The Journalist

2 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

People are seeing what they want to see

I can't speak for anyone else, but personally I'm seeing what I didn't want to see.

I listened to the interview earlier and was surprised he wasn’t asked whether the club actually want Pearson to stay or whether Pearson himself wants to stay.

I thought he was given an easy ride, in all honesty.

You can ask the same question using different words that make it much harder to dodge…

I'm still not 100% convinced about Max, but I do think his handling has been excellent from the games I've seen. He's been very secure and often caught when other goalkeepers (and Bentley probably does come into this category) would parry.

2 hours ago, TomF said:

Anyways 10 years ago today.  bosh. 
 

 

Commentary makes it IMO 

He was really good today after an indifferent start to the season. Made his finish for the goal look much easier than it was.

I still think he’s more of a threat when he hasn’t (and sometimes even when we haven’t) got the ball than when he has it - his pace, his workrate and clever runs makes him a nightmare to play against.

If he can contribute more with the ball - and he has the ability to IMO - what a player he could be.

His ceiling may well be higher than Conway’s IMO, Tommy is just far more rounded as a player currently.

My hunch is all three goals were rightly disallowed and the foul on Nahki felt borderline - it’s a blatant foul and he wasn’t attempting to win the ball particularly, but it was a long way from goal and there was a covering defender.

I think we’d have been annoyed if it was given against us.

Just now, W-S-M Seagull said:

Pearson said something along the lines of he'd not be happy if at the last minute he was told there is some money to spend. 

“Sorry Nigel, but you did say you didn’t want any last-minute funds…”

About to be announced. Bit of extra cash for us to not spend on the team, which is handy.

This was a pretty depressing read after a day away from it all.

On the plus side, bloody good forum this, innit? Eight pages of superb debate.

We don’t know how lucky we are to have this community.

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

There’s no bloody one-way to play this game is there?

I think my concern with us is we put Naismith in the holding role expecting everything to come through him, they put someone up against him, he drifts deeper and deeper, creates bigger and bigger gaps between the midfield three and our centre-halves are looking at each other thinking "now what?".

Next thing you know Vyner's clipping the ball straight out of play trying to force the pass himself and the moaning and groaning from the crowd begins.

You can basically play the whole thing out in your head before it happens, can't you?!

13 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Will be interesting to see what he does with Dickie, Vyner and Naismith.

I think TGH will start at RB over Tanner.

I don’t see Nige deviating from his front three system, and I think generally Dickie and Vyner have looked solid as a pair….so I would quite like to see Naismith in midfield with James and Knight.  Would be harsh on Williams, but squad game.  I think Kal would take some pressure off of Vyner and Dickie’s passing.

The centre-back thing is interesting. Naismith's the third-best defender out of him, Vyner and Dickie but I also think we're a better team with Naismith there - I've always liked having a quarter-back type at centre-half because it gives you a completely different dimension in possession. It forces the other team to change how they press/defend against you.

Naismith playing as the CDM can obviously have a similar impact, but I think it's easier to defend against if you're relying on all of your play to come through him so it often then becomes about how well you can use the CDM as a decoy to open up other passing lanes.

I think it'll be fascinating to see which route Pearson takes.

10 hours ago, Bangkok Red said:

That's easy to say but you're not the one underwriting the debt

There's also a sensible element in the fan-base who haven't forgotten the lessons of 1982

 

Yeah, I do appreciate that. I’ve always been supportive of Lansdown - although I’ve become less fond of many things he says - and I’m not demanding he go on a spending spree. It’s his money and he’s in charge.

But if you’re giving me the option of going for it or being conservative, I’m going for it every time. 

23 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

I genuinely have no idea why or how the quality of a stadium stand would be inverse to the results at home. How can the quality of construction affect the performance of 11 employees on the pitch? If it were true then surely the Gas would win every single home game whilst Spurs would be beaten 5-0 at home every week? I really think that's a case of looking back with nostalgia soaked glasses on perceived halcyon days and imprinting an emotional response to that.

My opening post was more in mind of seasons we've had where because there's a difference in home and away performances and results, we see the home fanbase overreact and calm for change in management/ownership/selection when it's not really needed.

Good teams win games!

The 2014-15 season being a case in point - Ashton Gate was a mess with only three sides open and you just know some fans would’ve trotted out the whole “the disruption derailed our season” line if we’d not gone up.

As it was, it was never even discussed because we were a better team that everyone else!

15 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Kinda my point too.  That bit of success probably wins over having a loony of an owner for Cardiff fans.

Many on here harp back to the First Division days and wanting to see it again…yet it came at a price, Fourth Division football and almost going bust.

So what do we want?  And what risks are we prepared to take?

Is boom and bust as bad as many suggest?

