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Quite right, too, IMO. In Max's five Championship appearances, he averages 39.4 passes a game with 8 long balls Compare that with Bentley, who averaged 29.9 passes and 9.4 long balls from his 23 league appearances. To me, that indicates Max is more comfortable on the ball than Bentley and his inclusion has resulted in us being less direct/more attractive to watch. It's not a case of who's the better individual; it's about who's better for the team and it's pretty clear for all to see why Max appears to be that man. I also expect Bentley to fetch us a fee in the summer, so Max's run of games is also about succession planning with an eye on the future. Basso was good; Mercer sets the bar for me.

The biggest load of shit I've read in any publication for a very long time. Lazy, ill-informed, twisted, disrespectful journalism. The only way this could happen is if Nige was to walk away. SL would then have to bury his grudge with NW, many fans would have to get onside, and NW would have to be willing to reduce the wage bill when he's made a career out of spending other people's money. In other words, an article plucked from cloud cuckoo land.

Signing Simpson was a mistake, but we have no idea what sort of influence he has around the play. King’s exceeded my expectations when he’s played. Baker’s obviously a bad signing in hindsight, but I can understand the logic in re-signing him on significantly reduced terms. Two out of three will be gone in the summer IMO.

There's lot to like about Klose. Excellent pedigree, good on the ball, good in the air, he's a leader and a great pro. That should help our young squad and with Nige's vision to drive up professionalism, but the two knee operations and his age (34 in May) are concerns IMO. Six-month deal would make sense.

Thanks for sharing. I loved Wayner. He was a gentle giant and looked after me when I was a mascot in the early '90s. Mad to think 30 years have passed since.

Interesting read. IMO, it shows how far behind clubs like Huddersfield we are off the pitch. We still have no DoF or sporting director; no head of recruitment; no psychologist. Granted, that takes time to implement. But it also pulls into focus the all-encompassing job Nige is doing, and doing well.

Weimann's been brilliant so far this season and there's no reason why he shouldn't get 20 league goals if he stays fit. He's on track for 23 at this rate, which would be an excellent return. No doubt he's benefiting from a manager who knows a) his best position, and b) how to get the best out of him.

Fulham scored 6 out of 8 shots on target, so Max has shipped 8 goals from 15 shots on target if the original stat is accurate. As Pearson said, set pieces are our Achilles heel at the moment. We need a ball-winning CB in there, Vyner offers nothing in the air. Could Cundy be that man? Bentley's a saleable asset and cashing in on him and buying a sweeper-keeper better than Max would be our best option if it was doable IMO.

Semenyo’s form has helped, but he wouldn’t be able to get on the ball as often as he is at the moment with Bentley lumping it long at every opportunity IMO. The stats clearly say we’re more direct with Bentley in goal. I don’t think that’s down to team tactics, more that Bentley’s not as comfortable with the ball at his feet. His positioning to receive the ball this season has been poor and he’s just as, if not more, error-prone. If he returns and we revert back to lumping it forward, I think we’ll lose the attacking edge we’ve had in recent weeks simply because the ball will be coming back to us more times than not. Bentley’s the better keeper, but we play better football with Max in goal IMO. Ironically, we could do with someone like Maenpaa!

You definitely end up going through some people's back yards. I remember someone trying to knick someone's knickers hanging on the line back in the day on the way up the steps to the back of the stand!

Mental to think it's more than 21 years since we last won at Luton, a game I was at in which Mickey Bell, Lee Peacock and Scott Murray scored second-half goals to earn us a 3-0 win. Was anyone else there that day? I also remember seeing us get dicked 5-0 there a few years' after that. Talk about a bogey ground.

That’s my regular lunch haunt when in the office once a week before the latest set of restrictions. It’s well worth the queue for the chicken and halloumi. My only bad word to say about them is they almost always leak the Source out of the bottom, so it gets messy quickly.

Steve Claridge is the epitome of a journeyman to me.

Fair comment. I was one of those who thought Semenyo wasn't up to it at this level, and I'm delighted to see him prove me wrong. His development has been extraordinary when you consider he's only really played the last six games and missed the first half of the season. Long may it continue. I suspect Benarous will become a quality attacking midfielder. He looks like he's got the brain, the tenacity, the technique to succeed. Scott's exceptional and tying him down to a new four-year deal could turn out to be the best deal the club's ever done.

We usually get no points from trips to Luton and Preston, so anything else will be a bonus IMO. We’ve had far better, more experienced teams go to those places and return empty handed. That’s not to say we can’t get anything, though.

What we all think is a good season is entirely subjective. For me back in August, 18th or above would be a good season. Anything else is a bonus, so I’m enjoying seeing youngsters develop this year (all while we slowly bomb out the wasters) even if it does bring inconsistency.

It all boils down to expectations, Dave. At the start of the season, mine were simply to survive after witnessing the shite of last season and having a good idea of our financial predicament. Nige is exceeding my expectations so I’m content, and Scott — plus Semenyo, Benarous and Pring — are evidence of the good work being done in transition.

Scott’s development this year is almost as extraordinary as his versatility. Big credit goes to Tinnion for finding him and NP for showing faith in him.

How the hell does Dawson get in ahead of Livingstone? One struggles to get in the Hampshire side, the other belts the ball for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Me three. Kalas was superb today. MOTM for me.

I, for one, ain’t getting carried away by Semenyo. But it’s really encouraging to see his development under NP in recent weeks. You can see he’s oozing confidence at the moment and the longer he surfs that wave, the world is his oyster. That strike that rattled the post in stoppage time would’ve been the icing on the cake.

For me, Bentley’s a great shot-stopper but the stats back up that he’s way more direct and that has a huge impact off our style of play. Yes, the results haven’t been great before today, but I think we’re a better all-round side with Max in it.

Me too, especially after the old head King went off. But Massengo and Scott have done really well in there, asides from the mistake for their goal. Cardiff look in real trouble on this performance. One dimensional direct shit. Hopefully good riddance.

Cardiff have wised up to O’Leary’s looking for the quick ball. Oh dear, Atkinson’s down.

That Tommy Doyle looks bright for them, as you’d expect from any Man City loanee.