Merrick's Marvels

We have no-one worth watching ?

In everything really. The idiocy of shopping at Chelsea becomes clearer and clearer, day by day.

Kasey Palmer v Mark Sykes. Both attacking midfielders but there the comparison ends!

Sign an upgrade on Mark Sykes, I expect! But that's a discussion for another day - with (total guess) 10 million quid to spend from a sale of Alex Scott, which of today's squad would the manager upgrade and which would he keep? For today, Sykes is in fine goalscoring form and all power to his elbow. Slainte!

Wrong.

What??????? You mean he's an actual person? With a brain. And those opinions? Jesus wept.

Because he was injured!

Any chance of next week's lottery numbers?

Whether you're a work experience kid or "Pat Murphy", it shouldn't be difficult to think of sensible questions to ask. That's a basic requirement of the job. Been there, done that. It helps to live it and breath it, though. To be emotionally invested in it - like Latham or Godsiff or Foot etc etc. If you're going to piss off back to cardiff and cheer on the redbirds of a Saturday, it might be trickier. I'll give you that. Still shouldn't be beyond him to be competent though.

Agreed but has he signed it?

I nearly asked him that at the fans Q&A but, I'll admit, I bottled it ?

It's like the bloke's got to be perfect at absolutely everything - or else! No-one's that. Joe Jordan's first spell as manager is revered and rightly so. But if he'd been required to deal with the press as frequently and as publicly as managers do these days, and answer dumbass questions into the bargain, I reckon his reaction would have been off the scale. Not one to suffer fools gladly, is Joseph. And I dare say that's true of many other managers we've had too. But Pearson has to put up with pelters, thanks to dumbass social media.

So everyone, everywhere, doing every job, has to handle being asked dumbass questions the way you do? Yeah, because everyone's the same, right? Does everyone have the patience of a saint, like you Colombo? "Just one more thing"... If Pearson's blind spot (he admitted last week "we all have them") is how he handles questions from piss poor journalists - ie brusquely - but in return he transforms our under performing club into a serious, fit for purpose outfit, I'll take that all day long. And the piss poor journalists will have to man up, as will those taking offence on their behalf. Boofekinhoo.

He's gone from fielding questions from Pat Murphy, a fine Midlands based journalist who had the cajones to put Nige on the naughty step after Ostrichgate, to fielding questions from some welsh cardiff p.rick with an arsehole for a brain. Bet he doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Good point.

Christ, you trying to get us relegated Sir? Naismith's injury is bad news in my book, our quality in midfield drops off significantly after Scott/James/Naismith for a team trying to pass it progressively. There are other ways of playing of course but we don't have the forwards for that, now Martin and Semenyo have left, and they don't get the best out of Scott either. Perhaps we could play Scott deeper and slot Mehmeti in at 10? But that's not his natural position and he needs a chance to acclimatise to this level anyway. I can't imagine Sykes is in the same league as Scott as a 10 and Weimann is not a natural there either. James and Naismith central with Scott advanced looked like a very good fit. Fingers crossed the coaches can find an alternative that works just as well (imo, that doesn't involve King!)

And not a player who spent his career heading the ball a lot, either.

Any chance we could have the 4th best team, 17th best ground - not the other way round? Just sums us up - great place, shame about the team. Twas ever thus, by and large. Next!

Released on 24 Jan 1994. Had it on the walkman for our away game the very next day. Liverpool 0 City 1. What a journey home that was - Brian Tinnion + Underworld = just about the best legal high you can get. Who needs drugs!

The one Long manufactured last Saturday was ridiculous. He altered his line of running not to get the ball but to make sure he ran across the defender's line. Cute play.

Imagine what it sounds like when they're pished!

Is that available with subtitles?

Pearson said in his pre Preston presser that he'd leave the players to pick the next captain themselves.

Do you consider Ipswich Town to be a "completely ordinary club"? I don't, for what it's worth, but you've dug yourself a hole with the comments above.

Calf strain. To be assessed in next day or two.