JoeAman08

I could not really see what happened on the third. Thought Bajic was ok considering his debut and first game in England. Low was bad. Felt like wide of a 3 wasn’t for him. Not an excuse but didn’t help imo. Wouldn’t say Klose was great either. Seems we sucked the last bit of good play from him and Martin last season. Atkinson was fine. Said in another thread Martin, King and Klose down the spine of your team is asking to be overrun. You can’t pinpoint mistakes from them probably but imo the lack of legs takes it toll. Semenyo I am convinced he is saving himself for the world cup. Not an excuse but I get it. Think he’ll hit form after looking for his move away. Selfish but he has barely earned anything so far in career money wise. Sykes and Dasilva are too slow and weak to play wingback imo. You need pace and power at a minimum. If you can’t get past your man you aren’t going to help the attack which is fatal as it is your only width in this formation. Weimann I thought played better at wingback but his touch is poor at times costing us good attacks. He also does not have the patience to stay back post. We often could have maybe recycled from a cross but he had made a run in front of one of our strikers and it had gone over both their heads for a goal kick. Subs changed the game especially Conway and Scott. Wells come on far too late. Williams didn’t add anything for me. Vyner was fine.

I really felt for Joe Low tonight. Awful debut. Perhaps up there with Marinovic except Low is a young academy lad. Booing him from our singing section on a throw in is bang out of order. A real lack of awareness from that portion of the crowd. Needed all the confidence he could get. Tonight was bad. A spine of Martin King and Klose was bound to get overrun. Low was stitched up a bit playing wide of a 3 imo. All that said, give credit to Lincoln. They came to win this game and thoroughly outplayed us.

We are definitely still cleaning up the mess but I always felt Pearson was not getting the most from what he has. The more time goes on I am convinced he is getting closer to the least he can from it. If we had tried different formations and different players in different roles and it didn’t work I think I could so much easier say it is personnel. It is not the case though. It is this rigid 352 343 thing where we ask 2 non defensive midfielders screen the defence. We ask 2 wingbacks to defend as first priority. We force out of form Weimann everywhere except up front after a 20 goal season(more forward last season than this whether he has been asked or the style just does not allow it could be a separate debate). Persisting with Martin who offers nothing anymore. It is all just chuck the same thing out there and hope for something different. At the minute we are relying on Scott, Conway and Wells to create enough magic to mask our defensive deficiencies. To me it is all a jumbled mess and NP has no clue how to fix it. Bloke has a 30% win rate in near 200 games since he left Leicester. He spent loads at Leicester to get promoted. In the range of 10-15m and this was 10 years ago. Even if you believe with resources he can improve us, he won’t be getting near that any time soon here. I am sorry I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest with people who support NP. He just is not doing anything to sway me back his direction. I don’t care about right or wrong I just want to see city do well. So if he can turn this around I’d be thrilled to say I was wrong but he has to buck up his ideas over this WC break.

We have been talking about money received for Jojo Wollacott possibly going to the world cup because of finances. Surely going through with prize money and the chance of tv money in the next round we should have tried. We have a month off after saturday for recovery so I don’t get it personally. But all that aside we saw a L1 side come here and press us high for the first 15-20 minutes and then see it out in a more organised fashion than I have seen from us in a long time. Tactically we are behind every match day.

Oh yea I agree. Value for money wise is pretty bad. I think I said this about Kalas pre covid. Top defender but on 25k a week could we find someone 90% of the player but half the wages. With saying I’d like to keep Wells I am realistic. If he is aiming for 20k a week or more we should move on quickly but if we can get him in the Weimann range or close to it, I think he is worth keeping. It would be great to do something in January both in and out. Tough month to do so but have to be proactive. I’d keep Wells on half his wages. Kalas I think I’d want a bigger more dominant CB. Agree about Bentley

