Silvio Dante

Get the **** in!

Why does Toby Osborne keep saying “It’s Jack the lad see?”

My third favourite goal of the day.

Thats a way of doing it I suppose!

I don’t necessarily see it as beginning of the end, but I do see it as a decision I agree with. Joe was excellent when he came on against Hull and gives that extra energy in there. It then has to be considered that we’re playing 3 games in 6 days and I’m not sure MJ could last all of those as he’s had niggling knocks and is the oldest man in the squad. Decent decision for me.

Jason Knight skipper.

Oh yeah, not denying he was a LB but by those numbers 1/4 of his games for us were right side so I do get the confusion (or I would if it wasn’t a troll). I have a hazy memory of JB coming back from Canada duty to an early kick off starting on the bench and having a stormer. The non rating by Ward isn’t a surprise - as we’ve been through before, wasn’t a fan of JW. Absolutely was of Barnard though, a phenomenally good player and the nostalgic part of me likes to think he signed a deal before going to Barnsley so we got a fee!

I hate having to defend Robbored, I really do. But it is factually correct that to say Jim Brennan, although by trade a left back, played a lot of games for the club on the right hand side as Darren Barnard and then Mickey Bell were at the club at the same time as Jim. He was adept enough (and I remember MoM performances) to play right side and often did. Martin Scott, however was undoubtedly a left back and apart from maybe playing central on the odd occasion played all games there. So, it’s likely he got Brennan right through luck as opposed to judgement.

Which I think again plays to the point that you have to play to strengths. I’ve made the point quite a few times recently is that if everyone is playing the same way, then you have to have either the best players or do it better than anyone else. Neither of those are true of our squad, so you look at what we are good at and flex to that. Dyche is doing the same at Everton. I’m absolutely minded that the reason Liam has had a stuttering start here is that he tried to enforce “the book” on a team that wasn’t suitable for it, and when other teams adapt against it, we then struggled - as we couldn’t play “the book” well. It’s to LMs credit that he’s pulled away from a way he clearly wanted to play once he realised he didn’t have the squad for it. What’ll be interesting is to see how it evolves moving forward.

My brother, after going on a session and seeing City score in the 90th minute (I think vs Swansea) used to repeat the mantra “eight pints for a last minute winner” and became convinced that if he got suitably oiled the goal in the last knockings would come. Either that or he’d be too pissed to care.

Couple of interesting points here about the perceived importance of possession. From a City perspective, it was/is one of my initial concerns about LM, and looked to be the way we were going in the early games. I think the Blackburn second half may have been a rubicon moment there and we are now ceding more possession/not keeping possession for possession sake, and are more playing to the strengths of the personnel we have with tweaks from NP - evolution not revolution. Both the tweet and the wider Observer article worth reading. Particularly the last line “Data has taken us through the looking glass where nothing is quite what it seems” https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/dec/23/in-footballs-third-age-old-certainties-have-melted-away-and-nothing-is-as-it-seems

This could be anything right now. Ipswich are shot.

4-0

The only site that’s worthwhile for news and reliable is the OS. Whenever anyone asks if there is news I tend to bore them by just completing this mantra over and over again before lapsing into a lovelorn post about Barry Bannan.

3-0 half time. Leeds doing a number on them, giving up possession and hitting with pace on the break.

On a related subject, noted what I thought was the debut of “Pecked by the Robins” last night which unfortunately sounds like “Pegged by the Robins” when chanted. Slightly different connotations there….

It’s pronounced “lemon”

The club did this (and well) a couple of years ago post Covid. I think it was a game vs Swansea which was a night game - the club produced flyers in the shop which were titled “forever red” and included photos of all those who died in the pandemic. These photos were then rotated on the big screens and displayed on the advertising hoardings both pre match and during a minutes applause. My dad was one of them. It’s a simple idea, easy to manage. There is no reason why it shouldn’t happen every season.

It’s the best (overall) performance since he took charge IMO. Listening to him on Radio Bristol I pretty much saw the first half the same way - after the first ten excellent until the goal and then we kind of sat back and let them take the game on. Second half we had a lot of ball without much penetration (21 shots is misleading - I think there was one save of note outside of the goals), but the sheer territorial press we made warranted the luck we had on both goals - we had 10 men in their half constantly and took the risk of being hit on the break. It’s a different way of playing to what we did against QPR, Boro, Norwich and screams evolution as opposed to revolution. Which is exactly the right approach and definite credit to the manager is deserved.

Got my list saved.

It’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Can’t Stop” As in Jon can’t stop being incompetent.

Can I just say, spelling “Hospitality Suite” as the “Hostility Suit” may be my favourite inadvertent phrase of 2023.

1. No 2. Yes

Good to speak to you again Mr. Thatcuntpulis