Roy keeps picking Ward instead of who Richards warms the bench - nuts!I
Pick the youngsters to start games - not all at the same time of course but give them a go.
Never slag them off in public.
I want him gone now to be honest.

There is a lot of sensible commentary on here which is good to see.

I still think we are about 7/11 a very, very good PL side. In dreamland I’d get in a LW, Striker, RB and if I were greedy a LB too (I’m not as harsh in Mitchell as others but don’t dismiss the negative stance on him).

Problem is, we have a couple or more of those out injured and the rest are making up numbers. They’re useful in filling out the squad and replacing the starting XI here and there but when you have a few starters out, we begin to look very weak.

Roy might be doing the practical thing each time but it does look very negative. May just be a reflection of the investment, or lack of, in playing staff. We all want to see fluent, attacking and inspiring football but I’d seriously question the ability of the squad to do so especially with the likes of Eze and Olise out.

I remember us seemingly forever in a relegation fight and when Wilf was out it was almost a write off. The situation with Ebz and Olise out inspired a similar feeling in me yesterday.

I’m clinging to a possibly fantasy based hope that they’ll invest in players to coincide with a new manager end of season, provided we’re not relegated. Until then, unfortunately I’d guess Roy’s thinking is to play for 0-0 against bigger sides and hope for more, and try to win the games in which we stand a chance. A carbon copy of his last spell, which I think the board recognise, hence his employment. We can’t do that forever though and something will have to change at some point.

COYP

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

I know nothing - but I would surmise that as the new main stand & the relevant costs attached get closer, Roy has been put under pressure to at least explore playing the youngsters that we have at PL level prior to the club having to spend money outside -

He probably saw last night as an opportunity to do so, we were 0.2 down & seemingly unlikely to drag ourselves back into the game so whatever we were risking the outcome was unlikely to get too much worse (at least in relation to other scenarios where younger players could be used)

Ultimately he is a manager tasked with getting the best out of this season so he will want to use all of the tools at his disposal - the big question is going to be what does the club do when next season comes around & work on the new stand begins.

I still don't think we will sell players to fund it but I do believe we will only buy new players as an absolute last resort.

Ha, this is said every season, and then we end up on average around 12th place. This is why I mention Groundhog Day, we've found our level and although Parish stands on his office desk and can reach the glass ceiling if he stretches enough he can't break through. Perhaps his main concern is getting the stand built and that will be his lasting legacy.
One day there'll be a surprise and we'll end up top six, or bottom three.

Just read Hodgsons comments, again. And everyone can ,will, and do have a different take on them.
But for the life of me, regardless of his position as manager he is absolutely right in what he said. A stark truth that would never please everyone, but true nevertheless . Hodgson has always been diplomatic in his comment but as it’s almost certainly his last job it would seem he is no longer prepared to be diplomatic in all things.
The media message comes across as if he is having a go at players, and that’s the not very diplomatic bit, but this has to be a side handed swipe at his employers, the comment on Franca, in particular. He couldn’t say it more clearly,we haven’t bought a ready to go wonder kid. And almost certainly like many here ,thinking ,Why?
For me it’s a pity the kids are caught up in this, but what Hodgson is really pissed about is he hasn’t got a really tight useful squad that can be used to change a game for the better, and bringing kids on is not going do it. It’s obvious surely ,team after team bring on experienced international after international . It’s no contest, and no wonder the man’s frustrated into the comments he has made recently.

Or maybe he was led to believe , he would lose no body and gain two or three. Let’s be honest he was publicly disappointed Wilf, went and asking for more in the close season , always diplomatic as I say, but on that issue he was clear on more than one occasion.. That suggests he could have had a change of mind, still could. And Hello Championship.
There had to be reason to think of top ten, and I bet it didn’t revolve around making do with untried kids.