Alessandro

The past is the past, but I have seen a fair amount of re-writing of history recently on here when it comes to LJ and MA. With the benefit of hindsight, you can take a step back and say "that was wrong" and "that worked". The fact is, what, 9,10 of those players in the squad vs. Huddersfield were bought or were coming through/developed during the MA/LJ period. Yes, I've been critical, MA and LJ/DH left us in a FFP mess, the recruitment process wasn't working, however, firstly you can't deny the impact of covid and secondly we were, during that period, one big player sale fee from being closer to, if not well in, the black, simplistically. Secondly, yes, in the end, the football style became too pragmatic and tough to watch and Holden compounded that, but let's not forget that there were periods of good football, consistent top half challenges and some unforgettable away and home nights (Man Utd e.g). I've read various comments along the line of "years of awful football under LJ is finally over" etc etc - i'm not sure that's entirely fair. Thirdly and finally, let's not forget other ground work put in place, off the top of my head the training ground, the influence in facilities at the stadium and work in the academy etc - Alex Scott and Tommy Conway etc didn't come out of nowhere and that era of MA and LJ etc deserves some credit for some of these foundations too IMO. Anyway, look, as I say past is the past, LJ and MA needed to go and were right to go in the end and we'll learn from their many mistakes - If you never wanted LJ from the start, well i'm sure you're opinion will never change, but to wipe out that whole period as a dark blot our our recent history best forgotten, is IMO unfair and incorrect.

£15m now, no for me. £15m, even £12m, 4 weeks ago, different matter. We could have done some business then. A pragmatic NP and RG will have acknowledged that he is likely to leave in the next year (unless we go up), perhaps more likely in Jan, so best to reinvest in the squad now - but that chance has passed. I think NP eluded to that in the press recently. For me, we should do everything to hold out to keep him - we’ll have a better idea of his value after the WC, our position in the league, any sell on’s that have come in etc.

I love Kal. If he played how some of you are talking like he ‘should’ be playing, he’d be in the premier league. Or certainly not playing for us. For me he’s one of the key reasons for our improvement, that player who is genuinely comfortable on the ball at the back, someone we’ve not had for a while and you see how it filters through the rest of the team. Yes there will be mistakes, it comes with the territory for those types of players in that danger zone/high press area at this level. But I for one am willing to be patient and I’m sure he’ll settle down a bit.

Seriously everyone - do your mental health a favour and stop thinking about promotion! IMO ?

2 great wins, yes. Play off talk, no. Not for me. That's two great wins, but against a new Cardiff team with, what 15 players out and 15 in? And a Luton team that will not recreate last season's success. The other three who we didn't beat included 2 newly promoted teams. I've said it before and i'll say it again, our best XI to XV players, will be very solid in this division. But you can talk about depth in the squad, and yes we do have it, but not in enough quality IMO to be talking about play-offs yet. Tanner and Wilson clearly off the standard at moment, question marks over Pring. There is a lot of exciting youth, but we've seen year after year how they often struggle for consistency across a whole season. Vyner, yes looks solid at the moment, let's see him against a top team, because last season we had question marks. One of Williams and James will likely be injured/need managing at any one time. HNM has, up to this point, had a tendency to have one good game and then 2 bad ones. TC will start getting some serious attention from defenders. How long till Semenyo and Kalas are a)back fit and b) back at top form? Could be half a season before we get both a and b. And we've not talked about transfers out yet.... Look i'm usually always a glass half full, these are not complaints/criticisms and i'm happy with the progress on the whole, but play offs? I'd say politely, calm down!

Glad that we've got some of these decisions to make, because the thing that concerns me most this season is not the quality of our players or manager - but the depth of the squad. Martin or Wells. Conway or Semenyo. HNM or James. Tanner or Sykes. Dasilva or Pring Whoever, whatever...... all these players will need to play their part at some stage as the inevitable injuries, suspensions, big late transfer bids even, start happening.

An excellent win. Much improved attitude, confidence and commitment throughout. Team looking unbelievably united and up for it. The red card, I want to see again - it looked a robust challenge but.... I think the ref has inadvertently done us a huge favour there. 20 mins to survive with 10 men will give this squad a huge boost after the first two games and will hopefully kick start our season.

For me I wasn’t going into this new season with huge levels of confidence, Naismith the signing who I think is a great addition, Sykes and Wilson more developmental - apart from that, it’s much the same as last time round. That said, our line up today with Kalas and Semenyo still to come back is surely a top half team. I watched the first half and it was good, great at times. Naismith excellent in the centre - excellent distribution that Semenyo will thrive on when he’s back. Sykes impressed, a great half - some Oxford fans said he was a poor man’s O’Dowda, but it felt like he made more interceptions and tackles in half a game than COD did in half a season while still threatening going forwards, highlight was the skill a cross to set up James with a great chance. But it turned into the classic game of two halves by the sound of it and suddenly it’s last season again, unable to get any sort of sustained possession when under pressure, and we start with a loss. So I guess we’ll see - is this seasons City the first half version or the second half version? More of the second and we can stop talking about the top 10… I’d also add - looking at James and Williams in the centre, lose one or two of them (and history suggests that’s very possible) and we look weak there. Yes unlucky with the penalty and the deflection - but not a great start to the season. Onwards and upwards hopefully.

Yep, looks good and with Kalas still to come back: Klose Naismith Atkinson Wilson Dasilva

Having managed Sunderland for 2 years and 77 matches, departing with them in 3rd position - i'd say LJ would certainly feel he's played much more than just a part in their promotion. Neil having managed for 2/3 months and 18 games by comparison, that's very much LJ's team/squad and foundation - even if it was Neil who came in with the new manager sugar and spice that got them "over the line".

