I'd imagine Beck would cost double that now. Ironically we've given him the platform to massively increase his sale price. The time to negotiate a fee was during the loan talks. We'd only be able to get him if we went up now I expect. The general principle of investing in players like that though, I totally agree.

I didn't even notice Forshaw. Thought he was pretty anonymous in his cameo.

I know he's on about the standard of football. But it stands to reason that if the financial power is equal (per club it's higher there) it's likely the teams are on a similar level. Albeit German clubs don't overspend stupidly like here and pay more sensible wages. Since we don't play European football against each other at this tier, and probably none of us are watching the 2. Bundesliga regularly, I don't think there's really any other way to compare.

Can't find the more recent figures, but in 22/23 the 2.Bundesliga clubs had 785.7 million Euros in revenue. Championship clubs had £749 million. There's not much difference in the financial heft of these leagues, and there are only 18 clubs sharing that revenue in Germany. They're stronger sides than you think.

The 2. Bundesliga is a pretty good level. Probably on par with the Championship. Not sure he was given a proper chance here tbh, by manager or fans. But ultimately he didn't deliver so I totally get why he was moved on.

I think only Mani has mentioned it, but shout out for ACD's very clever dummy for the Brittain goal.

Way it works for us we are probably getting all our luck in one game though! Tbh, I'm not sure that was offside, need to see it again. And I did see the second penalty claim again, no pen for me. Didn't see the first claim. Edit - scratch that, definitely offside, not sure how the linesman missed it.

Sanderson wasting no time causing bodily harm to the Portsmouth players 🤣

Ok really not sure why we have presumably gone 3 at the back for the last 5 minutes when 3 up against Portsmouth at home.

He made a couple of things happen first half too, just nobody took advantage of them. He's also done some wanky things both halves. Like you say, needs the players around him.

My first instinct was that was a penalty. But actually on the replay the contact is pretty minor and Bishop ends up on the floor because he he was flinging himself at the header, not because of the touch, which I don't think really affected him. Belting finish from Brittain though, thought the opportunity had passed.

That's a corking header, thought the cross had gone too deep at first. Keeper maybe should have done better but take a bow Gueye. Loved the way Brittain controlled that before his cross too, he's a technically gifted lad.

Sorry think I was misled by the commentators talking about a booking, they must have been discussing whether it was one. It 100% wasn't. But it had sounded like they were criticising the ref so not sure what that was all about. In that case he has been fine. Tronstad's booking was less of one than what he wasn't booked for first half, but the ref maybe kept the first one in mind.

Don't get the Dolan hate, but Hedges has been anonymous and needed to come off.

We think our forwards are bad but Bishop has fucked up 3 very presentable chances.

What's wrong with Gueye's hand?

Gave us a very soft booking earlier but mostly been alright. Not been much in the way of ambiguous decisions to make though. (Not that that has stopped other refs conjuring bizarre decisions from the ether)

And they hit the bar on their first attempt...yeh I'm sensing a bollock punch.

Aye, always sounds nervous and like his voice has only just broken.

That's my fear. Seen this script too many times. Waste chances, get a sucker punch in the bollocks and lose a game we should've won 4 nil.

Worst part is he is one of our best finishers...

Ok let's dispel this, it keeps coming up. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/brandon-thomas-asante/leistungsdaten/spieler/451747 Incomplete data, as transfermarkt don't tend to put position played for substitutes, but in the league games he has started, he has played 7 up front and 1 at RW. These are the bulk of his minutes, as he played over an hour in all of them and 84+ minutes in over half of them, with none of his sub appearances being particularly lengthy. In the cups, 90+ minutes at CF in the FA Cup, 90+ minutes at CF in the League Cup, and another two full matches in the Leage Cup, one at LW, one at RW. He scored in each of those games played wide, one of them against Spurs. So actually, all told, he's scored twice as many goals out wide as he has up front, in a fraction of the game time. Not only has he not been mostly played wide, but it isn't what's holding back his scoring.

Fuck me that's a lot of players out on loan. Starting to look like my FM20 save. Nice one for the summary, and for putting it in order of the tiers played in.

Dion Sanderson struggled to even play in an inferior league this season. Adam Foreshaw struggled in an inferior team. They're both here.

We are the same. So like the poster said, more competition...