LCFCJohn

I think we should offer Stolarcryk a new contract but that’s it at the moment.

Ruud as if Ruskin goes and we get someone competent, Ruud will follow just after!

There’s a couple of concerning things as to the likelihood of RVN being moved in swiftly. 1 - it was made known it was a Top appointment. He seems happy to pull the trigger quickly when it’s not (Puel, Cooper) but I can see this being a Rodger’s situation where it drags on longer due to Top’s ego and not wanting to admit being wrong. 2 - the likelihood of there being a relegation agreement to part company instantly like with Juric at Southampton. I’d say it’s unlikely they have done this as they only seem to have acknowledged we are in both in the last week or so. They probably weren’t even considering relegation possibly when RVN joined.

Braybrooke at Dundee and now Wilson-Brown at Kilmarnock not really good adverts for us sending prospects to Scotland. Waste of time, keep them nearer. Oxford are doing a great job with Nelson.

I personally don’t think Coady is a good professional. Age means nothing if you are not a good role model. Souttar would be far better imo. To be fair, I think Nelson seems more mature than Coady anyway. We might be doing him a disservice suggesting he needs a ‘more senior’ player alongside.

Souttar (if and when fit) or Darling would be in over Coady. If Vestergaard, Faes or Coady are starting 11 next season it will be very disappointing. It might be unrealistic to shift all 3 out the club in one summer but at least try and keep it to one of them (as long as the one isn’t Faes) and keep them as 4 choice for emergencies.

I agree. It feels like it is just a phase we need to just wait to happen and tick it off as you say. It is only obvious due to the levels of incompetence we know run through the club.

Sunday 20th. Assuming results go as expected this week, we will lose to Newcastle and Brighton away, and Wolves would beat Spurs at home which they should do, Spurs are dire. That would leave us 18 points adrift with 6 and 18 points left to play. But we couldn’t have the little ‘R’ due to goal difference but us and Wolves play on the Sunday so it will 100% be done by then as we will lose again so in that case, Wolves would only need 1 points out of Spurs (h) and Man Utd (a).

Oh I know, hence I just wanted to bump this thread to give him acknowledgment for what he is doing.

Actually, Wolves will beat Wolves next week. We will lose to Newcastle and Brighton so by the end of next weekend, it will only be GD stopping us being mathematically down next weekend.

Hope Wolves get a late winner to be fair. 15 points with 21 to play for it could be over mathematically in the next couple of weeks. Sooner the better as Top and co will have to wake up to the reality and these ‘we believe we can stay up’ bs can stop. On cue haha

Just bumping this as it seems disingenuous to Nelson that Alves has a running commentary in his thread but Nelson is getting barely a mention despite his progress when arguably he will be more important for us next season (although I hope both are first 11 regulars). Currently helping shut out league leaders Sheffield United.

At least Ipswich are giving it a go and showing fight. They will still go down as Wolves will likely pick up 7 points from their next 3 (Home to Spurs and us is a guaranteed 6 points and away at Man Utd they’d be disappointed not to draw). Ipswich have a tough few games but a guaranteed 3 points against us and their other two in the last 3 at home to Brentford and West Ham who may both be on the beach.

And in the same way, contract aside, if you can’t be arsed to go and work in an office for 1 day a week, you’re a bit of a dick. If it’s out of principle I mean and ‘because you can’. Look I’m in favour of flexibility at work and work/life balance. In your example, I hate these senior bosses at large corporations who say people aren’t productive at home and should be back in the office full time. But hybrid is good. But I do think you have to give a bit back.

I just looked and their average age of transfers since he joined is under 25 so perhaps the average age is driven up by players already there? Gassama, Cadamateri, Beadle, Charles and other Charles are all young and have played a lot as well as some others. I don’t know if it’s just doing best with what he has been given rather than a preference. Also Sheff Weds don’t have an academy that has produced anyone of note for decades. The one they did they let go! Anyway, surely you have conversations with prospective managers about their philosophy and gauge their view on things like youth minutes. Then again we probably don’t!

I think it’s important to split living in a close radius of the club/city with a reluctance to spend any time. Yes, in an ideal world, they all live close by but in most sectors, you get people who work away. My dad did it when we were kids and I have worked with people who work away during the week. It wouldn’t be for me as I want to be with my family and when my dad did it, we did relocate fairly promptly. But people stay away. Asking him to spend a night or two (game days) away and put up in luxury doesn’t seem a big ask. If you’re not willing to do that, then relocate. As others have said, it’s hardly good for an athlete to be travelling so much daily. On the baby thing, if there are complications, he should have been given compassionate time off anyway. If things are normal and he just want to spend time with his family, well revisit the above points and maybe have thought about that when deciding to commute so far.

