Jobyfox

They can be named in the squad, but won’t take up a squad place unless over 21. A good way of making sure we have back up

That's the key point and why nothing will happen until the summer. Fail to go up and we could let them all go. I'm assuming that if we do go up that we'd be looking to renew Ndidi. Possibly also Jannik and Vardy (also assuming that Fatawu is made permanent). I'm not so worried about the others, although Marc A should be treated with the respect he deserves when he does go

Talk about an extended contract really depends on salary expectations. He's currently the highest paid player at the club and will have to accept a significant pay cut. The decision shouldn't be made on sentiment, but what is reasonable for a back up striker. Personally I'd like him for another year, but not at the expense of other, more critical, signings. He might even get a last hurrah offer from somewhere like the US or Saudi. Whatever happens it will be sad when he eventually goes. As our GOAT he should have a statue so that we can keep him forever

I’m not sure any of our strikers are good enough for the next level. Vardy is too old Daka too erratic Cannon is “potential” and Nacho only turns up when he feels like it. Creativity and players who don’t need 3 or 4 good chances to score a goal would be critical at the next level. Previously we were a bit reliant on Vardy and spoilt with the likes of Mahrez and Maddison. Fatawu and Mavididi have the potential to step up, but it’s not a given

Where’s the hate? Unexpectedly Vestergaard has made himself undroppable in Enzo’s System. Faes is having a very good season. Personally I’d like to see more of Nelson and give him games, as he may be the future. Coady was unfortunate to be injured at exactly the same time that a team was establishing itself as the best in the league. You’re not going to tinker with that too much unless the case for a change becomes quite compelling

He’s done enough to be ahead of Coady

That depends how old you are. Everton have won plenty in my lifetime. Crystal Palace on the other hand ….

I watched a bit of Ipswich v Preston yesterday. They certainly have quite a lot of spirit in the team that has carried them a long way. They came back from 3 down and nearly drew. It was the same with the two games against us that they should have lost. They’ll win more than they lose in the remaining games so I wouldn’t discount them completely. We’re all just guessing at this point, but I’m expecting them to fall just short and end up in the playoffs.

Thanks for pointing this out. It really frustrates me when people look at GD this far out. It only really starts to become relevant when there are less than a handful of games left

We didn’t “all” laugh. I always thought that Southampton had the squad for a promotion push, but there are always some who want to define a season after half a dozen games

Nerd!

I’ve never rated him previously when he’s played in the Premier League. His first touch is poor and he’s quite erratic. Fair play to him though for coming in and putting in the effort he is doing. He could easily have downed tools when he was left out of the early squads completely. He’s proving a lot of doubters wrong. He’s made himself first choice and I didn’t see that coming at the start of the season. Nacho is the one who’s proved a huge disappointment. Good enough for the PL if we go up? I’m still not sure I’d want to rely on him if I’m honest, but I’m really pleased with his work right now.

I’m confused! Just what gear are we in?

Needs a loan to a lower division club

Yes I think that’s was I’ve noticed. For forward players you often look for raw talent. For defenders you look for composure. It looks like he’s got bags of it. Very encouraging

Yeah. Another game and we could be mathematically safe from relegation

To be fair they were pretty sh1t!

Patson!!!!!

I was Vestergaard’s biggest critic when he was in the Premier League, but I now wonder whether he should be given the opportunity IF we get promoted: There are many defenders who don’t rely on pace who have forged pretty good careers for themselves. I do worry that he might struggle in some games as we won’t dominate the ball like we do at this level. Playing without the ball is a different proposition altogether that doesn’t align with his skill set. We might need other CBs in rotation, but I think there is a tendency to overrate the size of the step up. Based on this season the bottom half of the PL is very average and I think us, Leeds and Southampton would all have an even chance at survival with our current squads. Vestergaard against Man City and Liverpool is one thing, but against Luton, Forest, Crystal Palace and lots of the other average teams is a different gauge completely. I think he’d be ok

It's not that good!

No. He said “Enzo’s going to throw this one” So it will be Danny Ward in goal

I rarely comment on threads about Top, Rudkin etc. as I don't know the inner workings of the club. It's easy, for example, to throw Rudkin's name around without really knowing what the situation is or what constraints he's working within. I will, however, just look at the facts as they're known. When Vichai and family took over we saw quick, decisive, decision making especially where managers were concerned. I was personally often ready to give managers much longer before they were, sometimes quite ruthlessly, dismissed. Compare that to Rodgers who was left to preside over things when it was obvious that the team were in a terminal decline and not playing for the manager. We waited for the inevitable sacking, which came too late to save us. That could be because Top is more pragmatic, but it's just a stark contrast to how things used to happen before Vichai's untimely passing. The second piece of evidence is the poor recruitment, the inflated salaries and the failure to get transfer fees for players. I've never seen so many players running their contracts down and leaving for nothing. I understand the FFP situation, but it's still frustrating to see so many players still on the pitch who aren't invested in the future direction of the club. This isn't to criticise those club legends who don't owe us anything, but I'm thinking more of the likes of Tielemans, Praet, Evans, Perez and Iheanacho who were, or are, playing without jeopardy and no apparent commitment to the cause. We've just come out of an unprecedented era of success under the current ownership. They've been rightly lauded for their contribution and we all know we couldn't have achieved what we have without them. Everyone in business knows, however, that you can never stand still. You must always be looking at ways to innovate and evolve. Just as the ownership and hierarchy within the club have been praised for their achievements surely we should analyse things when they go wrong? Given the nature of the decline it seems surprising that only the coaching staff have taken the fall. Just as we got things so right previously we have to question whether the current structure is the right one to take us forward. I'm quite surprised that a review of last season hasn't resulted in any structural change and the likes of Whelan, Rudkin and co. have all just stayed in role. My worry is this stems from Top either: not being empowered; or from the indecisiveness described above. We're currently top of the league and an immediate return to the Premier League remains a strong possibility, but not much has changed off the pitch and only time will tell whether those decisions are the right ones for the club

It occurs to me that the best approach to transfer windows is probably somewhere between Nottingham Forest’s and ours ….

Over to you Dennis …

Can’t wait to see the new signings. Oh wait ….