Engvall’s Splinter

Without scrolling through all the posts, what concerns me is our recruitment/style will change during the summer under Manning and things then go tits (more tits than it already has). Manning gets the boot. We are again left with players on 3 year deals that the next manager feels doesn’t fit his system. Rinse, repeat. 

Can’t shift the feeling that JL and BT’s vanity / ego project will be detrimental to the club in the long run. Also can’t shift the feeling that I believe they are wan kerse.

8 hours ago, GrahamC said:

So you reckon QPR, 6 wins from 29 games are going to make up a 13 point gap & vastly inferior goal difference in their last 17 games?

Or Sheffield Wednesday? 15 points behind & an even worse goal difference?

Rotherham? 19 points behind & a worse goal difference still?

Want a £100 bet on it? Huddersfield (11 points behind, also a worse goal difference than us) won’t catch us, either.

Behave.

Whilst relegation MAY be a long shot, we are just 6 points off Birmingham in 20th. Birmingham who won just 2 games in a 13 game spell - not far off Manning. That is a realistic placing for us if we don’t pick up. I don’t have the faith in the players under this manager and system that we will match our league position of last year. 

7 hours ago, Big C said:

Weimann yet to start for West Brom and I will be surprised if he starts more than 5 games.

Yeah because football is full of certainties isn't it? James has been in and out since Manning has been in charge. Bird is an improvement  

Whilst not knocking the signing, how do you know he is an improvement (at Championship level)? How many times have you seen him play out of interest?

2 minutes ago, Edgy Red said:

If Nige was still in charge, the result tonight would have been exactly the same and anyone who thinks differently is living in a fantasy world.

 

I actually don’t think people are surprised by the result. It’s the manner of the defeat. 

2 hours ago, CodeRed said:

Sky interviewer to Liam Manning - a massive task tonight- etc , .. ..so disrespectful we're at home against another championship club, a league where anyone can beat anyone , to listen to Sky it's like we're L2 v Man City in the cup.

TBH after listening to Sky if we can keep the score below 6-0 I'm going to bed happy!

Think they were on to something perhaps. Could’ve been 5. 

This performance sums us up as a club this last 6 months. 4 wins in 15. Couldn’t look any more disjointed defensively and remain clueless in the final third. Resources or not, I expect players to be competitive, offer energy and play with aggression (West Ham esq.) 

Could’ve been about 4/5 nil. 

Manning needs to up our levels in the league. The cup fixtures are masking the league performances. He spoke of progression before the game - I’m not seeing it. 
 

If time on the grass is an issue (which he’d of known before he took the job), he needs to adapt and find a way to win games now and reset in the summer. 

What a waste of a season. 

This is a tough watch. We are miles off. I can’t work out as to whether Leeds are decent, or the amount of time and space we are affording them is making them better than what they are. Back 3 collectively are all over the shop. 
 

Ball retention is poor with many an unforced error putting us back under pressure. I’d like to see something more and of credibility from McCrorie. 

2 minutes ago, Better Red said:

Step up from us.

Dickie being shown up against top class forwards at this level.

Max has kept us in it.

 

Dickie or the back 3 as a collective ?

Matter of time at the minute. Very sloppy in our third. 

Wells needs to be clever there. Thought the lob was on. 

1 minute ago, johnheadbcfc said:

At what age do you suggest a club makes a decision on a players ceiling ?

Let’s not rule Yeboah out just yet. See Bobby Reid and Cam Pring. 

I’m interested to see how he fits in. We’ve shifted from a back 4 to back 3 with McCrorie as a wingback. The internet appears to suggest this guys is a winger. We haven’t set up with wingers in any of Mannings games. The right side is probably our strongest area of the pitch with Tanner, McCrorie and Sykes (to a degree Knight also). Unless we plan to mould him into the next Henry?

12 hours ago, ChippenhamRed said:

You clearly didn’t watch the second half in London.

We drew that game. 

