IAmNick

Lovely goal

Been making some great posts lately @Silvio Dante, yet another set I agree with on this thread!

I voted neither for what it's worth. I'd probably do some kind of 4-1-3-2, maybe: Tanner/McCrorie - Vyner - Dickie - Pring James/Williams TGH - Knight - Twine/Sykes Conway - Wells

I don't doubt that, but I think the nature of the crosses was different - if we were winning the ball back high up the pitch, or at least playing reasonably directly (all the chipped balls down the wings remember...) and putting in a cross that's a different kettle of fish to a rather clever/considered/ponderous/boring (delete depending on your perspective) gradual working of a ball wide into a crossing position.

Yep, we seem to get into a decent position then just thump it blindly at top speed horizontally, often into the first man. If it does get through it's really hard to do anything with. I'd like to see us trying to pull more back to a Knight/TGH arriving later into the box personally.

Why not do it the other way and more aggressively limit premiership spending? That's the only way I can see to make it fair long term, otherwise you're always having a divide in the championship.

Those clubs all did it their own way though didn't they - Luton, Wolves, Leeds, and Brentford. Which shows that something new can work. With your reasoning they'd have all given up on their own plans before getting promoted. I'm not sure our "new" is the right thing by a long shot to be clear, but I also don't agree that just because something hasn't been done before means it won't work now. I personally think the fact the clubs who manage it having different methods means that the real secret Source is the squad attitude, momentum, and a big dollop of luck.

Nice little near post run and absolutely top quality finish from Weimann, really pleased for him

They are... Ish. There's comfortable playing a pass to a teammate when you have time and space. But even then how many simple passes do we see bobbling at knee height for no reason, or on the wrong foot for the receivers stance, or requiring an extra touch to bring under control. Yes, they're a pass to a teammate but they're not a good pass or a crisp, incisive pass with intent. Are they able to do it when being pressured or pressed, and move the ball quickly to each other and across the pitch? In those situations it's pretty hit and miss I think.

Without getting into the politics/summer budgets stuff, if Manning is going to have a decent shot here he needs a big clear out of the squad. At least it seems like that's going to happen with the not too subtle acknowledgement a chunk of the squad will be off and there's money to spend.

South stand is the worst culprit imo so I think you're spot on about the cheap kids ticket. Almost no reason not to as they only have to go to a handful of games over the season for it to be worth it. Resale is a decent idea, but if you're a group it's going to be a pain buying individual tickets in dribs and drabs as people put them up for resale. I'd think about ditching the free shirt thing or increasing the price personally, though I don't know all the details. Why not just sell kids shirts much cheaper in the shop instead?

Everyone felt together as one unless you were a "netter" and singing the songs too fast or the wrong songs and starting competing ones or you brought a drum or liked the drum or... There were endless arguments on here about the east end just like there are about the singing section now.

Eh? Which 2 were up front and where was everyone else in your mind?

I agree, but I was saying at the game today it's bloody boring isn't it. I'm getting near to the point I'd accept a relegation, and hopefully promotion a few years later at this point just to have some excitement again. We've been mid table championship for more seasons than not in the last 10-15 years! Or it bloody feels like it at least. I was looking at Leeds, their team and their last few years with envy today. Forest next, and Southampton - same thing for them. Bleh.

Hah, good question. The powers that be said that sounds great thankyou very much to him a few months ago...! Whether he can adapt is the real question we now have.

I agree. Our players are trying to do something that isn't natural to them, and they aren't highly skilled at in many cases - that's not to say they're bad players, they're just the wrong players. I thought it was very evident that players like Vyner and Williams tonight, when denied the extra second of thinking time they need to play in a way which isn't a part of their natural game, largely fell apart. I also notice that at times some of our players seem to regress a bit into the more natural to them, high intensity pressing up the pitch which was more common under Pearson - but I'm not sure that's really what Manning is after. We then end up looking very disjointed, and Knight and Conway were looked extremely frustrated at times as a result.

I don't think possession football is the problem, I think it's possession football with this group of players. We saw the natural issue of Manning-ball with a Pearson squad, against a team who are extremely effective at denying time and space to their opponent. Our players wanted an extra second on the ball tonight they didn't have - and it's because they aren't players who have the qualities needed to play possession football. It's not their fault, that's not why they were brought here.

Nothing comes for free in football. The real question will be if we're looking better going forward with that team, how much have we sacrificed at the other end as a result. We've been really solid at the back this year (not that you'd believe it reading this forum sometimes) so it'll be interesting to see what the balance is tonight

I agree. As others pointed out many didn't rate him at all and didn't think he'd be good enough for us - myself included, and now want to validate that by hounding every mistake. I'm happy to just admit I was wrong! However there are also a group who personally back some players to the degree that they then desperately need them to succeed. Morrell was another one. They do the opposite and talk him up relentlessly. Imo he'd a mid Champ keeper, and I'm pleased I was wrong that he was that standard! He's gone from near the top of my "need replacing" list to somewhere in the middle. At some point, but not a priority at the moment. He's pretty representative of where we are as a team imo, was/is cheap, and has been an integral part of what's been a very solid defence this year.

Coventry second: https://streamin.one/v/d918c585

City second (Wells): https://streamin.one/v/f87fca8c

aka I definitely AM writing him off but don't want this to get quoted in 5 years when he's just finished scoring his hattrick in the CL final so am covering my back

City goal (Dickie): https://streamin.one/v/af3c65cd

We need someone arriving in the box a bit late who's checked their run, and to pull the ball back intentionally to them - rather than just blindly thumping it at 100mph horizontally. Scott's goal for Bournemouth recently was a great example (from memory). Or ideally I'd rather get either Cornick or Wells and Conway on the pitch together and try and go through a middle a bit more.