derry

The transfer window is nearly open and the offered contract still unsigned. He scored three goals before the summer window closed and then after when he played he was hopeless. Now the window opens he his alive again and scoring. Yesterday he did something good strikers do, he went into the goal area then dropped out losing his marker and made a great run to score after Harwood-Bellis's brilliant through ball. We are now going to benefit from the added performance until he goes or the window closes. If he's still here after it closes another slump??? Personally I think we should unload him for whatever we can get. Moviesky and Shankland would be useful replacements.

Of all the goalkeepers I've seen in this league he is easily the best when it comes to fitting in to the way we play especially sweeping behind the back four. As our defensive record has improved the better he has been. Manning is a much bigger weakness and McCarthy is totally unsuited to the way we play. For me it was a stupid mistake. Personally I'd put some of the responsibility on the manager because there is a reluctance with all the players to accept that sometimes putting a foot through the ball is the real solution.

I'll keep my powder dry on my criticism of Manning's positional play. Leicester and Sunderland murdered us on the break due to the acreage wide left unattended. I can see Leicester, Leeds, Ipswich and especially Sunderland because of their early season success attacking that area on the break. We'll see in due course how good a tactic it is. I just think it's the way he plays and Martin lets him. Did anybody really expect Stephens to overlap and with KWP in front of him why would he? I think that Manning is a poor defender. We were better defensively with Bree at left back.

The biggest thing for me, he hasn't solved the problem of Manning drifting into the middle and gifting our left side to the opposition. That in itself has cost us goals and points. He needs to sort that out because as the season progresses it is a weakness that will be exploited by the better teams. Now that we are appearing to close the gap on Ipswich we can't afford his weakness. Bree or KWP are fine but his apparent preference for his ex Swansea player is worrying.

Leeds penalty 1-1

Who was the questionable £20m left back because Manning was out of contract at Swansea and came on a Free transfer.

Apart from Adams standing watching outside the box while others were busting a gut, missing a dolly of a chance and playing like a lumbering lumberjack. Several players, S.Armstrong, Smallbone, KWP, THB, and Manning gifted the ball to the opposition when under no pressure. We've got to stop that. It was a really good result down to hard work and another flick on to the far post by AA and well finished by THB. I thought Bazunu had a very sound game and contributed to another clean sheet.

Solent said this morning that Stewart had aggravated the previous injury. Martin said to be fair rather than giving endless bulletins the club feel that it's better to write this season off and give him a full pre season next year. However if he is fit earlier before the end of the season that would be a bonus.

I think the next four games will have an interesting effect on the league tables and be a good guide what our chances are for the rest of the season.

The changes made a difference. Downes ran the middle the fullbacks gave us solidity. The substitutions were positive and worked well at the end. Nice to see little Edozie poach the goal from a corner, very slick,

I don't give a damn whether he is really a pretty poor attacker or midfielder he is primarily a defender and a piss poor one at that. Even worse he gives the ball away when under no pressure and gets caught in possession. His biggest weakness is he's unable to use his right foot probably because he doesn't trust himself. He is so one footed he is predictable therefore easy to catch on the ball.

Paine O'Brien Reeves Mulgrew Sydenham. Paine O'Brien Davies Melia Sydenham Paine Channon Davies Burnside Sydenham Those forward lines scored around a hundred goals a season and conceded around sixty. This football lacks the forwards and even if we had them the players behind them ignore penetrative runs and pass sideways counting passes. No wonder we're snatching at chances outnumbered up front.

I thought he had, but it was S Armstrong to Fraser who crossed short, flicked on by A Armstrong and finished by Edozie.

no replays on Sky red button.

Manning put the cross in for the goal, luckily it wasn't that good and the flick on got it to Edozie who finished well. I just don't get Russell Martin picking him not only that, he couldn't wait to put him back in with Bree playing well compounded with taking Bree off in a couple of games and weakening the defence by putting Manning on. He lost the ball for the goal against last night. His positional play is abysmal. Because he only uses his left foot when he receives the ball he virtually always turns right and passes backwards. He roams about all over the place but doesn't defend the left side of the back four. He gives the ball away and doesn't tackle so why does Martin keep playing him and leaving a big open door down our left? A competent left back is urgently needed. As for the game, 72% possession, most of it backwards and sideways, the result six more corners, one more shot of which we had one less on target and the same goals. That means we just aren't doing anything with our possession. Besides the possession percentage just means we are recycling the ball with little short going nowhere passes which are counted and result in the 72%. I watched Ipswich playing aggressive purposeful football and pressuring Watford into making mistakes. As different as chalk and cheese. Three of the back four were fine, Smallbone just recycles to anyone in any direction, Charles worked hard, Stewart worked hard but without much help in attack, Aribo had spells but I'm not sure he gives us much. Up front, Che was hopeless again whilst AA buzzed around but wasted a number of shooting opportunities by not hitting the target. I just felt it was a disjointed performance with too many square pegs in round holes, namely Manning, Aribo, Adams and Smallbone. This team is good enough to be an also ran in the playoffs however it's not really a well selected team and really is just scraping results. The sideways crap is stopping us being attacked until we give the ball away. It is totally predictable and easy to counter and is in need of two good goalscorers to add to Armstrong.

