Welcome to the Mini-Prem League

[A Quiet Monkfish]

The trickle-down effect of the obscene money being passed around in the Premiership has at last begun to shape the league below it. It was always a perceived strength of the Championship that any team could beat any other team, just like a 'proper' league should be, but this season there seems to be a shift - a number of teams, about 10/11, are powering along, getting stronger each game, and about 7 or 8 look distinctly incapable of taking points off those at the top.

City are caught in the top group of 'footballing' sides with foreign imports and ex-Prem players. We don't, in those terms, belong there, which perhaps brings me to the current squad and this January transfer window activity. I don't think we are even close to putting together a side that can play a neat, passing game from front to back, and until the club moves in another direction, we aren't going to.

So in one way, for Warnock to continue with a 'results-based' playing system, getting in the opposition's faces, and keeping play as simple as possible, may be the only way to get into the top 6. You could say, our 'ying' to the others 'yang' ...

[NYCBlue]

Some good points. Swansea, Southampton and Bournemouth played their way all the way out of League 1 to the EPL. And they seem to have had some long term success with it. If we were to go up, we'd need almost complete new squad to have any chance of competing.

[BlueWales]

Going up will only mean we join the " cannon fodder " who will never win anything and regard
staying up as a triumph as the money will keep rolling in.

Outside the top 6 you have the mini league of not worrying too much about relegation whilst knowing they
are just treading water and the mini league of pooing their pants about going down.

Not much to hope and play for for most PL teams and I wonder when fans will go " this is a waste of time and money ".

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Some good points. Swansea, Southampton and Bournemouth played their way all the way out of League 1 to the EPL. And they seem to have had some long term success with it. If we were to go up, we'd need almost complete new squad to have any chance of competing.

Agreed. It's the one part of appointing Warnock that worries me. He might get us there but the next manager who comes in will want to build his own team in his own style. Relegation would be almost certain. There's nothing long term about Warnock's appointment, it got us out of a hole last season and has given the club a lot of belief. We took a short sighted approach to promotion last time and look where it got us.

[BlueWales]

Agreed. It's the one part of appointing Warnock that worries me. He might get us there but the next manager who comes in will want to build his own team in his own style. Relegation would be almost certain. There's nothing long term about Warnock's appointment, it got us out of a hole last season and has given the club a lot of belief. We took a short sighted approach to promotion last time and look where it got us.

How might it have worked out if Malky and mate had used their own phones ? We would have had a young
respected manager who could grind out results and probably have kept us up.

Tan then brought in Wally Gunnar Soljear who made things worse by wasting so much money on Corny etc.

That's why our approach to promotion BECAME short sighted.

[Louth]

Its all about results for me. Playing tippy tappy across the back and losing isn't entertaining.

[Steve the Tea]

Agreed. It's the one part of appointing Warnock that worries me. He might get us there but the next manager who comes in will want to build his own team in his own style. Relegation would be almost certain. There's nothing long term about Warnock's appointment, it got us out of a hole last season and has given the club a lot of belief. We took a short sighted approach to promotion last time and look where it got us.

If the miracle happened and we got promoted to the obscene PL we'd have to spend about £150m in the summer to fashion a completely new squad and playing style capable of staying there.

StT.
<><

[Geraint Pillock]

How might it have worked out if Malky and mate had used their own phones ? We would have had a young
respected manager who could grind out results and probably have kept us up.

Tan then brought in Wally Gunnar Soljear who made things worse by wasting so much money on Corny etc.

That's why our approach to promotion BECAME short sighted.

As bad as Solskjaer was for us, signing Cornelius was not one of his mistakes!

[BlueWales]

As bad as Solskjaer was for us, signing Cornelius was not one of his mistakes!

OOPS !

Sorry !

[Steve the Tea]

As bad as Solskjaer was for us, signing Cornelius was not one of his mistakes!

Cornelius was painted as a scapegoat by Tan. He couldn't have been too bad a player as he has scored at Champions League and goals for his nation subsequently. The reality was he made a few substitute appearances before a terrible ankle injury from a shocking tackle in the FL Cup caused him to be injured for over 4 months. Before playing again Tan sold him.

As an aside I'd far prefer Malky's transfer record than the Tan-led Committee.

StT.
<><

[Wales-Bales]

Manchester United urged to boost wages for low-paid staff

Campaigners are urging Manchester United to increase the pay of some of its staff because of the "grotesque" difference with players' salaries.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-engl...ester-42886915

[NYCBlue]

As bad as Solskjaer was for us, signing Cornelius was not one of his mistakes!

The signing of Cornelius is so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It's just been used as propaganda.

[dembethewarrior]

Cornelius was painted as a scapegoat by Tan. He couldn't have been too bad a player as he has scored at Champions League and goals for his nation subsequently. The reality was he made a few substitute appearances before a terrible ankle injury from a shocking tackle in the FL Cup caused him to be injured for over 4 months. Before playing again Tan sold him.

As an aside I'd far prefer Malky's transfer record than the Tan-led Committee.

StT.
<><

Quick check on the flash scores app..

5 goals since 09.10.17 including league, Europa league and some international.

He's also not playing full games probably averaging 45 mins.

46 goals in 110 for Copenhagen
0 in 8 for cardiff
3 in 15 for Atalanta
8 in 14 for Denmark (didn't include what looked like u21 qualifiers)