You rate Nick Mashiter more highly than I do, Robbie and I've never heard of Ed Aarons. Where are the facts? The Board and Attanasio made it clear that they see Wagner's role as long term and since the first of January, we've taken 15 points from 7 games. We're only out of the top 6 on goal difference. If it does come to that one day, it isn't a decision that Knapper would make on his own.
Ed Aarons is one of the Guardian's sports writers. The one solid fact is that The Guardian broke the story. The Guardian isn't Metro, the Daily Fail or a Sunday tabloid. Whether there is anything in it or not is not really the point. Its appearing at this stage of the season is an embarassment to us, and I'd guess a wholly unwanted distraction for both clubs.
The Guardian are laying off many of their staff because their brand of man hating nonsense doesn't sell anymore much like the BBC. 15 years ago I used to read the Guardian for their solid honest journalism but they have become a joke focusing on divisive trends rather than sticking to covering the news .
I remember when my mate Ed who was known to be conservative in his view in Dereham Sixth Form ripped the Guardian in two in the library when provoked. He was most distraught when the librarian made him go and buy a new one because it would be increasing the circulation of the left wing publication.
I used to buy the Mirror to read on the tube or bus to work in London early 2000s as the sports section was quite good , the rest was gossip nonsense about celebrities which I had no interest in . If I had time I would often sit down & read the Guardian as there would be more substance than the usual tabloids . Now it's full of climate alarmism, Orange man bad smear jobs Zelenskyy puff pieces & stories of Ugandan lesbian astronauts being held back by the patriarchy & whitism. I feel as if I'm being lectured to about how evil I am for existing , it's every bit as bad as the daily "fail" now
I seem to recall that this rumour came out when Knapper was first appointed. It has all of the hallmarks of lazy journalism 'new sporting director looks to his old team to find a new manager as Wagner struggles'. It looks to be even more so now as we've taken 15 points from the last 7 games but hey-ho we need to fill column space. Is it distracting? No more than the other noise constantly going on.
I think it's been pretty evident for some time that Wagner will leave the club at the end of the season, irrespective of the outcome. Given which, I'm equally certain that Wagner is fully briefed on the club's intentions, and that agreement has been reached for his continuing in post until the season is done. Any idea that a disgruntled Wagner would jump ship or not give his all in such circumstances, would run counter to what we know about the man and about the way these issues are routinely handled on the continent. Looks like a win all round to me. All parties can focus on achieving that elusive play-off place, in the knowledge that a positive change of direction is planned for the summer irrespective of our final league position.
Jonathan Rowe has won the Sky Bet EFL Championship Goal of the Month award for January. The 20-year-old took the prize for his goal in the 2-1 win away to Hull City, driving forward and curling into the bottom corner with the outside of his right boot. Rowe beat Plymouth Argyle's Finn Azaz and Watford's Ismael Kone for their respective goals against each other last month, as well as Coventry City's Ben Sheaf for his strike against Sheffield Wednesday. Winning the award, Rowe said: “It’s a really proud moment for me, as well as my family. Especially with some of the other goals that were scored through the month!
I admire your psychic powers to be able to be so certain that things will happen the way you want them to happen Robbie when the only evidence of that is a flimsy rumour filling space in the papers and blogs. Against that is the Board has backed Wagner and Attanasio has said he can't understand why teams here change their manager/coach so often. The 15 points we've taken from the last 7 games has put us in the thick of the playoff chase. If we make the final 6 and Knapper were to want a change he'd have to convince the board to take a shot on a 28 year old who has never been in charge of a team before. It's possible, but it doesn't seem evident to me. More likely is that Wagner has been given until the end of the season to meet the target of a top 6 place and if he achieves that, he carries on. Attitudes are changed by results, not hopeful plans.
You obviously have confidence in your own psychic powers Rick. How do you know I want that to happen, rather than just think it will happen? How do you know that, when Attanasio made that comment, it meant he would be opposed to a change of manager in the summer? Events will show whether I'm right or wrong.
Match 16 was the away game v Cardiff, which we won 2:3, taking us up three places in the form table to 20th. The international break which followed was spent addressing the unsustainable rate of goals conceded (2 per game). The subsequent run of 8 games, nos. 17 to 24, saw us climb the form table to 4th. Over the subsequent 10 games our average position has been 7th, median 6.5. Since the defensive reset, the rate of goals conceded has been halved, to 1 per game. (Duplicated from the Blackburn match thread)
The top 4 are miles ahead of everybody else, but over the last two months each have gone through a random patch where they have lost. I thought Leicester were out of site and now they have lost the last 3 on the spin including yesterday against QPR. The other end of the table is so close now, Rotherham look doomed, but all those others. Int he last 6 matches Shef Wed who are 23rd in the league are 6th in the form table. Bonkers, bonkers league! Interestingly Norwich are 3rd over that time scale and Leeds top
Yes indeed, you are correct Zog, I still had Ipswich's loss to Preston, 7 matches ago, counting in my six for them
https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=2&tab=tab-last10 3rd over last 10 games, level on points with Ipswich, but they have a better GD by 1, Leeds top
