ashton_fan

We defended pretty well but were a bit wasteful in possession and didn't make the most of some promising situations, could have had a draw with a bit more quality. We seemed scared of losing the ball and were making rash passes, not at our best I would say. 

In the games I've watched Leicester are prone to giving the ball away when playing out from the back so we may get some joy there. One advantage we always have is that fans of other clubs always expect their team to beat City, regardless of our league position!

Looking at that game we were about the same position in the league as we are now but the standard of football is much higher now, probably due to better pitches and facilities, there is so much more money in the game now. The only thing that's probably worse is the atmosphere!

8 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Indeed he praised Ashton to the end but not doing so would be to admit he got it wrong. Not something he does.

For similar reasons he can't praise Nigel, Richard Gould and others for clearing up the mess they inherited as that would be to admit he created the mess in the first place.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time I can't remember people saying we shouldn't give all this money to LJ, there were times when it was close to working and we were in the top six, who was to know at that time that COVID was around the corner and that we wouldn't quite make it? SL gave us a chance but it didn't work, doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying 

By the time someone gets to interview it means their overall record is better than most of the other candidates (who don't get interviews) so at that stage the person who does the best interview generally gets the job.

LJ has never gained promotion but never been relegated either so may be a good fit for this one. Managed to keep us up when he first came and things were looking a bit dire.

The players here now are in a smaller squad so it stands to reason they'll be happier as they have a greater chance of being selected. In the past when we've had more players there have been some unhappy to sit on the sidelines (understandably) and so those are unlikely to want to renew their deals. I realise this isn't the only factor but it probably counts for quite a lot.

14 hours ago, mozo said:

Worth clarifying that LJ didn't get us into the financial mess. The accounts weren't his responsibility. The owners and CEO take the flak for that.

And COVID which really screwed up the accounts

It would be interesting to see a foreign coach here for a different perspective, nearly every other Championship club has, obviously one with a track record at this level.

It's interesting how these "keep Nige" threads pop up on OTIB after a win, whereas if we lose the next home game it will be more like "we need a change". I think he's done well in most areas but we've still never come close to finishing in the top half due to mostly poor results at home, I know that there have been financial constraints but would have thought by now we should have developed a style of play giving some better home performances, other coaches at clubs with limited resources have managed to do that. I'd certainly give him this season to prove me wrong but I'm not too optimistic, think we're heading for mid-table at best.

Thap point we got at home to Preston not looking so shabby now!

People saying SL hasn't backed the manager I guarantee at virtually any other club he would have been sacked long ago based on the team's results in the first year of his appointment.

Under Nige our home form has been patchy at best, I think it improved for a while once Scott got going but we're obviously missing him now. Most teams that do better away than at home are lacking a creative player in midfield, away from home it's not so bad as you have more opportunities through catching teams on the break. Having said that the teams we've played at AG this season are ones who we traditionally struggle against, perhaps we'll get our home confidence going when we play some of the weaker sides here.

Bentley used to stay on his line too much, Max controls his area better although Bents was probably better at stopping shots. Overall Max is a decent Championship keeper now, probably the best we've had for a while. He'll make the odd mistake though like any other keeper.

Nige said "people like to moan", he must be spending time on OTIB

I feel a bit sorry for Nige, the club sells our two best players for £35m this year, we invest about £6m in new players and yet we as fans expect the team to do better than last year, it's not really logical is it? Added to the fact it's the last year of his contract, I imagine SL's thinking he'll give him till January (or maybe a bit later) to show we're challenging for top six but if not he'll be gone to give the new guy a chance to assess the squad before the next summer window. He's probably also thinking he needs to keep some cash back to give the new manager funds if that's what happens. 

That's 5 wins in the last 6 for Brum at AG, last season being the exception so we've been here before. PNE also have a very good record here so maybe we've just been unlucky to have those as the first two home games.  Perhaps we should wait and see how we do against some of the teams that traditionally struggle here before we rush to judgement.

We mustn't panic because we've lost one game. If we'd gone in 0-0 at half time I wouldn't have been too disappointed, we dominated possession for long spells and neither team had much in front of goal. It's always more difficult chasing the game and we lost our composure second half and made some simple errors, the sending off was a kick in the teeth. Let's wait and see where we are after ten games, Nige still isn't sure what his best 11 are yet (like last season).

Wells is on the pitch warming up

1 minute ago, old_eastender said:

Are we sure it's not Cornick down the middle and Bell the rhs attacker (he is right footed after all)

They'll probably be fluid and switch around to confuse Brum

Mehmeti and Cornick in

22 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

It's still just a seat along the side of the pitch and the view is no better than the Dolman though. It's not as if the seat is any bigger, has a cushion or gold plating or anything else.

You don't get blinded by the sun

9 hours ago, Red Exile said:

Well I imagine most OTIB users do just that, taxes pay for things like school and hospitals...

..but hey, lets not derail this!

SL must pay plenty of tax it's just the amount we're talking about, and his ex-business HL have contributed loads to the UK economy, they're one of the top companies in the country. Even City's stadium build would have generated a few millions in tax so he has contributed plenty to schools the NHS etc but nobody wants to be fleeced

13 minutes ago, mozo said:

Also known as greed.

Is it greed to want to keep your own money, I suppose if it was yours you'd just hand it over to the government?

We definitely shaded that half and have some good options on the bench, expect Naismith to come on at some point