Port Said Red

SPH has certainly bulked up a bit this season. 

2 minutes ago, petehinton said:

Is itv1 picture odd for anyone else? Looks like rovers are in a Norwich kit?

I think it's like that dress a couple of years back when people were asking if it was blue or gold. 

Either way, they are getting a hammering now.

Two goals from SPH makes the local derby that he won't be able to play in.

The Gas have just scored..... Ummm hang on...... 

1 hour ago, 1960maaan said:

Just saw the Norwich reply to an earlier Tweet 

I can see why Noel was the main songwriter....

8 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I think it depends on the situation you take over in.  Most of the time it’s at a struggling club, and you’re right, sort out the defence, it’s leaking goals, get a 0-0, build from there.  It’s unusual to take over in the circumstances LM did, likewise Rooney at Brum.  You can’t do the usual format stuff, especially when the defence was already solid, and the claims from above were that they wanted “front foot, blah, blah, blah”.  Personally, I thought we’d see some semblance of “expansiveness” already, but we haven’t.

The evolution of LM’s team will be interesting.

It depends on your definition of front football I guess. it has been debated I know. If what he means is "control" then Fridays game was a great example of it, with and without the ball we were in control (on the front foot) for the large majority of it. 

I see what you are saying about situations, and although we weren't struggling the first thing he needed to do was make the backline comfortable with looking after the ball, which I think he has done to a large extent. 

The bit we all want I think is the hardest bit to achieve.

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

George has been playing well, nobody is disputing that, although for many he was the scapegoat earlier this season! I just posed the hypothetical scenario that if McCrorie played RB in a back four, then it’s pretty likely George would be the one to miss out.  There is of course rationale for George to play when the opposition have someone like Jack Clarke playing.

But….the current system isn’t effective though. It’s effective for our defence, but not our offence, isn’t it.  The balance isn’t there (yet??.)

It's management 101 though isn't it? If Manning was an experienced coach a lot of people would be saying, "ah well he knows the first thing is to build from the back, make us difficult to beat"

The signings both loan and permanent show that he feels we can be more expansive in time, using Twine to show the way to the junior signings. False 9s, 10's whatever you want to call them seems his long term way of thinking to me. 

3 minutes ago, Jose said:

@Super went "super" early there didn't he, maybe out of practice with 5 day cricket?

1 minute ago, petehinton said:

I see they now want c£1m for Collins after saying he was worth a minimum of £4m in the summer. Gas logic and gas math. 

Value reduced by the fact he doesn't want to play for them, clearly. Not a true Gashead? Reduce his value by 75%

54 minutes ago, Wilf said:

Think the Spurs game is at St Albans on Tuesday and the final group game with Sunderland is at Easington Colliery on Monday 5th.  No idea of the quality of the surfaces sorry but presumably Easington was decent below the surface!

Good drainage?

15 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I see your sly little dig here at the previous regime. 

Wasn't your mate Atkinson played in a 21s game and then a few days later in an 11 v 11 where he picked up another injury? That doesn't scream "very cautious in their approach" 

However this from SPH doesn't fit with what you're trying to suggest about the previous regime. 

OK, two things.

1. Rob was actually pencilled in to play an U21 game the Monday after the Cardiff game. As soon as that team left he was told that no one else thought he was ready and he was pulled out of full training for two weeks to do further strengthening work on his knee. The hamstring injury could have been related to his recovery, but he has a history of hamstring injuries in both legs going back to his teens, this one was minor and he would have been back but for a completely unrelated personal issue.

2. The majority of Sebs recovery has been under the current team, how his schedule might have differed I don't know.

Personally I think that the previous team did a great job on the stamina and overall fitness of the players, Joe Williams and our overall ability to last 90+ minutes most of the time are testament to that.

I differ from @Davefevs view and clearly yours when it comes to players recovering from injury, there are obvious examples like the failed attempts to rush Naismith back, but there are other stories which I would be happy to share with you privately if you would like.

What's the record for overturning first innings deficits? 

9 minutes ago, Miah Dennehy said:

 I don't know the answer to your second sentence, but I would hope that was true. He is far too decent a man to air any dirty laundry in public.

Well he still seems very enthusiastic, some might say sycophantic, about the club which you would imagine wouldn't be the case if he had fallen out with them.

Just now, phantom said:

Needed to win by a few to qualify aswell

Atkinson will be playing much sooner than the 13th 

Keep your eyes peeled 

I know he is officially a fit player from tomorrow on the schedule they give him. As I say, their usual process excludes away games, but it may be a case of changing the process in this case. 

Being 6'3 makes Max's life a bit easier too. He got up to nod on a couple of those wide clearances last night.

9 minutes ago, Charlie BCFC said:

Good result, think the U21 have struggled recently results wise but a few coming back from injury and back from loans means we look better again. Wonder if we’ll see Atkinson/Murphy for the game in mid week

Don't know about Murphy but I don't think it will be Atkinson. The medical team don't like returning players playing away from home initially. The first home game for the U21'S is Cardiff on the 13th, but they make other arrangements behind closed doors before then for Rob and Sykesy.

12 minutes ago, Super said:

Martin is annoying me now

If this was Traitors he would have been banished by now, he clearly is not a faithful.

As someone who doesn't really follow these things, how much stronger will Forest be by the time of replay?

Which players will come back from AFCON in time? 

1 minute ago, Natchfever said:

Nice no nonsense defender.

Think he will make way when Atkinson or Naismith return though with 3 at the back.

Allows for some R&R especially when you see our upcoming schedule.

14 hours ago, Slack said:

Heard a rumour he's injured, is this true?

14 hours ago, Slack said:

Ignore found the same apparently out for rest of season?!

Felt some discomfort in his Quad and was rested was what I was told. A long way from the scare stories that were on here and elsewhere. 

If there was anything more to it I think he wouldn't be anywhere near the grass. This current medical team seem very cautious in their approach.

2 minutes ago, Full nelson said:

Thought the Atyeo held more than 2500 really small stand 

I did say approximately and it didn't look full to me.

25,787 last night with approximately 2500 from Nottingham. Meanwhile they will be hoping that their ticket giveaway will grab enough fans away from the rugby to finally make 10,000 with approximately 1200 Oxford fans. They are the blue third of Bristol and if they are not careful, the "quarters" could become an apt name for them very soon.

13 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

Can certainly see why Manning could keep with the back five. It makes us very solid. Just need it to be not at the expense of the top end of the pitch.  I actually don’t think it is that much. We get in good positions and then don’t execute well.

 

As for Tanner, he’s found his best position.  Superb last 4 games 

Is it a back 5? To my eye it looks more 3 4 3 certainly going forward, but @Davefevs keeps using the term "fluid" so I will go with that. It certainly changes with the situation in games, I noticed that Zak was waving Tanner forward when Forest were playing with only one up front in the first half.

11 hours ago, Bobs Dad said:

Thought he was superb throughout. Loved that he waited a second or two to see if an advantage could be had before blowing his whistle!! 

He was being criticised for this all around me, but in hindsight I think it was purely because we are not used to the right way to referee. The point about him not indicating that he was allowing advantage is valid, but I think I am right in saying that the referee should only do that when the advantage has become clear. 

11 hours ago, Bobs Dad said: