Manning-less?

[Buffalo]

Yes. Could've been quite different if Grabban had his spectacles on. Thing is, the general level of finishing in Championship is pretty poor so you can get away with a bit of slackness in your defending and not get punished for it. Obviously it'd be best not to make mistakes or switch-off at the back but as yesterday showed, it's not necessarily catastrophic if you do. Also, I thought Lumley contributed to their misses with his positioning and presence - I thought he had a decent game without actually making saves if that makes sense???

Agreed. Lumley didn't have a great deal to do but what he did he did well. He was protected quite well but he also deserves credit for the clean sheet. Hopefully we can get one or two more and confidence will rise further.

[Shania]

From what I have seen of Hemalainen he is looking the part but that`s just me. Hovever,If we go three at the back I presume Barbet can cover that position partly.

[SheepRanger]

From what I have seen of Hemalainen he is looking the part but that`s just me. Hovever,If we go three at the back I presume Barbet can cover that position partly.

Wallace is 33yrs now and his contract is up next summer. So we have 12 months to sort out a LB and back up.

Perhaps Nico will go out on loan with a view to potentially being first choice LB next season if he does well?

[Shania]

Wallace is 33yrs now and his contract is up next summer. So we have 12 months to sort out a LB and back up.

Perhaps Nico will go out on loan with a view to potentially being first choice LB next season if he does well?

This sounds plausible.

[Abseits]

This sounds plausible.

Eh? It's the worst idea ever.... He's out of contract at end of season. Loaning him out is madness - if he performs well he can just sign for any club who wants him and leave us in the lurch. We cannot loan him out unless he first extends his contract here. There is the possibility the club don't rate him and just want shot of him I suppose so loaning him out for last months of his contract does make sense in that scenario. But, if he has a future here he needs to stay put and be part of our squad this season.

[Shania]

Eh? It's the worst idea ever.... He's out of contract at end of season. Loaning him out is madness - if he performs well he can just sign for any club who wants him and leave us in the lurch. We cannot loan him out unless he first extends his contract here. There is the possibility the club don't rate him and just want shot of him I suppose so loaning him out for last months of his contract does make sense in that scenario. But, if he has a future here he needs to stay put and be part of our squad this season.

I was being to diplomatic there.. I saw him play for Finland and he impressed me.

[stanistheman]

It was a good result and performance over all Dave but (without wishing to take anything away from the team) we did ride our luck at times again. Grabban had a bit of a shocker in front of goal, thankfully.

Fine margins in the Championship these days.

I was thinking the same about Grabban and his misses during that game.
Had they been converted, as he often does, then the result would habe been very different.

Tbh, I prefer a solid left back who can defend rather than an attacking one when playing 4 at the back. So Wallace for me. It would be good to see how Hamalainen would perform before selling Manning and the window closes.

[stanistheman]

Agreed. Lumley didn't have a great deal to do but what he did he did well. He was protected quite well but he also deserves credit for the clean sheet. Hopefully we can get one or two more and confidence will rise further.

Agreed. I was really pleased he performed well enough to earn the clean sheet with his positioning and catching crosses. Also for his part assist with the first goal.

Hopefully a few more performances and results like this will build his confidence and we might see the 2018 version of him.

[stanistheman]

Eh? It's the worst idea ever.... He's out of contract at end of season. Loaning him out is madness - if he performs well he can just sign for any club who wants him and leave us in the lurch. We cannot loan him out unless he first extends his contract here. There is the possibility the club don't rate him and just want shot of him I suppose so loaning him out for last months of his contract does make sense in that scenario. But, if he has a future here he needs to stay put and be part of our squad this season.

I agree. If he is valued then extend his contract by 2 years and either loan him out until January or give him a few appearances (maybe start with some last 15 minutes sub appearances).

[SheepRanger]

Eh? It's the worst idea ever.... He's out of contract at end of season. Loaning him out is madness - if he performs well he can just sign for any club who wants him and leave us in the lurch. We cannot loan him out unless he first extends his contract here. There is the possibility the club don't rate him and just want shot of him I suppose so loaning him out for last months of his contract does make sense in that scenario. But, if he has a future here he needs to stay put and be part of our squad this season.

Yes, but there hasn't been any indication yet that he has a future. If they're undecided then extend by a year and put him out on loan. If they want to go in another direction then loan him out so another club can put up some of his wages and we can bring in better quality before the transfer window ends. I suspects Nico's situation partly depends on whether Manning stays or goes.