Dan

Sunday 12:30 for the away game in the play-offs if we finish 3rd. That just convinces me further it's bound to be us.

Just put £50 on them to win 3-0 then

How is the clappers myth still doing the rounds? Remember them coming back a year ago. That went well.

Yeah exactly. I'm pretty certain we're doomed to mediocrity at best with the current regime regardless of manager.

Yeah I'm on the same page really. I think you can hold principles on how to play but not look so one-dimensional in doing it and he increasingly appears to be like that which is a shame. I thought his whole thing about "my time at Juventus is where I learned about winning at all cost" would shine through more but lately with some of the stuff he's been saying it's been more of the idealism and style over substance that I've just never taken to in a manager. I've long held concerns that we're never going to quite be able to sign the players to make his system really work effectively. It's become less for me about some of the principles (playing out etc..) and more that he just seems to religiously stick to this system regardless of the personnel or opposition.

I think this is very true of our situation too. The rules are wrong and whoever implemented them should be out of the game yesterday, but the ineptness of the board / owner are also very clear too. I fear every criticism of one is going to be taken as a defence of the other.

Barkley feels a bit of a pipedream to be honest. After this season on a free I can see him having offers from the likes of Spurs / Villa etc...

I don't even massively mind that he has a way he believes in, if you are willing to just throw everything away at signs of adversity then what do you truly believe in? The issue more for me is is his way right for us? It's been very hard to measure this season because we came down into the league against the odds and even despite sales, the residue is still vastly superior to pretty much all of the league. It's been hard to measure if we're playing above the sum of our parts. I'm not really sure either way.

I'm not quite as sure as you about that bit. It would be negligence to set up like yesterday though so I hope you're right. The defence needs some investment that isn't going to arrive. I think he's going to have to be a bit more pragmatic, but I don't think that's really his style either. Something needs to give.

He needs dropping for sure. Totally out of form and no signs he's playing himself back into it. Far from convinced by him I have to say - given him plenty of benefit of the doubt but he doesn't look good enough.

Yesterday was an eye-opener on him. He will get shredded again in the PL I think.

Credit where due though, our end for the equaliser looks top drawer.

Ours is imminent too. We are genuinely going to be the biggest losers in this because Everton and Forest both have the luxury of Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton being in the league, as well as each other having deductions. We'd go up and probably be the only ones, with nowhere near as bad competition.

It wouldn't though.

I can't really accuse us of some of the usual things, mainly the lack of fight etc... but I thought that was a largely pretty awful performance. If we went up and didn't make significant investment into this defence (which we won't because we can't) we'd ship 75+ goals I think and quite frequently be looking at 4/5. They tried but we look a team in decline. It's all gone a bit last two years for me with the general chaos and sieve defending. It was a fun second half but I don't think we're good.

You can't even use defensive solidity as an argument for it now. We look pretty awful at the back - almost last season bad.

Have to win. I think it's a slight banana skin as they seem to be one of those sides who can raise their game for a bigger occasion of which we are definitely one of them. They seem to be pretty poor but have a knack of doing well in games they're quite strong underdogs in, which is a bit unnerving. I think we'll win 0-1.

Classic 'big' end of ours. Largely shite.

I really fear it's going to be 3rd but we're still in the ascendancy. We have a better run-in than Ipswich for me and we do have players to return. But Christ we do not look good. Honestly we're starting to look almost last season like - remember when we barely ever let in 2 in a game? We do it more often than not now. We've completely lost any solidity we had.

It is genuinely rubbish. Goals decided in a studio and league position decided in a court. I can only conclude it's deliberate and to demoralise people.

Jesus Christ. I'm messaging my sister now. I can't read these anymore. It's straight twenties from the get go!

I did £5s yeah. I'm unsure if it's the stakes and it's more the method. I'm quite surprised they haven't banned you for it yet.

you know what I agreed with some of the criticisms but I'll draw the line here.

I kind of agree but I do think if we do end up going and winning at Chelsea we won't carry anything like the same fear. I couldn't imagine us doing anything like that today though. Just look at our responses in similar situations for the most part. We barely even enter the box let alone score and it's been like this years.

I'd run it but I pretty much always do, I think most cash out offers are a disgrace.