I agree but once ffp is safe for teams I think wages will go back up. Not saying same level as before but there will always be teams gambling for promotion. The biggest killer is every championship team can convince themselves they are close. We will see who we can resign. I’d really only mind losing Wells I think at this point other than the boys that may get sold. Edit: bad wording I would like to resign Wells if possible. Most other ooc I think we can replace easily enough. Dasilva is solid but can get picked on defensively at times and he isn’t aggressive enough for me going forward. Lack of speed and strength hurts him. Bentley was a good servant but got Bajic in for a reason. Think Max needs a new deal though? I’d re up max and let bentley walk. Kalas has been fine but think maybe a good one to let walk so we can get in a top cb target. Massengo was always going to leave. Martin can go. Klose same as Martin. Both just past being good squad players imo. Chuck King into that as well. Probably missing a couple but you are right. With what? Up to 10 leaving I think only 3-4 a big loss. But they will truly leave big holes to fill.

Not so sure we will resign some of them. Think everyone dropping off one of the split covid seasons so while it will not be a frenzy imo, think there will be competition for all of those. All on higher wages than we’d want to pay so highest bidder I’d expect and reckon we’d be cautious(understandably). I think Wells, Scott, Kalas and Semenyo big losses and hard to replace. Wells has a few years left of good championship football imo. He often looks our best player for me. His ability to hold it up, draw fouls, drop deep and link and drag defenders around is top tier for this level imo. Scott think we all know will be a loss but should get good money for him. Semenyo not up to it so far this season. Not an excuse for him, but I think WC is on his mind. Hopefully see more of his best after. Kalas a regular when fit. Can we get better value for money? For sure but letting a sure thing go for an unknown never know how it will turn out. It is a massive summer coming up. Why I question if it should be NP to oversee it. I don’t think we are a playoff side but thought enough here to maybe always be a game or two from it most of the season. Points wise still kind of there but it is hard to see it going that way. Thought this would be a happy season in the mix and never really looking like relegation so underwhelmed for me. Maybe next season is the true season to judge NP when he has the ability to get 3-4 top targets. However, going into his last season as well. No rush to do anything now but imo going into the last month of the season he either needs to go or be backed with a new deal. As of now I am in the go camp but plenty of season to still be played. It is a rest and recharge for most sides but I am looking forward to how we fair in December.

Love a good whinge or just don’t agree with you? The Chris Martin sub effectively killed our chances of scoring. Same thing on Saturday. Not his fault they scored but after they did it was point is best case scenario. Then everyone praises his man management. You said it yourself the goal was offside. Then after the match he proceeds to talk about how they’ll concede soft goals because the quality is poor at the back. Imagine playing in driving rain against a top 4 side only allowing 4 shots and an offside goal and your boss says you are of poor quality. No he is not wrong in terms of who played last night but the timing and wording is dreadful. And what about when everyone is fit? 3/5 are his signings in Sykes, Naismith and Atkinson. Is he admitting fault? We have played well the last couple of games and if that is now the level we see week in and week out then NP has figured it out and I will love to say I was wrong. Not worried we scored only the 1 in 180 minutes. That said we have seen this before. A few good performances and once they don’t return points we crumble a bit. Massive games coming up now and we can’t afford the crumble at the minute.

I can differentiate the two I think. I can’t fault NP getting us through the tough time. Perhaps I am harsh considering he has steadied the club at a tricky time. I was a big fan of the hiring and while my frustrations started last season I understood why a lot more. Now don’t get me wrong, he has not had the backing LJ had as we could not give it. I just think with what we already had when he arrived and what he has brought in we should be a bit further along. I don’t give that much credit for shredding the wage bill. If you look at most who we lost, think we could agree on most of them it was time to go. Also, Richard Gould would have been the one working the finances on these things which you could argue was the harder job imo. I think if you made a list of the good things NP has done over his tenure I would agree. I would probably give less credit than many others give but that is just a matter of opinion and I’ll argue my point. The things I don’t like are things like not having a plan B other than throwing on a different set of strikers and midfielders. How I view it the negative is outweighing the positive. As far as next manager, I think we should get through the season with NP anyway if we can. This is part financial and part we may end up in the bottom part of the table and I would want experience anyway. He knows the team and that is useful. However, at season’s end, we should be looking more lifelike in the transfer market and I would rather go the young hungry manager route. Let them mould the side in their vision. I think if you look across the division there has been a bit of movement. Most of the sackings have been older managers. Edwards was at Watford they sack everyone. Schofield was hired quickly after Coberan left Huddersfield. Morrison at Cardiff had a good spell as interim which they hired him off of. So there is risk involved with a younger man but the trend seems to be going this route.

