Numero Uno

Just now, Grey Fox said:

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

And Blackburn , away trips to Leeds and Leicester remaining. 

Do you know who Blackburn have away from home in their remaining games?

3 hours ago, WessexPest said:

 

“Nearly full houses every week”

If ever a quote summed up their fanbase that is literally it. Imagine the scene, some horse puncher in a boozer in London, chatting with some Spurs fan:

"Who do you support?"

"Bristol Roverzz, biggest club in Bristol and we gets full houses every week. In fact only Spurs spent more money on their stadium than us the other season."

"What does your ground hold, 20 maybe 30K?"

"Well not quite, it's about 10K and we're getting 7K most weeks so like I say, nearly full houses every week. Also we take 30.83% of our support away from home (except Fleetwood where we took 75) so we're the best supported away club in the country as well."

"You took 75K to Fleetwood?"

"No, 75 fans".

"Oh, just need to go outside and make a phone call...........".

7 minutes ago, SPAZZA said:

It’s hilarious, I think all fans of the top 4 thought at one stage “we’re pushing each other onto records points totals” but in truth we have all what the bed, there’s no point trying to guess but Leicester having a 17 point lead over us come the new year and being caught has destroyed them

People never learn. It's the Championship and predictability never reigns. Full of players who are Premier League one week and League 1/2 the next......such as Dominic Hyam on Wednesday (if you haven't seen it you should have a look and try and work out how it is actually possible for someone who plays at the level as CAPTAIN of his club every week to put in that "performance"). Add into the mix that teams right at the bottom have now reached the desperation end of the season and in a league famed for "anyone can beat anyone" it really isn't that surprising what's happening.

FWIW it will be criminal if Farke cannot get Leeds out of this league automatically. Best side seen down the Gate this season by a motorway not a street.........and I include the West Ham and Forest cup sides in that which were about as strong as they could put out at the time anyway.

2 minutes ago, Kibs said:

I think as many have pointed out, we still struggle against teams who play a certain way, especially at home. Thats not necessarily new, and I think that’s one of the biggest challenges for LM. 
 

It's a challenge that will see a lot of heat evaporate away from him if he can overcome it..........

Game tomorrow lads.................

Guys, just say the form between x and y was absolute shite, don't mention the R word and hopefully you won't go to prison.......

5 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Blimey- he did all that? Top bloke.

I bet Brian Tinnion , the owners and Richard Gould couldn't believe their luck.

Most of us couldn't believe our luck that we had a billionaire take charge of the club.......then he started making decisions and spending his money. But it would be "ungrateful" to suggest that according to some.

However it is clearly not ungrateful at all to suggest a manager that has worked under significant budget restrictions (with Richard Gould) and, at the same time, kept us in the Championship whilst accelerating the career of two players sold for £30m and benefitted said owner is a complete and utter dud........

Brian Tinnion can't believe his luck, that's a certainty.

1 hour ago, Kibs said:

Playing devils advocate, how do we know the intent has changed? 

Maybe it’s the execution and understanding that’s changed?

Maybe it’s the way that the message has been delivered that has changed? 

Maybe it’s partly down to confidence and opposition performance too?

Maybe it’s the return from injury or upturn in form of a few players? 

Hoggs interview last week implied that the intent has always been the same. 

There is one obvious change in intent that we showed in particular the other night. Instead of playing 175 passes sideways and backwards it is showing everyone like a flashing beacon that players are now "allowed" to play the ball over the top of/behind their back four if the opportunity presents itself. So now it might be eight passes and a more direct ball forward.

It could be that they've been "allowed" to do this all along and misinterpreted the brief or it might be the case that Liam and Chris have decided our current crop of players must have that option otherwise they play themselves into some sort of oblivion that winds fans up and puts their jobs at risk!! However, whatever the reasoning, that has been the obvious difference in the last few games imo.

We turned Blackburn's back four round so that they were facing their own goal and they couldn't handle it.

26 minutes ago, Seventeen said:

Credit to Barton. He made Rovers so unbearable I still haven't and can't see myself ever returning. 

 

The problem is whilst you can get rid of the symptoms and everything "looks better" you haven't necessarily got rid of the underlying illness and the symptoms will return at some point. Until Wally is bombed out of your club nothing changes. He's an amateur (and I accept you might well and justifiably throw the same accusation back regarding our hierarchy). He condoned Joey's behaviour over a considerable period of time before he had no choice but to fire him. 

17 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Don’t recall seeing one post of that nature.  Anyone else?

The first poster to use the word lucky was the poster moaning at people calling us lucky........................

We finished superbly, we pressed/condensed play, call it what you want superbly AND Blackburn were absolute litter. All three are a fact but some are so sensitive of perceived criticism of the manager that you ain't allowed to say it.

