Mowbray.

If you're being serious about a promotion challenge at a minimum (assuming Thomas is made permanent) you'd need a proper CF, an AML and a LB before you even look to address CM.

Mainly because we've just taken a very creditable point from Watford away - to add to the very good point away at Bristol City. The Wigan draw is disappointing, but when your £15m+ striker misses a sitter I'm not sure what you're supposed to do - they didn't threaten us at all. I was worried about relegation in the summer, so I'm seeing all of this as glass half full.