Jourdan

Don’t worry, everyone.
Mendez Laing is going to step up, win us the game, shamelessly flirt with the mayor of Stevenage’s wife during the post match hospitality, and get home in time for the 1% Club.
What a season he is having.
 

Don’t worry, everyone.
Mendez Laing is going to step up, win us the game, shamelessly flirt with the mayor of Stevenage’s wife during the post match hospitality, and get home in time for the 1% Club.
What a season he is having.
 

CBT was apparently a target last summer but we didn’t have room in the budget to complete the deal without selling someone first.
He has played the equivalent of 1.5 games so far, it’s way too soon to judge.

Blimey @sage and @jono falling out. Bloody Paul Warne. He has to go.

CBT was apparently a target last summer but we didn’t have room in the budget to complete the deal without selling someone first.
He has played the equivalent of 1.5 games so far, it’s way too soon to judge.

Sounds like an effing sweepstake!

We were top of the league after the first game of 18/19 season.
We played on the Friday night.

Got what they deserved?
You make it sound like Warne and the team didn’t want a striker and were happy with the outcome?
There’s a difference between what we wanted and what we got and clearly Warne had to suck it up and accept the situation for what it was.
 

Style of play isn’t everything.
Our fate in the Championship will depend on so much more.
It starts at the top with a committed owner who will strike a balance between financial control and ambition.
Then it trickles down to the football staff. Switched on recruitment with good scouting and good squad building with a good balance between youth and experience and an understanding of where each player fits will be important.
Then of course you have what the manager, the coaches and the support staff can instil - a good atmosphere and ethos around the club that aids player integration, good team spirit, good organisation, good preparation and fitness, and good man management.
Then don’t forget how the mental and psychological side of the game can take hold - how often do we see promoted sides carry confidence, belief and momentum through from one season to the next?
If all of these moving parts can work well together and we can put our best foot forward, then there is no reason to approach a season in the Championship with trepidation.
In the end, it might be a bridge too far and we might go back down. That is a possibility. We would be ignorant to not anticipate that possibility, but I think we have to at least give it 10-15 games at that level to see how we match up before we consider it such a certainty as others are doing.

It’s not that I am pro or anti. It’s that the anti mob are so irritating. The so called pro side tend to reflect on the good and the bad. The anti are just fixated, win or lose. Never give an inch, dull, obsessed, spoilt, churlish and without perspective. I suspect that Those of us, (me included ) that are vaguely supportive, only post in a vain attempt to balance the one eyed vitriol. 
 
Dreading Saturday .. looking like 4 strikers all injured, but it will be completely Warne’s fault if we lose, or pure luck if we win. Like a horrible scratched record. 

Got what they deserved?
You make it sound like Warne and the team didn’t want a striker and were happy with the outcome?
There’s a difference between what we wanted and what we got and clearly Warne had to suck it up and accept the situation for what it was.
 

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.
 

Got what they deserved?
You make it sound like Warne and the team didn’t want a striker and were happy with the outcome?
There’s a difference between what we wanted and what we got and clearly Warne had to suck it up and accept the situation for what it was.
 

it also shows just how incredible our squad is for league one 

I think people at the club do things in good faith that can end up being mistakes in hindsight.
Some are easier to see ahead of time, some less so. Would I have extended John Jules’ loan? No. Would I have signed someone that has gone to another L1 club just for the sake of having more bodies in the squad but not necessarily more quality? Also no.
The club really can’t win. Collins could have stayed fit for the rest of the season and then the ‘back up striker’ gets about 150-300 minutes of football and the club are questioned for wasting precious resources.
Ultimately the club can only be prepared for so many eventualities.

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.
 

I think people at the club do things in good faith that can end up being mistakes in hindsight.
Some are easier to see ahead of time, some less so. Would I have extended John Jules’ loan? No. Would I have signed someone that has gone to another L1 club just for the sake of having more bodies in the squad but not necessarily more quality? Also no.
The club really can’t win. Collins could have stayed fit for the rest of the season and then the ‘back up striker’ gets about 150-300 minutes of football and the club are questioned for wasting precious resources.
Ultimately the club can only be prepared for so many eventualities.

I think people at the club do things in good faith that can end up being mistakes in hindsight.
Some are easier to see ahead of time, some less so. Would I have extended John Jules’ loan? No. Would I have signed someone that has gone to another L1 club just for the sake of having more bodies in the squad but not necessarily more quality? Also no.
The club really can’t win. Collins could have stayed fit for the rest of the season and then the ‘back up striker’ gets about 150-300 minutes of football and the club are questioned for wasting precious resources.
Ultimately the club can only be prepared for so many eventualities.

I think people at the club do things in good faith that can end up being mistakes in hindsight.
Some are easier to see ahead of time, some less so. Would I have extended John Jules’ loan? No. Would I have signed someone that has gone to another L1 club just for the sake of having more bodies in the squad but not necessarily more quality? Also no.
The club really can’t win. Collins could have stayed fit for the rest of the season and then the ‘back up striker’ gets about 150-300 minutes of football and the club are questioned for wasting precious resources.
Ultimately the club can only be prepared for so many eventualities.

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.
 

Yes, we had all of January to sign a striker and no doubt we tried for the entire month to secure a deal.
But it is not straightforward. Clearly we want players who will add something to the squad and we want someone who will improve us in some way. It’s not a case of taking absolutely anyone.
Better players are usually more difficult to sign, and clubs and even players will use whatever tactic they can to get the best deal and move possible. Moves you think are close often break down because of this.
If Collins is out for any length of time, it’s just really unfortunate.

CBT will be fine.
He has played 1.5 games in four weeks so he is obviously not fully fit nor up to speed.
It’s a shame he has not hit the ground running but there is no point in writing him off.
Mendez Laing, Barkhuizen and Wilson have all had spells in the team where things haven’t clicked but they have bounced back and performed.
I am pretty confident he will come good.

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.
 

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.
 

It is a worry if Collins is out for any length of time.
But having four forwards (Collins, John Jules, Waghorn, Washington) out at one time as well as multiple other players in the squad just says we have been very unfortunate.
Let’s see if we can pick up a free agent. Let’s see where Washington is with his recovery. Let’s see if we can recall Brown. Let’s see if we can go with a fluid front three of NML, CBT and Barkhuizen.
All we can do is regroup and make the best out of a bad situation.