Jim Smith

Agree with this. I think the way the VAR ref chooses the most damning replay then plays it on the screen to the on field official repeatedly in super slow mo has a huge influence and almost inevitably results in the on field official reversing his decision not just making it again with fresh eyes. All challenges look worse in super slow motion.

Yes I’d imagine they want to hear the discussion and for the third incident in particular it should have been clear and simple. The ref should be asked why he didn’t give the penalty and when he said (as apparently he signalled) that he thought the player got the ball VAR should have intervened to inform him that was not the case and therefore he should take another look at it on the monitor. If that process did not happen, something went badly wrong.

I don’t think he’s on the take but I do think he is unquestionably a really, really bad referee. I still haven’t forgotten how he screwed us over in that game at Elland Road during our last relegation. Rarely has a team of officials had such an influence on the flow of a game. As for the other post above querying why referees get a harder time than players, I agree that the on pitch officials will make errors from time to time and they can be excused the odd one but it’s a bit different when they are watching the game via video and have the benefit of endless replays surely?

I have some sympathy for Forest in the sense that we can all recall how immensely frustrating it was being screwed over by the officiating almost every week at prem level. That said it does happen to most of the smaller sides and they would also do well to remember the playoff final they won when Hudds were not given two blatant penalties and VAR did not intervene.

I disagree Sara is at his best coming in off the right. I think he’s isolated out there and we don’t get him on the ball enough

Agreed. But Wagner has a complete blind spot for the midfield or is willing to sacrifice it for the extra striker. If we get there it will be madness to go into the playoff away leg without the extra midfielder in my view.

Correction. They had to hit the deck to get the decision. He gave us very little. Thought he was very one sided.

A draw no disaster given other results and also the way the game played out but I have to say a very poor “back down to earth” performance today, particularly defensively. I just hope it was an off day but at no point did we seem to have our usual intensity and we hardly pressed and won the ball back up the pitch at all. To be fair I thought Bristol were impressive and looked a well coached and well drilled unit. Certainly better coached than us anyway. We have better players and the extra quality we have is enough most weeks but when we have an off day we are still far too easy to play through and we got away with such an off day today. Gunn immense. Thought Sara was decent as well, need to find a way to get him back central again (but without sacrificing Nunez) as he’s wasted out wide.

It was a bigger game for Preston than it was for us to be honest. I think 1500 for a game that far away at a ground we’ve been too loads is not bad. on the flip side, I think our turnout at Shef Wednesday was very impressive given it was a midweek game with no ability to get back on the train. Was well over 2000 in my view. A lot paying on the gate as well which suggests the victory over the scum may have had an impact.

Agree I thought we managed that second half today as well as we have managed any game away from home this season. Nice also to be able to bring some pace and attacking threat off the bench rather than the substitutions making us less threatening.

Except against us as we rolled up and rolled over with our awful tactics/performance.

What is the matter with these teams, handing promotion to that bang average Ipswich side on a plate. The sheer amount of luck the scum are getting. Another ridiculous result last night.

I’d rather play Aboh than Van Hooijdonk to be honest. The latter has shown zero threat in the cameos I’ve seen. Aboh has pace and offers a threat in behind. Wagner will play Barnes up front with Fassnacht behind though

I cannot believe how poor the atmosphere was at their game last night and I also cannot believe that a team as average as them are in contention for the title. It’s a little embarrassing for the championship to be honest.

I’m not specifically blaming the defenders for last night. I agree the issue was allowing them to push us back by removing our threat, dropping off. That in turn placed pressure on the defence which is generally not good enough to withstand any vaguely concerted pressure.

Not like that. Preferably I would have stopped them winning endless corners and long throws but pushing them back up the pitch and retaining the ball better. But just sticking 9 men in the six yard box is not marking, in fact it’s counter productive as they all get in the way of each other.

Whatever combinations of defenders we put out is just not good enough defensively and Wagner won’t allow us to play on the front foot if we get our noses in front in a game like that. even in the scum game we nearly let them back in it in the last 15 minutes by sitting back. Maybe Rowe’s return could allow us to put Kenny at the back with Duffy which looked our best pairing but I just have zero faith in any defence with Hanley, Baath, Gibson or McCullum (who I like generally) in it to defend well enough.

Probably because he’s a rubbish coach snd they didn’t want to waste money signing players for a coach they knew they’d probably be getting rid of in the summer.

Wagner is almost trolling with his current penchant for filling the bench with kids and then not playing any of them, at all.

If you watch the replay you can see we have eight or nine players in our own six yard box all getting in each others way and none of them marking anyone. Shambolic.

Agree on Gibson by the way. And Baath was crap too. Gibson does some good stuff at times but he is continually caught under the ball and undone by straight forward long balls over the top. They were both lucky the two **** ups they made prior to the goals went unpunished as well

It’s not down to the lack of depth in the squad. It’s down to the decisions made, allowing ourselves to be pushed back and done appalling defending. We had at least 8 players in our own six yard box for their equaliser. All getting in each others way and none of them marking the two players at the far post.

This is true. However they do effect the number of corners and other platforms (such as long throws) a Wednesday were able to win.

I kind of get what you mean but they were appalling and we should have been 5-0 up. In that context is is not a “good point” it’s a truly disappointing and very poor result.

That for me is one of the worst results of the season, not because a draw is a terrible result but because of the way it happened. I simply cannot believe we managed not to win that game having been so totally and utterly dominant against a really poor side. We were so wasteful with our chances. We all knew if they got one it would get twitchy and so it came to pass. Really, really frustrating. Again evidence this side, especially with that awful CB partnership, is not good enough to defend a lead whilst coasting. As soon as we take our foot off the gas and allow teams to get balls into our box we will concede.