3 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

 

Just a thought, but McCrorie has played in DMF, George is a RB , it looks like a straight forward transition.
Transfermarkt has DMF as his most played role .

McCrorie has stated his best and preferred position is at right full back. 

6 hours ago, Gert Mare said:

And people were up in arms about a loan rather than spending millions on making it permanent. Injuries happen. Hope he recovers soon

I don’t think many were suggesting we spunk millions. It was more around a competitive fixed fee at the end of the loan, should it go well. 

I do believe the injury excuses (at this point) need to be quashed. Most sides will always most certainly have a 2 maybe 3 out. We have Naismith, Sykes and Atkinson. I shan’t include Ayman in that as I don’t believe he was ever a fully fledged member of the starting 11. The level of leniency offered towards Manning in respect of the above, against the points return is baffling. 
 

@Curr Avon you mention we are “now” making it harder for teams to beat us. We have been pretty decent at that for nigh on 12 months pre Manning. We have looked pretty solid defensively and the stats would back the up. 
 

Superb header 

Just now, Alan Dicks said:

The quality in the final third is abysmal, has been the last two years.

Changed that for you. 
 

We have known for the best part of a season and a half we lack creativity and cutting edge. So far we’ve signed two players for the future and one for the first team in this window - 24 hours remaining. Recruitment plan my arse. 

6 hours ago, bcfc01 said:

I see that little thug, the ex-Bristol Rovers manager is at it again;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/joey-barton-eni-aluko-response-31899999?int_source=nba

Bloke has no filter.

Tin hat on here but Aluko “fled” the country owing to her “safety”? Come on. Really?

Slightly OTT.

40 minutes ago, RollsRoyce said:

The plan in the summer was to have Pring and McCrorie as the 2 FB in a 4. I would suggest that having two strong FB like that would stop teams doubling up on Pring, and would have enabled us to be both defensively sound and offer an attacking threat. That threat would come from Pring and McCrorie, but also by allowing an extra player up front. I cannot believe the plan in the summer was to play a lone striker. Far from it. Before Scott was sold, he would have played in behind 2 forwards, TC and probably Wells. Mehmeti was ear marked to play in a central role, but has struggled so far, but has shown some signs of evolution. 

Playing 3 at the back, and wing backs, well that changes everything. More so if we get an injury or two. The squad is not set up for that. We will have huge gaps and will need to change our approach. As a one-off, maybe I can understand, but it looks more like this is the approach for the future. If so, we need a big recruitment change in the summer. These are fundamental issues and should have been sorted when we recruited the head coach. Does anyone expect the next Liverpool coach to change how they play , say to a Pep approach? Not a chance. 

Which for me questions Tinnion. As I understand it we’ve been recruiting players to play a certain way so that should changes occur, it isn’t a radical one. However, Manning appears chalk and cheese from Pearson other than the fact that the outcomes have pretty much been the same. 

2 minutes ago, The Fat Controller said:

Won everything in the air. Way more than he was entitled to. 

Way more than he was entitled too? Wasn’t he about 6ft 5”?

3 minutes ago, Jose said:

IF we got through. I’ll take that. Fancy us.

At home, I think we’d have a shout. Away, not so sure. 

15 minutes ago, Henry said:

I like his strength and his power. However I’m looking to see what he can actually do on the ball. So far, there actually haven’t been evidence of quality on the ball, with passes, crosses or goal threat.

I’m in agreement. Absolutely he adds physical presence to our side and his first preference appears to look forward, however so far the quality hasn’t been there. Before people jump down my throat, I appreciate he’s been out for a while. Whilst I’m sure he’ll come good, let’s not get too carried away. 

2 hours ago, BCFCGav said:

Maidstone away a ground we may not visit again for decades and (surely?!?!) a win! 
 

If we get that draw and lose to Forest in the replay I’ll be gutted.

We’ll get Luton.

This is why the cup means so much to us outside the premier league bubble. 

Scandalously underrated by some fans. Absolute snip at 300k and plenty of growth in him to develop also.