headhunter

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10451985/Sunderland-boss-claims-Covid-vaccine-players-inflammed-heart.html Just caught this in the Daily Mail Lee Johnson has claimed that the heart problems affecting his goalkeeper Lee Burge could have been caused by having the Covid vaccine. Burge, 29, has been ruled out of action for the League One side for up to five weeks because of an 'inflamed heart'. The goalkeeper was one of a number of Sunderland players to contract Covid-19 at the start of January but, while the others have returned to action, Burge has been unable to because of a lingering heart problem.

In this thread I was just highlighting Ole's deconstruction of COD's performance - more scathing than anything I said on the podcast. Glad that you listen to the pod but you don't have to if you find our remarks embarrassing!! There is a player in there [COD] somewhere but seeing it on the grass is less likely than finding rocking horse *hit! Tell me the last time COD put in a decent 90 minutes and by that I mean, to use a GJ phrase, "affect the game". Many cite Norwich away when he scored that worldy but that is 3 years ago ffs!

For the love of God for how much longer will we have to put up with this [O'Dowda] apology of a footballer!! I'm putting a Tenner on him to score at PNE at the weekend as despite another abject performance he'll be starting - he has a 1 in 25 scoring record and we're due one soon!!

So does the same apply to a left footed player taking a position on the right a la JD at RWB

That was my thinking at the start of the season but the emergence of Scott plus the energy of HNM makes me think we could line up like this when all fit in a 3-4-3 MOL / KALAS, ATKINSON, PRING / SCOTT, HNM, JAMES, WILLIAMS / WEIMANN, SEMENYO, MARTIN I'm no tactical expert but I can see that looks a little unbalanced on the left side in particular; how do Chelsea do it, are two of their 4 in the middle conventional wing backs

As things stand we are closer to 6th than 22nd but let's not get carried away with talk of a stupendous run of form troubling that higher ranking! In terms of relegation Derby's defeat yesterday classifies them now as gone along with Barnsley and it remains a three way fight between Cardiff, Reading and Peterborough for the final relegation spot now that Hull have created a 6 point cushion. We are 14 points clear of Peterborough who might have two games in hand but we have them at home and a vastly superior goal difference which collective could stretch that by a further 4 points. So is now the time to look up rather than over our shoulders. I don't think we need to be doing the latter but how we got on in the next run of 5 games, 4 of which are away will in my view shape the balance of the season and whether we finish between where we are now and the heady heights of 9th which are only 5 points ahead of our 33. That may be a pipe dream but we do seem to be heading in a positive direction and even if in May we are just 2 places above where we are now then, IMHO, this has been a good season This and more is discussed in the latest episode of FBC PODCAST: https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/martin-double-gives-city-severnside-bragging-rights/

Pearson didn't attend. Richard Latham was a late substitute and spoke with his usual knowledge on a range of City-related topics

But could you not play Semenyo in the wide left role that he cut in from to score his first. This would free up Weimann to go up front and let Vyner go in the middle if King is not fit; saying that, why waste Scott at RWB when Vyner can play there. I expect you think I'm on a mission .... no COD in the line up!!!

WTF have you included O'Dowda, enough already!!!

Max - better distribution than the long boot which had become a feature of our play and never helped our retention of the ball

OMG, that's almost 3 years ago!!!!!!

Sorry, can you remind me of the last time please

Didn't NP "test" him up at Birmingham - IIRC wasn't he run ragged by Deeney? Personally I would have thought our top defender, Kalas, would have been matched up against Mitrovic? As it was Vyner moved to an unfamiliar central role in a 3 with Kalas moving to the right.

If we're going to play a back 4 yours is about as good as it gets; shame we let Hunt move on with hindsight? Middle i'd go James, Scott & HNM - we really don't need COD for his pace as he rarely threatens offensively and defensively, as others have commented, he has a track record of inadequacy! Weimann and Semenyo have both been used as so called "wide players" which further validates the omission of COD; in another post someone commented that he can't be that bad as he is regularly picked for his country - can anyone tell me one match winning display he has put in for his countrymen. 23 appearances - based on his scoring record with us he's due one for them. He's 27 in the summer and should be in his prime .... can't see anything coming now, sorry

I said AW was quiet - that's an observation not a criticism. How would YOU set the side up against Cardiff next week?

