Exiled_Rover

Szmodics down injured with a back / glute pull. Lovely stuff. What a cursed football club we are.

I think we've looked good - albeit seriously lacking pace - they're clearly quite a good side.

Thought it was wonderful movement from Leonard myself - imagine that, a #9 making himself available for a ball played across the 6 yard box. Couldn't be us.

Savio, a Brazilian they've loaned in from Troyes. Was bought for £5m+ a few years ago, still only 19 - he's got way too much about him for Pickering.

This RW (#16?) has Pickering on toast.

They're very clinical. Two counter attacks (Pickering got absolutely roasted for the second one) two goals. We lack size and pace - it's very telling.

I will say it's a tiny forward line - and team in general. With no reinforcements we're going to get bullied at set pieces.

If he's got anything about him he'll score in this team - we were creating chances for fun post-Christmas, we just didn't have a #9 with any movement / strikers instinct / finishing ability to put them away. Asking anyone to score 13+ from LW is a big ask - but conversely if my LW can create and provide more to the team than Brereton-Diaz did it can even out with the right #9.

The ref is in black and they're in a dark (possibly black) kit too - who planned this?!

Nope, absolute amateur hour.

That's hugely unfair writing Leonard off.

Well evidently we're not bringing in any reinforcements, so this is Leonard's and Markanday's chance to stake a claim for a starting spot.

There's a video clip of him training in Ireland on YouTube earlier this year - he said he expects to be in and around the first team this season. I don't know if that's bravado or they've told him as much.

We don't even have a striker on the pitch so I wasn't expecting goals - I just wanted to see what Barnes / Batty et al looked like.

I understand an away game in Austria (although it'd still be easy to do), but a game against a League Two side at their ground? It's literally all set up for it and has been since the pandemic. Baffling. Ah well.

So not streamed again? Yikes.

Ooooph, starting without a striker. A clear message from JDT.

No debate about it - the defender has had to play the ball because the striker is running in behind him. Therefore, he's influenced the play - offside.

Coventry have just signed their 7th player of the window (and gone way over the money they received for that Swedish fella).

Have we been playing 4-3-3 in the pre-season?

A traditional home shirt design that they continue to get wrong? Reversed. Halves.

Where's Ethan Walker in the pecking order? He wasn't sent to Austria, but he's stood out when I've briefly watched the U21s.

And they wonder why RL is dying on it's arse. National tv audience and the game has been decided by a disgraceful call by the referee.

Bairstow scored another 60+ runs at a rapid rate - no problem with the lack of declaration in this match. We've lost 2 days due to rain - you're never getting a result in a proper Test.

I went this year for a T20 - lovely ground.