Him flapping the other night worried me somewhat as it was the first real bit of pressure he had to deal with.

Knobbers will roll over nothing surer than that.

Hopefully just an urban rumour.

It's a different type of possession under JDT and when it works it's worked really well but with the same issues at the top end of the pitch as we had under Mowbray. As the season has progressed we've been doing it quicker and in deeper positions than under TM who's version was sideways and backwards all across the pitch whilst moving in lines getting men forward. Then often get screwed on the counter after having nobody to aim for in the box. Now we create angles and some quick decent patterns although in some real risky situations. Real problem again is nothing in the box and trying to play possession football in the opposition penalty area instead of head down shoot, square, cross, cutback etc Much prefer the current version to the lockdown one it was dire and way less effective and as frustrating as it is now there is a plan implemented, rather than wing it week in week out worrying about modest/crap opposition. Sadly though the consistent is there is still no plan B and as i've moaned about for years simply having a lump on the bench to throw on and aim for would probably gather us another point or three per season.

Home fans behind both goals I've heard which will make it even more difficult - why didn't we do that on Sunday ! Cannot for the life of me see us getting anything here we are out of steam and completely out of ideas It'll take a monumental effort. Also what it will need is the first goal they commit balls forward but not players so a goal is even more vital than normal for us. Then there might be space in behind an a frustrated crowd drives them to throw the sink - they do get frustrated quickly down there.

Unlike BBD he can also operate as winger/wide forward and up the middle and be effective with his pace. More importantly the lad shoots !

Why do with 3 passes in passages of play when you can do it with 6 seems to be Rovers current way in the final third and its been a hinderence. Luton yesterday plonked a big lad up top second half to occupy our lads because he was the outlet when we were pressing. Really simple but effective stuff.

That's why i mentioned in another thread it needn't take millions to back JDT it just needs focus on the front line. Maybe the fact BBD and Dack will probably be gone gives then no option but to now force the issue of finally rebuilding the forward positions. Players ARE out there as the ones you mentioned prove and the capture of Hyam proved although i think we'd been tracking him a while. For what it's worth Mowbray spend 15 million on building a championship front line in Armstrong, Gallagher and Brereton with Dack already here permanent. Crazy really when you think about it and the only real success in that lot was Armstrong who the loose change from his sale has now been spent. Now it needs a complete rebuild with nothing which is going to be interesting to say the least.

Not if it had worked but he's being questioned anyway and i'll say it again one win in 8 says what he has been doing has not been working. However he just stands behind this 'great performance' gubbins which competing with Burnley aside hasn't been the case for a long while now. Like Mowbray before him dominating possession stats seems to be the only thing that matter when judging how good a performance actually was. Chances created, goals scored and wins clocked up - whatever happened to all that !

Yes if people want to talk miracle workers then look at them and Millwall. Unreal what Luton have done and it isn't built on the back of anything complicated and whilst we huffed and puffed yesterday they looked like they were in 2nd gear.

Hes always been a confidence player and that disappeared a while ago when he started missing chances he was normally banging in. They managed to drill out of him what little he had when he first arrived with some odd use of such a marquee signing almost like they knew they'd ballsed up. Then he gets a bit more strength about him and goes to a new environment abroad and suddenly he's up for it and starts scoring so becomes a Diaz. Gone back to square one the second half of this season though he seemed to just lose faith in himself and of course as the season wore on he's playing not to get injured. Good luck to him i hope he does well wherever he goes it was a good story for a while but somehow if he leaves the championship i expect he'll be back in it before very long.

It's not even serious cash we are talking about because that will never happen but if they are intent on building something it needs a few million every window. Surely that's doable but all we hear about are more cutbacks and eventually it'll only end up going one way whoever is in that dugout.

I would have thought it was quite simple Thomas should have started yesterday and although dropping BBD might seem a bold move i'm not sure it is. We had a decent spell when he was out and the team imo looked better balanced going forward then than it does with him in. Despite having a go at individuals saying they aren't good enough they are the same ones who got us into the top 6 with a comfortable cushion over Norwich. So they clearly are good enough they were just misfiring and part of that problem is the set up they are so disjointed across the front. Yesterday was a must win game and despite competing well v Burnley in a very intense game we never really looked like scoring nor made their keeper do anything. That's been a recurring theme recently and something JDT seems to ignore you won't score goals unless you are having a go and making a keeper work. There should have been a shake up yesterday imo whether starting or half tie but there wasn't until we were losing. Dack was also an option he does nothing coming from the bench but starting he could surely hold the ball up in that position than Dolan ever will. Then of course there is Leonard whose little cameos have shown more movement inside the box than the rest manage in an entire 90 mins. These are always options there people go on about us being lightweight squad wise but look at that bench yesterday it's hardly the worst in the top 10.

