Harry

I don’t blame Pearson for this. I point the finger firmly at the recruitment department. It’s a waste of a squad place and a waste of a wage, and the recruitment team should have been perfectly capable of sourcing alternatives to a 35 year old whom we’d already seen first hand wasn’t up to it.

See, I don’t see that as something Martin has demonstrated this season. He’s actually been very good at winning balls in the air, in fact I think his ‘aerial duel’ stats are very very good. But he’s not shown an ability to hold the ball up - in fact his touch on the floor has been poor. Aerially - he’s been very good. Hold up play - has been non-existent.

I was concerned about it from the start. Not a knock on Scott in any way, shape or form.

What I meant by the “every other game” was more aimed at Nige. LJ called some players out on a small number of occasions over 4 years. Nige has done it after almost every defeat in 9 months.

Started every game so far. And been subbed off 3 times. He’s played all but 72 minutes of the season so far. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting this sort of workload from him.

It happened rarely. As I said, there was Magnússon and no doubt a couple of other incidents. You rightly raise the Moore one. But it didn’t happen as regularly as people want to make out. Nigel is calling players out (anon) after every single defeat!!! Personally I don’t mind him saying it once or twice, but it’s every bloody week. It’s getting a little tiresome in my opinion.

I think the replies to the OP have been harsh so far. I know the poster has a poor reputation but that doesn’t mean they sometimes have a good point. In fact, I was mulling this over last night and was going to start a thread making exactly the same point. Simpson is fit. He’s been on the bench for the last 3 games where we have played an 18 year old attacking midfielder as a right wing back. Whilst I actually think we should be encouraged by Scott’s performances (from a technique and effort point of view), he has been badly caught out a number of times in that position - which you cannot blame Scott for because he is not a wing back. I’ve found it very odd that Simpson has played only 232 minutes when we’ve been struggling for a regular right sided defender and we’ve ended up sticking an out of position teenager in there instead. I said it at the time and I’ll stand by it - I don’t see the point of this signing.

I think there’s a fair bit of revisionism when it comes to LJ. I don’t remember him calling out players after almost every game. In fact, it hardly happened at all. I recall Magnússon away at Preston, but that aside I don’t think there were too many more examples. One thing that often gets overlooked regarding LJ was his handling of the Tomlin situation. Fans were baying for him to be played, and LJ could’ve come out numerous times and called Tomlin out, but he never did. In fact, he kept everything completely ‘in-house’ and by doing so managed to recoup the £3m fee. I think that should be remembered and LJ should be looked at very positively in that particular ‘player-issue’ situation. As other posters have said, I am getting a little tired of Nigel’s comments regarding ‘these players’. The hand has been dealt and he has to play with it. I don’t think these regular disparaging comments (even if they are anon), will be helping the morale - and given Nige is big on instilling a mentally strong dressing room, it really surprises me that he keeps calling this out publically.

I’m not sure our recruitment team have a finger, let alone a pulse.

This worries me. Nige hasn’t made any changes to the recruitment team. I’m convinced he wanted to - hence the links in the summer to Walsh & McKenzie. Besides, I can’t see us doing much business in January. We don’t have much cash to play with and there are no free transfers available. Unless we play the loan market(which we haven’t seemed keen on), I don’t really expect too much. We’re more likely to wait til summer and try the free agency market instead. As for the ‘who’. As you know, we’ve mentioned the likes of Ostigard, Ballard, McGuiness, Knight, Sanderson before. Add in Bernard, Pearson, Burke, Connolly. Those are just some of the ones who arrived at champ clubs in the summer, who appear to be doing decent enough jobs (and would most likely all be on a lower wage than Baker). Do you know what. I’d even rather have kept Taylor Moore and used the money wasted on Baker to strengthen another position (ie, Twine, Jay, Kee, Sheaf, Giles, Crooks etc). There was me thinking, which they promised, that we were gonna have to be “clever” in the summer market. Useless recruitment continues…………. Edit - I’ll even add in Matty Pollock. Watford managed to pick him up for £250k in the summer and he’s been excellent at the back for Cheltenham this season. Did our recruitment team even have a clue who he was?? Highly doubtful. Cheltenham 18’s v Exeter 18’s yesterday morning. Did we have a City scout present? Did we f….k!

