Match Thread City V Sunderland 19/7/2022@7.00pm(will it go ahead?)

Agree.

 

I listened to the City Vent pod with the Posh chairman, his advice to fans was to read nothing into the first 2 or 3 months when you sign this amount of players especially under a new manager. It will take time to gel and there will be blips in the first 10-15 games, history shows it's just inevitable when everyone is this new.

Great point on out the blocks starts in this league, it almost never works full time. I had a look over the last few seasons to see where the 4 that go up are after 10 games. Looking into the teams that were sort of top 7, they pretty much all had few in those windows and a manager set. Where as the later risers pretty much always had 10+ signings and/or a new manager.

21/22 - FGR (1st) Exeter (6th) Bristol R (20th) Vale (3rd)
20/21 - Cheltenham (3rd) Cambridge (2nd) Bolton (19th) Morecambe (10th)
19/20 - Swindon (5th) Crewe (2nd) Plymouth (12th) Northampton (13th)
18/19 - Lincoln (1st) Bury (8th) MK Dons (13th) Tranmere (16th)

 

Quite so Broncs. Significant comment on their Forum of a negative nature but apparently it's a regular occurence.

 

Adams was a joke. He said FGR couldn't keep it up and would get found out playing the way they did. They played attacking football without fear.

Adams also couldn't get back to back wins which is vital in any league.

City have to make sure that they improve their home form. Teams will come to VP thinking a draw is a good result. Fair to many times last season a team would come for a draw and get into the game then think hey up we can beat these and get the win because A) we couldn't finish chances or B) didn't put enough pressure on the teams we were playing.

We have the squad. It's down to the mentally of the players now and its clear Hughes is working on that. Too many times people like @Keefly Bantam or an @Park bantam will say the other team didn't play to win at VP but teams playing us don't have too. It's up to the home team to go out express themselves and win the game.

The 5 man sub rule will help but I don't think it will be used that much in div 2 because the league will be tight and 5 subs is a lot over 90 mins.

 

Hence why we have a 1st class manager and signed most of our players over 2/3 seasons. If it doesn't work for us next season then we will have a settled squad the season after. I said the plan is to go up in 2 seasons and this kind of backs it up. Our squad would have been together for a season.

Not saying we won't be trying this season but for me its like a free hit.

 

U got a link for that, m8?

 

Took me bloomin' ages to write out...!!

 

Ha ha ha your a classic if we don’t go up this season you will be going I said so I said so non of this free hit shite you will want sparks out rupp out hughes out and that lass what serves the coffee in the stand that knocks you back every other week out

 

I believe its this he's referring to: The goalkeeper is allowed to hold or control the ball with their hands or arms, but they must release and play the ball within six seconds.
As we know this rule is loosely enforced if ever, with goalkeepers often getting more time to play the ball without penalty.

 

No Hughes has to stay. Rupp and Sparks I am not fussed about.

 

Yeah but a new owner usually spells the end for the current manager.
New owners want their own man. MH was a victim of that at Man City.
What we need right now is stability. We've had far too many seasons of players coming and going coupled with a revolving door of managers.
We need stability in terms of the owner, the CEO, the manager and our back room staff. That way we can implement a plan and stick to it. Not the continual rip it up and start again mentality we've had for the last few years.
The re-brand should help with that. Part of our brand is the style of football we play. For as long as I can remember our 'brand' of football has been a passing game. Its what fans want and like. By having a clear brand identity you allow that to dictate who you employ to implement our brand.
Recent encumbents in the managerial hot seat have been seriously at odds with our 'brand' because the club lost sight of what our brand really was. That was largely down to Rahic who systematically set about dismantling our club brand in favour of his megalomaniac brand.
MH fits our brand because he wants to play the game the way we like to see it played.
The players we recruit and the youngsters we bring through the academy need to fit the brand first and foremost.

 

I got pilloried on here for wanting to get rid and this is exactly why

 

A new owner wouldn't be getting rid of Hughes unless his results are that bad. He is the highest name profile manager in the league.

 

You sure? Rahic got rid of McCall simply because he was more popular than Rahic.
This was after McCall had got us nearer to a return to the Championship than we'd been in years. Because SM didn't fit in Rahic's warped 'brand' of BCFC where he ran every aspect of the club including the team.
A new owner could perceive MH as washed up because he's managing at this level instead of the PL or Championship. Preferring to bring in some untried foreign import. Vale did that with the Portuguese fella and it back fired massively.

 

Yes, I am sure. Hughes would stay. It would be more than likely Hughes with his network that gets a new owner in.

Think you are forgetting how connected Hughes is on and off the pitch.

 

This seasons aim is to go up. Id imagine that Hughes has his eyes on the title. The manager is good enough. The squad is both big enough an good enough to get promoted. You don’t bring in players from the SPL, League 1 an Championship just to consolidate in League Two. There’s 4 promotion spots up for grabs. I find it hard to believe that there are 4 other teams in League Two that are miles ahead of us and are in better positions to get promoted than ourselves

 

Believe it. Remember we have done our business early which is great. Other teams will invest.

We have to improve from 14th and are playing catch up to some. The team needs to gel.

I hope we go up this season but it won't be as easy as some on here think.

 

I think we have the squad to win matches in lots of different ways.
If it needs to be a battle/scrap/aerial route we have Oliver, Smallwood and Platt.

 

And more importantly a manager who will nuture those carrying knocks rather than making them run harder and play when they aren't ready. I doubt there will be much in the way of cancelled days off, extra sessions and sunday runnding under Hughes.

 

You feeling ok Hun, thats almost positive. And prophetic.