Dr Balls

Just now, mozo said:

Obviously that was a crap performance, but it wasn't possession football. It was clumsy and tentative attempt at counter attacking.

It was two teams playing really turgid football, one playing a type of ineffective football that the other one apparently wants to emulate. My recollection is that the aim of football is to score more goals than the opposition. In all the tactics, and following the prophet Guardiola and his possession-based football, that crucial element (scoring goals) appears to have been completely forgotten.

1 minute ago, Malago said:

It was regarding staying in the championship.  If we’d lost today our championship future really would have been a lot more precarious.  Not getting relegated might not matter to you, but it does to me.

It matters to me too, I don’t want us to be relegated, but I really hate the way we are playing under Manning and I have absolutely no confidence that we can improve under him. And what really upsets me is that Lansdown will let Manning waste the “nest egg” without any evidence that he will know how to use it effectively. And if you want an idea of how empty the ground will look next season, today was a good indication. No way that the season ticket numbers will reach this season’s level.

Enjoyed the fact that we won but hated the way we played. This possession football is duller than dishwater and less exciting than watching paint dry. That’s entertainment? I think not!

Good grief, the best bits today were the worst corner in living memory (thanks Swansea - especially from Gardner-Hickman after his kicking straight over the goal line before it even got to the penalty box has been clearly outdone) and the sprinkler not turning off at the start of the second half!

33 minutes ago, Tim Monaghan said:

Because that’s my opinion. He needs a summer to bring in some of his own players etc. He’s trying to build something. I don’t expect you to agree with me and that’s fine. 

I would hope that Manning watched Swansea play the way he seems to want us to play and might realise how ineffective it can be without the best players in the division. Swansea didn’t have a single shot on target all game and our only effort on target was the goal. If you wanted to see how football dies, this would have been prime evidence!

What was really disappointing was that as soon as Tommy saw Nakhi ready to come on, he knew he was going off. And both of them will be gone in the summer because Manning clearly doesn’t play to suit forwards. Thank god for Rob Dickie and his goalscoring!

Would seem a lot have stayed away and most of us who are here wished we hadn’t bothered!

Other than the obvious (Manning is clueless) why on earth are we playing a 4-4-2 formation with Knight often the most forward player?

If we are playing 2 upfront how about playing 2 players who are actual strikers? You never know they might play off each other as a combination like they have successfully in the past…

Doing my head in!!

1 minute ago, Markthehorn said:

Seemed to play very different football here to with them .

Much more about keeping the ball and passing it around the back.

Maybe that was the problem?

Squad didn’t adapt to him or he didn’t to our players abilities .

 

Sounds very similar to our experience with Manning tbh!

Strangely enough their form has taken a significant upturn since Fam joined. Coincidence or association? Has already scored for a team in which he is one of 3 big, powerful centre forwards available, when we have exactly zero of that type of player…

What he was really saying is:

“When the opposition manager changes their team and tactics midway through the match, it’s not my fault that I didn’t consider that option. I can’t be expected to respond to that because that’s not what I planned for. So it’s down to the players to take responsibility for dealing with those changes and if they don’t, it’s their fault not mine.”

In other words, I have no Plan B. But then that’s been pretty obvious since he took over!

1 hour ago, 22A said:

Preparing to have the roof cave in; Neil Warnock (yes, Colin) hasn't done too well at Aberdeen and might consider coming here short term, just as he kept Rotherham up last season.

Having said this, I wouldn't want him full time though.

Think you will find it was Huddersfield that he kept up last season. Rotherham was back in 2016 but same result - they stayed up against the odds!

The problem for Manning is that just like Guardiola he needs a Rodri to make his system work and there is only one of those.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68449995

The closest we have is Matty James and he is not being played for whatever reason.

I would appoint very short term to the end if the season. My choice in that situation would be Gary Rowett. Experienced at this level and very pragmatic to get the points we need to survive and in the meantime look for who we might want longer term. But it’s all dependent on improving the structure higher up the club by getting an experienced CEO again, putting Tinnion back to the Academy and adding some knowledgeable outside voices to the board.

2 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

The rally from QPR and Sheffield Wednesday though?

After we beat Southampton they were 15 and 18 points behind respectively. Now it is 6 apiece. Wonder how long they will keep rallying for.

Interesting to know what the odds might be on QPR or Sheffield Wednesday finishing above us at the end of the season and the odds on both of them doing it. Probably all less than our own relegation given current form!

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I hated that comment….from a Chairman, no less.

I hate the thought of making comments against medical professionals.  I didn’t stoop that low even with Andy Rolls.

But they decided to sack Dave Rennie.  They also lost Paddy Orme (Swansea I think) around that time.

They opened a can of worms.

This comes back to both ignorance  and arrogance that they know more than experts and specialists on the part of JL and BT.

4 minutes ago, petehinton said:

I think about this a lot. Along with him then saying basically ‘I’m not getting personally and I can’t go into the details….but here are the details and you know exactly who would’ve planned this”

Maybe for the style of play Pearson wanted across a whole season he realised that pushing the players during the international breaks was counter-productive in terms of maintaining their well-being over 9 months? I am sure he wouldn’t have let them just pile on the pounds but neither would he have reamed out anyone for gaining 3lbs like Guardiola did to Kalvin Phillips while he was in England duty…

6 minutes ago, Mihai said:

 

I had this feeling also. Someone asked people on this forum if they really want the team to go up. A lot of our fans said they prefer to be competitive here than to go up and be a new case of "Sheffield United". I can't stand this attitude, things can change, look at Bournemouth and Brentford. The owners clearly don't want PL they just mess with our heads.