As I’ve always said Dave, it comes back to the piss-poor recruitment team. We ended up having to re-hire Baker because they didn’t have a effing clue for any alternatives. He should never have returned based on a ‘better the devil you know’ philosophy. We should already have known he was leaving back half way through last season and been planning his replacement. They don’t have a bloody clue!!

I’d never ever criticise someone for getting concussed. And I wish him well. However, I’ve been very clear in the past that I would never have given him a new contract. Whatever the injury may be, he’s been proven over his time at the club that he does miss far too many games (or indeed have to be substituted injured in far too many games). And I’m sure the money (which apparently is too tight to mention) could have been better spent elsewhere. He’s without doubt our best defender when he’s fit. But I wouldn’t have re-hired someone with such a poor availability record.

Ah yes. I didn’t see that bit. Edit. Actually I dunno. Watching it again I reckon he’s already ‘out’ after heading the shoulder. His head goes backwards at that point.

Nah. No arms or elbows involved. Looks like Baker just headed the other chaps shoulder.

Wells has to square that first time. Dreadful

Just before the goal, Kalas & Baker got switched and had plenty of time to re-set but didn’t. Hence Baker was central and Kalas on the left. Weimann then passes the ball way too late, causing a completely unnecessary offside. They then get forward and Scott only narrowly cuts out a pass that would’ve seen his man in behind him for the 3rd time this half. Vyner had, for some reason, come flying out to the midfield. Bakinson kinda just watches. Massengo makes no effort to cover in behind Bakinson. Kalas naturally comes across because he’s more familiar with being the central CB (see earlier comment where the whole shape first began to break down!). And finally, why the hell was Cod on the OUTSIDE of the man at the far post. He should be inside, goal side, and if he is, the gap between him and Kalas is narrower and he might have a chance of getting a block on the shot. Dreadful goal from the moment Weimann was breaking forward.

Stevens ran in behind him twice and he didn’t go. That’s essentially his man. I don’t blame him for the one where mcgoldrick got behind him. As you say, that’s where the RCB should be covering.

Bit worried about Scott. They’ve got in 3 times down his side so far. He does seem a little late to switch on to the opponents forward run. Not a criticism, as he’s not a wing back, but just a slight concern for me.

Make sure you are on Sky Sports Football. Not Sky Sports Main Event.

He should have played him central. Less sprints required.

Case in point in minute 2. Han pressed and Baks didn’t fill the hole behind. Led to a dangerous cross and a corner.

Two things : 1) Pearson shouldn’t have played him wide for a couple of games. That wouldn’t have aided his recovery. 2) Pearson shouldn’t have played him at all on Wednesday. He should’ve been rested and recovering. To ask him to play weekend and midweek was suicidal. He needed to be managed back into it much better.

I hope not. With the 2 ‘attack-minded’ wingbacks, ideally you’d have 2 disciplined CM’s. I’d hope that Baks and Han will be told to hold shape and let Weimann, Martin & Benarous do the majority of the donkey work. When Han gets out of shape, he REALLY gets out of shape. Hopefully he’s told to stay solid.

I wish them all the best, honestly, but when I see a midfield 2 of HNM & Baks, it does worry me. Both have their positives of course, but when I see us without a Williams or James in there, it does concern me. Let’s hope HNM stays disciplined and allows Benarous to do the bulk of the pressing.

Given the times we used to see Tommy out in town back in his playing days, I wouldn’t be surprised if he only agreed to this appearance if they removed the smoking ban from pubs!! ? Played against him in centre mid when he was at Longwell Green in the early-mid 2000’s. I couldn’t get near him!!! Superb little player.