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Reply | Watching Scotland vs Belarus
at 07:28 9 Sep 2025
Based on these last two games, Hirst seems to be 3rd choice behind both Adams and Dykes, slightly concerning that Clarke rates him behind those two. |
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Reply | Szmodics injured.
at 10:58 8 Sep 2025
Well he's played off the left and he has played in the central 10 position which I believe is where he played for Blackburn, what position is his 'best' in your opinion? |
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Reply | Wardley has a big fight nexr
at 10:04 8 Sep 2025
He didn't 'get lucky' last time, he connected with a knockout punch that won the fight. That's kind of how boxing works, doesn't mean he will be always able to repeat the trick but there was nothing lucky about that punch against Huni.
I do agree that Parker will probably have too much for him though. |
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Reply | Chiedozie Ogbene is sound.
at 20:54 5 Sep 2025
I just love everything about that interview. What a fantastic attittude, well done Chiedozie. |
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Reply | Matusiwa, Cajuste and Nunez
at 12:21 31 Aug 2025
4-3-3 is the obvious answer to this, maybe not every game but I think it would benefit us to try it ocassionally and keep the opposition guessing a little as to how we will set up. At the moment they know 100% that we will line up in a 4-2-3-1. |
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Reply | Player ratings and general thoughts on yesterday
at 11:59 31 Aug 2025
We need him to start taking those half chances again if he is to justify a starting place in my opinion. He had one in the first half from a cut back and just didn't connect properly with his shot.
Agree about missing his link up with Burns though. Hopefully some time on the training ground will see similar link up developing between him and the likes of McAteer and Egeli |
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Thread | Player ratings and general thoughts on yesterday
at 11:41 31 Aug 2025
Palmer- Didn't do too much wrong but does look very average overall. Better with his feet though yesterday, I thought. 6/10
Young - I thought he was one of our better players, good pass selection, came close to scoring and just amazes me with his fitness levels for a 40 year old. 7/10
O'Shea - Was going well until that awful 'chest down' for the second goal, what was he doing? Question marks over both centres backs on the build up to the penalty also. Need better from our captain. 5/10
Greaves - Generally ok and good to see him score but not sure where he was for the first Derby goal. Both centre halfs seem to be sleeping, or was it Leif keeping them onside? Diffcult to see from the highlights. 6/10
Davis - Seems to have a hangover from last season. Not yet close to the Leif we saw in 23/24, the 'inverted' position he is taking up at times is not really suiting his game, thus far. 6/10
Matisuwa - Getting better with each game, for me he was probably our best player, broke up play, won headers and generally passed it well. 7/10
Cajuste - Showed his class at times but far too laid back at other times. Needs to build his match fitness up before we can fully judge but he needs to affect games at this level or else will just end up being a bit of an expensive luxury, rather than a cheat code. 6/10
McAteer - Worked hard but little end product. Too early to make a fair judgement on him, but on early showings I have to say i'm struggling to see a 12m player. Hopefully he comes good. 6/10
Chaplin - Some good, some bad. I just feel he is too slow at times and gives the ball away cheaply. Had a great chance to get a shot away in the first half when one of Cajuste's flicks came off, putting him in acres of space, yet he chose to play a pass to Philogene and got it all wrong. If he is not popping up in those Chaplin positions and scoring, it is hard to see that he contributes enough to be the regular starter at number 10. 5/10
Philogene - I cant really work him out. Some great touches and at times looks like he is going to do some damage but it never really seems to happen. I'm still confident he will deliver at this level but yesterday wasn't his day. 6/10
Hirst - The less said the better really, was a real off day and hopefully he gets back to the Hirst we know pretty quickly. 4/10
Szmodics - Didn't really notice him to be honest, minimal impact.
Akpom - Took a while to get involved but showed promise when he did, thinking he may well be the best fit for the 10 role long term
Clarke - Fair play to him, looked more threatening than JP and showed real balls on the pen, I think he needed that in front of the North stand. I'd be tempted to start him on the left in the next game.
