Davefevs

Still direct, but along with that big old lump Dike gone, they miss Mowatt in midfield too, aggression, quality left peg, etc. The other two players missing of real note are: - Sollbauer - gone back home I think - Mads Andersen - imposing, aerial ball winning centre back - knee injury Conor Chaplin, more bit part last season has gone to Ipswich, Carlton Morris is injured. Between these two, Dike, Woodrow and Fieser they provided 60 mins of high intensity press every game before often a triple sub. The 3/7 sub rule is a good example of why 5 shouldn’t be allowed imho. I suspect it’s had an impact on how they press. So, ultimately they are weaker than last season by some distance. Why? Recruited in similar vain to the previous managers.

Baker out tomorrow, might be back next week, seeing as he hasn’t yet returned to training (might be back in today according to Nige), the concussion protocols mean he’s very unlikely to be ready until next weekend. Conway and Williams due back Monday, Antoine Tuesday / Wednesday. Back on the grass means ready to undertake proper training. Whether that’s ready for selection will depend on the individual, how long they’ve been out etc.

With hopefully a return to a back 4 and Atkinson back in his best position I see more hope of playing a bit of football from the back tomorrow.

Yep, but most aren’t having to let 10 OOC players go in the same summer. Diedhiou is the worst example of this. Not only going for free but taking a who years wage too. I know the market is crap, but last summer we should’ve bit there bullet.

I’m sure you’re right, but it’s just another example of a player that Nige might’ve wanted to keep but couldn’t. And another example of a shit re-contracting strategy that has hamstrung us going forward. Clearing players from the squad and reducing wage bill / amortisation costs is good, but it doesn’t necessarily correlate to “sorting the mess out”. That’s the point I’m trying to make.

I’ve used that in work, and the young’uns haven’t got a clue what I’m on about.

It’s a double edged sword. Lets just take one made-up example….and in its simplest form: Nige is left with Palmer (I was gonna say O’Dowda - joke!!!) so he had to let Paterson go on a free. That really could be seen as a shit sandwich couldn’t it. So in summary, he can’t clear the deadwood, because some of them are under contract, and because of the cluster#### of a re-contract strategy he’s lost one or two players he might’ve wanted to keep. I’m sure he would’ve kept Walsh too (regardless of our opinions on him), but couldn’t afford to offer him what he wanted. Inheriting a poorly balanced squad has exacerbated the issue. And….I don’t think the mess is sorted, it’s less messy, but only because some of it is hidden away from view in the spare bedroom.

If you think that, care to respond to the lengthy post I wrote last night. Do you see why I have a different view to you?

I’m able to do both, depends on my mood!

Correct. The trend is downwards too. Over the first 6-8 games most of our stats were hovering around mid-table, a few just below….shots / goals conceded top hakf (believe it or not). But over the last 6 games we’ve slumped right down.

For me, Conway looks to have the better game and brain (and a bit of edge)….but haven’t seen enough of Bell in all honesty. Most of my view on Bell is based on his pace coming to the fore when I’ve watched, not the rest of his game. But we will see if he gets a chance.

Thanks for sharing….revolving doors

They did indeed….my only real good look at Bell. We pressed well, caused a couple of awful passes out of defence from defender and keeper, and were on top. Bell did his hammy, Stoke scored with their first attack….arghhhh! FWIW I thought we pressed well v Blackpool with Martin and Scott. It’s one of the reasons why I think Scott, not a natural Forward, has got good football intelligence.

How many times do we hear “so and so” is interested, or heading up a consortium and it goes nowhere? Far too often. Sometimes I’m sure it’s just to get a peak at the books.

Shocking.

Was the sentiment of it.

Please type quicker, could’ve saved myself a lot of time. ???

