bluebruce

If he's a useful tool there's probably a job for him in the boardroom if he wants it. (Useful being to Venkys rather than us of course, the ones we have are certainly useless tools in reality)

Yeh, this oft repeated notion that worse quality football is automatically more physical is silly.

He did make the bench

Rudy looked very anxious on the closeup there.

Was that the odds just for Morris to score, or combined? Because bookies were offering that just on a Derby win before the match for some reason.

He wasn't primarily to blame for the second, Alebiousu was, but quite frankly that's the sort of header Toth is at least getting close to lately. It wasn't aimed that far from Pears. That's before we get into how much weaker Pears is on crosses than Toth. But he's the backup keeper so I don't expect Toth levels of performance.

We aren't getting any supply whatsoever to our strikers. That's the big difference.

They're nothing special on paper, but not fair to call a side quite poor who are about to record their 5th straight win.

Is this the same in both cups now?

Another brilliantly selected loan. Good, about time, I always thought it was a stupid rule.

It's amazing that a club of our calibre and pedigree didn't attract one decent owner offer in the years we were up for sale. Just a sequence of various chancers. Amazing.

Wonder if Bristol will still think it was time wasting. This is bad news not just because we have to put up with Pears again just as we were regaining form, but also because an injury like that, especially one needing surgery, might reduce his capability going forward, or create a chronic recurring issue.

Do we know how long this has been the case?

Not that I disagree, but it's a problem for Tyjon if he can't play as a lone forward. That's almost all the modern game has to offer a striker. Wouldn't say he has the pace to play wide in a front 3 either. I think the last sentence I've quoted is pertinent. Gueye is surely in need of some match fitness at this point, even if we want him to be of use from the bench.

In the summer he was being looked at as a winger. So assessing his attacking abilities was very much relevant. A defensive winger can serve a purpose occasionally but mostly you need one that can attack, if you haven't got a dire or highly attacking full back behind him. He looked much more comfortable last night playing as a wingback.

Chaddy would predict 46 wins in a row.

Actually he took a free kick or goal kick, and sent it straight out of play.

And Toth's. Kinda amazing that he managed to get injured in a game where the opponents didn't have a single shot on target 😂 Hope he's not out long...in fact I hope he is back for Derby but may be too much to ask. Pears is a better keeper than he was a couple of years ago, but...he still worries me in goal.

It's a very strange pick. Alebiousu is far better, even just from this summer's signings. They've literally picked Gudjohnsen because of his dad and having been at Real's academy. And this list was picked before he scored too. It's someone who has never seen us play. But yes, this was a poor summer window on current evidence.

Honestly, I would expect his stock has dropped, at least a bit. He was expected to be a Championship squad player this season and he hasn't been anywhere near it. Prem clubs will notice he hasn't developed as expected. I'm not sure he will still get 10k pw offers unless that changes by season end. Tbh I got the impression in the summer Arsenal only wanted him for their u21s and the off chance he makes it, rather than thinking he's the real deal.

No.

Who says he would be any good at being a loan manager? Rhodes knew how to move and knew how to finish. It was pretty much all he was good at and what he made his career out of. If he doesn't know how to tell people those techniques, he's probably an idiot and shouldn't be employed in any post-playing capacity with us. What experience would I expect...well if you look at Joleon Lescott, he didn't go immediately from playing into being City's Loan Manager. He coached with the England U21s. Sam Hayball likewise didn't just become a Loan Manager. He was a non-player who started as an Academy Analyst then a First Team Analyst. Then he became a Loan Coordinator under his predecessor. All of that builds him up for the role better than someone who used to kick a ball in the net but apparently doesn't know how to tell anybody how to do that. Both your examples worked in youth football for a while. Presumably they also impressed, showed they understood football properly (which you need as a Loan Manager if you're choosing the clubs to navigate the career paths of young players) and developed the ability to integrate with different parts of the club. If you can't coach, you probably aren't a very good Loan Manager. And if you haven't worked with young players I don't see what you bring to the party.

It still boggles my mind that probably the most instinctive goalscorer we have had since Shearer (Rhodes had no physical attributes of note, silky skills etc, he just know where to move in the box and could finish) has been employed here...but as a loan manager which he has no relevant experience for, rather than as a, ya know, striker coach where I would have absolutely welcomed him. God our lads could do with some of his nous.

I'm not sure if my point is coming across. We don't know how far either team's players are from the incident when it starts in order to determine how many of each should have got there by the time it ends. Not from that clip. Quite frankly our player is also the provocateur and is on top in no need of help until the other Sheff U players get there and it escalates. Their lot feel more urgency as it's their lad being dragged about. And the clip may be several seconds but it's slowed down. And in answer, about 5 or 6 Rovers players appear to have joined Taylor on the clip by the time it's done. At least one of the ones with yellow bibs is a Rovers player and I think the rest are too.

And they may have been closer.