ZiderEyed

1 minute ago, Jefferz said:

Against the background of Premier league football and billions of investment in the elite game, our fans yearning for promotion and a seat at the top table seems nothing more than a fantasy. 
it got me thinking about the late 1960s when I first watched the City with Mike Gibson, Jack Connor, Chris Crowe, John Galley etc and the fans enjoyed the ups and downs of second division football. We’d have good days and not so good days and we’d catch a glimpse of former greats like Johnny Haynes at the back end of their careers but I don’t remember any hysteria about playing  in the first division: nothing like the almost rabid, frothing at the mouth you get on the forum. We wanted success for the club and we wanted them to play good football. Of course, things changed in the mid-seventies and there was a growing excitement about our prospects culminating in promotion. The boys were brilliant in staying up for as long as they did with Gerry Gow as our driving force. The injury to Paul Cheesely was heart breaking for everyone. But my point is that the promotion seems now almost as unlikely as the Leicester City Premier league title. The subsequent demotions and the financial catastrophe that followed really sending the club into near  fatal tail spin. I suppose  those with better memories and more knowledge will be able to explain the ‘76 success and the set of circumstances that produced the promotion in the hope of using the same blue print. For me, the prospect is light years away. We have a billionaire owner who has given the club millions regardless of peoples opinions. What will it take to transform our fortunes? Let’s not forget that the second city of the country, Birmingham have faired little better. 

Im starting to feel sorry for the promoted clubs like Luton and Burnley. Surely, our fate would be the same even in the unlikely event of promotion. 
 

(As Ian said on the FBC podcast, it’s the same churn of failed managers recycling failure as they go on their merry way from job to job.

 

my suggestion would  be to drop the ludicrous idea of imminent promotion and get behind the players  trying their best for a club riven with injuries. 
 

We are not Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. We all watch them play on Sky and marvel at their pace and skill. The  Chamionship is not on the level. It’s like comparing Usain Bolt with a club runner from Westbury Harriers

 

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. 

15 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

I am horrified at how this club is run.  Absentee Chair, non existent Board, and tax avoiding owner.  Time for the Lansdowns to go after two decades of failure and now, judging from Nige’s comments, threatening the best manager I have seen in over 7 decades of following City.

If Nige is in effect sacked shall support Torquay until we have a new owner. 

Hope Nige reads all the positive comments here.  Can’t imagine what a rough reception any replacement will receive.  Doubt anyway if Nige is sacked anyone with anything about them would wish to come here.

Get behind the best manager we have ever had, folks

 

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. 

1 minute ago, MrBibs said:

Stoke did it very well too. So much better and in my opinion more meaningful.

My daughter said she’ll ask for a minute’s applause when I pass just because she knows it winds me up. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Just now, Ska Junkie said:

I reckon Nige nicked one of Jon's 🖍 

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.

5 hours ago, Red Army 75 said:

Also huge huge credit to Andy King.

4 hours ago, Jose said:

Absolutely. I really don’t like him in there but he was brilliant today along side RD. Our two best players. 

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. 

13 minutes ago, redkev said:

Sick to the back teeth of moments of silence , applause , black arm bands blah blah blah , there’s something every week now , the Israeli/ Gazza / Hamas shite is far too complicated for us to understand 

as for sir Bobby Charlton it’s football related and the bloke is a World Cup winner and legend that’s worth a minutes silence / applause 

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.

3 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

So the real answer for any long term progress is to sort out the board level of the club, not just put an increasingly tired and ****** off Nigel Pearson on a new contract.

That's all I'm saying, Pearson alone is not the silver bullet for our problems.

If people are suggesting a short extension of Pearson to allow the board level tidy up to occur then fine, but I've no confidence in Lansdown to do that.

Thus it matters not if it's Pearson or another in the dugout, the course is already set regardless of who is at the helm.

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

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

To chime in, 12 month rolling deal is pretty ungenerous given his work to date and doubt so while resources being cut and accepting it when it really was, without complaint.

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.

18 minutes ago, HoldenBall said:

Seems to be a new emerging market the Japanese league. Mitoma, Miyoshi of Birmingham and Sakamoto who looked excellent in the first half.

 

Postecoglou effect.

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

2 minutes ago, Harry said:

Wouldn’t play Henderson either. 
It’s the perennial Southgate argument as to why we need the 2nd holding midfielder. 
Thats not a ‘Southgate out’ comment by the way. I’m not. 
But I don’t think the 2nd DM is necessary. Never have. And if it is a necessity, the very reason it should be there is to prevent goals like the one conceded today. So it doesn’t really work defensively and it stagnates us offensively. 
 

As for who - there’s a few options. Hopefully Alex Scott will be one soon

You need a playmaker in there, not another DM. Rice is good enough for the DM role. Just make sure he doesn’t venture forward too far. 
Get a playmaker in there instead. Hell, I wouldn’t be against Trent doing that role, but you could easily slot Ward Prowse in there. Could even play with Rice as a DM with Bellingham & Foden as 2 8’s. Foden is definitely more comfortable and decisive in a central area than he is wide. 
Or Jude as an 8 with Maddison as a 10. 
Just need more creativity in the midfield rather than the security of a 2nd DM (who’s not at the level). 

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

1 minute ago, Numero Uno said:

They’re playing on the fact that Rashford doesn’t track back.

3 minutes ago, SecretSam said:

But who to play at LB? I guess it's a risk to play someone inexperienced 

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. 

Just now, Betty Swallocks said:

About 0.02% 

About 0.02% 

About 0.02% 

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. 

5 hours ago, westonred said:

If we are no longer flying to matches does this mean SL will set an example and no longer by flying over for the Football and Rugby ?

All-new Bristol Sport submarine entrance at Cumberland Basin?

21 minutes ago, BigTone said:

Oh, Ok

Bang up for it then Tone? 

8 hours ago, petehinton said:

They really are so ******* dumb arent they 

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. 

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Some of them aren't too bad on paper, some have developed since but when you have injuries, behind closed doors, downward spiral and a rookie manager losing his way..it's such a combination!

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