Merrick's Marvels

Why did we need an immediate, mid-season, solution?

Or dumb enough to take out a huge loan to build a stand you won't fill anyway. They can't fill their ground as it is. Has the scouse scumbag told the fake sheikh they'll be playing Real Madrid soon, so best make the ground bigger, "la" ? Scum Joey has a bunch of loanees and a one-in-a-million fluke result to thank over the last couple of seasons. He'll never get another result like that and relying on loanees year after year is a dead end. Long may it continue. And well played, Wally. You're fast becoming a legend.

To be or not to be a back 4? That is the first question. While we can play a 3, it's difficult to believe it won't be a 4. Then, will it be 1 or 2 up top - do Conway & Wells play together or go solo? (We'll mix and match) The midfield fits around the shape we choose back and front but will be centred around James. For me, with Naismith alongside. Which leaves: 1. Where does Weimann fit in? 2. We consistently get into good wide areas but fail to deliver the killer final pass. Sykes has more red cards than assists, Bell is little better. Kane Wilson, on the other hand, had 14 assists last season (21/22) and delivering accurate passes from wide areas is his strength. Are we looking a gift horse in the mouth here? Or do we wait for Sykes/Bell/Mehmeti to improve? How long do we wait? In no doubt is the fact we could do with scoring a few more goals - Conway and/or Wells are good enough if supplied enough. 3. We must find goals from midfield. 4. Where would Bryan fit in (can't believe he'd return just to be back up)? 5. What is Harry Cornick? 6. If Max O'Leary is the answer, what is the question? Questions, questions, questions. To which the short answer is - depends on who we sign.

Consistently one of the best sites, certainly for match previews and reports.

It's not a simple typo though - it's some idiot using completely the wrong the word, to the point their sentence means the exact opposite of what they're trying to say. It's on a par with the recent article that said City wanted greater disparity in their wage structure. How do you even get a job as an intern at a newspaper, if you're that clueless? Morons.

Quite. Some of the comments on this thread defy belief. Twas ever thus.

Luton. Sadly.

This is, literally, stupid.

Last game of the season, nothing to play for, away from home. And we don't roll over and let them tickle our tummy. That's what you get from a proper manager and a proper team. Thank you, Nige. Thank you, lads. Enjoy your hols, you've earned it.

Top sh!thous!ng, Mr Evatt. Good work, sir.

Beat me to it. I was just thinking 3 separate articles on the BBC website about Reading's relegation was complete overkill for such a plastic outfit. Then read this. Fair play to Williams. A decent centre half in his day and now, clearly, a decent judge of a football club.

Don't think we'll be confined to the away end, Pete. There'll be gurt Teds everywhere! Perhaps, with a lot of big teams in the Championship, Plymouth might be tempted to increase the away allocation? No idea if that's physically possible at their place these days, though.

Reading replaced by Plymouth. There's your big, local away day and we'll take more than 2000.

Plymouth!

Cheerio and good riddance, Reading. Plastic non-entities. Stick to making biscuits.

Yes, Eastville I think they called it.

They have a pathway ??????

Agreed, unless it's a short term fix until Atkinson is fit. Not ideal but I'm not having Naismith at CB who continues to be an accident waiting to happen. He can play in midfield with James.

The Bielsa Book of Football Tactics surely has just one page - "Run you b@st@rds!" ?

I suspect the reason for falling out with Hummel might be that City (in this case, Jonboy and his crayon team) would like a lot of creative input into the manufacturing of a bespoke end product, whereas Hummel were only interested in (capable of?) providing off-the-shelf template designs they could mass produce. The O'Neills contract probably allows for some design input from our end, with Hummel it was none. As this appears to be the sole reason Jonboy is involved at City, I don't suppose we'll see a return to "big name" kit suppliers until the Lansdowns have retired permanently to their respective tax havens.

The process I outlined would take months. For argument's sake, let's say 6 months. Meaning we started the process long before Alexander had any input, however informal, in our affairs. Imo. But if it transpires that, in fact, he is responsible for the O'Neills contract, he's immediately got off on the wrong foot. Imo. Because the quality of the new kit is sh1te. Certainly compared to previous suppliers such as Hummel or Adidas. It appears the decision has been made to have product in the shop to sell no matter how sh1te it is, rather than find a way to resolve supply issues with a manufacturer who can provide top quality product.

Our CEO, ex-Wycombe as you say, started work at City on 1 Feb 2023. O'Neills were announced as our new kit supplier on 24 Feb 2023. How long do you think it takes for our "Board" to 1) decide to finish with Hummel, 2) tender for alternatives, 3) start and conclude contract negotiations with a new supplier, 4) get some new kit made, and 5) organise the media announcement? Sincerely, I hope you don't think it takes less than 24 days.

Hindsight, Leveller! Atkinson was fit when he left. We had Naismith, we had Pring. We have good young LCBs coming down the pathway - one of them might be even better than Towler! Nothing to see here, imo - young player decided to leave to play first team games rather than our reserves or occasionally sit on our bench.

What a ridiculous state to get yourselves into. Couldn't be funnier. Never mind. Just another example that football, fundamentally, is about recruitment, recruitment, recruitment.

No, I'm not picking out "one game". It's an example, that's all. An example of the way Cornick has been asked to play recently, usually with Bell on the other side, in support of a a central striker. The Boro game was just the most recent one where it went particularly well, but you can have the win at Stoke if you like or Watford away where we played them off the park, the excellent first half at Sheffield or the victory against Rotherham. Take your pick. Mehmeti will get his chance, against opponents where we'll actually have the ball and defensive discipline isn't the absolute priority. Thank god you're not in charge. Ivan Sproule, is it? Headless chicken. Junior Bent. Says it all. The game's moved on mate, you need a brain now - more than ever. Try it some time.