For me, being a football fan is all about moments and memories. What’s the point, otherwise?

I never really understand fans who are content with economic sustainability and bobbing along in the middle of a division being secure. I support a football team to escape the real-life worries of security and sustainability!

Let’s give it a crack. I’ve been a Bristol City fan for 25 years and at some point I’d like to see us on Match of the Day, to visit Old Trafford for a league game and waste £30m on some French striker who is supposed to score the goals to keep us up.

Life is too short. Way too short.

1 minute ago, GrahamC said:

You mean the same bloke who scored the winner against Rangers last week?

He could score in the World Cup final and I still wouldn’t change my opinion on him. Just one of those I’m doubling down on no matter what! 

Just now, GrahamC said:

He’s just a bit scruffy, isn’t he?

Bet Pearson likes him though, plays for the team & not himself.

 

Yeah, he’s certainly not a natural footballer. I like him, though.

(Watkins wasn’t a footballer at all and was lucky to get in the Bath City team when I covered them in my very early BBC days!).

2 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Said it already but Greaves & Jones (a Bristol lad) are decent Championship defenders but he constantly harassed them into kicking it out or anywhere.

Very useful when we need an outlet late on- he isn’t easy on the eye (reminds me of Marley Watkins) but you can see what he’s all about.

I know he’s not had the easiest start but comparing him to Marley Watkins feels overly harsh… 

9 minutes ago, redsince1994 said:

Definitely need Naismith in midfield. Best passer of the ball at the club but doesn't quite have the positional discipline to play CB for me.

If he was at centre-back for the Birmingham game I bet you’d have seen a very different team performance. Sure, we may look less secure, but we look so much better in possession. For starters he pins the right full-back further back because he hits the diagonal so well, which then opens more space inside the full-back etc.

Was the Wells offside goal actually offside? I missed the replays and discussion at the time.

FWIW, when it happened live I thought he was off and was surprised the flag didn’t go up… then it did.

Just as we were last year, we’re a better team going forward with Naismith at the back. I appreciate that’s not how it’s supposed to work but alas, it does.

Also thought Bell was quite poor and, while a threat with his constant running and pace, looks a passenger in possession. He just doesn’t make it stick. Still think he gets a bit of a free pass simply because he’s an academy product

4 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

Bournemouth have been exploring moving from Dene Court from well before their rise to PL but to say the borough council has been unhelpful is the understatement of the century.  Given that the Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole connurbation has a population of more than 400K it is an area that would well be able to support a PL club, but as it stands, it's a typical example of a club that's been expanded too fast for its infrastructure to cope.  

Essentially the polar opposite of us, a club whose infrastructure has expanded too fast for its team to cope. 

6 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Tend to agree.  Think he had hoped that nobody would bid the requisite amount, that’s a bit different I guess,

I think he’s holding his cards pretty close to his chest.  From Piercy interview earlier:

If we don’t bring anyone in, in whatever position, I think things could come to a head pretty quick.  But that’s just my reaction at this point.

 

I think a big part of the problem is that, in his eyes, nobody did bid the requisite amount. He continues to phrase any answers about the Scott sale in a very specific way - and he’s no idiot, he words things very deliberately.

The next 12 days will be interesting. If the relationship behind the scenes hasn’t broken down already it may be about to.

That was a pretty dull evening until the final minute of stoppage. That’s the worst VAR non-intervention I think I’ve ever seen.

You also can’t imagine we’ll be seeing much of Michael Salisbury in the future, the VAR tonight… given he was also stood down for a game last season after missing that high-profile penalty in the Tottenham-Brighton match.

Full GON piece up now - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66506026

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

@Grey Foxwill be having palpitations read the above…and imho rightly so.

One thing you can be sure of is that if we sell £25m of players each year, that nest egg will be really useful in the next division….the next division down (or lower).

It’s comments like the above (and the Luton one) that really piss me off.  It’s just total bollax being spouted, with little thought to who’s listening and if implemented what the real impact is.

Its probably bad choice of what he’s trying to get across, but that’s no excuse.

The lack of credit for the recovery that’s been executed by RG and NP primarily annoys me, in light of positive comments about MA “I know he’s criticised by the fans but he does a lot of good work for me with the EFL” and “he’s done a great job with the HPC”…which was an infrastructure job led by proper infrastructure / building people.

Some of it leaves me with a very cold feeling towards him.

Grateful for his investment, but not blinkered to think there was another way / other ways of achieving success (on and off the pitch) either!!!

I couldn’t agree with this more but there’s a simple explanation for the lack of credit for Pearson… that would be to admit mistakes were made in the first place.

The man comes across as utterly arrogant, increasingly so with each public appearance.

I’m a huge supporter of his, but I certainly don’t like a lot of what he says anymore.