Merrick's Marvels

I'd be surprised if King doesn't have an option and I'm sure I read somewhere Martin has too, perhaps based on playing a certain number of games. Which means the room freed up by natural wastage (one way of describing COD) will be minimal and the enforced sale of someone we'd rather not lose (Kalas, Bentley) is more likely.

We have improved, bar last Saturday. But we had sunk so low, were in such a mess, that those improvements haven't quite been enough to see us win more than we lose. Yet.

? Or Kalas. Like you say, wouldn't want to but we're in a tight spot right now and, hey, we sell our best players anyway! And there's always Massengo, Scott or Semenyo if they were to really come good this season. Massengo will surely catch someone's eye the way he's going. What I'm worried about is what division we might be in come next summer!

Agree 100% with all that. I'm ahead of you on one thing, though - the season ticket's been exchanged for picking and choosing already but if Pearson gets enough time, I fully expect that to change. Loving the Swiss Tony thing btw!

But he's talking about the mess - not the fact we've been a Championship club for 6 years. In the wider historical context, that is good going for us but the current mess is a disgrace. And whatsmore, it's putting that status as an "established Championship club" under dire stress.

You're right, he does pick them, and the style of play. Doesn't mean they always do what they're supposed to, under pressure, though does it? I'll meet you half way and agree the subs might have been better utilised last night but he wasn't exactly spoilt for choice. I don't suppose he expected Palmer and O'Dowda to basically disappear once he'd put them on. I reckon he doesn't rate about 50% of our squad - they wouldn't be here if he had a blank piece of paper and could write down 18 names of his choosing for a matchday squad. That's a situation he's inherited, albeit one he walked into with his eyes open. So he's basically training and picking a lot of players that no matter how much instruction you give them, don't implement those instructions consistently. Guess what, Johnson and Holden had the same problem too! So if 3 different managers have come to the same conclusion, I reckon the problem might be with the players, not the bloke training and picking them - although the bloke(s) who thought it was a good idea to buy them in the first place might well be culpable too. If you gave Pearson that blank piece of paper, let's say it had 2 columns on it one headed Keep and the other Bin, how many of the current squad do you think would be in the Keep column? I've no idea how old you are, so if you're a young un, I'm asking which players do you think Pearson would "swipe Right" for?

Agree with you 100% although I'm not sure what political fallout they're worried about - North Somerset would continue to be a very safe Tory seat and the votes they might lose in Bristol are irrelevant anyway. Imo, they don't want to stump up any money for it. Plain and simple. Perhaps Covid and working from home, which has changed the commuter landscape, means the car journey to and from Bristol during the rush hours is no longer beyond a joke? Which it certainly was for many years.

Agreed - other than the "league 1's a certainty" bit. I'd say a relegation struggle is a certainty instead. That's not on the manager at all - it's on the players. They're the ones who lost the plot last night.

Perhaps he's talking about O'Dowda who, for the second game in a row, was useless? O'Dowda might reasonably turn around after last night and say "but I'm not a striker, whose bright idea was that?" (although he may decide discretion is the better part of valour). Perhaps Weimann who was using those concrete boots he sometimes wears? Although Weimann might reasonably say "yes but I'm not a midfielder". Perhaps Martin who had less impact than usual? Although Martin might reasonably say "yes but I'm not a Sat-Tues-Sat type player". Perhaps he's talking about the fact he has to include players in every matchday squad he's decided are a waste of a wage and so aren't a realistic option when he turns to the bench for help? More likely, I think he might be making a general, over-arching point that where we are as a club at the moment, in this division, with the current resources, we need all 11 players plus the subs to be at the top of their game week after week after week if we're going to get results but if even just one or two are off their game on any given day, we're not good enough at the moment to grind out results in this brutal league. And there were one or two off their game last night. Playing strikers in midfield and midfielders as strikers and flogging Martin to death doesn't help though. Nor does the absence of Semenyo.

And me but so long as we don't lose tonight I'll be happy enough

Oh come on Dave, I bet you got called a lot worse than that ?

We need Massengo, Semenyo or Scott to have a blinding season and get sold for daft money. Plus one or two of the top earners to be out of contract at the end of the season(are there any?). That's the only way to create a bit of leeway. Otherwise, we go on being a hardworking, pragmatic, unremarkable team with little ambition but to avoid relegation for a good while longer.

It doesn't make any difference how many financial backers we have. FFP will still only allow us to spend a set amount, whoever's paying the bills. I agree about finding a way to keep our best players for longer though.

So Lee Johnson got 5 years but Nigel Pearson will get just a couple before he gets the boot? Our owner has his moments but that would take the biscuit.

He's fckd. Best if he's put down and we move on to someone else.

Yes it is Whitehead - shaved his tache off but his accent gave the game away! Got to shake Sir Geoff by the hand last night. Bloody marvellous. Latham got quite emotional when mentioning Coops too.

I want to see Martin giving Kelly a tough afternoon physically. We might get some joy there, if we make best use of the limited possession I expect us to have. Personally think they'll be much too good for us but we shall see.

I like your confidence. Not sure I share it!

I think he was spoilt for choice about who to take off!

At home, against a bunch of fascists with nothing to play for, he's entitled to pick one less defensive midfielder and pick an attacking one instead. The rest is down to the players. Disappointing result, against an entirely negative opponents, that still lives us in command of our own destiny.

Which bit? The keeping B'muff guessing bit or the for all the good it'll do us bit ?

Just keeping Bournemouth guessing. For the good it'll do us!

I couldn't believe her over-reaction, quite frankly. Unless she was putting it on but I'm not sure she was. Fair play to the girl who knew the answer though!

I agree. I've had that bad cough for weeks now, the last thing anyone needed was me sat in there phlegming away all night. If there's one person we don't want to be out of action at the moment, it's not any of the players frankly, it's the manager.

His racehorses stayed on their feet more often than his football players. And his silks were a terrible design - quarters! Who the hell thinks quarters are a good look????? That aside, I doff my flat cap to him - NH racing won't be the same without you sir, RIP.