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I’m not optimistic today, although the way this season’s gone I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we got a positive result. At least the XI makes sense with the players we have available.

If you get there before 1.30, there’s usually free parking on the grass verge off the slip road toward the LA P&R. Limited spaces, mind. It is mental that the P&R isn’t used on matchdays. I won’t pay £10 a game to park anywhere out of principle.

The Pied Piper is my NAP of the day. He was the most impressive winner I saw on Trials Day at the end of January. SkyBet are doing money back if it comes in the top five, so it’s a free bet to nothing IMO.

I loved watching us in Galle in 2018, I even bumped into your brother in a bar in Unawatuna! But I agree with you that Mumbai was probably better because it wasn’t a ‘tourist trap’ like Barbados, Melbourne, Cape Town or Galle. Good to enjoy a few beers with you out in Mumbai back then, too!

I was out in Barbados in 2009 and they said there were 15k of us, which was mad. Great place to watch cricket, but the pitches are graveyards for bowlers. That game ended in a draw, much like I expect this one to. Still, it’s a great chance for us to get at least 500 on the board for the first time in what feels like years.

Awful three days for me summed up by my two big ante-post bets, Run Wild Fred and Galopin Des Champs, not coming in. Only L’Homme Presse has won for me so far.

You mention a lot of managers and head coaches there. What do they all have in common? SL. Not much will change, for good or bad, until he goes IMO.

We lost 1-0 there last season, Dave!

When was the last time we won at Barnsley, Marina? I’m pretty sure every other manager in the last decade has failed to do that. I don’t know what your expectations are, but our inconsistencies are as clear as the lack of balance in our squad. We have no option but to wait it out until the summer at which point we simply must strengthen.

Spot on. We have a divine right to win every game at this level, even with an unbalanced inexperienced side. Great logic, that.

I predicted an 18th-placed finish for us last August, and still think that’ll be roughly where we will end up. Anything else will be a welcome bonus, just like the progression of our youngsters.

A fully-fit Kalas is an asset at this level, but I don’t think he’s been 100% for some time. That said, I wouldn’t be against getting him off the wage bill in the summer if a buyer could be found.

Has anyone dined at Tare on Wapping Wharf? We got a voucher as a Christmas present for tasting menu there and are going in a few weeks. All I know is that they kept their Michelin star in the most recent guide.

Any batsman with an ounce of mental strength has booked themselves in for bed and breakfast on this pitch. Bairstow and Bonner dug in before cashing in, Lees lived up to my expectations. I’d have kept faith with Hameed. It made no sense to send him and his low hands onto the bouncy pitches Down Under, only to leave him out on slow, low docile decks like this. He’s one opener who can bat long.

Most umpires would give that out and put the onus on the batsman to overturn the decision. The only way he survives his if he nicked it. Umpires hide behind the technology these days.

And it continues. Both openers back in the hutch just 22 balls into the Test, and after we won the toss and chose the bat. Lees plants his front foot and is plum in front, Crawley was well caught playing a poor shot, Root shoulders arms, and Lawrence edges a big waft. I expected nothing less than more abject batting.

I’m genuinely gutted to hear of Warne’s death. I grew up watching him on TV and at live Tests in England and Australia. Icon, legend — call it what you will, and to think it all started in Knowle back in ‘89 when he came over from Melbourne as a batsman who bowled a bit. RIP, Shane.

Happy to be proved wrong, Dastardley. I stopped following our Twitter page shortly after Beanhead left, so it shows what I know!

Yes, I agree. And the point I was making is that if you’re looking for those other qualities, surely Bracey would be one of the next cabs off the rank after what he did in Australia? That century showed technique and temperament in bucket loads.

I find it sad you slag of our manager at every opportunity, how’s that any different? And what difference does it make if a player is one of our own or not when it comes to assessing if they’re good enough? Having blind faith gets us nowhere.

Wonder if our Twitter team will do the same for St George’s Day on 23 April. I doubt it.

Agree to an extent but Lees shouldn’t be in the squad IMO, let alone the XI. Of the openers on the county circuit, I could understand looking at Libby, Yates or Haines or sticking with Hameed on pitches that will suit him. Robson, Lyth, Stoneman, Duckett, Hameed, Bracey and Yates all scored more runs than Lees last summer, who averaged 39 with one century. I hope he goes well, but I’m not holding my breath.

Lees got scores of 2 and 1 opening for England Lions in the one-off match versus Australia A a few months ago. Lawrence has no technique and Overton runs in hard but does little to warrant inclusion. Ridiculous to think Bracey got a ton in that Lions game, against an attack containing Neser and Boland, and Norwell took a five-fer yet neither get a look-in against a poor Windies team who will raise their game to beat us IMO.

We’ve published our accounts and SL won’t spend; Forest haven’t published their accounts (guess why) and have pushed the boat out in January (join the dots). If SL won’t sanction loans, how’s that on a manager who’s loaned Kane and Lingard in the past? In no way are the positions of the respective clubs comparable or do we have a divine right to beat any team let alone Forest.

Me neither, and the irony is that we've struggled to have decent RBs throughout my three decades of supporting City. At that time, we had both Tavernier and Ayling.