Apart from a 15/20 minute spell at the start of the second half LUFC controlled the game against a big, dirty, lying down injured to break any momentum Watford side. We missed absolute sitters to turn what should have been an easy win into a nervy affair. 3 valuable points. Tough trip to Bristol next up. Hopefully Radzani is fit having limped off injured after a crunching, but on this occasion, fair tackle.
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As noted previously, we are overachieving.
āCelebratedā our 160th marginally better than our 150th but we are looking stretched. Mullin was slightly better again but we had zero shots in 90 minutes and they only had the one. Two of our back three were poor but then both are being played out of position until young Max Cleworth is back. Midfield looks a mess with Dobson in it. Leading scorer out for four months and Fletcher now injured so likely to have run his race with us. We need reinforce<ents quickly but our options are limited to unfit out of contract players or recalling players on loan who arenāt able to do the job we need them to do for us.
Got in at 1:22am from the match having decided to not stay with my parents but take advantage of Burnhamās all night bus being one of my routes. Needed to be home for lower limb rehab at 10:30am. That was far more entertaining than the match.
Off to Charlton on Saturday. One heck of a long trip and having got a win and a draw in the past four days, and looking increasingly like weāre dead on our feet and running out of ideas, I think a loss is coming which will see us slip into the play off places.
By all accounts Pompey were even more useless last night. I donāt understand how they played so well last year, ostensibly bought a load of better players and now seem to play so badly on far more occasions than they really should. Itās not looking great.
I watched it on Sky+, Nigel. Mousinho is right to be angry with the casual, sloppy start. The game was lost after 15 minutes. Ok, weāve had a ridiculous number of long to medium term injuries, and picked up another three in last nightās game, but the players often look too far off the pace of Championship games and our tactics are giving the opposition far too many chances.
Iād like a bit of switch in set-up for a few games, especially away from home. Make us hard to beat, frustrate the opposition and keep the game tight, not open. Yes, it wonāt be pretty to watch but the players need to learn how the keep clean sheets before trying to outscore teams.
The season still has a very long way to go but I think Mousinho needs to show his hard side (he was gritty defender as a player) and then the owners need to think hard about the January transfer window. In my view, the squad still lacks Championship quality.
Our owners released stats on what the move from L1 to the Championship actually costs in terms of sustaining a place in the latter. A Ā£10m debt will soon become Ā£100m. If you canāt attract outside investment then youāre clinging on, or not.
Itās a scary difference for sure. Itās hardly a sustainable way of running a club.
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Norwich have just confirmed that following this evenings shareholder meeting Delia is stepping down and Norfolk Holdings are now the 85% majority shareholder. Interesting times!
A bit unhappy with the goalkeeper situation at present as it is the one area that we have been consistently strong in for almost all the 45 years I have been a fan.
Even when the first choice has been injured we have usually had an adequate back up. From what I am reading, this is most certainly not the case at the moment.
Keelan retired at the end of my first season so I would rate Chris Woods as the absolute best in my time.
Changing the subject, the press seems united in the belief that Wiltshire is a really good appointment. Hope they are proved right.
Either way, a huge step up for him from his previous clubā¦
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I share your doubt about Long in goal. Iāve not seen him have a good game and he has made several mistakes. Unfortunately weāve just given him a new three year contract.
Daniel Barden had looked very good until serious illness, from which he is fully recovered and on loan at Swindon and young Mair is very promising. Iād rather see a youngster given a go rather than a mediocre old pro. John Ruddy would have been a better option than Long.
When I started watching City Sandy Kennon was in goal and a very decent keeper.
Sandy was followed by the brilliant Kevin Keelan who was in my opinion our best ever followed by Wood. Keelan was a real character and once laid out the Northampton centre forward and walked off the field before the ref could send him off. No VAR in those days.
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Keelan lived just across the road from me in Brundall when I moved there in 1979. My nextdoor neighbour but one was City forward Keith Robson, with whom I became quite friendly.
Why all the footballers wanted to live near me, I have no ideaā¦
If I remember correctly, Keelan owned a building business called, imaginatively, Kevin Keelan Builders Limited.
Presumably supplementing the pension & avoiding becoming a pub landlord!
