bluebruce

He's not the centre halves or the flap-handed keeper mate.

I guess Sammie Szmodics was shit too because we nearly got relegated with him. It's almost like a team's performance in the league boils down to more than one player.

Well it can't just be you in the minority opinion on a player all the time.

No idea what game you were watching then. Worked his balls off even more than usual, linked play really well and had a few really nice touches. The only thing that was a bit off was the finishing, but he gave Boro's defence a torrid time. There's no way they came off thinking he was terrible.

I thought Ohashi was excellent today.

I don't need to clutch at straws. Toth is a superior goalkeeper, end of discussion really.

We had just kept two clean sheets in a row. We then conceded in every single game until the Millwall game.

Given that the bench includes Dlamini (Left Winger), Doherty (Left Winger), Di Neve (Left Winger/Left Wing Back), Ribeiro (Left Wing Back/Left Back) and Pickering (Left Wing Back/Left Back), I think completely (left) winging it is an apt turn of phrase. There are less left wingers at a Green Party Conference. Absolutely bizarre to name so many left-sided players on the bench for just two potential positions, whilst completely ignoring the striker positions. (Apologies if those aren't Dlamini and Doherty's favoured sides, that's where my Googling said they play).

I'm talking about immediately following the injury. The defence had found its way recently, doesn't seem a coincidence they suddenly started conceding again.

Structurally, we are playing two strikers. And yes, one is already not really a striker. To have decent youth strikers and not put any of them on the bench, when our formation uses two strikers, is fucking stupid.

I expected to see Toth on the bench today too. Hope the rumour that he is still struggling after the surgery isn't true.

Apparently Tyjon has travelled with the squad and was seen getting off the bus by Elliott Jackson. Which makes the omission of a striker even more strange. Tyjon may not be an out and out number 9 but he'd be far more capable of playing in a front two than anyone else on our bench. 9 subs, and nobody that can replace the two strikers.

Basic logic, as posters have outlined, that it makes zero sense that Sheff W would shut off sales just to our section for that time period whilst still selling their own, tells us the truth. It's things like this that make people accuse you of shilling for the club.

Seems strange that we don't have a single striker on the bench. Henriksson for 90 minutes isn't filling me with confidence, and any injury to him or Ohashi will have to mean a change of formation or playing someone very unsuited to playing as a striker. None of the options even have the attributes.

Do you accept the answers given?

I absolutely think he has cost us points vs having Toth in goal. The sudden change in goals conceded when Toth got injured tells the story. However, he has not really cost us any points vs a typical bog standard Championship keeper and hasn't made many obvious mistakes. And that's good by his standards, and as you suggest, befitting of a second choice keeper.

It's the French league. Morton isn't half the player Wharton is.

Jesus christ...Morton went for 15 and we got 18 for Wharton? Absolute joke. Young English players are way overrated when they belong to a Prem club.

Sounds more likely that the keeper struggles to do anything against an entire team attacking almost unaccosted.

I don't think you can accuse Chaddy of not being loud enough.

His kicks upfield are poor. Whilst the goals he has conceded haven't been terrible, some have been saveable by a better keeper like Toth, who pulls off saves you wouldn't expect. Something Pears rarely does. Toth also has better positioning and handles crosses better. The goals conceded ratio has gone up since Toth's injury. I wouldn't necessarily play Toth immediately, as he has been out for a while and we don't want a recurrence, or for him to come back in a bit cold and lose confidence if something goes wrong. But I'd hate for us to sit him on the bench for a month or two until Pears makes a glaring error. It would cost us points to take that approach.

Fair point but apart from Wharton those have yet to make it as professional senior footballers. I think Tyrone was more referring to ones we produce that reach that point, and at roughly our level. Since Hanley and Jones, that has been our speciality really. We have had a slight sideline in CMs. But Travis was brought in at 17 from Liverpool if I remember rightly. Buckley didn't consistently make it at our level but has undeniably become a senior pro footballer, still has time, netted a decent fee and isn't far off our level. You could sort of count JRC too, but we got him a little later as well after Manure had mostly developed him. And we did make Finneran, but he hasn't made it yet and of course got snapped up quickly too, like Tyrone suggests. It would be nice if some of the names you mention do come good though, and we can branch out into CMs and not just CBs.

Why don't you wait and see what happens before you announce he will be backed? The evidence of history leans heavily in favour of RF99 being right. So if you're fine to say he will be backed, RF is certainly allowed to say he won't be.

Nearly 3 goals conceded a game, over 3 seasons, and with more than 3 goals a game conceded last season, is shocking. Pakistan must be terrible to cap him. The only reason I can think for why we have kept him on (aside from our absolute love of hoarding youth keepers) is that if he did come good, it could help tap into more locals for our fanbase. But he quite clearly isn't going to come good.

You were right.