firstdivision

I agree with your other post, Dave, about the lack of yellow cards as well. Hull were quite sly and the ref failed to control it. Also, could you imagine any referee in the entire world giving that penalty for us in a match at, say, Old Trafford or Anfield. The Stretford End or the Kop would laugh and Man Utd or Liverpool would just play on.

Hull manager reaction: below My reaction: 1/ yeah, until it happens to you in three weeks’ time and then it will be 100 per cent not a penalty. 2/ if you think he was a yard and a half away from the goal, then your judgement is severely impaired. "I believe Benjamin [Tetteh] had the time to really make a goal so I should not think why would he go down, they didn't break his leg but probably they touched him enough to get this penalty. It was a yard away, one-and-a half yards away from the goal. "I don't want to say it's 100%, but it's a penalty which was almost a goal so he would not go down, that's what I want to believe."

Yes, we need him on the ball. He found it hard to do that today in a team with our limitations. I thought Conway for Scott was a good change. Conway has something about him.

I thought it was a largely poor game between two ordinary sides. Of course, we shouldn’t have lost. The penalty looked ridiculous; the defection, unlucky in one way, but we could have defended the situation much better. I’m extremely realistic about this season (unlikely to be much better than last) and nothing I saw today has changed my mind. Without Antoine, we look a bit predictable going forward. We’ll need to cut out the daft goals. And hope the refs start seeing some pens for us.

I would definitely take 10th. My feeling is that it's extremely optimistic. Seasons can take different routes: I can see a relegation scrap (key injuries, loss of confidence) or a season better than last (few injuries, improved defending in tough situations) but my hunch is that 10th is right at the upper end of what we can achieve.

For a thread that was criticised when it started, it’s now onto a third page. I think it’s a perfectly valid and interesting question. Bottom half of the bottom half and he will be in trouble, I would think. I don’t want us finishing lower than 15th. I would be reasonably happy with that as long as there are no relegation worries. As ever, a Championship season is tricky to predict accurately. That’s what makes it make it fun.

Definitely. Play relegated sides in your opening games and promoted sides after about 8 weeks (ideal world). And while I’m here: how can an equitable fixture computer come up with Norwich (a) on Wednesday and Burnley (a) on Saturday?

I’d prefer every pundit to tip us for relegation. The more the merrier.

Slight cop out on King, Dave, if you don’t mind me saying. Why did we think we’d keep 32/33yo King fit when his playing record since 2014-15 has been desperately poor? Not much good playing ok when you’re fit if you’re barely fit. Poor signing for me.

I hope you are right, Dave. He’ll be worth (much) more than £10m in a year or two when we will eventually have to sell him because of the demand for him.

Why did you think for one moment he’d be able to move on players that are on good contracts and won’t get a better deal elsewhere? No one seemed to ask that key question when he was making statements about getting rid of players.

And me. The players know he’s poor, too.

I was waiting for him to disallow Dasilva’s goal for being a fluke.

Superb play from Antoine to set up JDaS for the goal. A few on here would have had him off the field. He’s the first name on my team sheet because he can lift us from the ordinary.

So little room for manoeuvre. How does he get players out that he doesn’t want? That’s the question no one seems to ask him. They’re on decent contracts and will tend to sit on them - unless we waste more money by giving them incentives to leave, I suppose.

Sorry, I don’t understand that reply. The interview was on Radio Bristol. Not the club’s Twitter feed.

The interviewer completely misses the chance to ask the obvious follow-up question about the club being passive: ‘that’s quite a statement. Can you explain more?’ Makes the mistake of not listening to NP’s answer.

For me, the ones against Swansea, Forest, QPR, WBA (the lean-in arm ball one) and Bournemouth were definite penalties. The Preston ones - no. The Coventry one might have been outside the box but the ref didn't even give a foul. Ridiculous. The Fulham one - haven't seen. Part of the problem is that some of the fouls have been relatively innocuous and so easy not to give. Eg Saturday. (It was actually a really poor decision by Lloyd Kelly to challenge for the ball like that.) Sod's law when we do get one - in about 2026 - it will be soft or the foul non-existent or when we are 3-0 down.

I agree.

It’s a 1-1 thrashing. Like playing against a pack of wild dogs. They do everything at speed. No disgrace to lose to them. They are on another level.

Yes, good and bad. Definitely. But not to be reviled. I have a question for you, Dave, re:16-19. I deduce from your figures that we lost about £39m in those three years (£104m minus £65m income on transfers). If so, is that really so bad if you have a rich owner? Isn’t that the luxury a rich owner affords you. It allows you to take risks and make mistakes without the consequences being too great (until something unforeseen like Covid knocks you off course, of course).

Can you always replace players with ones of similar quality or similar attributes though? Webster and Brownhill, for example. Plus, a manager can be hampered by selling players he doesn’t want to sell. As NP will probably experience this summer. The other thing is that NP - and most other EFL clubs - are/will be operating in a market that has changed radically, one in which the bottom has fallen out. There could/should be some relative bargains compared to LJ’s time. So not easy to compare like for like. We were spend happy in the ‘good times’ before COVID-19 changed quite a bit and when MA was ‘in control’. I guess my overall point is that I find the constant and general snide remarks about LJ a bit tedious. Let’s move on. Face reality now. It’s reasonable to question NP as we discussed recently about comparative squad strength between the first half of last season and this season.

I agree. The digs at LJ are tedious. He wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. But he helped to give us some good times as well as some frustrating times. He had some cash but the players sold while he was manager generated plenty of cash too - and weakened the team. We should move on. I find the notion that LJ caused NP’s problems - and somehow makes him immune to questioning - increasingly laughable. And a cop out. Surely he’s been more hamstring by COVID-19 than LJ.

…although the one before the previous manger did (have to) sell about £65+m worth of players if I’ve added up Reid, Bryan, Flint, Pack, Kelly and Webster correctly.

I don’t have heroes. I’m a little too old and grown up for that. But I am very much looking forward to NP making us play-off contenders like a couple of past managers have done.