Silvio Dante

Don’t doubt that. But the point is that getting the upward movement wrong by going for the wrong fit too quickly can make the next big thing become Michael Appleton in short order.

On this point (as it’s one of mine!) I think you have to in large part take the cup as an exception as motivations, team selections etc are so varied. Did George Elekobi outfox Kieran McKenna etc? In Forests prior round Blackpool took them to a replay and extra time. The motivation factor here is huge and cup performances are often outliers - to give a great example our Liverpool games were in 1994 where Osman outfoxed Souness for three games but was dogshit elsewhere! That isn’t to downplay we did excellently on those games against West Ham and Forest - it’s to say that you’d generally look at the league to remove external factor bias when considering performance trends

I know there was a lot of bad feeling when he left Oxford and find it hard to blame them as he wasn’t hot property when he arrived there but left at the first uptick of good form (and it wasn’t a sustained good season, it was a good first few games akin to how PNE started the season). As you say though, who knows how that would have panned out longer term (if you read Oxford fans views they were getting more points than merited), and I don’t think anyone can blame him for taking a step up - jobs don’t come up weekly at the next level up. I’d also add in that AFAIK there was a mutual clause in LMs Oxford contract because he was a bit “damaged goods” on appointment allowing minimal compensation either way - so I don’t think again him exercising that should be criticised. What can be criticised is the due diligence on either side. I think, irrespective of which side of the debate you sit on, pretty much everyone acknowledges the squad/style is not set up to how LM wants to play and it’s a rebuild. Tinnion and Lansdown didn’t do their due diligence on Liam (his lack of adaptability is a golden thread through this managerial career) and Liam didn’t do his due diligence on us as a club or on the squad. Again, not blaming him for moving up but he may have been better longer term keeping powder dry and waiting for a better “fit” That being said, we are where we are. And I think the basic concern being raised is that Liam is a project coach, who has no track record of seeing a project through, or being successful in doing so. Again, no issues there - everyone’s got to start somewhere - but I don’t think it’s a wrong question to ask as to whether we want to invest money into him - particularly as he has shown (for understandable reasons) he will jump to a better job if it does work quickly. Again, I’m not sure giving him the players though addresses his biggest flaw and we could end up in a years time with a misshapen squad and Liam having parted ways with us. It is a massive risk.

I don’t know, you go to the pub for an evening and miss all the action! I think there are some valid points in the OP but the message may be being lost by the postman. Thats normal, happens whether positive or negatives are posted based on confirmation bias. I’d likely be seen as someone who is Manning sceptic (and I am). I think it is a valid point as to whether you want to give him a huge budget in the summer to reshape the squad as it seems he cannot - at least consistently- get the team playing the way he wants. But that’s not the elephant in the room, and to be consistent, his game management is. It has been since day one here and his lack of adaptability was a thematic at prior roles. The issue, as I said on another thread, is that you can give him the money to get players to play his way (and I think we will as the chuckle brothers have too much to lose). But until he’s able to quickly deviate from a plan when needed in a match and react in a game it’s going to be a big Achilles heel - and no amount of money can solve it. I’m probably with him where I was at the start - he seems fantastic analytically, a very good technical and development coach but he’s not showing he can manage a game. And I think he does need to improve that, consistently, over 13 games when we’re not going up or down and there isn’t the (nonsense) schedule excuse. But, by God, comparisons between Pearson and Manning really help nobody and are pointless. Take his faults and his positives on their own merits and it becomes a far better discussion.

That was Rudi Voller.

Yeah. I’m sick of these people making excuses to move to seats that aren’t their own - they need dealing with!

My good man, As a fan of another club you understandably missed the sarcasm in my post, directed at the frankly ridiculous original posting.

There’s a quote “Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions”. Thats what I think the issue is. Liam is brilliant analytically. I can guarantee that if you showed him practically any team, he’d give you a plausible way to play against and possibly beat them. I’m sure he did that against QPR as in all games Two problems though: - in order to beat them in the way you want to play, you need to have the players to do that. We’re never going to be able to afford the best players, but you can argue that if you get players who play how you want you can execute the plan But… - Even if they do that, the plan needs to change at this level. So we could give Liam infinite resource to play way A, but until he shows an ability to counter the opponents moves, you’re only 30% of the way there. It’s hard - because I do think he’s a superb analyst and I think he’s probably a top class coach at academy level. I’m not sure that he’s a manager as yet because of the inherent weakness, and as it’s run through him at all three clubs so far, it’s again whether it’s too far ingrained now.

As I said Dave, it’s unerring. He could have said exactly the same thing after each game. It doesn’t help that he seems to have the same group of stock phrases, and sometimes even saying the same thing a different way goes down better, but at heart he doesn’t seem to be “learning”. The process is the process and the process has to work - but that forgets there are two teams in a game, and the opponents won’t always do what your process wants them to. I sound like a broken record but it’s all part of the same thematic. Adaptability. Intuition. Managing the game and not the textbook. I’m keen to see what transpires in the last thirteen games but he needs to take some real steps here as it seems, from both here and elsewhere, he’s got a very clear flaw - and it’s whether that’s fatal.

