Shuffle

6 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Agree with every word.

@Merrick's Marvels & I were discussing this the other week, he reckoned if we wanted to be a top six side then Kalas was exactly the sort of player we needed to keep.

My view was he was too injury prone over the last year to offer him any more than we had & if that meant (as appears to have happened) that he’s going to get more money elsewhere, that’s life.

Both points of view are equally valid.

I would also say those reckoning he was a waste of money appear to be totally ignoring the market when we signed him, one where you got £20m for Webster.

He also featured well over 100 times for us & for me was consistently excellent, to even put him in the same sentence as Kasey Palmer, who only started 28 games for us & who contributed virtually nothing is just lazy & ridiculous.

What I find strange is that from memory not 1 fan at the time of spending £8m for Kalas after an outstanding loan said the fee was a waste of money! 
 

Life goes on but tend to agree with your point but if he stays fit then what a player someone will get. 

37 minutes ago, sunningdalered said:

All of this is completely fair comment, but we cannot afford to keep looking back. We have to deal with the here and now. I don't see much support on here for offering long contracts to Dasilva or Kalas, and some people were offering Palmer a lift to anywhere. 

We would all like to think that the club has learned something from some of these expensive investments, maybe labelling them as mistakes would be overstating it. 

FWIW, I've always thought Kalas was too immobile, and had to expend more effort throwing himself into last-ditch blocks than he might have needed to because he didn't read, or couldn't get to a threat early enough. 

It’s funny how we as fans see things.  I thought Kalas mobility and pace (didn’t Pring say he was quickest at club) acted as an insurance policy at the back for us.  Thought he was the best defender at the club & personally always felt more reassured when he was in the team than not.  His performance v Man City was superb after a lengthy time out & demonstrated his ability.  I agree he could have read the game better but every player has a flaw &  that’s why he’s playing for us and not in the prem.

Kalas is the past and we move forward and we need to add another CB this window.  Personally, would have been delighted to keep Kalas on a reduced wage but some club will get a top player.  

9 hours ago, GrahamC said:

 

Don’t know about Kadji but Wilson, Idehen & Sam Pearson (who I haven’t seen in any of the training footage) are all considered surplus to requirements I think & they will all move on if we can find takers for them.

Add Joe Low to that list.

8 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Depends if another buyer wants Knight / the sane house?

But you’d have your own value and if that’s not accepted then don’t over pay and move on .  

3 minutes ago, AshtonRobin21 said:

I struggle with this. 

The selling club will set a price during the early stages of the negotiation. 

I don’t believe we would make 2 bids without the intention of getting close or matching said price. 

I would expect a fee to be agreed with the next bid submitted.

Not so sure it’s any different than selling your house in that you have a value when you put it on the market. In most cases the vendor will have a figure in their head that they will drop to.  It may take multiple offers to identify that.  Not sure as a buyer in housing or football why you’d over pay.  

3 hours ago, Ecko said:

It isn't speculation. It's what he has been offered. I am not surprised he is considering his options. 

For what it is worth, he is currently building a large property in Bristol, and he has no real desire to leave. His partner is Bristol born and bred, and she wants to stay too. 

That makes sense as he’s giving notice on his rented property.

3 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Priorities. 

 

Happy anniversary

Trouble was due to playing I gave her May as the only month we could get married as WC was in 86.  Was at both Hereford games & didn’t know whether to laugh or cry leaving the Gate. My old man said he was going to Wembley as I could always get married again but City would never get to Wembley again. 

12 hours ago, shahanshahan said:

The good:

1986 - City winning the Freight Rover Trophy final by beating Bolton Wanderers

The not so good:

1987 - City losing the Freight Rover Trophy final to Mansfield Town on penalties

2008 - City losing to Hull City in the Championship Play-off Final

Any other key moments involving City & 24 May?

Not sure where this sits but…….I got married on this day 37 years ago & missed our first Wembley win

On 15/05/2023 at 09:30, Jimbo123 said:

I was told they're going back to Austria again.

Also told its Austria

1 hour ago, bengalcub said:

Naismith at cb is a liability good squad option due to versatility but nowhere as good as he thinks is he … set pieces also awful

At CB in a 2 I’d agree that he struggles. Centre or left of a 3 or as a midfielder he’s fine  as lack of pace isn’t so exposed there.  

1 minute ago, Selred said:

Apparently he's been fit for quite a while... make of that what you will.

Some times players just aren’t fancied or rated…… it happens. Expect him to leave in the summer.

Nice to witness an away win after many personal failures this season.  Thought we were dominant after a shaky opening 15 mins & played some great stuff and moved the ball quickly. 

My mom was Pring who just shaded Williams & Vyner.  I would be really surprised if there wasn’t premiership interest in Pring as he’s becoming a top player.  Scott was superb second half & if that’s his last game then he left on a high. 

Shout out to Williams who pushed Dasilva forward & encouraged the fans to recognise his contribution. My take that it was clear goodbyes from Jay & Alex but thinking Kalas will be around next year. 
 

