italian dave

5 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Results aren't the problem. Performances are.

I’d say consistency rather than either.

6 of the last 9 I’d argue were good results and decent performances.

Yesterday was poor on both counts. Likewise Leeds (although in fairness Leeds are currently making most teams look poor). And Watford was iffy.

21 minutes ago, Dr Balls said:

I don’t think it’s an issue of the fan base wanting one or the other. It’s just that developing and playing young players, particularly from the Academy, is vital to the club’s current financial model. If the club have then brought in a Head Coach who doesn’t buy into the Academy and the lads there then it may have a problem. 

I know you’ve posed this as a question, but your posts clearly suggest you think LM doesn’t ’buy in’. Or, at least, that there are reasons to have that concern.

What are those reasons? Why do you think he doesn’t or may not buy in? 

10 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Dazed and confused was 60s too (written in the 60s, originally played in the uk by the Yardbirds).

Blimey……this isn’t meant to be a technical examination, just a bit of fun!

Yes, the Led Zeppelin version, which is the one that’s famous, was strictly speaking late 1969 - but was played throughout the early ‘70s.

And when you say “too” - as has been confirmed twice above, Won’t Get Fooled Again was NOT from the ‘60s, it was 1971.

But in future I’ll try to remember that on a weekend after we’ve lost everyone gets a bit grumpy! 

I think there’s a danger that “why don’t we use academy players?” Becomes a bit like the “why didn’t we sign a 20 goal striker in January?” question. It’s not that simple, and it depends on the right players and on good enough players being available.

I don’t see any evidence that any of our managers of the past decade haven’t bought into the academy, and from Bryan to Kelly to Reid to Semenyo to Scott to Vyner we’ve brought players through if they’re good enough. And I’m struggling to think of anyone who’s “pathway” we’ve blocked who’s gone on to prove themselves at Championship level.

I don’t watch the U21s, U18s, so others may speak with more authority than me, but friend who do watch them tell me that there is no-one there at the moment who stands out as either a Scott of the future or as someone we should be giving first team game time to.

It’s too early to judge LM, but the fact that (again, I’m told) we are now getting all the sides in our pyramid to play the same style and with the same philosophy is surely an indication that we’re trying to make it work. I’m told that hasn’t always been the case. And I was also going to make exactly the point @robinforlife2 makes above about bringing in almost ‘almost finished articles’ from elsewhere when we haven’t got them ourselves.

I think if there was a difference between NP and his predecessor and successor (I’m ignoring Holden in this!) it’s about expectations. When the expectations are principally about saving money and just staying in the Championship then giving young players a chance is a lot less risky than when expectations are top 6 (which they clearly were for LJ) or top end - whatever that means! - as they are for Manning.

Just a follow on from a comment on the 1974 heritage thread. Songs from the ‘70s, that will mark both our team from that time, and our performance today.

My three for starters

Won’t Get Fooled Again

Dazed and Confused

Anything by Mud.

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

If I’m in a generous mood I’d say it was - one game too far over recent weeks and mental and physical fatigue setting in.

A huge effort on Tuesday, the effects of that seen today.

Sharpness gone for too many players today.

I actually thought Vyner opened the ball out to McCrorie really quickly today, but others wasted several opportunities to bypass the blocker by attempting a chipped / driven a pass out to him.  A lack of bravery?  Or just mentally not seeing the pitch in-front of them.

I think others have covered the less-generous aspects!!!!

 

Generous, but fair point too Dave.

I’ve said elsewhere that we’ve played 11 1/2 games since the new year, QPR have played 8. That’s almost 1/3 fewer.

Bloke behind me made an observation near the end of the first half that QPR were making us run around a lot. Not necessarily doing anything constructive, just making us run.

Maybe they recognised the stats and that was part of their game plan? It worked! 

3 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Brought a tear to the eye to see AD out there.

Name the South Stand after him whilst he’s still with us, bless him.

Someone by me said at HT we should have brought Tom Ritchie on (ok, it actually was me).

Me too. Great to see him, and so many from that side. Three things struck me.

1. I’m old enough to remember AD, that team, that match. A great many younger fans around me aren’t, and the events won’t mean so much to them, but without exception they were appreciative and stood and applauded. Really respectful of our heritage. QPR fans too. Great to see.

2. I’ve moaned like anything in the past about the PA in the Dolman ( @phantom ) but today I could hear everything. The club seem to have been as good as their word in trying to improve it.

3. A little alternative moan. Does no-one at the club realise that there was more than one song around in 1974? Much as I love the Wurzels and One for the Bristol City - that’s in moderation, not endlessly repeated! It just seemed like a great chance to play something different from the era. 

1 minute ago, Ivorguy said:

Because we would like to have hope.  Hope is what Nige gave us, Manning is beginning to give me the opposite.

 

PS. My original post was also a little tongue in cheek, because it is a truism  for 90% of ‘managers’.

1 minute ago, Sir Geoff said:

Really ?

