Silvio Dante

My answer to this is always the same - I, and I don’t think anyone, has ever questioned Max in respect of shot stopping or keeping of the nature of the save yesterday. On the match thread it was immediately held up as “can’t believe people don’t rate Max” - but they do, in this particular regard. The question mark over him always has been, and remains, decisions/distribution. Hes got a lot better there recently but yesterday there were a few ricks. If he can get that side of his game better consistently, I don’t think anyone will be questioning, and he will be seen as a potential top six keeper. As it stands, he’s a perfectly competent mid table championship keeper for a mid table championship side.

To answer my own question here’s the confirmation from the Evening Post

For quality street wrapping at Christmas?

I think what it does do is confirm what many of us thought at the time - we’ve started another project, and one that (as any project) has no guarantees of success. The squad isn’t set up to play fully the way LM wants and what’s probably happened is he’s imposed his style on players who aren’t fits for it. Nothing essentially wrong in that if you’re writing the season off as it gives you more time to adapt/see who can manage, but it is fundamentally a mixed message from what was said at appointment. One of the things I’ve been consistent on is the need to evolve as opposed to change things too soon. And the reason there is if your changes don’t work you end up with a bloated squad or a mixture of players who don’t fit with each other stylistically. It’s clear money will need to be spent to get players in to play how LM wants in full, which should in turn improve the ppg. However, I’m unsure that we’ll have the quality to be the best at that style as it will need more investment than I think we’ll put in (Fevs has mentioned if you look at Martin it works better at Soton than Swansea because he has better players), and my gut is that we’ll see a mid table team next year, just with a bit of a different style.

H - watching with naked eye (and again I think/hope it’s a wavelength thing), I do struggle to remember what from open play could be classed as a key pass (and my determination of that is that it’s either an assist to a chance or an “assist to an assist”) - therefore the number here does surprise me. Im not doubting its providence, but is it a case that it includes key passes from set pieces and is therefore a bit of the same angle on what’s being said (ie as a minimum McCrorie should have scored from a corner - key pass - from Twine and Dickie nearly did). If it’s fully open play, I didn’t see that volume of key passes.

I’m guessing Bridgwater had a game? Either that or Andy knows the danger of letting people know when you’ll be somewhere else and your house will be empty….

Bristol Rovers kit in front of Nazi Flag.

On a personal basis, I steadfastly refused to clap Russell Osman. Disliked him then and time is no barrier. Mark Shail appears to have aged better than anyone else. Interesting that they came out in positional order after the coaching team other than one man. But I’m sure there were more players mooted - Scott and Edwards I’m sure were on the guest list originally? And, where the hell were Junior Bent and Liam Robinson?? #JusticeforLiam

As an aside, I worked out quite quickly that both arms in the air meant outswinger landing just the other side of the penalty spot. Probably needs to be less pronounced

On a broad basis, I think the assistant needs to share the same philosophy as the manager - or you end up with markedly mixed messages (i.e you don’t have Pep being Warnocks assistant). The problem becomes when those philosophies become just mirror images of everything. We know that LM has a very set way he wants to play and we know when he’s failed it’s because (in part) of an intransigence to move away from that. As Hogg was also there at the time, I think it’s reasonable to ask if he challenged that intransigence - as it’s undeniably healthy to do so (whether the strategy is working - as it did at Oxford - or not). (Note: this is not me bringing up LMs prior sacking to have a go, it is exploring the dynamic between LM and CH. Feel I have to say that qualification at the moment…)

And to be clear, that’s totally valid as a point of view. But that’s not what you said. You said you thought the negativity was bizarre. What the “negativity” (which I don’t think it is) is, is just a long term concern. And for avoidance of doubt, I agree with @RedRoss that it’s having to be said too many times but it’s precisely because of posts like this which seem to not realise there is another viewpoint!

On a semi related note, I saw someone in the concourse with a yellow “Twine 7” shirt today (and it wasn’t @Harry) - that’s a bloody big call for a loanee who hadnt played a game at the time!

It seemed to me that he was a bit more passive in his press (noting the team were less passive). Prior to this, under LM, he’s been the forward midfielder and pressing along the backline. Today, it seemed to me he was given a “lane” and largely stayed in it, and looked a bit more uncertain when to go or stay. As you say, may sort itself over time but definitely less effective than the player we’ve seen

For what seems the fifteenth time. Nobody is doubting the quality of the player or the fact he improves our squad, and nobody that I’ve seen is unhappy he’s here. All anyone is saying is that it may give us a short term boost but may not be sensible long term (both in terms of cost and “starting over”) particularly as this season is not going to result in anything bar mid table. The fact that some won’t accept that’s a valid point is the thing that’s probably more bizarre.