1 hour ago, petehinton said:

People are talking about Pring as if it would be a case of ‘letting him go’. It wouldn’t be that. It would be a case of getting fairly big bids for him, which I definitely wouldn’t rule out happening as he’s been that good since January. 

With a dominant ball winning CB, I’m more than happy to see him as a LCB in a 2 or 3.  He has been superb for us in 2023 but has performed  equally well in both positions.

The last two home games have been probably his worst in a City shirt.  I can honestly count on one hand the number of bad games he’s had & has been our best player this season & most of last. He’s off and knows it & im just very pleased to witness one of the best players I’ve seen in a City shirt, who will only get better. 
 

Was very good today and dragged us back into the game.  I think people get frustrated as standards set so high & people know what he is capable of.

17 hours ago, Betty Swallocks said:

Need to hold back when you get off the train, head for the toilets, pretend to be waiting for a connecting train etc etc. Let the police march off with all the young un’s who will always be singing when they get off and hey presto!…… you’re free to do what you like. 

Was corporate at Cardiff a few years back and held back as City fans were kettled and  marched to the Great Western.  I waited a good 5 minutes and was on the phone outside station only to be pushed from behind by a copper holding a riot shield.  With my accent, I was suspected  of trying to organise violence with Cardiff & threatened with arrest.  No amount of explaining would convince this copper who proceeded to shove me all the way down to Great Western.  I was hit by his shield on numerous occasions until I reached City fans.  I literally walked through the City fans to the opposite side of cordon & explained the situation to another policeman who literally said no worries and let me through.   Just unlucky that day I guess.

4 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

Not sure I would agree on “by a mile”. I think one thing that really does not help his cause is that Vyner, Atkinson and Naismith are all certainly good enough for Championship level and even Pring - whilst not a natural - is good enough that my main frustration with him at centre back is the fact he is not playing at left back. Kalas probably is our best defender but the others are good enough that I don’t think a fit Kalas would have massively impacted on our league position.

Wouldn’t disagree that the others are good enough but just my opinion he is the next level up as Man City proved. All ifs and maybes as to as whether that would have improved our league position but if fit he plays above any of our other options.  
 

Is he worth the risk on a reduced contract then it’s a no as we are not wealthy enough to take those risks anymore,  hence it’s a no from me. 

35 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Pearson’s press conference today seemed to as near as possible confirm he’s not going to be fit to play for us again this season.

Can’t see any way we’ll make him a contract offer now.

Every week it seems he’s due back only to suffer a set back.  Our best defender by a mile but thought he needed to play 5 out of 7 to stand a chance of staying.  Too high risk to offer a contract and time for him to move on.  

Bell is a really good finisher, fast and will become our number 9.  Needs to bulk up and become more physical but that will come as he gets older.  Moved to left hand side for the fact that he is so quick & the hardest thing to mark as a defender is pace. Needs to improve his left foot as clearly favours the right but as a breakthrough season he can be well chuffed when he looks back at this season whilst on the beach.

I think the problem any of our academy lads face is that they will get judged against the standards that Alex Scott has set and that’s unfair. Some will just need more time to develop and in Bell’s case, he will.

1 minute ago, Son of Fred said:

Which is why, as I've said before, he should not be risked for his & the clubs sake...

Play him as he’s going away with England & could get injured there. He had 16 mins yesterday & nobody questioned his attitude at Watford. There’s risk in every day life & we cannot negate every one.  Not aimed at you but seems lots of over reaction on here to a poor 16 mins out of 80 games.  

As for Weimann, he is in credit after last season and nobody could ever question his work rate. However, he would probably be the first to admit that his performances at best have been inconsistent & needs improvement.  It’s ok to demand more from him as we know what he’s capable of but the credit for last season will only last so long & as such, needs to do better when on the ball.

Pearson has laid a challenge to be better & make a bigger impact when they come on in the future. He has publically heralded both Conway & Scott so now he’s bringing them back to earth.  No issue with that.

1 minute ago, Curr Avon said:

Tonight's line-up

Sykes on the bench.

 

Seemed an ideal time to freshen it up with Conway, Scott & Sykes coming back in as a minimum but what do I know! Good luck  

15 hours ago, Sir Colby-Tit said:

I bumped into a bloke last weekend that was a recruiter for Southampton's academy when they had Alex Scott on their books. He told me that after a review the club decided it wasn't good value for money paying £25k per annum to fly him and his dad over from Guernsey, and let him go.

Whopping belters!

Was told the same by someone whose son was in same age group at Southampton.  He said parents were stunned as he was at the best prospect in that age group. Not sure how Bournemouth missed him as went there on trial after release.  Their loss is our gain & we’ve witnessed one of the best players I’ve ever seen in a red shirt.

14 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

He’s 31.

It’s nothing to do with his age, he’s had a lot of injuries in his career.

Personally I accept he’s a 35 games a season player, but he’s criminally underrated by some.

I actually recall one certain poster describing him as “mediocre” absolutely clueless.

Love to see a points won with James v without him.  One of first names on team sheet for me.