As usual the bigger fear is what would come next but him and Mowbray turned out ok so there's hope. Somebody might come in and go back to basics a bit and it might work better. OR, we are due another complete balls up that would tear the arse out of what TM and JDT have done. He needs the 3 year cycle although personally i think we are in for more of the same even if he stays because there is something missing very badly at this club in the background.

I think he's done more than enough to warrant some real backing in summer and have another go next season. However any manager in England comes under scrutiny at this time of year and he's no different i don't get when people seem offended at this. It's perfectly normal and goes with the job and he knows this and imo if we finish 9th or 10th he hasn't really performed any miracles at all that's an OTT narrative. What he will have done is a solid job in a transition season bedding in a new style, more youngsters and a few new signings at a club that had a solid base and finished 8th last season. Those are the facts. If we finish in the play offs or 8th or above he's overachieved without doubt. Although it's looking unlikely and after the position we were in and what could be 1 win in 9 by next weekend he's just as accountable as any other gaffer would be.

Too many fundamental flaws showed up yesterday though and some of them could and should have been altered. Starting at home in a must win game we have BBD stood out on the left doing nothing as he mostly did v Burnley, not even able to control simple passes. Being bawled at by teammates constantly to drop back in position or press instead of standing with his hands on his hips brushing his hair. Dolan - again - running around in circles falling over himself not really knowing if he's a false nine or leading the line etc. Hedges looking like he's running in treacle attack after attack breaks down because he's a left footer on the right always has to turn it onto his best foot. Muddles his feet and loses the ball. Wharton - Steven Gerrard v Burnley suddenly turns into Morton v Luton Then comes half time and changes should have been made and new instructions given with regard to get into them 2nd half and up the tempo. What happens ? Well we plod out and carry on as normal and they are the ones upping the tempo and to no surprise to anyone in the ground they score. No urgency and changes or directness until we are behind again.

If we didn't overplay every damn attack and ball and put some quicker balls into the danger area and attacked them we'd score a few more goals and be in the play offs now. This wide forwards false nine bollocks has been as a big a stumbling block as anything . If you don't get men in the penalty spot area and spearhead the forward line you won't score. The way we do it now you could have Cole or Owen in there and they get nowt because we create nowt in terms of real chances.

And Coventry were miles worse off than we were but look at them now. Expect Ipswich and eventually Bolton to do the same in the next few years whilst we eventually go the other way, if they keep cutting back it'll catch up with us again sooner or later.

Luton are where they are because they are tactically better than us there is no way their squad is better or budget. Great management has got them where they've no real right to be so if we have any genuine ambition at all at this club they need to wise up. We are on course to be all pretty little patterns of play trying to score the odd perfect goal over any real substance and threat.

The option of where to sit pretty much covers that.

That 300k gap being Waggots wages he needs to justify. Wonder what the difference is in matchday expenses ?

It's a third full of tourists all the time and has been ever since Fayeds brass made them famous again. Only club iv'e known to have a neutral section at one end i think that fella is kidding himself if he thinks they'd fill it without targeting the hoorah's and day trippers.

Probably one of the wealthiest suburbs in England.

Lets not forget his previous club management experience is at somewhere that had maybe the biggest or near as budget in their league. Things here might seem similar with owners putting in c10/15 million a season but this environment is way more competitive. Also he'll now have realised that money doesn't touch the sides there is precious little for actual team investment. We are though back again to the horrendous running of the club and by summer at least 20 million of players left for zero return. Nothing to go in future budgets and all had/have to be replaced. Horrific stuff how do we ever really kick on with that kind of nonsense holding us back.

Nixon on the job now so we know it's agents at work. JDT knows he will not move this team forwards without some real investment and if more cutbacks are planned i don't blame him one bit. More evidence that those running/owning the show just want a low budget side filled with youth treading water in the future. There is no project at all from their point of view it's still just wing it from season to season with as least hassle as possible whilst being happy to funnel c10/15 million off the company books.