I'm not sure how many loans are allowed from one Premier club to a Championship club. Ince plus Downs would be two. On another subject It's all well and good Bree becoming the regular left back, despite doing a decent job, because if KWP picks up an injury Bree is his natural cover. Manning couldn't play right back however he could be cover at left back either way we need a better natural left back.

We nearly won that, but I think the changes made late disrupted the organisation, helped by Mannings ability to play everywhere except left back. That bloody great acreage hole he leaves on our left side causes us more grief than anything else. Martin needs to wise up and get a decent natural proper left back or otherwise!!!! Just over three weeks to the transfer window opens and Adams gets into the box and scores, his last goal just before the last window closed, maybe even the last time he was in the box.. I can see him getting a few goals in the next seven weeks or as long as he's here. He has been hopeless for three months but now he wakes up again. The sooner we replace him and Mara the stronger we'll be. It may be Adam's non playing has been noted and we may not be able to shift him on. I can only really see the bottom three or maybe Wolves even looking at him.

Just lost 5-0 to Everton. An abysmal display. Giving the ball away and being caught in possession resulted in Everton being gifted goals together with two soft penalties for mistimed tackles. Trying to play Russball without the ability at a pedestrian pace contributed to a lot of aimless passing and giving the ball away.

He looked better yesterday, then I checked the date, only a month to go before the window opens. He's been hopeless the rest of the time. Just unload him for what we can get.

The window is less than a month away and Adams was much better today, didn't judge the offside as usual for the disallowed goal chance. For me just get rid of him. Manning was better too but he leaves too much of a gap outside him. Most of the players played well. Very good sweep up header by Bazunu. Good goals. The best thing for me was the tempo was much improved and there was more effort to play forwards and make attacking runs. Recycling is fine but just continually recycling as on Wednesday isn't. As a result we created a lot more today.

Martin is an idiot. The two standout weaknesses on Wednesday Adams and Manning starting again. Adams is going to have to start getting into the goal area for the ball and Manning is goiing to have to stop giving the ball away and marking at the back. Personally I can't see either happening but I'd be delighted to be wrong.

Obviously learned from Saturday. The late free kick bent in towards the far post over the massed players was well dealt with.

Firstly the minuses. Why the hell is Martin still putting Adams in the squad. Anybody watching him with a view to buying would have their minds made up. With his displays we couldn't give him away. My conspiritorial mind smells a rat. He gave us nothing last night except loads of sprints always five yards too late or stood on his heels watching from the edge of the box. He was hopeless. Secondly Manning, his defending is a liability, worse he gave the ball away last night with several direct passes to the opposition in dire positions for us, only the prompt intervention of others saved our bacon. I was relieved when Bree came on when we were trying to close out the game. We are not getting the best out of Sulemana. This bloody mania of taking twenty passes to end up where we started is stupidity. Being able to keep possession is an asset however we take it to such an extreme that we have turned it into a spectator sport for the opposition who have all day to drop into solid defence. Fast forwards need two things, space to run into and the ball passed in there, alternatively given the ball quickly in front of them well into their own half with the room to attack the last defenders. Either way twenty plus passes doesn't cut it, furthermore very few of our goals come as a result of it. The biggest positive, we won, especially with another speculative bent inswinger from KWP's weaker foot. We are playing far too slowly and suffering the consequences in attack. It's comfort zone crap. The closer to the opponents goal the tighter it gets and ends up mostly one of two ways we either recycle and start again or lose the ball and get hit on the break. Bazunu saved us, the style neutered us. As far as I could see all the other players had a decent game and deserve better in playing tactics. A run of ten games undefeated is not to be sniffed at but pardon me for thinking that it's in spite of the tactics not because of it.

Manning at left back. He needs to buck his ideas up. At least S.Armstrong is left midfield instead of a bloody great hole. The front three look good, we'll have to wait and see.