Actually more benefit to them winning and putting pressure on Forest. Even if we did get a spawny result, it won’t change our outcome. Also at this stage, a humiliating relegation is probably better long term than a false dawn towards the end that ‘just came to late’. Relegation is relegation but the more humiliating, the more it might just force some change. We should never have gone down 2 years ago with the players we had but if you point to a missed penalty here or disallowed goal there or even Forest and Everton not getting deductions, it gives Top and co something to deflect behind and bemoan bad luck. We need there to be nowhere to hide this season. I hope Southampton overhaul us to be honest.

Definitely the Weakest Link from back in the day seems fitting as well! Limitless Win you’d have to change the name to limited wins. Oh, 1% club in honour of his win percentage?

But will he drop his wages? We need someone to cover the amortisation of his final year and offer him wages to tempt him which is unlikely. My concern is he won’t be a squad player hence comments of blocking the next generation coming through. I know you can’t do this to many for financial reasons but I would fully support them saying to some of them like Coady, Ayew and Reid that nothing personal, but they aren’t part of the future. They won’t be in the squad next year and will be behind Nelson in Coady’s case and Alves, Evans, Monga in Ayew and Reid’s case. If they want to play they can look elsewhere. Not maliciously, just open communication (with our lot yeah right)! I doubt the club would do this but this is the kind of conversation that will make them question their decisions. If they choose to stay and take the money, they can then be kept away from the training ground and the squad as it’s not the sign of a good professional.

This. The post above yours showing the 6 game form is a bit silly as every team has ups and downs and they played a lot of the top teams in that run, who they will be dwarfed by financially. Obviously the expectation around Leicester will be promotion pushing next season. Whether he is ready for a jump from a team punching above their weight to a team with such high expectations in the league above, I don’t know. Even just on this thread, there are many people scoffing at the idea who no doubt would be waiting for the first loss to gleefully saying ‘I told you so’ if he did come. Personally I like him and he is doing the hard yards working his way up which is how it should be. There were loads creaming themselves over RVN due to his name and fashion sense and look how that is working out!

Doubt it, they are going for younger signings and using their academy. Novel idea right. To be honest, I don’t see any of the likely promoted sides being that stupid. I reckon we are stuck with Ayew and Reid which is infuriating as we have so much talent within the club in those areas which will get stifled by accommodating these two even in the Championship…

I have cited them numerous times as an example. Arblaster as captain until injury too. Peck is playing. Even had a kid GK on the bench regularly in Faxon. Could you imagine us trusting such a young keeper to come in if needed?

Why would you say that FFS 🤦‍♂️

Or is the view you have displayed the actual problem? Look he may turn out to move further up the leagues and become a really good Championship manager or he might not. He might make it higher, he might not, who knows. What is obvious is he is doing well at whatever level and challenge he faces. He is also young and on the way up and plays some good stuff. I just feel like if it was someone called Ricardo Vellens, working up the leagues somewhere like Portugal or Scandinavia, people would sit up and take notice but due to his dull sounding British name and it being in our own leagues, some are scoffing at the idea. Honestly, we need to appreciate where we are in the market right now. Players and managers alike are seeing us as a generous pay day and we are only attracting those after said pay day or just outright desperate. Is it such a negative to return to what we did previously and look for those on the way up, who want to be here and have a lot to prove? A lot of the above could be applied more generally and not Wellens specifically but presumably you’d be more enthusiastic about a Gary O’Neil or Russell Martin type? You’d rather someone who had experience but failed than someone with something to prove?

It is laughable Forest trying to compare their year this year to us in 2016. It’s pretty identical at this stage to us in 2020/21 (we had 56 points to their 54 after 29 games). And of course had an FA cup semi final to look forward to. Granted they are unlikely to piss away the top 4 spot like we did. Just remember they got the basis for this season from being handed the play off win by a corrupt Jon Moss, broke all kinds of financial rules upon promotion and manage to get a tailored, pitiful punishment to ensure they stayed up ahead of the worst collective bottom 3 to date at that point. Bit like Villa’s springboard was the ghost goal against Sheff Utd after Covid which kept them up. Some teams get the breaks I guess.