Leaderboard

Fuckin hell , reading that gave me epilepsy .

Harsh. Do we get rid of any player that has a bad game? FWIW I thought he struggled to get involved in his correct position as there was an overload of players in centre mid (EE, Dempsey, McAtee coming deep) so he was sort of forced wide and its not his game. I've seen a few questioning having a go at him for that game, I'd say put yourself in his shoes if you know you're leaving in a few days. They are human beings not machines, probably spent half the day wondering if he'd be playing or signing for Wycombe. Been a great pro for us and is allowed a below par game, others have them and don't get told good riddance 2 days later.

Out of curiousity......how wide have we cast our net? Or would i be safe to assume that like myself you have no idea?

Funny that thumb head mentions in his report that the club made the decision to agree the sale of Morley as late as possible due to the total number of games we had through the month hopefully makes people realise that’s also a tactic others will take when we’re looking for players. So when everyone is complaining why we haven’t done all this work early and left it to the last minute.. it’s because we cannot dictate the terms or sale timeframe. gives a good insight in to why so many transfers are only finalised in the last couple of days

Agree on Dalby, MOM easily. He's a strange CF in that I can't ever remember him having a "shot", all his efforts at goal are close to goal, using the pace of the ball coming to him and just making contact. I can't remember him pulling his foot back and striking through the ball, once. Compared to say Burstow who likes to pull the trigger from 20 yards if he can get the space. I wonder if Dalby would even take a pen in a shoot out! Disagree on Burton, not sure how they were anti-football? Stevenage were anti-football - every throw in our half launched into the box, every challenge a foul, no passing it in their own half. Burton the total opposite, not a shithouse team in the slightest and played some good stuff. There wasn't even a low block, the opposition have to stand somewhere, it was hardly a block of any description, we just made it look like one at times by over playing at the back.

Carthorse, Donkey, don't see what he brings yadda yadda yadda. Same folk probably said the same about SKD

excellent: A 'sideways and backwards' virus has infected English football Fans are railing against this grim and increasingly common style of play Centre-back to right-back to central midfielder to centre-back to other centre-back to left-back to goalkeeper to centre-back to right-back to central midfielder to the same centre-back who started with the ball 30 seconds and most of a paragraph ago. Welcome to football, more expensive and more… err fun than ever before? Scientific research – my own poor memory plus some social media trawling – suggests that Bolton Wanderers were the first supporters to sing “Sideways and backwards, everywhere we go” back in January 2025. Which proves either that Bolton is a vibrant hub of supporter imagination or that their fans are merely the grumpiest. Now it is the viral hit of 2026. I have heard Tottenham supporters sing it at Burnley, Southampton supporters towards Tonda Eckert, Leicester fans at Wrexham before Marti Cifuentes was sacked, Forest fans in Braga at Sean Dyche, Huddersfield to manager Lee Grant. There are more: Bristol City, Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic a couple of seasons ago. It strikes as a distinctly modern phenomenon to chant about your own team being bad or unwatchable. I don’t know when it started exactly, but the roots are in growing sarcasm: “How shit must you be, we’re winning away?”, “You’re going down with the [insert name of own club]”, “We’ve scored a goal, we’ve scored a goal, we’ve scored a goal”. “Sideways and backwards” is a little different, because it is the first one that focuses not on the team being poor – although that is clearly part of it – but on the style of football being boring and unadventurous. Still, play this football when your team is trailing and witness how the chant rises in volume and ferocity. It is an accusation of managerial cowardice: you do not dare to take risks and so you don’t deserve to manage our club. It is typically reserved for managers under huge pressure after failing to impose their style. In the vast majority of examples above, that manager was quickly sacked. The reason for the chant’s virality is obvious. Twenty years ago, a sarcastic barb might be restricted to one club or even one section of a crowd once only. Social media preserves and multiplies them because they are a) recorded on phones and b) widely shared because they become popular on large fan accounts. Before you know it, 75 clubs in the 92 are singing “Putting on a show” and you are sick of waking up in the middle of the night with it in your head. Again, “Sideways and backwards” is unique. It is a protest against a growing style of football that is aesthetically grim. Entire minutes pass by with the ball barely changing hands between two teams and neither entering the opposition penalty area. It is like watching a video on loop, a glitch in the sport. Football is at its most entertaining when it contains surprise. A 15-pass, 45-second move that literally ends up back where it started is the antidote to entertainment. Supporters are not thick; they know about baiting a press and waiting for a lapse in concentration. They know that it might make sense in certain circumstances. It is just that it is not fun to watch. When this style of football is successful, you will get few arguments. But it is the combination of safe passing and very little end product that irks the most, particularly in lower leagues where often the best chance of success is to take chances and play direct. Watching Newport County pass it amongst themselves towards the bottom of League Two under David Hughes, before inevitably making a catastrophic mistake, was one of my great moments of 2024-25. Another important point: football invited this form of mutiny. The only times I have heard “Sideways and backwards” live have been from visiting supporters, who have spent an inordinate sum of time, effort and money (the latter increasing all the time) to watch their team. If you charge people more for the same product and that product then becomes lethargic and listless, do not expect them to cheerlead it. Like every football chant – I am looking at you “Football in a library” – we will soon reach the point of weary overuse. It will get misused for a team just being bad at football. Some wag will have to come up with a new ditty (“Fans just wanna have fun” to the Cyndi Lauper hit, or something) and we will do the same cycle again. But, for now, “Sideways and backwards” is the football song of 2026. People are tired of controlled possession with no purpose. They are tired of head coaches telling them things in post-match interviews that have been disproven by what they just watched. They are tired of going here, there and everywhere in England just to go sideways and backwards before they leave.

