tin

Exactly this. Not spending a penny of the Scott cash, especially after sailing so close to failing FFP, highlighted to many that Nige is doing the job with his hands tied behind his back. Mix that with more on-the-pitch progress and I think most fans can see we’re finally moving in the right direction after watching years of dross, ultimately caused by SL. After all, he’s the one who brought Ashton in and gave him the keys to the kingdom.

It’s would also be self-destructive and contradictory if SL continues to talk about the desire of getting to the PL. I know that’s a load of bollocks, mind. At the very least, a 12-month rolling contract should be on the table and I completely understand why Nige is irritated by it all.

While I agree with a lot of what you say in general , I don’t agree at all that “it matters not if it’s Pearson or another in the dugout” right now. He is the face of the club, the communicator, the man responsible for bringing through youth, setting the culture, building an identity, reducing costs and has us 8th in the second tier. That’s an unbelievable achievement IMO. I think the situation is so volatile that should he leave, it would create a huge vacuum behind him. There’s no board, most of the coaching staff are here because of him (and would follow him out the door), we have a small and injury-hit squad, and I could only see us capitulating in all probability. When you factor in SL’s track record of appointing managers over more than two decades, and it doesn’t take Einstein to see what’s coming.

Forgot about that but you’re absolutely right. SL rewarded inexperience and bullshit, but ignores experience and progress. That tells us all what he knows about football - **** all. All aboard the Marie Celeste? No thanks, Steve. Close the door on the way out.

**** off, Lansdown

Sign of a good team, that, playing badly and winning. Especially when you consider we had multiple (nine?) first-teamers out today and SL refused to spend a single penny of the Scott cash.

What a player, what a man. A real legend.

Got to be Max; TGH, Dickie, Pring, Roberts; King, James; Sykes, Weimann, Bell; Conway. Probably the best XI we can field given the injuries and the stupidly thin squad. Thanks, SL.

Woody’s bowling like a drain here.

Usually is a belting pitch in Mumbai and I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re chasing around 350. I like the early look of Atkinson. Good pace, good repetitive bowling action; looks a Test bowler.

Christmas Eve Eve, aka the 23rd

Grimsby away on the opening day of the season, wasn’t it? I was there and remember him scoring from outside the box for probably the only time in his City career. Pretty sure he clashed heads with Mark Lever, who joined us not long after.

£30m* was made by football; and he said what football makes, football can spend. At no point have I asked or inferred he should spend “all his own money”. It’s not outrageous to expect him to stick to his word. *£30m is a ball-park figure following the sales of Semenyo (£10m) and Scott (£25m), minus around £5m-£6m spent in 2023.

Yep. Never mind, as long as Steve’s got his £30m nest egg

Assuming Knight and Naismith join Tanner and Wells is missing this, we’re likely to go: O’Leary; Gardner-Hickman, Dickie, Roberts, Pring; James, Williams; Sykes, Weimann, Bell, Cornick. Not the most creative XI and a point looks like it might be a good result IMO.

Have a read of Aggers’ latest column, in which he sums up my thoughts on Woakes right now (in this format and in India) better than I did. One nugget: Woakes has bowled 11 overs in powerplays so far - two of those games were against Bangladesh and Afghanistan - and taken 1-95

As I said, I’m not scapegoating Woakes; I like him, particularly in home conditions. But I can’t have him in India in any format and as well as seeing him struggle out there with my own eyes, here is why: And my wider point is backed up here, but it’s up to you how you interpret facts and I won’t lose any sleep over it.

Woakes ODIs abroad: 82 wickets at 31; averaging 22 with the bat. Woakes ODIs neutral venues outside of England: 14 wickets at 39, averaging 24 with the bat. Woakes ODIs in England: 69 wickets at 28; averaging 26 with the bat. Woakes ODIs in India: 10 wickets at 42; averaging 10 with the bat. So clearly he performs better on home soil but his record in India in particular is dire. As I said, cannon fodder (even against the likes of Afghanistan). https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/247235.html?class=2;home_or_away=1;home_or_away=2;home_or_away=3;template=results;type=allround

It’s not a theory; it’s a fact. His stats - in all forms of international cricket - are significantly poorer than on home soil. No idea why and while I won’t scapegoat him, I have no idea why he’s in our T20 side at a World Cup. Cannon fodder.

Either that or he/they need some sort of epiphany soon, whereby they appoint the right people in the right roles behind the scenes and start to spend some of the cash football made (the latter was promised). Sadly, after more than two decades, we’ve got more chance of seeing Elvis riding Shergar down Winterstoke Road than them wising up any time soon, and selling up cannot come soon enough IMO. The club has been gripped by inertia for too long.

O’Leary has to do better there, no pace or power on that whatsoever.

I’d be fuming if we conceded a goal like Naisy’s but I’ll take it, and it’s no more than we deserve after a decent first half.

And Derby are in my acca! Sod’s law

You’re spot on about Nige sorting the culture, but that is restricted to on the field only. Think about what Nige has achieved in two-and-a-half years and compare that to the culture and strategy SL has implemented off the field — there is none, and has never been any for 20+ years and the buck stops with Steve. That’s reflected in a lack of vision, a lack of appointing the right people to the right positions at the right times, a real lack of any succession planning, woeful communication and much more. And if SL had the slightest clue about football, why hasn’t given a smidgen of praise to Nige and Tins? And why hasn’t he secured Nige’s future? If it’s because he challenges SL’s views, that won’t wash with me and I hope it won’t wash with others either. Thats not good enough.

My thought is SL has had more than two decades to get us PL-ready and asides from the stadium and the training ground, we still lack any long-term strategy or culture to help us get there — and that’s still the case now. I don’t believe for a minute that SL built his empire on his decisions, and his alone. Hargreaves challenged him and they drove the company on. Why’s he not done similar with the football club? I’ve long gone past wanting to hear from him; I don’t want to hear about his false PL ambitions, nor do I want to hear his bumbling contradictions. He is so detached from the fans, and from what it takes to achieve success. The sooner he moves on, the better IMO.