real_bristol

Many will tell you that we’ve not had a decent midfield since Paul Hartley. Best player Nicky Maynard ever played with or so he says. Anyway, I think today the problem was organisational not personnel. We have the right balance in midfield when our squad is fully fit. Today would have gone differently had MJ not been injured in the warm up. It might have gone differently had he played Vyner as a defensive midfielder, his best position IMO. I thought Williams looked unfit at times. Writing off Conway already is premature. Look at Semenyo’s first 60 games for us.

I feel like wherever I went with City, at some point during the day I’d see him, or at least his hat above the crowds. A true fan. RIP Stoney.

My bad, I meant does it give him £ to spend (not necessarily on a CM) or are we locking it down. I think you’re right though, we have enough cover in CM and Nige isn’t afraid to give academy players a chance.

1) Anyone any idea how much the undisclosed fee is? And, 2) Does it mean Nige can bring in another?

Thought they were an hour behind ?

Derrick Williams is currently centre back for LA Galaxy, if anyone is looking for a team to follow. Not sure if there’s any other ex-players in the MLS.

Here we go, here we go, It’s Andi Andi Weimann, Against the French, he scores a goal, Super Andi Weimann!

Media way off the scent. Nice one Nige!

Happy to trust Nige’s judgement on this one. Wonder if he would have ever signed O’Dowda :laugh:. United fans might not rate Sykes but how many times have we not rated a player and he’s gone on to exceed our expectations. Would be nice if the table was turned for once. Worth the gamble on a free.

Nimbyism at its finest mate. People move next to schools then start bellyaching about the traffic at pick-up time as well. If I lived near the ground I’d be renting out my driveway every match day, I believe there are apps for this sort of thing.

Yeah you could be right there. He might have stopped Dembele but who knows. It was a very good goal. I cant disagree with Nige making an attacking substitution on 80 minutes at 2-1 down. It just makes it looks like he’s trying to get something from the game. I’m not sure it should matter if it’s against Bournemouth or Barnet either. I agree he’s made some bad calls especially at RB position this season. Bell at RB springs to mind, can’t remember who against, but he said that day the rest of the players weren’t protecting him and that looked like what happened with Dembele’s goal yesterday, he just skipped around multiple players.

Autumn

I think Pearson has done ok. Maybe a little lower than what we expected but I don’t think we should be looking elsewhere until the fall at the earliest. He is also not the sort of character we should be undermining with a DoF either. I get the impression the board are trying something new with Pearson, giving him more control of the stuff Ashton kept for himself. It also seems clear to me that JL was proved right over the DH appointment and so what if he went AWOL for a bit because Ashton probably made him nauseous like the rest of us. I can’t go to the games but I’ve watched at least 90% this season on Robins TV. I’ve seen a huge improvement in our performance overall in particular against the stronger teams where we no longer give up or look like an embarrassment. The way I assessed today’s game was to wonder what it would have been like under LJ or DH after going 3-1 down. Not gonna lie, I’m excited for next season under Pearson. I judge him on what he’s achieved with the likes of Cundy, HNM, Semenyo, Weimann, Martin even, Atkinson, Bentley, Dasilva…. Even if we lose one of the three of SMS, I’m still optimistic. When was the last time we gave a “big name” manager a decent amount of time to make the club his own. Let’s also not forget he wanted 3 seasons. Nige for me is like the Sean O’Driscoll that we all wanted but never got. He’s giving the kids a chance but is in danger of being a victim of his own transition. For me it would be a step backwards to part company with him now.

Must admit, as soon as I saw that sub I thought it was to protect him, he’s been booked and is he match fit yet at this level? I’d be more concerned about it if he didn’t start next week.

Hold my hands up. In previous seasons/ pre-injury I questioned his ability. Never his desire. There were times where I argued, “well what if I run around for 90 minutes and look like a grafter, will I get a game?” However, this is why I’m not in football and probably never should be. He has had an absolute stormer of a season thoroughly deserves an international start let alone a call up, and I for one stand corrected. I also feel the coaching staff and Nige should get some praise as well, for getting the best out of him where others did not. Well done Andi.

Love this optimism. Reading finished 7th on 70 last season. Are we thinking a lower point score will be required for playoffs this time?

