Jourdan

22 minutes ago, JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta said:

You could put Kevin de Bruyne in our midfield, it wouldn't make a difference because Warne actively bypasses the midfield. 

It's a tactical choice that is currently, and will continue to, cost us points.

I just don’t think Bird and Hourihane really have the attributes needed to control and impose themselves on enough games at this level.

Reading had the exact profile of players that they don’t like to come up against.

How can we play through midfield if we don’t have the players to keep and recycle possession?

Bird and Hourihane are both too lightweight to hold off challenges or win a physical battle, too slow to cover ground and too much in need of an airfield of space to spread the ball in midfield and maintain possession.

You don’t ‘actively bypass’ something if it can be used to your advantage.

Reading deserved to win. We never got going and never looked comfortable. The worst possible night for so many to have an off night.

Reading pressed well, used their pace effectively on the break, and used their athleticism and physicality to force mistakes and win second balls all over. They didn’t look great but they clearly did their homework and knew to stop us from getting into a rhythm.

We need to step things up or otherwise quite frankly our place in the top six will be at risk.

Here’s hoping we see a response on Saturday. It’s much needed.

Watching on RamsTV.

Very frustrating so far. We generally look very disjointed and you would not think there are 15+ places between the sides.

We show a few flashes of quality and composure and then our decision making lets us down.

The defence is generally OK, but looks vulnerable to Reading’s pace and athleticism. They are pressing well and in numbers and forcing mistakes, and Azeez looks a threat.

The midfield isn’t assertive enough, too lightweight and wasteful in possession. The attack looks very isolated. NML, Collins and Barkhuizen have not had any impact on the game and they are not seeing enough of the ball.

This could be decided on one mistake or one moment of quality.

Blackett Taylor will obviously have days where nothing comes off - shots, passes, crosses, stepovers and so on.

However his pace and his intent alone will make defenders watchful and always give us a chance.

I don’t think he will score or assist every week. We don’t need him to be a goal machine. We need someone who will create jeopardy, especially on days where NML and Wilson are not at it.

I think back to last season - a lot of games in the run in will be the same, tight and tense and teams will try to frustrate us or we might have a day where we are not at the races and we need someone to do something unpredictable.

CBT could be that player.  It might be one burst of pace or one turn of skill that stretches the opposition and leads to an opening for someone else and it’s the difference between 0-0 and 1-0.

He looks like someone who will make things happen and if that is the case, he is going to be crucial for us, and could be the difference between 4th and 2nd.

2 minutes ago, TomTom92 said:

Agreed. 
 
But on what planet are we paying a loan fee for a 32 year old when funds are as tight as they are. Fair play if that’s Weds stance. But if it’s a business power play then they’re wasting their time.

Absolutely correct - it won’t make any sense for us to pay a loan fee for a short term deal.

Clubs do try power plays all of the time. We are no different to Wednesday. It’s negotiating. We might walk away now and see how the situation develops and then come back.

I guess the club have to simply weigh up what will be the difference between promotion and staying in this league. That’s what’s at stake now.

6 minutes ago, S8TY said:

Disagree, surely even if we paid his wages for the rest of the season its better than having a player who's not playing at all and still costing the club.

No player who doesn't play benefits the club as you still have to pay them 

Clubs do it all the time. They keep a player if any deals offered don’t make financial sense.

Wednesday may also look at us spending £300-£400k on CBT and be thinking that we have money to spend if we really want the deal to happen.

2 minutes ago, TomTom92 said:

I guess come the end of the window we’ll see if they played it well. 
 
But on the assumption the player wants to come here and no other teams are interested then it’s pretty daft/spiteful. 
 
Anyway I’d move on and see if we can find anybody else. 

If the player wants to come here and he has no future at Wednesday, yes, it doesn’t make any sense to stand in his way.

However if the deal doesn’t make financial sense for Wednesday, then it changes everything.

They have every right to fight for the best possible deal, especially when there are still 9-10 days left in the window.

Reading 1-2 Derby

Collins

I can understand Wednesday’s position, to be honest.

Smith might not be an asset to them any longer, but to another club especially one at our level, he will be.

If they feel he will attract interest, demanding a loan fee and wage contribution is common sense.

If that prices us out, so be it.

It’s also worth remembering that we still have Nyambe, Forsyth, Wildsmith, CBT and potentially 1-2 more new signings to come into the fold.

Better days are coming.

