eddielewis

Interesting how that 3 is positioned is it just a simple swap with Nyambe at LCB or does everyone shift one across with Nyambe at RCB?

This is what is worrying that with this introduction of the Blue card it will eventually result in the match clock being stopped as a way of making it work. Largely the problems we have seen with discipline in (professional) football has been due to the lack of communication and discipline from referees and a obsession towards a sterilisation of the game fuelled in part by the gambling industry. These half baked ideas only add to the whinging stress that is putting people off the game in my view. Referees are now hooked up to a constant group chat with 4 people in their ear whilst trying to keep up with athletes at full pace. It's so prone to more error than before and due to this referee's are constantly unsure of decisions and in the top leagues so reliant on VAR to make their minds up. You can see that some refs take more priority communicating to their assistants than the players. The biggest bug bare with VAR is why refs wait on hold with customer services trying to listen in to VAR for 2 or so minutes before they are then asked to view the monitor. Infuriating! The talk we have not seen is why we need to 'clean' up the game and where this need has come from? I understood the need for goal line technology which has been a success. I understood the need for offside technology to some degree as long as the rule is clear but for everything else it's odd. I do question if there is a connection between the need to 'clean' up the game with the rise in specific betting markets in football.

One thing which is quite odd in my eyes alongside all of the above points is that football is played to a clock that's continuous and time is added on to relieve stoppages. If a player was to receive a blue card when does the 10 minutes start? From exactly the moment the card is given or when the player has left the field? If it's the former a player who has been given the card could waste some of that time just complaining to the ref for a minute or so like we see when a player has received a contentious red. If it's the latter that's still more stoppage time to be added. God forbid how much time is wasted if these cards are reviewable by VAR! Another aspect how does the sin bin end? As we see when a player leaves the field due to an cut to the head or needs treatment it's up to the referee's discretion of when that player returns to the field of play. If a players 10 minutes is up and the referee is refusing the player to come back on until the next break in play and it ends up in the opposition scoring that would cause huge controversy.

Taking a look on the Transfermrkt form table of the last 16 games of League 1 over the past 10 seasons (forgetting 19/20 season) the average form of the top two teams is 10 wins 4 draws 2 losses. Anything slightly less than that and it's sketchy. Only Ipswich last year and Sheff Utd in 16/17 were unbeaten over this last stretch of the season.

We could do with the 2006/7 Oldham player of year for a bit of depth.

Since he's signed the extension where do you think the club sees his price tag range at now. £4 mil was the reported fee Brighton were willing to pay as he was going into this final year of his old deal. We are notorious at selling our talents for way under the prices the media tends to hype them up to be (ie Hughes £10-15 mill at one stage). I would presume he's going to be targeted again if we do not get promotion.

Got to hope they take points off Portsmouth and Bolton before we play them again at the end of the month

Mike Bassett Christmas pudding 3-5-1-1 formation with Hourihane as the sixpence

Yes a straight comparison isn't exactly possible with ourselves but Rotherham in my eyes are on par with Peterborough with their financial capacity yet they seem to do well with finding and improving young talent. Arguably Rotherham should be better placed with able to find young talent for their academy with bigger catchment of Sheffield/Yorkshire.

Yeah doubt Bird will start with him travelling to Bristol to sign yesterday probably not in best frame of mind either.

Which is why I think the sort of think the set up we kind of have with Warne greatly influencing the recruitment is kind of old fashioned. If you look at the modern examples of successful clubs living within their means Luton, Brighton, Brentford (theres more examples these are the most successful) they have all had a common link in which the recruitment is taken away from the manager nearly entirely. They have had managers come and go and it's not fazed them one bit. They have never had replace a whole XI because the new manager can't work with them. Managers kind come third now with philosophy - players - coach just because they usually last less than the players nowadays. What happens to the recruitment when we lose Warne be it a sacking or moving to another club. Do we hire another Manager that plays the same as Warne or do we go another route and have to sign players to match that Managers style. I just don't think our recruitment set up is future proofed.

If it's £2.5 mill not a single penny should go towards short term solution loans. All of that should go towards rebuilding the club with players under 25 on a permanent this coming summer.

Caleb Taylor (Martin Taylors son) joined Bolton on loan. Good signing for them was impressive at Cheltenham last year.

In clubcard vouchers but Tesco is too expensive for Chansiri

Probably this rests on them finalising the American striker Maguire they are tussling Blackburn to get through the door. Looks like Chansiri is also trying to knock off some money from Orlando for him which is making things difficult. Hopefully we have another target in mind because that has all the makings of a 10:59 deal.

I doubt it we probably if anything passed any future benefit on to Poznan to clear the debt

Looks like a player who has had the injury bug knee injury (chipped bone) and also torn his pec muscle on the pitch according to a Cardiff interview last year so don't be surprised if he just crumbles with the state of our pitch

The Bolton game is huge in March will NML be available for that as I think it's international break and I don't think we will hit the quota of 3 call ups for a postponement unless Washington is back fit for a call up then?

Alan Nixon saying Owen Moxon is close to joining Portsmouth

3rd Based on the form tables of the last 10/15/20 games it's tight between the top 4. I don't think there's enough in any team to really pull away. Bolton and Portsmouth have difficult run ins but that doesn't meant much the way our performances have shown. If we want top 2 we can't afford to lose more than 2 more games based on the average amount of 2nd placed teams have had over the last 6 years. Not quite sure if we will lose NML for the international break in March (Bolton game) as Washington is injured so we won't fulfill the quota of international players to postpone the match.

According to Derby Telegraph Oxford are after Marriott and Bolton have bid for Aaron Collins from Bristol Rovers meanwhile Callum Lang has scored to make it 2-1 for Portsmouth.

I know fozzy is out but don't give Warne ideas 😂

I know fozzy is out but don't give Warne ideas 😂

You could flip it the other way and say that Warne is hampering the scouting dept by shunning their suggestions to the point that these are the only available players. Whatever the truth is the football recruitment needs addressing. We're looking subpar and old fashioned.