I’m hoping for a 70 point finish ??

Agree he looked a threat. He had a couple of chances in the box, ball at feet, where he tried to walk it in or get it on his favoured foot rather than just punt it at goal (I’ve always thought the toe-punt is underrated). However, I think we can put that down to rustiness and I’m sure he’d admit he could do better.

To be fair I thought it was class from Dack. Never a pen so he passed it to Bents. Ultimate professional. Enjoyed Williams’ cross for our goal. Assuming he meant it

You may say so, and it’s not rude. Mine is merely a theory, one based on nothing but the turn of events at AV and subsequent backing of the new stadium by the then mayor. It has no consideration to the financial side of things which makes fanciful a fair response. But it is fun to think of it that way. And let’s be honest, in comparison to the AV process, the redevelopment of AG sailed through planning. The loss of amenity, if i recall correctly, is to do with loss of light or view. Now I’m not saying either occurred or that residents were not fairly treated, but presumably the new south stand is bigger than the old east end. I was just referring to it as one of the hurdles in planning for the new AG. The rest of what you say makes sense. I always thought if you’re including residential over a certain number of units you had to provide AH, but there must be ways around it if it renders development unviable.

I’m thrilled to read that this thread is turning into a Planning debate. I understand KITRs sentiment and if he’s saying that SL can get away with zero AH simply by pouring money into it then yes, that’s arguably unfair. However, this is where politics and Planning get intertwined, rightly or wrongly. BCCs policy is BCCs policy and if it isn’t air tight i.e. if there is ways around the affordable housing requirements then that’s on them. The loop holes are either there for a reason or they haven’t been spotted yet. I’m almost certain on one thing though, it will take some serious legal wrangling to avoid such a clear cut policy as affordable housing, which if I’m not mistaken, is a policy in line with the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework, something the council’s policy must be consistent with. So, if the council “let it go” they would subject themselves to some serious scrutiny if challenged via the appeal process. SL’s lawyers might have to persuade the council in the first instance, then fight on their behalf to get around national policy, depends how far it goes. All the while the cost of getting Planning consent goes up, and viability of the scheme goes down. Possibly to the point where he might as well have just included the correct number of AH units in the first place. Furthermore, the council know who is behind this scheme so they won’t want to be a pushover because they know the more they stand their ground the more they will get, and I’m not just talking about housing, right across the planning spectrum. To put it simply I’d be bloody surprised if this development got away with zero AH without legal justification. Now I’m about to go off on a tangent, and it’s something i wanted to run past my fellow reds. The whole Ashton Vale stadium debacle was simply a smoke screen to get the public up in arms so that the redevelopment of AG, which would include a very, very tall stand and some potential loss of amenity to the residents behind the east end, is deemed the best solution. I must stress this is just a theory, if it’s true it is but a stroke of Planning genius.

Hope they keep their manager until at least Valentine’s Day

The main thing I judge Nige on is what’s happening on the pitch. For a few weeks now we’ve looked pretty solid or as he puts it like a “dangerous” side. All while playing HNM and Scott in the middle. There’s not much experience there and it’s clear now why he brought in King and James - to steady the ship while he gets the young players up to scratch. If performances continue this way, King and James might not get back in the starting 11. Yeah sure we need to look at our game management but of all the points we’ve thrown away at the death this season, Saturday was the closest we’ve been to seeing the game out and taking the points home. Credit to Nige and his team, good coaches will make players play. I can’t remember the last time I actually looked forward to the run-in.

I’m not a fan….well, they’re alright. Much like the main man himself. Put another way Chris Martin can be a bit Coldplay. But today he’s my effing hero.

I agree with man of the match although would be harsh to take from Martin after two very well taken goals. I’m excited when AS gets hold of the ball, wicked pace and power combo. Over the moon that we’re being rewarded for the patience and game time we gave him. Great little interaction between Nige and Antoine when he made a mistake in the first half. Nige telling him to look at him and asking him what that was all about, while smiling/ almost laughing I might add, followed up with a “come on” . Good bit of banter but exactly the type of coaching this lad needs. Not getting on his back for making errors but giving him a subtle little nudge in the right direction. There’s definitely more to come from him if we can keep him fit.