Red Skin

I think sin bins have some merit. I've always thought the accumulation of yellow cards resulting in a ban has always had a issue of fairness about it. And this is the scenario. - It's the penultimate game of the season. City are level on points with Leeds for the second automatic promotion place. (I never said it was a realistic scenario!). - Both clubs have to play Norwich in one of the last two game. City play Norwich in their penultimate game, and Leeds play Norwich in their last game. - In the City v Norwich game, four of Norwich's key player are one booking away from a ban. - All 4 players pick up yellow cards in the game v City for professional fouls and are subsequently banned for the final game of the season against Leeds. - For City, all the offences by these players deny us from winning the game, and yet it's Leeds that benefit from these offences as they face a weakened team because of the offences committed against City. Leeds benefit, but we don't. Ok, an unlikely scenario and I've exaggerated the impact to prove a point but at any time of the season a misdemeanour by one player that merits a booking does not really help the team they commit it against. By sin binning him, the team he has committed the offence against immediately benefits rather than some other random team further down the fixture list. There are arguments against of course - would it result in a very defensive formation from the sin-binned team - but it would solve this particular injustice that I have always struggled with.

No shit Sherlock. You know exactly the point I was making. It's the aimless hoof forward to no one in particular that gives possession away needlessly that it some fans need to realise isn't what Manning is about. If we had a big lump up front and could play percentages then maybe that would be a tactic, but not with Conway up front. And as a point of order, you must have missed every assist from corners over the years. All from passes played backwards. Anyone can be a smart arse, but it gets tedious and ******* annoying so most people choose not to be.

I doubt very much Matt wrote the headline despite contributing the article. I'm sure it just the editor trying to get attention, which it has! I see nothing wrong with what he says in the article. I sit in the South Stand too, and was pretty annoyed with shouts of 'get it forward' from some fans around me. The same fans that complained when a player did lump the ball up to no one in particular. I was gutted we sacked Pearson, but we have Manning now. I wouldn't go as far as to say I enjoyed the first 30 minutes, but it was intriguing to see how Manning is setting out the team and what they were trying to do.

Thank @chalkeyred. Finally, after all the emotional trauma of the last few weeks we finally can return the more serious matter of pies at football grounds.

Leaving aside the personalities in these roles, I think we have moved to a more sustainable structure. The head coach model: Technical director/DoF sets the footballing ethos or identity of the club. We develop players in the academy to suit this ethos and style of play. We recruit first team players that fit with this. We choose a head coach to coach this. If the head coach moves one - either sacked or is headhunted - then the new head coach just takes over and there is limited impact on the rest of the footballing structure. The manager model: The manager decides the footballing ethos and is involved in recruitment to get players to fit with this. The academy adapts to fit with this style so academy player are able to progress to the first team. The manager moves on - sacked or headhunter - and the impact of the rest of the club is massive. The new manager wants his own players to fit his style. We are stuck with bloated squad players from the last manager, that the new manager doesn't want. The academy need to overhauled at all levels to fit with the new manager's ethos. For me, the head coach model just makes sense. Brentford, Brighton, Swansea have made it work. The manager model is great if your manager is Alex Ferguson, is successful and stays for 20+ years, but how often does that happen in football? And just look at the mess United are in since Fergie (and Martin Edwards) left! Getting the right appointment for DoF/Technical director is obviously vital. And who knows whether Tinnion is the right man, but you cannot question his passion for or dedication to the club. I was gutted at the timing for implementing the model. I didn't want Pearson sacked. But, for me, we needed to move to the head coach model at some stage.

Half a shirt, surely?

RIP Clive.

I hope they haven't pissed on his cornflakes too. Wonder what was pissed on for lunch?

You need to lay off OTIB for a bit, mate. I dreamt I had a threesome with Scarlet Johansson and Natalie Portman. Unfortunately, when I awoke it was just Scarlet next to me in bed in the morning.

I'd go for this too. Without a natural ball carrying midfielder, then we need to use Dickie and Naismith to carry the ball into midfield and become creative. Both are capable. Strong press from Conway, Wells, Knight supported by Sykes and Pring playing high up the pitch.

Sounds like they need to be reported to these guys. Football clubs are businesses like any other and this smacks of a cartel dressed up as a competition.

