I don't know much about Blackpool's squad but I'd ask, did they spend £0 in the summer, release their starting centre back to save a few pence and promote his backup to replace him while moving up a division? I don't particularly want to defend McCann but I just really think you can't ignore that. It's so arrogant to not strengthen at all upon promotion, actually weaken your defence, and then complain when the manager struggles to make it work.
I fell asleep ten minutes into the game and have just woken up I dreamt we lost 3-0 so I'm buzzing with that result
AH, but you haven't included the explanation of how w can know that from "this is the best we've played since the opening day and we've still lost 2-0."
You could see city getting over run and smallwood start to struggle. Substitution were needed immediately . But he took too long to do that and its cost us another goal and defined him in my opinion . Apart from that it was a strong city performance and they can build on it too.
We were two of them- it was fairly even till the first goal, Stoke aren't actually so good. We look very lightweight, no bite in the tackle- and i don't mean I want to play dirty, notably several bottled challenges (T. Smith.), Too many lofted cross field balls, repeated long ball to Wilks which don't work ( never seen so many mistimed jumps): no movement, nobody making themselves available to receive the ball: ball rarely played into space - always to feet with back to goal. Sadly as it stands we really aren't good enough, but a section of the support singing 'We're f*****g s**t' is hardly going to help.
I really don't get this "we were ok / good" stuff! Scoreline says NIL yet again. We didn't really trouble them much. We had a spell in the first half where we played some half decent football, without really that much of a threat .... so what? It seems like should be grateful just for that? Stoke were ok, solid, but certainly nothing special, but they made very light work of us. Same old for 60/70 minutes, then at least McCann changed it .... but **** knows what he changed it to in the end. Anyway, it didn't work. Again. Rest of comments saved for the McCann Out thread.
He’s ok, I think he thinks he’s better than he is. He needs teaching how to take somebody on, he only has one trick and he isn’t very good at it.
I agree but I think if you took any one of the other 23 Championship managers and put them in charge of this squad, they’d be getting more out of them than McCann. We have arsehole owners, an inexperienced squad and a ****e manager. It’s hard for me to imagine a more competent manager at this level wouldn’t do better with this exact same squad, even without an experienced centre-half.
**** me, those questions. I was just waiting for the next questions to be “does that feel good” and “can you tell me when you’re going to cum?”
Ask Billy the Fish. And if you're talking to him anyway see if we can get any decent loans off Fulchester.
While agree our owners are cnuts .. McCann himself stated he was shocked by suggestions we needed an experienced centre half ! Sorry mate but he is fkn clueless.. I have zero time for him at this level, he is constantly outhought, has one tactic, and still can't get that right, he is a major liability. Yes the owners havent helped the situation, but do you honestly think instead of banging on about mediocre midfielders he should have been looking for someone of experienced nature to guide the back four. There were those here who tried shooting me down when I said pre season that we would struggle to score, they also scoffed when I asked is this defence too lightweight in particular Greaves, but now it seems the opinions are changing ! Having said that I do believe a tactically aware manager would get 25% more at least out of what we have here right now, and this season that for me would make the difference between finishing below Derby and Reading, and in fact surviving the drop !
I heard that comment where he took the piss about people saying we needed an experienced centre back, but I think that was his weird angst coming out again rather than anything he actually believed. Sure I saw Howden post the other day that McCann actually did want a new experienced centre back but wasn't allowed one. No idea if that's right but I am very confident in saying he won't have wanted to go into this season with barely anyone proven at this level, and a defence downgraded on last year's.
I’d put a tenner on Derby and Reading finishing above us. Despite the points deductions, they have and will get good results. I’d put £20 on Posh and Blackpool finishing above us as well. If someone gave me a £20 note for nowt but told me I could only use it to bet on City beating Blackpool or using it as bog roll, I’d wipe my arse with it.
There's some truth / fact in that, of course, but thinking then about those last 11 words. The flip side is that, although he's had little to spend, McCann has been able to bring in many players during the windows he's been manager, including this summer's window. Most if not all have been his players, or at least he'd have had a big say. And also he will have had a big say in the overall make up of the squad. So, he knows the budget, he knows the constraints, he has then to do the best he can with the players he does bring in to make sure we have a squad that can compete. If he hasn't had a big say then he definitely isn't someone we should want (need) as our manager! And he then has to do the best he can to coach, implement tactics, make decisions, etc. as the season progresses. He's failing miserably, just like he did last time round in this division.
The only thing that looking good so far is mckechnie-orange owes me £10. Theres no way wilks is getting 15 goals this season. Even if I give him 13 start
He said it, that was his reaction. That should be enough (without feeling a need to invent reasons to re-interpret and defend him). If he wasn't allowed one, was that before or after he'd made all his other signings? It should have been a priority. If he'd seen it as a priority, I can't see it being refused, especially in what was a buyers market. Either he was part and parcel of, and ok with, the mix of what we brought in (my guess), or else he failed to convince Ehab and Darnborough of what was needed for this season. Either way it means he's not done his job and isn't the manager we need.