Fuber

*with a (near) fully fit squad. Not an injury crisis.

Not sure why people are facepalming this - this division is unpredictable.

Really? Because the message from our board is otherwise.

Caused by the board deciding to change leadership structure after Gould left, resultant in Alexander being sacked only months into his position, then Pearson as a consequence as they had to deal with a more 'honest' individual directly. The instability came from above NP. I'd have preferred it if Alexander was kept in post rather than the inexperienced front we have now - as would've meant less turnover. But we're here now, so... For the second part in bold - stability matters naught without some ability.

I mean. If you still can't see the results in the accounts in context of the league position(s) at this stage with the clarity of hindsight. Then sure, OK. Others, myself included, saw a manager who got results while under severe cost cutting restrictions lowering the wage bill by 30% and sorting perhaps the most toxic playing staff culture the club has had - in a long time. This a forum, can agree to disagree. Alternatively, if you want to see where we could have ended up without Pearson, look at QPR the last 15 months. Huddersfield. Blackburn. Swansea. Cutting costs and falling down the league season after season. No momentum nor culture. Gist of it. We were stable. I prefer underpromising and overachieving. No we've lined up four signings (Mebude, Murphy, Stokes, Bird) for next season in what looks to be a changing of the guard, TGH clause activated. Twine TBD No money remember, but if sources are correct, between the first five of the above, we're talking £3m+ spent. Just grates of what could have been, this season. Now we have to see for next, instead, outside of something utterly remarkable and out of nowhere.

He's also pointed out that even Manning doesn't really do 'Formations' to be fair. More akin to systems.

Think it comes down to squad balance. As a whole we don't have a creative enough squad - that applies to all of Williams, James, Mehmet, Bell, among others. Namely because we, under NP, were more interested in focusing transitions and counter attacks. Don't need creativity if the opposition are over committed. None of them consistently have the vision or ability to thread thirty yard through ball or beat a man. We have five players out of contract out of season allowing some changing of the guard. It's then that Tinns will need to earn his keep. Based on the evidence this window - that's not something I have any faith is going to happen. Yet.

Agree with this... up to the last 20-30 yards. The one element Manning needs to solve is patterns to use in the final third to break down defences and try to eliminate some of our poorer decision making - something NP didn't have to worry about with his transitory style when we played on the break (and part of the reason he used it). We're still three scored in seven. We need to turn some of this momentum into more chance creation.

Need a Target Man, but with enough pace to be deployed as a pressing forward while giving us an extra option in the box. We have good patterns of play, but too often it ends up down the defenders throut from a recycle of possession leading to a cross. Someone in the mould of Ragner Ache at Kaiserslautern (I watch a lot of Bundesliga/2), an aerial option.

100% - was more being vague as I was aware of the fact that Cotts was also sacked due to his own lack of adaptability or willingness to change his setup/tactics.

I don't trust them with decision making Yet here we are. It was the wrong time to sack him by every metric especially after throwing him under the bus with the Scott sale. We had, considering the injury crisis in spite of the loss to Cardiff, a relatively strong position. NPs only mistake was thinking he could speak his mind or preceding that, that our incompetent leadership would listen. It's literally Cotts into LJ all over again. Can't deal with being told their errors by an experienced manager, not actioning said coach's requested recruitment scenarios (Pilling's interference), said experienced coach is sacked after a poor run, then replaced by a malleable younger fashionable 'coach' to do what he's told while having money chucked at the problem so that it looks like such a great idea and that we have such progressive leadership at the club. This. Board. Doesn't. Learn. It's like watching someone trying to paint a wall with a spoon. Twice. I need a drink.

Think it's more the fact that we're more open where playing the central pair (James and Williams yesterday) higher up the pitch - compare that to NPs system which typically used James as a sitting DM allowing the likes of Williams and especially Knight more freedom. Problem is that if we get turned on transition - like Williams was multiple times the first 25 - it leaves Tanner, Vyner, and Dickie incredibly exposed in a 3v3. So overall I would disagree. Tactically the passing angles weren't there which made it much harder for them to play their game - tactical from Ismael with the early pressing to try and kill momentum - Manning didn't adjust or change the system until around the 65th minute when he bought TGH and Bell on.

