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Massive game today. I hope we all get right behind the team and back them to the hilt to help end this woeful run. Back Nige, back the boys, COYR.

Can it? Or is that the fault of the previous regime for signing a load of shit? Pearson's in credit for the transfers he's been able to do, IMO. Atkinson and Tanner will be good players in time, James is solid at this level, the others are PL title winners who can surely pass on some experience to what is a young dressing room. To the OP and others who want NP out if we lose tomorrow, name me someone to come in? I'm sure as hell no-one in their right mind would fancy taking us on with no cash to spend, players we can't sell, and probably having to rebuild the backroom staff again as Rennie and Fleming will leave when NP does. This modern era of instant gratification is complete bollocks. Whatever to having a bit of patience and offering support? Massive game tomorrow. Let's hope we get this monkey off our backs once and for all.

Beat me to it. That’s the only way I can see us not ending this voodoo on Saturday. It’s a must-win for us. It’ll be these types of games that will go a long way to determining whether or not we stay up IMO, not the AFCB or WBA ones.

Major, we’re paying Simpson and Downing six-figure annual salaries. Freeing up one of those roles much earlier in order to pay a HoR would’ve been a far wiser strategy IMO. Welcome back, @Harry

Spot on, as usual. Personally, I’d like to Benarous involved because a) he can play wide right and we have nobody fit who can currently play that role, b) his confidence must be high after that hat-trick v Watford. Making a senior debut against a struggling Barnsley side might offer the spark to lift the doom and gloom at the Gate.

Excellent post ?. Some people seem to think there’s someone out there who could sprinkle some fairy dust on this rabble and turn us into world beaters, all without spending any cash. The class of 2021/22 are a bottom-six outfit. Sack NP and we start over again. More cash wasted and we’re a less attractive proposition. The new man wastes time assessing the squad, the backroom staff, the medical team all while we struggle to be competitive. We’d be odds-on to go down. Stick by NP and we might stay up, offload more of the deadwood in the summer, sign more of the Tanners or Atkinsons and become more competitive next season. They need our support more than ever IMO because one thing we all agree on is relegation is not an option.

What evidence can you offer to back up that they’re better players than they showed today? Many of them have seen off LJ and Holden already. Bentley’s been guilty of making as many costly individual errors as top saves recently Tanner’s fresh out of L2 (and been a real positive) Baker’s been knocked out cold Atkinson’s had the virus and is learning his trade at this level Kalas and Dasilva should both be doing better James is solid if unspectacular Massengo is learning his trade, got physically bossed today Weimann and Martin haven’t been at the races in a while Wells is starved of service COD, Vyner, Bakinson, Palmer, Moore — either nowhere near consistent or good enough to make it at this level. That looks like a sow’s ear/rabble to me. The legacy of wasting the proceeds from selling the family silver.

The question should be is SL willing to back any manager ever again after the money squandered under LJ and MA. No manager worth their salt would be willing to touch us with a 10-foot barge pole if he’s not — because the waste that’s gone before puts us at risk or breaching FFP now.

One unnamed member of the squad has had the virus. My best guess, despite my own reservations over him not being anywhere near up to the grade at this level, is it might be him.

Win, lose or draw it’s been a rudderless ship under SL’s watch for two decades. But why we’re choosing now to moan about it, after we’ve unsurprisingly been soundly beaten by a side relegated from the PL last season, I don’t know.

Makes you wonder what their annual salaries are if that’s true. It was only a matter of time before the axe fell on them, but I have to question the club signing off those deals on big wages during the middle of a pandemic.

I remember that day well. Am I right in thinking that's the last time we got anything from the Hawthorns, 22 years and 8 months ago?

You're right in that LJ had to sell players, but don't be fooled into thinking he didn't want any of the "mostly (inferior) ones" he did sign. He was the head coach and could've said "no" to Ashton or done the principled thing as resigned if Ashton was buying players without his input. LJ insisted on the signings of Brownhill and Webster, he could've vetoed signing the likes of Diony or Palmer (to name just two) if he really wanted to but he wanted his clubs in the bag. All my opinion, of course.

I'm glad to added the first part of that sentence as, for context, LJ had the likes of Reid, Bryan, Brownhill and Webster to call upon at various times. He also spent the most in a failed bid to get us over the line. What's left is largely his squad and they're nowhere near decent or consistent enough to challenge in the top half, IMO. Looking at the signings of Atkinson and Tanner, I'd rather NP had the amounts of cash that LJ/MA burnt through, but we are where we are.

Williams, King and Semenyo are all out tomorrow. Wiliams and Semenyo are meant to be two weeks away, King will be out for longer than that. I agree with Pearson that KP, COD and TB are passengers; Vyner's not up to it at this level for me. I'd like to see Benarous given a decent run-out.

Great anecdote but what surprised me was Dicks saying “10 or 12 years ago, I offered my services to the club again but was politely declined”. Reading between the lines, does anyone else think that he threw his hat in to succeed either GJ or Coppell?

Sorry to be pedantic but they’re not. Bristol Live is part of Reach (formerly Trinity Mirror), the Mail belongs to DMG. Two different publishers.

Because we have no strength in depth whatsoever, and that's on the previous regime. If we had a fully-fit squad to choose from, I'd say we're probably a pacy winger away from having a top-half-of-the-table starting XI. Beyond that, there's no quality at all. The signings NP has made have improved us, IMO.

Nail on the head. Nobody can legislate for Scott missing an open goal before he scored, Wells hitting the post when he should've scored, and the ref ignoring a stonewall penalty either. Forest came here last night towards the top of the form table and on another night, we could've beaten them comprehensively.

He was, but I’m looking at the bigger picture in terms of what he’s done in his time here. Not singling him out at all, hence the “possibly Wells”. Has he returned ROI? No, although there are mitigating circumstances.

So far in the league this year (four, all at home): • Lavery (Blackpool 90+3) • Hylton (Luton 90+1) • Taylor (Forest 90+1, 90+2) When will the penny drop that many of the players we have simply aren’t up to the job. We’ve signed Atkinson and Tanner, the types we need to go for. But for every one of those we’re hamstrung by the likes of COD, Bakinson, Vyner, Moore, Palmer and possibly Wells who simply aren’t adding anything in any scenario. It’s infuriating and it will take time to sort.

The home form is abysmal, no getting away from it, but I’m on board with a three-year project to rebuild the club from the rabble left by Mark Ashton and nobody should be under any illusions as to the mess he’s left. The signings of Atkinson and Tanner give me hope that more of those types will follow. Maybe not this year as I firmly expect a bottom-six struggle, but certainly the deeper we move into the project. The bottom line is how much time people are willing to give it, but in my experience nothing lasts for ever and this home form has to turn at some point soon (I always thought Barnsley was more likely than a rejuvenated Forest).

Tanner is exactly the type of player Nige wants to us to have — young, hungry, potential for growth, versatile. Great signing, and I hope we make more signings like him (eg Prem schooled, released, desire, resale if we don’t match his growth etc).

Bakinson should be nowhere near the starting XI, IMO, and surely Massengo is only in contention to start if he was fit enough to be on the bench on Saturday? As he wasn't, I think it might be a big risk to throw him straight in to start. Pring's a better option wide left, not at LB.