bluebruce

I'd suggest finding something more serious to get serious about. Might I recommend from the menu, today's latest failure to trouble the top 6? Perhaps sir might like it with a glass of malbec.

So in your opinion, the top 6 now in Feb will be the exact same top 6 at the end of the season? Because that almost never happens. The only team closer to top 6 than us is Boro. They're a whole 1 point ahead of us and have played a game more. In 3 games time, it's perfectly possible to find ourselves in the top 6. It won't happen of course. But the points gap isn't what's insurmountable - it's the mental and tactical gap we can't overcome. Only one man bears overall responsibility for that.

It's become a habit for me recently. Even in our run of good results we have been turgid. It's hard to stay focused on it at times when you're watching from home and they play like that. Too many better things to do sadly.

As I said, not when I was watching, which wasn't constantly. Except for the first 20 when all our players were doing that. Must have missed the other occasions you're talking about. I'm not a fan of his btw.

Harsh. With how long he has been out, he is pretty much at pre-season levels.

Interesting. I've not been watching constantly (it's been hard to) but when I have he hasn't done anything wrong really.

I've suggested this was going to be where he got a look in and nobody seemed to be having it. TM just isn't as big a fan of Nyambe as the rest of us, can't fathom why.

He rarely gets credit for it when it happens due to the general perception of him, but Gallagher has actually had a fairly decent game.

The usual bullshit kickoff. Pass it back to a CB who lumps it nowhere and the opposition take possession. Why do we do that every time? Thoroughly confusing for a 'possession' side.

Seems to be working now, I'm in. Think you might have to wait ages for it to load instead of refreshing, the payment screen itself was fine. I was seconds away from looking for a dodgy stream, it was pissing me off.

At every level what the officials decide is the 'end of the story'. But we all know officials can frequently get it wrong in the moment. Obviously the goal counts regardless.

I saw that player. Definitely didn't look like he was playing him on to me. As I say, could be the angle, but looks well off.

Concerned? You sound jealous there.

Fair point. I was more talking about him being ahead of Pike, but yeh there are those two for Pike to contend with too. Who knows what the pecking order is now - JRC and Bennett haven't been fit since Buckley made his ineffectual appearances at RB (well he did surprisingly ok in one of them tbf, but just doesn't have the attributes to play there without scaring me). I would imagine you're right though, that Bennett and JRC, as well as Buckley, are all ahead of Pike for consideration there at present. Plus the City lad like I said. Which, based on what regular u23 watchers say, seems a real shame. Looking at it like that, Tony probably thinks there is a plethora of 'talent' at RB so that he doesn't have to risk a 'kid'. At least, not one that we actually own who actually plays RB....

I doubt he is going to get enough game time just being Lenihan's cover, especially with Ayala due back (his inevitable future injuries aside). I'm pretty certain the City lad will be the second choice RB when CB is covered. Pike wasn't given the trust when Nyambe was out, Buckley is above him in TM's ridiculous pecking order. If he keeps playing blinders maybe he will force into contention, if Tony feels like it.

Weirdly enough I very nearly posted that I thought it might have been rising to 2 mill with clauses, but then I didn't trust my memory enough and deleted it.

Alan Myers doesn't even seem to recall the fee King initially sold for though. I'm certain 2.5 million was never mentioned at the time. Unless it was that high and the reports were wrong or clauses took it up. Fairly sure it was in the 1.5 mill region according to press at the time. Unless my memory is just worse than his.

Could be the camera angle, but to me he looks a mile offside when that's played into him.

Given that the City lad we brought in can apparently play at RB too, I suspect the opportunity to give Pike his debut this season has been and gone, and TM chose to put Buckley there instead...

What if we got him, paid off Bell, and then Pickering and Douglas get injured/suspended? You might think that's unlikely, but Douglas has a bit of a history and look how many injuries we are picking up this season, which may yet worsen with our awful home pitch. To look at another part of the defence, we had Williams, Ayala, Lenihan, Wharton for the two CB berths. That's 2 for each position. Then suddenly we only had Lenihan and had to put a CM in there for a few games. We would still be in that position now if the transfer window hadn't opened. Ordinarily I'd agree that 2 for each position is fine. But in the circumstances of quick turnover of games, an injury record for one of them, 3 points off the playoffs and the fact we are paying the player anyway, surely it makes sense to keep him around, unless paying him off includes a massive saving for us?

Close. Just Holtby instead of Buckley. Bang on 60 too. Not sure he cares what has happened, he rings the changes at 60. Oh well as long as it pays off today.

Armstrong doesnt pull the trigger one on one, but pulls it from a crossing position. Cheers.

Ok that wasn't good enough from Arma.

I think it means Holtby has had a bit of an injury niggle. I'm remembering that right aren't I? Funny enough, when I read that interview with him I had a feeling he was going to start the next game.

We have had a tendency to only name one defender on the bench, usually a centre half. We know what TM can be like with not wanting to risk youngsters who haven't played men's football, but we have also seen that when they do get the chance, if they take it like Travis did, they can make it. I'd agree that it's looking more likely he won't make it than he will, I'm just saying, without having seen him play but having heard good things in the past, I wouldn't completely write him off yet. And certainly not because Sharpe says he doesn't have as much technical ability as someone we can barely afford. Certainly someone who won't have too long left to make the breakthrough though. As I say I'd try to get him out on loan for the rest of the season. If we get Pickering now, that will be 3 LBs right now but only 1 in the summer on presumably another limited budget.