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So, we’ll continue to develop and then sell players to build a nest egg to compete with the clubs with parachute payments. No mention of reinvesting any of that £25m from Scott’s sale.

More in the mould of Jack Clarke, not that we could get him. Along with a keeper, an enforcer, and a No.9.

Let’s hope you’re right. I don’t think Nige is a liar, so when he said he’s not sure what money - if any - he’ll get from this sale, I doubt we have any form of contingency plan in place unless it was signing Knight and hoping Benarous returns to the level he was at when he got injured first time.

Exactly this, especially as Nige was toeing the line “it’s £25m minimum”. He seems pretty pissed off that Scott’s being sold for less than that, and I don’t blame him. His sale make sense for the finances, but weakens the squad and now we’ve got three weeks to find at least one replacement. I don’t see how his sale strengthens us if we now have to panic buy.

We definitely need at least one midfielder, ideally a No.10 who can play wide ride as well, and another keeper IMO.

I expect Roberts to start at Millwall. Nige often says players have to take their chances when they come and Roberts did that last night. Plus, Pring was poor v Preston IMO.

They probably will be OK this season, but I don’t see Bournemouth developing him into a £50m player. Wrong club for him IMO.

No rumour, Len. He was quality every time I saw him play on loan for Boro last season, but seems to be on the verge of joining Burnley so that one’s dead.

He won’t get there playing for Bournemouth, though. Look how that’s worked out for Kelly.

I am developing a hatred of Bournemouth and everything they stand for. They will always be a tinpot L2 side in my eyes. My annoyance would tempered, however, if we were to get Ramsey from Villa, though.

And there goes my 28/1 bet on him being the league’s top scorer. Heal up well, TC

I agree although I hoped Cornick would’ve improved with a full pre-season behind him and have reserved judgement until now and while I won’t write him off based on one game, he has to offer more than a long throw. Sykes should’ve started yesterday. Mehmeti also should’ve had more than three minutes, otherwise what’s the point in signing a “maverick” if that’s all the time he gets in a game like yesterday that was crying out for a bit of magic?

They dug up the old pitch and completely relaid it in June. I agree, though, and thought it played surprisingly slow given the rain we’ve had.

The main positive is it was a good point; we’ve played better and lost plenty of times in the past. Another positive is that nothing is won or lost in the first game of a long season. We must be better than that. The main negatives (and there were plenty) was the abysmal refereeing and the lack of intensity. I thought the starting XI could’ve been stronger and Sykes would’ve been more effective than Cornick IMO, despite his assist.

Bit of a false dawn, that. Typical City in that we got stage fright in front of a decent crowd - again. They shaded us in midfield, which massively missed Scott, but I’d like that Dane of theirs in our midfield.

I fancy us to get off to a flier tomorrow. Not since beating Notts County 5-0 in a curtain-raiser 20 or so years ago have a felt so optimistic on the opening day. 2-0 City.

I’d have Mehmeti in over Bell on the left, but otherwise I think this will be our XI

Every one of those kits is better than what’s currently on offer from O’Neills IMO. Umbro would get my vote.

I thought exactly the same, and know the lanes extremely well after cycling round them for years. Great interview, that, and it reinforces my opinion that we are in excellent hands. He deserves success for keeping us in the second tier while rebuilding from the ground up following the shit storm he walked into. Whether he gets it or not, time will tell. But we are in such a better place because him IMO. Exactly what we needed after Holden and LJ.

