Red Skin

No one really knows, but regardless of the talk of 'top six' finish that was nail in Pearson's coffin, LM would not have been given this as a target for this year when he was being courted. And that's what his appointment was, not an interview. He's a manager on the up, why would he come to City weighed down with those expectations? He'd be better off staying at Oxford and having the chance of a better opportunity in the summer, or taking them up and having it later. He is a man so immersed and obsessed with football at the club he is working for, I do not believe he'd have had any idea about how the fans felt about Pearson's sacking. Why would he? Did you see anything in the national media about how badly we took it? The only thing he would have had to go on would have been what he was told by the club. And most people seem to think they either didn't know or didn't care what the fans thought, so at the very least it would have been played down. The club owners are fair game, but I don't believe LM is. And taking the position that LM is fair game, where does that leave you? It means the righteous anger and antipathy that should rightly be levelled at the club owners and hierarchy is completely misplaced.

No, it isn't unreasonable if you believe what they said. I never believed it for one minute. The owners didn't want Pearson and they were looking for excuses for what was a very poor decision and really couldn't be justified on any objective grounds. Some honesty would have help us fans, no matter how unpalatable, and it would have certainly helped Liam. He's been given a really tough job because of this and I feel lots of empathy for him because of this.

Pretty sure I've seen posts from you moaning about the football since LM took over. Might be wrong though, so apologies of that's not the case. I do think that many (maybe you, maybe not) are weighing down LM with the expectations the hierarchy had for Pearson this season, and the reason for sacking him i.e. top six finish or challenging top six this season. Everything has changed with Pearson's sacking.

No one is asking you to forgive, and we have been lied to. I think there is a groundswell of opinion amongst fans for changing the ownership, but you can still support the team and LM without supporting the ownership.

Mate, we might support the same football team but we are miles apart in terms of how we view life and deal with (very minor) adversity. I am very much accepting of where we are, but judging by your posts you aren't.

And that's the crux of the issue. If people have a issue with the ownership, then let's organise around that. I'd support it. But we need to recognise that support for LM and the team is not support for the ownership. Somehow, supporting LM and seeing anything positive in what we seen in games and viewed as supporting the Lansdowns and Pearson being sacked. And that's just not the case.

**** me, did you really? I buy my season ticket to see my mates for a couple of pints before the game. If the football is decent then that's a bonus. The stated reason for sacking Pearson are bullshit. We haven't got a top six side. We all know that. And just because they said we have it doesn't make it true. Have you not been watching the games? This shouldn't be a stick to beat LM with. Pearson was building something special. I was gutted he was sacked. But, despite what the JL, SL and Tins have said I never thought we'd seriously challenge this year especially given the injury list. Do you really think we would? What I was witnessing, however, was the consolidation of a squad with an identity and sense of belief. Sadly, Pearson has gone. What I want now is the players to adopt and believe in what our new manager has to bring. Regardless, of how we got him and what I wanted I really think he could be decent. There seems to be some sort of of grief we, as fans, are going through. But we all seem to be at different stages. Some are still angry, some are still in denial, some are numb, and some are accepting of where we find ourselves. I think Liam deserves a chance and regardless of what I think about how Pearson was treated I'm gonna give Manning my support and choose to see the positives rather than the negatives. .

Not I'm in cheap seats.

Not you, but I think that judging by the comments of some on here and the reactions of some of those around me at the games I've been to, there are people expecting to see really cohesive free-flowing attacking football for 90 minutes.

Was is Tommy?

Maybe this is more of a pitch to those fans who expected to see the finished product of LM's coaching after 4 games?

Jesus, haven't we all had enough of fans projecting their own feeling onto players? As Matt James said when asked about Nigel's departure, managers departing clubs is part and parcel of football. Yes, I'm sure players that Nige was picking will find it unsettling, but I suspect most are pretty focussed on themselves and being successful as a team despite Nige departing. And certainly players that weren't being picked every week e.g. Mehmeti, will probably be glad of the chance to impress a new manager. As for what's gonna happen over the next games, let's not catastrophize. Let's just see how things unfold.

It's clear to me that some fans are so pissed with the board for sacking Pearson, they are blind to anything that could be seen as improvement. I didn't want to see Pearson sacked (feel I have to say that when I post anything positive) and no one believes what the Club hierarchy says about the reason why, but let's give Manning a chance. Yes, there was a fair deal of passing along the back that didn't go anywhere but we did make a number of incisive pieces of play to open up Norwich. As the players get more used to what Manning wants I am optimistic we'll see more incisive passing and more opportunities. I also think clever players like Bell will be more impactful coming inside and linking play than being stuck out on the wing and just being asked to chase hopeful punts down the channels. Conway is struggling now, but I see more chances (like he had today) coming his way too, as the players become more adept at executing what the new regime are trying to implement.

