Liam Manning - CONFIRMED NEW HEAD COACH

[WolfOfWestStreet]

29 minutes ago, One Team said:

Completely agree. This must be their last throw of the dice surely? 

If you're going to have one last go at it, do you really pick the bloke from Oxford? This doesn't fell like a last hurrah appointment to me. 

Lansdown is going nowhere 

[steviestevieneville]

19 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I've said this countless times today. 

But as the club have set an expectation of challenging, then he doesn't get the chance to strive to be a success. He has to be an instant success.

You’re taking it way too literally 

[The Swan and Cemetery]

1 minute ago, steviestevieneville said:

You’re taking it way too literally 

In fairness, if some of the things said are meant to be taken figuratively, there’s very little point them saying anything. 

[Davefevs]

If anyone is interested here’s a thread on how Oxford shape up under Manning.

One thing I wanted to add is that it’s only in recent games he’s gone to a back three.  He’s played a back four most of his time at Oxford.

[Bris Red]

1 minute ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

If he doesn't produce success with a squad which the owners think is good enough to challenge, then the axe has to fall in the same manner as it did with Pearson. 

The Lansdowns have made numerous appointments like this, none have been a success. Whilst I'm sure Manning is a lovely guy, it's not that I don't have faith in him, it's that the Lansdowns track record at this type of appointment means I don't have faith in them making this appointment. 

Can’t argue with any of that. Feels to me this is the last big roll of the dice for the Lansdowns, it’s clear Steve has got it in his head that a young progressive ‘up and coming’ head coach is the way to go - backed up by his comments that he isn’t best pleased that clubs like Luton Brentford etc etc have all reached the top flight before us.

Manning will get my full backing and at the end of the day i want whats best for our football club. This could very well be a stroke of genius from Lansdown and as much as i want the bloke to piss off and sell up I genuinely hope this appointment works out irrespective of my feelings towards him and his son.

[Mendip City]

1 minute ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

If he doesn't produce success with a squad which the owners think is good enough to challenge, then the axe has to fall in the same manner as it did with Pearson. 

The Lansdowns have made numerous appointments like this, none have been a success. Whilst I'm sure Manning is a lovely guy, it's not that I don't have faith in him, it's that the Lansdowns track record at this type of appointment means I don't have faith in them making this appointment. 

The appointment of Head Coaches has, it seems to me been far less successful that the appointment of managers at our club.  
 

head coaches:

holden

LJ

SOD

mcInnes

 

managers:

pearson 

cotts

GJ

Millen  

 

I think all before that would have been titled “manager”. 

[ray savino]

3 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

it's that the Lansdowns track record at this type of appointment means I don't have faith in them making this appointment. 

And that, in essence, is what a lot of this fan reaction is all about. We have very little to have faith in the recruitment strategy of manager/coaches over the past 8 years or more. 

[One Team]

8 minutes ago, WolfOfWestStreet said:

If you're going to have one last go at it, do you really pick the bloke from Oxford? This doesn't fell like a last hurrah appointment to me. 

Lansdown is going nowhere 

I hope you are wrong but fear you are right.

[RedRoss]

9 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

If he doesn't produce success with a squad which the owners think is good enough to challenge, then the axe has to fall in the same manner as it did with Pearson. 

The Lansdowns have made numerous appointments like this, none have been a success. Whilst I'm sure Manning is a lovely guy, it's not that I don't have faith in him, it's that the Lansdowns track record at this type of appointment means I don't have faith in them making this appointment. 

What if we finish 7th? Still get rid no questions asked?

[italian dave]

17 minutes ago, Hayfield8 said:

That's brilliant, sums up the fans reaction nicely. 

Speak for yourself.

I’m going with infantile and pathetic.

It doesn’t sum up this fans reaction in the slightest. 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

1 minute ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

If he doesn't produce success with a squad which the owners think is good enough to challenge, then the axe has to fall in the same manner as it did with Pearson. 

The Lansdowns have made numerous appointments like this, none have been a success. Whilst I'm sure Manning is a lovely guy, it's not that I don't have faith in him, it's that the Lansdowns track record at this type of appointment means I don't have faith in them making this appointment. 

Yes- it probably does but however much they "believe" or "think" that we should be challenging at the top end of the table unless Liam Manning completely falls flat on his face then he'll be here for a while and certainly beyond this season.

I appreciate you are incredibly pro NP but you must understand that whilst many appreciate his excellent work behind the scenes, he was no more successful than most of our appointments . Same as most other club appointments.

Just as an aside and genuinely well meant to you- if you have a major difference with another poster just stand your ground or just move on- no need to take it personally or block. I know this!

