GrahamC

I thought the high prices were putting people off…

Thought that was just at The Mem?

Wycombe got 20 games out of him, which after 2 major injuries in his time with us, was 20 more than I expected. He was a top player but his injury record was horrific & it was symptomatic of just how poor our recruitment was under Holden that we seriously thought him & Chris Brunt was the way forward. Also makes you realise how underrated the signing of Chris Martin (at the same time) was, as we got 26 games out of him in his first season & 45 last..

My view too. I was in a different part of the ground than usual on Saturday (corner of South Stand & Lansdown), as opposed to the Dolman & was struck by just how many kids & families there were. Saw a bloke that I work with, a Coventry fan really but he’s been down here for years, lives Horfield way but guess who his kids are watching? It’s not the few, is it? I saw some sag recently claim that more “youth” are coming back to watch them but I treat that with the same large pinch of salt that I would with anything Sam Frost wrote. They’re dying, slowly but I’m completely convinced of it.

About a quarter, say?

Hence the (hopefully), reckon it’ll be a draw.

Had a short spell there before, didn’t go well. I don’t think their support would want either, in truth.

As we play a day later then have to travel to Sunderland I’d suggest the advantage is their’s. However we have seen plenty of times in the past teams brush this sort of thing off. Will be tough on Saturday, a point to (hopefully) keep our unbeaten run going would be a good return.

Had to Google BS37, had no idea that it was Yate. Figures, their “heartland” these days is in South Glos.

Won’t be surprised if it’s a draw. Since Mahoney came in Wigan haven’t conceded a goal, 0-0 at Blackburn (an awful game) & 1-0 v Huddersfield. We have done well lately but run on small numbers & three games this week is an ask. Won’t be too shocked if Mehmeti starts, either.

No.

None of Ward, Jordan or Cotterill ever achieved anything at Championship level with us. He did, his worst season was amongst our best in the last 43 years. Pretty obvious that your mind is made up from your last sentence, though.

Happy to debate that, so who has achieved more? Arguable that TC possibly did, as we were dead & buried before he turned us around. No one else has a case though. First season, GJ took over after the Tinnion debacle, finished the season with 2 defeats in 14 (9 wins) after he sorted us out. Next season, won automatic promotion. Season after, got to the Prem playoff final, highest place finish (4th) since AD left. Next season 10th, fourth highest place finish since AD left. Who comes remotely close to that? ******* Danny Wilson & his 4 seasons of third division inertia?

Fair enough.

Does he say *** repeatedly, then? I think there is a monumental difference between swearing as a Christian & it being pretty much all that you say. Jones on the touchline was like a Roy Chubby Brown gig.

Think I saw Kevin Blackwell with a little dog on a piece of string in Broadmead, the only explanation I can make of it. As for those who think he’ll keep them up, he was shite at Boro with money to spend, don’t bet on it.

Warnock until the end of the season. **** me, will he never retire?

Fantastic choice, our most successful (therefore, best) manager since Alan Dicks ?

He covered McAllister brilliantly, in exactly the same way Sykes does Tanner. Closing & denying space, he was excellent at it.

He did & boy, it worked.

Second anniversary today of the 6-0 defeat at Watford, to be followed by an even worse performance in the 2-0 defeat at home to Reading, Holden being sacked & then the abysmal Barnsley home defeat, Kalas’ “waiting for our own death” post match comments, plus Paul Simpson effectively saying that him & Downing didn’t know what to do. All this with a wage bill miles higher than now & totally out of control. Just a little bit of context for you… Plus, much as I rate Pearson (& always have) he certainly isn’t our only “proper manager in the last 30 years” that is hugely insulting to Gary Johnson, Cotts & even although it didn’t work out here, O’Driscoll & McInnes. But we all know why that oddball keeps relentlessly posting it, someone made him cry..

Absolutely, but the desire is key, too. How many times in the past have we let in a late goal from a set piece? This by Williams & the collective stuff in the final few minutes at Preston where Weimann, Vyner then Scott all got blocks in to keep the opposition out, is how to turn draws into wins & defeats into draws. GJ’s playoff final team (so under appreciated on here) were the absolute masters of it; Orr, Carey, McCombe, McAllister, with Marvin Elliott in front of them, McIndoe superb at tucking in, Dele as another aerial support, that & by outrunning sides was how they did it.

I was looking at an old thread bemoaning what a disastrous signing he was in his first year with us when he only managed to make 1 (sixty minute) league appearance under Holden. After that we managed to get 22 appearances (13 starts, 9 as a sub), 1250 minutes from him in Pearson’s first full season. This season he’s featured in 26 of our games (admittedly not always as a starter) & already has played 1581 minutes of league football. This all goes to show the benefit of employing Dave Rennie, as our overall player availability is off the scale when compared to 20/21.

I’ve only been to Carrow Rd once but even after all these years can still remember it was a hell of a journey. Fair play to Norwich for bringing so many so far yesterday. Proper club with great support & lovely to be able to see their supporters walking out of the ground yesterday wearing colours without a hint of trouble. Wish them nothing but the best.

Williams was £1.2m, it was reported by The Athletic at the time, Wigan had a fire sale following relegation. Holden’s only big signing financially.