With one year out of the football league, this is an impressively crap performance:

Realise this may come up in the “dead of 2024” thread on the general forum but this one is a bit of a shock. For a lot of us, Italia 90 was a real moment and the German team are as fresh in the mind as the England team - players like Klinsmann, Voller and particularly Matthaus (in my best team ever). Brehme was huge in there and the best left back in the world at that time. For the three Dutchman at AC Milan, read the three Germans at Inter for who underpinned the best teams in the world. Just one that makes you realise how long ago that summer was, and seems way too young. How can players from the era of Barnes, Lineker etc be leaving us already?

The league of Ireland season started last weekend. Even acknowledging that its miles below the level we’re at, that should suggest that he’s timing wise done his “pre season” in terms of fitness and it’s now about getting him to the levels needed. I’d be shocked if he played for the first team this year but I’d certainly be hoping that he would be featuring in the U21 fixtures moving forward.

Trust me, I’ve been here long enough to know the answer to my question but it’s always fun to ask!

He did. Brown being injured was a sliding door moment in one season under Wilson - he was nigh on unplayable for a period and had he not got injured, we’d have gone up. It was a clear example of a vital cog in a team being injured and it derailing everything (see also Afobe in 19/20, and controversially Lee Johnson in 2008)

How could you possibly know that members of Bristol City staff read the forum and are upset by negative remarks…..?

I think you saw my tongue firmly in my cheek on that one mate I do think we have lacked inventiveness on free kicks for years - going back I think LJ was reasonable at it but we’re a long way from the days of Mickey Bell. Wells’ free kick on Saturday probably focussed the mind of several. Fair to say heart sank when he stepped up as I don’t think I’ve ever seen him hit one well - I’d have probably rather Mehmeti (or even a thunderbastard from Dickie) in that position but it was extremely slim pickings Blackpool away? A really inventive low free kick finished close in?

Keep up - we haven’t had any sessions on the training ground because of the relentless and not at all out of the ordinary schedule. (FWIW I’d call corners something from the training ground and we have scored a few of those. Conversion rates from free kicks/set pieces you’d hope should also improve with Twine)

I’ll say the same thing I always say when Benny comes up. He was never brought into be manager and only had to do so when Ward threw his toys out of the pram, having asked for help then not liking the help given as he wanted Ray Harford. The recruitment in the summer prior was poor. Replacing an injured Shaun Taylor with Julian Watts being notable, and we didn’t need to sign all three of Akinbiyi, Thorpe and Andersen. That was under Ward, but common consensus is Scott Davison signed Thorpe even though he wasn’t needed. Bennys job that he was recruited for was to reshape the club outside the first team. And he did that - that batch of Matt Hill, Aaron Brown etc were a batch that came through with the work Benny did. And after leaving us far from no success he took over Viking and led them to top three finishes in the league and a cup win - signing Ben Wright from city and knocking Chelsea out of the UEFA cup. Benny was a damn good football man misused by the club. And bizarrely he was taking us forward with a pathway (remember that) to the first team snd we threw that away for Pulis.

Hard agree. Why do people quote Brian on things he said in 2023. However that was two months ago. Two months! My God, can’t we let the man rest? It’s not like he’s bullshitted recently like lying about Medubes work permit - oh he has - sorry, scratch that. We need to give the guy a break. He kicked a ball for us once and was well paid for it so we need to not question anything he does in his current role despite not showing aptitude. For me, he can be as shit as he likes because he had a good song and I liked him as a player. Cant see why people are getting heated up. And Sunderland - what are they like? Appointing a manager to get them to the playoffs this season then reacting quickly when it seemed he wouldnt meet the target and would need to do a rebuild despite a solid base so realising it might be better to take decisive action. Bloody idiots. And don’t get me started on Watford. Bloody Hornets with some fans claiming they’re going to make playoffs despite indifferent form and having other teams ahead of them, needing an unlikely set of results to succeed. What are they like as well, you’d never see that here? Top post. It’s this kind of thinking that this place has been lacking. My meds? Over there I think.

To be fair he’s lived in Manchester for years so probably has an idea!

All the best to him - Needs medical treatment so formally stepping away for 6-8 weeks and Mark Venus, his assistant, taking charge.

Probably because the club announced him as such: We may get an “Andrew” Cole scenario should he wish to change what he’s known as but as he’s been called Dire by the club to date then I think that’s set now!

And, as for a tiny minority of City fans who seem to think they are ITK and cool by knocking one of the Club's all time legends,Tinman, they should ask themselves what they have done make true fans happy? I dunno. Maybe not failed spectacularly as a manager, not having been very well paid for being a league one footballer then not bullshitting the fans regularly? I can say I’ve not done that and I’d imagine it makes fans happier not doing that than the “legend” Tinnion has. And even if you like him as a player, then that shouldn’t give him a pass in his current role. knocking fellow social media fans like you are better than them is really childish. Hopefully content stays grown up You’re a poo poo face.

Booooooooo