Claudio Fannieri

Only way Top redeems himself from this absolute shit show is to sack Rudders and change the profile of how he wants us to play and let’s build our own identity rather than try to be a poor man’s tribute act to Man City.

I would wait to the end of the season by which time i honestly think Enzo will walk regardless given we are such a basket case. The dream for me would be Nige back as DoF to rebuild the sports science and scouting departments, with Wellens as Manager, plays decent football but also has a bit of steel about him and has done his managerial apprenticeship in the lower leagues and bring Kingy in as one of the coaches. Honestly think if we stay down even with a group largely consisting of academy products, plus Coady and Vards (who I would offer one last year as a sub and rotation option and mentor to Cannon) and some clever recruitment we can build the next generation.

That is my fear too, I honestly think had we stayed up last season, I think the club would have been up for sale, as you say not a hope in hell anyone of any sanity buys us for what KP would want in our current state. Highly likely to start next season with a significant points deduction, a potential June fire sale of any half decent players to try and avoid yet another breach and deduction, and then to try and attract new players within very tight budgetary constraints of the quality that will not only make us competitive but also be prepared to join a club that will be in a dire relegation battle or starting the season with such a significant disadvantage that makes promotion virtually impossible, it’s hardly going to have suitors banging down the door to buy us

It won’t happen but would love to see us try 4-2-3-1 and focus on players who are committed or shown desire. Anyone like Faes, Vesty, Kels, Praet, Wilf and Daka etc leave them out and go with a squad of players who will give everything for these last 4 games. Like I say no chance of it actually happening by the way. Hermansen Ricardo Coady Doyle Justin Winks KDH Fatawu Yunus Mavididi Cannon Subs Stolrcryk Wormleighton Nelson Braybrooke Alves McAteer Wanya Albrighton Vardy

It’s clear Enzo has no intention to change or mix things up the last 2 games have proven that, So I can foresee a parting of the ways as soon as the season concludes regardless of whether we somehow manage to get promoted. It feels to me Enzo’s stubbornness, plus the off field issues has soured his relationship with the club and fanbase. However here’s lies the problem, who takes over, for everyone hoping for a shift in direction, it’s highly unlikely as the owner and Rudkin are hell bent on this playlng style despite the fact it has contributed to our relegation and very likely will contribute to us blowing promotion and see us languishing in the EFL for some time to come. We have to hope and pray that there is either a change in strategy that sees us move for a manager who plays a higher intensity style or in the summer we have clear out from the very top to bottom and start again. This style is not sustainable, we are not good enough to be the Man City tribute act and we need to find our own style and identity rather than just try and replicate somebody else. #Fearless my arse needs to be changed to #Fearful

Too be fair pal you are everything I want to see, 11 players giving absolutely everything, a manager kicking every ball and the crowd roaring you home. Truth is if we turned up and match the endeavour and work rate of both Plymouth and Millwall then we should win, but we didn’t and too be fair both teams showed top quality with the goals scored. You fully deserved your win last night. Of course it’s frustrating too lose games we are expected to win, but at same time we should show respect to each and every team, truth is we have been tactically out fought and out battled in the last 2 games and we got exactly what we deserved, as did Millwall and Plymouth. well done and good luck for the remainder of the season, I have a feeling we will be locking horns again next season.

1-0 down and at no point did he think it was worth turning to Yunus or Cannon who will both be fresh and would have given us some attacking impetus. Piss poor and weak mentality.

If he does go then Rudkin has to go too and we need to change the style. I love to see us playing good football but most importantly I want to see high tempo and high intensity, we have transitioned into a team that is so easy to play against. I hate what this club has been become we are the complete opposite of fearless.

Another absolute honker of a performance, at no stage did we show any desire, intent or character. Fair play to Plymouth and Millwall who have sweat blood to win, I would love our lot to show that level of intensity.

Not sure it would happen but I would play Hamza in the high 8 role and give Wilf a rest, whilst not blessed with amazing technical ability, he does bring energy and intensity and i think his pace in transition will also help. With Hamza playing higher up the pitch will help us press and give opportunities to win the ball in attacking areas and opportunities to exploit our attacking players and pace to hurt Plymouth. my team would be Hermansen Ricardo Coady Vestergaard Justin Winks Hamza KDH Fatawu Mavididi Cannon Subs Stolrcryk Nelson Doyle Faes Praet Ndidi Yunus McAteer Daka i don’t think it will happen mind you and I think Daka will start and Cannon will be nowhere to be seen, but given some of the fitness issues that have been mentioned, then in think this brings about some rotation.

I think Cannon has been suffering with injury, whilst he has now come back he is currently going to be battling for the 2nd striker role on the bench as I feel Enzo will continue to rotate Vardy and Daka as his starters, personally I would put Cannon on the bench in place of Kelechi for the rest of the season.

