First impressions post Nige

[Sheltons Army]

4 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

Who were you previously? Remind me. 

Who (plural) officer

[RollsRoyce]

JL said, very clearly, that the lack of coaching and preparation was stopping us from being top 6. 

JL and Tinnion sought change. They will need to own what they have done. 

Manning has a big 2 weeks, and he has a great history of getting really strong results from his teams. Manning is not the issue,

BTW. It would also be expected, with a top 6 squad, that he will improve rapidly what is going on after this International break. He does not have the injury disaster we recently saw, so he will have a strong squad to work with. (Top 6, as JL said. IMHO more like the top 13) . Manning has a good group of fit and able players to use. It will take him some time, but you have to expect he will drive the team to a top 6. He has done that before, and JL said we have a top 6 squad and a top 10 wage bill. We must never forget that. 

I would put money, and a big bet, on Lansdown following his behaviour with Lee J. When questioned, he will spend millions trying to justify his decision. So Manning just needs to get to Jan, and then the Lansdowns will spend millions on him. 

 

[lotusman]

It is fascinating but also speaks volumes of how the vast majority of fans understood and remained patient with the slow but deliberate progress that Pearson delivered. Only Vyner remained in the starting 11 that kicked off both Pearson's and Mannings first game, testimony to the loss of too many overpaid under performing  players brought in at a huge cost. What we have at the moment is a mixed bag of quality but very much lacking in creativity and leadership. Compare our squad to every other team in this league and it is difficult to side with the perspective of J.L.& B.T .

Manning will need time and I think fans will appreciate that more than the architects of his arrival.

[Sheltons Army]

11 minutes ago, RollsRoyce said:

JL said, very clearly, that the lack of coaching and preparation was stopping us from being top 6. 

JL and Tinnion sought change. They will need to own what they have done. 

Manning has a big 2 weeks, and he has a great history of getting really strong results from his teams. Manning is not the issue,

BTW. It would also be expected, with a top 6 squad, that he will improve rapidly what is going on after this International break. He does not have the injury disaster we recently saw, so he will have a strong squad to work with. (Top 6, as JL said. IMHO more like the top 13) . Manning has a good group of fit and able players to use. It will take him some time, but you have to expect he will drive the team to a top 6. He has done that before, and JL said we have a top 6 squad and a top 10 wage bill. We must never forget that. 

I would put money, and a big bet, on Lansdown following his behaviour with Lee J. When questioned, he will spend millions trying to justify his decision. So Manning just needs to get to Jan, and then the Lansdowns will spend millions on him. 

 

I’ve posted elsewhere , (Not sure about Jan) that if and when they break open the nest egg for LM , that may be their cunning plan , but it’s actually going to bring a significant load in heat and expectation both on LM and massively on them 

[W-S-M Seagull]

3 hours ago, steviestevieneville said:

No Terry I haven’t . I’m not a idiot like your good self 

You don't know me to call me an idiot Tony.

Due to your attention seeking, we all know you Tony. 

The majority of our fan base have heard you on the radio and we all think you are a bumbling fool who has a limited footballing knowledge and you flip flop from one position to the next, to the extreme.

Also let's not forget the extremely dodgy stuff you post on Twitter...

[steviestevieneville]

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

You don't know me to call me an idiot Tony.

Due to your attention seeking, we all know you Tony. 

The majority of our fan base have heard you on the radio and we all think you are a bumbling fool who has a limited footballing knowledge and you flip flop from one position to the next, to the extreme.

Also let's not forget the extremely dodgy stuff you post on Twitter...

You do realise that in reality I’m not Tony Wilkins & I get plenty of dm’s laughing at you behind your back don’t you Terry . You’ve become  a bloody laughing stock mucker

[W-S-M Seagull]

23 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

You do realise that in reality I’m not Tony Wilkins & I get plenty of dm’s laughing at you behind your back don’t you Terry . You’ve become  a bloody laughing stock mucker

Of course you're not and of course you do. 

You're going to the extremes that you're so well known for again Tone...

How does it feel to have an entire family base laugh at your every appearance on the radio? 

Edited November 12, 2023 by W-S-M Seagull

[steviestevieneville]

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

Of course you're not and of course you do. 

You're going to the extremes that you're so well known for again Tone...

How does it feel to have an entire family base laugh at your every appearance on the radio? 

I wouldn’t know Terry . As I’ve said . You just keep embarrassing yourself boy . My DM’s confirms what plenty think of you

also you don’t deny you’re Terry ? I know the Terry I’m on about . 

