Merrick's Marvels

Wrong question.

The arselickin OP should be asking Liam - if we continue with 3 at the back and 2 10s, where does Sam Bell even fit in?

Because unlike other wide players, such as Sykes and Mehmeti, he can't play as an ACM.

He might play in a 2 up front - eventually - but our dogmatic Coachbot seems to be wedded, indeed welded, to playing just a lone striker. And that will never be Sam Bell at this level.

We have some good players at our club.

If only we had a pragmatic, flexible Coach whose focus was using a system to get the maximum out of his players. Not one dogmatically focusing on his system - especially when, like he said again after yesterday's game, the system is, first and foremost, about how to stop the other team playing. How boring, negative and uninspiring is that.

Start by asking- how can we get the best football out of these players? This would surely bring better results and better football.

Great to see both Pring and Roberts in the team yesterday -  that's a start.

3 hours ago, Fuber said:

The token revisionism - 'Tinman' this that and other is so, so transparent.

@Cole Not Gas explain to me how Tinnion gave Bell his chance.

He didn't sign him nor Conway. Tim Kirk did.

He didn't develop him nor Conway. Gary Probert did.

He didn't play him, nor Conway. Pearson did.

He didn't integrate him, nor Conway. Pearson did.

Aside from finding local loans (which literally anyone could resolve/organise, and some - Bells loan to Grimsby - were a waste of time), what's he done?

Well said.

This bears constant repetition- until our loans manager goes back to being exactly that.

1 hour ago, mozo said:

Yep, we've essentially replaced Scott with Knight, and Semenyo with Mehmeti. We've also got rid of Weimann and won't replace him til the summer. 

Had we not had persistent injury problems all season, we probably couldn't have sacked Nige, and/or Manning would be doing better.

But it's a imbalanced, inconsistent squad.

If Manning had managed just 3 points at this stage (let say we held on to beat Cov and held on to draw v Ipswich), then we'd be pushing top 10 and you can't grumble with that. Fine margins. Now he needs to find that extra 3 points somewhere else.

They appointed a manager with a 40% + win record at all his previous clubs, so the scenario you've described is a bit bizarre.

I honestly don't give a monkeys what he did previously - what's he doing right here, right now is my concern.

There's enough evidence available to us now to be forming an opinion about his ability at Championship level. I honestly don't give a monkeys how he got on playing Accrington Stanley.

The evidence so far is 2 wins from 14? attempts to beat Championship teams below us in the table - some of those at home, against teams having terrible seasons..... who beat us.

Personally I feel it's pretty pointless pulling the occasional excellent performance out of our backsides if, most of the time, we are dull and mediocre.

Forget season tickets for next year, people are already voting with their feet this season - that's the most telling verdict on this Coachbot.

People aren't interested in him or his football.

And he's going to need some miraculous summer transfers and a flying start to next season to convince people he's got what it takes.

19 hours ago, Curr Avon said:

Despite supposedly losing the dressing room, being out of his depth, and boring I'd say our manager deserves a lot of credit for today's excellent victory against Premier League bound Leicester.

Although I expect several of you to disagree.

 

If promotion is the aim, why have we appointed a manager who can't beat teams below us in the league?

How do the geniuses running our club square that circle?

Perhaps they could also explain why they've appointed a manager so boring people are staying away in their droves? Empty seats for all to see.

And let's not hear "Oh but it was Mothers Day", "Oh but it was Easter". That's pathetic gAsshole sh1te.

21 hours ago, ChubStixx said:

Who else is rumoured to be leaving? I've not been keeping up to date with the Bears lately.

Chris Vui. Yann Thomas.

Well done City. Happy Easter!

1 hour ago, Northern Red said:

Sinckler confirmed to be off to Toulon next season, along with Lewis Ludlam.

Won't be missed. Unlike some of the other rumoured departures.

Cheerio.

4 hours ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

Are we counting Anglo-Scotch cup?

2 hours ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Gloucester Cup more like.

I stand corrected.

Larry never won the Gloucester Cup. Loser. Shankly, Ramsey and Clough rated him, though. And Fred Ford. And you can't knock that.

