Mr Popodopolous

Their losses from the last 2 seasons will overhang and I doubt they have budgeted for a bit to the TV money alone. -£25m in 2022-23, something this season. I do take your point, they should do well but League One has financial rules too- it's a bit complex moving between the divisions however. I've sought to extrapolate from their 6 month accounts at the HKSE and new sponsorship, firing Eustace, hiring Rooney, firing Rooney, hiring Mowbray is bound to cost. Rjeu appear to have lost money despite and including a rise in income and the Bellingham sell on in 6 months to December 31 2023. Emergency interim for Rowett also.

I'm thinking it definitely plays a role, the greater number of identikit grounds. Yet there are tough away games, plenty but in any given day more than as a whole bar a few clubs at the level. On a side note, it could be counterintuitive or even plain wrong but 10-15 years ago say we had struck when the iron was hot in the GJ era. As an average it would have been tougher and more hostile for away sides especially pampered PL- East End albeit modernised, less gentrified, the stadium itself was s bit smaller and tighter- looked older. Even if less revenue streams, I think Ashton Gate in the rain, or wind and rain swirling with rain in mid winter back then- vs sides who are big therefore you relish taking down a peg, up for it would've been trickier than some of them would think. I recall e.g. v Barnsley in that year chanting of Where's your caravan at the Atyeo end probably East End too at keeper with long hair..I expect that sort of thing even then would have come as a bit of a culture shock to some of the big boys.

During that era we had some competent individuals- we did. We had a questionable manager, hierarchy and ability to blend them together. I do think NP would pushed on the squad between say 2017-2020 than Lee Johnson did. In the League certainly. Man management and fitness at times were also suspect, talking in general not just some individuals.

Feel free, all 24 Home records and multiple seasons back there. https://www.soccerstats.com/homeaway.asp?league=england2 Think Home Advantage generally has frayed, or at this level anyway. It is a strange League, less vigorous home support due to changes in demographic of fans, regulations is one factor. More tactical gameplans, it is difficult to pinpoint a sole factor. Counterattacking gameplay another factor. Divisional average of Home Wins 45% is rather low as a whole IMO! Lower than I thought it might be.

Given our penalty v Huddersfield was deemed an error and Chris Foy deemed Conway to have dived v Rotherham, swings and roundabouts or not? Barrot was the referee, a linesman call offside isn't it? I don't agree with the latter the dive but Chris Foy wrongly labelled it such and certainly stated it wasn't a penalty.

Decision not to back NP, or show a pathway to bring backed and provide with a new contract combined with the nest egg comments did it for me. We can but hope that the opportunity to build on a solid base is taken this summer, to salvage it as best we can. I'm hoping.. *New contact for James *New contract for Williams *New contract for Conway or at worst wait and go to Tribunal. *Twine or other 10 and striker. *Keep anyone else who is key, stand firm. Plus without going nuts if we can get depth to improve the position a bit, we go for it. Still think a 4th CB but then I'm pro 4-3-3 so maybe I'm out of touch.

7th best Home Record tbh. Albeit a big gap to 6th and above. I don't think the Home Fortresses at this level for a lot of sides are what they were 15 years ago, let alone longer. When I have time I'll go through Average PPG at the level for Home sides and Win Ratio. 25 pts from 23 League away games, notably 15 from 16 under Manning looks a bigger concern ironically on some levels. 3 wins in those 16 Away games...3 in 7 under NP, despite those under NP including trips to Leeds and Leicester.

Our joint biggest loss iirc since 6-2 at Fulham in Janaury 2022? Correct me if wrong. Obviously we lost 3-0 at the other BCFC last year and Man City won 3-0 at AG last year but weighted towards the opposition today was terrible.

I agree incredible but everything went right broadly speaking. I agree but unsure how many times they would pull it off...the injuries or lack of, some hitherto unremarkable individuals at this level as a number did their squad surging as they did with 3 Relegated bolstered by Parachute Payments major clubs for the level.

Is that the norm, just out of interest. Should IMO minimum be a post season debrief on the Monday following and then Holidays, fitness plans and Schedules etc although I assume that would already be in play.

Apologies for the source but sounds like their fans took it well.. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/27734173/birmingham-relegated-fans-invade-pitch-stewards-clash/

Genuinely 1 in 20 I reckon. Retaining momentum is of course very important and we very much botched that among other things!

I had some cautious optimism had certain provisos been met. I would perhaps have been alright with 11th although was hoping for a top 10 finish/push. *A happy NP. *Scott retained, with a better squad and better structured squad around him or.. *..A reasonable chunk of Scott money reinvested. *A tactical framework, we had settled on 4-3-3 or some variation of and were steadily building on the counter attacking base in the last chunk of 2022-23.

Our Away record has worsened.

For the last time this year! @Tim Monaghan maybe mentioned this thread a few days ago unless if was another thread. I'll accept it as some good, some bad..in and around parity. The Manning era. I'd argue parity eventually clawed back near enough. When Fleming gave us the farewell vs Sheffield Wednesday.

Coupon Buster? Mind you our Away Record hasn't been up to much!

Our best hope realistically is certain stars align, keep James and Williams, plus Conway and anyone else who is important, manage to really have a good season for fitness, the number 9 and 10 and maybe one or two valuable depth players. Even then playoffs most likely although the 3 who drop feel like they could be less strong.

Totally agree. Not only that but check their continuity of a lot key players....infuriating and then some! That same combination helped to oversee average to terrible injury positions and of course given Ashton and his role in the financial disaster.

They've pulled a 1 in a 20 chance season IMO. Of course credit is due but so very much will have gone their way in a big picture sense. Not churlish but there is a bit of both.

Fair points although the pedant in me points out that the rules were different then but there were no points deductions for breaches so could've gone either way. The Rule changes seem to catch us at bad times..it was 1 year £13m loss plus Allowables but the following season snapped into 3 Year Losses.

On Ipswich I don't want to go on but they inherited and handed over a good financial position post Evans Nothing like for us, nothing like whatsoever. We nearly were ruined (in FFP terms). Their injury record? Abnormally good considering some of the player ages etc.

Finish is okay, could be worse.. how we got there however.

Their injury record has been abnormally good. To key players.

7th, according to this. Albeit a major gap to the best 6! Given that we had 10 points and 3 wins by the start of October and had played Leicester and Leeds away, our Away Record has tailed off! Just shy of a point per game. Best of the rest, just about.

Fairly happy. Had we done it in 2017 that would have been great. A true dream could've been Birmingham dropping and us relegating Stoke but Stoke were likely to pull clear so Birmingham dropping is a very nice consolation prize.