Why the surprise..?

[Rocking Red Cyril]

3 hours ago, formerly known as ivan said:

Yes, a youngster is due to arrive on a season long loan from West Ham. Attacking midfielder, very highly thought of by all accounts.

Thank you 

Do we know a name?

[Rocking Red Cyril]

3 minutes ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Thank you 

Do we know a name?

And can he play 10?

[formerly known as ivan]

11 minutes ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Thank you 

Do we know a name?

George Earthy, and yes he is a no.10. Pictured at the ground last night. Hopefully wasn’t put off joining.

[Superjack]

8 hours ago, Alessandro said:

It’s funny how often people think with a clean slate and a short summer break, things will automatically be better the next season….

The football is different under Manning, yes, but the outcomes are largely going to be the same results wise - no players seem to be stepping up their levels considerably from that which they showed under Pearson. 

The extended squad level is average - Roberts, Tanner, Sykes, Williams - yes good solid championship pros - but not the levels we need for a sustained promotion push - one great game in 5 isn’t enough. The huge promise of players such as Mehmeti and Bell fading into the distance with every game.

Behind the scenes - well it’s just average: the vision of the board is average, the implementation, average.

The recruitment has been nothing more than average - the squad is still average. 

Budgets and spending average at best - (if we sell Conway is that another season of more in than out?)

Not sure how anyone expected anything more than another average season?

Or are we hanging our hopes on a 20 year old loanee - Or even “gentleman’s agreement” Twine?

Same old City, but hey ho - yeah some may say it’s only 2 games, but it’s not, it’s last season too trending into this for me so far, as it was always going to do. You can either see it now, or we can talk again in 10 games time, 20, 30 - the outcome will be the same, average at best.
 

and all the debate in middle will be the same 

Spot on.

[RAF Rock Ape]

19 hours ago, PFree said:

I am baffled as to why some fans expect us to be a side challenging for the top six this season. We continue to sell our best players for good money and then shop in Lidl and Poundstretcher for lower league players we hope might come good in several seasons time.

Once SL decided not to invest further, we have been treading water, and that will continue sadly.

When you look at Ellis Simms tonight, they spent around £8m on him and as much as I hope our new strikers do well, being honest, what pedigree and track record have we bought..?

Not being negative, more realistic, and yes, I renewed our ST’s, but not out of expectancy, more that I enjoy the social time and beers with mates.

Sincerely hope I am wrong but mid table is as much as I expect with this squad..

Our football club’s approach to player sales and recruitment is a delicate balancing act. While it’s frustrating to see key players leave, financial realities often dictate these decisions. We’re not alone in facing this challenge; even top clubs occasionally lose star players. Our scouting team diligently seeks hidden gems—players who might not have the spotlight but can contribute significantly. For me this is exciting. 

Regarding Simms, we operate within different constraints. Although we may not make high-profile signings, our focus on nurturing young talent and strategic acquisitions remains crucial. We’re now recognized as one of the best clubs for young talent outside of the Premier League. This reputation allows us to attract talents like Earthy. Let’s put a rare positive spin on things.

Maybe I’m a rose-tinted kind of guy, but looking at all the stats from last night, we more than dominated an almost full-strength CC side with seven changes of our own. With Yu, Earthy, and Twine (fingers crossed) to be added, I believe we have an exciting future ahead of us.

[Lorenzos Only Goal]

5 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

It's not a stat about winning the PL title, that's merely the context within which it was presented.

The fact stands alone and it simply highlights that it is unusual for a club to consistently improve it's points return over a long period of time. That period happens to be the period that we are currently at as well. Looking back quickly it looks like we hold to this rule. We've had periods of successive improving points returns for 4 seasons, but have not managed a 5th in recent times (I'm not checking our whole history).

That's it. Just a curiosity.

But it doesn't mean anything, and I'm almost certain it won't apply outside the premier league.  I only used arsenal as it was the example given.  And it serves well to highlight that it's pointless.  We could finish higher with a lower points tally this season, though I don't think that will be the case.

[fisherrich]

4 hours ago, RAF Rock Ape said:

Could you elaborate on what specific aspects of the team’s performance or management have led you to this conclusion? I’m genuinely curious to understand your perspective, as I believe we have improved dramatically on previous years. 