Pulis, Osman, Lumsden, LJ

Really.

And that’s just my point: surely what we should want is for them to succeed: for the next game to be the one they turn the corner, to find the way for the Boro and Soton games to become the norm. Getting to the point where they’re sacked just means we’ve failed, and brings a whole load of upheaval.

My view is that pretty much every City manager in my (long) time watching City has wanted what’s best for City and has worked to bring us success. I’ll support them in that as long as they’re in post.

And yes, that includes Lumsden and most certainly includes LJ.

Pulis wanted what gave him most money. Osman wanted what was best for Osman. So I’ll give you those two. But they are the exceptions that prove the rule. 

52 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Didn’t against Fulham.

However we weren’t allowed to watch football in person for about 16 months after that game..

That shirt was so horrible that I think I’ll rest my case on the shirt alone in that instance. 

1 hour ago, Ivorguy said:

One game nearer Manning’s exit

I never understand why any City fan would want a City manager sacked.

30 minutes ago, ProfitInMyPocket said:

Wouldn't have made a difference with the way we were playing second half.

Better corners (we had a few). And we had a couple of free kicks that might have benefitted from a better ball in.

Clutching at straws….

21 minutes ago, RollsRoyce said:

I liked the new kit and badge. 

I didn’t.

Hope we never do these silly ‘one off’ kits again.

We always lose.

23 minutes ago, petehinton said:

Manning - the lads maybe struggled with the pressure and expectation on them today…

Mmmmm……if anything, I felt that the problem today was that we started off with the attitude that this was going to be a different type of game and one we were going to have to be much more patient in.

Which, to be fair, is what most of us were saying. And I suspect  what what was part of the pre match team discussion.

But it felt almost like we translated that into an ‘all we need to do is be patient’ approach. We were notably more patient than many other games recently when we’ve gone for it from the off. 

I’m not saying we should have gone gung ho - but we could have done with an early goal to spoil the QPR game plan, and we just never looked like wanting that, 

5 minutes ago, RollsRoyce said:

Progress????? Where? 

We stole a win at Boro yes, without that we were bottom of the 6 game form table. We played supremely against Southampton, but throw that away when we play like today. I am not sure what progress you have seen in 4 or 5 games, we played well once. I see a very confused team, made worse by not having injury issues and no need to use academy players on the bench. Why are we so poor in so many games? Today required a much better performance with the resources available. The players and coach were collectively sub standard today. We have to hope a week on the training pitch serve up a Southampton type  performance next time out. 

We didn’t “steal” a win at Boro. We deserved it. And before that we more than held outright own at PL Forest. We lost to a Leeds side who are ripping everyone apart at the moment, and before that we got a point - which could easily have been three - at Coventry.

A lot more than one good performance in 6.

We were shit today mind! 

4 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

Out of the mouths of babes.  My 6 year old grandson summed it by saying ‘they tried their best’.  I think that is called damning with faint praise

I’d call it generous!!

4 minutes ago, Galley is our king said:

Sorry "Top Robin".... "We are undoubtedly progressing"

I think you need to read their post a bit more carefully. 

I thought we struggled wide on both sides today. Injury to Bell not helping. 

Positive: we’ve got that one out of our system. Can’t think of much else!

25 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

They've gone all in on this 1974 thing haven't they.

Gillies to score the winner today then.

And a power cut at half time!!

37 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

Always want TGH to play against the teams that need breaking down

My guess is that he will. 

1 hour ago, pillred said:

What happened to their new all-wood stadium I remember seeing pictures of a few years ago? has that been quietly dropped?

Last time I read (which was a while back) they still intended to go ahead, but they were having planning problems with the other things that were proposed for the site (and presumably helped to support it financially). Bit like us and the Sporting Quarter I guess. 

15 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

@italian dave 1960? You've lost me.

I know we got relegated and Del Shannon had a massive hit with Runaway after BBC Hit or Miss programme voted it a total failure. I left school and got my first job at £3, 3 shillngs and 8 pence but what else happened?

1969maaan (whose post you replied to). Sorry!

You Remember it better than me

2 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Some people like to impose their views about veganism though, I think that is what they are talking about. Does DV impose his views on the people employed at his club?

Not as far as I’m aware. 

4 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I thought DV

I think you’re probably right! Although the fact that “in a free country” someone can be criticised for choosing to be a vegan gets a bit confusing! 

36 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

I do wonder if some people are so fixed in their ideas and way of life, imposing them on others, that it works against the benefits.

In a free country, it should be left to every individual to have their own beliefs, diets, religion and every other facet of their life.

 

I’m still trying to figure out whether that barb is directed at 1960 or at Dale Vince…..

32 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

 also owners never sack themselves, do they?

One of the immutable facts of football……….which literally thousands of posts on here the past few months have failed to recognise

30 minutes ago, The Saturday Boy said:

Sandwiches - Detroit Grand Pubahs

Don't listen to it, it's a goddam awful earworm. Stuck in my head since 2011.........

Biscuit…….Portishead