There was a suggestion a few months ago that TM be given a 6 year extension! People need to be more balanced. He is making selection errors and the players aren't playing with the same spirit that's been such a positive feature of his tenure. He deserves the right to put things straight but patience isn't endless in this game.

If this bad run is merely a blip and we recover, then you have a point. What worries me though is how TM never seems to learn from his mistakes. Many games you just have to look at the line-up to know we will struggle. Everyone sees it but him. Then, irrespective of the result, he does it again next week.

I'm waiting for Chaddy's analysis.

Not for long though.

There's one big similarity here, both assembled reasonable squads but didn't know how what to do with them once they had.

How about you explain it? What you've described is entirely accurate and entirely appropriate. Perhaps we were on a good run then and looking at Top 6, now we are on a terrible run and looking what's below. Does that help?

The main obstacle to going back to basics is Mowbray himself! Time for accepting some responsibility here. Play the best eleven every week, in their right positions, with appropriate balance between attack and defence, playing to our strengths and their weaknesses rather than the other way round, and fix the gaps in the squad in January that were apparent in the summer. That's your job Tony, in a nutshell.

Time to reopen the Relegation thread!

Is this the "January transfer window" thread? C'mn chaps!

I don't think Brereton is TM's signing. If you look at it that way, it all makes more sense.

Rothwell could go straight into the first team, he just doesn't get chosen! But basically you're spot on!

Getting sick of that laughter button. I'm assuming its originally there to "reward" a poster who makes a witty comment? In fact, most of the time its used to pour scorn on a poster you don't agree with and it adds to the bad atmosphere that's sometimes around. I can't say I'm any less guilty than anyone else ( well I can actually---I still use it primarily to acknowledge a post I find genuinely funny). What to do though, nothing comes readily to mind?

What about that last Preston goal? As someone else said it was a case of 2 attackers against 4 defenders and a keeper! How could they possibly score with ease from there? One defender rightly went wide to prevent the cross which left 3 supposedly marking the central striker. In fact the wide man looked up, chipped the ball on to an unmarked head and the striker had the easiest job in the world to convert! All this from just a few yards out from the goal-line! How can that be remotely possible? I just can't get my head around it. With defending like that we have no hope.

The title of this thread reminds me of a Paul Temple episode!

I'd love to see us with 2 big men up front, one playing off the other. Sigh! We simply do not have enough presence up there and accordingly are a low scoring club. Even if we are way better than the opposition we end up winning 1-0 or, worse, drawing. The system we play now isn't working, we are an Allardyce team without the results.

It is really strange because we all know that the only way to get the big pay-off is to be promoted to the Premier League, so every transfer should be done with that in mind---logically.

You wanted the owners to trust him with 5M!! Is that not backing him? No-one else trusted him with a brass button.

Ages ago I asked your opinion about Demi Mitchell, playing with Hearts on loan from Manu. Any thoughts? Presumably on one season loan anyway but what about him for a future bid?

A couple of weeks ago posters would have ben queueing up to hit their laughter buttons at this. Its finally sinking in.

Please note, all Mercer's comment (whether you agree with him or not) are non-personal and present his football views. Your's are all entirely personal and, frankly, childish.

Been saying this for months.

Bit disingenuous here Parson. You're certainly correct that a mid-table finish was what most did hope for before the season kicked off. However, expectations have been raised by outstanding results so that we were within touching distance of Top 6. The LT ran a headline recently proclaiming such! As you say, anyone can beat anyone in this League this season which gave us even more hope that the chance was there for us. Further, the squad does have to be strengthened in January but if TM continues to baffle with selections and square pegs continue to be hammered into round holes, it won't make enough difference.

Back to basics. 11 best players start in their correct positions. Deficiencies in the squad need to be rectified in January. In particular we need a striker who regularly scores goals and can start every game. And we need width. Defence is way better than that so don't know why it went so wrong today, bur the facts speak for themselves. We concede too many and we don't score enough . No more wide forwards crap, no more expensive experiments for the future. Let's learn from this and kick on. PS Where's Chaddy?