The Journalist

Joe Williams is having an absolute stinker here.

1 minute ago, Port Said Red said:

It is one of those names though like "Lucatoni", that has you wondering what's so special about them that the commentator is using their full name.

On the contrary - Garth’s problem is that he calls him “Linton” on second mention!

Just now, Northern Red said:

 

There was usually a comment about Paul Pogba's hair in there somewhere too.

Even now he thinks the Newcastle player is called “Joel Linton” (I’m not making that up either).

31 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Pretty sure we played them at AG in an evening game that season and they were absolutely brilliant. Certainly worthy winners that season. 

We did - and they were!

Bearing in mind we had a really good team at that time (by far our best season under Danny Wilson, even though we reached the play-off final the following year), I remember that game feeling like a cup tie and we were playing a side from a division or two above.

Must be one of the best third-tier sides I've seen.

What an amazing achievement. I've covered women's football off and on for a number of years and the physical, technical and tactical improvement has been quite staggering. The top league going fully professional has made a huge difference.

I love that this team also seem so relatable - a mix of younger players interspersed with older players who, once upon a time, even had to hold down part-time jobs just to sustain their football career.

Personally, I do find this desire to benchmark everything against the men's game - including the media's insistence to trot out the "first since 66" line - only serves to create an even bigger divide and greater resistance.

Just a personal view, but I think the women's team winning their first major trophy is FAR more significant than it being a first major trophy for either gender since 1966. It's a feat worthy of standing on its own as a sign of progress and a moment to inspire a new generation of football fans.

Nigel Pearson has often said we probably need to grind out a few more draws and these stats certainly back that up.

19 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

…………is definitely how it reads to fans who aren’t friends or family of his or his old man.

9 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Spot on.

I think we can finish slightly higher than 13th but also would understand an argument that saw us finishing there this season as making progress.

Next summer will see us at the end of the contract cycle of virtually the entire squad, so whether it is Pearson or someone else, the scope for change then is greater.

OP is an obvious troll, though.

When you're in a development phase (which we very much still are, IMO) I don't think it's as simple as judging on league position, either.

If we're being hypothetical about it, with no Semenyo and a relatively new-look defence (Naismith and Wilson in, Cundy out, Kalas injured) the first couple of months could be tough.

But then, post-World Cup, we could end up building some momentum, really tighten up at the back, see one or two more academy graduates come through and still end up finishing 14th - but feel like we've laid a platform for a genuine promotion push in 2023-24.

It's just never as black and white as people think/want it to be!

Just now, Ecko said:

Memories of Lee Miller...Swindon away...

The game he missed that sitter? When we were in the all-black away kit? Can't say it sprung immediately to mind.

40 minutes ago, Curr Avon said:

I hear that its similar to the 2004/05 away shirt, but with vertical black and red stripes, rather than horizontal.

No idea where you've got that from. Sounds like nonsense to me.

1 minute ago, shahanshahan said:

Should have said "subtle official confirmation", but I have been truly humbled here. Ha.

Just a bit of fun.

10 minutes ago, shahanshahan said:

Can't recall if there was a graphic for City men's first five away games, but City women's fixtures were announced today. There's a graphic of their first five away fixtures. Looking at the colour, it's a subtle confirmation that the away kit could indeed be white...

 

To be fair, I think we’ve already had confirmation the shirt is white because we’ve all seen it.

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

I think you’re missing my point about entertaining football Journo - City  reached the pray off final that season……………..

They sure did. As they did in the division above under Gary Johnson.

17 minutes ago, chinapig said:

So first it was a case of it's about entertainment not results, now it's results=entertainment.

By that logic a manager who took us to a Championship play off final would be even more entertaining. If only I could think of an example.

When you're in a hole stop digging.

You're missing his point mate.

On 30/06/2022 at 10:36, Robbored said:

I’ve already said that most of us go to football to be entertained and imo the best football that I’ve seen at AG for over 30 years was under DW - the likes Murray, Tinnion, Peacock et el were a joy to watch - I’ve seen nothing like it since but hopefully Nige will provide us with some attacking and exciting football before too long.