For me, it was a bit different from “normal” Manning ball in that I don’t think it was passive. We were trying to get a bit further forward but I think we lacked two main things - pace and quality. You’ll hear a lot about the 15 shots in the box, but it is clear that those weren’t created from open play - they were from excellent set piece delivery. And to be clear, those are equally as valid chances but are also a bit easier over long term to counter - you set, you know it’s coming. It’s a fantastic weapon but it can’t be the only weapon as it was today - and that may change as Twine beds in. I do think that Knight had a quieter game and wonder if Twine/the formation took something away from him. As I said in the Twine thread, I thought he was ineffective in open play but am putting that down to “wavelength”. I said before the game that it was an interesting game because of the Boxing Day result. I do think Watford played a bit differently but we looked nowhere near as incisive when we did have the ball. It wasn’t a bad performance. But it was a game that won’t live long in the memory and does mean 2 points in 4 games. All in all, a bit of an underwhelming afternoon but with the definite plus point of effective set pieces.

Yep, this. One I recall was back end of first half when he tried to play McCrorie in and got the weight wrong (based on what RM would do) and it was easily cleaned up. I posted at half time that he wasn’t on the same wavelength as his teammates (not saying he’s better or worse - he was just not in sync), and there is a real concern there that we’ve got him as stands for 4 months. If he takes time to slot in, then unless we buy permanently, then we’ve wasted 4 months which was one of my concerns over the loan. Set pieces - absolutely excellent. Open play - less so but putting that down to bedding in currently. With the caveat he doesn’t have time to bed in!

Anyway, odd half. We’re probably second best overall but have capacity to improve. Twine did one great dummy on halfway and was a great leap for the goal but looks new to the side and you can tell - he’s not on the same wavelength as teammates at present. That should improve. Williams is a bit below recent performances for me and Ross M looks a bit like he’s feeling the return to the side. We’re looking (well Dickie) for a ball to the left wing a lot that’s not on with the formation tweak so I expect us to spread a bit second half. Not great, not horrific, but things to do.

To be fair, that half was exactly what you get from Max - a fantastic save (and I don’t think anyone has questioned his shot stopping) and some awful distribution - playing Williams and Dickie into trouble and a lot of inaccurate long kicks. Hes been improving on the distribution of late but its down a couple of levels today. Once the distribution improves regularly you’ll see the doubts melt away - because there isn’t and never has been any doubt about his shot stopping, but the distribution is such a big part of the modern game it’s what’s holding him back.

Not sure what’s most embarrassing here.

WHERE THE **** IS LIAM ROBINSON???

Downsy just announcing Jason Knight-Lebel among the subs…..

It depends. If we win the next four (for example) then I think they’ll be rushed out on the basis that you sell more on a feelgood factor and there will be FOMO. Conversely, if we lose the next four then we won’t put them on sale at that point as people will be considered as having less intent to buy. Most people will buy anyway but the trick the club will try and work is ensuring the waverers are buying - and that best happens when we’re on a good run.

See what you did there.

Yep, yellow cards in FA cup result in a ban in that competition - JW got yellows in both West Ham games so has a one game ban.

With apologies to West Ham, this for me is the most interesting game of the season so far. On a macro basis, we’ve got a Watford side who we schooled not more than one month ago. It’s insane on that basis to think they’ll play the same way against us tactically this time, so they need to do something different On the equal front, LM and City are a little bit working blind here. Our general strongest suit under LM of being well prepared for opponents won’t be as available here. There’s going to need to be some quick decisions made as to how we play post seeing what Watford do, and you’d hope we have plans A/B/C all prepped dependant on their setup Against that, LM now has the greatest resources he’s had at any point here. McCrorie back (semi) fit, Knight assumedly over illness and the creative spark in Twine. He might just decide to go for it and play our game irrespective of what Watford do. We’ve also got the slightly different setup on Tuesday away from the prior preferred, so Watford will equally not be totally sure how we’ll set up. Since the last Watford game, we’ve had three poor league performances and two very good FA cup ones. I don’t think Watford are naturally a side that are happy to let us have the ball so to play Preston/Birmingham style won’t be totally comfortable to them. My gut is that this could be pretty cagey first 10-15. It’s then who blinks and it’s a very interesting game tactically.