From my personal perspective I've got no issue with Liam at all if he keeps producing and/or showing signs that long term he can do the job. The only person I have an irrational desire to **** out of it is Tinnion, and no circumstance whatsoever and comment by anyone on here changes that.

4 minutes ago, mozo said:

You definitely wouldn't have scored the Mehmeti goal! 

True, I might have got the ball off Hyam though.............before hitting the Heineken Lounge Entrance Door.

20 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Good summary.  Yes, a bit wasteful with it, but really found lots of space and gave good options.  Not sure what he was trying to achieve on his 1v1?

On Saturday, I thought him, Pring and Twine looked like they were going through the motions.  I was very interested to see them last night.  Saturday was a one-off.  Sykes has had a few one-offs this season, but generally he’s been pretty important to us.

I think he tried to do a "Iheanacho" (disallowed goal the other week) and discovered he doesn't have the talent...............

1 hour ago, Red-Robbo said:

I don't think we were "gift wrapped" goals. Hyams may have been poor but both pens and his under-pressure back pass came because we were pressing high and continuously. For his first,  Conway still needed to be alert to the possibility and bury it. I've seen us miss plenty of possible interceptions. As for Mehmeti's goal, there was nothing gift wrapped about it in my opinion. After robbing the defender he had to hold him off, take it into the box, wrong-foot another defender and shoot from an angle to avoid a third. It was pure skill. 

You don't fluke a 5-0. It comes because you were playing well - as well as them playing poorly. 

Not knocking Tommy at all but it was as simple a finish as you will ever get in a 1 v 1. Because of the mistake by Hyam the keeper was in a poor position and literally gave Tommy the whole side of the goal to aim at. A player of his ability literally could not miss........in fact I would have been disappointed to miss that myself (accepting it would be a possibility)!! 

I felt sorry for Pears to be honest. Any keeper playing behind that back-four deserves some sort of bonus to make up for the short term harm it will do for his career. Even on back passes he had balls played back to him and then the player would "hide" behind the line of a City player so he couldn't receive it back. He would have walked off last night absolutely raging and probably had a right rant in the dressing room afterwards. There was so much "wrong" about Blackburn last night it was untrue. If they were trying to get Eustace sacked they might have made it less obvious......................

Agree on Mehmeti that whatever the rights and wrongs of the defending it was a very good bit of play that opened up a second half that had been a bit drab to that point.

1 hour ago, LondonBristolian said:

(EDIT: Obviously occasionally our Technical Director DMs confidential info to others on social media too but hopefully that's a rarity!)

Whether it's a rarity or every day it's a compelling reason he shouldn't be in post imo. Happy to give Liam the time to show us what he can do but not the TD I'm afraid. That's not something I will be budging on even if Manning wins us the Champions League.......in five years, obviously.

8 minutes ago, mozo said:

The most annoying thing about last night is we could have won 7-0 if we'd been more clinical!

Very true.

1 minute ago, E.G.Red said:

I'm no Manning apologist but it always amazes me that if we play well the opposition must be s**t or having an off night. Think the team deserve a lot of credit, 4 clean sheets and we stopped the opposition playing their game

They were poor though and yes we made them that way. You can't blame the keeper but the centre halves (all three who ended up playing) put in a League 2 display. What it does prove though, is the level we are at. Put in a display like that in the Championship and you get heavily punished. Blackburn have won one game in thirteen, that 5-1 win at Sunderland people are referring to, otherwise have been mediocre for months. Looking at their run-in they really need to beat Sheffield Wednesday otherwise it might be curtains for them.

Our players showed, again, that give them room to play then they will play. I would like to see at least one game out of those remaining where we play through an opposition that not only set up defensively but ALSO compete well. Saturday may give us that opportunity. That's Manning's last challenge this season for me................

1 hour ago, Northern Red said:

Blackburn were meant to be desperate for the points, though you wouldn't have known it.

I have never seen a more obvious example of a team totally letting down it's travelling fans.......like ever. The bit I couldn't fathom was simply how much more aggressive WE were than them, the team with effectively bugger all to play for. We pressed, harried, stuck our foot in, looked like we were mildly interested in performing and winning the game etc. etc. the complete opposite of them who looked like they were in Bristol for a kickabout to fulfil their obligations to the league and get out and get home as quick as possible. They have Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry and Leicester in their last four games.................if we were in their position this board would have us relegated after last night.

2 minutes ago, mozo said:

It's an interesting result in the context that a lot of people were hoping for Eustace over Manning. I wonder how he would have done here.

Blackburn were so passive. It was noticeable that we were by far the more aggressive team which for any Blackburn fan who travelled must have made them feel physically sick. I know it's a bit "old school" but I expect us to get bullied by some of these Northern teams and it was the total opposite, we bullied them for 90 minutes whilst they failed abysmally at trying to look easy on the eye.

