We’re 5/1 but I don’t believe that either.
Last night’s 1-0 at St Mary’s was a contest between two not very good teams but at least it might give Saints a bit of confidence going into Sunday.
2 Likes
And breathe…
1 Like
Watched the South Coast derby with some nervousness this afternoon. A draw was probably a fair result, though I thought Southampton’s creative play was clearly superior, reflecting the quality of their squad. I feared the worst once Southampton took the lead but sheer physical intensity, backed by the Pompey crowd probably saw the equaliser secured. Over both derby games honours even.
4 Likes
From a Norwich point of view I would probably have preferred a Saints win but a draw wasn’t a disaster for us.
A Pompey win would have increased our (well at least my) relegation fears.
Three points against Coventry at Carrow Road tomorrow evening would relieve the stress somewhat!
1 Like
In case anyone’s not figured it out yet I can’t yet bring myself to write about yesterday and the many contradictions. Have spent today recovering from the euphoria and the travel tiredness by going to early morning cinema with Mrs. H. and later trying to unravel the latest mess Wrexham have made of Wednesday away tickets. Current state of play remains that we still have 5 tickets in 3 entirely different locations. Sigh.
Anyways, highest league position in our history at this point in the season. Parky clearly no idea what he’s doing 
.
3 Likes
I have come to the conclusion that you must live in a tent Mike.
For the limited time you seem to be ‘at home ‘, living in a house would be a complete waste of money!
5 Likes
it may have been brought to my attention recently that a conversation took place between my mother and Mrs. H. a few weeks back along the lines of
“Is he not getting under your feet now he’s retired?”
“You must be joking. I never f@@king see him.”
5 Likes
Disappointing result tonight. After scoring five in each of our last two matches, the goals are starting to dry up & we are clearly on a downward slope.
On a more serious note, I think I’ve died & gone to heaven. In real life I can’t remember when we last won three consecutive matches.
Clearly the Championship’s form side…….
2 Likes
Coventry has a few good chances that they might/should have taken but the Canaries didn’t remotely look like a team with relegation worries.
1 Like
Pleased for Slimani and Ahmed. Thought both were players when they played against us. Taken them a while to get a manager who wants them and now look at them go.
Now, who was that bloke on here who said this…
Oh…
Hope I’m forced to eat my words!
A couple of more wins & relegation thoughts will almost be off the table & I may even start believing in PC……
Mind you, always thought that Knapper recognised a good player when he saw one.
I suppose that’s what makes football so addictive for so many. Very early days but how can a side that, before Christmas, looked the equal of our worst since I became a fan in 1979, suddenly give the impression that they could be up there with the best since the Lambert/Farke era’s?
Extraordinary sport and an extraordinary division.
1 Like
Who’s the best team in the championship?
Great way to spend a Monday night.
Even I have difficulty believing in our amazing turnaround. The ground rocking and City playing some good football. Clement championship manager of the season?
Coventry are a good team but they should have been down to ten men when Matteson was taken out.
I wish I’d put a tenner on when we were 80/1 for top six!
1 Like
There is a certain well known podcast addressed solely to us in the second tier which maintains that Parky is the 24th most competent manager in the division .
Interesting question though.
If we take our personal preferences out I can see a case for
McKenna - Ipswich Town. Few survive the drop from the PL and the rebuild. Look at Luton et al. He’s been trusted, given time and, despite their recent glitch, built a team already far better than most who come down.
Jakirovic - Hull City. Again, despite early struggles, he’s been given time and look at them now.
Struber - Bristol City. Working in very difficult circumstances which have killed other managers. Sales and loans of big players going on left, right and centre and yet they’re still in the mix.
Eustace - Derby County. Took a huge risk joining them last season and pulled it off. Massive rebuild over the Summer with more to come. They started the season solidly in the relegation places but he’s had more success than Wilder in gently rebooting them.
Nothing for Lampard as, like Rooney at Derby, the real power there is in the coaching of the likes of Joe Edwards.
Clement came in just at the point you could have been fully adrift. A couple of early defeats and it may well have been too late so good timing was in play as much as good management.
Perish the thought, but if we were to grab a play off place, which I still maintain is s huge ask, I do actually think we could then achieve the utterly ludicrous. Hard to imagine a legitimate case against a manager who achieves back to back to back to back.
The decider will be when we meet the Binners at home.
McKenna is trying to match Farke, who built a better team for our second promotion.
1 Like
Manager of the season is stretching a bit at present. Manager of the month? Certainly.
You saw them, I didn’t. Farke’s second side may have been better on paper than the first but they gave up from the first game. The first promotion side gave it their all until Covid &, inexplicably to me, gave up completely when the season recommenced.
Up to you season ticket holders to keep the fantastic atmosphere going at CR for the remaining games. Can’t see that it must be anything other than a huge boost for the players.
1 Like
I’m keen to hear your thoughts on Tonda and Saints, Mike.
C.
The turnaround is beyond what any of us hoped for.
The benefit of being at the ground is you see how the whole side moves and wishes to participate rather than the narrower view provided by television cameras. What Clement has done is worthy of awards. Players who looked out of their league now look bargain buys.
My eleven year old grandson was in the Barclay with his father and when I asked him what it was like he said “mental”.
For the first time in ages my wife and me stayed behind to applaud the team as they made their way round the ground.
The only sour not was Lampard’s graceless response to being soundly beating.
Odds of a top six finish have dropped to 20/1!
2 Likes
It was ever thus. He did similar with us. It couldn’t be that we were terrific. Nah, it was only because they’d “…not hit their levels.” The arrogance of assuming that, had they done so, we’d have been unable to live with them. They’ve only lost two less games than us.
1 Like