We scored fewer goals than any other team in the top 10 during Wilson's final season in charge. I didn't find that particularly entertaining.

(I absolutely realise putting Alan right on this constantly is like pissing in the wind, but equally I can't tolerate his constant fingers-in-ears Trump/Johnsonesque rewriting of history. It's how people like Alan end up in positions of authority - if you keep lying often enough and loud enough people eventually assume it must be true).

5 minutes ago, Leveller said:

No, but some would welcome in a wealthy foreign owner without really knowing their background or underlying motivations.

To be fair, I think the majority (or I hope so) would prefer Lansdown to stay... but for him to just make better footballing decisions/trust the right people to make those footballing decisions.

That is where his record is iffy.

31 minutes ago, Pugofwar said:

Good to see that they've got some West Country sponsors on the advertising hoardings even in Austria.

What a spot this is.

24 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Has anyone actually tested this theory that playing promoted teams early on is hard, or means you're less likely to win?

I see Liverpool fans are moaning that they are playing a promoted side on the opening day for the 4th consecutive season...but they’ve won all of the last 3 4-1, 4-3 and 3-0...so maybe it's actually a good thing for them?

I've a 'feeling' this is one of those 'theories' that goes in the same bag as the "new manager bounce" or "sign a striker in january". It sounds true, feels right, but when tested proves to be a pile of bollocks.

It didn't seem to bother Sheffield Wednesday too much when they played the runaway League One champions in the opening game of 2015-16...

9 minutes ago, Betty Swallocks said:

Followed by Sunderland at home? 

Couldn't possibly comment.

Got a feeling it'll be Hull away first up.

1 minute ago, Cornacix the Druid said:

So, does the red, Amber, green represent an all red home kit and yellow and green away kit as per past kits and as some have already suggested?

It represents our kit launches - like sitting at temporary traffic lights with no actual ******* road works going on and then, when it turns green, still having to wait another turn to get through.

1 hour ago, Pezo said:

He did say he didn't like loans - he then went on to explain his reasons, he doesn't see them as providing value, he questions the commitment of loan players, he doesn't want outside influences while he is trying to build the correct mentality, he wants more equality within the squad.

I'm sure if there were players available on loan that would improve us enough to get us to the prem then we would go for it but at the moment we would probably need 5 or 6 so what's the point wasting money.

The way you're presenting it it's like he has made a decision without explanation and stubbornly refuses to change his mind, it's not that.

Agree with this. Some fans are a bit too black and white about the loan stuff.

I think ultimately with a loan signing it’s assessing why you’re doing it. What was the point in bringing loan players in last season when we were a mid-lower-half-of-the-table team? A good one may mean you finish 15th instead of 17th?!

Our League One promotion year is probably a good example of how to use them - we didn’t go looking for loans in the summer but, with points on the board and injuries up front, Matt Smith was brought in to help keep the momentum. In the January, James Tavernier and George Saville came in to offer a bit more depth for the final push.

Essentially, you could justify the extra short-term outlay because it was to help achieve a long-term objective.

I’ve no doubt if we were in that sort of position under Nigel Pearson he’d be just as pragmatic.

Was expecting him to be literally dribbling during an interview when I clicked on it.

(I think you meant drivel).

12 hours ago, myol'man said:

YTS kid put in charge of Newsroom shocker. 

The funny thing is the truth is it'll be the exact opposite of this - it'll be someone pretty senior who put that in for 'a laugh' as a placeholder and forgot to change it.

Don't disagree with your point, Alan, but not sure you've actually looked at what's happened here. Shock.

Burnley took four points in seven games before Sean Dyche was sacked and have taken 11 points from seven games since. They've already won as many games under Mike Jackson as they had in the five months previous under Dyche. They were going down without the change.

And Frank Lampard, who has undoubtedly overseen an upturn in Everton's results, was only appointed four weeks before Jesse Marsch at Leeds.

Still, don't let facts get in the way.

Gutted about this. I think he’s often gone under the radar a bit because of how good Alex Scott has been, but I think the pair of them are streets ahead of the other young players.