There’s no point worrying about other results. Each week will throw up some twists and turns. We can only focus on ourselves.

To me, that is a good point from an awkward game. We have to remember every away day coming up will have that tension in the air - teams are going to want to come out and catch us cold and derail our promotion charge. Reading away will be another tricky game to navigate too.

However, let’s remember it’s 16 points from a possible 18 in our last six away games. Personally I’ll take that all day long.

On the whole, there is plenty to be positive about. CBT to sign and run riot v Cheltenham next week.

39 minutes ago, Dimmu said:

I'd be surprised if this is not a long-term project for him and the club. He hasn't been fit in ages so maybe he is happy with how his fitness is being taken care of here.

Maybe the short-term goal is to stay fit this season and get some minutes. A medium-term goal could be a good pre-season with some bulking and buying shoes that make him stay on his feet. 

The long-term goal is to shoot us up to PL. 

When we are talking about persistent injury problems, I think the long-term approach is the only sensible one. And that might be the idea Warne has sold to him.

Speculative for sure, but wouldn't be surprised if so.

I guess that is a possibility. We’ll have to wait and see.

Hopefully 12 months from now, he’ll be riding high at the top of the Championship scoring charts, like a similarly written off Morgan Whittaker.

35 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

Does the contract extension not suggest a while longer? Also, what he look like playing off someone like Smith? He's obviously showing something in any case, so it's a fingers crossed he stays fit and improves with games from me. I think he can.

I do agree with your original point though that he's maybe not best paired with Collo, though I can't pigeon-hole him just yet on account of him being the only player to beat the Burton yeti in the air and he's about 7 foot tall.

Also, Collo runs around like a nutter and there's no way he goes 50 games this season. He will crash at some point and require 2 to 3 weeks to regather his energy levels. We need cover IMO and perhaps by taking a low cost route with a potentially decent upside (TJJ) we have a bit left in the kitty to rent a proven type. I think as much as anything, what Warne seems to be trying to do is build redundancy / resilience into the squad and I'd hope TJJ can be of use in that regard at very least.

Obviously if John-Jules kicks on and plays an important role in our run-in, it will look an inspired move.

There’s no disputing he has talent. It’s just a question of whether we can extract it and at what cost.

I don’t know the terms of the deal, but if Arsenal are paying his wages, then perhaps you’re right and we have nothing to lose.

I do think you are absolutely right in that we are only a Collins injury or burnout from potentially having a problem, but then again hopefully Waghorn and Washington are getting closer to fitness and we always have the potential breakout of Dajaune Brown.

On 15/01/2024 at 16:42, S8TY said:

…

Quality signing, I am sure of it.

🎵Corey B, Corey B, Corey B

Soon be worth £10 million

Corey B 🎵

1 minute ago, Animal is a Ram said:

Based on the last few games, we're playing two up top.

Blackett-Taylor, Barkhuizen, Wilson, and NML are fighting for two wide spots - based on the last few games.

JJ's playing central striker alongside Collins - his other competition are both injured, Waghorn and Washington.

Yes, I know at the moment we are playing two up top.

But how long will that last? Everyone recognises the need to get the balance right in midfield, likely with a third player.

Even if we persist with a 4-4-2 / 4-2-4, I would be more inclined to play NML as a second striker with Collins, or even a new recruit.

This is a curious one. I am not sure how much first team football John-Jules is likely to get by staying on.

With his injury record, his lack of minutes so far, and the competition for places, I just struggle to see where he fits in.

He is clearly a more technical player than Collins but I would give Collins the nod every time. For all of his faults, at least with Collins, you know what you are getting.

With John Jules, there is uncertainty over fitness, match sharpness and a general ability to influence games consistently.

If we sign Blackett Taylor to add to NML, Barkhuizen and Wilson, that’s another player who would likely be chosen ahead of John Jules for the forward positions.

I just think he’d only really figure if we are rotating the team or there is an injury crisis. In which case, you would want us to look to the under 21s and take a chance on our own young players, surely?

I do hope he gets fit and ends up scoring some decisive goals, but it’s hard to see it happening.

I think some of the criticism he gets is harsh. He’s not the long term answer in midfield, but Bird and Hourihane can be equally if not sometimes more frustrating in the quality v consistency stakes.

I do think he will find it hard to get back into the team, simply because we can’t afford to have players playing their way into form or fitness at this stage of the season.

However I get the sense he’s a really good pro though and that is important. He really stepped up to the plate and was very reliable playing at right back last season.

