IAmNick

We're looking like a championship team playing the team 6th in the Premiership with about £100m of talent in their midfield...

Do you get any joy from following this club?

Holiday in Australia?

West ham goal: https://streamin.one/v/e09b769d

https://streameast.app/soccer/west-ham-united-bristol-city/34767225 https://1stream.soccer/soccer/west-ham-united-bristol-city-live-stream/1287675 https://buffstreams.app/soccer/west-ham-united-bristol-city/1287675

I don't think people would be buying a consistent championship goal scorer though, they'd be buying his potential primarily. I think he's got good attributes - I don't think it'd be worth selling now though as I agree with the gist of your post that we likely wouldn't get enough to make it worthwhile yet. Regressing implies he's actively getting worse to me which I disagree with. All players go through peaks and troughs, you just have to hope the average of them is increasing. Those peaks/troughs are more pronounced with young players as well. Tommy is in a bit of a trough at the moment but it's also a tough situation on the pitch for him, and upheaval off it (best mate leaving, manager change). I don't think he's getting worse though, and I think he'll improve.

The fact he did come back out and continued doing the same thing, if not more so - doesn't that tell you it was more likely by instruction rather than him going rogue, getting a bollocking at half time, then going rogue again? When we build in general Tanner drops back a bit to make more of a 3 with Dickie and Vyner, and then Pring pushes up so we're a bit lopsided. That was happening again today with then Weimann drifting infield. I actually thought he was fine today, and he was about the only one making runs along the front line in the first half. I'd have brought Sykes on for Conway and moved Weimann central for 15m in the second half, before then replacing him with Wells. I'm sure I'm in a huge minority with that though!

He's the one offering movement and runs off the ball up front though when I'm watching him here.

With respect as I hear people say that a fair amount, doesn't that exact characteristic you've described make him a bad manager though?

He's 21 with 60 championship appearances. What about him makes you think he'll regress two divisions standard?

The reality is we're unlikely to ever have a full team/squad of "top 6" players, whatever that really means. To get there we'll need a few new signings to hit the ground running (e.g. knight), an academy prospect or two to come good, and a couple of senior players to have their "one more season". They'll then add on to the 4-6 players we have who might actually get into a solid top 6 side. Max is a good example I think - I don't reckon he'd get into a top 6 side, at least not long term, but he's good enough for us at the moment and I think he's good enough to play in a top 6 side if he had to, just maybe not long term or not what you'd sign if you were exclusively building one. He's a good player and good enough for us at the moment. In an ideal world we'd probably sign about 10 players to get guaranteed top 6. But that's not going to happen and will cost north of £30m. I guess what I'm saying is that maybe a couple of those aren't or won't be "top 6" players who'd get in your dream 11 promotion winning side, but that's not who we are either and they're plenty good enough for us at the moment. So shipping them out for that reason makes no sense.

When we build Pring pushes up on the left and Tanner drops back to almost become a back 3 with Vyner and Dickie. It must be under instruction. It's fine.

Birmingham were just building a bit of a head of steam, we've done well to nullify it and now we're on top I think.

Fair enough. I wouldn't sub him yet, but I don't think he's being unfairly attacked either. That's quite different imo. Let's hope he comes out for the second half, continues to get in the good positions he has been and makes the most of them this time.

Is he going to be reading the forum at half time?

If you don't recognise that tune I can tell you didn't waste your youth hanging out on questionable internet forums in the 2000s. Here's the song, skip to around 1:40 or so: And here's the dance that became one of the earliest internet memes:

Put him within 12 yards of the goal and I'd still back him over anyone else in the squad I think. He's so clinical and I'm really glad he got his goal. If he can start coming on in the last 30 and chipping in with the odd goal I'd be delighted. I'm not sure he's quite what Manning would be after if he wasn't already here, but he's a top professional and still had something to offer imo.

A new period? What's wrong with it being a continuation of the post LJ/Holden spend-a-thon? That was the end of a chapter for me, not Nige leaving. Nige steadied the ship, Manning is now(hopefully) setting the course. Nige did a smashing job, and Manning can and will hopefully do one too... those things aren't mutually exclusive no matter how much some seem to think they are! Onwards and upwards, and lets hope this chapter in our history now gains some real momentum with Liam at the helm.

One of these came and sat behind me in the Lansdown for the first half on Friday, fortunately he then wasn't there for the second. It honestly ruined the half for me, added bonus he joined in with every song but got all the words wrong.

City FOURTH (Weimann): https://streamin.one/v/e45a5b95

City third (Sykes): https://streamin.one/v/68c7f813

Watford are a decent side imo - we're making them look average.

City second (Hoedt OG, thanks to Conway): https://streamin.one/v/614140e1

City goal (Pring): https://streamin.one/v/1ee0c8b2

I agree - but that's also not exactly a secret. If you're going to buy a football club you have to also accept the terms that come with it, which is covering their losses presumably with the hopes you one day win big. I'm grateful the Lansdown family do it of course, but it's not a plus or minus point in my mind in the grand scheme of things - perhaps that's harsh though. We'll only really know the answer when (if) they sell up, and we discover what they want to claim back out of the sale, or the club I suppose. Then we'll know how much was covered, and how much was simply loaned.