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We have a goal to shot conversion rate of 3.7%. We concede more shots per game than anyone other than Burnley. We have scored 8 goals in 15 games, only 4 of which were from open play. In whoscored.com's ratings of the season so far our highest rated player is Normann - he is 92nd. Grant Hanley is next at 129. Every other team in this league has better players than we have. We either have to play out of our skins every week to get a point or we have no chance. Everyone on here needs to understand that if we don't pay £50 -60k a week in salary we cannot attract better players than Sargent/Tzolis etc. Doesn't matter if we can ever afford the transfer fee, the salary determines success.

Yes, absolutely. It has always struck me as a ludicrous system - but at least the auditors are usually not the firm's normal accountants (though there is no law against it and they sometimes are). But normally a company has to pay two sets of accountants to agree that the way things have been accounted for is correct. Wonder who audited Derby?

A good summary. The point I was making about administrators is both the conflict of interest (the more efficient they are, the less they earn) and that football clubs are (or should be) different. A good administrator will do everything they can to secure the future of the business, but ultimately it is a financial decision about whether to ultimately liquidate or wind up. Ending the existence of a football club should never be an option.

Derby don't own their ground, they sold it to Morris for £80m to try to avoid FFP penalties. He then used it as security on a £20m loan he then gave to the club.......to also try and avoid FFP penalties. So that one transaction generated £100m in cash and assets for the club over 2 or 3 years. It's all gone. Morris has lost more than £200m in supporting Derby but he's still worth £500m plus.

Let's not forget that the reason Bury went and why Derby might is because of very rich owners who suddenly decide they've had enough. In this case, Morris is still worth hundreds of millions - he's just chosen to stop spending it on Derby. It's a personal decision he's made. Of course he's entitled to decide when and how to spend his money, but there are consequences. When such individuals or corporate owners (the Coventry and Blackburn examples are also relevant here) make that decision, it puts a football club at risk, not a standard entity. A football club is much more than a company they are used to playing with and yes of course special rules should apply so that when this happens there is a failsafe in place. That is part of what the recent enquiry has reported on (and which the PL are today rejecting). The Government will need to appoint a compulsory regulator - voluntary regulation never works where so much money is involved. It will happen eventually because so many clubs are in trouble. Rooney seems to think it's all fine. He's ignoring the fact that Derby has very few assets and lots of debt and liabilities. The situation is similar to the one Sisu played out at Coventry, and I can see a similar thing happening; the guy in the frame to take over doesn't have enough money to also buy the ground back and there is very little security to borrow on. Administration and rebirth in the National League may actually be the only way the club survives.

HMRC can't give in, too many other clubs also owe them tens of millions. Part of this problem is the complete ineptitude of administrators, whatever business they get involved in. It's a ridiculous system having to appoint accountants with no accountability themselves. The EFL and the PL should have their own people to act in this situation and their own hardship funds or levy for making sure that clubs cannot fold - many other industries have this in some form.

I genuinely don't think Armstrong is any better than what we have. Personally I think Idah deserves a proper run in the team in place of Sargent. Although he doesn't score, he does usually create some space for others when he comes on.

You've already pointed out that we can't afford a proven PL striker so not sure what you've got to be curious about...... He has though scored several in the Championship, which is more than can be said for any other striker currently on our books.

Daryl Dike on his way in January? Loan with a view to permanent.

I doubt much will change. Rashica will start instead of Tzolis if fit, maybe PLM if he's not. Maybe Idah for Sargent. Williams is much the better defender so I would still start him. Gilmour Our problem against Newcastle was that we were completely confused by the red card. We had a midfield full of multi-touch footballers who were there to counter Newcastle and play on the break for Pukki. Mclean and Rupp in particular seldom use one touch, and when they do it usually goes astray. The bigger surprise for me was that Aarons and Gilmour fell into this lassitude as well on the night, when we needed them in particular to find another gear. We actually have a decent chance of getting something against Spurs. It's a ground we have had some success on in the past, and it will suit the way Smith is setting us up that they must attack us.

Newcastle's probably.

Apart from the penalty shout, I think he's tried to be quite impartial but imagine how hard that must be - picture yourself commentating on this and trying not to favour Norwich. It's stupid having Shearer on this game, though. By the way, it should have been a penalty ;his hand clearly stopped the ball going on target and was away from his body.

Agreed. We look like a team set up to play on the break and suddenly we have possession. We have no idea what to do once we get to their box. Smith needs to work some magic at half time.

Is that the last time we won there?

Ferdinand made mistakes - in fact he was odds-on for at least one howler every game (check out some of his England appearances, for instance). Van Dijk makes mistakes. In both cases their positional awareness generally got them out of trouble but the bigger issue is how quickly they and their teammates recover from errors.

Far too much positivity on here. Yes, we've made some progress in the last couple of games but nothing like enough to believe that we can go to Newcastle in these circumstances and win. I will be astonished and delighted if we come away with anything. Given we have not scored a goal in 8 of our 13 games and in 5 of our 6 games away, forecasting us to score 3 is somewhat optimistic. When you add in that we have kept 1 clean sheet away from home, we are very unlikely to be able to stop them scoring. I'm afraid I can't see anything but a defeat. Hopefully not too heavy. I think we have a much better chance of getting something at Spurs.

Win the next two and anything can happen. Momentum and confidence are amazing things.

He's up there with Gilmore and Tzolis for me in the "good player, wrong team" category. His game doesn't suit the way we play. When he's had his chances like against Liverpool in the Carabao he didn't take them.

I think Hourihane's best days are firmly behind him, but if that's where Smith sees the gap then fine - he won't cost a lot. If Villa are still down the bottom with us, as I suspect they might be, I can't see them doing anything to help us.

I'd be pretty surprised if there are more than one or two changes from the team that beat Brentford - he may try to fit Gilmore in instead of Maclean. Don't think the back 5 or the front 3 will change. I'd also expect to see Cantwell on the bench if he's fit and to come on for Dowell whatever the score is.

It's quite clear that almost the entire football world thinks our players are not good enough to survive in the PL. Presumably Dean Smith is one of the few who disagrees with that majority, and we are all about to find out who is right. If ever we needed a win and a performance, Saturday's game is it.

But even Zimmermann on one leg is quicker than Kabak.

This team, but with Andrew O instead of Kabak.

No.

I am probably adding two and two to get five, but Webber and Purslow know each other quite well after the Emi transfer talks and went on record about how well that went. Is it remotely possible that Webber was tipped the wink about Smith's potential availability - given that he is a known admirer after talking to him years ago about the Huddersfield role before appointing Wagner. You know, it just might be that he was the number one choice after all. The timing of the Farke dismissal was predicated by he and his coaches going to Germany on Sunday for a break.