theAnticlough

With the extra recovery time, it has to be the time for Matty Palmer

Crazy article, whoever penned that should be embarrassed with themselves

Yes, welcome the signing and the player. Good luck to Luke Browne Defence isn't an area of desperate need for us right now. When the inside-forward we're all waiting for arrives, he'll be a very different type of signing with more experience.

I think we have a better coach and coaching team. But there's less quality in the squad (although more depth). Maynard's football was becoming unwatchable. And always 2nd best at clutch time. Moving away from a formula that would never win has to be progress in itself. The possession with a purpose mantra is fine. I appreciate that there's enough attacking intent. But we're verging on lapsing into a team that gives the ball away too cheaply on a regular basis - we need our first-choice midfield back and more quality in general to put a stop to that. Overall, I'm happier than I was last year. And that was before knowing for sure that SM was setting us up for the most gutless end of season run-in and play-off campaign you'll ever see.

Blackburn 2-1 Charlton Hull City 1-2 Watford Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Burton Reading 1-1 Stockport County Joker Wycombe 1-0 Wimbledon Barnet P-P Crewe Alexandra Barrow P-P Bristol Rovers Walsall P-P Fleetwood

I think it'll be a surprise line-up. MP said himself that these particular players have had a long run (or words to that effect). Predicting what those changes will be is a bit of a lottery. I'd say Palmer in asap. He's not a sub, play him and get him on the path to match fitness right away. Main reason there is that despite Norburn doing OK we have to have someone showing for the ball to make this team work. In two consecutive games now we've conceded goals from our own throw-ins around the half-way line. At MK, Dennis had to come back to receive it and then had no midfielder available to pass to (Accy was more of a fluke). Let Iorpenda do his box-to-box, all-over-the pitch thing, but we need the other guy to keep on showing for the ball and knit the play together. Norburn seems happy with the midfield being by-passed, cue Platty playing balls to the opposing GK all game long. With the window open and a largish squad already, it's 'show us what you've got' time. We've seen Kouhyar. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw someone like Jarvis start in this one. I'm a fan of JJ but isn't the way to get back into the team doing well when you come on as a sub? He hasn't, but I hope to see him as RWB tomorrow because I'm in no rush to see Kouhyar again and Gordon starting would be a downer.

That puzzles me as well @menzinho. He seemed to get nervy during those bad games and things went from bad to worse. Hopefully,that's easily fixable for him. .

Aljofree has gone back to Man Utd. It was a weird loan. He actually did well in most of the games he played. But he had absolute disasters in two, at Barrow and V Gills I think. One of those is bad, but two means MP cannot trust you as he's terrified of it happening again. A striker having an absolute mare is one thing, but a defending having one means defeat usefully. I hope his next loan is a happier one. Good luck to him for the future.

Great points @Robbie, and it's good to see someone back up the most pressing issue I also agree with the point you make about tactics and the solution being more quality rather than becoming like Accrington or Harrogate. Yeah, if we want to play like we do, positively and with skill, then we need the quality to pull it off. Back to the AMs, Luker isn't the answer either as we just can't afford to give a player a run to get up to match speed. We have to get this particular bit of January business right to have any chance of promotion.

It was such a poor performance yesterday, I think it's fair to truthfully examine where this team and this set of players stand. Based on the Accy game, I'll divide the starting XI into 3 groups 1) Still pieces to build a promotion team/squad around - Macari, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Iorpenda, Dennis 2) Not so bad yesterday and probably best regarded as squad back-ups anyway - Roos, Norburn 3) Players that might need to be re-evaluated in terms of how far they can take us - Platt, Hall, Kouhyar, Jatta Platt - Rod McDonald better be injured or there's been some cowardly team management going on. Montague recruited Platt as a starter and RodMac as a back up in summer '24, but this season's evidence should throw that out of the window and the team should be picked on merit. Maybe Monty missed Sept/Oct when RM was a revelation. Platt is a fine L2 defender, but is prone to poor runs of form, is a below average distributor, can't use the space ahead of him and has stopped contributing as a goal threat, so the jury's out on him being a promotion level L2 defender. All I'm saying is that if there's someone who's been playing better this season in his position, they should have the shirt instead. Let's see if they can defend it and Platt/Ness can earn it on performances. Hall - We've seen so may Charlie Whitakeresque games from Hall by now - largely anonymous and ineffectual, and way too easily dispossessed and knocked off the ball. I speculated before that Hall was probably a schoolboy level striker that Spurs coaxed into becoming a midfielder when he didn't turn out to be big, strong or fast enough. He's still got great skill, composure in the box and an eye for goal, but 3 out of 5 of your performances in midfield can't be like yesterday's Kouhyar - was hoping he could force his way into the team but instead he shows like a natural sub, blazing brightly for 10mins and then dropping off a cliff. MP doesn't give too many chances but he does give them and you have to be ready to take them. He didn't Jatta - the big one, where to start? He has too many games like yesterday. English pro football isn't like the Danish league, you just don't get the time and space. You have to try to win your individual battles with the opponent. Does he try enough? Probably. But that doesn't change the fact that he loses 80-90% of his tussles and challenges. I wish he was regarded as someone who still had to prove himself rather than a surefire sell-on asset and then maybe him and his agent would see it that way too. I get it, we want (big) money for him so have to talk him up. But how nice would it be to tell him you have to do better, take a seat on the bench. The subs are a whole other story, so won't get started on that. Comments? Is most of that the usual over-reaction (probably is ;) ) or does any of it ring true.

