Birmingham City at home match day thread

[RUSSEL85]

29 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

That`s what fifty years of supporting City does to you.

He’s only 21  

[BasSavage88]

Just now, Pezo said:

At least it's attached to reality which isn't what we got under previous managers.

It's like a politician though, telling the people what they want to hear so they clap along thinking they have a ******* clue what they are doing.

In reality NP isn't good enough to do anything here 

 

[KegCity]

8 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Well, we’ve a redeveloped ground and a new training ground and a team that’s been in the Championship for the last seven years. A while back, we got within one match of the PL for the first time since 1976. On average, we’ve done ok compared to our history. My feeling is ‘be careful what you wish for.’

I also can’t help the feeling that there’s someone somewhere who might have done better than 28 defeats in 52 games.

The bar really is on the floor isn’t it? We’ve done the bare minimum if we’re being honest.  I doubt not going bust, building a new ground and losing a playoff final was the dream when SL took over.

[italian dave]

3 minutes ago, RedEyez said:

So? The midfield was an utter shambles first half. 

He picks them. We looked far more effective with a midfield of Scott, Benarous, Massengo and Weimann last time out at the Gate than we did with todays more ‘experienced’ lot. 

[Robbored]

6 minutes ago, Slippin cider said:

Just listened to NP on RB and it’s pretty much the same old waffle . Interesting summer ahead I think .

Nige doesn’t ‘waffle’ - that was LJs specialty. Today he was as blunt as he could be without throwing anyone under the bus. He also added that he realised that us fans are getting fed up with him repeating the same thing after every defeat.

Like all of us he’s frustrated with the inconsistency and holds his hand up and says as manager that he’s responsible.

He hinted at the league position which suggests that he’s a looking down rather than up………..

[Loosey Boy]

45 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said:

Anybody else tired, weary and fed up with being a BCFC supporter? Literally nothing to get enthused about season after season.

This…….totally dejected after that today.

NP’s hands are tied - we will sell two or three of our prized assets in the summer and once again, tread water next season IF we are lucky!

[KegCity]

2 minutes ago, italian dave said:

He picks them. We looked far more effective with a midfield of Scott, Benarous, Massengo and Weimann last time out at the Gate than we did with todays more ‘experienced’ lot. 

We were just as shite against Coventry. Just passed it round the back before lumping it up to the forwards. Played much better when we kept the ball on the floor and split defenders with through balls rather than hoofing it.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

1 hour ago, Banjo Red said:

I'm beginning to question Pearson, but let's look at it another way I assume you work if you are shit at your job you get a bollocking. You can coach and train players all you want if it doesn't go in there is clearly an issue with understanding the fundamentals of basic tactics.

A very fair comment. As I posted earlier I don't get why both the manager and the players are , on their day, very impressive yet revert to type the next. I am unable to accept that the failures of our season is wholly down to crap players.

[Numero Uno]

1 minute ago, Robbored said:

Nige doesn’t ‘waffle’ - that was LJs specialty. Today he was as blunt as he could be without throwing anyone under the bus. He also added that he realised that us fans are getting fed up with him repeating the same thing after every defeat.

Like all of us he’s frustrated with the inconsistency and holds his hand up and says as manager that he’s responsible.

He hinted at the league position which suggests that he’s a looking down rather than up………..

Its a crying shame because no other manager is being cut the slack that Pearson is. However there are limits and whilst we will be fine because of points deductions and utter dross below us if this bullshit continues into next season he won’t get the same slack afforded to him, that’s a guarantee. Today was simply not good enough, slack or no slack being cut.

[054123]

13 minutes ago, YGBjammy said:

I've always been a fan of Pearson and his personality; especially at our club where it's been needed for a long time. I think I still trust him in the long term to be one of the best we could have picked for our rebuild; we just have to accept that it will be slow going, especially with the financial situation. The two windows he's had so far he's been pretty hand-tied and the main objective has been offloading; which he's started to do.

If we're still in this position this time next year then he'll have to go obviously; but I'd hope this summer will be very busy with both outs and ins. 

On the other hand I am starting to worry that I like the idea of Pearson more than the reality of Pearson. There's a small part of me that wonders if he's simply past it?

