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Cardiff City v Queens Park Rangers Your Report added at 00:55:51
As far as I can see this has to be viewed as a point gained rather than two lost. Harewood should have had a hat-trick at least, and that was just the first half. If Barnsley had anything half-decent up front then they would surely be higher up the league than they are. Under MM I never fear the collapses that we saw under Jewell, but we never look like scoring many either. With two predominantly defensive players in the middle we really need something from the flanks but lately at home there has been nothing. Away from home we can hit teams on the break but at Portman Rd. we lack the wit to unlock even the weakest defences.

I was impressed with McGoldrick, whether he'll score the goals remains to be seen but he looks a proper footballer, a skillful link-man. Unfortunately he had no service whatsoever; you could have Robin Van Persie up front but if he gets nothing from midfield he'll struggle. Especially at home we need to take more chances occasionally and commit a few more men going forwards if we want to win games.

Survival is still the number one priority this season and you have to say that MM is the man for the job. Going forwards though the squad needs some serious investment if we're not going to find ourselves back here next season. Some wingers and someone who can take a set-piece wouldn't go amiss. COYB.

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Stoke City v Wigan Athletic Your Report added at 02:21:44
Really, what a transformation. Very tight in the first half, we fought and scrapped to establish ourselves, doing all the things that we were incapable of just a few weeks ago. Hoof, scrap, hoof, scrap-sometimes this is necessary and I was delighted that we stood up to the physical challenge that Millwall brought. Let's be clear, they had several good chances and but for the keeper we could easily have gone under. For me we still look vulnerable through the middle without Hyam. N'Daw is a class act but doesn't have the mobility to chase and harry that Luke brings, and he can't return soon enough for me. Not having a go at Drury, he is capable of moments of brilliance, but in a 4-4-2 he can get caught out at times when the team is under pressure.

I was surprised to see Murphy start ahead of Barnett, but MM knows what he's doing and was repayed with a great performance. On a couple of occasions he was through on goal, took the extra touch and failed to finish, but overall his work rate and hold-up play was admirable. Both centre-halves also impressed me, and they look to be forming a useful partnership that could serve us well for many years to come. Chambers is very good on the deck, Tommy is strong in the air, and despite not being the biggest pairing in the league they are starting to look like a good combination. As for DJ, what can you say. A true goalscorer who works really hard and puts himself about a bit for a little bloke, he's worth his weight in gold at the moment. Chopra may be the better footballer in terms of outright skill, but DJ has that knack that sees him in the right place at the right time which sets him apart. I have a nasty feeling that another Championship club may be benefitting from his services come January, but let's enjoy it while we can. If we can afford him then I would bite their arm off.

Merlin the Magician? Too right. COYB.

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Preston North End v West Bromwich Albion Your Report added at 00:18:49
Not had much to shout about recently but what a result tonight. We were joking before the match about how Town traditionally perform better against decent opposition and so it was. We looked a completely different team from Saturday and the win was well deserved. From the first minute to the last we were at the races, not switching off at vital moments and closing them down when they had the ball; these sound like simple things but this is the stuff that we have spectacularly failed to do in recent times and it made all the difference.

Have to admit that I haven't been Henderson's greatest fan since he arrived, but he was very good tonight. Solid under the high ball, much quicker and more decisive with his distribution, he looked much more like a Premier league keeper tonight and made one fantastic save which he tipped onto the bar. Smith and Chambers dealt comfortably with most of what was thrown at them and Sharp barely got a look in, which is no mean achievement. Orr also showed his class this evening, getting forward to good effect whilst always providing cover and showing good awareness; it has been so long since I've seen a traditional full-back display at Portman Road that I'd forgotten what it looked like. Campbell showed the movement and tenacity that we've come to expect, whilst the new boy looked impressive in the air and full of pacey running, providing a whole new option before he ran out of steam and was replaced. But the two stand out performances for me were Hyam and N'Daw who closed everything down, worked their socks off and fully deserved the appreciation they received from the crowd. Hyam works so hard, his actions serve as a shining example to the rest of the team and galvanise those around him, whilst N'Daw again showed that he is not only a big lump but one that can play a bit too.

All in all the best performance and atmosphere we have seen at Portman Road for quite some time, and even the D'Urso factor couldn't derail us; how their keeper didn't get sent off was a mystery, but then again when he gave the penalty we were all singing 'One Andy D'Urso', surely a first. He is still utterly useless though, bottling the big decisions but randomly awarding free-kicks for the most innocuous events, the sooner he is pensioned off the better. What a great night, a bit of pride restored and the enormous chants of 'Super Mick McCarthy' echoing round Portman Road were well deserved. If he pulls this off the bloke deserves a statue. Whether we can produce this level of performance on a regular basis remains to be seen, but tonight showed that there is a bit of life in the Blue and White dog yet. COYB.

