Exiled_Rover

Isn't it about the chance rather than the outcome? i.e. Cantwell side footing wide from 8 yards out is a baaaaaad miss - doesn't matter if it's on target or not as 9 times out of 10 a professional player slots that home so it's a high xG chance.

The most frustrating thing about Gueye is that all of his teammates are stood miles away from him. Cantwell wanders all over the shop and Dolan / ACD are stuck on their wings. He wins the ball and it just gets turned over. One of the three has to gamble that he's going to win it. Speaking of ACD, he'd be a worldie if he had any pace. Too many times today he cut back inside rather than driving at his man 'cos he knew he didn't have the pace to run past him.

Silly stat then. I'd have scored Cantwell's chance and I'd have backed myself to score Beck's chance too.

Guy behind me mentioned him and I said he's the new Cannon - there'll be an orderly queue for his services. We won't be anywhere near the front of it.

That was a poor loss. I don't know what the xG says, but it feels like they only had one shot on target (before we started chasing the game) and scored it. Gueye, Weimann and ACD had shots blocked and Cantwell and Beck missed absolute sitters. On another day that's a 3-0 win. We need several players in the window - a backup LB, another CM, at LEAST another wide player with pace. You saw the difference when Baker went off - Buckley simply isn't up to it at this level. He's a liability. Sell him and Sigurdsson. Until we actually spend some money I won't get excited about being in and around the Playoffs. Eustace is working miracles to have us anywhere near.

Our game is based on being enthusiastic and organised with very limited players. We were always going to struggle during this ridiculous period. Losing Travis and Pickering has only compounded things.

I think they'd be delighted to get rid of him, but they'll struggle to find a taker.

Yes.

Injured again? When isn't he? Bloody hell.

He doesn't even make the bench currently. He has to be off in January.

When have we ever played Sigurdsson as a 10? Poor sod has been pushed wide left for 18 months.

The recruitment team could do much worse than firing up FM 24, turning the masking off and filtering all players by pace and acceleration. Set the search parameters to 15 pace, 15 acceleration (minimum) and sift through that list (obviously Mbappe is probably out of our price range). We don't need more slow wingers. You saw the kittens the Millwall LW was giving JRC. You saw the ACRES of space on our left wing against Sunderland. Whilst Gueye gives us the ability to just lump it up on occasion and have the ball stick upfront, we have almost zero ability to get in behind teams. Every counter attack has to be so intricate - whereas (again, against Sunderland) their lad just ran away from all of our players before Pears' excellent save. ACD (who again is a good player, but he's very much mini-Saka - deceptively slow) was hawked down in a similar situation. If I'm Eustace I just walk past the recruitment offices every day chanting "Pace, pace, pace, pace, pace".

I'd be amazed if we're not all disappointed come Feb 1. A proactive team would be lining those transfers up now - we have 8 games in January, they should be in and around the first team as soon as possible. We'll probably bring in a few cheap loans on deadline day.

I thought it was a typical Dolan performance at Ewood. Again, you can't fault his work rate - at one point in the second half he sprinted 40 yards to cover the overlapping LB. The problem is he fluffs gilt edged chances like the sitter in the first half. If his brain was as quick as his feet he'd be a good player. Sadly it's not. He has a place as a squad player, for the right price, but nothing more.

His striking technique is poor, so I'd never actually back him to score a goal if the chance falls to him, but we're absolutely a better team when he's leading the line. He's 6'5" and uses it - you can see CBs hate playing against him because he's a physical player. It's not a finesse league, you need one or two battering rams in your side to upset the opposition. He's ours. You can dismiss the assists all you want, but the ball keeps on 'fortuitously' bouncing off him into the path of our players and they keep on putting it in the back of the net. Long may it continue.

To lead the line as a #9 in a 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3 you need to either be big (to act as a focal point) or fast (to run in behind). Ideally you're both. The post below yours mentions that he's no smaller than Ohashi - Ohashi doesn't contribute a great deal when he leads the line. He's too small and isn't fast enough to trouble teams. Ideally Leonard needs 6 months in L1 playing week in, week out. Having a bit-part role here will still develop him, but not as quickly as we'd like and he's already lost nearly 12 months of development with injuries.

Yes, I have a season ticket in the Jack Walker stand.

Dolan has genuinely never been worth the price of admission.

Genuinely, where would you play him? I think he's too small / slow to play as a #9. Do you play him out wide? Do you shift Cantwell out wide and play him as a #10?

If we had a week off between fixtures I'd fancy us against Hull - new manager bounce an' all. As it is I think we'll be in for a hell of a battle on Sunday. It's simply too many games, too often for this tiny squad.

We saw the problem with playing Ohashi and Gueye as a 9/10 at Millwall. You get overrun in midfield as you're then essentially playing 4-2-4. Ohashi could play out wide on the left / right I feel. You can't play him as a #10, he doesn't do enough defensively.

Horror loans for Garrett and O'Riordan. I wouldn't do business with either of those clubs again.

I've watched him for 4 years. I'd fancy my chances in a foot race against Dolan. You absolutely cannot fault his work rate, it's phenomenal, but he's a slow player and his decision making is poor. Like Hedges he'd be an excellent squad player for most Championship teams.

Eustace is in a difficult situation. He's actually got two useful CF in Gueye and Ohashi, but they offer different things and they're both massively hampered by the players around them. Ohashi is a really good finisher with excellent movement, but doesn't offer a great deal in terms of leading the line. Gueye is a really poor finisher, but leads the line really well and brings others into play (7 assists now is it?). The problem is that our wide players neither create enough or score enough chances, so you're not playing to either Ohashi's or Gueye's strengths. As much as I like him I'd like to see Cantwell score / create a little more - but granted it's difficult to do when you're effectively playing with 9 men when you go forward if you're starting Hedges / Dolan. They need to give ACD an extended run in the side and sign a pacey winger in January.

Pace? Dolan?