The loan market is a very potentially fruitful one for Championship clubs with limited resources, but Morton as a young midfielder was not what we needed in that position. You look even at the top 2, Sheffield United loaned in McAtee and Doyle who are obviously better than Morton but also compliment the experienced midfielders that they already have. Burnley have loaned a number of players but they also have the likes of Cork, Brownhill, Gudmundson, Rodriguez, Barnes, Taylor and Roberts providing plenty of experience, and even then, Harwood Bellis and Maatsen already have had loan spells in this division. Broughton and co have failed us in midfield as they have up top. Besides Travis, we had Buckley who has some experience in general but none in central midfield and 2 at the time totally untested youngsters. It isn't just that ideally they would have found a better youngster than Morton, it is that he shouldn't have identified a youngster to compliment what we had.

He is crap unfortunately, both in midfield where positionally he is all over the place and in midfield where he is a liability. Just not up to it, and Tomasson seems to have figured that out hence why he struggles to get near the squad.

I would drop Morton too (not for Garrett) but that in bold shouldn't play any part in team selections. The focus now is solely on these 8 games, not future development. Equally, we wouldn't drop Brereton or Thomas for the same reason.

I get that, and as is a risk with a director of football structure, he may not have necessarily wanted the players he got. But still, there is so much quality there, even on Saturday he had 2 centre backs on the bench with 2 full backs at centre back, and Loftus Cheek at wing back. I also question whether the players respected him as they did at smaller clubs previously. They haven't looked like they were ever making progress under him, even small steps.

And none are that great, so they wouldn't be missed too much. They could also probably sell the likes of Pulisic, Ziyech etc.

Is it not difficult to gauge where we should be without tracking the progress of the teams around us?

As long as they improve you at all, even if it is as part of the squad. You look at Sheffield United, Doyle and McAtee are not massive improvements on Berge, Norwood and Fleck but they give them such good depth to have those 5 options and compliment existing experience. Morton was not what we needed though.

Is it? He has some really talented players at his disposal. The squad is bloated but I feel like his shortcomings may come around managing high profile players. His team selections are really random too. Yesterday he had 2 centre backs on the bench yet Cucurella and James were 2 of a back 3 with Loftus Cheek at wing back.

I wouldn't feel too sorry for Potter. He is set for life off the back of 6 months work!

Graham Potter has been sacked. Probably something he was expecting, it has never seemed a good fit from day one and results have been terrible.

You said that it is "quite amazing that we are still in with a chance" which is what I disagreed with. Our squad is nothing special but compared to our direct rivals for the play offs, we are not noticeably if at all inferior in quality to those squads.

He is best running at full backs 1 on 1. He doesn't offer much of a goal threat and lacks the ability to get into goalscoring positions.

It is a great achievement but it doesn't mean that he should continue indefinitely because of it. Some of the shit he spouts is cringeworthy nowadays.

I don't think bar chaddy who thinks he has been ok/decent, that I know anyone that rates Morton. I don't think people would conclude that if he wasn't on loan. He isn't going to stroll back into Liverpools first team so his performances this season are massive in what happens I just don't think he is particularly good. He is very lightweight and your typical physically lacking youngster who has only really played sanitised kids football whereby there is no physicality required. He is more robust and ready than Buckley when he broke through here but still lacking and his lack of physicality coupled with naivety means that more experienced midfielders can often find it easy to bypass him. He is ok technically and played well against Reading and for 89 minutes v Sheffield United but is not good enough or clever enough to dictate games. I don't think he has made loads of glaring errors (in Sheffield he was trying to be clever, there was also the mistake at Wigan when we were not settling well trying to pass it out and again he was too naive) but he ranges from being decent to being ineffective.

Rankin Costello shouldn't be moved. When he plays at right back, he also comes in to central midfield having started in his normal position (seemingly an in vogue use of full backs but one he does really well in) and also he doubles up with the winger. Brittain doesn't seem to have that same level of tactical flexibility so I think we would be taking something away from how we play.

