We may well be better suited to that game than this one tbh. Which is in itself something that needs to change.

Thing is, the really hard-working battling type just isn't the type of player he is. And I accept that, for now. Where he upset me today was in the areas he is supposed to be good! Sloppy passing, poor touch, no clever balls to unlock the defence. Plus the usual physical shortcomings of pace and strength. It's the worst I've seen him play. He won't be seeing much more game time this season if he doesn't step up considerably from that.

Yep, I put together the stats to show it last season some time around Dec or Jan I believe and showed how much worse we do when we control possession. I need to update the data to show it again but not got round to it. Anecdotally though, I've been paying attention to it and I know the picture hasn't changed.

Well..... you won't be trudging back up the hill in the rain anyway.

We had 61 percent possession. Forest had 15 shots and 4 on target, we had 6 and 2 on target. We have to invite teams onto us that come to defend instead of trying to pass around the edge of the area all game, it simply doesn't work for us. We are better on the counter, and harrying teams that are passing it around at the back.

I thought we looked a bit fatigued in the Cardiff game, understandable given the prior intensity. But I thought the break would fix that and we still look less energetic than at the start of the season. Two good bodies behind the ball defensive m efforts from the opposition haven't helped though.

Well! That's just fucking...really good of him actually. Now I feel bad for mocking.

Fucking hell, who is this bloke with a pink mop on his head?

Created bugger all of worth today.

Bit extreme. League One he needs to go to.

Think TM lost patience with him at the same point as me. As soon as I said take him off he did, thank fuck.

Ffs, Buckley is having a stinker today. We needed Holtby.

The side passing approach is one I've always been highly critical of. This might be why I'm not impressed by him and others are.

Expect we would have been paying a lot more for them a week ago. It's annoying but it's how the window works.

As I read that he had an awful touch and failed to control it. I've seen enough of him now to say, he doesn't impress me and I don't see what the fuss is. He does good stuff sometimes for sure but I think some way over hype it when he does. I'm not writing him off of course, he is young, but I'm just not seeing anything special. Needs a lower league loan with regular football.

Struggling to understand why the bench has both Carter and Wharton. I know there are injuries etc and the new guys have only just arrived, but surely there are better options than doing that. One of the newbies in another position has to be fit enough for the bench, or a youth player in another role to vary our options. It's very unlikely we will need to bring off both CBs!! (Watch it bloody happen now) Obviously the more worrying part of today's squad is the midfield. Hope Evans' injury issues haven't affected his readiness, and that Buckley steps up to the plate. It looks lacking in mobility with Rothwell out.

Might have been kept quiet, and whoever said it on here just got lucky hearing it from a little birdy. We will find out very shortly when the teams are announced anyway.

I agree with Hoochie, the longer he stays and excels for us, the more their heartbreak will go on. Then we can sell him for ludicrous money when he's like, 24

Oh I think that ship has sailed and circumnavigated the globe already!

I've only played a Championship season so far, no VAR yet. But it seems pointless on this game. Every time on this and previous versions that the computer shows me a replay, it shows me the decision was 100% correct. Offsides anyway, who can tell with fouls on this game. Absolutely flawless linesmen apparently. Always makes me wonder why the pressers and match reviews talk about 'contentious' decisions. They should make the officials get it wrong randomly, more realistic! I just finished 6th first season in Champs. I was surprised to then win the playoffs! My form had been a bit poor tail end of the season, but I motivated the lads...smashed WBA who finished 3rd, 4-1 at home then drew 0-0 to make the final. A Tosin header in injury time took me past Fulham at Wembley, I was loving it! It's almost too early, as I don't really want to make wholesale changes yet and had planned to grow the team for another season, especially with the glut of youth players I signed. But I'm sure I'll cope and stay up, just got a lot of choices to make. Goalie is my main concern, I've never had as much of an eye for a good one on this game as I do for other areas. I can glance at most positions and know the player is worth considering, but goalies have so many stats for a fairly limited function and it's hard to know which to put faith in. The big ones I've always gone for are handling and reflexes, plus jumping reach/aerial ability, but moreover I tend to just rely on the scouts assessment of their current ability! That fluctuates though at times. I had arranged a pre contract with Vaclav Hladky before my win. Only paying him a few k a week and he is meant to be better than Walton (who had a surprisingly solid season...I conceded the least goals in the league). But I don't think that's enough to rely on and even without promotion was planning to find better. Still bemused that the board have given me a D (it was an F at one point) for the signing of Nico Melamed. He cost 750k, spread over 3 years, played 15 times since January including 9 starts, has 4-5 star potential and is now worth 2.4 million at 19 years old. Think he will become a top player. They say he cost too much! The fans have given it a B-. Board were similarly unimpressed with Jardi until recently, now he's a C for them. Both players were at least a C when I actually bought them, then they contributed and the board suddenly decided they had cost too much! Glitch I think.

Rather they be a huge success for us but Liverpool don't then sign Dolan, if you don't mind

You've just made me realise, Liverpool will be watching a lot now we have their prodigy on loan. I hope they don't like the look of Elliott and Dolan on the flanks too much...

Jeez, I've rarely seen so much smoke without fire. Big blow for the coffers that, we will likely lose him for nothing now. Most I can see us getting is our share of maybe 5 or 6 million in January if we are lucky. If it's percent of profit that would be more like our share of 3.5 to 4.5 million. At one point we thought we were going to receive that much just for ourselves. Think a foreign club will pre-contract him in Jan though and we will have nowt.

From what I've read of Douglas, he fulfils that role already. Genuinely sounds like a terrific bloke.

Have to agree, a body too many. A bit of a head scratcher like getting Pears after Stirgiakis. I don't see the need for him at this point. JRC will be back soon to fit that 'shove him in wherever we have a gap' role that Tony likes to have (fairly, albeit sometimes he overdoes it with where he shoves them). I can only worry this is going to get in the way of somebody's development, and that we should have been sending another out on loan if this was the intention. Downing is also less suited to our current style than the last one, as he does slow the game a little, and was looking like he was starting to flag at the end of the season. It better be a very cheap deal. I'd much rather preserve the funds for the raft of contracts we need to sign existing players up to.