Cabrone

What a boring game, next to no goal action. Understandable from a Leicester perspective but pretty unforgivable from our players. Sparky played it as if 1 point was a good result - it isn't. Why take off Long when you bring on Austin? Why swap JWP for Davis? We needed a win and Leicester were there for the taking if the manager had loaded up the attack and any of our players could be bothered. We're down, yes we may mathematically have a chance but the players don't seem to give a toss and even the manager is turning into a defensive tactician. Even if the players were up for it 4\5 points to overcome from 4 games is mountainous. Going down with a whimper, pathetic.

I think tonight is it. Win and we go into the semi with a confidence boost and a real chance, lose and we're gone. Overcoming 5\6 points in 4 games is IMO more than we'll be capable of. Leicester are on holiday, now is the time to play them. Sparky has got us performing much better, this is a pivotal game.

Not a lot in all honesty. It's about whether you are competitive, whatever the league. Our seasons in league 1 were a darn sight more enjoyable than the last 2 in the prem. The club obviously want the prem cash but as a fan I'm indifferent.

Now that sounds like a plan.......

IMO we had a team that could have gotten out at the first asking with 1 exception, we didn't have a decent striker and the wheels came off because of this. I think we spent something like 90k on Fuller and it cost us 6-7 years in the lower leagues and an eventual bankruptcy. If we go down and if we want to get out at the first attempt (I hope we do) then keeping Long and Austin is a real priority for me.

I'd take Nicholl's teams over this lot any day of the week. The football was crazy, win 4-0 then get spanked 4-0 but one thing it was never was boring. Too many clubs have forgotten that football is supposed to be entertainment and I've gotten more enjoyment out of the last 2 games than I got out of just about every Pellegrino game. I'm definitely in the 'romantic' camp - give me a crazy goal feast over a turgid 0-0 any day.

To have any chance we must beat Leicester, that would put us 2 behind Swansea and their next game is Citeh (a) followed by Chelsea and of course they play us too. Hudders and Brighton have some nasty fixtures too so there are chinks of light for us. To have any chance though we must jangle other team's nerves. Sparky is turning the ship but it takes time, we've just played 2 teams that we all thought we'd lose to but we made a good account of ourselves so the curve is upwards. Must get a payout from a Leicester team with nothing to play for, if we do then everything changes again. If the players show some balls then who knows. Odds are very much against but hope remains until it's mathematically impossible.

Our last 5 league games are D-D-L-L-L and we're expected to overcome a 5 point gap within 5 league games? That would be difficult even if we were in decent form but for a team that last won a league game back in November it's nigh on impossible. Hiring and keeping Pellegrino for as long as they did has been the worst decision the club ever made in my time. Reed and Kruger should do the decent thing at the end of the season.

Yes because he'll already have a handle on what we're about and could hit the ground running + will only have agreed if the club demonstrated some ambition. If the club plays it right then he could be our equivalent of Rafa at Newcastle. Trying to see it positively a 1 year stint in the champ could get rid of the deadwood and rejuvenate us.

Chelsea won that by accident, they looked like they were happy with a loss until Giroud came on and scored. We promptly collapsed and they took the points. You could see it happening just as soon as their first goal went in. We are mentally weak. Not Sparky's fault, he's turning the ship around hasn't got enough time to save us. I'd go hail Mary for the rest of the season, Charlie and Shane up front, Gabbi on the bench, Sims on for all remaining games and gut the worthless defence down to 3 CBs. Bertie in left mid. The defence is pointless so why bother. If we go down then at least we go down in a hail of goals. Sack Reed and Kruger for gross incompetence. This is 100% their fault. If only the chairman could be sacked too. Useless the lot of them.

Not a world beater and we got our pants pulled down over the fee but that's not his fault. Played correctly he's a useful option IMO.

We are sending ourselves down, no one else.

I think it's around 8/9 points needed which feels like a chasm. The board pulled the rip cord criminally late. With another 6-10 games I think Sparky could have pulled it off. How is it that pretty much every fan could see what the board couldn't?? Come season's end heads meed to roll. The biggest self inflicted screw up I've seen in my time watching this club.

I think we'll put up some fight this time but still lose 3-1.

If Mark Hughes has seen enough by the end of the season I'd have Chris Wilder. He (or any other decent manager for that matter) would only come though if the club demonstrated that it wanted to get out ASAP and that may be a bit of a problem.

That's alright Dusan you just buy yourself another Ferrari on this week's wages, that should cheer you up.

Can't see us bouncing back straight away, the current trajectory is still very much down and it would take a while to adjust the culture back to winning. Best we could hope for is at least 1 season of stability and then an attack on promotion if we had righted the ship by then. It's much easier to stay up than get out of the champ but then you'd need players that actually give a damn......

It currently feels like 04/05 in so much as if we escape it will only be because there are 3 worse teams, not because we have the balls to dig ourselves out of this. Also think it would have to be a record low points survival threshold for us to escape. Maybe 33? Gut feeling is 2 from Stoke, us, Hudders and if they implode maybe Swansea?? Still think Palace have the firepower to get themselves out of it. I wouldn't be putting any money on us surviving.

Hughes comes in, asks the players if they are up for it and this is the response he gets. Bitterly disappointing, not so much with losing rather the limp reaction to our situation. For the first time it feels like relegation is coming, the club pulled the rip cord far too late. I don't want to see Reed at the club anymore.

I think Ian Dowie deserves a mountain all to himself.

That's a combination I've been waiting all season to see, certainly would be our most potent. 1 up front will neuter us possibly unless that 1 is Charlie and I doubt he'll be thrown in straight away. I personally don't think defence is going to get us out of this hole so 442 for me, 2 up front will get the best out of our attack and we'll just have to try and outscore the opposition.

Cup. Chelski was always unlikely for points anyway. We could end up losing the league game, then get a bit of momentum in between and ambush them in the cup. Hope so.

I don't mind 1 up front provided it delivers but It depends on what players you have and I don't think we have the players for it. With the players we have I prefer 442, Long is useless alone but becomes a useful player with a goal scoring partner and Gabbi really needs confidence after the dismal way he was treated. Not sure where Carillo fits TBH, he's not terrible but is down the pecking order for me. The only player who can function as a lone spearhead is Charlie but its a moot point if he's perpetually injured. I also just personally like to see 2 strikers carrying a threat, gives the oppo something to worry about. Anyway Sparky will pick what he sees fit.

Me too, time for fans to resurrect this one at every game...........

We started off as a frightened Pellegrino team and finished as an attacking Hughes team. This may be the turning point. In the cup semi, fans giving it their all, 2 up front, 2 goals and most importantly we may have found our mojo again. Brilliant. Long and Gabbi up front next game (assuming Charlie is injured).