[fgrsimon]

Well 3 Championship clubs have made an unnecessary manager change this season and so far it's not working out too well for Birmingham or Huddersfield! Let's see how it's looking in a few months time... 

[W-S-M Seagull]

27 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

I wouldn’t know Terry . As I’ve said . You just keep embarrassing yourself boy . My DM’s confirms what plenty think of you

also you don’t deny you’re Terry ? I know the Terry I’m on about . 

You're also known for fabricating things Tony, just like you are here. 

Who the f is Terry? I've exposed who you are and you're trying to divert attention from that. 

Why don't you use your real alias Tony? 

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Sheltons Army said:

I’ve posted elsewhere , (Not sure about Jan) that if and when they break open the nest egg for LM , that may be their cunning plan , but it’s actually going to bring a significant load in heat and expectation both on LM and massively on them 

The problem with the potential “new plan” (code name - nest egg)  if this is indeed what will happen, is chucking money at it isn’t the right approach.  Skilled recruitment is the right approach.  Burt and Cotterill, Pearson and Walsh for City, Harford, Chapple and Socik for Luton.

Ours has improved, but we’ve sacked the bloke setting the requirements.  We need Manning to be as clear, but in being clear he has to 1) know the levels needed himself and 2) be confident that the recruitment team understand him.  It took Nige a while to get the current recruitment team to understand what he was after.  And we all know even then not every transfer will be a success.

JL and Tins have been very clear on what has happened, why it happened and what happens next.  I think the fans will be ready to take them to task for any deviation inside 8 weeks of them handpicking their new head-coach.  They will be breaking a very fragile trust if they do.

I’m hoping Manning can prove his worth on the training ground first.  I think he might be better working with what he’s got.  Not saying one or two shouldn’t be brought in, I thought Nige needed this too…but I think it would be the wrong approach to try to overhaul in January.

[Sheltons Army]

1 hour ago, Spreadsheet Boy said:

The problem with the potential “new plan” (code name - nest egg)  if this is indeed what will happen, is chucking money at it isn’t the right approach.  Skilled recruitment is the right approach.  Burt and Cotterill, Pearson and Walsh for City, Harford, Chapple and Socik for Luton.

Ours has improved, but we’ve sacked the bloke setting the requirements.  We need Manning to be as clear, but in being clear he has to 1) know the levels needed himself and 2) be confident that the recruitment team understand him.  It took Nige a while to get the current recruitment team to understand what he was after.  And we all know even then not every transfer will be a success.

JL and Tins have been very clear on what has happened, why it happened and what happens next.  I think the fans will be ready to take them to task for any deviation inside 8 weeks of them handpicking their new head-coach.  They will be breaking a very fragile trust if they do.

I’m hoping Manning can prove his worth on the training ground first.  I think he might be better working with what he’s got.  Not saying one or two shouldn’t be brought in, I thought Nige needed this too…but I think it would be the wrong approach to try to overhaul in January.

Agree with all Dave

Particularly the last para

[scrumpy88]

First of all Pearson should still be here 100% 

BUT

The over reaction on here on todays performance is pathetic. The blokes had 3 days. People need to get a grip. 
 

I liked Nige, but let’s not pretend the football was fantastic under him, in his last few games, we was abysmal at Rotherham Just got lucky with 2 wonder goals and again Coventry home game was awful to watch aswel.
 Yes he should not of been sacked, but the way people are talking it’s like he left us 10 points clear with entertaining football, week in week out. 
 

It might work out with Manning or it might be a disaster but we need to get behind him and not judge him on an away game (which we didn’t even lose!) after just 2 days training. 
 

 

[Lew-T]

10 hours ago, Harry said:

And that’s not Manning’s fault. He has his style of play, we recruited him, but we don’t have the players that suit him. We have runners, tryers, grafters, but not much ball quality. 
Good luck Liam……. 

So we’re back to square one? New man comes in and wants to change it.

Where is the supposedly continuity in that?

[Son of Fred]

4 hours ago, fgrsimon said:

Well 3 Championship clubs have made an unnecessary manager change this season and so far it's not working out too well for Birmingham or Huddersfield! Let's see how it's looking in a few months time... 

The future is scary

[Bodiesaffer]

12 hours ago, Redrascal2 said:

Far too early to assess. Manning had the team for 2 or 3 days training. In my opinion to be making judgements at this stage is a waste of time. Manning needs time and some support in the transfer window. I hope he gets both.

