ceebeefox

Fans can be “the 12th man” and make a difference to an underdog , a team battling against the odds, with a manager and owners who are liked. Sadly we were none of these things and 100,000 passionate blue shirted fanatics couldn’t have turned us round. But , like all fans, we are fickle and, like England the other night goals change matches and thoughts, and if Brussels tippy tappy plays through 1st division teams and we score a few early on , particularly if some of our youth are major parts of it, Martin, McArron and maybe even Winks will be the best thing since sliced bread. ( not Top or Rudkin though ay ) , cos that’s football and fans are the same countrywide.

Goals change perception obviously. My heart was in my mouth for long periods watching those defenders and keeper pass between themselves , getting deeper all the time.

Different clubs suit certain managers, sometimes previous failures click. Plus our youngsters have all been coached tip tap since they were kids.

I don’t want him, but will now get behind him. That post deserves more than a thumbs up. Well said mate.

Looks like Lily Allen’s Dad.

Good eye for a player, built a good side but couldn’t get a tune out of ‘em. Too scared of losing.

In Enzo’s system when we won the league Vesty and Faes spent most of it in the opposition’s half, high line didn’t bother them then, but our ball holding quality has dropped since then so we’ll see.

I’m going to get pelters here but Smallbone has always looked a player when I’ve seen him?

That’s where the money should go, recruiting. Coaches are ten a penny, good man manager’s though, a different story.

It was your first taste of it, it’ll be our 4th or 5th go at it, and only one got us promoted, the others said they were doing it but only half arsed, other than our centre halves having 60% of our 70% possession bit. Don’t worry, we know exactly what’s coming and even with promotion it won’t get us off our seats.

Didn’t want him, don’t like the style of football ( Man City bore me to death ) . But looking for positives, we have been building the club , from kids upward on this style of football, but since Enzo due to the poor selection of managers have never played it at first team level, in the premier because the quality opposition doesn’t allow it given our shortcomings, last season because our quality dropped both on the pitch and off it. We are the big fish next season and wouldn’t be able to counter attack against teams sitting in, so hopefully Martin’s more dogmatic tippy tappy ( our othe managers since Enzo played at it ) can play through these teams and get us back up, and the momentum gained can propel us the next year too. Grasping at straws I know but he needs a very good start to win over the fan base. The other plus point is the players seem to like him and his style of play. And hopefully he plays most of our kids.

The more I see of modern coaches the more I think the big money should be paid to a top recruiting team. Less chance of failure if the players that recruitment chuck at ‘em are good ones.

It’s a horrible thought as I hate arsenal with all my being. I think it’s fair to say only Arsenal fans like arsenal, and when they’re wining and moaning even they don’t like them much!

Yes, and because they have the pick o the world he probably won’t progress.

Look what’s happened to a perceived generational talent in Harvey Elliott, these kids need to be careful what dead end they’re going up. But fair play to the kid if it’s about money.

He’d play first team here long before he starts his bit part career with them. It’s about big wages, quick.

You can’t play 3 or 4 15/16 year olds in the first team. You need proper rules that prohibit this robbery of talent, or at the very least get good fees. I may have missed it but have we had a fee off them for the other kid who has had no better a pathway than we would have given him?

You’re right, if he didn’t play to orders. No way was that a Rowett set up last year.

Yes it’s a game of opinions, but on his crossing ability alone he’s a better player and there’s been many poorer players playing left back over the 60 years I’ve watched City in all 2 divisions, even this season how many under 21 caps have the rest of this division have? Even between them! Yes he can be bettered but come on.

Yes he is, much worse than Thomas. He couldn’t trap a bag of cement, no qualities at all in a Leicester shirt, and a bad attitude to boot!

Might even be fighting playoffs, how many awful draws or narrow defeats could his goals have turned round? And whilst he obviously can’t be the future, anyone who thinks he’s finished watch that goal against Juventus, outmuscling defenders and running half the pitch to score.

If he’d have stayed we would’ve made the playoffs minimum. Thinking about it, I saw all home games and most away and I can’t remember anyone giving us a doing over, nobody impressed me as a potential premier team, including us obviously. He would’ve made a massive difference, with his hold up play and goals.

I saw he was crap after a first couple of touches, you can tell….. Then I saw he couldn’t run either and makes Luke Thomas look Olympian in athleticism.

Genuinely the best badge in world football, apart from that currently we’ve got nothing.

All very true, but start them on their strongest side and swap them over. I played out wide, and nobody had to tell me or the right winger to swap, we did it ourselves. Why can’t the modern player think for themselves? I’ve said this before but if our beloved set piece coach left the centre halves to it they wouldn’t be marking space , they’d pick their men up and mark them.