Saint Matty 76

Yeah it's definitely still an improvement but he's at the level of slight for sure. Ramsdale I'd be over the moon. Johnstone I'd be happy with. Steele I'd begrudgingly take at this point.

I've always wanted to support Edozie but at this point I'm actually not sure what he's better at than Amo-Ameyaw.

Can the mods actually mod and just keep this boring shite to the COT thread? Taxing to read it on here looking for actual stuff.

I think it's reasonable to expect that this is the one midfield outlay given our understood financial situation. Especially considering we've just loaned another midfielder too, it's suddenly a lot of bodies in midfield to throw another £25m at.

Could easily be viewed as saying that he has played in attacking midfield and will be used in that position, though. Alongside Ugochukwu, this definitely feels like a MOR alternative to me.

Well, absolutely not full stop. We desperately need both, as shown heavily today.

Seems a little odd if we've been sell-to-buy and we're now taking that budget (from Mara and ABK you'd assume) to put on an 18 year old with about 30 senior games. We desperately need an attacking, creative midfielder. Smallbone and Aribo are both okay, and neither played badly today, but they have extremely limited goal threat and I would've assumed that'd be the midfield profile we needed.

Apparently he played most typically at 8 for Reims. I don't think that signing takes place without reasonable assurances he'd get a lot of game time, which makes me think he's not just Downes backup.

He's an 8 according to my mate who supports Benfica, which seems weird. Would've assumed that'd be covered now with the Ugochukwu loan & Smallbone.

Definitely not having it as an "excellent performance". Losing the game against 10 men for 60 minutes is embarrassing and we didn't have that many clear cut opportunities created throughout as well. We didn't get "outclassed" because the opposition had one less player and were content to sit back and make us break them down, we didn't. I was encouraged by how we played 11v11, but the second half, outside of the first 10/15 was horrendous.

Terrible Goalkeeper error and beyond lacklustre in the final third. Everything in between that did okay today, probably better than expected. Thought we looked good even before they got the red card. Hopefully that means even more so that we act upon the two/three glaring holes in the squad, but it feels like such a wasted opportunity today in terms of picking up some points.

Good subs. Great opportunity for them both to become starters if they do something right here. HAVE to get an equaliser at least.

Got to give Archer 15-20 minutes here. Perfect opportunity.

Got to get at least a point now with how this game has gone.

30 minutes of slow chance creation, missed efforts and them making it 2-0 on the counter? The need for a goalkeeper and creative midfielder even more obvious at least.

Great start to the half. Get one in the next 10-15 minutes and we can go on and win here.

Brilliant block, fuck sake...

Bednarek turning back to start of Burn who was going after BBD in the tunnel. Love that. Going to be a feisty second half and that's an atmosphere I don't expect us to succeed in, but time to change some opinions I guess.

Such a shame. We've been really good here in possession and the thing everybody saw coming has cost us yet again. We need more chances created in the second half, as expected it's been all from the wing-backs. I'd get Dibling on ASAP.

And there's McCarthy...

KWP is truly excellent. I have absolutely zero clue how nobody has picked him up for £20m or whatever it is we're asking for.

Brilliant start from us. That's horror from Brereton Diaz but if it gets us points, fair enough I guess...

Smallbone should probably do better with the contact so it doesn't need the touch, but it's unlucky!

Any chance of creativity will need to come from the wing-backs with that midfield.

You've been desperate to hate him the entire time, and your post history is full of claims he won't get us up, his football doesn't work etc etc. How about admitting you were wrong rather than asking stupid questions on the day of our first game back in the Prem? Something which you, and a lot of people on here deemed would be a tough task, yet now proceed to give him no credit for?