I'd say Dennis was the pick of the few 6/10s today - decent effort from him

There's been very little talk about McDonald, a star performer earlier in the season but interviewers don't even ask about him. He came back to the bench then disappeared again as Ness took the back up CB role. If Platt is picked ahead of RodMac it can only be based on the previous season. i hope there wasn't anything daft happen like giving him Christmas off :) ! Because he should've been back in the team by now and we wouldn't have had to see that Platt horror show today.

As we enter the Jan window, the message form the players is "I'm not good enough, please replace me' Many players low quality was cruelly exposed today. Instructive for the club though, we don't have enough quality as it is to sustain a promotion challenge.

Really bad Our best two players at MK, Iorpenda and Tsaroulla, have been OK, but that's about it. Platt has been ragged, Bedeau asleep, Hall anonymous and Jatta's lost most of his tussles. Koukyar started like on of his sub performances but then fell off a cliff. I think MP has to find a way to get Jones on at HT To add to the frustration, Stall's 'absolutely' habit has spiralled out of control

With names like Big Tone, Super Ram and Dangerous Sausage I do feel there's a lost consonant there

Pleased for Kouhyar That's a team that should give Accy a tonne of problems. COYP

Southampton 2-1 Millwall Swansea 1-1 West Brom Orient 2-1 Wimbledon Reading 1-0 Burton Wigan 1-0 Barnsley Fleetwood 1-1 Grimsby Joker Shrews 0-1 Bristol R Swindon 2-1 Gillingham

Wishing all PONsters (got to be careful how you say that) the very best for 2026. Happy and prosperous new year to everyone!!

It didn't look good for Kouhyar on Monday, so it has to be doubtful he'll be fine for Thursday. How immensely frustrating, his first start and he goes off injured. As it's a home game I'd go with JJ at RWB as a replacement. Tsaroulla looked liberated on the left at MK so it'd be wrong to send him back to the right. We need more creativity. JJ has said before the right's his best position (if so, he's probably wrong :) ) so Accrington might be the right game for him and he can help us break them down.

Good choices @Robbie and good way of approaching it. The only other ever-present has been Roos but I note he doesn't make either of our lists! I've got a feeling the team and the main players carrying it will take more twists and turns than usual this season. We've lost star power, but this is probably the deepest squad we've had in our 3 seasons back in L2, with more options and movement to come very soon

One day after, and you can better appreciate the achievement of outplaying MK at their own stadium. The effort in the first half was incredible.

23 games gone, so half way through the season. Who are your players of the season so far? Here are my top five as it stands (playing in at least half the games to qualify) 5) Tom Iorpenda (23 league appearances) Being allowed to settle in CM, then getting his first senior goal has pushed him to a higher level. After a great start to the season, his form dipped but he's definitely shaken that off now. I don't see how the skipper and Robbo get straight back in. 4) Matty Palmer (16 league apperances) Unrecognisable from last season's player. He's recovered his energy, positivity and consistency. Always looking for the ball and using it consistently well. Before his unfortunate injury, he got back to being the midfield general we all know 3) Lewis Macari (15 league appearances) I think it's gone unnoticed how consistently well Macari has been playing. A solid defender and a composed, tidy passer of the ball. 2) Jacob Bedeau (23 league appearances) An ever-present and another really consistent performer, especially defensively as a one-on-one defender. He's come in second for me and I still think he was marginally better last season under Maynard than this season. 1) Rod McDonald (12 league appearances) IMO, nobody else has reached the level of consistent excellence as McDonald did in that dozen-game run of his. He was MoM or a strong contender for it every week. A great pity for him that he went out with the injury, and obviously he'll lose this standing to others playing now. But not yet, for me. Who do other PON members have on their lists. I would've included Robbo but put in Iorpenda after tonight. Despite the goals I have Jatta and Dennis behind these 5, maybe because of a lack of consistency but I imagine most would have them in.

I'd say Iorpenda and Tsaroulla were clearly the stand-out players, Tom Iorpenda as MoM

Pity we couldn't hang on but still a highly commendable performance and bounceback. Great effort from all the lads. I think Tsaroulla sent a message there, whether he knew it or not - play me on the left. That was by far his best showing for weeks. I hope MP keeps him there. I'd say only Iorpenda bested him today.

That's a magnificent reaction after Chesterfield. MK haven't been allowed to settle at all, the press that half was everything it wasn't on Friday. Iorpenda the pick of the team, even before his great goal. He's playing with real confidence. Shout out too to the WBs.Tsaroulla and Kouhyar have offered more from that position than we've seen recently.