Andy G

Rumour has it we've signed a dutch striker for a record fee who'll take us to the next level.... not mentioning any names #feefthewolf

When we signed Krul I remember being torn by it. If we got the pre-Injury Krul it was a good signing, Post-Injury Krul then a bad one. I think we got Post-Injury Krul he came in, looked Rusty and Low in confidence - that being said he has improved considerably this season and is looking a far better player, I can't see why that progression would slow as we progress through the season. Whilst I agree he has had a few Clangers, I do think his over-all contribution outweighs that, he is part of a defence that are looking better than last season. He is also pivotal in directing the defense and arranging them when it comes to set pieces. I will reserve my judgment until the end of the season on whether he requires replacing or not, as for now, in the Championship, I am happy to have him in goal and think he is doing an alright job (we are top of the league after-all)

Will be a nice bonus which i wasn't expecting. Will be there tonight, free buffet

I think once we''ve worked out the best Midfield setup we can potentially do well. It is getting up and down the field we are missing! - we need a Bradley Johnson or Jonny Howson. In the current squad who are fit we have Attacking Mids and Defensive Mids and nothing in between. I''m hoping that once fit that Vrancic can be that box to box player we need, as long as we get the end of season Vrancic compared to the early season one! I hope McLean can play that role well and potentially Thompson can do that tohelp out (although better suited as a DM) The Problem with having that Box to Box midfielder is who do you drop for them.

I watched all or nothing Manchester City on Amazon (its quite good) and it talks about how Pep''s ideology is possession based football with a lot of passing, i think similar to what we are trying here! It worked for them, but they also have the players for it. I think this will only work if you''ve the players with the correct skill set, I''m not sure we''ve got that here yet. I believe we are more suited to the sit back and wait, then go for the counter - this can be quite effective and would give more support for the defense. We''d also be drawing a lot more fouls and therefore could capitalize on set pieces.

I''m torn on this move. I agree he isn''t first choice, however we are short in his position plus he is a Home Grown player (which we''re short of) Fingers Crossed Lewis stays fit all season and able to play. I''m just getting more concerned about the Home Grown rule!

[quote user="Zimmers Left Foot"]It isnt as if it was farke and the players doing the painting and stopping them from training on dealing with crosses is it? [/quote] Maybe this is what is needed, poor results lead to chores/team building exercises!

Is Bassong still available to re-sign?

Sorry i''ve been away but we still have Cantwell in the Mid department don''t we or has he gone out on loan again?

Grant "The Portly Assassin" Holt

I guess it is in the definition. The biggest problem was the way RVW was marketed, he was put on a pedestal as the saviour. The whole "Beware of the Wolf" and "Feed the Wolf" advertising campaign Then all the special offers on shirt printing etc. I can''t remember a time NCFC has flaunted a signing so much, building a player up before a massive fall. We never had the same build up for Naismith. I guess because of the expectation RVW was the biggest "FLOP". However, on contribution and attitude, I must say that Naismith just hasn''t turned up, at least RVW put effort into the matches. He just wasn''t a right fit for us at that time or that level If you said to me now, going into next season, who would you prefer on the books Naismith or RVW i''d have RVW. so I guess the biggest "flop" is RVW but the biggest waste of money is Naismith.

My Biggest concern will be the "Home Grown" rules for next year Just to recap they are: At present, Section 5 of the EFL’s Rules and Regulations (“EFL Rules and Regulations”) requires each EFL club to nominate 6 home grown players on their team sheet for each league match (which includes Play-Off matches) (Rule 33.7). Following the EFL’s recent announcement, EFL clubs have agreed to increase that number to 7 for the 2018-19 season. A “Home Grown Player” is defined in the (Rule 33.8) as a player who: irrespective of their nationality or age, has been registered with either: their current club (who is a member of the EFL); and/or a club and/or any other football club affiliated with the Football Association (“FA“) or Football Association of Wales (for example, EPL or non-league clubs) for a period, continuous or non-continuous, of three seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which they turn 21). In addition to the increase in home grown players that will be required on EFL’s clubs team sheets, a new definition will be introduced to the EFL Rules and Regulations, that of the “club-developed” player. Each EFL club will need to include one “club-developed” player in their match day squad, who will be defined as a player who has been registered with their current team for at least 12 months prior to the end of their U19 season. Should a club fail to name such a player, they will only be able to name 6 substitutes rather than the normal allocation of 7. With this in mind, we''re either going to have to pack out the squad with the Youth team or get some more Home Grown players in. Let''s not discount the obvious and potential talent we have got that aren''t home grown, but with 8 players needing to be on the team sheet it''ll be interesting to see who breaks through or is signed.