I cant be arsed to type it all out for you, but @Alessandro summarises nicely for me. Info below. Thanks @Alessandro

It’s funny how often people think with a clean slate and a short summer break, things will automatically be better the next season….

The football is different under Manning, yes, but the outcomes are largely going to be the same results wise - no players seem to be stepping up their levels considerably from that which they showed under Pearson. 

The extended squad level is average - Roberts, Tanner, Sykes, Williams - yes good solid championship pros - but not the levels we need for a sustained promotion push - one great game in 5 isn’t enough. The huge promise of players such as Mehmeti and Bell fading into the distance with every game.

Behind the scenes - well it’s just average: the vision of the board is average, the implementation, average.

The recruitment has been nothing more than average - the squad is still average. 

Budgets and spending average at best - (if we sell Conway is that another season of more in than out?)

Not sure how anyone expected anything more than another average season?

Or are we hanging our hopes on a 20 year old loanee - Or even “gentleman’s agreement” Twine?

Same old City, but hey ho - yeah some may say it’s only 2 games, but it’s not, it’s last season too trending into this for me so far, as it was always going to do. You can either see it now, or we can talk again in 10 games time, 20, 30 - the outcome will be the same, average at best.
 

and all the debate in middle will be the same 

Edited 9 hours ago by Alessandro

[Southport Red]

2 hours ago, Charlie BCFC said:

Each to their own, bad as Pulis? Really? Wouldn’t even say it’s as bad as when we went out of this cup last season

I didn’t say there wasn’t a lot to compare it with . So frustrating that, in all my time of supporting, other than a few years in the late seventies, we have never been very good. Still could have been worse, my Dad might have taken me to Eastville back then

Edited August 14 by Southport Red

[ExiledAjax]

35 minutes ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said:

But it doesn't mean anything, and I'm almost certain it won't apply outside the premier league.  I only used arsenal as it was the example given.  And it serves well to highlight that it's pointless.  We could finish higher with a lower points tally this season, though I don't think that will be the case.

Ok. It was just a little curious fact about points totals.

[NDW4CITY]

20 hours ago, tin said:

To be fair, anyone who’s deluded enough to believe we are top-six material is on the same wavelength as the board. It was the board who set that goal last season after sacking Nige during the middle of a crippling injury crisis. I don’t know anyone who genuinely believes that (or a word that comes out of the board’s mouth). 

SL said “what football makes, football can spend” but nothing could be further from the truth. Coventry sold Gyokeres for £20m+ last summer at the same time we fetch a similar ball-park fee for Scott. Coventry spent big on Simms and Wright, we did nothing. They made an FA Cup semi-final, we did nothing. 

Unless you’re luck’s in, like Luton two years ago, money talks unfortunately and (rightly or wrongly) our approach won’t change until the Lansdowns go. 

 

I always took that to mean we can spend any overall profit - i.e. if the P&L in any given year shows a profit, we can spend that. The Scott and Semenyo money would have made a dent in the overall debt to SL, but whereas in previous years he might have splurged some or all of the cash, no way is that happening now. You could argue that a pessimistic view is that until we sell enough players over many years to drastically reduce or eliminate the debt to SL, there will be no significant signings of the type that will get us to the top 6 and beyond.

Just my simplistic non-finance take.

[JBFC II]

6 hours ago, RAF Rock Ape said:

Is it accurate to conclude that, based on just one league game where we performed exceptionally well against Hull away, and a League Cup match where we fielded a secondary squad, some individuals are prematurely dismissing our entire season? 

Did we?

I thought we were good in parts, pressed well and moved the ball quicker than Hull. But we were also too open at times and we lacked that killer final pass too often.

We were good, nothing more than a 7/10, but it was against a weak Hull side who were there for the taking.

More positives than negatives, but not the performance of a side who are in contention for the play offs. That may all change with an addition or two over the coming weeks

[Charlie BCFC]

4 hours ago, Southport Red said:

I didn’t say there wasn’t a lot to compare it with . So frustrating that, in all my time of supporting, other than a few years in the late seventies, we have never been very good. Still could have been worse, my Dad might have taken me to Eastville back then

That is true, saving grace has always been frustration but we’re not the other team!

