ZiderEyed

The main reason promotion to the Premier League is SO important, increasingly so as the gap grows wider and wider, is the massive financial uplift it gives. If you have the correct non-playing staff in place, and understand that you are likely to get relegated in the first season, you're in a different world to the other clubs in the Championship, and you've got a significantly better chance of challenging the the autos and playoffs, and yo-yoing up and down. Like I said, the gap is widening year-on-year between the haves and have nots. What is that gap going to look like in 10 years? If you assume that parachute payments and the current structures stay in place, I can only see it getting harder for us to ever go up Burnley have had the ride of a lifetime, been away to some of the biggest and best teams in the country, won some huge games, claimed some big scalps, and if they get relegated, they'll be a favourite for top 6. I want to see City play against the best teams in the country. Why settle for Fleetwood away? Not that we'll have the correct people in the correct positions because we're an absolute basket case mind.

Look up every manager out of contract right now. Every manager who might take a job here. £5 says you will not find a better candidate than Pearson. If he was doing the job he is currently doing at a comparable club, lets say Preston, we'd all be saying there's not way he'd come here. We have the best possible person for the gig going. What a joke it would be to entertain Eustace/Rowett etc. It will probably be Robins. OLD BOYS CLUB! I don't often get any ITK news, but as it stands Pearson is done.

Beautifully put. In my lifetime, NP is the most proven, respected, talented, and capable manager I have ever seen. I wasn't around to see Alan Dicks, more is the shame, but it would be an aberration to let someone of NP's talent go - especially while he's contracted here! I don't think I'd be putting money into the club for a very long time if he were to be let go.

2 black armbands and a lovely little black anklet for you then mate?

I heard Jon popped into the changing room at 34 minutes to put on the whiteboard that we should bring on Old Doris to do a job at cente half.

If you don't think the Lansdowns read OTIB you're deluded, they all know how the fans feel, they just don't give a shit. We all know SL used to be a poster. Many of the former playing staff have used pseudonyms on here. If I was a player I'd be lurking on here. If I was in the non-playing staff I'd be lurking on here. They know. They don't care. My way or the highway. Like it or lump it. Give me your money, put up shut up. "It's MY club". He doesn't give a shit how we feel. It's an ego project.

When he completely went through Ayari (?) near the corner flag late on, I was out of my chair at work screaming well in. Experienced performance, an absolute professional and such an asset to us.

Been thinking this for a while. It does devalue it somewhat when it's almost every game.

Give him a 10 year extension, a year of free Miss Millies and his height in Natch this instant.

All aboard the League 1 express, stopping at Carlisle, Burton, Port Vale, and Horfield.

Lee Johnson got a huge new deal during one of the worst losing runs in the clubs history. Nige isn't getting a new deal despite the laundry list of positives he has delivered. Lansdown should be on his knees kissing Nige's size 11 Air Force 1s begging for him to stay another 3 years. Favourites. The old mates club strikes again.

Postecoglou effect. Villa also making connections out there with their version of the City Group.

Was looking at the line-up vs Italy in the Euros final a minute ago and forgot we set up with those two DMs. Hopefully we're beyond that now, Rice is clearly enough on his own back there. I thought Foden was really good tonight, obvious pairing is surely Foden - Bellingham. Balanced, energetic, plenty of creativity. Phillips needs the Napoleon treatment, send him off to St. Helena ASAFP.

Choking on their tagliatelle in Milan tonight

Jude Bellingham let me have your kids

True, with Shaw and Chilwell out I guess it's emergency cover, but I don't think I could handle Southgate playing Tripper LB at the Euros! Don't see why Colwill couldn't do a job.

About 0.06% then?

What's the point of having Rashford who wants to cut inside and run at defenders, get close to goal and take shots, if you haven't got a left footed LB on his outside to be an option? Colwill on please. By the time Trippier's sorted his feet out he's under pressure already.

Ave it

Don't know why I bother turning the telly on any more.

All-new Bristol Sport submarine entrance at Cumberland Basin?

Bang up for it then Tone?

You can tell he's an expert because he did a 3 year uni course. Hopefully we can all go through a 3 year uni course at some point so we can understand the plight of the Rovaz. When we've all got our 3 year uni courses, we'll understand the nuances that means they're discriminated against. Obviously the planning comittee at GCCC and City have done a 3 year uni course, and have been able to pull off a redevelopment because of this. Perhaps if the board had all undergone a 3 year uni course then they wouldn't have had so much trouble with planning permission. Clearly the Greens in the area have all undergone a 3 year uni course.

Will forever make my shit itch that we gambled on LJ rather than NP or some other such experienced promotion expert, let him spunk the Lansdown Trust Fund up the wall, and now we've had to bring in a serious football man to recover the situation. Imagine what Pearson could've done with all the millions we've wasted on dross over the years!? Or with the calibre of players that were actually in that team I posted above - like you say, a lot of them weren't bad players. Poorly deployed by an inexperienced manager, absolutely. But I can't help but feel like some of our best sides during the LJ era, had a Hughton(I remember the clamour at the time!)/Pearson type been in charge, would've comfortably seen us in the playoffs. I know the Lansdown mismanagement chat is boring on OTIB now but **** me, what was he thinking giving Ashton - chancer, horrid track record and LJ - League 1 manager all that cash to burn??? Wrong Place/Time/Decade/Manager/Players/CEO FC