Got to be honest, looking at our run for the rest of 2021...Bournemouth aside, it's nothing to be afraid of. In current form, if Kaminski isn't out, we should be able to win most of the others. Famous last words I know...

Absolutely. Promotion and subsequent relegation would still be a roaring triumph. We would have no trouble securing assets, and it would give us a fresh 3 year FFP cycle with far more financial clout. Look at how the relegated sides have done this season. Plenty of opportunity to go straight back up if it happened, with that extra muscle. Being a yoyo club for a bit can help make your side strong enough to eventually stay up.

I thought we did sign Buckley up long term this summer. I wish we would do more 4 year with a 1 year option deals on young players whose wages aren't that high and look likely to improve though. Would reduce the pressure on our contract negotiations. Probably easier to get them to sign, plus longer before we have to renegotiate.

Agree on Buckley, I was thinking during the game that I reckon there is more to come with him. I think spending more consistent time in his natural position is really helping and he has adjusted to the pace of the league. He has toughened up a bit, not getting bullied so much and become a real threat at nicking the ball. He's a clever player and I think the more he plays the better he will read the game and the more consistent those through balls will get. Also agree the Christmas schedule will be a serious test for this young, thin squad.

If we are not a good side, what are the 20 teams below us (including Stoke, who we just bummed)?

Well, I think it's fair to say Tony gets a stay of execution for now. Do I think his flaws will get us unstuck again at some point? Yes. But whilst we are in this kind of form it would be churlish to ask for his head. Despite his baffling decisions and absolute refusal to take accountability when things go wrong. Whether it's down to him or the players we have happen to be hitting form regardless is academic if he can deliver a shot at the promised land. I think it will go tits up again, especially if Kaminski is out for a stretch, but for now all we can do is enjoy this great win, great form and great position in the table!

Booked 3 of our players for time wasting too. Think he had us on the pools.

Buckley MOTM for me.

Terrible positioning from Pears there, he made the save well though.

Not Ben's day. That's alright, he has some credit in the bank now, can't tear teams apart every game.

Did I just see that right, Dolan got booked for no apparent reason even though someone kicked at him, and they got nothing even though someone else then went and shoved one of our players over. Terrible officiating. (Also Travis booked, think he was the one pushed over?)

I mean, having your rib separated doesn't sound like a short term injury either? I think anything above 2 months would be a serious problem. Even a month could be long enough for a season to collapse.

Our season definitely can't afford a long term injury to Kaminski

What a goal! Had this weird feeling Khadra was gonna score after looking like his lack of nous in the final third was going to be a problem.

Correct. However in this case it really wasn't a foul. Can't expect to run straight into a player and get a free kick.

Nyambe playing poor again. Don't think this formation suits him.

No, I shouldn't think Tinker Tony will be at all bothered by that.

We have him until summer 2025 if we activate our option, so we are a way off that problem yet. But definitely could happen... Personally I'd have made it another year longer when we signed him up, while his wages are nice and cheap.

License to print money. Fill yer boots.

He's gonna be spewing a whole lot more in the years to come.

Samba was reputed to be earning about 100k a week I think it was, at QPR, and about 80k a week at that Russian club before. Unless he has managed his money extremely poorly, I doubt promises of future income (probably not even 1k a week now, I would guess something like 600 or so to be a standard youth coach for a club like us) would motivate him to work for free for 7 months. If he really has worked for free since then, it's because he is very interested in taking this career step and was willing to do the ground work for it. Probably combined with, as a lesser factor, some affinity for the club where he made his name and has his best years. And yes I think he will bugger off if he gets a better career opportunity.

Loads of Irish talent around. I'd never dispute that. Been some really top class players in the past, like Duff and Keane, and still some Premiership level players now. Who knows what the future holds. Just the standard of the domestic league there is very poor relative to ours. It's not a good testing ground for a senior age player looking to step to our level. You can perhaps correct me, but I get the impression even Irish people are generally more interested in the Prem than their domestic league. If so, that's probably part of what keeps the clubs poor and the standard low. All the best prospects seem to get hoovered up by English clubs early doors, like Bazunu.

Congratulations on not reading my post properly. I said it is somewhere to shop for prospects, but not for immediate first teamers. Neither of those came straight into our first team (Duff got his debut in the last game of his first season, clearly bought as an exciting prospect). Neither of them were already 23 like this lad. At that age you want someone who can challenge for the first team pretty rapidly. It's very hard to know if someone can do that when you've only seen them in the Irish league. I'm sure this will now prompt you or someone else to find an example of someone who went straight from the Irish league at a similar age to starting at Championship level or above, as if I implied it was impossible...

I feel like someone just heard this lad is being looked at by Rovers and didn't know which one so they guessed at a couple of them! The Irish league is very poor and seems a better place to shop for prospects than for immediate first teamers, which at 23 and Nyambe's contract situation, he would probably have to be. But hey, maybe he's brill. Not sure I buy this link but we will see what happens.

Who is slagging off Buckley?