October

[Slippin cider]

4 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Nige doesn’t ‘waffle’ - that was LJs specialty. Today he was as blunt as he could be without throwing anyone under the bus. He also added that he realised that us fans are getting fed up with him repeating the same thing after every defeat.

Like all of us he’s frustrated with the inconsistency and holds his hand up and says as manager that he’s responsible.

He hinted at the league position which suggests that he’s a looking down rather than up………..

I never heard him take responsibility today ,just said what he’s said for the last few games about individual players and it must get him down as it does the rest of us . Very frustrating. 

[redrum]

33 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

The depressing thing is, if you work on the basis that Baker isn’t going to play again, that was basically Tanner short of our strongest side.

Agree with this. Apart from RB, and maybe Massengo on one of his good days, the team looked alright on paper, yet on the field it was lacking 

Back to the HPC we go

Edited March 5, 2022 by redrum

[Robbored]

6 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Its a crying shame because no other manager is being cut the slack that Pearson is. However there are limits and whilst we will be fine because of points deductions and utter dross below us if this bullshit continues into next season he won’t get the same slack afforded to him, that’s a guarantee. Today was simply not good enough, slack or no slack being cut.

We have the summer window to do business, both out and in and I’m very confident that this won’t continue next season.

No - the first half today was absolutely dreadful and the worst I’ve seen play in a very long time and City deserved to get booed off. Second half was loads better but City just couldn’t manage to find the elusive equaliser.

[firstdivision]

22 minutes ago, Keepers Ball said:

forget the bloody stadium. Always gets brought up when the Lannsdowns get questioned. its not even ours ffs. We get to play in it.

Nothing more. We just get to use what is part of the Sporting legacy that includes the sodding rugby and basketball

No, I’m not going to forget the stadium. 

[The Coach]

8 minutes ago, Slippin cider said:

I never heard him take responsibility today ,just said what he’s said for the last few games about individual players and it must get him down as it does the rest of us . Very frustrating. 

What would you like him to say? 

[Bristol Oil Services]

24 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

 My feeling is ‘be careful what you wish for.’

 

That's not a "feeling," that's a thought (a fearful one). Which can probably be traced back to Alan Curbishley and Charlton and all that. Or even back to 1982, and all that.

Do you ever think about clubs where they got things right and things worked out really well? I wonder what that feels like?

What do you think?

 

[firstdivision]

19 minutes ago, KegCity said:

The bar really is on the floor isn’t it? We’ve done the bare minimum if we’re being honest.  I doubt not going bust, building a new ground and losing a playoff final was the dream when SL took over.

Well, it was considerably better than we managed for a hundred years.

[Banjo Red]

1 hour ago, 22A said:

So; are NP's tactics and formations wrong, or are the players just not good enough, or worst case scenario, are the players simply not interested??

Truthfully looks like both to me.

[firstdivision]

2 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Well, it was considerably better than we managed for a hundred years.

…except a few years in the 70s.

[Banjo Red]

19 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

A very fair comment. As I posted earlier I don't get why both the manager and the players are , on their day, very impressive yet revert to type the next. I am unable to accept that the failures of our season is wholly down to crap players.

It's looking like both you can't play a striker as fullback

[italian dave]

14 minutes ago, KegCity said:

We were just as shite against Coventry. Just passed it round the back before lumping it up to the forwards. Played much better when we kept the ball on the floor and split defenders with through balls rather than hoofing it.

Fair point, although I felt that against Coventry we did that less by choice than we did today. Coventry made it very hard for us by giving us possession in our own half and just making it hard to play through the middle.

I agree with you though, we’ve looked much better in some games recently when we’ve tried to play it on the ground. Maybe I chose the wrong example with Coventry. I’d thought we’d decided to stop the route one stuff but we definitely chose to revert to that today.

The one plus that James and Williams should give us is better cover in front of the back 2 or 3. Yet we don’t even get that. Soon after their second we allowed them to run straight through the middle for a good 20 yards, into a shooting position, without a single challenge. Same happened last week at Forest - again when James and Williams were meant to be providing that experience and cover. 

[Pezo]

17 minutes ago, BasSavage88 said:

It's like a politician though, telling the people what they want to hear so they clap along thinking they have a ******* clue what they are doing.

