ExiledAjax

That's where we need to get our points I guess. The final 6 games of the season are Boro, Watford, Sheff Utd, Burnley, QPR and Rotherham. We're pretty unlikely to get 2 points per game over those final 6. It's why it's so unlikely we're going to make playoffs. Honestly we could be 8th going into those final 6 games and we'll fade. We just aren't yet at the level of the top teams in this division.

Fivethirtyeight give us a 5% chance of relegation (ie 20/1), and a 3% chance of making the playoffs (ie about 33/1). Neither of these things will happen.

NTT20 continuing to bang the drum. Something noticeable if you pause it just as he plays the pass. 4 of Preston's players are completely focused on him. That pass takes 40% of their outfield players out of the game.

The Bible isn't for everyone, but sometimes it just nails things. Joey the intellectual probably already knows this. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." — Matthew 7:24–27

For me the season so far has simply reinforced the lesson that we should not judge our success, or that of the manager, solely on results. When results were bad in the autumn the underlying numbers and performance indicators suggested that we weren't actually that awful. Likewise right now they suggest that we aren't actually that good. Truth is we're a competent, competitive side who with a bit of good or bad luck get wins or losses respectively. This last month we've played well but bar West Brom in the cup we've not really blown anyone away, likewise before Christmas there were only a couple of games where we really didn't turn up. We weren't relegation candidates in the autumn, and we're not promotion candidates now. As I've said elsewhere across many posts Pearson (and his team) has undoubtedly and provably improved us over the last two years. We are so, so, so much better than we were for those 6 months under Holden. However, in my opinion Pearson won't ever get us promoted.

But you said he wants to play games. I don't think he would currently get games at a top 6 club. Carvalho and Spence tore this division a new one last season, got their Big Six moves, and aren't in those teams. Is Scott better than those two? Really? Honestly? Objectively and before the WBA cup game? Without your City biased goggles on? When I take mine off...I'm not sure. I think if he wants both the Premier League and minutes then he will go to Brighton, Villa, Brentford or the like.

Take his fee, deduct our losses for this season (likely £15-20m) and you'll get roughly what we can reinvest. So if £25m then I'd estimate we'd have £5-10m to spend. But that has to cover fees, wages, signing on fees, agent fees etc. How we spend it? Defenders based on the other players we tried to sign this window just gone.

OK, but who is the last young player to go from the Championship to one of those top teams and make it stick? I struggle to think of any if I am honest. Name the last player under the age of 21 that Liverpool signed from the Championship who got more than 1,000 minutes in the league in his first season. I f Scott is as talented as you presume then even if he goes to Brentford, Brighton or Leicester he will stand out and, as Webster was with us, will be flipped on for £70m the following summer. If he's actually not as good as you say and you are wearing a very big pair of Mr. & Mrs. Biased's special biased glasses for the biased, then he will not, as he will have found his level. Equally, if he goes to Liverpool and is in fact not as good as we think, then again he will not get minutes and will be loaned out to Rennes to join Djed Spence. Ultimately what I am saying is that if he really does want to play 40 games every season, then he should take that stepping stone club and break himself into the division above us at a more understanding and generous club. Alternatively you and I could twist this argument to a point where it proves beyond doubt that he may as well just play for us forever because he's so good that he will naturally drag our club with him until we both find our level. I'd prefer that we do that and I am sure that Mr. Alexander will understand.

Yes, from our perspective the £££ is key. But honestly even the poorest Premier League clubs can match our asking price. The key for Scott is minutes. He's young. He should take a 3 year contract with one of those middling PL clubs, play 70 good games for them and then get his big move at 23. He'll still have ten good years in him to win trophies, break records, and nab that Ballon d'Or we all know he's on for.

My concern with him going to any of the "Big Six" clubs is their track history with very young, very talented players who stand out in our division. Looking at U23s you see Djed Spence (Spurs), Carvalho (Liverpool), Sessegnon (Spurs), Dan James (Man Utd) in recent times. Big talents, big fees...and straight on the bench or loaned back out. These teams do not take young superstar Championship players and develop them quickly into first team players. Scott would go to Liverpool and play U23s, Carabao Cup, and warm the bench. Conversely look at the clubs lower down in the Premier League or in Germany in particular and you see players like Bowen (West Ham), Maddison (Leicester) Godfrey (Everton), Burke (Leipzig), Bellingham (Dortmund) even our own Webster (Brighton), Brownhill (Burnley), Kelly and now Semenyo (both Bournemouth) go and play. They go straight in and they get minutes and they develop. They may not win a token medal for playing 3 times in the early FA Cup rounds, but they move their career forward. That's why I'd much prefer him to go to Brighton, Brentford, maybe Leicester, those lower sides who still have the cash to give us, but he will play. If it is true that what he most wants is to play football then he and his agent have to angle for a team outside of that "Big Six". They just have to.

Stonkingly efficient shooting today. Just 6 shots on goal (PNE took 17), but 3 of those on target. Average xG per shot of 0.28 which is huge. The two goals naturally created the huge majority of that threat given where they were. Sykes' in particular was obviously almost a 1.0 xG by itself. Impressive stuff but if we want to bother the top teams we need to start adding quantity to this quality.

Ha so all Scott has to do is win a treble. Easy.

Who would you say is the benchmark in the modern era? Cole? Abraham? They've both had good top flight careers plus England caps.

His greatest achievement.

You know you're tinpot when bloody MK Dons have a better stadium, better history, better players, and even a better ******* Twitter admin than you.

God Preston made that second half ugly. Tough fought win. 2-0 but for a slip from Max. All about that glorious second goal really.

Gone to 3 at the back with Kalas and then Weimann RWB haven't we.

Weimann. Pearson goes for experience.

BBC reckon he's so good he made the pass and scored the goal.

Or get themselves out of the tight position and into a position to make the pass.

I absolutely love goals like that. What a ball from Scott, what a ball from Wells. Easy finish for Bell. Weathered a storm and then cracked that beauty in. Fantastic.

RobinsTV suggesting it was a tactical change. Lovely pass from Sykes to give Scott the ball. Sykes is having a fun game today. Loose and unpredictable, but fun.

Yeh hectic or frantic is how I'd describe it so far. I think we're good for the lead though - which Max has just preserved with a top save!

True, true, I guess we just don't know what the add-ons are. Staying up? X starts? X goals in Y games? Could be anything. Although I agree an extra payment should they stay up is most likely. Equally there could be a payment due should they get relegated and then promoted again during his contract term. I think it's simplest to just hope he does well enough to get another big move, so giving us the sell-on kickback.