Our midfield .....

[Barrera]

.... is the main problem. Mowatt started off well with us .... but is now a shadow of the player at the start of the season. Molumby for me is the poor man’s Andy Johnson .... runs around and has energy but constantly runs up blind alleys like a headless chicken. Livermore will be back soon and we all know he is completely shot. Who else ... we have kids like TGH but Bruce won’t play him. We have no link between midfield and attack so our front players are constantly isolated and easy to pick off. We need a creative player to link midfield and attack ... then drop one of the strikers. How we are missing Pereira. But then thinking back to last season .. we had Pereira, Okay, Gallagher and Maitland-Niles in midfield ... what a drop in quality to what we have today ...

[baggieal]

.... is the main problem. Mowatt started off well with us .... but is now a shadow of the player at the start of the season. Molumby for me is the poor man’s Andy Johnson .... runs around and has energy but constantly runs up blind alleys like a headless chicken. Livermore will be back soon and we all know he is completely shot. Who else ... we have kids like TGH but Bruce won’t play him. We have no link between midfield and attack so our front players are constantly isolated and easy to pick off. We need a creative player to link midfield and attack ... then drop one of the strikers. How we are missing Pereira. But then thinking back to last season .. we had Pereira, Okay, Gallagher and Maitland-Niles in midfield ... what a drop in quality to what we have today ...

The midfield is the main problem and credit to Big Sam who identified this. Livermore was done 2 years ago - Mowatt clearly does not want to be here now - Molumby is s hite and words fail me regarding Reach. I was all for giving Bruce a chance but not now - Reach has been absolutely shocking in all five games!

Grant is useless! Diangana is lightweight with no final ball - Carroll tries hard but past it. Not one decent player in defence apart from O’Shea who is clearly unfit. I don’t even rate Johnstone to be anything other than an average keeper - could have done better with at least one goal last night if not both. That’s why nobody wanted him!!

We are a complete shambles and getting really angry that Bruce is playing the same w ankers rather than talented kids!

[Yarmbaggie]

Agreed with everything Al until the bit about talented kids.

Would I play the kids, yes at least one or two every game now but let’s not build them up to be better than they are. I know I only see the u23 highlights on our internet site but they certainly as a team are not ready to play every game at this level.

Going back in the day it was obvious the like of Bryan Robson, Asa Hartford, Len Cantello, Martin Bennett, Cyrille Regis and many many others were ready to step up at this age. I don’t see the same for our u23 squad. Potential yes at least for some of them but not straight onto the team sheet no.

Can’t do any worse than the rubbish the senior players are giving us, isn’t the same as being talented and ready for the step up.

[baggieal]

Agreed with everything Al until the bit about talented kids.

Would I play the kids, yes at least one or two every game now but let’s not build them up to be better than they are. I know I only see the u23 highlights on our internet site but they certainly as a team are not ready to play every game at this level.

Going back in the day it was obvious the like of Bryan Robson, Asa Hartford, Len Cantello, Martin Bennett, Cyrille Regis and many many others were ready to step up at this age. I don’t see the same for our u23 squad. Potential yes at least for some of them but not straight onto the team sheet no.

Can’t do any worse than the rubbish the senior players are giving us, isn’t the same as being talented and ready for the step up.

Yes I agree. Give them an opportunity would have been better words ie Cleary and Tulloch especially. You don’t get anywhere without a chance - look at Rooney and Rashford!

They might flop but who knows! Could they be any worse?

[mickd1961]

We’ve scored one goal ( by a midfielder) in the last 9 games.

How could Cleary do any worse than this?

[baggieal]

We’ve scored one goal ( by a midfielder) in the last 9 games.

How could Cleary do any worse than this?

Brunty even with his boots back on could do no worse! A f uckin statue could do no worse than Reach!

[Dubbag]

We’ve scored one goal ( by a midfielder) in the last 9 games.

How could Cleary do any worse than this?

When I read that post in it's starkness....it brings home to me that there is a systemic problem in the team and the club in general.....One goal.....jeez thats just brutal....

[soulman101]

I wonder how many goals they have created.

[saltnshake]

Romaine Sawyers just created a goal for Stoke, couldn't be any worse than what we currently have.

[DaveP67 is back!]

The issue is we don’t have a number 10, Pereira was not replaced and we now have a screaming chasm between the forwards and defence, until this is sorted we will remain toothless