Dr Balls

It would but it’s looking a number of years off now, because of the delays at Ashton Vale. And anyway who wants to buy a League 1 men’s football team and a women’s team in the 2nd tier, irrespective of the stadium and surroundings? Seriously no one is going to pay SL’s asking price unless the men’s team make it to the Premier League and that looks further away than ever.

But the problem is that by this time next Sunday we could be only 3 points or less off 22nd, as I really can’t see us getting a result any time soon playing this Manning dirge-ball. We are dire, devoid of confidence and offering no attacking threat. And opposition managers and teams know that!

It might be if he starts 3/4 of all games in a season that triggers the clause. Absolutely. “Thanks but no thanks, I have seen what you did my old gaffer.” And there are other clubs in this division who would pick him up for at least a season.

That’s what happens when you are mid table in the Championship and lose 3 on the bounce. What’s just as worrying is that we have some of the worst form in the division in 2024. Keep playing the same way we did today and there is no reason to think that’s going to change. Manning is way out of his depth and we can only hope for a couple of fluky results to get us to safety.

Maybe, but the way ETM are causing problems with the housing at Ashton Vale, which needs to be sorted to free up the funds for the Sporting Quarter, it wouldn’t surprise me if SL just feels like he has had enough. He’s in his mid to late 60s now and could probably do without all of the aggravation that comes with owning sports teams. Far easier to set up environmental and hotel projects that are not so unpredictable as football and don’t risk anywhere near so much money.

She only lasted 50 days in a role she was clearly unsuited for. Manning has had far longer but is still here…

We will be by next Sunday. Only one way we are heading in the league table and that’s down. On another thread, posters were asked where they wanted us to finish this season and I stick by what I said then “21st or above”. The last 2 games of the season against Rotherham and Stoke are going to be enormous.

That’s two weeks past its sell by date and all turned up at the corners!

I didn’t mind losing to Leeds in one sense because they were clearly so much better than us. The defeats at home under Manning that really show up the problem are the three 1-0 defeats to Millwall, QPR and today to Cardiff. No cutting edge, no threat, no attack to speak off, just dull turgid possession for possessions’ sake, going nowhere passing along the back line or back to the goalkeeper. Only 1 upfront, who often has to drop back, such that if we ever do get the ball in the penalty box, that player isn’t there. It’s terrible to watch and easy to defend against. The lack of goals from our forwards from open play speaks to the fact that this system doesn’t work with the players we have got. I feel sorry for Wells and Conway because they have an impossible job. I said before that Harry Kane would struggle to score for us right now. Well I have changed my mind. Even Eeling Haaland would struggle to even get a chance as the centre forward playing for us. There are just no chances being made for the strikers. And if I remember correctly, the objective of football is to score more goals than the opposition. Not under Manning it would seem!

SL has pretty much zero interest in Bristol City now and only slightly more in the rugby. He actually wants out without losing an enormous amount of money. His major interest now is the environmental and ecological projects in Southern Africa (Botswana and Mozambique). Bristol City men’s and women’s teams are just a headache he probably feels he could do without.

My God he is so uninspiring. In terms of a lack of passion, he makes SO’D look like Brian Clough! Would I give everything for that coach? Nope. Because I wouldn’t trust him to ever take any responsibility for getting it wrong. It’s all about the coaches did a great job, but the players didn’t execute. We used to call out LJ for throwing the players under the bus, but Manning is a different level of denial that any of this might be his fault.

Well it’s pretty hard defending the indefensible. Bad as losing 1-0 at home to Millwall and QPR was, the manner of this 1-0 defeat against Cardiff is so much worse. Not just because it’s a derby, although that doesn’t help. It’s because it proves Manning has learnt nothing from those previous games.

“The Board” doesn’t really exist. It’s Jon Lansdown and the Bristol Sport accountant. That’s it! No one to question bad decisions. No one to hold them to account. No one to challenge the status quo of Nepo kid being in charge. Yes the board needs to change but we all know it won’t happen. As long as dad holds the purse strings, that’s how it’s going to be.

Manning offers nothing. Like for like substitutions in a system that isn’t working. No Plan B. No passion. Nothing. Football like almost all sport is not played in theory but in reality. As much as it can be about tactics, it’s also about desire and passion. Its not played in some sterile vacuum. Would I be inspired by Manning, who achieved nothing as a player, nothing tangible as a manager, already had one sacking on his brief senior level career, and who seems to have zero man management skills? No. And I don’t think the payers are either.

Hard to see where the points are going to come from.

When you only play with one striker what does anyone expect? Minimal service and I don’t see us getting much joy from corners as they have Dickie tightly marked. Has 0-0 written all over it. Happy to be proven wrong but I doubt it!

TBF it does look pretty snowy over East Bristol (in the background) this morning. However already thawing and turning to rain up here in Kingsdown. Also snowy looking north towards Purdown and south towards Redcliffe but can’t see over towards Ashton Gate from up here.

Roads are clear but there is still a dusting on the roofs and cars.

But that’s the point. How many players? 2-3? 6? 11? Bye bye nest egg? Or perhaps the plan was always to provide it to the next manager/head coach. However it does feel like Manning has one way of playing which requires potentially more expensive/better players, when it could be argued that more expensive/better players might be more successful whatever the system and tactics.

I would suggest on the evidence of last season, both with us and QPR, plus how he has been ripping it up in League 1, that Chris Martin would still be more use to us at this level in terms of getting goals than Mehmeti.

I think between you that you have identified the problem. Especially as Mehmeti always wants to cut inside as soon as he gets anywhere near the penalty area. Difficult to cut back from there…

That’s a worrying description if ever there was. So lots of possession but minimal end product beyond cut backs and “wonder goals”. Our recent form (or lack of) and goal scoring woes for our centre forward players is making a lot more sense.

O’ Dowda often played like Stan Laurel for us, so I don’t think booing will have anything to do with it!

Mentioned the risk from set pieces in reply to one of Davefevs’s posts of statistics. Scored more from set pieces than any other club at this level this season (12) so we definitely need to be practising defending corners and free kicks this week.

Joe Royle’s four on debut was against Middlesbrough in 1977, IIRC. Then went absolutely ages before scoring another goal that season!