1) Where will City finish this season? 7th-12th 2) What will be City's exact final League position? 8th 3) How many points will City get this season? 71 4) Will City win 18 (or more) league games this season? No 5) Will City score 60 (or more) League goals this season? Yes 6) Will City concede 60 (or more) League goals this season? No 7) Who will finish as City's top scorer, League & Cups? Tommy Conway 8 ) How many goals in total will City's top scorer (whether the player named in Q7, or not) get? 18 9) Who will be City's 2nd top scorer, League & Cups? Nahki Wells 10) How many goals in total will City's 2nd top scorer (whether the player named in Q9, or not) get? 12 11) How many academy graduates will make their City debuts this season in League or Cups? 5 12) Who will make more 1st team apps. in all competitions, Harvey Wiles-Richards or Stefan Bajic? Wiles-Richards 13) Will City sign a new goalkeeper this season, either permanently or on loan? Yes 14) Will Alex Scott still be a City player on the last day of the season? No 15) Will Zac Vyner still be a City player on the last day of the season? Yes 16) Which of the new signings, McCrorie, Dickie, Knight & Roberts, will make the most appearances. this season in League & Cup? Knight 17) Which of these 4 players will make the least number of appearances? McCrorie 18) Will Jason Knight score 5 (or more) goals in all competitions? No 19) Will Anis Mehmeti score 7 (or more) goals in all competitions? No 20) Will Harry Cornick score 8 (or more) goals in all competitions? Yes 21) Which month will Ayman Benarous make his first on-field 1st-team appearance for City this season? November 22) Which month will Rob Atkinson make his first on-field 1st-team appearance for City this season? December 23) Will City sign a striker either in this window, or the January window? No 24) Will Seb Palmer-Houlden score 10 (or more) goals for Newport in all competitions? No 25) Will he be recalled in January? No 26) Who will be City's player of the season? Conway 27) What will be the Official attendance for City's first home League game against PNE to the nearest thousand? 24k 28) What will City's average League attendance be this season to the nearest thousand? 21k 29) In which round will City be knocked out of the F.A. cup? 4th 30) In which round will City be knocked out of the Carabou Cup? 4th 31) How many City players will be sent off in all competitions this season? 5 32) Who will be the first City player to be sent off this season? Sykes 33) How many penalties, in all competitions, will City be awarded this season? 3 34) How many penalties will City score? 3 35) How many penalties will be given against City this season in all competitions? 8 36) How many penalties will the opposition score? 6 37) Will any City player score a 1st team hat-trick this season? No 38) Which young City player out of Araoye, Yeboah, Leeson, Knight-Lebel, Francois & Taylor-Clarke, will make the most 1st team apps, in all competitions? Taylor-Clarke 39) Will Nigel Pearson still be City manager on the last day of the season? Yes Gas ? 1) Will Rovers finish in the top half (1-12) or bottom half (13-24) of League 1? Bottom half 2) What will be Rovers final league position? 16th 3) What will be Rovers official average League attendance to the nearest thousand? 7k 4) Will Kane Wilson score against Rovers? No 5) Will Joey Barton still be Rovers manager on the last day of the season? Yes Rivals, Cardiff, Swansea & Plymouth 1) Who will finish higher, Cardiff or City? City 2) How many points will City get against Cardiff? 4 3) Who will finish higher, Swansea or City? City 4) How many points will City get against Swansea? 4 5) Who will finish higher, City or Plymouth? City 6) How many points will City get against Plymouth? 6 Lee Johnson's Hibs 1) What position will Hibs finish in the SPL this season? 7th 2) Will Lee Johnson still be Hibs manager on the last day of the season? No Ashton's Ipswich 1) Who will finish higher, Ipswich or City? Ipswich 2) Will Ashton still be at Ipswich at the end of the season? Yes Old Boys 1) Will Joe Bryan score for Millwall against City this season? No 2) Will Antoine Semenyo score 7 (or more) goals for Bournemouth in all competitions? No 3) Will Kasey Palmer score against City this season? No 4) Will Callum O'Dowda score against City this season? No Championship 1) Which club will finish top of the Championship? Leicester 2) Which club will finish bottom of the Championship? QPR

Is there anything stopping the club from putting out a poll to ST holders to see if they will attend, though? They could offer a free pint as an incentive. Surely if that frees up even a couple hundred extra tickets when there’s an initiative like this running it’s worth doing?

What a way to bow out of Test cricket for Broady. A fabulous career, a fabulous series, a deserved result. If only we could’ve got over the line at Manchester

Age is only a factor for Jimmy and Broady, though. We should get a few more years out of Wood and Woakes, but I doubt they will make the next home Ashes series in 2027. Mo’s done regardless, which made his selection pointless IMO, especially when we have a young leggy who took five-for on debut in Pakistan over the winter. We basically need a whole new bowling attack in the next four years. I know the selectors like Cook (Essex), Ahmed (Leics) and Fisher (Yorkshire). Mahmood (Lancs) and Robinson both have lingering fitness issues.

You’re right, it hasn’t been great. But I don’t know what else we can expect if we were to pick bowlers who hadn’t bowled with a red ball in ages. Only Jimmy and Broad played more than two first-class games in the run up to the Ashes. Moeen hadn’t played red-ball cricket for two years and it was a miracle Wood and Woakes were fit to come in mid-series. Don’t forget we missed Leach all series and we picked a keeper who hadn’t kept wicket for three years before the series. Australia will piss this chase IMO.

If you search ‘robin flying’ on Google you will literally see the iStock image the club have used for its shite new badge, if we can even call it that. No consultation with the fans either. Absolutely woeful IMO.