Kibs

If only football was that simple eh?

I noticed that Sheffield Wed, who we scraped past against 10 men last Saturday, pre Manning, got smashed at home 0-4 by Millwall. Maybe, just maybe, we’re not as good as JL and BT think???

Not bothered at all. We’ve been struggling for goals and lacking quality in the final third for weeks, not just today. Last week was shite too. QPR, new manager as well, desperate not to lose at home. Pearson was doing a great job with a distinctively average squad. Manning is going to have the same problems. Hopefully in a few months he’ll have a couple players in to suit how he wants to play and have had a reasonable amount of time “on the grass”.

I’d argue it was more to ensure Pearson doesn’t win 2 on the trot rather than anything to do with Manning

We need to find a way to score more goals if we’re to accumulate a good return of points. Been a real struggle lately.

I think we were “doing fine” in the grand scheme of things, but It had been a pretty poor run up to his sacking (mitigating circumstances granted). Even the more recent wins had not been good performances. For me, the second half against Ipswich and perhaps the Stoke game are the only decent “performances” in the last 7 or 8 games - and we lost both! I think Pearson had us pretty much exactly where we should be with the resources he had available, and I really struggle to see how anyone is going to improve that without a fair bit of investment.…..so I suppose my expectations of Manning are pretty low, and I’m a bit worried he’s on a hiding to nothing!!!

Yep the squad he worked with in Belgium likely cost more money than the others - equally, the team finished significantly lower in the table the seasons leading up to his arrival, and they finished lower the season after he left. Interestingly, Nigel Pearson was sacked by a team in the same division for being in the relegation zone. And Nigel Pearson didn’t turn out too badly did he

Ban him I say, lock him in his office until they’ve all gone home!!

How on earth did you come to that conclusion, you could only see the back of their heads!!???

I have no doubt that we will make a couple of signings in January. The club have got to keep playing it down. Nobody is going to come out and say “Yeah we’ve got £25m burning a hole in our pocket, and we can’t wait for the window to be open!!!”

Struggling to see too much wrong with that and nice to see Pearson finally getting a little bit of recognition.

The massive gamble is the sacking of Pearson IMO (and team), not necessarily the appointment of Manning. Best of luck to him though, really liked what I heard from him today and despite the crap that JL/BT came out with about budgets, injuries and promotion, my expectations for this season have not changed one bit. Top half and I’ll be content. Clearly the “promotion” stick will be used to beat him, and some posters can’t wait to use it, so just a reminder…..it wasn’t Manning that sacked Pearson

Oxford have just tweeted this:

Didn’t want Pearson to go, but I’m okay with this appointment as a decision in isolation. So much happier with this than a Rowett, or a Jones etc. If you listen to some of his interviews, it’s very clear that culture and character are high on his agenda when signing players and building a squad - much like Pearson. Good luck to him.

At least we’d get more airtime on the Football League show……Frank Lampard’s Bristol City

I’m not in anyway defending the interview by Tinnion, it was rotten, and like the Lansdown video, I’d have much preferred they had just come out and said the relationship had broken down etc. I do however, think people need to consider the fact that his unsuccessful foray into management was 20 years ago. It’s very possible (in fact very likely!) that he has learnt a thing or two in those 20 years, including from the likes of Nigel Pearson, and that he might do a decent job in this role. And whether his actions are well founded or not, he probably does want Bristol City to be successful!!

Will obviously get my full support if it’s him, but I do feel sorry for the bloke…..on a hiding to nothing.

If it helps, my Birmingham supporting mate said he’ll make a perfect “Yes man” for the Lansdowns

When will they learn? Nothing they say would fully placate the fan base, but they would get a better response if they just came out and told the truth - no matter how much people disagree with it.

Assuming they had enough fit first team players to field a team of course

Phil Neal once played 417 consecutive games!!! Unbelievable

Is it just horrendous luck? Is it the pitches? Is it the training? Does the high fitness, high intensity pressing system/game we play contribute? And does that style lend itself to such a small squad? And finally, how on earth did teams in the 60s/70s, on those pitches, with their diets etc go through entire seasons using only 14 or 15 players?

I am very much a “Nigel in” advocate (haven’t always been) and that he should have a new contract now……. But some very good points made in this post to add some balance.

Good for him. Well deserved. I always felt he had the ability, but had massive question marks over his mentality and I hope he can build on last season. It’s an interesting one. You would think given the lack of ambition we’ve shown since the sale of Scott, that it might have put him off signing.