In reality NP isn't good enough to do anything here 

 

Do you want to hear that we're not good enough, I know I don't!

Can't coach/manage the players at what we're bad at - we need different players.

[firstdivision]

5 minutes ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

That's not a "feeling," that's a thought (a fearful one). Which can probably be traced back to Alan Curbishley and Charlton and all that. Or even back to 1982, and all that.

Do you ever think about clubs where they got things right and things worked out really well? I wonder what that feels like?

What do you think?

 

It doesn’t have to be a fearful one. It can be a pragmatic one, too. I think ‘don’t sell’. Anyway, it’s all very well talking about selling the club. We’d need the right buyer. And someone interested to buy. 

[italian dave]

10 minutes ago, The Coach said:

What would you like him to say? 

I made a mistake playing Bell in that position.

This is what I’m going to do about our failings. 

[RedEyez]

31 minutes ago, italian dave said:

He picks them. We looked far more effective with a midfield of Scott, Benarous, Massengo and Weimann last time out at the Gate than we did with todays more ‘experienced’ lot. 

He picks them . He literally doesn’t have a Games console controller on the edge of the pitch controlling their every move and action.

The midfield in the first half were well of it .

Edited March 5, 2022 by RedEyez

[KegCity]

13 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Well, it was considerably better than we managed for a hundred years.

No it’s not, it’s the exact same as the previous hundred years. Nothing. 

[KegCity]

6 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Fair point, although I felt that against Coventry we did that less by choice than we did today. Coventry made it very hard for us by giving us possession in our own half and just making it hard to play through the middle.

I agree with you though, we’ve looked much better in some games recently when we’ve tried to play it on the ground. Maybe I chose the wrong example with Coventry. I’d thought we’d decided to stop the route one stuff but we definitely chose to revert to that today.

The one plus that James and Williams should give us is better cover in front of the back 2 or 3. Yet we don’t even get that. Soon after their second we allowed them to run straight through the middle for a good 20 yards, into a shooting position, without a single challenge. Same happened last week at Forest - again when James and Williams were meant to be providing that experience and cover. 

We played the exact same both games. James and Williams were shocking, neither of them helped out Bell at all and offered nothing other than sideways passes today. 
 

Today certainly wasn’t his fault, but I was disappointed with Scott today. For a player of his quality and potential you’d expect him to try and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Not saying he should have, but he could have. Again not criticising the guy but if you want your 8 figure move to the premier league, that’s what you do.

[Slippin cider]

14 minutes ago, The Coach said:

What would you like him to say? 

Well if he’s just going to repeat himself, nothing! He said the fans must be fed up with him saying the same things week in week out and he’s spot on! He’s there to manage his team , do that and sort out the frailties that exist and he might have something different to say soon ! 

[italian dave]

12 minutes ago, RedEyez said:

He picks them . He literally doesn’t have a Games console controller on the edge of the pitch controlling their every move and action.

The midfield in the first half were well of it .

Yeah, I get that. And yes I recognise that managers can’t always legislate for players performances on the day.

But my comment followed posts about NP’s after match comments again attacking players, and that’s one thing that really frustrates me about NP.

I’m not anti-NP, I’ll support anyone who’s a manager of City, but I do find it tedious how he is always quick to criticise players but never takes any responsibility himself, or says anything constructive about how he’s going to deal with it.

@Ashton Great was spot on with his comment earlier. It’s NPs job to manage, not just criticise. 

That’s where my comment came from! 

Edited March 5, 2022 by italian dave

[italian dave]

9 minutes ago, KegCity said:

We played the exact same both games. James and Williams were shocking, neither of them helped out Bell at all and offered nothing other than sideways passes today. 
 

Today certainly wasn’t his fault, but I was disappointed with Scott today. For a player of his quality and potential you’d expect him to try and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Not saying he should have, but he could have. Again not criticising the guy but if you want your 8 figure move to the premier league, that’s what you do.

Fair enough: think we probably saw the end product the same way, maybe just not how we got there! For me, Coventry was the back 4 passing it to and fro and not being able to get the midfield into it. Today we got James and Williams into it but they the passed it side to side and then hoofed it! 

Yes, I felt  exactly the same about Scott today.