[Zuni]

4 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

If anyone is interested here’s a thread on how Oxford shape up under Manning.

One thing I wanted to add is that it’s only in recent games he’s gone to a back three.  He’s played a back four most of his time at Oxford.

Good that he seems flexible in formations. I know it's not a popular opinion on here but I like playing with a back 3 as the default with the option to move to a 4 depending on situation/opponent.

[alexukhc]

I’m ok with this

[The Swan and Cemetery]

2 minutes ago, Zuni said:

Good that he seems flexible in formations. I know it's not a popular opinion on here but I like playing with a back 3 as the default with the option to move to a 4 depending on situation/opponent.

Brian, you’ve given yourself away, we’ll know what to look out for now. 

[BarneyCity]

Much as we can all see how class less our owners have behaved, I’d hazard a guess that not only did they not like having a knowledgeable but challenging manager in post, they’ll be over the moon to have saved another half mill per year by appointing a league one coach. Always gone for the cheapest option - with one exception Nigel Pearson (and surprise surprise he did the job he was asked!

[W-S-M Seagull]

6 minutes ago, RedRoss said:

What if we finish 7th? Still get rid no questions asked?

 

[WECANDO]

A back 3 of Dickie, Vyner and Atkinson aint so bad.

[MATT BCFC]

Had a read up on him as didn't know much to be honest.

Some positives; was part of the Man City group. Did well at a Belgium club. Did well at MK Don's, awful start to his next season but seems they lost a lot of players and has done very well so far at Oxford. 

Also apparently had a big influence on Declan Rice coming through ag West Ham. 

We have appointed worst managers under SL. My my main worry is the timing would have definitely helped him if we has given a full summer and lots of injuries currently. 

[Zuni]

7 minutes ago, The Swan and Cemetery said:

Brian, you’ve given yourself away, we’ll know what to look out for now. 

Awkward - 

[W-S-M Seagull]

7 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Yes- it probably does but however much they "believe" or "think" that we should be challenging at the top end of the table unless Liam Manning completely falls flat on his face then he'll be here for a while and certainly beyond this season.

I appreciate you are incredibly pro NP but you must understand that whilst many appreciate his excellent work behind the scenes, he was no more successful than most of our appointments . Same as most other club appointments.

Just as an aside and genuinely well meant to you- if you have a major difference with another poster just stand your ground or just move on- no need to take it personally or block. I know this!

It's more concern for our football club rather than being pro NP.

Despite what the Lansdowns say, we have a fragile squad because of injuries and youthfulness. 

There has been a hell of a lot of pain and frustration watching us over the past 2 years or so as Nige sorted out the mess left over from LJ/Holden. 

It felt like we had got to the point where we could now push on.

I'm worried that all of that work that has been done could now be undone. The thought of having to go through another two years of pain because of a bad appointment fills me with dread. 

If this appointment goes badly then we could find ourselves competing at the wrong end of the table. 

[stephenkibby.]

16 minutes ago, ray savino said:

Know very little about this guy but need to give him a chance obviously. Let’s hope the powers that be have really done their homework on this one and he is the real deal. I liked Nige for his forthright views and whilst the board probably won’t admit it, I reckon some of those things will have hit a nerve with them. They might show a bit more nous going forward. 

I always said in previous posts over the past year that I could see Nige being the person to steady the ship, put some foundations back into what was becoming a mess of a club after the Ashton / Johnson / Holden regimes. But it seemed more and more clear that he was never going to be able to work with the current ownership longer term.

Over the last couple of weeks, despite liking and appreciating Nige, I was kind of glad he was going, more to do with that fact that it was plainly obvious that he was never to be given a longer term deal. What I am also glad is that this really puts the onus on the ownersip to own their decision and recruitment decision in this case. I don’t wish them to fail, quite the opposite I want it to be a blinding success. It might show that they have really thought about what they want for this football club for once. The proof as they say is in the pudding, so let’s hope it was all lip service to the fans.

I was never a huge LJ fan. He was a decent coach, but the fact that with probably more financial backing and support than any manager since I started supporting City since 1966, his teams always seemed to blow up by the last third of the season when in promising positions. I was never convinced with his apparent man management particularly it appeared with some young players. Nige did appear good at this aspect. Also I got the impression that BT wasn’t particularly aligned with LJ and their views of young players development. 

So is this Manning guy another Johnson Mk 2? Well he’s young and can put a PPT deck together, and has a nice turn of “modern” football phraseology for a start. However, where I think it is very different at the moment is that he is not a known personality to Lee Johnson. It all felt a bit too comfy cosy with LJ and SL and to me, to the detriment of the professional decision making in the club. Manning is coming here with no Bristol City baggage and just the reputation as a promising coach.

