bluebruce

In fact, do we think Pasha will have the gumption to come out and say 'nobody knew if Ryan Alebiousu was any good' if he goes on to smash it for an Everton?

On paper, Wooton looks like a bit of a waste of time. 29 years old, and last season he scored 11 league goals, 8 the season before. Ohashi type numbers but in League One and Two respectively. Suggests this season's flurry is the exception not the norm. A no from me unless he's an absolute boss at being a target man. Ballard seems a much better shout, better numbers at a much younger age. But a short sample size and young, may not hit the ground like we need. If he was one of two strikers signed though, with the other having more proven goals pedigree, could be a good move. All of this being on paper, I've never seen either player. Agree I felt we should go for Aasgaard at the time.

It says everything about how scattergun our approach was this summer that Alebiousu was given a 3 year deal whilst Henriksson was given a 4. They clearly had little idea themselves of how good these players would be. Not that it will make much difference when we shunt him out the door in January.

I think it would be incredibly risky to drop McLoughlin and play a back 3 entirely of youngsters whereby O'Riordan would be the most experienced yet has barely played at this level. McLoughlin is no great shakes, but with that level of experience in the back 3 I think they'd be far too error prone. His experience would help keep the shape better and have a better sense of where to sniff out danger. God we are in dire straits that we are even discussing this.

There were pretty persistent rumours that a Middle Eastern club wanted Gueye.

When it has happened as often as it has, excuses start to wear thin. Individually yes, a player might be virtually impossible to keep. Overall, we are fucking up by not offering the going rate. To think anything else is to be kidding yourself.

Could really turn our season around. But zero chance it happens.

I'm talking about prestige history. They're old, great. They got in Europe by winning the prestigious Welsh Cup, oooh. They've never even been in the top flight and barely been in this one. Compared to Blackburn Rovers, they're a chihuahua next to a husky, historically speaking. That's the point I was making. I'm actually pleased for their underdog story and watch their documentary. I'm not knocking what they've done or trying to diss them, I'm pointing out they had precisely zero natural advantages over us. Shitter ground, shitter history, smaller fanbase, worse facilities, lesser finances even after their owners came in. Yet they've managed to jump from 3 leagues below us in a fraction of the time we have gone from Prem to League One and then treaded water in the Championship with zero playoff appearances. And that it's all because of one thing - better owners who let football people run the club, back those people, and only intervene when it's useful.

It's actually just under 2 years ago. They will reach the Prem before we even make the playoffs, and they started in non league with fuck all history and a far smaller fanbase. Their owners aren't even as wealthy as ours. Proper ownership is everything. Their owners didn't understand football either, but they were savvy enough to put proper football people in charge and back them. Our lot already had one of the best operators in English football and fucked him off for corrupt agents. Then have employed arrogance in their ownership ever since despite clearly learning nothing about football even after all this time.

We should have signed Rathbone instead of Wrexham.

Aye. He has had no real effect on this game, we have just been shit, but fuck me it's frustrating to see this incompetence week in week out.

Not no reason. We wanted a quick buck. Well worth throwing our season away.

Sorry it didn't meet the high standards of your 'you do you' and 'spare me' replies, that contained bugger all facts or logic. ZZZ indeed. I'll do us both a favour and pop you on ignore.

Wrexham defender got a foot on that Baradji shot btw.

Sure, I'll spare you, you're blatantly not worth talking to. 'You do you'

Wtf was that Cantwell

I'd be surprised if Gestede is expensive. He came in with fuck all experience during an era of cost cutting. He will be on less than Broughton was, and I bet he wasn't particularly expensive either.

Yeh it's almost like we're playing far shitter, at home, against a worse team, and being pumped 2 nil instead of gaining a creditable draw away to second in the league.

Apart from the fact that Hedges will have to come off unless we want him properly injured again, what changes are there to be made? Honestly? Look at that bench. Who is changing this game at all?

I'm not doing me, I'm doing the fact it doesn't fall on the club's 150th anniversary, nor the calendar year in which the club turned 150, and the club already communicated extensively about the Derby game being the 150th anniversary. They had a whole event around it, special game with former players etc. Today is just the day we finally got our ass in gear by having the kit ready.

Hedges is clearly going to have to come off. Can't see the point of keeping him on til then.

The Baradji one was a yellow. Albeit not the sort all refs would give.

That's probably bordering on a red card, not even a foul given.

Feels like this is going to be 3 or 4

Yep. He has been steady, that's about it. I'm glad Toth has come back just as Pears reverts to type.