I have been to every game bar Blackpool WBA and Norwich. I’d like a competent manager now yea. Building something special with scraping survival end of the first season. Would be scraping survival second season and just above relegation spots a third into his third season. It is weird. My opinion has always been respected on here until I said NP doesn’t do it for me. Oh well it is my opinion and it is not changing. Hope he proves me wrong.

Out of a wage bill that should never have been that high. We are back to where we should be more or less. I’d go for a young manager trying to make his way into the game much like Middlesborough have. Time will tell if that will go well for them. Again I have said NP should see out the year but I have not been convinced by his tactics, his decisions regarding personnel and the persistent problems defending.

And my post was bizarre? Half the fans booed the decision. A decision that did not pay off and has not paid off this season. Dinosaur manager goes I need goal I put big body up front try to get goal. His time has well and truly gone. The sooner everyone sees it the sooner we can move forward as a club

No if you blindly support NP you are allowed to be a patronising dick. If you question anything about him you are deemed unworthy of your opinion. Don’t mind him. He’s been backing NP so long he can’t go back and times are getting rough for him.

What did we crack? I don’t get it. Cracked it that NP isn’t a good manager? Yea it is weird. If his name was Dean Holden everyone would want him gone. Holden had a 43% win rate btw everyone.

An agenda. 30% win rate ffs Someone from the MLS would improve the side tbf. Not saying much but not hard to do better than 3 wins in 10

You don’t think we have poor 6-8 game stretches under NP with his 30% win rate? That in itself is 3 out of 10 leaving 7 games of dropped points. But guess we are amazing 70% of the time just unlucky. Given game time to them makes me laugh. You’d question his ability even more if he didn’t play them. Sometimes good players just come through. All of them were well on their way before he got here with the exception of maybe conway. Even then he was developed enough for Pearson to bring him up. We’ll just give pearson all the credit and forget about all the youth coaches and tinnion yea? Can’t be assed and responded? love it have a good sleep thinking about it

It shouldn’t be a conundrum just don’t bring him on. Can see he has nothing left and brings little value to the side. Is what it is. Careers come to an end we need to be harsh and limit his use.

You’ll get no love for it on here but you are right. Every time he comes on I look at my mates and say shall we go because there will be no goals for us with him on the pitch. Wells was fine to go another 10 tonight. He was fine to go another 20 on the weekend. Yet Pearson feels the need to bring on a lump when down. Said it many times before he’s a dinosaur and it is baffling with his record people still make excuses for him. No one really has money outside the relegated prem sides but we hear it constantly in defence of NP. Wells a 5m purchase. Kalas an 8m purchase. Scott Semenyo and Conway all big assets he has at his disposal. Brought in players like Atkinson, James, Sykes and Naismith. Then has good squad players like Bentley, Dasilva, Williams, Weimann and Massengo. Supported by younger lads like Tanner, Benarous, Wilson, Pring(inexperienced not young) and others like most other clubs. We played well again today just like the weekend. Problem is we do this all the time. 3-4 game stretch of good play followed by 6-8 stretch of poor play. We needed points these last 2 and we need points the next two. Now we are asking the lads to keep the performance up after all their efforts have netted them a point. And while you can’t directly place dropped points on the managers lap, his decisions over the last two have definitely killed hopes of late goals. Now a long trip to boro followed by a relegated prem side to get points and if we don’t a very good likelihood of seeing us sit bottom 3 for a month while the world cup goes ahead.

