ExiledAjax

I think we will start in the 4231 that we've seen. Initially look to counter attack I assume. Of recent games I think we'll set up and play more similarly to the Norwich game than others. I think Pearson has found a system that is getting results and I don't think he's the type to revert to a previous system for a single game. Currently I expect a back 4 of Pring, Kalas, Vyner and Tanner. Williams, Scott and Weimann in midfield. Wells, Bell and Sykes up front. Bench will probably be quite light given injuries and cup-tied players.

It is expected this week yes. The only thing really holding it up now is finding time in the Ministers' diaries for an announcement. I have heard that Sunak wants to be personally part of the announcement, so his diary needs to be considered as well. But yes I heard last week that it was expected to be this week.

You Cannae get away with that joke.

@CheddarReds I'm delighted that you've picked up on the SI and on Niall's comments about it and how it ranks City. A few of us did have a little chat about this a few weeks ago when it was published. See below. Should be an exciting week this week in the world of football governance.

It's more like 46 or 47, think the actual average points haul for 22nd is 46.something, so 46 +GD or 47 will tend to keep you safe. In very recent years it's even lower, more like 44. 1 point per game tends to keep you safe in most leagues in most seasons.

53 points for safety? As in 52 is what 22nd will get this season. Not in a million years. 47 or 48 will see a team safe this season.

Probably about the same. Both City and Rovers will be in their current division next season.

Wells v Norwich on 31 October 2020. He missed it horribly. No fans in the stadium that day thanks to COVID. 841 days. For the last time home fans actually saw us take a penalty in the flesh I think, and this could be wrong, but I think you have to go back just over 3 years to 29 Dec 2019 when Fam scored one against Luton in a 3-0 win.1,148 days!

Great minds. He was the only CB I'd heard of on there tbh. He was ******* dreadful even against us. ?

We've played Man City far more frequently than the Gas in recent years so a City/Rovers half n half would at least be more of a collector's item.

"Ignorance is strength" indeed.

Looks like it could have been 4 or 5 for Burton.

Mangala is a free agent.

Even their Twitter account constantly gets battered by other teams. MK Dons took them to the cleaners a few weeks ago, and now Burton do the same. It's pathetic.

Felt like the decision making in the box was a bit off today. We've created a lot of chances from short low crosses. Today they often didn't find anyone in the box. So that comes across as dangerous and good play in order to get the cross away, but then it looks wasteful as no actual shot comes from it. Had they been shots today rather than crosses, then Patterson might have been busier. So yeh I agree it was a bit wasteful/toothless/indecisive up front. Pick whichever word feels best to be honest.

9/10. Those low corners are embarrassing.

Agreed. I've not said he should be dropped or anything. I just think that what he needs to learn, in time, is that he's playing both with and against better players now, and so can't, and doesn't need to, do everything himself. His runs are brilliant, and he sucks defenders towards him creating space for teammates. He needs to sometimes pass to those teammates rather than shoot. Not every time, but sometimes. That's what I think he needs to learn.

Thought that was a fairly odd attacking performance. Mehmeti was dangerous but too often trying to do it himself rather than pass - you might have been the best player in the game in League 1 - but here you're passing to competent players. Other than that we were just pretty toothless. Got in the box but Sykes seemed shot shy today. Bell and Cornick moved around alot but Bell couldn't get in the game and Cornick I'm far from sold on. Wells was ok but looked leggy. Says a bit that it was a fullback who won the penalty, and Wells did convert it with aplomb. In the end it goes down as a well fought draw. Not a bad performance or result overall. We were good in midfield and Kalas played well. O'Leary continues his good form as well. Organised and quite prickly, definitely didn't give Sunderland a comfortable or respectful afternoon. Ps. Given O'Nien got just a yellow for piggy-backing Scott does this mean all players now get one permitted piggy-back in a game?

We need to be watchful though. We need to be on it. If there's a whisper of us being sold to someone who we as fans are unhappy with then we have to voice that. We cannot accept it.

Simply saying that it's a case of picking your poison, and that getting a "British" buyer doesn't necessarily mean you get one any more palatable.

Oh I don't know. The other guy that has bid - the billionaire who's made his money from exploiting this country's hard to extract fossil fuels rather than another's - he's British.

Chairman of one of the banks, and prominent member of the royal family. Let's not make it sound like he got the gig on merit. Let's also not make it sound like this is a private individual buying them. It's not one rich banker, it's Qatar that's made the bid, the nation we were all berating only 3 months ago for being unsuitable hosts of the World Cup.

Well this is just it. As he's simply posted an extract from a book it's very hard to understand his meaning. It could certainly be read as Barton speaking to the football-watching proles and warning them that he merely need stir the "primitive patriotism" that they feel for the Gas in order to get them to accept the shite he serves up on the pitch. He then laughs that they cannot direct their discontent because they lack the brainpower or education to focus it on anything beyond "petty specific grievances". He may as well have posted "Live, Laugh, Love" and be done with it. He's the biggest pseud I've ever seen.

Joey's been doing that thinking thing again.

Borderline unreadable. "...hope, which for some has trickled into expectation." What? What on earth does that mean? "undoubtably"...sorry do you mean the relatively common English word "undoubtedly". "...a desire by them all..." surely the desire comes from them all? "...discussed within the Board minutes..." I assume it was discussed at the Board meeting, and then minutes were produced. I cannot be arsed to read further. What a load of rubbish.