He doesn’t need a transfer window, we have a top 6 squad.  

[NSFF]

10 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Exactly.

I genuinely had never heard of Liam Manning until he appeared in the "possibles" list- way below everyone else. 

I want to give him a reasonable and genuine chance and will utterly support him. I think he's taken over a relatively ok situation and  he does need some time to sort everything out - just not another 3 seasons!

A relatively ok situation? Think it’s lots better than that ! Players hopefully returning from injury sat just outside the playoffs and when Pearson was cast aside 2 games against teams in the relegation places ! 
whilst I fully agree you can’t judge the new manager on 3 training sessions and one game, the choice of Manning after the sacking of Pearson must leave you baffled ? 
Again I hope to be proved wrong but I think Pearson had the measure of Tinnion didn’t let him or Junior interfere and now he’s paid the price.

 

[RedRoss]

We were the same at Sheffield Wednesday we just got lucky with a Dickie goal. We don't have the players unfortunately that have enough quality to put their foot on the ball and relax in possession. The quality of passes and decision making is poor. It's rushed and and it's been like that for a while now.

That could easily of been a team under Nigel so no reflection of Manning. The question is was Nige getting the players to play to their best or can Manning squeeze more over time. If JL/BT think we've got a competent squad to compete and it was just the person leading them holding them back I reckon they are in for a rude awakening. Most fans can tell you that we need quality additions with or without returning injured players.

 

[johnbytheriver]

In his after match interview LM talked about alinement.Does he mean making sure your shirt is tucked in and your shorts and socks are pulled up? He also mentioned the word block(cringe) Birmingham brought in Rooney recently thats going well! Amateur hour is back at AG did it ever go away?

[Dr Balls]

6 hours ago, fgrsimon said:

Well 3 Championship clubs have made an unnecessary manager change this season and so far it's not working out too well for Birmingham or Huddersfield! Let's see how it's looking in a few months time... 

This would be my biggest concern for the rest of this season. Owners thinking that they know better than managers and coaches on how to run a football team. Nige and Colin may be quite different characters but they clearly had experience and success at this level, and had man management skills that meant they could get the most from a group of players.

The Birmingham situation is one that we most don’t want to follow. Birmingham under Eustace were all over us earlier this season and deserved to win. Birmingham under Rooney are awful. Same players but just assuming that a new coach can come in and do better, when the former has built up a rapport and trust with the players, is just nonsense.

Like many on here, I have little confidence in the ownership of the club when it comes to footballing matters. And I have a bad feeling that our new “Head Coach” may quickly be out of his depth at this level, especially if he only has one way of wanting a team to play. Either that or the nest egg will need to be cracked open wide, which completely undermines everything Nige did in reining in the spending.

[Randy Marsh II]

1 hour ago, RedRoss said:

We were the same at Sheffield Wednesday we just got lucky with a Dickie goal. We don't have the players unfortunately that have enough quality to put their foot on the ball and relax in possession. The quality of passes and decision making is poor. It's rushed and and it's been like that for a while now.

That could easily of been a team under Nigel so no reflection of Manning. The question is was Nige getting the players to play to their best or can Manning squeeze more over time. If JL/BT think we've got a competent squad to compete and it was just the person leading them holding them back I reckon they are in for a rude awakening. Most fans can tell you that we need quality additions with or without returning injured players.

 

Exactly the point I made in the OP, the thread has inevitably but not wrongly drifted. 

This is all on Tinnion and the owners. Change was not needed. Pearson, with some additions post Scott, was our best chance of progressing.

[johnbytheriver]

2 hours ago, Bodiesaffer said:

He doesn’t need a transfer window, we have a top 6 squad.  

Thanks for that Jon

[Baldyman]

Rightly or wrongly it’s looking pretty clear that the Honeymoon period afforded by the fans will be extremely short given the nature of Mannings appointment. Could get messy very quickly with our next 3 games being Middlesbrough, Southampton and Norwich ! If he comes out of that sequence in one piece he’d have done well . 

[Randy Marsh II]

3 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

Rightly or wrongly it’s looking pretty clear that the Honeymoon period afforded by the fans will be extremely short given the nature of Mannings appointment. Could get messy very quickly with our next 3 games being Middlesbrough, Southampton and Norwich ! If he comes out of that sequence in one piece he’d have done well . 

But anger shouldn't be directed at him. It must be directed at the chumps in charge who caused this. 