I don’t see how you can call it the bargain aisle. Matty James and Rob Atkinson were seem as very strong championship signings. So were Naismith and Wilson. That is 4 players to go along with some good ones already here. All the signings I mentioned the likes of Preston, Luton, Coventry and Millwall would be thrilled with. They also do not generally have the likes of Wells, Kalas, Semenyo, Scott and Bentley that they are adding that to. I am not saying ideally we could have signed a couple more per window. That is finances but what he has brought in to a core of good players that he has chose to keep around is enough in my mind to not have these ups and downs. I have looked at the likes of clubs in similar scenarios and their XI and bench don’t generally equal ours in talent terms. Fully fit I count 17 strong championship players. This does not include 2 good back up keepers, Pring, Tanner, King or Benarous who have all featured for us in important league games. Pace and power I agree with but he largely has not favoured this anyway. In recruitment, James, Naismith, King and Sykes are not pace and power. In his selection of players he often overlooks pace and power with Pring, Wilson(jury out I know but I feel a player that gets up to speed with minutes), Massengo and last season Wells. I think we could probably go back and forth. I get many people will see it from your point of view but the forum views seem to be more NP in credit than a lot of city fans I know. I want to truly be convinced with NP before we hand him the first summer of true improvement. I know you don’t agree but when I say I want to see us push playoffs(again meaning within 4-6 points with 3-4 games left at minimum) I don’t think that is expectation. I think that is overachievement but overachievement is what I would feel comfortable with. Though I’ll admit a finish from 10-14 would be a harsh sacking all things considered. I think you start talking 15th or lower it is a real concern going forward.

I can understand that. I just look at it as we have reverted to a more normal way of operating is all. I don’t think we really lack depth either just lack depth compared to what we have been. If you look at players not involved in the squad yesterday in Kalas, Massengo, Wilson and Benarous that will make us stronger. Everyone deals with injuries. Injury free we are quite strong imo from 1-20 compared to non parachute payment clubs when all fit. We have been particularly unlucky with the back 3 though.

I am not saying sack him either but relegation fodder to mid table is an overstatement imo. We were 17th last season(18th on GD without points deductions). We are 12th a third of the way through the season but it is too early to say what we are. And he has had money. It may not compare with what LJ got but he has had money for fees(Atkinson, Wilson and Tanner) and he has been able to sign players he wanted. The wage bill argument is a bit silly because I think we can all agree it should have never been as high as it was. So it coming down should not be used as a credit to NP. Famara left because he wanted daft money. KP wasn’t featuring. Chose Weimann over Paterson for the same position no need for both. O’Dowda we all wanted to see gone. Hunt, Watkins, Adelakun and Walsh think most thought weren’t up to the standard. He hasn’t had to lose anyone he wanted to keep.

Part of me thinks he was hired to see us through the tough period. To describe it like a mercenary. There is a tough job I need you to get done. It is short term. Let us know exactly where we are with ffp then do everything possible to get us to comply and if you don’t sell our best assets even better. The hiring seemed odd at the time. So for me never felt long term. That is fine btw. Think now we have started this season should only get easier from here. You could say it is a good opportunity to get a true football man in the position now and we have 7 months to do so.

Disagree this is a largely experienced squad comparable to any in the division outside the parachute payment clubs. We have the fire power up front. Joe Williams and Matty James very experienced midfielders for this level. Kalas who is a experienced and has promotions on his cv. A player of the season from a playoff side just last season. A keeper in Bentley many would call one of the best in the division. There aren’t many sides in the league that have a strong 18 of starting calibre players. We aren’t different to any side that hasn’t been in the premier league recently.

Oh I agree he has changed the culture and feel around the club. He will have seen the club through very tough times and the club be stable. He will always get credit for that from me. I just think football moves quickly and as much as being cynical can be quite harsh sometimes is necessary. I don’t think just because he has changed the culture and guided us through a tricky time means we can keep persisting with the inconsistency that plagues the team. I can’t guarantee someone would be doing better but I also can’t say NP is getting the most from the squad. For me he feels bang in the middle. That is why you keep him for this season. I think we should be pushing for a playoff spot with this squad. That means in the race for it with 3-4 games left. That would be overachieving but that is what I’d like to see to commit to him longer.

Yes that was awful. Think we switched early last season to what it is now though? I don’t think I would do it now. Maybe during WC break we could though? Only Semenyo away and imagine even with some holiday will be a good two weeks to work on something different if it was wanted.