Betty Swallocks

For sure. Any time OTIB comes up in conversation in the pub pre match, it’s usually described as a mental asylum

Christ, why has no one mentioned that before. What have we done.

There’s been nothing to suggest that he’s a yes man. Just because he’s young, doesn’t make him a yes man.

I’m just highlighting why it’s ridiculous to bring up LJ in the first place. The fact that we have a recruitment team now is already an improvement on the LJ/MA era. I’m confident you won’t see BT running transfers like MA did.

It’s just a lazy comparison. They’ve had different career paths, learnt the trade in different ways. They are different people with different ideas. The set up of the club is totally different to when LJ was in charge as well. Just because their roles are the same, it doesn’t mean their approach to the job will. Whether Manning succeeds or fails, it has nothing to do with LJ’s time at the club.

Can we stop comparing managers to LJ, it’s really weird. Judge people on their own merits rather than being lazy and comparing them to previous managers.

Unnnnnnlucky.

I’m aware of that. He can’t be getting enough game time at FGR if been playing for our U21s though.

Totally forgot that. Can’t be a good sign if he’s back playing for our U21s.

Yes easily, unless they add on about 25 mins of added on time of course

Oxford end seems to think he will be talking charge of them tonight, so not initially anyway.

Chris Hogg.

Big game today for Kadji, OTC and maybe even Sam Pearson.

Apparently Craig Short took Oxfords match day light training session today. No sign of Chris Hogg at training either.

Yep, I think the first position under threat when Manning gets the chance to bring in his own players will be Max’s.

Quite happy with this, would rather have gone for Manning than Lampard. Hopefully he will be able to utilise his contacts within the CFG.

Order currywurst in his town centre? mmmm currywurst

You just know that Geoff has been watching all this and itching to lay into JL, so to speak. Such a shame GT retired as I think he would have put them in a position where they couldn’t not go on what would have been his pre-match show tomorrow.

You can’t say that Jon doesn’t pick his opponents. Can’t wait to see the grilling from the next interviewers on his list, Red & Robyn for the Junior Reds magazine.

No I’ve said before, I was fuming with board that they sacked Pearson and still in two minds whether to bother going down on Saturday. But if the remit is to play a more attacking game under someone who will lead the coaching throughout the week then no, I wouldn’t call it a mental decision. That’s not to say that I’m still not disappointed Pearson has left and even more annoyed that there seems to be a complete lack of respect from the board towards NP after the thankless job he has performed over the last 2 1/2 years.

Depends what context the discussion is about. Do I want to listen to comments like box entry’s and that sort of guff that LJ used to come out with after a 6th straight defeat, no of course not. However, if the discussion is about coaching methods or how you set your teams up, I’m perfectly happy for a HC/manager to show a higher amount of footballing intelligence.

You seem to have a dislike for him, just wondering what you know about him that would make a decision to be ‘mental’.

What is about Manning’s style of play and his coaching methods that you hate so much? Must be pretty clued up. Imo, I still think sacking Pearson was ridiculous and totally unneeded at this point but I’d sooner give someone like Manning a go over Frank Lampard.

I can’t see it happening but one thing I do respect Lampard for is that he could have taken the easy life and got plenty of work as a pundit (still time for that I guess) but he is putting his football legacy on line by still backing himself to manage despite the obvious shortcomings he has shown over the past few years. Feel he went in too early with the Chelsea job first time around when he should have been learning the trade in the Championship or below.

Some load of bollocks you chat mind.