cowl

Irrespective of our abysmal performance, the tone of which had already been set, a red card for that sort of challenge is ridiculous. We got no more than we deserved out of the game today, and yet, we've started as lethargic and disinterested as this in more home games this season than not, with the only difference today being that we've been ruthlessly punished. Still, given that I doubt we'd have been so utterly humiliated as we were had it not been for the sending off, and though it changes nothing about the fact that the players and manager need to look at themselves first and foremost, I've no doubt the ref's ridiculous decision to send Luongo off killed the game as a contest. Should our appeal be successful, the ref ought to serve the 3 match ban in Luongo's stead. Refs absolutely shouldn't be having this kind of impact on a game.

I can't see us being able to move FF on this window due to his injury status. Yes, he's 'almost' fit, but he's not a hot enough property for a club to take a risk on a player that will expect big wages but has struggled to keep himself injury-free for any appreciable length of time for about 3 years.

The questions are just awful. I know they were designed just to get a response which can then be converted into an article, but I can't think there's anything particularly stimulating about answering a question posed as: “How important do you think it is that we go on a good run now?” That is a real f*cking question asked by a real f*cking journalist, and the worst part of it is that a version of it is asked every f*cking week. It doesn't surprise me that many managers just treat the press conferences as an obligation they merely have to endure. Having said that, the reality is probably that there's not really much to be said from one week to the next. An injury update is often the only informative part. The rest of what is talked about just means The Star can just generate a week of articles based on what is sometimes only a one or two word response to a mindless question. Still, at least this is better than 'articles' based on the tweeted responses of some fans to a tweet by a player that'll go something like: “The lads played well today. Onwards and upwards!”

Agreed, and in relation to that I'd like to think we'd consider paying as much of the wages of these players when they're out on loan as possible. The only risk then is that club's take on a cheap squad filler without being entirely serious about playing them. Maybe a deal structured so that they pay more of the player's wage the less they play them. Beyond this, I do think the league should scrap the transfer window for loans for players under a certain age altogether. The whole system should be much more fluid. Given that Shaw went out to Chesterfield for a month a couple of months ago this already seems to be the case for non-league, but it needs to be all divisions really.

Trying too hard now.

The views of the habitual moaners just like those of the habitually pro-club are barely worthy of consideration. It's obvious this sort of signing is just a low-risk punt. We take a player on and see if we can develop him further to the point of being useful. Maybe it works out, maybe not. Expecting to be ‘excited’ by a signing such as this is merely to misunderstand what this signing is and what the U23s is ostensibly about. Failing to recognize when a player is clearly not expected to have an immediate first-team impact is quite simply feeble-minded.

I think you mean Swindon, and I don't remember him looking atrocious.

If the financials of the deal really are those that are being reported then it's an absolute no-brainer. Even if we had no intention of playing him it would still be worth it just in order to prevent a rival from having him. I assume this deal would only be open to those clubs for whom promotion looks reasonably realistic? The money that promotion to the Prem is worth, even if we immediately gave him away for nothing the deal would obviously still be worth it.

If that means they'll pay all wages and there'll be no loan fee, then I reckon that's a fantastic deal for those teams vying for the play-off spots. It's not a bad deal for the likes of Leeds and West Brom too.

I assume he'll be going back out to Germany once their winter break's over. I hope so anyway, as he's far better off getting games out there than playing for U23s back here. Perhaps, we'll get him to sign another contract before he goes, but really, Penney will probably only come back into the equation from next summer onwards.

You honestly think Penney's progress has been stifled by the fans' expectations? You don't think the change of management and then injury last season was the main reason for him ultimately finding himself down the pecking order?

Let the kid just get some bloody games under his belt before we start fussing over how the competition for a starting spot should be conducted. We've really no reason at the moment not to think Monk won't know how to best manage this. And as for appealing against fans' expectations; it's like p*ssing into the wind.

I think the 6 weeks or so before Saturday though, he was just in some bad form for the most part. His own particular brand of hold-up play that he's made into something of an art he just seemed to stop doing. Also, I'm not so convinced that he's definitely not a starter. Well, at least for some games. I think some games just seem like Nuhiu-type games; games in which he comes off the bench and indeed he makes a big difference. It's hard to understand why such a game isn't one he could've started, especially when it's at half time that comes on. Anyway, irrespective of all this, we definitely need a more varied pool of strikers bringing in. This was already the case, but even more so now with Fletcher's injury. Nuhiu and Winnall up looks poor, Nuhiu with Rhodes is even worse. Rhodes and Winnall is the only combo left and I wouldn't be holding my breath about that. I think one up top's our only option at the moment.

I think it must've been cut short (or was only up until this transfer window anyway?), as he was playing for the U23s a week or so ago.

I'm surprised to find that someone thinks Roger Johnson has been our worst. I remember him as being excellent for us - in fact, so much so that after his loan spell with us (and our desperate attempts to get him back for the remainder of the season), he went and signed for Premier League West Ham. I think he was poor at West Ham though, and certainly guilty of at least a couple of howlers as I recall. Still, for us, I can only remember a good player.