Merrick's Marvels

What if you disagree with the diagnosis - can we ask for a second opinion?

You got it, mate

I fear you might be right. A massive summer ahead. Not a penny to spend unless we sell players we'd rather keep. And recruitment headed up by a geek with a laptop who knows nowt about football (nice fella though he may be). What a state to get yourself, Mr Lansdown. Take a bow.

It's true that Lansdown can cover the losses we incur. But at a time when our FFP position is desperate, the club needs all the income it can get. Lansdown can't help with that so not renewing, especially if thousands did so, would have a very real impact on the club's ability to move the team forward. But I totally get how you feel. As someone who lives 10 minutes from the ground, I simply can't be arsed at the moment - there's no value for money, zero entertainment. I'm paying someone for a product that makes me frustrated, annoyed and angry. And you get to an age when life's much too short for that, when there are so many other things you could be doing. Mine is often taking the dog for a walk. If we get as far as the Downs, there's football to watch for nowt, some of it more enjoyable than the fayre (pun intended) on offer at The Gate. I will be getting a season ticket though - as now more than any time since 82, the club is desperate for income - I just can't see myself bothering to use it, though, until performances improve. I have everything crossed that will happen with Pearson at the helm and am still four square behind him as not until the summer will he have a proper chance to remould the playing squad. But performances like yesterday certainly shake your faith and raise more questions than answers.

Yes, it feels to me like our better performances have been with a central 3. Can't be arsed to actually look through our results game by game to check if it's fact but that's how it feels at any rate. Plus Semenyo playing at his best up top. James, Williams and Scott in midfield + up front Weimann and Semenyo either side of an upgrade on Martin (or at least someone to job share with him) should be good enough. Add Kalas, Klose and a couple of solid full backs and you'd expect us to be upper mid table next season. But I'm beginning to doubt we'll ever see it, for all sorts of reasons.

I'm not a great one for stats but that's a belter. And gets to the heart of what Pearson was alluding to yesterday.

Yes, Dylan's a handsome pup, isn't he! ? I think you might be onto something actually - we've been an absolute state for most of the last 40 odd years which correlates nicely with some of our owners during that time! Even the bloke who was in that boy band was no looker (with all due respect to that fine gentleman)!!

I jest. But if our FFP position was healthier I'm sure NP wouldn't mind being backed the way other Lansdown managers have and, basically, being left to get on with it. It's the inability to wheel and deal in the way other managers have that's hamstring Pearson. Maybe he's alluding to the owner being unwilling to fund what NP considers the correct support structure eg. a DoF or a Chief Scout? Who knows. His cryptic comments will certainly add grist to the mill of social media, conspiracy theorists and this here forum, for sure.

If that's the case, he needs to be careful what he wishes for!

"Where do we go from here"? To the pub, mate.

In what regard? (Sorry don't listen to RB)

Out of interest, how would you sell City to a prospective new manager? Give them the unvarnished truth - diabolical FFP position, squad that requires radical surgery with no money available and wages out of control, no scouting network, owner with one eye on selling up? Who the heck who's any good would be interested in that?

And precisely what opportunity has he had so far to make the necessary, radical changes to our squad? Today was piss poor though, that's for sure.

Poor result. I feel for the hardy souls who turn up through thin and thin at home games. They deserve better than today.

If Pearson had gone down the loan route, not doing so being a stick many want to beat him with, then the likes of Scott, Semenyo, Benarous, Pring and Tanner would have played little or no football at all this season. Instead Pearson's had the bollocks, and the judgement, to give these youngsters plenty of games. Those players are now worth millions of pounds - which wouldn't be the case if we'd brought loan after loan in this season, improving other club's players at the expense of our own. Those millions might just be a get out of jail free card for us and save our FFP bacon. Bringing in loans just to play a bit better and finish higher up the table would have left us with no FFP quick fix, in fact the cost of those loans - never cheap these days - might have made our terrible position even worse. The only possible justification for getting loans in this season is if you think we could have attracted such talented players as to get ourselves promoted and be playing premier league football next season. Trouble is, those sort of players we can't afford in our current position. Meaning Pearson has achieved this season's goal of retaining Championship status - whether that's finishing 12th or 20th is irrelevant - and at the same time he's developed about 50 million quids worth of talent for our club. Not bad, eh?

Last time I saw him, he was leaving the game early (and not from the Dolman!) with a face like thunder. The day Bournemouth handed us our arse on a plate last October. Let's hope tomorrow is rather more enjoyable for all of us.

Agree with you but, on Pearson, surely the cost of the sack and paying him off would make our terrible FFP position even worse. Which is, literally, the last thing we should be doing. Lansdown isn't that daft, surely? If he only understands one thing, it's the cost of everything. Which makes Pearson relatively bulletproof at the moment, albeit by default!

If you seriously think that 11 gets us higher up the table then you're in need of psychiatric help. Or perhaps your amateur analysis is superior to the proven professionals we employ. Who knows. Of course we're all frustrated by the season we've had, by the inconsistency, by the glacial pace of progress. But... O'Leary? If the opposition get a decent shot on target, it goes in. Unlike if Bentley is in goal - to blame his distribution on the team's lack of fluidity in possession is nuts - what about the 10 outfield players??? The idea Kalas has the mobility to play how modern full backs are required to - up and down, up and down - is a nonsense. Never mind the fact, if he had played RB this season, it would have fatally weakened central defence as the options there would have been what exactly? No Baker, Atkinson unavaible for long periods, Klose only been here 5 minutes. Vyner???? The non centre back Pring??? You pick Klose and Atkinson as a combo when in fact they've only been available to Pearson in the last couple of weeks when - guess what - he's picked them! That naive midfield will get bullied, bossed and run all over the show. And with no-one up front who's any good at actually getting hold of the ball and keeping it, those 3 players make a useless combination. Chris Martin is no-one's idea of Lionel Messi but his unfashionable, unflashy strengths are the sort of glue that holds every team together. In fact, what our team needs now is more glue, a heck of a lot more glue. Enjoy your Football Manager. Nigel Pearson lives in the real world.

I don't consider our 2 posts to be mutually exclusive .

Perhaps someone could ask Chris Martin? It sure as heck won't be Dave Barton though.

Unfortunately, he'd already established a reputation for going down very easily under pressure. Benarous does the same. I fear we've got an unwelcome reputation amongst referees as a team that looks for contact and free kicks. Just a theory.

OK, so far we have The Masonic and Liquid Assets - anyone want to add further boozers along North Street?? (Probably them all, if we're honest) Mind you, I can still see that winning goal at Crewe even now. What a night that was - punching the air all the way home,, Brassneck by the Weddoes on repeat on the car stereo . What a team, what a season.

It's a stat pimarily based on our style of play earlier in the season, a style we were able to abandon once Semenyo was fit and started hitting his straps. So it's misleading. And I'm not sure it's very informative anyway.

I know the "fit and proper person" test for prospective owners is a bit of a joke but even so.....