I do sometimes. Not on posts like this. It doesn’t matter which games you attend, going home and away gives you no more of a right to be right than someone who doesn’t. I does probably give you right to have an opinion of player performance than someone who listens on BBCRB though. I’m far from easily pleased, but I recognise where we are. My sensible response to this is: - I’d be more concerned, much more concerned if it was 17 consecutive games without a win. As it stands we’ve got some good results away in the meantime that means I’m relatively chilled and I therefore don’t see player confidence destroyed. That might not carry on, but nor might the home form. Before these 3 games, we’d gone 7 games with one defeat (home and away). It was always gonna be a tough season. If you judge everything by results / league position, then fine. But there is a bigger picture at play, a club that got a bit big for its boots, spent too much, managed contracts poorly and left Nige in a very weak position. FWIW I do expect Nige to do a bit better with what he has, but that is more about performances than results. Just bottom half was what I predicted, and I see nothing to change that view. Having said that, I’m content to watch slightly dull, direct football if it is part of the journey whilst Nige develops the squad. As a supporter who goes to home games, I can accept stodgy home performances and results if we achieve mid/bottom half because we get enough points on the road (lucky away fans I say). I might be disappointed to not see a win at home all season, but if we pick up away points at the same rate as currently, I don’t really care…honestly. I look at some of the younger players and feel enthusiastic that next season they can be better than this year. Massengo, Tanner, Atkinson, Scott, Pring, Dasilva, Conway, Bell, all able to contribute more than this season. On the flipside, the likes of Danny Simpson aren’t likely to still be featuring in the 18….he was a temporary cheap wage option to bide us time. Nige brought forward the Tanner signing….he’s thinking ahead. I don’t think Simpson has played poorly in the games he’s played. What is your view if we see a £35m loss when the accounts for 20/21 are announced? What is your view that Nige has cut £10-12m of costs out if the club this season, and the same the season after? Especially without having players to sell? You can keep blaming Nige, and finding new ways to express your view that you want him sacked. That’s your prerogative. Im not even gonna ask you who’d you’d replace him with, as you’re right, you’re not the person who has to. But, what type / pedigree of manager might come in under these conditions? It’s not gonna be an Eddie Howe, a Chris Wilder type. It’s gonna be a Mike Flynn, Ryan Lowe type. You might be happy with that, and think that they can do a similar job to LJ. They might indeed. But they won’t have anything like the resources LJ had, so bare that in mind. I might give you the odd flippant response back, but mostly will go into full detail to explain why my view is different to yours / anyone else’s.

I agree with the OP….. ok, I was fibbing.

Who you leaving out

Financially.

Depends what the threat was? Your place in the team? A new contract? On the first he acted eventually, the second he acted as per threat. But we aren’t party to it are we?

Birmingham: a club probably around the size of ours (bit smaller) have losses of £33.5m offset by £26m of player profit. Good barometer for us where player profit was £2.8m.

At a guess, King and Simpson are on £5-6k p.w. each. We don’t get a striker of the calibre needed for free and on £10-12k p.w. Both are one year deals too. I don’t think either are has-beens, but that’s about opinion. As it stands Simpson is getting picked over Vyner. I’d really like to know what’s happened to Zak? Looks useful….but miles off 1st team imho. When players like Britton aren’t part of the first team training squad, players like Kadji have got some work to do. Players like Sam Pearson haven’t had a look-in this season. We have to be careful banding names around from the u23s. The reasons why the likes of Bell, Conway (when fit), Scott are up with the first team is because they are at a level above the ones who played the other day for the 23s, with the exception of Britton, who is trying to get fit enough to be park of it. Nor me. If anything he was quite protective of players, e.g. both Hunt and Lansbury after poor games were given the “they’re playing with injuries” reason. Last week with Tanner it was a reasonable explanation. Maybe the some are not with us we’re in fact the two coaches? ?? They certainly aren’t anymore! Last season he had little choice, until finally picking the kids.

As I’ve posted before I wonder whether during Simmo’s illness he came in and impressed Nige, and with Fleming coming in too, there was no need for Simmo and Keith. Complete speculation from me, but I wonder with their age group success they were offered a swap to work in the academy….and both ultimately turned it down. Someone who posts on here said he thought Ball puts on good sessions, that players like. That’s a start. We aren’t asking Ball to be manager, nor assistants (assistant head coaches) like Simmo and Keith or Holden and Macca (to LJ)….he’s come in to coach. Might be a subtle difference, could be a big difference. Without being at the HPC it’s tough to know. I would like confirmation on Kalifa Cisse’s role too in the new set-up. His problem was being a duo with MA, a dangerous duo. He needed a Nigel Pearson around to tell him not to fall for Ashton’s BS, and to challenge his “innovative” tactical ideas.