Ricey

He is quite far down my list of problems. I’m not enamoured with the style of play, but there are glimpses of promise. I thought we were excellent first half. He speaks well and generally seems to ‘get it’. I just can’t look past the hand he’s been dealt. A woeful squad, most of whom shouldn’t still be here, with only 3 outfield additions that are still short of fitness due to when they joined. Could he have cast more of them off? Probably, but there are far too many to make that a blanket policy. Could he have integrated youth a bit more? Possibly, but relying on a bunch of teenagers comes with its own problems. The average age of our starting lineup last night was 24, which is still pretty young. I just think we are so badly hamstrung by the malaise that has set in across the entire club, plus a squad that is for the most part full of players with bad attitudes and/or poor ability. Nothing gets better until we cure the real disease at the heart of our football club. Chopping managers every few months only steepens our decline.

I don’t know, it’s easier said than done. Page, for example, looked way out of his depth earlier in the season. I would have been bedding in Nelson right from pre-season though.

How? Put more young lads on there who clearly aren’t ready yet?

80% of the crowd only make a noise to berate the ref or opposition players.

They aren’t just any gambling company though are they.

Can’t blame the manager too much. We started the second half terribly but he tried to make early changes to resolve it. The real problem is the players he had to choose from off the bench…and that’s not on him. Most of the heat should be on the players and the board.

Susan Whelan.

I'd argue the optics of this are worse, after a few months of no sponsor.

There is an awful lot that she takes a large responsibility for. The financial mismanagement, the 3 PSR breaches, the lack of communication, the lack of a strategy, the countless shady betting company deals, the failed shirt sponsor, the failed stadium redevelopment, the atrocious fan engagement, the season ticket card fiasco, the constant push back on anyone that tries to create an atmosphere....I could go on forever. HOWEVER, this is not good news. It's helps to solidify both Top & Rudkin, giving them more power and more say. This doesn't end well.

How much he cost is irrelevant at this point. His passing is poor, that is clear, but he did do really well for the goal. With Daka you have to look more about what he does for the entire team, rather than get frustrated by his technical ability. His movement and energy give the central defenders a lot to think about, as opposed to Ayew who only every drops off and then tries to take too many touches. Last night Daka was making regular runs in behind, creating a bigger space for BDR and James to work in or Fatawu to cut into to. He was always on the move, which ultimately created the space for James's goal. He presses like mad and if/when he loses the ball he does everything he can to win it back. At one point he chased all the way back to edge of his own area to try and stop a counter. If Marti really wants us to be a high pressing team then Daka can do that, Ayew and Carranza can't (by the the looks of it). Has he been a flop? Of course. Should the club have prepared for Vardy's departure better? Abso-****ing-lutley. But the balance of the team is so much better with Daka in it and he looks like he wants to fight and scrap. I'll take that over the other options.

At fault for the goal and the heads straight down the tunnel at full time despite Marti telling him to clap the fans. Sling him and his dog back to the U23’s.

People cheering the Daka sub don’t understand football. We looked so much better having a striker who was making runs, pressing hard and generally acting like a no.9 should. He’s not perfect but he worked his balls off and got a great assist. Ayew on the other hand showed what he’s about when he came on.

Same players letting us down, match after match, season after season. That starting back four, plus Kristiansen, have proven themselves not to be good enough and most of them have proven that they don’t want to be here. Pick players that do.

He has wanted to leave for the last 3 windows and we have wanted to sell him, but there’s not even been a sniff. Why would someone come knocking in January, regardless of whether he’s playing or not? I would argue that performances like Friday’s are bringing his value down.

A performance that would have fitted right in last season. Soft, slow and weak. The whinging and diving summed it all up. It’s 2025 and I’m still watching Faes, Vestergaard and Soumare repeatedly let us down. All three were petulant and pathetic last night. Six managers along and somehow they are still deemed to be our best options. Marti isn’t blameless, he’s picking them (and persisting with Ayew up front) but a proper football club would have shifted them out long ago. Give the likes of Nelson, Okoli, James and Carranza a run. Let them adapt, let them learn from their mistakes rather than shipping them out after one shaky display.

Ayew is paid by the touch, I’m sure of it.

We had the same situation two years a go, with a squad that didn't want to be here and mostly disliked by the fans. We sold the best few players and then a load left on free, yet here we are two years later counting down the months until another bad batch run their contracts down. Some of the players I mentioned in my list joined in the last two years or were given new contracts. This cycle will keep happening until the incompetence at the very top of the club is dealt with.

We haven’t got rid of the big wages or big egos though, all the worst swamp dwellers are still here stinking the place out.

5. We are still left with all of the players that we needed to ship out the most. Faes, Winks, Vestergaard, Kristiansen, BDR, Daka and Soumare. The sales we have made have essentially allowed us to carry on paying their wages. We left all of our business to the last day, which is never ideal, and although all three seem promising, there are also coming in off the back of a failed spell and/or a bad injury. They are also all loans, so if they don't work out and they go back at the end of the season, we have potentially 10+ players leaving next summer on a free or end of loan...which is not the sign of a healthy football club.

We need to replace Vardy, BEK, Ndidi, and McAteer, plus VK and anyone else who might go (Faes could leave after the window to go to Turkey). So could be 5 or 6 ideally needed today. Which is frankly a ridiculous situation to be in and simply won’t happen. We don’t have the infrastructure to deal with that many deals in one go. Shambles.

It’s badly under market value. A young, creative player who shone at times in the Premier League has to be close £40m, as proven by Fernandes, Dibling and Hutchinson. I can only assume that clubs know we are in the shit and desperate.

I think Stolarczyk's distribution might be the issue.

A lot of people are saying there should be no restrictions and that owners should be able to spend their money.

Easier said than done, finding a suitable middle ground would allow too much spend for the promoted teams, putting them in danger if they went back down.

It wouldn’t surprise me. Going public that we are under a business plan serves no benefit to us or the EFL whilst the transfer window is open.