Bedred31

Only time I ended up in the old Wembley Olympic Gallery. Front row. Absolutely terrifying- couldn’t stand up. Mercifully demolition began the following year.

Being comfortably beaten away by a clearly better side is one thing. Being very comfortably beaten by the team in 9th doesn’t sound so promising.

On the plus side, we aren’t going to gift the points in the 95th minute .

How many last minute goals can a single team concede? Just weird.

I was born in Middlesbrough in 65- Dad worked at Avonmouth but transferred to Teeside for a couple of years before moving back. So he and his mates were among those who adopted and watched the North Koreans in 66. They did unbelievably well and reached the quarters, but the lunatics who ran (and run) North Korea considered this a shameful failure and shipped most of the squad off too labour camps when they returned. This is still a subject of real sadness to people like Dad who bought into the plucky underdog story of NK at the 66 World Cup.

As to last summers signings, they were, quite reasonably, more about stamping his authority and putting down a clear marker as to his demanding style and expectations, than boosting the squad with style and potential. What better way to inform the dressing room than a few players who knew and responded to him at Leicester. That he was able to do so on the cheap was then the reason it happened. So I thought NP was on the money last year. The critical problem is that there’s no money this summer, so it’s vital we buy a couple well and hold onto Sem. , Scott and HM.

Me too. At least he recognises there’s a problem- which is half the battle, as they say (so I’m told) at AA. Unfortunately, solving this one in our current financial circumstances may be as challenging as staying on the wagon.

I just don’t think he can. I thought with Nige that while the football might not be open and attractive, at least the spine would be solid and disciplined. But defensively we are an embarrassment, week after week. My guess - in fact I’ve looked it up!- is that if it continues at anything like the current rate, we are heading for most goals conceded in a season ever. SL isn’t going to sanction a host of new signings in the summer, so what exactly is the plan?

Comical, park standard defending. Game after game, week after week.

No Villa fans at Ashton Gate.

Being in hospitals saved him 10k in fines.

Dear God.

When does taking the ball to the corner flag ever work for us?

Refs now given 19 fouls against City!

Passing it around nicely in midfield and defence not put under any pressure yet. Look completely clueless in the final third.

Choose the Preston game and the red button pops up.

What’s the spread on this commentator saying ‘joint worse defence’ over the 90mins. I’m guessing 35-40.

Neither side seems remotely capable of retaining possession. Should be an entertaining game.

I wasn’t going to post this evening. I don’t consider myself a fair weather fan after exactly 50 years supporting City, but this constant, debilitating crap, week after week, is starting to leave me genuinely depressed. I agree with all the positive assessments of our young talent and attacking potential. But there really is nothing positive or remotely supportive to say about our car crash defending. We’ve now conceded 54 goals in 30 league games. If it continues like this, it will be 80 ish for the season. Honestly, can any statos reading this name a worse season for goals conceded?

If we could summon up even some basic defensive solidity, we could start to show in this division. If the defence could be at least average bottom half of the table, then we could realistically think of the play offs (not this season, obviously). Injuries, yes and Klose was apparently immense today, but it’s schoolboy stuff a lot of the time at the back. And the risk is that we have to sell Semenyo, Scott and HM before Nige talks a bit of Janet and John into the back four. For me, don’t sell anyone NP wants to pick and spend every penny we can possibly rustle up on the defence, and who knows next year.

I’ve spent a lot of time on Jersey and Guernsey over the years- never as a resident though. They are beautiful, surprisingly varied, genuinely relaxed; there is no paid parking on Guernsey for example. Politics of all kinds is virtually non- existent. They are also small- very very small. Even for someone like me from a North Somerset village. I’ve never really understood why billionaires go and seemingly stay there. The largest houses are pretty well bolted down by centuries old aristocracy. The large luxury market is limited and at every level several steps below the mainland equivalent ( though at much greater cost). Jersey has about 500 yards of road that is not subject to a 30 mph speed limit, which rather nullifies the purchase of a Lamborghini. It’s always struck me that to be a Channel Island tax exile you need a general lack of imagination as well as an understandable desire to avoid paying millions of tax. After all, you only have one life.

I know that a complete inability to pronounce the letter ‘t’ is considered basically ok now, but it still really grates on this 50 plus dad dancer. And I went to Churchill Comprehensive ffs. But I really enjoyed this- passion and excitement without an obvious angle. And shots of the Gate in the sun.

Experience playing amid an absolute shambles should suit us down to the ground.

Last 3 games we’ve conceded 2 goals a game to desperately poor sides and 6 goals to an outstanding side. Terrifying stats. We need a new defensive strategy pronto- at least one new face and, frankly, much better coaching and managerial organisation. ‘Too good to go down ‘ is a mantra of at least half the teams who go down. Yes, some excellent displays from some young prospects, but overall this is probably the softest City side I’ve seen in 50 years- and at a time when we have a hard man for a manager!

I’m not sure it’s Bentley’s keeping NP doesn’t trust, but his attitude. Not sure Bents has found his way into the gaffers tent yet. For all our sakes, someone may have to eat some humble pie.