[Baldyman]

3 minutes ago, Randy Marsh II said:

But anger shouldn't be directed at him. It must be directed at the chumps in charge who caused this. 

I agree and would feel for him ! But if the next 3 games go badly , the atmosphere will turn toxic very quickly and he’ll feel every bit of it whichever direction it’s aimed at .  Birmingham made a very similar decision and the Blues fans have turned on Rooney already . Will be no different here if our form mirrors theirs . 

[steviestevieneville]

7 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

You're also known for fabricating things Tony, just like you are here. 

Who the f is Terry? I've exposed who you are and you're trying to divert attention from that. 

Why don't you use your real alias Tony? 

The reason I don’t call myself Tony is because it’s not my name Terrance . You’re just a blithering idiot , Terry . 

[ExiledAjax]

13 hours ago, Harry said:

The issue I have is that BT & JL think our players are top end for this division. And they are wrong. 

It's a really problematic flaw in their rationale.

If all of their decision making is based on their opinion that the current squad is of the quality required to finish in the top 6 then all of their decisions are starting from a false position.

Also, to my knowledge, they've not come out and said why they think the squad is so good. What is about the players, either individually or as a unit, that gives them the impression that we're a top 6 team that just needs a bit of coaching to realise it's potential.

Thing is, there is an argument imo that our defence is nearly top 6 standard, and our strikers can finish chances at that level as well. The rest...the rest is questionable imo.

[bcfcnick]

I think it was a big mistake to raise promotion expectations and, by implication, the current league position as the reason for the disappointing sacking of Nigel Pearson. It was a red herring in my view and not necessarily delusional.

Manning does have a big opportunity though to reshape the squad in the summer because I am fairly sure James, Weimann, Williams and King's contracts won't be renewed.  They will all be on a decent amount.  I think there was a bit of confusion about spending in the summer as the wages budget was hit as opposed to the transfer fee budget and one of Nigel's objectives was not to have too big a difference between first-team wages. He definitely wasn't complaining about the lack of budget which shows how unselfish he was and that should have been appreciated by the owners.  

In terms of other players,  I hope Conway signs a new deal otherwise bids will be looked at. He's a confidence player and needs service as he is potentially a prolific scorer but presently he wouldn't attract the interest Semenyo and Scott did.  Ross McCrorie will make a more dynamic full-back although Tanner's is impressive defensively.  I'd love to see a fit Benarous as I think he is a real talent and from what I have seen a great attitude with a desire to succeed.  I can see Mehmeti being moved on. Sometimes lower division players thrive and sometimes they don't and it shouldn't stop us looking at talent from lower levels.

In short, there is surprisingly a lot of scope to reshape things to Manning's desired way to play in the summer with contracts expiring, injury returns and some astute signings.  

[Major Isewater]

Didn’t Gary Johnson take ten games before getting a win ? 
That didn’t turn out too badly.

 I echo what many have said on here. Confidence in the people running the show is lower than a snake’s  scrotum and they have instigated an environment where only success on the pitch can save them. 
The coach needs to get the players onside pdq and he needs to show why he was the preferred choice over Pearson. 
He’s not going to do that in three days. I am , however, hoping for a City master stroke where in the summer we are the talk of football as our brilliant young coach propels us towards the Prem , then I réalise who we are and in the pit of my stomach I feel it won’t work out. 
 

[pongo88]

15 hours ago, Harry said:

It’s highly relevant. We looked at how he played there and liked it. 
Yes it’s a step up in quality in this division. The players at his disposal at Oxford (the midfield trio at least) are high end League 1 players, nay, even championship level players. 
The key difference here is that the central midfield trio are not high end players in this division. Therefore we will struggle to impose OUR game onto them. 
So Oxford is very relevant, because the manager has been recruited because of his style he played there. But I’m afraid he will have quickly learned today that JL and BT have not built a promotion challenging squad. 
 

This is no dig at Manning. I actually liked his style of play and I want him to succeed here. But he’s gonna need a number of replacements to do so. 

 

14 hours ago, glynriley said:

I’d imagine he’ll completely revamp the midfield in the summer. Weimann, King, James and Williams all OOC I believe. Think he’ll let all of them go and rebuild. 

The players brought in by City’s recent transfer policy are mainly league one standard, bought on the hope they can develop into top six Championship players. Nigel wasn’t given the budget (transfer fees and salary) to get anything better. If LM has to operate under the same constraints the results will be broadly the same. If he suddenly has a bigger budget in the summer, and better quality players arrive, it will be an admission that the current strategy was wrong