Been thinking a lot more about all of this, and whilst all my above points stand, I think there is further context to add to this discussion. When Enzo joined in June there was still 2/3 months of the transfer window left and I am fairly sure the club at the time were confidently telling Enzo that players such as Ward, Iversen, Souttar, Wilf, Praet, Iheanacho and Daka etc would be moved on and create further opportunities and budget to bring in players that fitted the philosophy and style of play the club and Enzo wanted to introduce. Fast forward to now and with the exception of Iversen who ended up joining Stoke on loan in January, the rest are still here. So in the summer Enzo and his team crack on coaching the style they want to play fully expecting the majority of the above to leave and for new players to come in, better suited to play the required roles, however risk never materialised and Enzo ends up having to utilise players who are not necessarily fit for purpose. Of course he should adapt but at the same time he can’t just bin off the whole summer’s work, I think what we saw was a genuine lift at the beginning, but now the technical limitations of some has meant they have now reached their peak and as a result performances and results have levelled off and their limitations prevent them kicking on again. As an example in this type of system in an ideal world would you really want Ndidi as an attacking midfielder, no you wouldn’t but he has had to play square pegs in round holes due to the clubs inability to move players on. If he does stay I would be interested to see how different we would look next season with a number of players off in the summer and the opportunity to bring in players who fit the profile for the system and whose skill sets are more suited to the style of play. However for the remainder of this season he needs to find a way to get the best out of the squad he has and secure 4 wins and then look to refresh again in the summer, if he stays.

Up to the end of January I felt he could do little or no wrong, we had obviously had mini blips and off days but overall we were flying, we were scoring goals and on the whole looked to be getting better and stronger each and every game. Since the Middlesbrough defeat at home the drop off in performances, results and most concerning the mentality has been unbelieveable. The football has become slow and predictable and if we go a goal down it’s very rare we show any signs or capability of recovering. We rarely throw the kitchen sink at teams and it does feel like our attacking intent is too regimented and is therefore stifling our creativity. His stubborness with tactics, selections and use or lack of use of subs and some squad members is causing concern and I have to say he has gone from being a breath of fresh air to becoming a clone of Rodgers, the style of football and use of squad is now very reminiscent to Brendan and dare I say the weak mentality is also very similar. I really hope he can turn it around and maybe add some flexibility but I fear he will die on the hill for his footballing principles. However for what it’s worth, whichever way the season concludes I think he will leave.

I have slept on it and I will be honest I am even more raging this morning, players will have off days and play poorly but what was totally unforgivable was the complete lack of effort, intensity, commitment and leadership. It was clear at half time that h things needed shaking up, and yet 2nd half just more of the same. As a collective that was utterly appalling, Enzo had an absolute shocker and the players were equally as awful. As I said I can forgive mistakes but a lack of effort is criminal and I am afraid that can be levelled at each and every one of them. They threw in the towel last night. Embarrassed and ashamed by that performance.

Good point, the reality is you can only emulate Manchester City if you have the players to do so. This obsession with playing a certain way is detrimental to the clubs progression. We need to be more flexible in our thinking and approach. Yes of course we should have a style and identity but it shouldn’t be so rigid and inflexible.

That was absolute horse muck from start to finish and soon as we conceded you just knew it would end in a defeat. That was as bad as anything served up under Levein, Pleat et al. Devoid of ideas, effort and sort of intensity. We looked like a team in mid table with nothing to play for. Absolutely disgusting performance and result

Another great pod as always 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

😂 my lad sent me this, I have just got to hope I live to the ripe old age of 85 to see it happen 😂

I love the owners however doesn’t mean we have to also quietly accept when elements of the club are frankly shambolic. I don’t necessarily see wanting Rudkin out meaning you are by default slagging off the ownership. Something has to change and I really hope Top sees sense sooner rather than later and gets rid of Rudkin and brings in an innovative and progressive DoF that can operate us through this current mess.

Wonderful, if there is no dissent shown after those financial results and the potential fall out for next season, then too be honest I really can’t see his position ever being under threat. Relegation followed by financial results that will potentially impact us for years to come and yet hardly a whimper, we really are so passive and accepting as a fanbase and to some degree get what we deserve.

Wasn’t at the game and couldn’t watch it via stream as flying back from holiday, what if any reaction was there towards Top and more importantly towards Rudkin? Was there any Rudkin out chants or any kind of fan frustration towards him or the ownership for the situation we find ourselves in?

Completely agree that the process shouldnt be circumvented however if the boot was on the other foot we would be raging

If it was the other way round we would be saying exactly the same sort of things, imagine how we would feel if Leeds has a massive breach, they went up we stayed down and then they start next season with a hefty deduction, we would be properly pissed off and rightly so. Still hate the whinging gobshites mind you 😂

Absolutely criminal if true, I cannot believe given the gross incompetence of the last 2/3 seasons the only change was Rodgers. I remember feeling like we were absolutely stuck with Brendan and it felt so frustrating to see someone systematically destroying what had been built and we were powerless to stop it, it feels the same with Rudkin, I can only hope and pray that the crowd at each and every game show the feelings of the fanbase and chant for his removal at every given opportunity.

Really frustrates me as I have always felt clubs especially in the lower leagues miss a trick by not offering heavily discounted entry fees to kids/families especially for fixtures where low attendances are anticipated, at the end of the day an empty seat will not buy a programme or a hot dog or get the bug to want to go to another game or buy a replica shirt or kit. A kid for a quid or a family ticket of 4 people for say £20/£25 would really help smaller clubs attract new fans and increase attendances and revenue. Currently as it stands our club are in the fortunate position of not needing to do this and as a consequence dare I say have got to a stage of taking the fanbase for granted. If we end up enduring a long stay in the EFL then it will be highly likely we start to see average attendances are of no more than 20-22k and then all of a sudden the club will be desperate to attract a new wave of supporters but it will be from a standing start. The club needs to be more proactive in its fan engagement and taking the opportunity to attract new fans. A few years in the EFL and the club may lose a generation of supporters to the big 6 so need to wake up smell the coffee and act now.