cowl

Ah, b'llcks to it. My post 'posted' before I'd even finished it. Too late and too tired now. Suffice to say that Megson won't get on with DC in a million years, so seriously, what's the point?!

If it were really possible that Megson would be left to it, I'd be moderately willing - but then if this could be guaranteed for any new manager we'd bring in, I'd look beyond Megson in the first place. In fact, perhaps it'd be interesting to see what CC himself could do unfettered if the notion that DC's naivety as a chairman is playing a role. Still, that's a separate issue really because I doubt whether the fact we rarely turn up until half time has got anything whatsoever to with DC. CC has to go, and go for the slow starts alone. I'm sick to the back teeth of them. Trying to get back into games from a goal behind is a fool's game and it's not what teams with aspirations of promotion can habitually get away with. Still, as much as I want to bring someone in who can get more out of the squad, I also want to see some changes to how players are brought in. I want a director of football brought in at the same time as a new coach. There's a nucleus to our side that is still the same as CC's first season. Signings we've made since have barely improved the side. I'm not hopeful though. DC has shown very little appetite towards changing his approach. It's also why Megson would in reality be the worst type of appointment. I remember how Megson reacted to players like Kanik

There does seem to be a motivation issue. It's hard to explain the number of games under CC whereby we don't get going till half time. Oddly enough, the players do seem to respond to whatever CC has to say at half time, so the question is why can't he say what he says at half time before the game starts?!

Is it too much to ask that we start games on the front foot?

I think there's even non-league teams of today that would hammer even the very best of the teams of the 60s. To me that much seems quite obvious. I suspect the entertainment value was as high then if not higher than it is now though. Fewer 0-0 bore draws, and just generally more goals scored (both ends of the pitch). And that it could all be had for a fraction of the cost of watching today's football! I'd happily see footballing standards return to that of the 60s if watching it was similarly commensurate to today's wages as it was to then.

Yellow away from 90/91 was great and I'd love us to do that again. Could see it being popular anyway. Personal favourite is the green and white hoops away shirt from the couple of season's before. Though it was retired after a relegation so it's hardly a good association, but it was still worn by some of our greatest ever players: Hirst, Atkinson, Sheridan, Palmer, Pearson, Nilsson, Worthington etc.

Lee Peacock

Wildsmith didn't do much wrong against Birmingham and did well enough against Leeds, but apart from the outstanding saves he made which were flagged for offside, we'd have all been disappointed if he'd conceded any of the other saves he'd made which were all routine for the level we play at. He's started 20 games for us now, and he's made mistakes in a fair number of these games. He's young enough still for that to be 'okay', but when fans start talking about whether he should be keeping Westwood out of the side I think they should go lie down. Even if Westwood's form takes a nosedive, I'd be disappointed if once we get to a window we don't seek to bring in another keeper to genuinely push Westwood for his place rather than continue to 'get by' with Wildsmith and Dawson. I suppose bruised ribs aren't something you can play through, but even so, Westwood always seems to be carrying some kind of knock. That we've typically continued to play him speaks volumes, but ideally it would be better if we had an experienced and able 2nd keeper to allow Westwood more time to rest.

Yep, I'm always happy to see English lads and lasses excel. Team sports in particular.

I would find it very easy to choose Wednesday every time. Even so, I'm always up for the international tournaments, and I even enjoy them once we've been unceremoniously dumped out and I can concentrate on the football. I can't relate to those that would actually choose England over Wednesday though. I suppose it's one of those strange excessively zealous patriotism things that some people seem to be able to talk themselves into. For me, it's just too remote though. Club football's pretty much a daily commitment, whereas international football's far too fleeting for it to be anything more than just a distraction.

Thought Bannan did quite well overall, with a pretty strong last half hour in particular. Bearing in mind they were against 10 men from 25 mins onwards though, I thought he was sitting far too deep and not really doing enough - it was like the frustrating Bannan of last season. I don't doubt, however, that this was down to Strachan, just as it was down to CC for us last season. Once Strachan signalled for Bannan to get forward more, his and Scotland's performance improved markedly.

A fixture that seems to favour the underdog in recent years, and unless they finish 3rd and us 6th with 20 points, say, separating us, weren't not likely to be seen as the underdog. I'd rather avoid them. Still, it would be absolutely magnificent to go up this way.

An additional video ref is the only way to go on this. Don't see why it should really slow things down so much.

In the words of the great Alan Irvine: "Bitterly disappointing!"

'Fergie time' alone should have pretty much put paid to the notion that these things even themselves out.