As someone else said, Eddie Howe had to start somewhere, likewise Corberan, McKenna, Carrick etc. Just maybe for once this bloke might be the fit for us at the right time.

And that final thing is that classic saying, right person in the right place at the right time. With most managers at our level, there is a bit of hoping all the stars align at a club for them to be a good fit. Let’s hope this is the case with Manning because I want to get back to feeling like the club really does have a tangible plan. As much as I was disappointed about the nature of NP’s dismissal, I do think we’ve got to give the guy a fair chance. Has he got to get promotion this season? Don’t be daft, despite the stuff the board said, that was just a load of PR  guff to justify the Board’s decision to the fans.

I’ve actually come around to the idea that this might be an interesting appointment, and he’s got plenty of time this season to show what he can do with this squad of players. 

One final thing. What do people think of the chances of SL loosening the purse strings and getting in Twine as our playmaker on loan in Jan, with a view to a perm at the end of the season? 

Great post. Amazed how many are against this appointment.

Seems a lot are finding it hard to get over the treatment of Pearson. I never wanted him sacked but he's gone aint coming back.

How many would take Schumacher now? A lot i would imagine but the same people would have turned the nose up 9 months ago.

Manning seems to me just what we need now, could go tits up , usually dose but hay let's see what the man has got.

[Ivorguy]

Will he be McInnes mark 2?
I remember well the hype about his appointment 

[A Horse With No Name]

38 minutes ago, Hartleysbeard said:

That’s pathetic. Embarrassing as you say. 

I think the joke here is the Ronnie Pickering youtube video. 

[GrahamC]

8 minutes ago, WECANDO said:

A back 3 of Dickie, Vyner and Atkinson aint so bad.

Who is the right wing back then?

Pring is presumably the left?

How is the midfield setting up?

Just naming 3 central defenders isn’t really thinking it through, is it?

[W-S-M Seagull]

8 minutes ago, stephenkibby. said:

Great post. Amazed how many are against this appointment.

Seems a lot are finding it hard to get over the treatment of Pearson. I never wanted him sacked but he's gone aint coming back.

How many would take Schumacher now? A lot i would imagine but the same people would have turned the nose up 9 months ago.

Manning seems to me just what we need now, could go tits up , usually dose but hay let's see what the man has got.

Schumacher at least has a promotion on his CV and a good start to Championship life. 

What does Manning have on his CV? 

[Port Said Red]

39 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Quite frankly I don't appreciate the tone of your post and the attack on my character. 

Think that says more about you than me. 

For my own well being, you are now on my block list. 

Thank you for valuing others differing opinions. 

This is a great tactic you have used on this thread, presumably you will end up in a situation where you have blocked everyone who has disagreed with you, at that point you will be able to say "well I posted this and no one argued because they all knew I was right". Genius.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

16 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

It felt like we had got to the point where we could now push on.

I think that is exactly the point.

Nige got us in the position where we can hopefully push on but with a new impetus. Personally, I think Nige should have been given til the end of the season before the change.

I note that Matt Withers who I enjoy reading on BL and seems very level headed said probably until Christmas. James Piercy wrote a brilliant piece on BL today which covers all the various positions taken by club and fans.

Edit: Perhaps LM was always the plan but the club felt if he delivered promotion then he may not be so keen to comee/ too expensive/ better offers. Who knows.

Edited November 6, 2023 by Marina's Rolls Royce

[The Swan and Cemetery]

4 minutes ago, Tafkarmlf said:

It's comments like these that prove the point

 

The board suck, down with the lansdowns etc

 

Oh, did they hire Nige in the first place?

 

That's a bit awkward then if they hired a manager some are calling the best ever, but are in the same breadth , useless

 

Would be surprised if anyone thought there was a strong track record of great appointments? And those who weren’t convinced by NP would see it as an even weaker record than those who were convinced by him. Guess the flip back might be those who weren’t NP fans now being convinced they will appoint the right person. 

[stephenkibby.]

1 minute ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Schumacher at least has a promotion on his CV and a good start to Championship life. 

What does Manning have on his CV? 

That's my point would you have accepted him before he got his side up? Manning could well do the same this season if he stays at Oxford.

Then is it in your mind acceptable ?

[Cov 77]

15 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

Will he be McInnes mark 2?
I remember well the hype about his appointment 

You consider the reaction on here to him is hype ?

Frenzied overreaction nearer the mark