You have to say that any side conceding 6 has been thrashed and City were despite a bright opening half hour when goals by Antoine Semenyo had twice put them in front. By half time the game was lost with City trailing 5-2 down to goals that were poor defensively and the sheer power of one player - Mitrovic If you look at the goals the Serbian scored he got the better of whichever City player was nearest to him and why Vyner and not Kalas seemed to be tasked with keeping him in check was another to add to the list of increasingly baffling decisions being taken by Pearson. I'd advocated Dasilva playing at RWB and whilst on the pitch he wasn't one of the worst performers if he'd made a meal of the challenge that saw him stumble in the penalty area we might have scored from the spot kick to take the lead for the third time. This latest episode of the FBC PODCAST has Ian & myself reviewing the action and more: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ae883-117dd56 [also on Google, Apple & Spotify] In our view, despite conceding 6 Max should retain the No.1 shirt, HNM & King were VERY poor yesterday, Weimann was VERY quiet, & O'Dowda is a complete waste of a shirt. If there is to be any transfer activity then it must be a defender and defensive midfielder as there remains open ended uncertainty about what part Baker & Williams will play in the remaining 20 matches. We won't go down as there are others worse than us but next Saturday's Severnside derby really is a must win game. On the FBC Podcast we remain supportive of Pearson but that support is beginning to wane

Scott is wasted at RWB.

I would agree with that. I guess it is about whether City hold their nerve for 12 months after which the chickens come home to roost in some shape or form with regards to FFP compliance.

City estimate that, by next year, the pandemic has cost them around £30m in lost transfer revenue, based on previous earnings, a number that would have, in theory, moved them significantly closer to being in the black. In a "normal" business this would be a bit like saying "if we'd got that sales order everything would have been fine". Do we have £30M of talent on our books that would be attractive to Prem clubs / abroad or those in our current division that have the benefit of parachute payments [no one else has any £]. HNM £8M / Bentley £4M / Kalas £7M / Scott £7M = £26M this plus gate revenue being restored and we could be OK???

Were you physically at the game? I thought Dasilva offered something different in an unfamiliar position. He showed good close control on a number of occasions and playing in what appeared primarily an offensive rather than defensive role is better suited to his ability. His lack of stature has, for me, seen him exposed far to often as a last line defender. Regarding my criticism of Weimann - his actions speak louder than any of my words and in the Millwall pod I held my hands up and admitted I have been harsh. As for O'Dowda, I'd like anyone to try and defend a record of 150+ games with only 2 goals in the last 50, 7 in total [4 in 2018/19].

Max O'Leary Vyner Kalas Atkinson Dasilva HNM James Pring Scott Weimann Semenyo That's our suggestion in the latest episode of the FBC Podcast : https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/a-cup-very-much-half-full-despite-3rd-round-exit/ [also on Spotify, Google & Apple] We detect a general level of optimism about the direction City are heading in and that's despite going out of the cup and now losing 3 out of 4 successive home games. What a performance from Pring and HNM yesterday but for us the introduction of JD as a RIGHT wing back for 50 minutes and his performance is why we include him in our line up which brings back that players that were rested yesterday. Atkinson looked to have got some of his confidence back yesterday alongside the imperious Kalas and Scott showed why he's best suited to a midfield role once JD appeared. It was a meh performance from Andy King and I can't believe why Callum O'Dowda was allowed to complete the 120 minutes - a horrendous miss and a few good touches apart very little end product. He's a waste of a shirt - in his 6th season with us and over 150 appearances he's scored 7 goals and only 2 in the last 50 or so games. Let him go!!!

Thanks for the comments - always welcome whether good or bad. If you listened to the QPR review we had the very erudite Neil Sutton [@ncnsbcfc] on as a contributor and Lezz has been on a few times as well. The format of Have I got News for you with regulars Merton and Hislop on every episode works well and I guess that's like Mark & Ian for FBC. re. the 2nd point, same messages, watching City for a while has been a little bit like Groundhog Day so we will say the same - I have even said this on the podcast. Did you listen to any of the mid-season reviews where I spent an hour with Gregor, Chris Honor, Gary Owers & Richard Latham? Pretty much the same number listened to all of them which in numbers was 4 x c600 listens. DM me if you [anyone] would like to come on.

Something for everyone then amongst all three podcasts. As for being negative we'll always tell it as it is. When you've been watching City for over 50 years its the hope that kills. We have memories of 76-80 and before which the much younger producers of OSIB don't.

The final FBC Podcast Episode of 2021 reviews the QPR game: https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/4fs-then-ffs/ Also on Spotify, Google & Apple For the first 20 minutes of this game we saw the 4Fs that Nigel Pearson had promised us on his appointment: Fast, Front Foot Football! Thereafter it was a case, once again, of FFS: why no pen for Scott, why did Pring concede the spot kick, what was in Andy King’s head when getting a 2nd booking with over 30 minutes remaining, then OMG another goal conceded in stoppage time consigning City to another home defeat? The line up with 4 changes from the last game looked balanced and there was the surprise omission of Bentley. Semenyo missed a sitter and was denied by a good save – City could have been 3-0 up inside 15 minutes. In this episode we discuss the match action and speculate transfer window activity in the wake of the club’s latest financials.

Richard spoke at length in the podcast about City's financial woes which have been bought into sharp focus by the 21/21 results announced today