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 hours ago, NDW4CITY said:

I always took that to mean we can spend any overall profit - i.e. if the P&L in any given year shows a profit, we can spend that. The Scott and Semenyo money would have made a dent in the overall debt to SL, but whereas in previous years he might have splurged some or all of the cash, no way is that happening now. You could argue that a pessimistic view is that until we sell enough players over many years to drastically reduce or eliminate the debt to SL, there will be no significant signings of the type that will get us to the top 6 and beyond.

Just my simplistic non-finance take.

On 13/08/2024 at 22:20, tin said:

To be fair, anyone who’s deluded enough to believe we are top-six material is on the same wavelength as the board. It was the board who set that goal last season after sacking Nige during the middle of a crippling injury crisis. I don’t know anyone who genuinely believes that (or a word that comes out of the board’s mouth). 

SL said “what football makes, football can spend” but nothing could be further from the truth. Coventry sold Gyokeres for £20m+ last summer at the same time we fetch a similar ball-park fee for Scott. Coventry spent big on Simms and Wright, we did nothing. They made an FA Cup semi-final, we did nothing. 

Unless you’re luck’s in, like Luton two years ago, money talks unfortunately and (rightly or wrongly) our approach won’t change until the Lansdowns go. 

 

"What Football Makes, Football can spend".

The full quote was as follows...

Interpret it as you like, it's probably fairly open to Interpretation but that is the exact quote.

Taken to its logical extreme SL could run us on a Cash Breakeven basis. A purely Cash Breakeven basis, no Loans, no Equity.

That was more additional for Coventry as their losses were relatively low set against the Higher Loss Limit and their Income was on a rising trajectory post takeover as tickets and fans spending, morale was rising which perhaps bolstered sponsorship deals etc.

Edited August 14 by Mr Popodopolous

[NDW4CITY]

20 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

"What Football Makes, Football can spend".

The full quote was as follows...

Interpret it as you like, it's probably fairly open to Interpretation but that is the exact quote.

Taken to its logical extreme SL could run us on a Cash Breakeven basis. A purely Cash Breakeven basis, no Loans, no Equity.

That was more additional for Coventry as their losses were relatively low set against the Higher Loss Limit and their Income was on a rising trajectory post takeover as tickets and fans spending, morale was rising which perhaps bolstered sponsorship deals etc.

Hopefully if his 2nd quote is accurate, we would see him write off all or a substantial portion of it…..I won’t hold my breath 

[Mr Popodopolous]

3 minutes ago, NDW4CITY said:

Hopefully if his 2nd quote is accurate, we would see him write off all or a substantial portion of it…..I won’t hold my breath 

That little passage, added to the rambling Nest Egg comments of August 2023..that whole Period SL made little sense.

Edited August 14 by Mr Popodopolous

[AshtonGreat]

On 13/08/2024 at 23:30, Dr Balls said:

From the beginning of January to the beginning of March last season, we lost 4 out of 6 home league games 0-1. The exceptions were the Watford game we drew 1-1, which was pretty poor as I recall, and obviously the game against Southampton where we actually played the style of football that the team was set up for. But that was a flash in the pan. Similarly the 5-0 win over Blackburn, another midweek performance at home where it appeared to click and they had a defensive meltdown. Other than that goals were hard to come by during the second half of the season, and I see nothing so far that indicates it’s going to be much less of a problem this season.

And yet from March until the end of the season, we conceded very few (the exception being the last game of the season when most players were probably on the beach mentally). I'm confident we're in good hands with Manning

[FNQ]

22 minutes ago, AshtonGreat said:

And yet from March until the end of the season, we conceded very few (the exception being the last game of the season when most players were probably on the beach mentally). I'm confident we're in good hands with Manning

Eh? In good hands with a coach who sends a team out with “on the beach mentality”… 

[Dr Balls]

1 hour ago, AshtonGreat said:

And yet from March until the end of the season, we conceded very few (the exception being the last game of the season when most players were probably on the beach mentally). I'm confident we're in good hands with Manning

The defence was sorted by Pearson. Manning had enough sense not to mess with it. What he hasn’t sorted is how to score since we have dispensed with both Scott as a playmaker and the WSM scoring triumvirate in the past 2 seasons, plus refusing to play Conway and Wells as a front pairing, which seemed to suit the pair of them best.

[Ring]

The BBC wrote a fairly accurate match report from the Carabao cup match.