Blatter

Big money spinner for the smaller clubs and a chance for the bigger clubs to give second stringers a chance to prove themselves. Keep the replays.

The problem with that argument is that it’s only season ticket holders with lots of priority points that have a chance of grabbing the tickets for most away games. The real problem is that our home form is abysmal.

After 54 years of conceding late goals to lose games then, Monk has his work cut out to change the culture within the club. Gonna be a long haul.

We have more chance if we get drawn away from home. When we got to Wembley in the FA Cup in 66 we were drawn away from home in each and every round. Its a sign

That really doesn’t sound like we’re treating this game very seriously. Six defensive players and two wingers doesn’t doesn’t bode well. Got to hope some of our occasionals have a good enough game to rouse a bit of transfer market interest.

I read some of that all the way through.

I was there with my Dad. At the time I didn’t know much about Barcelona..just another foreign team to me and I don’t remember a big crowd, we weren’t packed in on the South stand terrace like we often could be for big matches back then. Gerry Young often played centre forward in his early career before becoming a great defensive midfielder and crowd favourite. I’d forgotten that Colin Dobson started as an old fashioned inside forward. He was a talented left winger so the thinking must have been to have an extra player with excellent skills on the pitch for that particular game. Robin Hardy was an up and coming wing half but if my memory serves correctly he died at a young age and never fulfilled the promising start to his career. Alan Finney and Derek Wilkinson appeared on the opposite wings to normal on the team sheet. That meant very little though because it was customary for them to swap wings a few times during most games. It kept the opposing full backs on their toes. Happy days.

Thought If watched England cricketers playing really well v S.Africa it would take my mind off yesterday’s capitulation at Hillsborough. First thing I see behind the batsman in the evening session, a great big England flag emblazoned OWLS. Wisewood Inn.

Spot on. We have lost our last three home games whilst playing different formations. Too many of our current squad clearly think they are better than what they are and don’t need to work hard to win. The culture within that squad needs to be broken down and that will only be done by major surgery.

He does seem to gloss over the reasons for these home defeats in his post match interviews. I hope that’s just for public consumption and his reaction of microphone is very different. If not he’ll never put right the glaring inadequacies of our home performances.

Unfortunately you have to change a big proportion of the the squad to change such a culture. Too many have got a habit of not turning up at the crucial time. How to do it? Sell whoever we can and replace with younger tougher hungrier fighters for the cause

Well done Taff you spotted the irony

It was truly an unacceptable performance from the word go today. I don’t believe it was down to team selection ( I agreed with keeping an unchanged lineup). I don’t believe it was down to tactics or game plan. We were simply outplayed and outrun by a team smarting from a six match losing streak. It is simply not acceptable to be beaten by five goals at home because you don’t run enough, tackle enough or pass the ball well enough. Yes the manager has some responsibility, but that group of players has repeatedly failed to turn up when it matters under four different managers. Monk and Chansiri need to start sorting this squad out starting now whilst the transfer window is open. Our midfield is under strength, our forwards carry little threat without Fletcher and our defence is repeatedly exposed as a result.

Could have been worse, they could have shown the first half highlights.

I firmly believe we need to start with a three man central midfield of Bannan, Luongo and Lee, home or away. Call it 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 doesn’t matter as long as we don’t sit in too deep at home. If that means playing Winnall as single striker for 60 minutes I’m happy with that. Nuhiu for the last 20 minutes against tiring defenders though, in fact I wouldn’t change anything from last week.