moseeds

Referee analyst incoming.

People are a lot more self-conscious it seems. Perhaps not as drunk because booze is so expensive! Communal singing just isn't a thing in schools, churches, unions, etc so that confidence to to project voice just isn't there. Singing together is a learned behaviour. Sitting down individually means you don't feel physically connected to the person pushing alongside you. Would love to see an actual study on this! There's also an anecdoatal assumption that things used to be 'better'. Attempts at addressing some of the above (communal singing, standing shoulder to shoulder, songbooks, a choir lead type person, etc) are usually met with ambivalence even ridicule. Can't win.

Nobody hated Enzo. There was grumbling sometimes about watching city trying to break down parked buses with patience, but that didn't translate into hate. I don't think it's wise to sack Cooper before he's had a shot at some of the 'easier' ties but we shouldn't watch the failure unfold in real time again. Sometimes there has to be an element of ruthlessness. If this squad goes down it will not be coming back up again anytime soon. Hedged against the financial impact of relegation + EFL points reduction/fine + prolonged stay in the Championship means entering the record books becomes immaterial.

He's not a bad player at all. Against Tottenham he showed why he is a useful team member. Problem is the entire team is just nowhere. It's like going to work but having to do overtime everyday because the company is struggling. Nobody wants to do that. The players are rejected you see it the moment they walk out of the tunnel it's why the first half is so consistently sh*t. There's a useful player there but right now nobody has any idea what to do with this squad other than defend.

I'm really struggling to warm to Cooper. We knew this season would be tough but it doesn't help he comes across a bit.... damp!? And the football reflects his demeanour which is just miserable. Starting to think managers faces change over time to reflect their outlook. Except Fergie - he just looked livid all the time.

Cooper would not have got city promoted last season I think that's fairly clear. And therefore has no chance to do so next season with a weaker team

Great post sums up the predicament city are in at the moment. I would argue that the robotic-enzo-cccp-style isn't the only way to play football. Ancelotti and even Ranieri showed they may be old school but building team spirit is a great way of allowing players to express themselves within a general strategy. That general strategy is either WIP or totally absent with Cooper. So much of the current malaise is a result of Cooper's body language and demeanour. It doesn't project confidence at all. Combined with the lack of strategy the holes in the current setup are amplified to the point some fans want him out in a matter of minutes. I'm not convinced he's cut out to be a top-level manager. And it seems neither are the players.

That horrendous injury robbed him of super stardom. He will definitely be back in the England team just hoping his legs hold out as he enters career primetime

You mean ULTRA

So finally accepted after well over a decade that I am now an honorary South Londoner as well as born Leicesterian. Also the away end had sold out, and I was almost without. After several visits as guest of friends over the years, finally succumbed and handed my membership fee over to Palace. There was a seat going spare in the Holmesdale, so thought why not, let me go and support both of my local clubs, in a buy-one-get-one-free deal. The Crystal Palace ultras were something else - as close to the European Ultras we see on TV. And it was FANTASTIC FUN. The noise was terrific. The away end barely registered except when the drumming stopped and with it the home chants. The closeness of the fans to the players worked both ways: perhaps made the home team nervy when the result was slipping away. But the more extroverted players engaged and encouraged the frustrated crowd, Mateta especially. At one stage, with Palace dead on the city goal, a huge BOOM of an illegally lit firecracker pierced eardrums and stands, and may have stunned the attacking Palace player enough to prevent what looked like an excellent scoring chance. The songs were almost nonstop from the first whistle. As frustration set in the songs slowed but never for long. The chants easy to join once the words were deciphered. Prior to entering the stands police sniffer dogs were on duty, odd I thought as it's a rare sight at the King Power Kop. 2 lads were the appointed leaders of the pack. One had the megaphone and songbook in hand, the other his faithful conductor. The songs worked well with the marching drums. The songs were clean, family friendly even (mostly). When the first whistle blew the crowd were already on their feet. Nobody sat down again until the half-time whistle at which point the office workers tried their best to hide lower back problems. The same in the second half. Stewards were more dispersed, more relaxed. Security made a half-hearted attempt to find the firecracker bandit. As Palace searched for their equalizer the crowd around me grew restless, but remained positive. There was little swearing and abuse from the lower tier because it was still such a personal experience. Compare that to say the West Ham stadium away end and the experiences were almost of entirely different sports. The Ultras tried their best to add a unique fandom flavour. It gave the rest of the home support license to politely clap and watch the spectacle on and off the pitch. The away end was not only physically distant but audibly unregistered. With the sun shining, for 90 minutes it felt more Krakow than Croydon. It's easy as opposition fans to poke fun at a club trying hard create its own unique football experience, especially in a city so saturated with top Premier League clubs. So hats off to Palace and their Ultra mandem Fans for creating something very special. I'm sure I'll be back, very soon. Video of being behind the giant TIFO: https://streamable.com/d7j312

Yes and no. That was his first few games. He learned during the season too and for his own job safety would need to adapt. Even Pep adapts season after season.

I don't understand why some fans think Enzo Maresca would have continued to use exactly the same tactic in the Premier League as he did in the the Championship. That argument doesn't make any logical sense.

The loss was entirely on the manager. In the same way the manager would be lauded for a victory. Can't have it both ways.

At this point we can only assume Cooper has fallen out with Ricardo?

Really impressed with him today.

I thought it was a tantrum by their oddball owner that resulted in Mark Clattenberg being appointed as a 'referee analyst' at Forest. Then with Cooper's refereeing outburst after the villa game I'm not so sure who the oddball was. Same with the bus load of transfers. This guy just seems very insecure and it's seeping through to the players and fans.

What if it was Rudkin who had the genius/cunning to switch accounting dates? Do we have to start loving him?

Not sure how that would work. The technicality was Leicester was no longer a 'Club' when the Premier League's PSR accounting period was deemed to have been in breach. It's a clerical error probably because the contract writers didn't consider what would happen if the breaching club was relegated or liquidated and ceased to be a 'Club'. Silly error, but enough to see us through - for now. That doesn't apply to Everton and Forest who *remained* as a contractual 'Club' throughout the breach period.

We've already inherited Forest's approach to signings, might as well hire a 'Referee Analyst' to make the management feel better.

Totally this. The current corporate hospitality is pants compared to what the rest of the Premier League is offering. Should have double the number of boxes for example. I think the new stand plan addresses this to an extent.

He's immature (not in a totally negative way) by the looks of it. Seems to just hate it here/homesick and struggles to motivate himself as a result. Goes back to mainland Europe and he's all smiles and action. Sometimes it just doesn't work.

I assume the plan is to try and get to Christmas in a somewhat salvageable state, assess PSR position, and go all in on a striker in January.

I think we paid per pound. The guy is huge.

Could see the assymetric ricardo/mcateer combo trying to isolate Mavididi on the far side, with faes playing a bit more centrally perhaps because he moaned about it to the papers. Skipp/Winks as double pivots with Ndidi dropping back to make a 3 man central midfield during defense. General offensive pattern seemed to be to create space on the left hand side. It seemed Tranmere tried to stretch the pitch quite significantly in the first half to try and isolate Thomas - much like the way Fulham targetted Ndidi, Tranmere identified Thomas as a weak point. In offense Ndidi did his prime messi impression, which sort of worked eventually. That's how I saw it from very close to the pitch in the Kop.

He didn't give up. Every team needs a grafter. It's his first game proper with us, and he showed moments of quality as well. Whether there is a place for both De-Cordova-Reid & Mavididi in the same starting 11 is going to be interesting.