Well you wouldn't, would you? There's a number of fans on here that just think Broughton / JDT are on the gravy train and aren't desperately trying to improve the playing staff. Money is clearly ridiculously tight - which goes back to my point about Mowbray extending Gallagher out of spite.

If Big Dunc was good enough for us, he's good enough for them. Get Ferguson in I say.

It's very harsh. He's a good Championship player - he's just a box-to-box / defensive midfielder, rather than one that's comfortable with the ball at his feet. He's better without the ball than with it.

I don't think he'll be sold this window, but he's clearly not a fit for the style of play JDT is promoting. He made him captain because he was the clear leader of the group when JDT arrived - although Hyam has supplanted him there it looks like. I'd say most players have improved as the season has gone on - funny that it's such a game of opinions, eh?

He isn't competent enough on the ball to play in this system, unfortunately. That error against Preston was criminal. Just absolute basic football skills that he doesn't have.

These tinfoil hat theories baffle me. Why put up with all the hassle? Just sell the club if you don't care - or I guess liquidate it if you're that way inclined.

He kept on passing the ball to the opposition and was caught out of position a lot earlier in the season. He had a good game at the weekend, so hopefully he's over his blip in form.

I'm still not sure why Carter is so poorly thought of on here - he's yet to let us down. Wharton is a decent Championship CB - you're in a very strong position if he's a bench player for you.

He is in the first team. You mean the First XI? Well that would be some feat as an 18 year old - I'd throw down the gauntlet to him if I was JDT, but I'd like to have some experienced, talented, options in case he falters.

I'd laugh if they went down and that millstone dragged them down through the leagues.

Think that's just scousers in general.

We'll need another CB in the summer when Ayala (and his big contract) leaves - this is just succession planning. There's no saying that Watford / Udinese are going to blow him out of the water with a contract offer either.

Unfair to lump Szmodics in with the other two. He has 3 goals and an assist in an injury plagued season.

If they're good enough, yes. Phillips, Garrett and Wharton are good enough for the odd game.

As I keep saying, there's clearly a player in Vale somewhere - he's tidy with the ball at his feet, his movement is decent and he's taken to nice goals in the FA cup. However he's weak in possession and lethargic out of it. If he just fought to retain the ball, rather than being easily brushed off it, and sprinted to pressure / run into space he'd be much more likely to succeed as a pro footballer.

We created the 4 best chances of the game and missed them all.

I'm trying to think what that style of play is given his lack of technique and instincts. I assume playing balls into the channels and watching him lash 9/10 of them into the stands? He certainly can't play with his back to goal, nor does he win many attacking headers in their box.

You can't take what a manager says in press conferences seriously - it's all positive. The fact he's dropped players for poor performances this season tells me he's ruthless behind the scenes. Buckley was dropped for months, Dack had to earn his way into the side, Markanday is having to learn to track back right now - he's not soft on them. It's never been a lack of fight this season, it's a lack of ability to put the ball in the back of the net (with maybe one semi-decent attacking player on the bench to bring on to change things).

It's been said multiple times that BBD is still here cos the owners have a valuation for him (which is baffling because they know nothing about football!) and won't sell him unless it's met. I'm sure Broughton and JDT would love to have that money for a bloke that hasn't scored for nearly 10 games. My only real complaints about JDT so far is that he's slow to make subs (but he clearly doesn't trust the bench) and he's never dropped Morton for his poor play (but that might be part of the loan deal.

He's the best manager I've ever seen, which is why I used him as the example.

He walked away from a much more pressured job because he wanted a bigger challenge, so I'm not sure where the idea that he's here for an easy ride comes from.

There's a difference between writing the season off and begging for relegation. They're slowly bringing their players into the club and slowly bringing along our top Academy prospects - all the while installing the style of play they want to play. I keep mentioning it, but you don't put 3 at the back and employ the low block for 20 mins against relegation threatened Cardiff at home if you're not being pragmatic - we've ground out quite a few games that way this year. We find ourselves in a very surprising position, but they're not going to go hell for leather chasing a playoff spot... hence being linked to two permanent long-term options in supposed positions of strength and pragmatically trying to bring in a goal scorer on loan.

You wouldn't think Butterworth and Vale had come through the Academy (i.e. had some passion for the club) and were playing for their professional futures. The bare minimum you expect from a footballer is 100% effort. If they're not talented enough then you still respect that they've tried. Neither Butterworth or Vale look like they want to be there - and both will find themselves out of football and / or in the lower leagues very shortly.

I definitely watch a different game to most on here. Rathbone put his foot through a half chance (that Morton / Kaminski [take your pick] gifted to him) - he doesn't score that goal again in 100 attempts - and beyond that all he did was go around kicking lumps out of our players. That game, like this Bristol City one and the Boro game were decided by our strikers not being able to finish incredibly presentable chances. That's currently on Mowbray (including saddling us with Gallagher on a new contract!), but after next summer it will be on Broughton and JDT if they can't improve the situation.

He wants a PL job - I assume preferably not one that's deep in a relegation battle.