Mr Popodopolous

Decision not to back NP, or show a pathway to bring backed and provide with a new contract combined with the nest egg comments did it for me. We can but hope that the opportunity to build on a solid base is taken this summer, to salvage it as best we can. I'm hoping.. *New contact for James *New contract for Williams *New contract for Conway or at worst wait and go to Tribunal. *Twine or other 10 and striker. *Keep anyone else who is key, stand firm. Plus without going nuts if we can get depth to improve the position a bit, we go for it. Still think a 4th CB but then I'm pro 4-3-3 so maybe I'm out of touch.

7th best Home Record tbh. Albeit a big gap to 6th and above. I don't think the Home Fortresses at this level for a lot of sides are what they were 15 years ago, let alone longer. When I have time I'll go through Average PPG at the level for Home sides and Win Ratio. 25 pts from 23 League away games, notably 15 from 16 under Manning looks a bigger concern ironically on some levels. 3 wins in those 16 Away games...3 in 7 under NP, despite those under NP including trips to Leeds and Leicester.

Our joint biggest loss iirc since 6-2 at Fulham in Janaury 2022? Correct me if wrong. Obviously we lost 3-0 at the other BCFC last year and Man City won 3-0 at AG last year but weighted towards the opposition today was terrible.

I agree incredible but everything went right broadly speaking. I agree but unsure how many times they would pull it off...the injuries or lack of, some hitherto unremarkable individuals at this level as a number did their squad surging as they did with 3 Relegated bolstered by Parachute Payments major clubs for the level.

Is that the norm, just out of interest. Should IMO minimum be a post season debrief on the Monday following and then Holidays, fitness plans and Schedules etc although I assume that would already be in play.

Apologies for the source but sounds like their fans took it well.. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/27734173/birmingham-relegated-fans-invade-pitch-stewards-clash/

Genuinely 1 in 20 I reckon. Retaining momentum is of course very important and we very much botched that among other things!

I had some cautious optimism had certain provisos been met. I would perhaps have been alright with 11th although was hoping for a top 10 finish/push. *A happy NP. *Scott retained, with a better squad and better structured squad around him or.. *..A reasonable chunk of Scott money reinvested. *A tactical framework, we had settled on 4-3-3 or some variation of and were steadily building on the counter attacking base in the last chunk of 2022-23.

Our Away record has worsened.

For the last time this year! @Tim Monaghan maybe mentioned this thread a few days ago unless if was another thread. I'll accept it as some good, some bad..in and around parity. The Manning era. I'd argue parity eventually clawed back near enough. When Fleming gave us the farewell vs Sheffield Wednesday.

Coupon Buster? Mind you our Away Record hasn't been up to much!

Our best hope realistically is certain stars align, keep James and Williams, plus Conway and anyone else who is important, manage to really have a good season for fitness, the number 9 and 10 and maybe one or two valuable depth players. Even then playoffs most likely although the 3 who drop feel like they could be less strong.

Totally agree. Not only that but check their continuity of a lot key players....infuriating and then some! That same combination helped to oversee average to terrible injury positions and of course given Ashton and his role in the financial disaster.

They've pulled a 1 in a 20 chance season IMO. Of course credit is due but so very much will have gone their way in a big picture sense. Not churlish but there is a bit of both.

Fair points although the pedant in me points out that the rules were different then but there were no points deductions for breaches so could've gone either way. The Rule changes seem to catch us at bad times..it was 1 year £13m loss plus Allowables but the following season snapped into 3 Year Losses.

On Ipswich I don't want to go on but they inherited and handed over a good financial position post Evans Nothing like for us, nothing like whatsoever. We nearly were ruined (in FFP terms). Their injury record? Abnormally good considering some of the player ages etc.

Finish is okay, could be worse.. how we got there however.

Their injury record has been abnormally good. To key players.

7th, according to this. Albeit a major gap to the best 6! Given that we had 10 points and 3 wins by the start of October and had played Leicester and Leeds away, our Away Record has tailed off! Just shy of a point per game. Best of the rest, just about.

Fairly happy. Had we done it in 2017 that would have been great. A true dream could've been Birmingham dropping and us relegating Stoke but Stoke were likely to pull clear so Birmingham dropping is a very nice consolation prize.

Quite. The recovery post Easter was positive, perhaps got us back to where we should be. Today however smacked of Sunderland away but without some luck/great O'Leary saves. Certainly not plenty of credit, I agree.

Only room for one BCFC in this League.

That is one good bit of news!! Birmingham

Part injury, part depth IMO. We are 2-3 light perhaps but the injuries, well you look at Ipswich ironically with some of our ex medical staff and some of their availability is ridiculous considering.

6-2 at Fulham in 2021-22 rings a bell. Albeit Semenyo and others showed some nice things and this was a Fulham side a good number of whom finished midtable to top half in PL the next year and Mitrovic on fire. Not sure of any others since and this is barely comparable in respect of quality of opposition etc. 6 out injured and Vyner begun on the bench, our depth is sketchy IMO.