So is nobody hoping he''s going to come back and spearhead a promotion push for us next year? What with Hoolahan leaving and Maddison likely too as well, I guess he''s a player we either need to sell (hopefully without losing too much in paying his wages) or play

Had a discussion in the office the other day about this. Our colleague from liverpool was down and joined in too I was asked if I was Maddison where would I go. My answer was Leicester. I know it''s not as prestigious as a top 6 club but he''d get the game time. I can''t see him playing as regularly at the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham or Liverpool. Our Liverpool Supporting colleague said "He''ll never start for us" I hope he thinks his next steps carefully, i''d love for them to be with us somehow, but if not I hope he chooses a club which will give him the game time he needs for his own development

At the risk of getting slated, I don''t think losing James Maddison will be the end of the world. I have watched him with amazement this season and feel privileged to have such a gifted player in the team. I''ve not had the same excitement of "what is he going to do today" for a long time. That being said I think the other players know of his quality too so will sometimes link to him and rely on him to do something rather than take a ball on themselves or look for a different pass. It will be a big loss if/when he goes, and his contribution this season has been immeasurable; however i think it wouldn''t be the end of the world, the remaining players may then start playing differently and create more chances for others. I concur we definitely need the attacking force to pick up or create those chances though! If NO goes and we''re able to get a younger player who is hungrier then thats a good sign

I''m in.

I regrettably have to say the first 10/15 minutes they looked good, much like their early season form. Fortunately they then returned to type and proved once again they aren''t cut out for anything more than being a mid-champ team! The whole MM thing i get. I think in his own style he is a good manager. That being said I definitely wouldn''t want him here. He works a small miracle keeping them in the Champs each year with the resources that he''s provided with. I do have to question how long he''ll be able to keep it up though. I think the moment he leaves the club will free fall and i will find great pleasure in that!

Gunn Pinto Zimmermann Klose Stiepermann Tettey Trybull Wildschut Maddison Watkins Naismith/Fonkeu I think Naismith could be efficient upfront against Boro, or get a surprise start for Fonkeu subbing with Jerome

Fish Fingers being a local delicacy, invented in Great Yarmouth in 1955 i''ll have you know!

Sunderland Away

Carlos Nash

I guess the answer revolves around what you class as "compete" if it is to finish comfortably in the top end of the table the short answer is no. I think the problem is that the Prem would suit some players better i.e Klose due to not having such a packed Schedule. But not others due to the style of game GK - Ruddy would do OK Def - I think Dijks would sign if we were prem and he''d do well, Ivo I think may struggle a bit but I''d happily be proved wrong. No other defenders would really be Prem Quality. Mids, Howson would be fine, the rest i''d say its either too soon (Murphy''s/Pritchard) or they''d struggle, some due to age, some due to mentality and some due to skill levels. Forwards - Nelson would make a good back up, Cam has proven he isn''t a prolific Prem player but if he has the right players behind him who knows. If we get promoted this season via the playoffs, i can''t see a big recruitment drive so it''d be mainly the same players and we''d either need to do the over performing underdog routine or find a manager who can drill in new ways to out perform the other teams. If this team got promoted now i think we''d get the odd "feel good" win, but ultimately end up in a relegation scrap

Chris Gorham has posted that two clubs are interested in Bennett but apparently no formal bids yet. "Chris Goreham ‏@CGoreham 51m51 minutes ago More Chris Goreham Retweeted Robin Chipperfield Have heard two clubs have enquired about Bennett but no formal bid as yet. #ncfcChris Goreham added, " I''d hate to see him go, whilst he''s not always my first choice CB he does make a good option!

I have the full sky package including BT Sports, the British Media don''t show enough though, they should be able to broadcast ANY football match from any of the top leagues. Kodi and Streaming sites work well when the matches are only shown abroad... I agree the Sky £6.99 option is good, and i used it before i got my current setup and think that they''d make a lot more money with a PAYG subscription and more content rather than the monthlies. So back to the question, do i think we need a new "rich" investor, i''m not sure, I am inclined to say no. Mainly because i''d hate for us to become a play thing for someone to get bored of, then leave us in a pile of debt. I think that we are an underestimated team, and we should be a stable premier side. But due to being underestimated our board settles for managers and players who wish to come rather than being ambitious and aiming for what we need

I think AN is still the guy to take us forward. Putting aside the last couple of Matches we''ve been doing well-"ish" Clearly we''ve been conceding too many sloppy goals but the mentality of AN has always been to outscore the opposition, which is why we see the likes of Pinto and Olsson bombing forward and leaving us quite exposed at the back. None the less this has been working, we are still 4th in the league and 4 points off 2nd. If I had said to you before the season we''ll be in a Play-off place by Christmas i guess most would take it. I also like the fact he has been bringing our youth into the fold and giving them chances! I think the most disappointing thing for me has been the excellent play and work rate, usually in the first half, and then the players switch off and make being a supporter quite a nervous thing. This seems a complete opposite to the AN who first joined us, where we''d under-perform in the first half followed by a "Wee Chat" and a much better performance. I do not get these calls for Lambert, don''t get me wrong I enjoyed the Lambert years, the last minute winners as we never quit, never turned off! I don''t think he is the man for us now though. I think we need to fully support AN, he knows how to run a promotion campaign both with Hamilton and Us, remember we were in 7th when he took over and still got us there. Come Christmas if we are no longer in Play Off places I may change my mind, but whilst we''re still doing well I say we stick with him, give him full support and let him and the players show us they mean business!