Hands on

However still five points clear of relegation so no doubt another silent vote of confidence. How many points clear will we be after Tuesday?

The in-depth analysis is that we lost. Doncaster were a better team and allowed us to flatter before we deceived. Crewe were not a better team. It reminded me of the equivalent of a game of touch rugby but then they scored. Why? Because we helped them. Dickov makes changes only by reaction. Montano, something not right with him, for M'Changama who started to struggle. Dan Taylor for Brown, because we were behind but a good substitution, and then Millar for Croft (Croft on one leg is better than Millar). The man that is not ready scored. BUT hey ho two minutes later failure to do the easy thing and kick the ball out for a throw in concedes a corner which is well defended until Furman slices the ball across the box leading to a cross and another far post easy header. I know Smith missed a sitter and what looked like a perfectly good goal was disallowed but we lost. WE LOST!

No problem with pitch. It's just the way they play!

I see no chance of a change if we stay in the top 20. Once relegation becomes a probability we might see some action and then we will need a proven escape artist. I still think however that the best way forward is to have none of the above and try to find another Royle. Who knows Dickov might be here in another three years and we might finish above 16th. It would be interesting to know what the contract says. It would be interesting to know if SC has set any performance related targets for this year. Surely there must be circumstances, like getting us relegated, where the contract can be ended without compensation.

I wish it was once a fortnight! Back on Saturday and Forest a week later. The problem is goals for with only one a game in the league and only Baxter and Derbyshire with more than 2. Now that we don't seem able to defend the future is bleak.

I love these highlights because nobody would want to see the lowlights.

I love the optimism behind the idea that Dickov will think he has a choice. On past form he will play Simpson if available and then M'Changama. I voted for Mellor as I want M'Changama on the wing. I also want M'Changama to take the free kicks and corners. The other option is one of the 50 he has lined up for a loan spell.

Just read the match report. It is of course possible that the game looks a lot different on the touchline but I don't recognise that performance from what Dickov is reported to have said.

I think we are beyond help but will still be going to Forest.

It could be said that this was a decent game with the wrong result but that statement hides a multitude of problems. The first goal was gifted by very poor static defending and the second from losing the ball when over committed in attack allied with more poor defending. Yes we looked good after going behind, partly because I think because they thought this is easy and because we played the ball on the ground, but the goal we scored was a long range shot which should have been saved. Smith was worn down by the weight of numbers and the futility of winning the ball without support. As time went on more and more stupid errors were made and eventually we paid for it. Dickov manages as if the substitutes are not good enough. It was clear that Smith was done for and wasn't going to score. Why was Taylor named as a substitute? He is the only striker, other than Baxter, who is in the goals. What is the point of building for the future when we don't look like surviving the present. I didn't expect to win but I'm still deeply disappointed by the result and now I don't expect to win on Saturday or at Scunthorpe. I suppose when the lows are lower the highs are higher!

At the start of the season I suggested that the likely nine starting players, we were all looking for two more, would based on past performance score between them 36 goals over 46 games. M'voto - 1, Tarkowski - 3, Grounds - 2, Byrne - 2, Wesolowski - 6, Furman - 3, Croft - 7, Simpson - 12. This prediction has proved hopelessly wrong: M’Voto - 1, Tarkowski - 1, Grounds - 1, Byrne - 0, Wesolowski - 1, Furman - 1, Croft - 0, Simpson - 1. They have scored just 6 in the first 23 games. Montano - 1, Smith - 2 and Own Goals - 2 have chipped in but most of the goals have come from the PD wonder signings of Baxter - 8 and Derbyshire - 4. Whatever is wrong, the players we had at the start of the season have not performed and we need PD to find two more wonder signings if we are going to have any chance of staying in League 1.

Bring my travel scrabble!

We can't buy our way out of this mess. Don't forget the wages cap. We do have two players for the future - Dan Taylor and Liam Jacob. The future is staying in League 1 and just staying in League 1 isn't going to give us the buzz we want. Vicious circle. As hard as it is we have to Keep the Faith.

I surprised myself by voting for 'kept'. I suspect the sack would mean no money available to spend on the team. I'm beginning to think that rather than having a better squad, the brilliance of Baxter is I think hiding a lot, we might be no better than the last two years. Take away the goals from Baxter and Derbyshire and we wouldn't last in league two let alone league one. Is this a group of players who want to play football at any cost or are they just earning a living. 16th begins to look like a very good result but I do fear the worst unless there is some money to strengthen the squad with loans in January. Better the devil you know! Lets support the team and PD. My advice would be to ensure that the players don't leave their sharpness on the training ground, it isn't all about hard work, and to adopt a much more positive attitude - don't talk about having difficulty keeping a run going, don't talk about not having won at Yeovil for eight games. What the players think is what you will get - don't poison their minds with negative thoughts.

Well placed

There is an alternative but it means dropping one of Wes or Furman with Jose dropping back and Smith and Taylor starting. Not an option for PD so likely to see the same team starting on Wednesday. Not worth mentioning 3 5 2 or 3 4 3 because we only do that when behind and M'Voto is pushed up front. As I've said elsewhere it is the next three games that matter - we need six points from nine which realistically means beating Crewe and Scunthorpe.

What does SC want? What has he asked PD to achieve? Our support is only good enough for the position we are in. We are still 16th. Anybody who thought we were going to get much out of this, I hoped for a draw, and the Doncaster game lives in a parallel universe. We need to beat Crewe and then Scunthorpe and be on 32 points by the year end.

I like Bouzanis in goal, better distribution of the ball, and yes Wabara should play behind Croft. Unless Byrne is a 100% he should not play - we need him for Crewe, Scunny and Forest. Where it all goes wrong is up front. Dan Taylor gets my vote. So what if he is young. Both Simpson and Smith will encourage the long ball and no one doubts we are at our best when passing the ball.

Everyone, including myself, keeps on saying how good our squad is but is it? Do the results lie? Looking back I think we are only six points short of where we could be. Can't see us beating Donny and a draw at Yeovil would be a good result. The important games are Crewe and Scunthorpe. Having lost Derbyshire I can understand why Dickov gave Smith and Simpsons starts in the reserve game but that has backfired with another abject performance. Why can't he play Dan Taylor the only other player we have who is in the goals.

Well I beg to differ but then that is the point of this. We will see on boxing day when we play a team in the out of reach top of the division that we have already beaten. On the question of a lack of fitness. Do you think it helps for Dickov to call a tired team in for extra practice? Its about character and commitment rather than pure fitness and the response to the errors that produced two goals meant heads were down and the game lost. Why anyone thought Montano could play as a target man is beyond me.

With respect I would like to suggest that everyone, other than opinions4u, is missing the point. I would like to know the instructions given to the team just before they walked out. They are not so thick, I hope, to completely ignore what they have been told. Who was it that decided our only tactic in the first half would be for Cisak to hit the ball long to Montano? Who asked Wes and Furman to both play higher up the pitch? Either the team decided to play in a way which we all know does not suit them or they were sent out to play in a way they know does not suit them. They stuck to the long ball despite its repeated failure. This was watched from the Bench and no instructions given to pass the ball out from the back. Clearly an instruction given at half time, which was working, and then confused by putting Smith on so back to the long ball. It was our tactics that were wrong. I thought they lost heart because of they way they were asked to play. I give them credit for sticking to the instructions but I would ask them in the future to ignore them. 16th we are and no higher than 16th we will stay.

Will we play an inform Taylor or an out of form Simpson? Simpson will get the vote! Smith will just sit out the game until we go behind.

It is all very well representing football fans as second class citizens because of our treatment but in reality there are football fans who don't even rate as second class citizens. Netting would just be another nail in the coffin so let us hope 'they' see sense and the 'real' football fans start to police rather than applaud the bad behaviour of the underclass.

What we need, 9 points, and what we might get are two different things. This is an important period for the team. The story of the last two years is that we will now have a run of poor results and get very little. If PD and the team continue making progress we will beat Swindon on Saturday and continue the run with PD getting manager of the month for December! This is what I wish, hope & pray for - I've even bought one of the drab blue shirts!

When I got my tickets I was given W2, not on the graphic, and there didn't seem to be any choice due to the lack of any idea about where a particular seat is. Given the large numbers in the queue at 10 on the day the tickets went on sale - 1 i.e. just me - I suspect we will have a choice of at least two if not more seats each. I can't see how Latics can make £80k unless the home support turns out. It will be a good day out for the few with return train from Manchester for just £21.60.