DJ Barry Hammond

Who was that, who passsed to the manager on the touchline?

El Khannous is quality isn’t he.

Yes Mav! WE’VE SCORED A GOAL!

I note Justin is inverting. Does that count as a shot on target from Thomas?

I’d add McAteer to this conversation. He may lack end product, but he at least gets himself in positions.

Oh Mav!

I don’t mind that 11. I just hope we play a straight 4-2-3-1 and lay off the inverting stuff, keep it simple - we have legs on the wing and talent centrally, sometimes that’s all you need. I see Wink’s is still on the naughty step.

Anyone else have this strange, subtle feeling that we might win today?

Ha, ha, ha, what’s the point!

If Cooper wasn’t sacked when he was, he’d have been sacked a week later. If not a week later, two. Don’t kid yourself that he was in any way getting a different tune out of the squad… given Ruud basically copied his tactics for his first 10 or so games.

What’s annoying is it’s been so easy to find one this season!

There’s no point in the club sacking Ruud now - it’s not going to save the season - and I expect there’s a mutual relegation release clause in the contract that mitigates a payout. I therefore expect Ruud to depart just before the seasons end - as soon as relegation is confirmed. Given the Rosenior rumours, it seems apparent the club is already looking towards the summer and next season in terms of an appointment.

There’s no balance to the team in terms of attacking and defensive units - and a complete lack of opposition specific coaching going on. Man City like to press aggressively, so you have to have quick out balls - and players in the defensive third that can play those. We’re relying on 3/4 players to pull a rabbit out of a hat for our attacking threat - and 2 of those are Daka and Ndidi.

That’s on Faes for me.

Yeah, but it would be a waste to score a worldie in a 6-1 reverse!

But wouldn’t that mean spending more time in Birmingham? Tough call, I’ll give you that.

Aren’t they boycotting the first 9 minutes?

Wonderful!

Yeah the wages to turnover figure is the concern for me too. But I suspect they’ll be a considerable amount of chunky salaries chalked off the wage bill come this season’s end.

A business doesn’t tend to want a large standing ‘cash’ balance - they would just want cash at hand to secure the day to day running over a foreseeable period. Having large amounts of surplus cash on hand would be considered a waste - given it’s money that could be doing something else, such as paying down debt or investing in the business.

The guys not even trying. It’s quite clear with Ndidi and Soumare in midfield we lack a good, progressive passer. So why not bring Winks in - possibly for Daka, because he’s been pretty useless as a front line defender - and play 3 in midfield? This could have a further benefit because an extra man in the middle of the park might do something to combat the fact we have continuously looked light weight in that area when we’ve played with two (or two and a 10).

I assume Ruud’s now pulling a Brendan Rodgers style “pay me off or I’ll keep picking this shit” negotiation.

Hands up who enjoyed us not playing football’s for the last couple of weeks 🙋🏻‍♂️ Hands up who’s feeling an inevitable gloom about our return to football’s this evening 🙋🏻‍♂️ Hands up who hoped for a starting lineup that wasn’t the same as the dross we’ve tried and failed with before? 🙋🏻‍♂️ 4-0 win incoming then!

You give Kingy a go, potentially until the end of the season.

I’m not sure how he hasn’t resigned before now… but surely that has to be the first thing he does at the final whistle here.