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Have you lot learned nothing? For Heaven''s sake trust the man''s judgement. One goal against Leicester was enough for Wilby to become a hero. One goal for Platt against Swansea will do the same thing.

Will our inability to stop the opposition scoring make an automatic place impossible? Promoted teams are normally very tight at the back - witness QPR who in a scrappy game at Donny, nick the goal then keep a clean sheet. We have 9 clean sheets this season from 38 games, only 3 of those at home (and in one of those Swansea missed a pen). One 1 clean sheet in our last 13 league games. I know that a point at Hull is a good one, but we surrender leads too frequently and some of the time we have been lucky to then go on and score again. I guess the saving grace is that apart from QPR noone else can do it either. But if we could suddenly develop the habit, it would make everything so much easier. Why do you think we struggle so much to stop opposing teams scoring against us?

I work with three QPR fans and they would love us to go up with them. They are a little concerned about a points deduction though......

Keelan Culverhouse Bruce Watson Bowen Crook Fox (Ruel not David) Holt (Gary not Grant) Huckerby Ashton Sutton Subs: Woods Macdougall Reeves Grant Holt Safri Polston Drury

2-1 win. Crofts and Hoolahan, who will have a blinder...........

Um, our GD is better than Leeds....but apart from that, a good point. Fact is we should have buried both Doncaster and Preston because they were both rubbish sides. I have seldom seen worse keepers at this level than either Sullivan or Turner and we didn''t test either of them.

Kevin Phillips Emile Heskey Benny Macarthy Adam le Fondre Clive Platt John Sutton

I''ve tried to be objective and give it some time. I recognise that he has scored some important goals and there was THAT pass against Ipswich.....but really, he shouldn''t be in our first choice 11 - he simply doesn''t do enough. Thought he was really poor again today. I don''t think other players gets that kind of allowance made (ref Drury/Chris Martin). He should be on the bench on Tuesday, but I bet he starts again.

Ruddy made one excellent save to keep us level and did nothing wrong with their goal so an 8 for me. Tierney was excellent and at least an 8. Edwards lost Brown for their goal while Ward was off the pitch so a 5 tops. Jackson did nothing - it was Wilbraham who won all the headers - are you quite sure you know which is which? Lansbury was absolutely dreadul and a 4 would be kind. And finally, a 6 for Hoolahan? Usually our best player of course but the idiot who gave him MOM must be an Ipshite fan. The worst I have seen him play in ages - mediocre in the first half, truly dreadful in the second.

[quote user="Salford"] I wouldn''t usually be interested in anybodys annual earnings but am curious as to how much our current crop are on, mainly because in part, I pay the players'' wages. Does anybody know if they are publically accessible or available via freedom of information requests?   Who do you think are our top and bottom earners? I would imagine Ward is on a fair whack, especially as we got him for free. I would love to see Adam Drury''s wage structure since he started with us; from Premiership to League 1.  I think it''s safe to say we''re getting good value for money at the moment but I wonder how that compares with the class of 2008/09.   [/quote] I can tell you that during the 2007-08 season our highest paid players were on £14,000 per week - and there were several of them. Other than that, no idea.

[quote user="Salford"] I wouldn''t usually be interested in anybodys annual earnings but am curious as to how much our current crop are on, mainly because in part, I pay the players'' wages. Does anybody know if they are publically accessible or available via freedom of information requests?   Who do you think are our top and bottom earners? I would imagine Ward is on a fair whack, especially as we got him for free. I would love to see Adam Drury''s wage structure since he started with us; from Premiership to League 1.  I think it''s safe to say we''re getting good value for money at the moment but I wonder how that compares with the class of 2008/09. I can tell you that during the 2007-08 season our highest paid players were on £14,000 per week - and there were several of them. Other than that, no idea.     [/quote]

[quote user="3pmkickoff"]Bottom line is we were doing crap, he got the chance to play in the top league and ended up scoring in the FA Cup final that year. We got good money out if it but then chose to spend it unwisely and waived some of the potential add ons on Peter Grant. Shame he''s had to pack up but he''s came out a lot better than some. [/quote] Spot on. And lets not forget that we doubled our money on him and he was a very injury prone player whose career was always going to be on a knife edge - I genuinely believe that a fully fit Ashton would have been England''s centre forward for many years. The two positions in a football team where you can''t carry be injury prone are centre forward and centre half because of the knocks you give and take - you have to have a robust physiology (like Grant Holt, and not like Zak Whitbread). Ashton simply didn''t have that - but what a fantastic player he was.

He is only an international goalkeeper because no one else was around; he will never play for England again and should never have played in the first place as he was never good enough. Solid player but never outstanding. Decent reflexes, but could never position himself properly for shots going across him and not very good on crosses or, as we know, against free kicks or penalties. He had one good season for us and one for West Ham but the fact that no bigger club has ever followed up their supposed interest in him should tell you everything. IWould I have him back? No. He stayed with us for too long as it was.

[quote user="Canaries Utd"]Well done the Doc [:P][/quote] What is it with this message board? Docherty and Russell have gone and both have been replaced. Deal with it and move on.

It has always been the case that English scouts go for the biggest and the strongest rather than the best footballers - that''s why English football is so good to watch and I wonder whether we are all really prepared to sacrifice our blood and thunder style in order to win a patsy World Cup. Every foreigner who comes here moans about how physical the football is. There isn''t any great surprise in this thread - but nothing will change while we are filling football grounds watching backs to the wall, up and at em football.