He is obviously lightweight and it is a huge flaw in his game, but his style and the way he plays doesn't do him any favours in how people view him, aswell as the fact that he is on loan which to some is an automatic reason to make him more prone to over the top criticism. I've said many times, I don't rate him very highly at all and he wasn't what we needed. I just think implying that he doesn't want to be here, that he isn't bothered and saying you would rather have the likes of Harlock and Edun in there is too far.

I remember one was Millwall away and whilst his energy was there, even then he didn't offer a goal threat.

Martin Tyler responding to the Newcastle goal with "where theres a Willock theres a way." He really becomes more and more of a parody with each passing week. Surely the end of the season is time for him to hang up the mic. The amount of drivel he comes out with, starting with "and its live!"

Dolan is so less effective up top than out wide fronting up full backs. Surely Brereton central is the best bet.

Lets hope they arent genuinely interested because lets be real, not even considering what happened in January, if a Premier League club comes in with a massive wage increase and resources, he almost certainy will go.

He is a player that was totally the opposite of what we needed in an otherwise young central midfield. A lightweight youngster with minimal first team experience who has mainly played sanitised kids football for a big club. I just cant have that he hasn't got the desire or that he isnt bothered about what happens whilst here, that IMO is really unfair. Questions about his lack of robustness are fair, he is very slight (as Buckley was even more so when he came into our team) and can be easily brushed aside. He is never going to be a brave enforcer smashing into challenges, that sort of approach has limited use anyway but he does need to become more physical. He did put in a very strong challenge that lead to our second at Sheffield United and also he did win the ball a couple of times yesterday with solid challenges but he needs to be braver and stronger more often. Assuming he is available for loan next season, a Championship club would likely move for him, most likely one nearer the bottom. Also, some of the players you list are not better alternatives. We have mentioned Harlock, a kid about to be released and one who has never got close to the team. But even aside from that, Dack and Szmodics don't play the same position, Rankin Costello is thriving at right back in the role he gives us a totally new dimension in and Edun is horrendous especially in midfield, has Morton ever been as bad as Edun was away at Peterborough. So we are left with 4 options, a very limited and inexperienced pool and we may well need them all, but Wharton IMO shouls play v Norwich with Travis.

At Sheffield United he played Pickering and Phillips beside Ayala so he clearly wasnt totally sold on just sticking Phillips in. But if the alternative is Edun who is awful at left back and Pickering who is a small full back at centre back then it is hardly a viable alternative. As I said, it has often been down to necessity when those players have played. I doubt Phillips and Vale would have played much had Ayala/Wharton and to a lesser extent Hyam had picked up injuries, or if Broughton had actually signed a competent striker. It's not a criticism, but equally I don't think it has been down to bravery.

Comparing against different standards from different years. The side we had in 2001 was one that finished 19 points ahead of 7th, it was an automatic promotion chasing side in only its second season after relegation, full of Premier League quality. Now we are not even claiming to be chasing tbe top 2, just to get 6th in a poor league. You look at Millwall's side, Ryan Leonard, George Savile, Tom Bradshaw, Duncan Watmore, Luton with Amarii Bell, Jordan Clark who they signed from Stanley, a couple of forwards from Barnsley, they aren't sides packed full of great quality compared to us. Us finishing in the top 6 would certainly be a good achievement but it wouldn't be a miracle even allowing for transfer failings.

He often has played those players out of necessity. Phillips has only really played when we have had to due to injuries, Vale is awful but has played when we have had to due to recruitment failings from Broughton and we have been light in central midfield, although he has never really fancied Wharton sadly.

What makes you confident about Southampton? They look absolute shite. Can't be a surprise, horrendous form all season. Plus very pleasing as he comes across as an absolute bell end. I remember watching one of those documentaries when he was at Liverpool and he had a portrait of himself in his house. If he was made out of chocolate he would eat himself.