Also, I'm amazed to discover the Anglo-Scotch cup actually is on Cloughie's CV.

42 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Heard Matty James say it lots, actually did so in the video when he signed for us.

Ubiquitous.

A Pat Lam phrase. Just repeated, parrot fashion, by the football side of the operation these days. Blah blah blah.

Warm up the vocal chords, you say. What are we singing?

"You don't know what you're doing"?

"You can stick your Manning boreball, stick your Manning boreball, stick your boring boreball up yer..."?

"Sell up, #### off. Sell up, #### off"?

"One Nigel Pearson, there's only..."

Plenty to choose from.

3 hours ago, Numero Uno said:

Facebook and X, haven't checked anywhere else. I wouldn't just say it to knock the club if it hadn't happened albeit I realise you may be asking out of curiosity!!

Don't do social media so not aware of this.

But if they've really chosen a player, who we all know is refusing to sign a new contract, to try and persuade people to renew their season tickets...

They must be stone deaf, willfully stupid or pig arrogant.

Just beggars belief.

Why should we renew Tommy, when you're not? We're all in agreement, mate - the new bloke's football sucks and there's better times to be had elsewhere.

1 hour ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

Are we counting Anglo-Scotch cup?

Gloucester Cup more like.

Our club is run by second rate individuals, making second rate decisions. It's no wonder we're a second rate team. 

For now.

1 minute ago, aa_bcfc said:

Who is the someone else?

1 hour ago, aa_bcfc said:

That’s as maybe. I was responding to a post saying that SL wants his money back. That’s about £200m.

That's not how it works though.

He should have done things differently if he wanted his money back because you don't get that for a mediocre debt laden championship football club. And we're that because of his decision making.

20 years is long enough to have got those decisions right. Enough is enough. Time for them to f off.

1 hour ago, aa_bcfc said:

It might be on the market but they are not exactly queuing around the block to buy it. 
Perhaps you’d happy to have ownership like the sags have got, I’d rather have the Lansdowns. 

You do know it's not either or, don't  you?

20 years and still no progress on the pitch. 20 years is long enough to havedone so. They've had their opportunity. Time for someone else to have a go.

Thanks for the bricks and mortar. Fair play. Now its time to f off.

6 minutes ago, Barrs Court Red said:

“TR pointed out that BCFC rents the stadium”

 

Who from? That's the question.

Nothing to see here.

So that's either a lack of knowledge on their part, poor communication or misinformation.

2 hours ago, Roe said:

I know it's his job and ultimately he did fail when it came to managing at a higher level, but it must have been a right pain in the ass managing the likes of Trundle and Noble

Not if you enjoyed a night out.

10 minutes ago, headhunter said:

Compare LMs record to McKenna and quite honestly it falls well short in my personal view.

LM appears to have flitted between jobs, grasping at opportunities as they presented themselves; he has a sacking to his name already. If he turns things around here and achieves a modicum of success I suggest he would be off in pursuit of the next big thing if offered.

McKenna has been schooled at, arguably, two of the finest club's in the land. At Spurs he managed the U18s who reached the semi-final of the Youth Cup in 2015. He moved on to Man Utd. in 2016 in a similar role [U18s coach]. Come the summer it will be a full six years since he, at age 30,  & Michael Carrick were promoted to become first team coaches at United.

Good point, well made.

And on the basis Tinnion was tasked with identifying Pearson's successor, a condensed version of your point might be:

Tinnion is out of his depth. (Polite version.) 

21 minutes ago, 2015 said:

For me being progressive now and innovative is actually being direct and not solely the football being played without 'emotion' or based on positional play..

Too many coached following the likes of Pep, Enrique etc but not understanding this style only really works for them because they have world class players to execute it and it looks fantastic.

We have become too obsessed with statistics, having perfect passing accuracy and having ground covered.

I found this interesting - Henrik Rydstrom interview: How Malmo boss rejected positional play to become Europe's most innovative coach | Football News | Sky Sports

 

It would be typical, typical City if - just as we commit to playing tippy tappy, possession based Guardiola-ball, the zietgeist moves on to something else - just as we think we're being terribly modern and "with it", the best teams are actually doing something different.

