KrolMong

They’ll start quick, create and miss a couple of chances, get the crowd behind them. Liverpool will then score, and they will coast to a 4-0 win.

Agreed. I’ll go as far as saying that it will happen. There’s already reports of clubs in Saudi having financial issues and it’s not generating any where near the interest as they thought, especially sponsorship wise. I see a scenario that they’ll lose interest within 5 years.

Let’s see the prices before we get carried away. If it is discounted on this seasons prices for two weeks, and then the Jan tickets are at this seasons prices, no issues. If there is an increase now and a bigger increase in Jan, not great especially as it is currently very probably that we’ll be a third division team again next season.

Nathan Jones has turned down Toy Town.

That’s still very much on the table. I’ve been told that the wage bill is not high but unsustainable (around 35 million a year). Relegation to the Champ means they will have to reduce that by 2/3rds. They’ve even spent the parachute payments for at least the next season.

They are all a bit tetchy them Blades. I have called out that the reason why they are in this mess is a combination of the ten bob prince and Wilder… they don’t like that. I have to keep reminding them that he spent 150 million on some right shit, and managed to amass a 80 million quid wage bill.

You did, and I remember that. I just think that he has natural instincts as a forward, the biggest one being to get a shot off. Physically he is clearly ready.

I’ll maintain that Xisco is the worst manager in our history. Absolutely did not prepare the squad he had in terms of fitness, shape, set-pieces etc. It was literally like putting a Sunday coach in charge of the club.

He’s going to be a player is Bailey. He gets chances every game, and he’s working the keeper. He nearly bagged a second yesterday and if wasn’t for a very fortunate block off the heel of the defender, he’d have found the bottom corner. What is interesting is that you can see what Rohl expects from a forward by him picking Bailey. The forward is leading the press, and is then expected to get space when we win the ball back. My best comparison would be Dortmund under Klopp with Lewandowski, when you win the ball that high up the pitch, you don’t need masses of pace and power, just movement. You look at the likes of Gregory and Smith, and they can’t do it. Wilks possibly can, but he’s never fit. Pato can, but he doesn’t move like a striker when we get the ball back. Windass certainly can do it. I have no doubt that when Rohl does look to strengthen, he’ll bring more in like it.

If anyone is watching Newcastle v Man Utd. Two teenagers playing. Lewis Miley for Newcastle and Kobbie Mainoo. Both midfield players and both look a bit special. And both English…

I thought Bannan did the simple and dirty stuff really well today. Him and Vaulks’ reading of the game was very good. In the last 20 minutes, both went up a gear and Bannan consistently found the sensible pass to get us out and up the pitch. I thought Bannan was poor the other night, but today, good.

That’s why I said ‘on paper’. The attacking talent is there. We are a bit shit at centre half if Stones is missing but we’ve seen sides win major championships by being simply good with the ball. The minute we play France or Portugal, we lose.

He should have got two straight reds. He threw the elbow at O’Shea earlier and got booked when it was a red. And then did it again. Lech are playing in Kielce, which is in the south of Poland and it’s literally not stopped snowing this week. Conditions are horrific down there at the minute. Plus it’s -7.

On paper, it’s probably between France, us and Portugal. But you can bet that we’ll lose a couple of key players in the build up, and the first decent side we play against, we’ll roll out that 5-2-3 with Rice and Phillips holding, and then get beat.

I had us in the laptop and the pigs on the TV. They are toss, Burnley should have got 9 or 10. This pigs team don’t have one player good enough for the division. No pace, no power, no physicality, and no players with nouse. Burnley rolled them today and barely broke sweat. It’s worth adding, the pigs net spend was about 60 million, and they have around a 40 million quid wage bill. They don’t have anything in the way of a crown jewel to sell.

