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Splitting hairs a bit there, Dave. We’re in year one of a three-year project and we’re ahead of where I expected us to be both in terms of league position and cohesive performances.

We’re inconsistent and that translates into performances and results. We’ve got to take the rough with the smooth one year into a three-year project. There’s not much more to it than that.

The problem is we’re consistently inconsistent currently, which is to be expected with such a young team.

Can’t remember how many times I’ve been to Bloomfield Road, but I’ve seen us get dicked 5-1 and win 1-0. I think we’ll win today, we should’ve beaten them on the opening day of the season and we’re a better side now.

I’d be surprised if Langer’s up for it. He’s a fiercely patriotic Aussie. Dicky Dawson and Colly are also in the frame.

Harrison wants Langer apparently. Can't see that, personally.

We're also in the market for a hybrid SUV but every dealership we've been to (VW, Skoda, Seat, BMW) recently told us the EV infrastructure isn't quite there yet and to wait a few years for more options. It's a shit time to be buying a new car, you either pay a premium for a second-hand one or have to wait at least six months for a new one.

Pretty sure it was just under 400 games. Either way, a great servant and in many ways, the ideal person we need in the boardroom right now.

Of course they'll all go at some point, nothing lasts for ever. But I think any talk of them leaving any time soon might be premature when you consider they're all enjoying playing for Pearson. We've tied up Benarous' future today as well. That all changes if one of them wants to go, though. Nige said it's a three-year project. If they all stay until the end of that project, Semenyo will be 24, Massengo 22, Pring 26, Benarous and Scott both 20. They will have had two more years of development in the Championship and still have the prime of their careers ahead of them. I wouldn't bet against them playing for us in the PL. We don't need to sell one of them to stay within FFP as I understand, although it would obviously help.

This is definitely an exciting time to be a City fan IMO but if Scott, Massengo, Semenyo or Pring say they want to leave, they'll be sold. That's the bottom line. For context, all of them seem to be delighted to be playing for Pearson and Fleming and I don't think it's beyond the realms to see them with us until the end of this "journey".

Agreed he’s failed miserably but I’ve got no sympathy for him. Him being sacked by us and now Sunderland will have added to the millions of pounds he already has, and don’t forget he has his property empire to fall back on. He’s a good coach with a track record of improving players and nothing else IMO.

Spot on. I’ll add to the fact that he arrived on the back of an 8-game losing streak at Barnsley, and had achieved nothing there or at Oldham. He was still a novice learning his trade and IMO was a significant downgrade on Cotterill. If SC was to go, a proven manager should’ve been brought in to get the best out of our young, hungry squad. For what it’s worth, I doubt any proven manager would work under Ashton and him selling the family silver sometimes against LJ’s will. Maybe that goes some way to explaining his appointment here. But, to me, we needed one or two quality additions to add to that squad and SC would’ve been fine. Instead, Ashton undermined him and the rest is history.

What odds Paul Cook takes it on and gets them over the line? LJ should never have got the job here and should’ve been given the boot much earlier than he was IMO. I’m not surprised to see him fail at Sunderland, even if the term fail is nuanced and it’s harsh given their position. His stock is only going one way, unless Ashton offers him a way out at Ipswich in the future. Always thought he’d make an excellent assistant, if his ego let him.

If you can’t voice an honest opinion without being punished then we might as well all give up and go home. I don’t think he’ll be punished for his latest comments, nor should he be IMO.

It wasn’t exactly a tirade of abuse, was it? He voiced an opinion about a foul on Pring that led to their equaliser, and another opinion about a broader review into refereeing standards. Both are valid points. He hasn’t lambasted the referee personally, like he did with that idiot Andy Davies.

Pearson’s always shown faith in Massengo, and Massengo himself has talked about how much he learnt — both on the training ground and in matches — about the positive impacts of King and James. That’s exactly the reason those two were brought it, to help develop the likes of Massengo and Scott. Scott’s tied down until 2025; Gould needs to offer Massengo a similar extension. Keep those two and if Semenyo keeps developing at the rate he is, we’d have the core of a quality young side for the next three years IMO. I thought it was mad at the time and even more mental in hindsight that Holden wanted to bomb Massengo out to Birmingham in exchange for Pedersen last year. Thank heck that didn’t happen.

I don’t think Vyner’s a scapegoat; he’s an academy lad that most of us want to succeed. I’ve long been of the opinion that he ain’t up it at this level, but I don’t think he was at fault yesterday (I wasn’t there, though, and have only seen the highlights). His problems are that he doesn’t excel in any position and most of the mistakes he makes (ball watching/weak in the air, being too soft, switching off, not getting close enough etc) lead to goals. Those have been going on for two seasons or more now and he generally doesn’t show any signs of improving in those areas, even if he does improve in other areas.

Quite right, too, IMO. In Max's five Championship appearances, he averages 39.4 passes a game with 8 long balls Compare that with Bentley, who averaged 29.9 passes and 9.4 long balls from his 23 league appearances. To me, that indicates Max is more comfortable on the ball than Bentley and his inclusion has resulted in us being less direct/more attractive to watch. It's not a case of who's the better individual; it's about who's better for the team and it's pretty clear for all to see why Max appears to be that man. I also expect Bentley to fetch us a fee in the summer, so Max's run of games is also about succession planning with an eye on the future. Basso was good; Mercer sets the bar for me.

The biggest load of shit I've read in any publication for a very long time. Lazy, ill-informed, twisted, disrespectful journalism. The only way this could happen is if Nige was to walk away. SL would then have to bury his grudge with NW, many fans would have to get onside, and NW would have to be willing to reduce the wage bill when he's made a career out of spending other people's money. In other words, an article plucked from cloud cuckoo land.

Signing Simpson was a mistake, but we have no idea what sort of influence he has around the play. King’s exceeded my expectations when he’s played. Baker’s obviously a bad signing in hindsight, but I can understand the logic in re-signing him on significantly reduced terms. Two out of three will be gone in the summer IMO.

There's lot to like about Klose. Excellent pedigree, good on the ball, good in the air, he's a leader and a great pro. That should help our young squad and with Nige's vision to drive up professionalism, but the two knee operations and his age (34 in May) are concerns IMO. Six-month deal would make sense.

Thanks for sharing. I loved Wayner. He was a gentle giant and looked after me when I was a mascot in the early '90s. Mad to think 30 years have passed since.

Interesting read. IMO, it shows how far behind clubs like Huddersfield we are off the pitch. We still have no DoF or sporting director; no head of recruitment; no psychologist. Granted, that takes time to implement. But it also pulls into focus the all-encompassing job Nige is doing, and doing well.

Weimann's been brilliant so far this season and there's no reason why he shouldn't get 20 league goals if he stays fit. He's on track for 23 at this rate, which would be an excellent return. No doubt he's benefiting from a manager who knows a) his best position, and b) how to get the best out of him.

Fulham scored 6 out of 8 shots on target, so Max has shipped 8 goals from 15 shots on target if the original stat is accurate. As Pearson said, set pieces are our Achilles heel at the moment. We need a ball-winning CB in there, Vyner offers nothing in the air. Could Cundy be that man? Bentley's a saleable asset and cashing in on him and buying a sweeper-keeper better than Max would be our best option if it was doable IMO.