We can’t go back to 1 up top and it be Dalby - it’s unfair on him more than anything else

You’ve missed our best player and heart beat of everything we do.

Be daft to drop McAtee after last night, ran his socks off and working really well with Dalby. They're both ours and need to be given a run.

Strangely, considering the team gets leaked on here every week, the club have been pretty good at keeping transfer business under wraps. There was some talk of Apter but I hadn't heard Blackett-Taylor's name mentioned at all. Not saying we aren't in for Hardie, I'm sure we are, but I expect we'll sign at least two players before the deadline and one will be someone not being talked about currently.

No issues with Morley going and wish him all the best. He's been a brilliant signing for us and never really done much wrong - I think he needs to move on as much as we probably need him to. He's absolutely nowhere near as bad as some on here would make out and has given us some fantastic moments (the goal away at Accy in the semi-final and the free-kick away at Charlton spring to mind). No doubt he'll do well elsewhere, with some proper coaching and some consistency.

Simons over Sheehan? 😱 Simons and Erhahon are alternatives, not partners; especially, in a two-man midfield.

Dempsey has had some rotten injuries since and that has undoubtedly played a part. Probably seen the best of him now, but still offers plenty for me. Not sure about Toal. Overall, our defensive record this season is pretty good, even if folk aren't convinced by any of our defenders.

Off on holiday to Cala Mighty

^ The babblings of a raving lunatic.

I think the Morley fee is going to be close to a mil after some back and forth with Luton and Wycombe, hard to really feel anything other than happy with that deal. Seems a nice lad and I thought we had something special that first full season, but he's just never kicked on unfortunately. Goes with my best.

Yes a few over the years ... Julian Darby used to get lots of stick Peter Nicholson did Nicky Hunt did All three were great wanderers players in my opinion , hard working , 2 were local lads I used to cheer Julian , I appreciated his commitment and versatility, played makeshift centre half in that fab hull city Friday night game . Class

Aye fair point I've probably stereotyped them a bit there based on last few seasons.

Was reading an article yesterday on Apple News about the 'sideways and backwards' chants. We were name checked ✅:)

Not that unlikely...

Excusez-moi?

Sounds like an absolute CalaMighty

I thought we might have hung out for more than £750k, that's a poor return for one of our main songs. A terrible week for crazy corner with the the sad loss of the ACD song for a while. Super Sammy Dalby is going to have to catch on and thank god McAtee's back in favour. We aren't even watching Josh Dacres Cogley putting on a show everywhere we go any more.

It's a big fee for a player in League Two who's contract is up in a few months

Strange to me that nobody’s picked up Jatta from Notts County yet at the reputed £700k fee. His contracts up in the summer and he probably won’t sign a new one and he’s still only 27 and a proven scorer over seasons. You’d have thought somebody would have picked him up?

