Gamble92

Feel like we'll need a couple of fixtures like this to keep us going in-between the dross we have to endure.

Quite obvious that he's filling the place of Vietes and McCarthy was favoured over giving Begovic a contract to fill the elderly goalkeeper that acts as mentor. I get why fans are critical after what we have endured but you don't need to react like this to a 2nd choice goalkeeper deal.

Anyone Ric Flair has signed from South America on Football Manager

Or maybe he's been pushing for a move all summer and Martin has been told he's off if a good offer comes in. That to me makes more sense because not prioritising him in the predicament we are in is madness.

Really hope I'm wrong but the way he's leaving the captaincy decision until end of August just feels like straight away we are having the excuses lined up for the narrative that everything is so up in the air. You can still prioritise those who you know will be here and that will still be the strongest team in the league. Giving a player the captaincy when you think he could be off, playing Mavididi and Reid etc. Like I say I hope I'm way off but it feels like all the things Marti was doing and we seen how that turned out. In his defence I feel like he has much more of a buy in than Marti ever did. I think even the players that are leaving are doing so just because of the clubs level and still rate Martin. Where as before we had so many who just missed Enzo and thought every manager we employed was utter shit.

It definitely does feel like there's at least some instruction from above to play players to keep their value. Marti alluded to it last season.

The other ten look possessed by the spirit of Smirnoff

"Mavididi's decision making today has really let him down" What like his decision to get on the pitch?

When you look back at Southampton, Rangers and Swansea fans comments on Martin, they all say: Slow tempo - check Suicidal passes - check Boring - check

Apart from the likes of @RedSoxUK who will be sat dribbling over the possession stats, no one is enjoying this.

Mavididi ffs

Mine goes up to 40 B E A UTIFUL

Is this on sky sports?

By that logic we should probably see what Teddy Sheringham and Les Ferdinand are up to

My brother lives in Netherfield. I'll be telling him you said this. He will be most upset.

Nelson was looking likely to go on a free. I might be wrong but he doesn't strike me as a deal teams do late in the window. I feel like he'd have gone couple of months ago if he was going to go in this window. Was much more likely to have teams say they'd have him at the end of the season. This might mean we get him for a few years now. Not that I'd wish this injury on anyone. Be a big effort to come back from.

That was my thinking too but there's also the possibility a lot of clubs will still see appeal in signing him on a free in a year. Clubs bigger than us too. For Ben himself though, this has massively shortened his options. He had the choice of a (likely) massive offer from us, even bigger offers elsewhere in a year because he had chance to get some of what teams would have paid in a fee. Now his options are much more limited.

At the time I felt like Coady and Winks were really good statement signings. Both great for leadership of the group and just made the other players and fans feel like we were moving in the right direction again. But you look at what these kind of signings have cost us long term and how they panned out on the pitch and you think they'd learn a lesson by now. I'd liken the Burns signing more to Reid. 31, knows it's his last big deal before retirement and will almost certainly be of no use to us in his final year.

There were some noises around him, Maddison and KDH kicking off when we signed Kristansen. Alongside the three of them going on the piss a lot. The culture at the club has sounded horrific for so long.

It got us the points deduction didn't it?

Wasn't the only offer £1m from Torino? I don't think anyone was paying 5-10m for him with a year left. Would have been better giving him and his agent a huge wedge and getting him for free a year later.

What do we think this means for him potentially staying? Does it make it more likely? Before this, he was likely running down his contract and going on a free.

They had that approach to the Championship season under Enzo and it resulted in League One. I'm not saying it's not that but there are surely ways in which we can avoid signings like this and still go up. Let's hope they have finally got it right.

Nail on the head. To me these signings all suggest they know it's win or bust in terms of promotion this season. It's a kick it down the road mentality that we have seen too many times. All be it, not as severe as the approach under Enzo which was unbelievably destructive looking back. We are still operating just to keep a manager we think is too good for us happy. Then we can't sustain it and end up pissing him off.

I feel like that Forest cup game that I don't like to talk about was the start of teams really exposing him as the weakness. Especially when he had someone likes Barnes not helping him. Having said that he was incredible for us in the 2-2 at their place. He's had some performances that make you question if he's the same person. Derby away he was unreal too. He's one of the strangest footballers I've seen. He didn't look out of place in the FA Cup winning team yet you'd genuinely question if he was even good enough for the Championship now.