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He moved to the US and I believe became a developer. Im told he is now a very wealthy individual.
He comes back to the club for occasional reunions, still looks in good nick.
Absolutely brilliant keeper who was rated by Bill Shankly.
Definitely true.
No t on Wilshire 
If there was heād find a way to break it. One presumes he canāt get injured as a coach butā¦
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Uninspiring in the last third. Ramazani & Firpo were missed. In the end we ran up against another 541 formation (2nd half) & couldnāt find a way through. Our Achilles heel, sadly.
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The Mighty Whites visited Ashton Gate for the early kick off, with the match turning out to be as bland as a bland thing.
We reverted to our all too familiar mix of The Chuckle Brothers ātāme tāyouā sideways and backwards passing at the back, and a hotch potch of misplaced passes further up the field.
Joel Piroe, did he actually touch the ball during his 70 minutes appearance?
As far as the others are concerned ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ school report ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ tries hard, could do better.
Not good enough, chaps, particularly as Iād guess that most of the teams around us in the league are likely to win their games later on. 
M.O.T.
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Got to see my hometown (Nuneaton*) play yesterday, winning 4-1 and moving to the top of the league. Photographer managed to capture my son and I in the picture so a nice memento of the day. Today off to the bridge to play @Andyblain Newcastle.
*Club had to go into administration in early 2024, so reformed as a CIC club late spring , fully run by supporterās, great support from local businessās in sponsorship deals and an amazing job being done by the two managers (one used to be our goalkeeper in better times) in building a squad that even the current (temp) England manager comes down to watch (his son plays left back).
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Welcome to the thread. Great post and photo. Wrexham AFC played the original Nuneaton a few times during our non-league years and I had a very enjoyable away trip there during that period. Seems a lifetime ago already. A lot of arrogant fans refer to such clubs as ātin potā which I find genuinely offensive because those are the same fans talking about the need to preserve grass roots football. Hereās ho-i g their survive and thrive.
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Great but very long day out in Charlton for me. On a 7:15am bus into Manchester and home by 10:30pm. Never been to the Valley before. Premier League size but very basic and clearly showing its age. Reports on the toilets were shocking.
Huge positive in the return of young Max at right back as soon as he was fit. Clear message that heās rightly our number one in that position. This three seasons after Parky dropped him for his own protection as teams were targeting him. The challenge now will be to hold onto him. The other positive was Palmer defying expectations; playing three games in a week and finishing with a MOTM performance where he could clearly have played the 90.
Great game. Even first half in which we go ahead with an unlucky own goal from a great free kick; they deservedly equalise and at half time few of our fans can see what we can change to get a grip. The vibe was that we were about to suffer another Birmingham style result. Would have had no complaints to be honest. Whilst Iām being painted as a pessimist for saying so the reality is that there are easily 12 teams competing for 3 promotion places and weāre at the poorer end. Smash and grab away wins wonāt do the job.
First half extended by 10 minutes when the referee did a solo Paul Alcock impersonation; floored himself and eventually had to sun himself. Idiot. Greeted by a chorus of āYouāre not fit to refereeā :).
His replacement cost us the game though.
We started the second half as we ended the first but then put in our best second half of the season. Absolutely magnificent and Cannon coming on and scoring was perfect. They were outplayed and rocking until the ref gives a penalty which absolutely no-one else thought was a penalty. Incompetent decision and VAR and pundits would have ridiculed it. Handball against Max when the ball bounces up; his hands are by his side in a natural position and if anything heās looking to pull back. Absolute travesty of a decision. Feels like two points lost but weāll take it.
The three games in 7 days against a ex Championshio club and two ex EPL clubs felt huge for us as a measure of where weāre really at. 5 points would have been accepted as a great return but itās very annoying knowing it could have been 7.
Just back from watching Norwich v Middlesbrough and have to say I received my monies worth.
Yet another brilliant Sainz goal to confirm heās the best forward in the championship followed by some excellent play from a good Middlesbrough team resulting in a 1-3 halftime score.
Fortunately Norwich improved in the second half and the game swung on a Long penalty save shortly after which Sainz scored another belter and the team rallied to end up 3-3 and may have won it if Kenny McClean had not got carried away in the heat of the battle and received a red card to complete a game that had everything.
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