Davefevs

Big game this one: Hoping for a Wednesday win, to make the next fortnight really exciting at the bottom end.

Sykes issue was running straight…needed to shift it to his right and make the goalie correct his angles. (or as you say, pass it)

My maths: So of the possible 15 or 16 home Saturday 3pm k/os, plus opening day or final day, I reckon 7 or 8 could move (light blue box on right). To when, I don’t know. Now, if those 7 or 8 contain Swansea, Cardiff and Bears movements, it might not feel too bad. The annoying thing is the lack of “explainer” by club / EFL. Fans are buying season tickets with a big unknown. For me it makes little difference, I quite like Friday night, or Saturday lunchtime, but for others (work, kids matches, etc) it could be a real deal breaker.

I can’t be sure when exactly the ball was played, but there is a good case for Sains being onside. Lines tried to be drawn in perspective and from t-shirt line. The hand (which doesn’t count) and camera angle don’t help.

Seems the case!

I said on FBC last night that I wondered similarly, that leaving him out and playing him in u21s might be a tad embarrassing for player and club Could be.

The big issue next week is the Steve Evans effect….in effect they ground out a 0-0 with Brum yesterday, and his players are in the shop window or casting couch for next season. Likely to be an interesting encounter, and one we are unlikely to have it all our own way.

If I was to guess I’d say the difference between a DoF and a TD is the DoF manages the budget too. And that’s what Tom Rawcliffe is doing. That doesn’t make Tom a DoF, just means as the bean-counter, it means Tins doesn’t have to step into territory he’s not qualified in.

FWIW Brian Tinnion was made Technical Director in Nov 2022, and tasked with overseeing the recruitment department. Over the previous 18 months Richard and Nige had developed the recruitment strategy, processes and profiles, Tins brought in to oversee it. Tins had been involved in the process before becoming TD, mainly for his Academy input into whether an Academy player could meet the brief, whether it might block pathway, etc. he also provided input from his knowledge of players. Basically we had a solid recruitment process in place for him to manage. All sensible stuff. It is fair to say that that in the 6 windows since summer 2021: 3 with Nige, prior to Tins promotion with his mainly Academy input 2 with Nige and Tins as TD 1 with Liam and Tins as TD Recruitment has been much improved. It’ll never be perfect. We’ve signed the least number of players across the Championship in those 3 seasons! This summer is the big one though. Not that I expect there to be much activity other than the 9 and 10, unless players leave. +++++ I still think anyone who tries to frame recruitment as being one person doesn’t understand how it works, whether they are framing it as good or bad. And that is the same predominately for comments like “that’s X’s signing / player”. There will be the odd one, King for Nige, Twine for Manning, but 90% go through the recruitment sausage machine / process. Bird, Stokes, Murphy were all in the sausage machine before Manning came here. And the above is not the same as the manager having the final say. Just to be clear.

Yep, that is the danger.

You know what, that might just be the most important thing. Good shout

That’s related to under 24s and getting compo. Over 24s its freedom of contract, they can just walk, regardless of what’s on offer.

I did say non-PP clubs, because that is who we’re are competing with realistically, alongside the hope that the non-PP clubs don’t get their act together upon relegation or in their 2nd (3rd) years down). Joe Williams wouldn’t look out of place in Coventry’s playoff side last season for example. I don’t think Joe is here to play the #8 he was initially signed to be, getting all over the pitch. He still gets about, but as the deeper / deepest of the midfield combo. I hate the DM / CM / AM lingo, and the #6, #8 and #10 stuff too…but I use it myself. Joe is a different skillset, he gives us something no other midfield player gives us…he’s annoying, if not in his play but with his gob too. I think he’s a player that helps us be about the sum of the parts. I don’t think we will be able to recruit a bunch of individuals to succeed at this level, but I do think we can be a “stars aligning” team like Luton, Coventry, Sunderland, etc - “teams” that got into the play offs. As for vision coming out of the club, well we don’t really hear anything from the board. Tins fronts-up, but he’s not the board, and his MO is to be bullish about everything. I like his enthusiasm for the club, but it’s not “strategic”. So, honestly, we are all making it up on their behalf, picking up on soundbites from crappy interviews around Nige’s sacking, but all they are is soundbites, there is no substance behind them. It’s not like the Fans Forum with Richard Gould before he went, where you got a real sense of where we were trying to get to…which was ultimately about surviving FFP and building. Had he still been here (or PA for that matter) I think we’d have heard what stage 2 was. We are being let down. The board / owners are lucky we don’t have demanding fans. I only hope that we come through the summer with a squad that looks to have some purpose to it (on paper at least) and actually we can just focus on the football side of things.

So what? Does it matter where you get your points?

I think most non-PP clubs would be giving him a serious think.

I’ll die in a ditch that Birmingham wasn’t a bad performance, despite what some say. But I’ll live with that difference of opinion. But Stoke? That just smacks of being purely basing on results.

You may like this thread?

At last, a 6 game form table!

No, it isn’t! Joe Williams makes more forward passes as a percentage of all passes, than most (c90%) of Championship midfielders with at least 500 minutes!

Much to agree with in you whole post above. If we go on a poor run, it will be the manner of it that defines my view, not the actual results.

I still think we need a no10, just think there are better fits and better value options than Twine.

See above.

Some posters, yes.

Because things change. And it wasn’t about results. It was a view at a point in time and how I thought things were going. For me time / longevity wasn’t the solution, but change was required. Imho there’s been some change. What doesn’t stack up for me is sticking rigidly to something when the evidence says different. But different things float different peoples boats. Because eff all is on the table. Simples! They were happy to let a meeting re sacking Nige on the Sunday after Leeds slip, don’t forget!

That I hope is the evolution.