Shev

Say Drew Peacock out loud a few times.

Very true! That was a rather satisfying win, to say the least, though we came out completely flat against Sunderland in the final. Either way, we have moved on too - still somewhat direct, but playing more football and much less dark arts under Matt Bloomfield.

Wycombe fan here. I just wanted to post as we have come up against Liam Manning's sides a few times, and I have been very impressed with what he has accomplished. I was just mentioning him a week or so ago to a friend as the face of a new breed of younger British managers who have a bit more nuance (and almost continental understanding) of the game, compared to the "up and at 'em" ethos of yesteryear. For context on his MK sacking, he had them playing amazing football in 21/22, coming 3rd and very close to the autos. However, they sold their best player and had a lot of top quality loanees who went back, and they simply could not replace well enough, leading to a bad start to 22/23 and a sacking (MK would end up relegated too). He went to Oxford who were floundering, kept them up, and then cracked on excellently this season. I really think his style is suited to higher up the divisions, which is why in theory he is an excellent hire. He is one of those (along with Mousinho at Portsmouth and others) who I expect to work his way up one way or another. We are not talking about hiring some clogger from the lower leagues, but someone with a very good grasp of the game. Of course it could come unstuck - who knows if he will have enough credibility with the players, and the Championship is so competitive that it is easy to go on a bad run. It also may take him a while to bed in. But seeing as you tend to be a pretty loyal club with managers, my money is on him being a success with you. Oh, and if he could actually develop Mehmeti, so much the better!