InstaRam

Full credit to everyone involved for grinding out that win what was always going to be a difficult game. Brilliant 3 points and the results went in our favour too!! 
It was always going to be an ugly scrap of a game which we stood up to well and limited them to few chances, but if not for Sibley’s 90th minute winner, this post could’ve been very different.
I struggled all game to contain my anger and frustration and this started when drinking a doom bar in the harvester I saw the team news. Now the only caveat is, were the 13 players who played today the only ones fit enough to play a reasonable part in the game? That to me is the only possible justification for the team Warne picked today. Last time I was as disappointed at a team sheet was the 2019 play off final and the selection and tactics were akin to Nigel effectively playing a 4-6-0 at home to Leicester in the freezing cold in the middle of our horrific run in 2011. 
Back 3? Nyambe right wing back? More defensive players on the pitch than attacking ones. No wonder we couldn’t muster a single shot in the first half (or actually until the 76th minute wasn’t it?). The balance was all wrong from minute one. Half time came and went, no changes. Then the first sub, and it’s Smith! Another defensive minded player, although to be fair he got us passing more in midfield and it moved Wilson to wing back (where he should’ve started if we’re playing that system). Then Hallelujah an attacking sub, Sibs is coming on, but it’s like for like, we still have more defensive players than attacking players in the last 15 mins when we’re trying to win the game!! Barks had run himself into the ground, but Tommo could’ve also come on to improve the midfield balance. Then we manage to work a situation good play from Mendez and a great finish from Sibbo. Job done so suppose Warne got it right in the end, and 3 points is all that mattered.
Thought the players did their best today with the tools they were given, Nyambe gave a sterling effort at right wing back, Bradley definitely MOTM, pleased for him but IMO shouldn’t have even started the game. If he wanted a back 3 then surely play Nyambe with Nelson and Cash, Wilson wing back and then either Sibley in a front 3 or Thommo in a midfield 3 with Mendez and Barks up top, would’ve given us more attacking balance and given us a more convincing performance and more comfortable victory against Stevenage who I thought were poor. 
Managers like players can have bad games and personally l thought Warne had a stinker today and got away with one. But I don’t care, 3 points is all that mattered and we’re in a fantastic position which is in my view also very much down to Warne, his understanding of the league and getting the most out of a squad which I still don’t really think is suited to his playing style, people bang on about the players he’s brought in he’s had 18 months etc, we’ve been dealing in freebies for the most part, hes been unable sign the young energetic talents the likes of which Posh have been signing. 
Well done to the lads today but as well as they did, I never want to see that same 11 on the pitch again unless it’s the last 5 mins trying to see out a game. 
The fans today were immense!!! Many times they could’ve turned but didn’t, we’ve got to do everything we can to help these boys over the line.

That Morgan W in Plymouth looks ok.

Have not really made any difference for us so far. Can only hope that he will kick on sooner rather than later because right now Barkhuizen is still a much better alternative. 

Have not really made any difference for us so far. Can only hope that he will kick on sooner rather than later because right now Barkhuizen is still a much better alternative. 

That Morgan W in Plymouth looks ok.

I think that's kind of part of it.  He was supposed to be the big marquee signing, the hotshot in-form goal-scoring winger, the missing piece of the puzzle to kick us on a level (or it certainly felt like that was the intention from the outside).  Now, instead of that, he's suddenly not fit, then he's injured, then he's playing but not really fit.  Plus he doesn't really seem to fit the gas-out, aggressive pressing type of football that we want to play either.  So it kind of feels like, instead of blowing our budget on a difference-maker, we've wasted on it on someone who's struggling to even get in the side.

I feel very strongly that Paul Warne should be sacked if he does badly but stay if he does well.

Am I doing this right?

That's not good enough, and I hope they know it.

Most of it would have been ok if only we weren't so damned anxious. Attack attack, attack and the opponents in L1 would have a hard time. Now we show such respect for the away team that you can believe that it is Klopp's Liverpool who are standing there sooner than Shrewsbury.

Most of it would have been ok if only we weren't so damned anxious. Attack attack, attack and the opponents in L1 would have a hard time. Now we show such respect for the away team that you can believe that it is Klopp's Liverpool who are standing there sooner than Shrewsbury.

True, the only real differences we have to other clubs are..
Refs are always against us
We don't get enough coverage in the media
Sky hate us
We have loads more bad luck than other clubs
We have better, more supportive fans then everyone else
Our squad is always much better than everyone elses, except for the odd season when our squad is much worse than everyone elses
We always get terrible owners
Our rightful place is at least challenging for European places in the Premier League
We don't have delusions of grandeur like most other club's supporters
We historically play better football than nearly all teams
Any of our of fans who could be prone to violence would only ever be defending themselves. Was always such.