I mean, it's already happening - here we are with full backs bravely pushed high and wide and the best teams are playing inverted full backs/full backs as central midfielders! Here we are developing "wide strikers" and old school wingers are back in vogue. Here we are playing tippy tappy out from the back and the top teams are going direct, by-passing the press by hitting pinpoint 50 yarders from back to front! 

Laughable.   

46 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

He will be gone next Autumn (sooner hopefully) unless his team start playing a style akin to Klopps heavy metal footabll imo.

 

This is the crux, for me.

I thought after just a few Manning games that - iirrespective of having a "modern", "progressive", "young", whatever, Coach - we had appointed someone whose style of play simply won't be tolerated by this club's paying supporters.

Never mind the fact that this style of play is "the most difficult style" (source - Liam Manning!) and so requires the best players - the sort of players that are hugely expensive and so likely to be out of our reach (we can't even afford Scott Twine!). Never mind that, even though it already renders the appointment of Manning absurd, unintelligent, barking.

More than that, his preferred style is anathema to the paying Bristol public.

Only a Geordie and a bloke who knows nothing about football, never mind the history of OUR club (not his), could fail to understand that.

If either of them think there are 20,000 Bristolians interested in paying through the nose to be bored shirtless by dull possession football in the hope of winning 1 or 2 nil, they are going to be massively disabused and found utterly lacking in understanding what Bristolians are interested in from THEIR sports teams.

Funnily enough, Guernsey was happy this season to poke his nose into rugger affairs and tell the Bears' Coach to play in a more attacking style.

This might just be the time to do likewise with his Bobins' Coach, before season ticket sales go through the floor.

1 minute ago, Numero Uno said:

You couldn’t lose 13 out of your last 14 and keep your job. Steve would completely lose credibility across pretty much the entire fanbase in that scenario. His ego is too big for that.

I think it's a bit late for Guernsey to be worried about losing credibility!

But believe me, I hope your prediction is right and mine wrong, even over the next couple of games - that would be a good Easter in my book!

18 minutes ago, 2015 said:

I can't see it happening tbh. Even if we lose 7 of the last 8 and survive (which we will anyway) SL will want to prove to people he is right and we're wrong.

Sadly, I tend to agree.

They're desperate to give him time in the summer with some new players and even more time on the grass.

There seems little evidence this is actually the answer, certainly not to be top 6, which seems laughable.

But like you say, Guernsey will be determined to say "I was right".

What did he allow Lee Johnson - 9 defeats in a row?

So, hey, why not Liam Manning?

Still struggling up to Xmas next season, though, and things change - even in Cloud Cuckooland where our Suits reside (tax free).

4 hours ago, Selred said:

No, I think we need to move Manning, Tinnion and JL on to reverse our current trajactory.

But I also don't think the club is at rock bottom. It's not the worst I've seen it.

It may be a sinking ship, but it's because of the Captains, not because there's a massive hole in it. It's got a lot of potential.

We've always had potential - it's why we turned professional in 1897.

Fulfilling it would be nice - 125+ years and counting!

10 minutes ago, Selred said:

Players like Damion Stewart, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Gavin Williams come to mind.

Cheers.

Now to go back to your post:

1 hour ago, Selred said:

Disagree.

The style of play is poor, and results are on a negative trajectory. I'll give you that.

Are we signing old journeyman on high wages? No. Bird, Stokes etc suggest otherwise.

Are we removing the academy? Some players like Yeboah have been shipped on loan, which is odd after being in the first team, but also I expect the likes of Palmer-Holden etc to be in and around the squad next year.

So it's not all the positives being destroyed, it's merely the style of play IMO. 

Do you think the signing of Bird will be sufficient to halt the current negative trajectory? (The chances are the likes of Stokes and SB-H will be peripheral players at best).

The strategy appears to be - get to the end of the season, any which way we can, then buy a couple of young midfielders.

Is that really going to be the answer, given what we've seen?  

I'm sceptical, to be honest.