20 minutes ago, Cole Not Gas said:

Max has improved significantly since the autumn and that co-incided with other changes! If a big bid came in for him of course the owner has to consider it and then its the same question as every summer; does SL think we have the right squad and coach to have a go for top six? The next question then is can the books be balanced to avoid the financial penalties which now determine where the club ends up just as much as results on the pitch.

I like Max, hope stays but have to be realistic that, local lad or not, all players want a Premier League income and opportunity to progress. Liam has had to do without Scott and Semenyo this season with little money to spend on quality replacements. What we'll see in August depends on how the owner sees our prospects as above.

I note you did credit Pearson on another thread and the simple explanation is Max has benefitted from simply staying in the team and his experience and confidence levels have improved enabling him to improve his game from "steady and reliable" to "occasional match winner". Yes, he makes mistakes but half the dopes who post about keepers think they aren't allowed to make a mistake simply because they are a goalkeeper and not a "real footballer". Complete and utter thick as mince Bellends.................

3 minutes ago, Cole Not Gas said:

Join the other forums if you want to enjoy our successes. What odds on another 5-0 on Saturday? Huddersfield havent lost as often this season as Blackburn but early goals will destroy their confidence so who knows?

We won't win 5-0 on Saturday, we might win but it won't be that one sided. Huddersfield will 100% compete and conceded four on Tuesday chasing the game at the end whereas I don't know even know where to begin describing Blackburn's output last night. If you had transported a Premier League glory supporter to the Gate and said one team needed the points and the other had nowt to play for they would have made an obvious and wrong choice. If I was the Blackburn Keeper I would have went back to the dressing room and slapped all three centre halves who "played" last night because, notwithstanding the fact we pressed superbly at times, I haven't seen anything that bad at this level in years.

8 hours ago, glynriley said:

Again, I said in the pub pre match, Max is a top, top keeper. Kudos to Nige for seeing he was a better, and cheaper bet than Bentley. 
 

Best keeper we’ve had in a long while for me.

Those of us who saw it a year ago were shouted down every time Max made an error. "He's a ******* clown blah blah blah"................ For all his outstanding saves Bentley made a few of those errors too, and even worse from my perspective, plenty of times where he wouldn't make a mistake because he didn't come for the ball when it was being loaded into the penalty area and therefore put himself in the firing line to make a mistake. "Let the centre half deal with it, not my problem" - unfortunately for Bentley it is a very big problem when your manager is an ex-Centre Half who knows exactly what you are doing!!

When you consider that, at a time when Nakhi was significantly reducing his wages, Bentley wanted a rise to something over £15K per week it was a brave, not overly popular but ultimately very beneficial decision made by an experienced manager to introduce Max who started off being steady and unspectacular, which wouldn't have looked as good as our shot stopping "liner" to begin with, but has now elevated his game to start producing points winning performances.......and Liam is very much benefitting from that because in two of our last four clean sheets we actually defended fairly poorly, getting sliced open on numerous occasions, and had the keeper to thank for the clean sheet.

35 minutes ago, Alessandro said:

A little run of good results is nothing particularly new, we’ve been streaky for years.

Can Manning make us more consistent? 

Personally (not getting heady after winning 5 nil) I’m reserving judgment for a longer sample of games - especially as in the last few results we’ve been on the right end of some awful finishing (Vardy), Max at his best on multiple occasions and a Blackburn side that gifted, literally handed us 4 goals tonight. 

False dawn or not? Eitherway, we’ll find out next season as Manning will have his shot…

Exactly this. A few have predictably decided to go all in tonight and fair enough you’ve got to enjoy a 5-0 win however achieved (he put a crap side to bed and that’s what I’ve wanted him to do so no complaints from me) BUT the serious football and expectation levels start all over again in August.

Get off to a good start and it’s happy days. Poor start and the club will be under pressure. The next transfer window and how Manning integrates new players will determine how long he’s at the Gate. His recent impressive run of results has bought him that opportunity.

We’ve beat a steaming pile of turd at last. Well done Liam, been a huge hole in your record. 5-0 was the right result tbh. Could have been 7 quite easily.

As for Blackburn, I’ve never seen a side let their fans down like that for a long time. Back four were League 2. Felt sorry for the keeper playing behind that.

Hope to see a decent game of football and a scoreline that isn't Binary.......

You've gotta laugh at 50 year old blokes doubling down on their support of the Joey Bag though. Totally agree with laying into 17 year old lady goalkeepers (until their old man got involved and he totally shat his Y fronts obviously) but have a pop at a 15 year old lad and you've really gone and done it this time......................."I used to respect you when you were laying into Birds Joey".