Mess with our heads and our emotions!!

11 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

46 or 1 ppg is still more likely to see you safe than relegated. It would be tight, and there are examples of teams going down with that total but more often than not it keeps you up.

This holds across almost all divisions and leagues btw. More often than not 1 ppg is enough.

I'm not saying I'd be happy with it, but true "relegation form" is more like 0.9 - 0.95 ppg.

Keep Manning long enough and I reckon that 0.9 PPG or worse is quite possible this season under his coaching. And we might even avoid relegation with that but it still doesn’t mean it’s acceptable!

5 minutes ago, italian dave said:

But that’s a view based on four games. You wouldn’t have been saying that four games ago. This is talking next season/four years!

Clearly there’s a scenario where we simply lose the next four then the next four but a) I don’t think that will happen and b) I’m not convinced that yet another change at the top in the midst of that would really help.

I would agree that another change in coach/manager could be disruptive, but that could also be in a positive way, if you brought in someone experienced to play to our strengths rather than exaggerating our weaknesses as a team which is what is happening under Manning.

The chances of relegation are slim but not non-existent and the longer the current situation persists the bigger the risk. Plus there is still a real tension between Manning wanting “his  players” and what we can afford or Tinnion offers him. Remember his sacking at MK Dons followed a summer of player change and it didn’t go well. Oxford it went better but has tailed off since he left. So it’s no guarantee he would achieve more than he currently is next season.

1 minute ago, italian dave said:

Does your mate also think Mark Ashton is a t w a t? (A less commonly held view in Ipswich). If so, I think I might have met him last night?!

You’re right: it was based on far far more than just one match! They’ve followed his career and were able to talk about other City games this season.

On that last point about a turn around. I’d agree with you - up to a point. But two things

1. There was no need to turn things around on the pitch, on the football front. But I think most of us feel that the change came about because of things elsewhere. And if that was about breakdowns of relationship and trust then there was a need for change. And you can argue til you’re blue in the face about where that change needed to be, but it was only ever going to end one way. And, of course, any change at that level in the footballing side is going to come with change there too.

2. Whilst what you say may be true, and there was no need for change, the fact is that there was. And that will take time. Hence their view being about this time next season, not now. 

Don’t disagree @italian dave The problem we have is that we have gone from a “mid table team looking up at the playoffs and hoping” to a “mid table team in a relatively long run of terrible form looking over our shoulder at the relegation zone and worrying as we slip closer towards it”.

The current league position gives a very false sense of security and given the games we have coming up the grounds for any optimism are rapidly disappearing if not already gone. Everything will look OK to the owner until he suddenly realises too late that it’s not!

7 minutes ago, Cole Not Gas said:

Some of us actually like rational, sometimes, as opposed to absurd abuse most give the club we support!

Much improved, all City fans happy for 89 mins - not every away game we can say that. Onwards now for Sunday. Keep the faith, keep the support of the club, ease off on the blame and dont get personally vindictive just because we are behind a keyboard. My opinion and I love it

So how do you rationalise that we are currently in a terrible run of form and that overall since Manning arrived our form has at best been bottom 6 rather than the top 6 spouted by Jon Lansdown? Not being vindictive just laying out the facts!

30 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

So 3 teams in the last, what is that, 12 seasons of you include his one (and I still think it's unlikely that 50 will take anyone down in May). 3 out of 36.

50 is a target that all but guarantees safety. It's absolutely not relegation form.

Lose the next 2 games and it’s 1 point per game over half a season (23 matches) for Manning. That’s relegation form!

47 minutes ago, cityal said:

It's certainly not guaranteed relegation, but it is occasionally true that 50 pts will get you relegated -  either way 50 points is definitely too close for comfort.

True

True ignoring Goal difference survival these are the points required to have been safe and clear of 22nd place in the last 10 seasons

2022/23 - 45 pts

2021/22 - 38 pts

2020/21 - 44 pts

2019/20 - 49 pts

2018/19 - 41 pts

2017/18 - 42 pts

2016/17 - 52 pts

2015/16 - 41 pts

2014/15 - 42 pts

2013/14 - 44 pts

 

You have conveniently missed out 2012/13. Peterborough relegated on 54 points, while Wolves came 23rd on 51 points (6th placed Leicester only had 68 points). We had a losing streak of 7 games and of course got relegated too…

27 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

Only Sunderland really going for it like us ... 5 losses in a row now.

Yes but they sacked Beale and are still losing. Shouldn’t have sacked Mowbray.

24 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

It's not so much a profit more a case of minimising cash input to keep the lights on.

Mind you a profit, in the PL? Check the accounts for last year when you've time for Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man United, Newcastle, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves. (Many more haven't yet released).

I take your point @Mr Popodopolous but the Championship is probably the biggest basket case in terms of costs versus returns. Which is why, getting out of this division, preferably up rather than down, can seem so attractive. One of the other ways to minimise losses is developing and selling players at a profit, which you then pocket rather than spend on more players. Sound familiar?!