From videos and clips on our social media channels, you also get the feeling he’s a good character and good to have in the dressing room and around the club.

If he moves on be it in January or the summer, he should go with our well wishes.

Lincoln 1-2 Derby

Collins

The midfield balance has been a problem for some time, perhaps arguably stretching back to 2015.

The trouble we have at the moment is not a shortage of midfield players, but it’s a question of readiness. We have four young players (Thompson, Fornah, Robinson, Fapetu) who are not yet ready to play week in, week out and reliably contribute to a winning team chasing promotion.

To usurp either Bird or Hourihane from the team, we will need to spend a significant amount on a very highly rated player, unless our scouting goes up a few levels.

Gambling on a cheaper option like we did with Fornah or taking a loan like Embleton tends to resolve some issues but creates new ones of their own. Fornah and inconsistency, Embleton and injury problems, for example.

I think Warne goes with Bird and Hourihane because they have earned his trust and even though they don’t always control midfield, they both have a moment of quality in their locker that can change a game as we saw last night.

I don’t think there’s much room for manoeuvre until we either get promoted or have the financial flexibility to spend more or scout better.

After recent losses at home, we must applaud the players for digging in and grinding out a result. It would have been easy to let the capitulation v Peterborough and the non-appearance v Bradford take hold.

It is these games where you snatch joy from the ravenous mouth of despair that can make all the difference come the end of the season in building character and belief.

Add CBT to this team and keep Wildsmith, Collins, NML and the back four (with Nyambe and Forsyth) fit and firing, and you know what, we’ve got a chance.

What a ride! 😆

17 hours ago, S8TY said:

Hes not worth 500k would you pay 500k for something you could get for zilch in a few months ?

hes not a bad player but hes also not as good as you’re making out and 500k is way too much if we could get him for half that or maybe 300k then fair enough …he can be quite frustrating type of player and i think NML is better than him but he has pace and that will scare teams but i wouldn’t pay 500k for him 

Any player who is a top player at League 1 level will be frustrating. You could even say the same for many quality players in the Championship.

Some of our best attacking players over recent years - Wilson, Mount, Russell, Ward, Ince, Martin, Vydra, Lawrence - fall into that bracket for various reasons.

Mendez-Laing and Wilson have days when they are incredibly frustrating too and nothing comes off, let’s not forget, but you do notice when they are in the team and when they are not.

Many looked back at January last season and said why didn’t we make more of an effort to strengthen the squad and avoid burnout. Many looked at the summer and said why weren’t we more proactive in nailing down our targets.

It seems to me the club are trying to learn lessons. CBT is clearly a long term target and someone we have been tracking for 6 months at the very least, so it’s not a snap judgement either.

A good League 1 player that is in demand would ordinarily cost anywhere from £1 million to as much as £5 million. In exceptional cases, like a really prolific forward, even more.

£500,000 may seem a lot based on the restrictions we have become accustomed to, but in real terms, it’s small fry if you want to get a player who is performing well at this level and has the potential to scale up into the Championship.

25 minutes ago, Srg said:

Incoming 0-1. We can all feel it. 

Not me. Warne and the boys will storm to victory.

I don’t think alarm bells should be ringing if we are willing to spend £250-500k. Let’s face it, this will be in exceptional circumstances, not the norm.

CBT’s career is trending upwards and he has shown himself to be one of the most productive attacking players in the league over the last 18 months.

Another five months of good form and being available on a free could put him out of reach.

We can’t afford to spend millions on the likes of Mason-Clark, Poku or Collins, so taking advantage of CBT’s contract situation makes a lot of sense. Strike while we can.

4 minutes ago, Mckram said:

Is it just me that finds it crazy we will offer £300k when he will be free in the summer?

I can only assume we have a fee for Cashin or something already arranged for us to be throwing that money around on someone with 6 months left.

If we have sold anyone then it makes sense that it isn’t announced until we’ve done our business so asking prices don’t go up.

Is it crazy?

If we think there’ll be added competition for the player come the summer and we see him as a key piece of the puzzle, then of course we have to move swiftly.

If we go up to £500,000, this is obviously part of a longer term plan.

We’re looking at a player that can clearly be a difference maker at L1 level or he has the kind of attributes that could see him carry his upwards trajectory into the Championship.

Look at Burns and Chaplin at Ipswich and Whittaker at Plymouth, for instance.