Taylor - Did ok and won the pen which saved us.
Azon - Not on for long but did show willing and enthusiasm.
Overall it was an ok performance but worryingly it was a game we should have won that we very nearly lost. We were clearly the better side but so we should be against Derby at home, with all due respect to them. We can't use their sh!thousery as an excuse, we need to be better overall and be far more clinical in both boxes. The two goals we conceded were desperately poor and we need to start keeping clean sheets asap.
We don't have time now to wait for the players to 'gel' in terms of getting results, peformances, yes, but we need to find a way to start picking up three points regularly otherwise we will be giving ourselves a mountain to climb even at this early stage. The window is all but done so we largely know what we have to work with. Over to KM and the coaching staff to work with this expensively assembled squad and make it happen, I still have faith that they will, but the pressure is on
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Reply | Sunderland MOTD highlights
at 10:33 31 Aug 2025
Look at their winning goal, exactly the type of early delivery into the box that Leif should be doing, but we rarely cross from that position as we presumably consider it to be too deep.
We seem to want to engineer the perfect cut back from the by-line everytime and yet seldom do we manage it. We need far more variety to our play when teams set out with a low block, hopefully this is something we will be working on. |
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Reply | Was the Championship this attritional last time round?
at 10:17 31 Aug 2025
We were the promoted team last time round, most teams thought they could go toe-to-toe with us and come out on top. Thus we had far less low block / sh!thousery tactics to deal with.
By the time teams had worked out we were pretty good and becaume a bit more cautious, we had such winnning momentum and confidence that we found a way, whether that be through set pieces or just sheer unrelenting persistence.
I also think that McKenna team was more direct, not in terms of long ball football, but we were fast and incisive in our build up and got into dangerous areas quickly. So far this team seems far too slow and ponderous in our build up play allowing teams to get back behind the ball far too easily. |
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Reply | Wolfy
at 10:07 31 Aug 2025
Yep, I still maintain Burgess is a better player than Greaves. |
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Reply | Matusiwa, Cajuste and Nunez
at 10:04 31 Aug 2025
Agreed. If he is 'too good for the division' he needs to show it in his numbers and really affect games. Still very early days of course but he needs to deliver some goals/assists and be part of a solid midfield that contributes to clean sheets. |
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Reply | McKenna deserves all the criticism
at 11:45 27 Aug 2025
Well no, I was think more along the lines of he 'would do well there because he's an ITFC hating obvious budgie troll' But nice try. |
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Reply | Josh Sargent
at 15:40 25 Aug 2025
Why don't you wait until the end of the window before making such bold claims? You are going to look even more silly if he goes to the prem this window. |
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Reply | Josh Sargent
at 15:01 25 Aug 2025
His injury record is the major issue, but when fit he is better than all of the players you have listed. I hate Norwich as much as the next Man, but if we take our blue tinted specs off, Sargent is a very good forward at this level and I struggle to think of a better one. |
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Reply | McKenna deserves all the criticism
at 14:13 25 Aug 2025
Here he is again. Being an elephantintheroom tribute act is not a good life ambition laddie, at least not on this board. You could try the Pink 'un, I suspect you would do quite well there. |
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Reply | With Ogbene and McActeer on the right
at 07:03 25 Aug 2025
I think that makes sense. I would be looking at Ogbene / McAteer on the right and Clarke / JP on the left, I think that gives us a better balance.
Also where Clarke is concerned, a few appearances off the bench might just help him right now. Coming on against a tiring defense, particularly at Portman Road, he could get some joy which would help boost his confidence and get the support back on his side. |
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Reply | My thoughts on yesterday...
at 12:20 24 Aug 2025
Chaplin frustrates me as much as some of the others to be honest. Everybody keeps calling for him to start but all he has done so far this season is continually give the ball away, as well as miss chances he would have taken in the two promotion seasons.
I feel that he, like a lot of the others is just trying too hard at the moment and needs to relax a bit and focus on the basics. |
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