roversfan99

When Pickering plays we tend to play that way, its hardly Guardiola level tactical knowledge. We need some pace and goals far more than a central midfielder. As @islander200 says Baker is probably as good as youll get knowing that youll never start unless Travis or Tronstad are unavailable. Ideally we would get another to replace Buckley who rather than being a £10m man is not up to standard but that is down the priority list. We need a striker who is capable of scoring a reasonable amount of goals. Gueye might be able to hold the ball up but in front of goal he is as bad a finisher as I can remember us having. Ohashi seems better suited as an option just off him and he hasnt scored since early September. And we badly need more pace. ACD showed great promise yesterday as opposed to having the likes of Hedges trudging up and down but we dont know how sustainable he will be at senior level and we need another pacy option to either play on the opposite side or even so one starts and the other comes on. Our solid base is key to our chances, we could do with cover at centre back to add to Carter. But if we had an actual goal threat up front and more pace to counter teams then that would potentially push us on a level.

They have had the ups and downs of promotion and relegation and have come down and arent slightly off it but closer to relegation with 7 away losses on the bounce. Feels like a case where they need fresh ideas. He wasnt responsible for either goal.

Why would top of the league sell us (when fit) their main striker?

There may have been reasons why results werent very good last season, but point being, of course the narrative on Eustace has totally changed. Last season, what has happened so far this season couldnt have been forseen logically. When results change as they have, of course opinion will change accordingly. Last season, he certainly didnt take over a quality side full of confidence but we actually slid further towards the drop zone, we didnt win a single home game and most of those opinions came prior to those 2 late season impressive wins. This season, totally different story because results have been very good.

It isnt really strange that people were critical when he couldnt buy a win and now are praising him when he has won 6 on the trot and us 5th in league.

Was Kaminski suspect? Didnt do anything wrong. Luton fans reading the comments underneath seem to want a change of manager. Maybe things need a fresh face and a different approach with the previous one not proving as effective. Jacob Brown is a striker rather than a winger.

Ive no idea who would replace him, why would I. That squad should not be on 9 points from 16 games, with a run that includes a home loss to Ipswich, a 4 nil thrashing to Everton, a home battering to Bournemouth including 3 penalty concessions through trying to pass it out and a loss to out of form West Ham. They have conceded 20 goals in 16 from set plays and in the last 2 games have seen 2 seperate players totally lose their head and their discipline which isnt symptom of a together camp. They appear destined for relegation so I dont see why youd double down and back him.

Apparently Ipswich's winner was the 20th theyve conceded from a set piece this season. O'Neil is a very lucky man if he manages their next game.

He is very capable going forward but impressively for a young full back he is good defensively too.

We have a couple of selection dilemmas now, Brittain had been very good but JRC has come in from the cold somewhat to put in 2 excellent performances and the shirt I suggest will be his until he either is unavailable or if his form drops. Cantwell is a key player for us but I wonder who will make way. Ohashi looks better suited playing off the front but I would assume he would be the one to make way. Having ACD able to run in behind might really benefit him. Luton were really poor and Edwards must be fearing the sack. They seemed very top heavy with Morris, Adebajo and Brown all playing. They maybe lack some physicality in midfield when they had Mpanzu and then Nakamba joining last time as key players, and Doughty is a big miss. Chong is a good player but not sure he suits their team.

Did Beck play solely as a left back for you? He is sometimes used by us (including today) further forward, and is very capable there too.

Obviously the game had a feel of going through the motions when Buckley came on but he doesnt look anywhere near the level he needs to be at whenever he features. Surprised Baker didnt come on, maybe it was just to keep Buckley happy.

Kudos to Eustace after another really satisfying win where we put ourselves in such a strong position after a very impressive first half performance. Pears made a good double save and the defence again was rock solid in dealing with top strikers at this level. The midfield 2 are a real strength with Tronstad as good as anyone on the pitch and Travis really complimenting him nicely. The performance of ACD was as big a positive as any. Just to see a player who is fairly quick and direct gives us a totally different dimension to the likes of Hedges trudging up and down, and his goal was a brilliant finish. Beck again was really good too and Ohashi worked hard and is better suited playing just off a striker. Gueye is a conundrum. His overall performance was the best by far that he has put in in terms of his hold up etc, his work for the first goal typifies what he was offering. But strikers need to score goals and he is as bad a finisher as I can ever remember, that miss was embarassing and he also slashed wildly at one in the second half.

A competent one.

These extended tournaments ruin the spectacle and the jeopardy. Qualification is guaranteed for any half decent team when so many qualify. Then at the tournament, you have more poor teams and crucially a ridiculous system whereby most 3rd placed teams qualify. Gone are the days when you can even get a hard group to begin with but if you do, then you will almost certainly qualify anyway. There was to be fair a good potential group at Euro 2020 with Portugal, France and Germany in. They all qualified though so a potentially fascinating group in the past became predictable. Thats before you consider tournaments either hosted across numerous continents or in winter as part of sportswashing.

The biggest blow to our chances might be the absence of Amarii Bell.

They are almost half way through the season, he cant blame the fixtures. Their last 3 games have seen them lose to a struggling West Ham leading to their captain losing the plot, an e mbarassing 4 nil loss to goal shy Everton and a battering at home to Bournemouth having conceded 3 penalties trying to play stupid tactics. I dont see why that warrants patience personally, they have some good players that a proper manager would likely do better with and get well clear of relegation. If those results dont raise questions over his future, what results do?

Yeah I dont understand it at all. If we got promoted, his wage would likely go up and he would likely get a bonus as you say. It all comes down to the owners and there is a disportionate amount of ire elsewhere. They dont give a shit and havent for a long while, lapdog Pasha recently told the fans forum that they have no plans to come over and are focusing on other stuff. They have had no intention or inclination well before the court case to try and help the team to make a genuine attempt at getting up. They may even have skeletons in the closet that the Premier League limelight will expose, who knoes but even focusing on what we can see, they dont give a shit. Is he proactive enough to push the owners as much as possible? Obviously not, hes a kiss arse comfy in his position. And does he have the competence to grow the club? Clearly not. But no way does promotion not benefit him.

I dont see why, unless you have a particular defensive attitude towards English coaches, that you would logically think that he warrants staying. He is doing a crap job. To have 9 points after 15 games and be 19th, 4 points from 17th is very poor. Yes they have lost players but they still have a squad that shouldnt be there, and it doesnt scream happy camp playing for the manager when hes changed captain this week due to an ill disciplined strop.

Im sure its the sign of a well functioning club. Do you have faith in the owners sending funds and the staff effectively using them on 3 quality signings in a prompt fashion?

The whole tournament is a joke.

The recruitment team has already been broken up and seems to be again all over the shop. The owners again wont allow a reasonable budget so a mixture of Gestede in charge who signed Gueye and reliance on loans doesnt inspire confidence but we will see.

I suppose it will be young cheap loans as squad fillers so you never know but usually they fall at the end of Jan. Likely limited to 2 signings as we already have 3 loans and you can only have 5 in a squad.

We need players in early but wont get them.

Signing players from League 2 Chesterfield where even Markanday is thriving doesnt really scream Venkys funding a promotion push. Mind you, nothing they do does.