[quote user="Gingerpele"]I don''t see a problem with a 7:45 firday kick off.....or a 11:30 sunday kick off... [/quote] Perhaps you don''t have a 130 mile drive each way. Friday night in August from West London - I''ll leave about 3pm, then. Never mind work or family, I''ll just do what Sky tell me to, AND pay them for the privilege. The complete shambles that is the World Cup is demonstrating how much good Sky and other sponsors have been for the game. They are a cancer that the FA. FIFA and UEFA should have the wit to reject but don''t. I find it increasingly difficult to care very much about England and the atmosphere is nothing like it was in previous tournaments so cleraly that feeling is shared by many.

[quote user="chicken"] Don''t know what everyone''s problem is with McKenzie and the way he left. No skin off my back. The guy fought for our colours as good as any. Should have been given more of a shot at it than he was and left due to family situation. Can any of us blame him for that? Can you honestly say that football comes before your family? I respect him for moving on because it must have been a hard decision to leave a club where you are well liked just because of what someone else and your wife did. Its a bit like the Bridge and Terry stuff. I don''t blame him and it is a shame that he has had a horrendous string of injuries. I wish him the best for his future and hope he has a couple more seasons in the tank yet. No ill feeling towards him what-so-ever. We sold him at the right time and at least we got a good fee for him too. [/quote] I would agree with all of that if he hadn''t celebrated quite so much when he scored against us for Coventry, since when I think he''s a git.

[quote user="Big Slob"]The only two 26 year old midfielders for the 3 relegated teams are Marney and Ghilas. I''d be very suprised if it was Ghilas, and more suprised if you would recognise him. So that obviously leaves Marney....... [/quote] I can''t believe that anyone thinks that Dean Marney would seriously improve our team. I don''t think I''d even have him on the bench. He was pretty poor when he was with us on loan and from what I''ve seen of him at Hull he hasn''t improved.

[quote user="Canary_on_the Trent"]£9,000 a week, what kind of planet are you on? That''s almost half a mill a year, considering our playing budget of £13m was high 2 years ago I doubt we''d be paying signings from the lower leagues £468,000 a year now. [/quote] We don''t pay anyone £9k a week now that Doc and Curo have gone.

[quote user="jimbob"]Well done Matty Gilks. He was signed by Norwich as no 1 goal keeper only to be told after joining us that Marshall had been signed and he would now be no 2. Then shipped to Blackpool unhappy to be leaving Norwich. Well today you got what you deserved, well done to a great lad and goalkeeper.[/quote] Are we ignoring the fact that he had a dreadful game and will probably not be their first choice next season?

[quote user="Tim Allman"] Lee Croft''s miss at QPR was a bit special. It was in the 3-3 draw when Martin Hunter was in charge for his only game.   [/quote] Yes, this one for me too - from about a yard our POS (!) from last year managed to put it wide. I was sitting behind the Directors box where our new manager Peter Grant was sitting with Delia and as he walked past us at the end of the game I said that he might need to get Croft doing some finishing practice on the training field. He just smiled - probably realised already what a crap player Croft was.

[quote user="Glenn Foy"]I think the decision to release the Doc is an absolute disgrace. An absolute disgrace. He''s came 3rd in our POTS vote for christs sake!! In a promotion winning season. I really am fuming. He is one of the first names on the team sheet for next season, along with Holt. He''s our best central defender FFS! I remember his first game away at Man Utd when he came on as a sub, and caused havoc in the air for the last 20 mins and then scored a few days later away at Newcastle. He has been a legend in my eyes ever since. His commitment to the club, his desire, his determination to the club, his mental strength is second to no-one. People were laughing earlier in the season when it looked like he was being let go, and he showed every single one of you who was laughing up as a complete mug by being our best defender this season. For me, as my favourite player, this decision is worse than Huckerby being released. A truly sad day for NCFC. Such a shame after yesterdays celebrations. There''s only one Gary Doherty. [/quote] You''re talking nonsense. Docherty is a solid League One defender and no better. Lambert is moving the club forward, and Docherty simply isn''t good enough for the Championship as he has proved already. He certainly wasn''t in my top 3 players this year but did a solid job. No room for sentiment and no need for it - he has been well paid for a good season. He''ll be OK - nice, fat contract with Southampton or Huddersfield (if they don''t win the play-off) for a couple of years.

[quote user="can u sit down please"]I really want yo be disappointed about this but to be honest I like what Lamberts doing. Russell has found his level this year in a new found role. He tailed off big time after Xmas and looked back to his average best. I''d like him to stay in the squad as numbers are important. But koreys best game was at the button of the diamond as was Hughes''s. It''s a position that lambert is familiar with as it''s where he played, so no knee jerk reactions please peeps. Saying that, he may sign the contract yet![/quote] I suspect that Lambert has Gill in mind for the Russell role if he goes.

[quote user="morty"]I share your concerns but I guess it all boils down to "We have to trust Lambert, I''m sure he knows what he is doing. And try not no get too bored with the muppets who claim the likes of Doc and Russel have "found their level" this season! [/quote] So, that makes Lambert a muppet then as he has decided to release Doc so must agree that League One is his level. Which is it - does Lambert know what he''s doing or is he a muppet in your humble opinion?

I''m not at all surprised by this. Doc has had a good season against extremely poor opposition but the main reason we won so many games was because the opposition strikers didn''t convert their chances. The fact that they still made them illustartes that the Doc/Nelson combination wouldn''t be good enough in a higher league. He wasn''t good enough in the Championship last year so the chances are he won''t be this year. Nelson will barely get a game either - but he is still under contract and, to be honest has done the job he was signed for which was to get us out of League 1. I always expected Lambert to get another centre back in to partner Whitbread, with Spillane as back up and Nelson in an emergency. It makes perfect sense. Lambert knows his football and Doc is simply not good enough for the Championship.