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QPR and injuries
at 20:05 22 Sep 2026

Please, where have you seen that Dembele is close to full training? All I've seen is that he should be available to play come January. Of course, that might have been posted online by someone rather than by the club & I missed an update.

Like you, I would have expected him to be named if there was a chance he could play in 2026.

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QPR and injuries
at 18:24 22 Sep 2026

It's not odd at all if he can't play until January.

He can always be named in the squad for the second half of the season.

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Not all victories will be victories – Report
at 12:59 21 Sep 2026

Cheers Clive.

From the top of MU, I wasn't aware that there was a potential penalty for handball! I think I recall the crowd in SAR asking for something, but I had no idea what, or why.

To be fair, it's only the coverage from our young friends in Q (or R) block, that I know that Saito dived for his caution. Every part of the ground gives a different view as to what has really happened, but apart from those in the Upper School End, we could all go mad when Paul Smyth scored.

If Madsen had managed to score from the free kick, I doubt that many of us would have caught our intended train home.

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The Sending Off
at 18:45 20 Sep 2026

I doubt very much that the club will appeal & if they did, the chances of winning it are low.

Although approx 50% on this thread agree with you that it shouldn't have been a sending off, I can't recall anyone else thinking that an appeal would win.

[Post edited 20 Sep 18:46]

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Preston Reflection
at 16:28 20 Sep 2026

There is a lot I agree with there gazza.

Firstly, the replacement of Vale by Varane was baffling to me. IF he is your choice, then he has to sit as the deepest midfield player & you push Madsen forward.

Secondly, I agree with you that Scarlett is not ready for Championship football at the moment, but he was our only player in the first half that looked as though they MIGHT create anything. Adamson being our only other player of note.

I do take issue that you "play your best most experienced team from minute 1". Experience doesn't automatically mean that it is the best equipped to win the match.

As to number three, I would also have played Clarke-Salter (with Edwards in midfield), but I suspect the decision was based on not wanting him suspended for the West Ham game.

[Post edited 20 Sep 16:33]

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The Sending Off
at 15:13 20 Sep 2026

Five pages & it must be close to a 50/50 split as to whether it should have been a sending off & yet some people think we should appeal it!

Personally, I've seen angles that it didn't look like a free kick & I've seen angles that it looked like a definite sending off. I thought the look on Cirkin's face looked like he thought he'd be off & that probably is the biggest clue IMO.

It is no defence that his "studs up" didn't make contact with the player. They don't have to! Studs being raised is reason enough for a referee to take that action. Whether it should be might be a different debate.

I do know that if the challenge had been reversed, I'd have wanted the Preston player to have been sent off.

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Kealey Adamson
at 14:13 20 Sep 2026

I would definitely have shown him the line gazza. Or make him cross the ball from deep as that should be comfortable for the defence to deal with*.

There is an argument though, that he directed him into an area that was populated by our players.

* Allowing crosses from deep was coached into me by Charlie Townsend (England amateur international) & encouraged by a team mate of mine by the name of Kevin Beattie. Of course, this refers to when I was younger & I wouldn't have a clue as to what players are coached to do now!

[Post edited 20 Sep 14:49]

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Kealey Adamson
at 13:32 20 Sep 2026

That was down to Edwards & Madsen tackling each other.

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QPR and injuries
at 13:26 20 Sep 2026

He wasn't named in our Championship squad, so he won't be back until January.

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Chelsea
at 09:42 19 Sep 2026

I thought C****** looked ok for 15 minutes & from then till half time it looked like a Championship game.

The second half was very different, with Brentford increasing their tempo & taking control. I hope that Switching Code had a really good night.

What was funny was Henderson having a go at Martinez for the first goal rather than who failed to pick up Anthony, or those that didn't win the first ball.

All in all, it was a good night with The Pensioners losing & Wakefield winning in the Super League play offs.

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He who shall not be named..
at 10:34 17 Sep 2026

I can understand both view points on the Kolli situation & I would be surprised if he makes the first team squad again. I think we might have gone past the point of no return.

However, I do think we would have had a better chance of winning at Charlton & West Bromwich if he had been available to bring on as a sub than those that were.

He is also completely in the right to turn down any/all loan moves if he feels that the club involved isn't the right one for him, but he must be aware that by doing so he runs the risk of being frozen out.

Whatever the rights & wrongs are, both sides appear to be entrenched in their positions. As are most posters on the various threads covering this subject.

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Spine Shivers XI
at 16:58 16 Sep 2026

I know he is a deep rooted dislike of mine & others will disagree, but I will never be persuaded that he was anything other than awful for us. I still regard him as our worst ever signing & he put more than shivers down my spine!

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The Dennis Cirkin song
at 09:45 15 Sep 2026

The brand was bought by Allied Breweries & they certainly converted at least 50 pubs in Southern England to become a firkin (or opening new pubs that had been churches, libraries etc) . I suspect the numbers were similar in the Midlands & The North. At the time I was a junior manager for them with control of the Firkin Stocktaking team, covering Norwich to Southampton.

When Allied were taken over by Punch, they discontinued the brand & thankfully I was made redundant.

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Spine Shivers XI
at 09:33 15 Sep 2026

I'll start by naming three certainties. At least they are for me!

Victor Bloody Mobley, Brian Williams & Karl Elsey. How I laugh at the memories of The Loft singing "Now we've got Vic Mobley we're gonna win the league".

If loan players can be selected, Ben Assou-Ekotta would be my left back choice.

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The Dennis Cirkin song
at 12:28 14 Sep 2026

As a man in his 20's during the 1970's, I find it disrespectful to my generation to call us puritanical prigs for not being the slightest bit entertained by these lyrics.

[Post edited 14 Sep 12:30]

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QPR and injuries
at 12:10 14 Sep 2026

I'm reading it as the minutes played by the starting eleven in matches & 12-20 as the minutes played by subs in matches, as opposed to what the teams "best eleven" is.

Having had 5 players leave the pitch in the first half would always increase the amount of minutes played by subs, as would half time replacements. I'm not the slightest bit surprised that our subs have played more minutes than any other clubs in the Championship.

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Dev squad match at LR today, 13.9
at 09:59 14 Sep 2026

I don't think they were particularly successful loans for Sutton. He only started 6 games for Harrogate & I believe he was often a sub for Morecambe.

Both clubs were relegated, which certainly wouldn't have helped him. The previous season he was on loan at Hanwell Town in the Southern League (Premier). That would suggest that Scarlett is further advanced at 17 than Sutton was.

Not that I feel that Scarlett is close to being ready to play in The Championship.

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Fullers London Pride Lager
at 13:22 13 Sep 2026

I've not tried this, but an English lager I do recommend is Adnams Dry Hopped. It fits very nicely in their repertoire.

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QPR and injuries
at 10:16 12 Sep 2026

Along with the possibility of "over-training", you can add the extra physical 30ish minutes that players endure in their pre match "warm up" & post match "warm down".

I'm sure there are many scientific reasons why this was introduced, but I'm sure there are far too many injuries picked up by players during these periods.

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Bring your boots – Preview
at 10:09 12 Sep 2026

I see that we've only named 24 players in our squad submitted to the EFL, so we have space to sign a "free agent". That is, if there is one available worth signing! As expected Dembele wasn't included as he won't be available until 2027.

Best wishes to all of you that will be The Hawthorns today. I'm hoping (and half expecting) another 0-0, but I would certainly be a lot happier with that than I was on Wednesday!

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