Your twisting what I’m saying here - your words: “when I recently suggested on here that LJ had ‘zero achievements on his cv’ I was leapt upon by the cancel culture/snowflake brigade because apparently he won the Leasing.com/Papa Johns Trophy” You said the people who disagreed with you were the cancel culture/snowflake brigade. I was just asking how you made that conclusion.

What was it about those who challenged you that made you think they were cancel culture/snowflake brigade? Or is it just that the Daily Mail/Telegraph has told you that anyone who disagrees with you about anything is ‘cancel culture/snowflake’? Just trying to understand your apparent view that anyone who may have ‘supported’ LJ is a snowflake/cancel culture and how on earth it’s related.

https://twitter.com/skyfootball/status/1526645918019330052?s=21 He is clearly limping in this video

Heckingbottom shoves the ball into Johnson and most of the benches (including McBurnie limping on) get involved. Doesn’t mean he stamped on a fan later though, does it.

I’ve no reason to defend him - but trial by Twitter/guilty until proven innocent by the peoples court etc… I’ve watched the video a few times and what I see is a melee and McBurnie ‘hopping’ around. Now he could be stamping on him. Or perhaps - this little detail that hasn’t been mentioned yet - he was off balance because of the melee and the fact that he’s hobbling around in a brace with a foot injury….

It’s a poor half. Very poor. Not blaming Bell, but he’s been exposed. Suspect he’ll be hooked at HT - it’s all coming down our right hand side. Odd decision to play him RB to be honest. But we see again how hard it is to blood youngsters in defensive positions. Two very soft goals and it’s shut up shop time from Brum who can sit back and nullify what we’re good at which is exploiting space with running and pace. If we can somehow sneak an early goal second half, well it’s game on. But we need to sure up at the back because 3-0 looks more likely than 2-1 at moment for next goal.

Yes you can look at HNM and you can look at Williams. But as the pics showed we were basically 3 on 2 as they were breaking. HNM always behind the player with the ball. Klose had to stand his ground and face the player with the ball, despite having a runner on his left. Kalas caught standing ground, covering Klose, half-shifting to his left in case the pass went left and half keeping an eye on his right for that runner. For me Kalas was damned either way. Reality is with both Pring and Dasilva pushing for the winner, and lagging cover from HNM, the two CB were left high and dry pretty much 3 on 2. Classic break goal.

Simpson was an odd one, but I think he filled a gap we needed at the time, which has since become redundant with a switch to wing backs. He's a bit of a victim of the tactical change IMO. If we played more 4-4-2, I think we'd see more of him. James and King i'm happy with overall. Yes the niggly injuries have been frustrating, but they've both played their parts on the pitch and more importantly by all accounts, what we don't see, off it. In training. In the changing room. Socially with in the squad. These two are top guys and committed, experienced pros, surely vital to have in any squad and something we lacked. Injuries have been much better this season, but it's the usual suspects and recurring issues, but on the whole I think we've managed them better e.g Williams. There hasn't been as many random exploding ligaments etc this season thank god.

Don't really agree with this. The only one you could say he's been "lucky" with, as in come out of nowhere really, been given a debut and been immediately influential on the pitch, is Scott. Semenyo and Pring are both progressing as they should IMO. They've had their lower league loans, been in and around the squad and they've now been developed and integrated by NP into quality champ players, so I don't see that as 'lucky'. Even then we're talking 3 young players. To balance that you can take Weimann, Martin and (to an extent) Massengo who were more established squad members that have gone on to step up a level under NP.

If we're only complaining about 1 "bad" signing under NP - well given we'd lost count under Ashton, Johnson and Holden, i'd say that was very much progress in the right direction.

Is there a better tactical manager out there who could get more out of this squad? Maybe. Would that be papering over the cracks. Probably, yes. Is there a better manager out there with the pedigree, experience and personality to develop players and make the changes that need to be made at the club? Not just a bit of poly filler here and there but knocking down the wall and re-building if that's what it takes? I'd say no, not in our price range. What the last 6 or so years has shown us, for us to even compete in this league and have the odd flirt with the top 6, we needed to spend beyond our FFP limits. SL, you gave it a go, but the current system hasn't worked, NP can see that and is our best hope of getting through to the owners that message too, tweaking what needs to be tweaked and burning down what needs to be burned. Hit for me.

For me Bentley has much better command of his box. Shot stopping, not much in it? But I feel Max has had at least one or two moments where he ‘could have done better’ with goals conceded. Clear difference though is in possession - Max just has another level when it comes to distribution IMO, always offers himself which helps us get out and has much more confidence on the ball. Would you sacrifice that for less goals conceded at the moment? Probably.

Not vintage, but a tenacious, gritty win. Liked to see us getting nice and physical with Boro too. COYR

It’s not vintage stuff, but it’s a tenacious, committed first half performance with solid resolute defending. Our goal coming from Semenyo’s strength again, laying off brilliantly for Weimann’s powerful finish. Boro neat and tidy, especially around the box. Despite a series of corners at end of half, their best chance coming from a loose Massengo back pass, leaving Connelly 1 on 1 with Bentley but he couldn’t round him. Has the feeling of a game where a little Wilder half time team talk and tactical tweak will see them causing us more problems in the second half… Williams a terrier (please don’t get a second booking) and Klose clearing many a high ball well. Scott having another quiet game for me - Bell with one or two runs but loose in possession too often, but doing OK. Jay fairly quiet, Martin winning a few headers that weren’t anticipated by those around him. Hopefully Semenyo will have a few chances on the break in the second half.