Devon Rover

I remember Desai's (only?) interview after buying the club when she said they'd focus on "leasing" players. Could we be seeing the actual playing out of their long game in minimising costs by running down contracts and building a team of low wage academy players and max numbers of loanees? Obviously would be even more of a car crash than we are used to being caught up in. But there doesn't appear to be any other 'plan' in place and the dereliction of duty in non-renewal of contracts can only be about further 'dumbing down' the squad and wage bill?

That's a deadline day admin error ready and waiting to happen.

You wouldn't have thought it. Venkys fucking us again. Harder each year.

Another flaw in the "waiting to the end of the window to judge" approach is that it gets more difficult to secure targets as the time for their club to replace them becomes less. An already narrow window of opportunity for everyone nears closing and the likelihood of non-panic (and non-shite) additions becomes smaller. The "wait to the end of the window to judge" approach is, at best, naïve and, at worst, apologetic for the owners' and/or executives' shambolic failures of planning. The cost of the failings is felt by the manager, the squad and the fans. Anyone who suggests more "let's wait and see" regarding the utter fuckwits in charge of our club is totally deluded.

This is where I am, too. Digging out a player sale here and there is more likely to prolong Venky's ownership than to bring us any form of success.

Only sell Pears if we can bring in someone better. I don't believe we will. Selling him on the motive of bringing in any money for a player who admittedly isn't very good is meaningless at this club, at this time. The money won't be spent.

Agreed. But, unless we are buying a better goalkeeper than Toth in the next few days, which is almost certainly not going to happen, then selling Pears gains us nothing and leaves us weaker. Any transfer fee won't be invested in the team any more than the previous player sales. Selling players now serves no purpose other than paying bills that Venkys should be covering as owners. It is a mess. And we are all being treated like idiots by the club hierarchy.

It's alright, let's wait and see where we are in 10 days at the end of the transfer window. 10th and falling, that's where.

It feels like we may as well have conceded this game

That's fair enough, and he has played a lot. I suppose it just feels like a bad time for resting one of the team's most effective players when several other key players are unavailable/unfit. Difficult balance. Ryan Hedges at left wing back, added to the central midfield, fills me with dread.

It's a poor lineup. But doubling down on the 'solid at the back' approach is probably right and necessary in the circumstances. Unfortunately, that horrible central midfield will be overrun to an extent that it probably doesn't matter how many defenders we have in there. I don't understand why Hedges is left wing back, rather than Beck? I also don't understand why Venkys don't just fuck off rather than presiding over this ripping apart of a great and historic club. That team sheet is damning.

I remember similarly. He played really well as an attacking right back, with freedom and confidence to charge forward and join attacks. He was brilliant. I was one of many who was pleading for him to be tried in central midfield as a better option to what we had there. Unfortunately, once he was, I don't remember him having a single good game. I now see him as bereft of confidence, stamina, or any impact on the games passing him by. Its sad because, briefly, he was outstanding. But quite a bit of time has passed since and he has hugely regressed.

I agree, a good listen and interesting on several levels. Not least the high level of insight and passion expressed, but also the frankness of the views on a podcast, hosted by an LT journalist, that is referenced on the LT site. This is interesting because it is very distinct from the blandness and, at times, apparently naive coverage on the LT, itself. I have more respect for Jackson after hearing the pod. I'm just intrigued as to why the LT coverage is so comparatively shit when significantly different (and more accurate) views are being expressed vocally by their reporter. Strange.

The owners and several of the players seem to have packed in any real interest in this club. Beginning to wonder why the fans should do anything different.

I can't watch any more of this. This is our transfer strategy doing this to the club, yet again. It's horrible

Bringing in "top quality" players. Phew! There I was, angrily waiting for the next Forshaw to come in and fill a squad space vacated by someone better, when the club was, of course, just negotiating for Cole Palmer and Isak. Top quality players, my arse. The rubbish that comes out of the employees of this football club...

I'd say we badly need two. But obviously thats even more unlikely. I'm aware there have been some positive comments about Buckley's recent performances and I haven't seen the last couple of games but, for me, we only have two top 6 quality central midfielders at the club (obviously, Travis and Sondre). The signing of Forshaw remains baffling to the extent that, effectively, we haven't replaced Baker. It's a mess. It always is with this lot. And all of this is aside from the perennial issue of our lack of a good quality striker. Hey, let's wait and see what great signings are made in a couple of weeks time though, huh?!

It sounds as though we've been very fortunate with a couple of big decisions. Makes a fucking welcome change.

Bloody brilliant! The improvement since the subs is stark. The starting front three for tonight was dire.

I've felt like he is our most improved player this season. Hyam might rival him for that. Pears with an honorary mention, but primarily because his baseline was so low!

Closer to the starting line up we should have had. Shame we've wasted an hour.

This needs changing. Should never have been the starting line up for a home game against a very poor team.

Still ages to go but so far this is going the way the line up suggested it probably would. Half way through the transfer window and we still don't have a striker worthy of the position. It's going to cost us

20 minutes until 'Howard' posts it on X? 😉

I'm with you. But I feel the time, energy and 'togetherness' for protests of any substance has been and long gone. I don't personally consider protests will ever, or have ever, had any particular impact on Venkys of Pune. They just aren't interested.