Hash - about to go to pens, and day now apparently, though Rudi will obviously miss his 🤣 Can’t believe the guy said that - did he watch their own second pen, it’s in orbit apparently!

OI - nothing wrong with a redhead, but VC, well....

Is it still 0-0?

That video makes Alice look a bit like a red-haired Victoria Coren

Now there’s an image..... 😬

priti patel over Alice R any day of the week

Sorry GG - she chairs the weekly Independent Sage discussion on a weekly YouTube live cast - today’s is here [Link]

a4e - in English, please?

CW - doesn't surprise me that there is one or two of those left but god what a sad and miserable experience it sounds like.

2nd of fa cup, drawn home v average side, decent league position. 10 game challenge easily passed. Enough of the football gloom.

GG - did you know that you can get an extra dose of Alice R on the Indy Sage weekly discussion?

CW - yes AR, I remember the discussion about welcoming the prodigal fans back.

Well done DLAG monkeys. I hope that Xav doesn't forget to give some Big-Up to the Old Ruts posse.

[Link]

Trebor - Paul Osew is also injured at the moment.

Spit- not necessarily. All depends how the pub has been allowed to follow guidance. Pretty much, if they are playing by the spirit of the rules, and haven't upset local licensing, you'll be OK to stay longer, as long as that is the way the pub is operating.

Nobody riots after a substantial meal. Pasty and chips, three pints of Lowenbrau and that's me off for a nap. Clever...

So once you have eaten your substantial meal,you have to leave the pub ffs riot

Yes we're not running on 18 players so we're not short but we've gambled heavily on some players and the cover for the gamble going wrong is pretty bare.

When I say a small squad I mean the fact that if you take out the players who are absolutely U23s and not within a mile of the first team barring a wave of injuries our first team squad is actually 21 and that includes a group of players like Longman, Csoka and Oksanen who are basically reserve team players at other clubs getting their first experience of senior first team football with us. And the likes of Rudoni and NGW who are players in the process of transitioning from reserves to first team squad.

Oksanen is the missing midfielder - and having seen him initially as a card waiting to happen, I think he's possibly a big miss for us. He's the only midfielder who seems to be a central player who just hassles and breaks up opposition play. We need that.

KT2 that's very true, they won't have played as a group - although oddly the bits less used to each other (like Alexander and Chislett down the right) worked better than ones like Thomas and Nightingale who must have played at least 20 games together over the last couple of years.

KD - re your 12.26 - wholeheartedly agree

I think they are our only two injuries at the moment. Of course there may be occasions when we have more players out but it's not exactly unknown to have a few youngsters on the bench (either those out on loan currently or from the development squad). I guess my question to people who think the squad is small is what positions do we need more players in (as opposed to better players to replace what we have)? Personally, I'd say we would ideally have another midfielder as Glyn often plays three relative defence minded players there so effectively three from Hartigan, Oksanen, Woodyard and Reilly. But I think we probably have better options/cover in most positions this season than we've had for some time.

Lurker, think you may have taken my 'resembling a reserve team' comment a little too literally. Perhaps 'heavily rotated starting 11' would have been more accurate. The point being that it wasn't an 11 that was used to playing together, or playing at all in some individual cases. Credit to Barrow's team who were quite well organised and fought throughout the 120, they can rightfully feel gutted at being knocked out on pens. Good luck to them.