Isn't that the Kirsh?

Prefer Harvey White tbh

Occasionally, teams make a single signing that transforms the team. 
Virgil van Dyke at Liverpool, Kante at Leicester are good examples off the top of my head.
I think Warne has found a player in Adams who can have a similar positive effect. 
Fitted almost seamlessly into that midfield, and just made everyone around him that little bit more effective.
Keep him fit, and he'll make a massive difference come the end of the season.
Good pick up in the Jan window, and brave to slot him straight in, good call Paul.
 
 

Bird now leads the list for open play assists out of all CMs in the league. Only Peterborough's Joel Randell has created more chances.
"Only passes sideways and backwards".

Great fight, can't ask for more than that. Very important win after a few low quality games. COYR!

Great fight, can't ask for more than that. Very important win after a few low quality games. COYR!

Great fight, can't ask for more than that. Very important win after a few low quality games. COYR!

Adams is exactly whats weve been missing for a long while 

3-4-2-1 then? 
 
                 Vickers
      Nelson  Bradley  Cashin
Ward  Hourihane   Adams  Sibley
               Bird     NML
                  Collins
Or 3-4-1-2 with NmL up top and Bird or Hourihane “in the hole”?

The process used for this season will need to be overhaulled. 12 summer signings and a further 2 in January, of which only 3 are likely to be regular starters is absolutely shocking (Nelson, Nyambe, Blackett-Taylor). This is also after the squad failed to place top last season, losing 3 of our first 11 (Roberts, Knight and McGoldrick) and not even having a right back in the entire squad.
It's summarised by having no long term vision. That's in terms of: a) bringing in younger players who will either maintain their current standards for longer, or have room for improvement; or b) planning how the players will fit into the team.
Warne put a clear focus on older and more experience players, based on the rationale of higher wages equates to better players. If more budget is put towards the wages, we'll end up with a stronger squad of players.
Warne also had no plan on how to fit the players into the team. This is demonstrated by early summer recruitment being with 3421 in mind, which quickly changed to 352, and then alternating between 442 and 4231 during the season so far. We signed a LB (Elder) to play as a wing back, but also signed Nyambe (RB) after already signing 2 wing backs. He also signed a slow CB who cannot play in a high line and is uncomfortable on the ball under pressure. We've basically got through from October with only 1 fully fit forward whowas 2nd choice last season and failed to improve on in the summer AND January.
The style of play our CF targets prefer also varied. Summer targets like Harris, Rhodes and Sharp all have different strengths and weaknesses. Similar with January targets such as Smith, Gregory, Mubama, Ennis. It's just a scattergun approach all round. Most of these targets compromise on the high intensity press Warne wants to implement too.

Great great news

We have been one of the worst in the class at transfer windows for years (apart from the occasional window). I would argue that we need a total restart in terms of our strategy around transfers.
 
How we have signed under Warne I would rate as even worse than our average year. We need to be able to develop players and sell them on to make the financial model work. As it stands now, we have to sell at a discount to finance high wages for underperforming so-called. experienced (old) quality players. It feels anything but sustainable for the future.

Exactly. If Thompson had been given opportunities last season, we wouldn't have needed to sign White last January. It may have been a factor in not needing to use up some of the budget on Fornah in the summer too. Same applies for Robinson.
I( think back to Cashin's introduction to the first team. Honestly, I wouldn't have put him above L2 standard at the time, which is where I feel Brown is at now. Would Warne have started him, when we still had Davies, Forsyth and Bielik as the other options at CB? 
Would have have given Plange his debut when we still had Jozwiak and Stearman on the bench?
Would he have played Williams at LWB and Forsyth CB and leave Stearman on the bench?
Put simply, Warne's mentality is wrong for this club. Wilson's the youngest player he's permanently signed for us and he's 23. Out of his Rotherham signings who joined at a younger age, 
22/23:
None used. A 21 yo keeper played 45 mins under the following manager and has been a free agent since the summer
21/22:
None used, but signed a keeper who has since retired
20/21:
20 yo keeper who has been a regular starter
19/20:
20 yo LB who featured for 622 mins in all competitions over 2 seasons before being moved on
19 yo LW who got 176 mins
22 year old Ogbene who was as squad player in his first season, then got just 606 mins in the Championship the following season before being a regualr starter in L1 aged 24.
21 year old Olusunde who was as squad player for 2 years and has only set foot on a football field 3 times since.
18/19:
None signed
17/18:
22 yo CM who got 1832 mins in all competitions over 2 seasons before being moved on
20 yo CB who got 180 mins before being shipped out to non-league sides.
22 yo winger who got 242 in all competitions over 2 seasons before being moved on
16/17:
19 yo LB who got 1756 mins in all competitions over 2 seasons before being moved on
That's only 1 succesful young signing!!!