The Dolman Pragmatist

Didn’t know Dean Gerken was working for us. Definitely looks like him on the touch line with Par Holland, wearing a City tracksuit. Lots of possession but don’t seem to be able to create any meaningful chances.

The trouble is that is the way the game is these days and to be successful you have to along with it. Pearson may not like it (and as you say, many of us would agree with him) but he has to operate within the way the game is now. It’s very noble of him to stand up and be counted, but he has to play the game the way it is, I’m afraid. Coppell fell out of love with the game too and walked. That didn’t do us many favours…

My Girl Lollipop … Millie Small (credit to my wife who came up with that one)

It’s easy, this football management lark, isn’t it?

I suppose it’s all about opinions, but I suspect that if we’d held on for the win you’d have been a little more charitable. I thought we were breathtakingly good at times, but undermined by naïveté from a senior pro at the end, who really should have known better. Even if King did play the ball back, there is really no excuse for Naismith’s pass. Yes, Vyner might have rescued the situation (and Matty James might have made a better attempt to clear it off the line) but we should never have been in that position, and that is down to Naismith. A moment of utter madness.

You’re in danger of defeating your own argument there…

I’m not scapegoating Naismith, but how many times has he either put us in trouble or got away with it by the skin of his teeth so far? He’s clearly a very good footballer and does some exceptional things but he has taken some outrageous risks at the back and, as I said after one of the last two home games, he needs to cut out the costly mistakes.

Sorry mate, but you’re talking garbage. To blame Vyner for not pulling the player down, while not even mentioning the villain of the piece, is utterly absurd.

Anyone blaming Zak for the equaliser either wasn’t watching the same game as me or wasn’t watching the game at all. The goal was caused by a slack pass that put the Blackpool player in. Vyner didn’t stand a chance, except to haul him down and get a red card. I thought it was Naismith who passed, but the commentator said something about King. Certainly NOT Vyner’s fault.

Try ‘click here to join our discord’. That’s how I got in for the first half, but now not letting me…

Stream’s booted me out. Can you resend the link? I’m getting ‘Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.’

We’re all over them. Just need to stick at it.

I don’t understand people. I want to see us progress as far as possible in this competition. Give me a lower division club at home any day of the week. Cracking draw!

To be fair, describing something as nonsense because it differs from your opinion is a bit strong. it looks quite a plausible team to me, but we’ll see.

So if you break someone’s leg you get a three match ban, but if you spit at them you get six…

I’d rather give away a penalty than a goal…

He has to at least start the subs so Tanner and Wilson (if both can be accommodated), O’Leary, Klose, King, Pring and Martin all have to start, surely?

I go to sleep … The Pretenders

Will someone tell footballers that you cannot possibly defend with your hands clasped behind your back? It immediately removes 90% of your balance and flexibility. To see a defender like Van Dijk effectively sacrifice a goal last night for fear of handling was mind-blowing, and no wonder James Milner gave him a mouthful afterwards. Utterly ridiculous. You simply cannot defend like that.

The first one (for Bagan) was a concussion sub.

He made a couple of very poor mistakes today which could have cost us (particularly the one when he misjudged the pace of the ball shepherding it back to Bentley); one or two of his corners were very poor; and his playing out from the back is very risky sometimes (he put Zak in difficulty in the second half). He does add something that we’re not used to though, but he needs to cut out the silly mistakes.

Death walks behind you … Atomic Rooster

She’s Got It … Little Richard

What’s the point? It ain’t real…

On A Snowy Christmas Night … Elvis Presley (couldn’t think of anything with Haddock in the title!)