Well said @Harry. We had 3 or 4 really decent chances in the first half that came through patient build and incisive passing. Sure the second half wasn't great, but there are signs of improvement for me. Must be the torches the pitchfork brigade are carrying are blinding them to some decent glimpses of football?

Maybe he was going back to the changing room to give the players a bollocking for conceding late on? If he'd come over to crowd to 'celebrate' a last minute defeat, he'd get pelters for that too. The bloke can't win. I didn't want Nigel sacked but this dissection of every word Manning says and every action he takes is absolutely ridiculous.

I think sin bins have some merit. I've always thought the accumulation of yellow cards resulting in a ban has always had a issue of fairness about it. And this is the scenario. - It's the penultimate game of the season. City are level on points with Leeds for the second automatic promotion place. (I never said it was a realistic scenario!). - Both clubs have to play Norwich in one of the last two game. City play Norwich in their penultimate game, and Leeds play Norwich in their last game. - In the City v Norwich game, four of Norwich's key player are one booking away from a ban. - All 4 players pick up yellow cards in the game v City for professional fouls and are subsequently banned for the final game of the season against Leeds. - For City, all the offences by these players deny us from winning the game, and yet it's Leeds that benefit from these offences as they face a weakened team because of the offences committed against City. Leeds benefit, but we don't. Ok, an unlikely scenario and I've exaggerated the impact to prove a point but at any time of the season a misdemeanour by one player that merits a booking does not really help the team they commit it against. By sin binning him, the team he has committed the offence against immediately benefits rather than some other random team further down the fixture list. There are arguments against of course - would it result in a very defensive formation from the sin-binned team - but it would solve this particular injustice that I have always struggled with.

No shit Sherlock. You know exactly the point I was making. It's the aimless hoof forward to no one in particular that gives possession away needlessly that it some fans need to realise isn't what Manning is about. If we had a big lump up front and could play percentages then maybe that would be a tactic, but not with Conway up front. And as a point of order, you must have missed every assist from corners over the years. All from passes played backwards. Anyone can be a smart arse, but it gets tedious and ******* annoying so most people choose not to be.

I doubt very much Matt wrote the headline despite contributing the article. I'm sure it just the editor trying to get attention, which it has! I see nothing wrong with what he says in the article. I sit in the South Stand too, and was pretty annoyed with shouts of 'get it forward' from some fans around me. The same fans that complained when a player did lump the ball up to no one in particular. I was gutted we sacked Pearson, but we have Manning now. I wouldn't go as far as to say I enjoyed the first 30 minutes, but it was intriguing to see how Manning is setting out the team and what they were trying to do.

Thank @chalkeyred. Finally, after all the emotional trauma of the last few weeks we finally can return the more serious matter of pies at football grounds.

Leaving aside the personalities in these roles, I think we have moved to a more sustainable structure. The head coach model: Technical director/DoF sets the footballing ethos or identity of the club. We develop players in the academy to suit this ethos and style of play. We recruit first team players that fit with this. We choose a head coach to coach this. If the head coach moves one - either sacked or is headhunted - then the new head coach just takes over and there is limited impact on the rest of the footballing structure. The manager model: The manager decides the footballing ethos and is involved in recruitment to get players to fit with this. The academy adapts to fit with this style so academy player are able to progress to the first team. The manager moves on - sacked or headhunter - and the impact of the rest of the club is massive. The new manager wants his own players to fit his style. We are stuck with bloated squad players from the last manager, that the new manager doesn't want. The academy need to overhauled at all levels to fit with the new manager's ethos. For me, the head coach model just makes sense. Brentford, Brighton, Swansea have made it work. The manager model is great if your manager is Alex Ferguson, is successful and stays for 20+ years, but how often does that happen in football? And just look at the mess United are in since Fergie (and Martin Edwards) left! Getting the right appointment for DoF/Technical director is obviously vital. And who knows whether Tinnion is the right man, but you cannot question his passion for or dedication to the club. I was gutted at the timing for implementing the model. I didn't want Pearson sacked. But, for me, we needed to move to the head coach model at some stage.

Half a shirt, surely?

RIP Clive.

I hope they haven't pissed on his cornflakes too. Wonder what was pissed on for lunch?

You need to lay off OTIB for a bit, mate. I dreamt I had a threesome with Scarlet Johansson and Natalie Portman. Unfortunately, when I awoke it was just Scarlet next to me in bed in the morning.

I'd go for this too. Without a natural ball carrying midfielder, then we need to use Dickie and Naismith to carry the ball into midfield and become creative. Both are capable. Strong press from Conway, Wells, Knight supported by Sykes and Pring playing high up the pitch.