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Tranmere Rovers v Shrewsbury Town Your Report added at 01:34:58
At a loss to know what to say. We've all seen it all before, it's the same old story. We have a decent group of players, but they're not performing. Bottom of division two is an absolute disgrace with the players we have. Where is Jewell? All season he has sat on his backside and refused to get involved. It's as if he is saying, right, I've done all I can, it's up to you. Well, I'm sorry but this just isn't working, and we need a new plan. For God's sake, someone do something before we slide into oblivion. And that means you, Evans. Take some bloody responsibility man, and show some leadership. I admire the fact that you are trying to give the man a chance and bring some stability to the club, but the time for that was in the summer when we needed half a new squad, and the funds were conspicuous by their absence. At the moment we are sinking without a trace and this constant inaction and radio silence is just making things worse.

Whichever rehab centre Chopra was sent to to doesn't seem to have worked, the bloke looks enormous. Reo-Coker is not fit enough for 45 minutes of non-league, but we have to watch him standing around puffing and blowing for 90 in the Championship. Great player, potentially above anything we have on our books, but obviously nowhere near fit enough for competitive football. Meanwhile Hyam sits on the bench and N'Daw presumably is putting his feet up at home. More than a joke, it's an insult. Just like the substitution of Campbell tonight, what is Jewell watching?

Why isn't Murphy even considered in his natural position i.e. up front? We have a parade of overweight dwarves who have no chance of winning anything pumped up onto their heads. I love Jason, he's the best finisher we have by a mile, but he really is not capable of winning much in the air against giant centre halves. It is so obvious I want to scream.

Ok, rant over. A bit 'tired and emotional' but so bloody frustrated. Someone please at least try and sort out this awful mess before it's too late. Come On You Blues.

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Rotherham United v Accrington Stanley Your Report added at 23:50:46
As others have already said, this was very much the same old story. Having settled ourselves down and weathered the early storm we then failed to take a host of good chances and gave away two of the most ridiculous goals you could wish to concede. On the balance of play we didn't deserve to lose, but yet again our profligacy and ludicrous naivety let us down.

On the plus side, I was impressed by N'Daw; he's a big unit (something this side desperately lacks) but also has a good touch and an eye for a pass. I suppose you don't get to play for the clubs he has played for without having something about you, and I was pleasantly surprised by his footballing ability. In general I also thought our backline looked more organised than of late, and apart from the unlucky own goal we looked reasonably solid. Interesting to note though how none of our defenders seemed overly keen to pass the ball back to Loach in tight situations, and often preferred to turn and hoof. Coaching or a lack of confidence? Difficult to say but worrying nonetheless. Going forwards we created some good chances, but yet again failed to take any of them. Taylor, Martin and Chopra is two into three; it just doesn't go. Chopra looks bang out of sorts, but then had little to work with. Martin is hopeless on either wing but especially on the right, whilst Taylor needs to play centrally to be at his most dangerous. Add in JET (when on form, our most skillful player) and Murphy (the only one with any strength or aerial ability) and it is clear that Jewell doesn't have a clue as to his best formation, and the team is suffering as a result.

Where we go from here is anybody's guess. Failure to beat Charlton at home must surely be the end of Jewell; as has been the norm this season he just sat on his hands and looked impotent all evening. It is clear that selection-wise he is again floundering in the dark, and by the look of the players this evening they don't believe in what they are doing either. I absolutely do not believe in changing managers on a whim, and for me 4 managers in 7 seasons is a damning indictment of those in charge of our club. However when fans and players alike lose confidence in the management then a change may be the only alternative. ITID. COYB.

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Gillingham v Sunderland Your Report added at 01:46:10
Afraid to say that I'm really struggling to find many positives in the performance today. After two great displays against Blackburn and Watford it has all gone out of the window and we are back to square one. Constant hoofs up the pitch, an inability to keep the ball and an unwillingness to make a challenge meant that without two great saves from Loach we would have lost this game badly. Jewell got it wrong today and we paid the price. When you finish the game with your star striker hanging around on the wing trying to pick up the ball from deep then you know something is wrong. Waiting till the last minute or so to make the changes that are so obviously needed, and then taking off the wrong player (Taylor) was incredible.

Taylor is obviously a great little player, but I simply don't understand where he fits in. As we start and play the vast majority of games with one up front, are you telling me that he is going to replace Chopra on a regular basis? If, as happened today, PJ wanted a winger to challenge JET for his place (not a bad idea, as it goes), then why didn't he buy a winger? Paying all that money for a second striker and then playing him out of position is just ridiculous. Taylor put in a good shift on the right, but has no left foot and so when he cuts inside has few options. This is obviously not his position and he was far more dangerous when he moved into the centre. Which begs the question; why has PJ spent all that money on a player whose best two positions are already occupied by our best two players (Martin and Chopra), especially when we are so obviously lacking in other areas? Sorry, but I just don't get it.

We missed Carlos today, although I thought Ainsley did well, certainly defensively at least, and we missed Hyam. Without him there was no-one to collect the ball from the back four and no-one to put their foot in in midfield. The problem with Premiership loanees is that you have to play them, even at the expense of our own players, and today Drury and Hyam would have been a far more effective pair than Drury and Luongo, who were far too easily overrun, although to be fair the ball was flying over their heads most of the time. How long is it going to be this season before we see Hyam again? I really hope it doesn't take as long as it did last year.

To sum up then, today we made Huddersfield look like world-beaters and were lucky to get a draw. Frightening to think what is going to happen when someone decent turns up. Sort it out PJ, and quick. My faith took a big knock today.

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