Match Day Thread Stoke v Hull City

Oh well, at least we can console ourselves knowing that they trained hard this week!

Every man, woman & dog knew we desperately needed an experienced CB, for whatever reason it didn’t happen, we have what we have, & now have to just crack on and get the best out of what we’ve got. I do kind of have some sympathy with some of the youngsters, particularly the defenders, it’s not their fault they just aren’t good enough for this level, being sent out, like boys v men. They are getting bullied every game, and must be getting punch drunk.

For McCann’s part, whether he had his hands tied behind his back or not, I do feel he could do more to help them; instead of standing there on the side line like a ruddy stooge, guide, coach them from the touch line, read the game for them, just like many of us have done before with Junior football. Even better, give them some more support, change the system, 3,5,2, use Emmanuel. A novel idea, I know, to give the opposition an element of surprise, rather than a set template on how to over power/overrun us. But it clearly isn’t working at present, so play a system that better suits the players at his disposal. Of course, like others have said, I’m certain any other Manager would be able to get a better tune from our squad.

 

McCann’s not been a manager long. It wasn’t that long ago he was still playing. If he can’t handle Burnsy and Mike White asking him polite questions about the team’s woes on the pitch, I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels insecure about experienced players in the dressing room potentially undermining him by being a better leader than him. I thought Coyle was late 20s but he’s only 25. Our average squad age is like 23 or something.

 

Don't laugh, but I had a thought of using Emmanuel in front of the defence for his energy, it just seems so lacklustre.

 

The embargo was window dressing. It was already the policy not to spend - sign frees and loans on low wages. We finished the window with space left available under the embargo terms.

I can understand us not being able to afford a proven centreforward, but if you look at how we did spend then could surely have perhaps kept a hold of one or two of the lads we loaned out in midfield,. Not signed 2 out of longMan, Williams, Cannon Moncur or Bernard and stretched to a senior-pro championship centreback.

Not only to improve the defence.

We can't expect our young forwards to compete in games against experienced defenses if they're not training against experienced defenders day in, day out.

 

I thought his deal was until 2023 with a 1-year option, which is the same as half the squad, but looking at the wording of the announcement it's unclear whether his is a year longer or not. City just called it a 3-year deal in March this year so it depends whether they were counting the end of last season as one of the 3 years.

 

Yeah. It's something I've felt for a while.

Grant has something to offer the game, and with experience, who knows where he'll end up.

For now though, I'm not convinced he'd be able to handle the kind of players that we need to sign in January to bring the best out of the talent we have and give us a chance of staying up.

 

They'll be gone by Easter.

 

To Pisa?

 

We could just offer them a one way ticket and tell em it's Easter (cough) island and hope they don't twig on....

 

I wish Christmas Island had statues..

 

That would be monumental.

 

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McCann's half time tea talk - he's stopped blaming the players he's now blaming the Almighty

 

Agreed, I was content to give McCann a fair bit of time this season, but his reaction to Mike White’s fairly calm questioning after a decent 0-0 result against Swansea made me think that he’s not up to this season.

 

Bollocks, Ehab has raped the club for the last 8 years, he won’t spend a penny of his own money, borrowed cash from the EFL won’t pay it back even though we sold Bowen for £22m, **** Ehab and all those that make excuses

 

I don't think it takes a genius to work out that the Allam strategy has been to recoup as much capital from city as possible since 2015.

If that affects your willingness to support of the lads in the shirt or not depends on you, but I think there's no one who would argue that there'll be no investment under the current ownership and hasn't been for quite some time.

 

These games very much remind me of what we saw last season but in reverse. We saw one or two teams who passed the ball well and looked half decent, but in the box at both ends was lacking. We had players good enough to exploit those weaknesses, but as you say step up a level and they are just not good enough. No doubt they are trying their very best, no question about their effort, but it is the quality we are lacking at this level.

However, I do feel if Tom H and Honeyman are playing, then probably we would fare better, as the service to both KLP and Tyler Smith yesterday was very spasmodic, and IMO Wilk's is just not playing well enough to warrant a start.

 

A few that have come in are who McCann has had playing for him at previous clubs. He has managed in the lower leagues, so these are the players he has experience with from that level. However, if we had a manager who normally managed in the Championship or higher I would expect he would go for players that he knows at that level.

Having said that, probably why he is in the job as that fit Ehabs vision of the club, buy cheap and hope you can sell for a profit. So as we know the Allam's are only interested in money, not success on the field. They don't seem to grasp that success on the field can lead to more income, but that takes investment.

 

Agree with this, not a McCann fan but can't blame him/Darnborough for recruitment, we're basically in a take what we can get situation, we're working to a budget and that budget doesn't really allow for us to sign experienced championship players

 

Exactamundo.

McCann’s hands are tied by those who signed him...


Allam’s OUT.