I don’t think there was any below average performances today, with the possible exception being George Byers, who I thought was poor first half and a mile off the pace. We started quick again and this time scored early. We had two good chances, and then Blackburn had the spell before half time and and after half time. The goal they scored was coming, but it was really poor from Liam Palmer. But, again, our changes had a positive impact. Johnson was good when he came on and I thought Musaba was a pest. Danny Rohl made a really clever change with Johnson. First half, Blackburn kept flipping it behind Famewo and dragging Diaby out. He nudged Famewo inside and put Johnson outside of him and stopped the pass. Simple change that forced Blackburn centrally. Some proper shit-housery from Pato for the second, and a great run and finish from Windass for the third. Vaulks gets MOM, but I thought Bernard was good, Bannan was good and Windass and Cadmarteri were good. Two more winnable games coming up…

I look at it like this. If it had gone on from the position he made the save from, we would have called it a bad mistake. I’d not use World Class or Great Save, but Important Stop.

I had futsal last night, so missed the first 25 mins. But, I was pleased with what I saw. Annoyingly, we are desperately short of anything like even a lower end Championship goalscorer, and that continues to haunt us. But… the way Rohl has us set-up, it gets us starting quick and on the front foot. We should easily have been ahead at half time. Second half, at least possession wise, Leicester dominated. I thought that Bannan and in particular, Byers were very very poor last night, especially second half. Leicester loaded up that right side and Byers was several yards off the pace. They both got hooked although I thought Marvin Johnson could have easily been dragged too. I actually thought the subs made us worse. Buckley and Hendricks were chasing shadows, Fletcher was being physically dominated, until we went ale house. All of a sudden, Buckley was getting the second balls, Johnson was getting in behind, Fletcher was hustle and bustle and Pato (who had been poor all night) was causing havoc. And that’s where the goal came from, as did the two chances prior. That said, they easily missed the two best chances of the second half. But, what we did show was good shape and organisation, and whilst the press dropped, it then came again after the change of style. Good result going into two games that we want to be winning.

We’ll cause them problems, absolutely no doubt about that. But, I can still see them winning by 3 or 4, especially if we persist with Diaby at Centre half and center halves playing at full back.

I wonder how much they’d be able to prove in that statement above. Or has this ‘consortium’ told them verbally. There’s a few ‘we understand’ in the statement, in other words - they’ve seen nothing, and taken the word of some consortium who hasn’t shown anything to anyone.

It’s concentration that’s the issue. Iorfa has always had it in him to switch off. I like Ihiekwe, but is he really comfortable enough to play the way that Rohl plays. Bernard could be a good centre half, but, he struggles when a team puts it on us. They’d all benefit from a very good championship centre half playing next to them, as well as a couple of proper championship full backs.

A comment on all of our defenders. They are at best bottom end Championship defenders. At worst, bottom end league one/league two defenders. Teams don’t score good goals against us, but we crack even under the slightest bit of pressure. If a team has a spell, they are going to score in it because someone is going to switch off.

I agree with MK, if we are miles adrift, I wouldn’t make any signings for the benefit of this season. I would also be utterly brutal and get rid of loans, out of contract players, and anyone who he does not feel is good enough. Drop them from the squad, pay them up. Just get shut. Any player that is signed is not for this season. But for the rebuild. But, and I say this with belief. Danny Rohl will not manage in league one next season. Mark my words.

Mambo Diaby is the worst centre half we’ve ever had. Yes, worse than Dean Smith, Ashley Westwood, Steven Haslam, and Guy Branston. He has every single attribute you need to be a top defender apart from the important one. A brain. And I mean he hasn’t got one ounce of football intelligence, he’s also menatally weak, invariably makes a mistake and then just gets worse. Pay him up and bomb him.

Awful for the second. Does not reflect well on Diaby who was jogging back in as they break and didn’t react to the save either. He’s been awful this half. Not good enough for this division or the division below. Birmingham beat the press by banging it long. They haven’t caused massive problems but you know we have a mistake in us. We’ve not offered much second half but until the goal, never looked in massive trouble unless the ball was in and around Diaby.