I'm actually going against the grain here and agreeing. For our supposed shots - Watford were poor, but for the majority we were too slow in possession. 2nd half much better than 1st. But still poor in transition and across the midfield.

This is they key thing for me. Before tonight I thought his legs were gone, but in the last few weeks he's found that missing yard of pace - turns out it may have been match sharpness.

I'd also say Fabianski, running to get the ball - body language was good, but age has just caught up with him and he's never been good with his feet.

Almost strikes me as, if they go ahead for £5m that it's a bit of a panic signing. I like Twine, but he's not worth £3m with his record at this level, let alone £5m. Just worries me - don't want us going down the LJ path again backing the wrong horse. We just need comprehensive scouting and to be sensible. Doesn't strike me as the latter.

When you consider that Knight has (actually) played at this level and been fairly successful? Yes. Twine hasnt proven himself at this level yet - even in a very good Burnley side.

In Pearson mind - he was never meant to replace Scott. We were supposed to, in NPs mind have a plan A and B lined up if Scott left. We went with C, sign nobody, and sack the CEO, Manager, and Coaching Team.

Couple of points. The eight months ago argument is part and parcel of modern football, happened with LJ on multiple occasions. Point in bold I summarily disagree with. - could see a style of play and patterns that we hadn't had since Cotts. - built a squad culture that fans could get behind. - did so generating huge returns on player sales, and, with Gould, got fans feeling involved with 'the project'. - he was sacked purely during an injury crisis as only the latter could generate a set of results that the board felt they could use as an excuse to remove him from post, along with Tinnion. They didn't spend any of the Scott money - near all the summer spending and Mehmeti was offset by the Semenyo fee in January.

*Despite being in an injury crisis, that has now mostly passed.

Reality check adjustment. It's a football club, football isn't, has not been and will not be, profitable. Unless you get a club into the top 1%. If we're also aiming to increase sustainability - you don't tend to sack a well-liked manager in the middle of an injury crisis due to a difference of opinion in a professional setting and replace him with a novice coach with 24 months managerial experience for a large compensation package, with further spending to sack incumbent coaches spending more to replace them.... when the formers contract ended in 8 months anyway. This is only going to all get worse due to the way in which NP was sacked. Its lose lose for the board as, if they back Manning now, others such as myself will question as to why the predecessor didn't get backed. The fact they also feel the need to back him rubbishes 'the squad is good enough' argument. It's just flagrant egotism, cronysim, and incompetence. Utter delusion.

He preferred a smaller squad than what he inherited. Which considering how much of a car crash he inherited doesn't say much. When he was pressed on it, he rightly pointed finger upstairs and just replied 'budget'.

Bigger problem for me is Manning was and is the wrong man for this squad of players. They were not bought in to play possession football and neither are they capable of it. NPs premise was to play to a system to force openings on the transition via patterns. Mannings premise appears to be waiting for opening when the enemy loses, i.e. take the openings when they appear passively, not force them. A one-eighty in footballing philosophy. It's going to take money we don't have to get the staff in to pull it off - had and still has a similar vibe for me as Duff at Swansea. Whereas if this was end of the third season under LJ with (present) Manning in to replace him - it could've worked as that was a much more technically skilled and creative players. I'd be more optimistic. Sadly the leadership's view of this squad between JL and BT is seemingly delusional delusional.

Worth noting, assuming that the ticket will be in the email and barcode in format - you can scan it with google wallet (if you have the email on a computer) from your phone as a loyalty card and it will also still work, just converts the barcode to QR-format, and you don't have to dig around your emails on the day nor have to rely on patchy 4/5G.

If Conway was in a position where he could score and went down (which he has done twice this season) - I was and will be very annoyed with him, irrespective of if a penalty was given or not. It shouldnt be - which is the problem.