I'd have told Morley not to try on Tuesday too if I knew there was £750k on the table for him. Been a good player though so I hope he does well.

Some deal, that. Think it’s a bit of a shame how it has worked out for Morley. Hit some seriously high levels, peaking around the Papa John’s win, but just stagnated after that. Probably an argument that Dempsey and Toal are in a similar boat.

All of which is stupid and he deserves locking up for. Seen loads of people posting stuff about the guy and how has behaved in the past. But every thing I have seen or heard just emphasises that he did not do anywhere near enough to be shot numerous times For instance there is a video off him attacking an ICE vehicle a few days ago, the silly cunt. But the officers at the time did not think that was enough to kill him, so why does anyone suggest it justifies killing him the week after ? Bring a prick and protesting is not punishable by death in any decent democracy. We are entering ‘he spilt my pint’ land here. As bloke who has just glassed someone might argue. They can now add the victim ‘should have stayed home’ as an excuse people find acceptable. There is video of plenty of people doing a lot worse during the Capitol riots imagine if the Police got trigger happy that day ?

This, hes a good player. Good luck to the lad.

He was already out the door tbf on Tuesday. Once you’ve checked out there’s no coming back. Which made his inclusion even weirder

Nombe seems to have been priced out and nobody else of note has been mentioned, but I think we should be casting our net wider than we seem to be doing and going for a permanent deal for someone who can hack it in the Championship as that would be helpful in getting there and one less thing to worry about about if we do.

As basic as it is, however you define a number 10, for us it's as simple as 'they're playing in attack, they need to be creating and scoring goals'. McAtee, Forss, Randall and Dempsey have played in advanced positions and combined for six goals and one assist. People are raving about Dalby's hold up play, but someone has to have the responsibility of putting the ball in the net. Both signings this week have decentish scoring records for wingers - Apter got 8 in L1 last year, CBT got 8 in half a season before he joined Derby. But we still need a goalscorer if the Burstow who started the season is gone for good.

That's what I'm saying, we don't really have one, so let's not bother. But to answer your question a 10 to me is an attacking midfielder that can pick the ball up from deeper midfielders, find space between the opposition lines, make the odd run beyond the striker, or find balls through to him or in-cutting wingers. If you're struggling to picture what a 10 is, then from our own history imagine a Clough, Nolan, Okocha at times.

The UK supplies arms to Israel but it isn't an ally in the proper sense Our relationship with them leans more towards transactional For what that's worth

You might be referring to me there as I said something along those lines and not seen anything else. Not sure why you're having a dig at that, it was just a theory and a fair point for discussion especially as lots were questioning why SS was using different methods to the one that got him promoted with Plymouth. I would imagine in all interviews the board will ask the manager how he is likely to go about things from a playing perspective. It totally makes business sense that a better style would attract more fans, particularly casuals and therefore more revenue. Obviously it doesn't trump winning but it comes a close 2nd for a lot of people.

He's the most scouse bloke I've ever heard

I think what an awful lot of our fanbase needs to learn is that just because there is no noise it doesn’t mean things aren’t happening the rumours or lack of this month is similar to what happened in to summer. Everyone moaning and questioning, when in reality the club and the recruitment team in particular were quietly going about their business Diligently and making us stronger

Need cover for Conway for me. He's running on empty

Your obvious stubborn bias against him is making you look very silly. You’ll be calling him bang average next

Yeah maybe. It's probably one of those issues where they don't want to look like they're in lockstep with DT. Can't help you with this one mate 😁

Obviously your man didn’t deserve to get dead, but why the fuck would you go out and do this knowing what they’re like?

Benfica v Real Madrid!!!!! What a finish to a game!!!

Teams like Burton Albion are why I want us to get out of this league.

We were rudderless for the majority of that game without him. Neither Morley or Erhahon can get near to what he does and how well he does it.

It is bonkers really the lack of slack SS gets compared to what Evatt got. It's almost like SS is the obnoxious one, going round mouthing off, headbutting opponents, needing financial support from the club and getting his nob out to journalists etc Yes the football hasn't been great the last 2 months so I'm not bouncing up and down at the reebok, but we've now got a likeable manager who is on his second transfer window sorting out the mess left by his predecessor, so I'm willing to cut him some slack, like Evatt was afforded.