Black ('n' White) Sheep

Even with 50% youngsters outfield, we could be seeing something like this until the end of the season (gone with 4-2-3-1 as that's been the formation used most recently): Hamer; Bogle, Wisdom, Clarke, Lowe; Rooney, Bird; Whittaker, Sibley, Lawrence; Martin I'd fancy that team to at least be competitive against any Championship team.

Looks like lazy journalism to me... "lets just mention a load of similar stature clubs in the same article and hope one of them's right"

Cocu should be putting out the best team available for each game... It just so happens some of our best players are our youngsters at the minute! I'm especially looking forward to seeing Sibley getting more game time; his full debut (and incidentally, the whole team performance on the day) just before lockdown against Blackburn was brilliant.

I can't see there being much transfer activity at all this summer. But I think we need a Goalie, Centre-Back, Winger and Centre-Forward (if there's no Martin next season) if we want to challenge next season. I'll have a go at some suggestions: Goalie - Zack Steffen on loan from Man City? I watch quite a bit of MLS and he was very impressive for Columbus. Penalty saving specialist. Spent this season out on loan to Dusseldorf in Germany and seems to be fairly highly rated there. Centre-Back - I'd have Matt Clarke for another season from Brighton if they'd let him out on loan again. Him and Te Wierik at the back should be pretty solid on paper. Winger - Tahith Chong on loan from Man Utd? Seems to want a chance and could be available if Man Utd don't give him enough of one. Centre-Forward - Key position in our team. Could go for Lyle Taylor on a free? Cauley Woodrow has been pretty decent in a poo Barnsley team this season. Sam Lammers on loan from PSV? Don't know much about him, but he has a decent scoring record and Cocu will know him.

28/05/07 - Derby 1-0 West Brom We didn't particularly play well (and sometimes I wish we'd have lost!) but the only time the Rams have won at Wembley in my lifetime, so has to be that. The emotion at full-time was unforgettable.

Alberto Bueno showed moments of brilliance in an average season. I'd have loved to have seen what he could have done in a better squad.

Health workers and retail workers have been expected to carry on as normal, risking their's and their family's health on a lot less money and in a higher risk environment... Get footballers back out on the pitch.

Well that just confuses everything more... Also, as the season isn't completed yet, shouldn't 'form' be considered in some way? Under the PPG proposal, Brentford, Forest and Preston are in the play-offs despite all 3 of them winning only 1 of their last 5 games before lockdown. Arguably ourselves, Millwall and QPR would have as good a chance of taking those 3 places if all games were to be played?

Hang on a minute... We've not been found guilty of anything and, as far as I'm aware, the EFL were consulted by Derby County throughout any deals that we've done. I don't see how points deductions can be considered. Barnsley, Luton and Hull are grasping at straws here. I'm pretty sure if they could afford a few 'big names' to give them a chance of not getting relegated, then they'd take it. Also, if this is the precedent they're going to take, this pandemic is probably going to result in half of the teams in the EFL being given points deductions in the next couple of years (unless they temporarily 'scrap' FFP).

Did okay with a few lower league teams and ended up playing in Azerbaijan if I remember right.

I agree with the idea of capping players' wages in general. Footballers are on stupid money. But if there is to be a wage cap it needs to be agreed to globally and implemented in all leagues worldwide... otherwise players will just move to where the money is.

I've always taken an interest in Burton due to family connections. The younger fans (30 and under) have never really known a Burton team that hasn't been winning games or challenging at the top end of tables... so a surprising amount of them have been pretty apethetic towards Nigel and the club in the last couple of seasons. They have a small squad, low attendances, possibly the lowest budget in the league and the majority of the more experienced players are out of contract at the end of the season. Bucko has his work cut out. I think keeping them in L1 next season would be an achievement.

I remember his goal against Villa in the 1998/99 season... cracking strike with his wrong foot.

Burton must really be in the poo financially. I thought Nige had a job there for as long as he wanted it. I'm sure another football league club will end up getting themselves a bloody good manager as a result of this. And best of luck to Bucko going into management... he'll need it by the sounds of it... but if anyone can inspire a group of players, I'm confident he can

I still think Lampard is a bit too ambitious for his own good... Yeah, it was an entertaining season with him in charge but, on reflection, I'm glad we lost at Wembley (even if it did hurt at the time). I remember watching the team last season with no Wilson and no Mount and we were bang average. Even if we had have got promoted I think he'd have still taken the Chelsea job; which means we'd have been starting a Premier League season with no manager and no guarantee that any of our 3 best players from the previous season would be with us because they were all on loan. It'd have been a car crash!