This is probably the only positive to come out of this mess. At least Nige can concentrate on getting his health back on track.

That would exactly fit with our model wouldn't it?

Christ, when did Alex Ferguson become a saint? I'm really out of touch with the Premier League.

I don't agree with Pearson's sacking but 8 do believe this is the correct model for running the football club. We need a consistent identity and a way of 0laying and recruit around it. This is what progressive teams like Brighton and Brentford are doing. Otherwise, every time we get a manager he had to buy a new team of ',his' players that can play to his system and we are left with a bloated squad of players from the last manager that this one doesn't want. You also need to have a succession plan for when your coach leaves because he is successful - like Graham Potter. However, to implement that model you need a club that has reached a certain level of maturity in its operation and culture, which Pearson is still implementing. And you shouldn't change the medical team when a manager leaves, especially in the midst of an injury crisis. ( I appreciate Dave Rennie may have decided to leave as his friend was sacked, but that just goes to show that it was not the right decision to sack Pearson and it's deemed as unjustified by so many).

I believe SL does want to sell the club, but what concerns me is that we are in a Catch 22 situation. We wants promotion so he can sell the club for the highest price (and get some kudos for getting us there). But that will probably attract exactly the kind of owner we don't want associated with our club! Hard to see a happy ending.

I agree. It was just an observation. Continuity and consistency is what is needed but he doesn't get it does he? But he does want promotion, even if he doesn't know how to go about it.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to grieve! There's been a lot spoke about SL not wanting promotion because it'll cost him more. On the contrary SL is desperate for promotion because it's his exit strategy. Much easier to sell a Premier League club than a Championship one.

Well that would make sense. That's what the Technical Director would be responsible for. If that's true, then it is very disappointing. I do recall mutterings that Tinnion was less than supportive ( to put it mildly) of Danny Wilson at the time he departed. Only for Tinnion to take over from him. What's very clear is that SL had a nonexistent relationship with NP so that cannot be ignored either. I think NP was just too big a personality for our owners to deal with.

I'm gutted that Pearson has gone, but I don't necessarily agree with your analysis. The one chink of light in this is that potentially Tinnion will be the kingmaker rather than the suits. I've long felt we needed a Technical Director/Director of Football to define the footballing identity and to recruit players and coaches (yes, coaches) to fit with this. That is the correct model I believe. But for that to work, the football club must have reached a level of maturity which I'm not sure we have reached yet, despite all the good work NP has done. Undoubtedly when NP joined we needed a Manager rather than a coach to address the absolute mess the club was in. I hope the culture and identity NP brought to the club, hasn't also left the building with him. (I'm really worried that Dave Rennie has left). Personally, this feels like the end of a relationship so as far a speculating on who his successor with be, I'm sorry but I won't be polishing up my Tinder profile and checking my photos for ones that I'm less fat and less bald in just yet.

I had a similar experience in Morocco about 30 years ago. Started up a conversation with the taxi driver and when I said were fly in from England he immediately said 'Bobby Charlton'. Fantastic player and God only knows how he managed to overcome the tragedy of Munich and carry on, though it obviously changed him as a man. RIP Bobby.

Personally, I liked random posts about ex players that popped up every so often. Like bumping into someone in the street you hasn't seen for ages. I think these threads were fine in the main forum. If you don't want to read the post, then don't.

So how's his injury?

Broadly speaking you are close enough, but there are subtle differences. Have a read of this: https://www.visagov.com/en/blog/nationality-vs-citizenship We'll agree racism = bad though

I am not sure where this thread has veered off to, but where does nationality sit with this? Citizenship and nationality are distinct and different things. Since the Good Friday Agreement anyone in the North of Ireland can choose their nationality. That's why Mark Sykes can choose to play for the Republic of Ireland, whereas Neil Lennon could only play for Northern Ireland (and receive bullets in the post for the privilege from his NI 'supporters') . And why since the GFA some unionists disgruntled with Brexit have got Irish passports and claim can Irish nationality (as well as British). Isn't citizenship more about the right to residency and right work? If this has morphed into a debate about identity, then surely nationality is a better yardstick then citizenship? Anyway, back on topic. I, for one, applaud the club for this. Racist behaviour shouldn't be tolerated and hopefully it will make it easier to call out if it is witnessed.