Jim, you're a good bloke

and although I do occasionally take the piss on what is or is not a concern, you know your stuff and it's always good to read your view.

I just wanted to make that clear because I could not disagree more strongly with you on this particular point. In the chumps there is no such thing as a guaranteed three points, let alone nine; even when we went up as champions, teams at or near the bottom could and did give us a genuinely good game. Towards the end of December, (at least) Arse and the two Mancs didn't get three points they "should have" got - but it's that obviousnesness, that surety that makes bookmakers rich and punters poor.

Last time out we were appalling, and I said so. This time out we were good. Honestly if we'd sneaked it last time and lost by the odd goal today I'd still say the same thing. And he's had to husband his resources given the schedule.

We don't have the strength in depth I wish we did and I do agree that Farke's approach still needs more adaptation to the realities of the English second tier. But he's shown the ability to adapt already and I remain of the view we should give him full backing this window and the rest of the season and see where we end up.

I know you'll see that as lack of ambition; I'm old enough to remember going when we knew we were a bit s**t, there was no entitlement or expectation and it was more of a laugh than it seems to be these days (and a bit more fighty - obvs good that that's changed).

I'm very old and quite drunk, so I've waffled on for too long and can't remember what I was originally going to say. How about "your round"?

Posted By: Old Man, Jan 1, 21:25:43