Phoenix

'Posh' seems a rather unfortunate soubriquet from the sound of things.

'Posh' seems a rather unfortunate soubriquet from the sound of things.

My mistake, it was his mate Everhard who supported Posh.
* A lot of Grayson experts on here tonight.

Larry Grayson? Thought he lived in Nuneaton.

After all the emphasis on PW and his fitness regimes etc I find it weird that our players- more so than any of the opposition ones faced thus far - seem so knackered and out on their feet for the last 20 mins or so. 
I don’t see us pressing anywhere near as much as last season as a team ( one or two individuals do) and yet we seem more unfit than other teams. Strange….

No he is not blameless at all. I blame him totally for rescuing us from oblivion. I blame him for that feeling of walking up the steps seeing the pitch for the first match last season. I blame him for quietly trying to restore the dignity and integrity back to our club. I blame him for trying to run our club responsibly. 
I think this thread and its title are disrespectful and ungrateful. 

If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be able to start this topic.

I believe it was Bill Paisley who used to say something to the effect ' We don't leave our energy/strength on the training pitch'

I wonder if they told him.

He wouldn’t leave till you did 😉

Glamorgan 3rd with 1 win. Unbelievable.

This is the guy who bowled a couple of deliberate no-balls in a test at Lords. I was actually there when it happened, although we had no idea at the time. You can't see no-balls from the stands, at ground leven,behind the wicket! My mate pointed out that the score had gone up by one so we assumed there'd been a no-ball, never realising the eventual implications.
Seems a changed character but it was reported at the time that he was from a poor famliy in some village and the few thousand quid he was offered was life-changing. Who are we to judge.
Good luck to him, hope he socks it to 'em.

Claude Davies would have been on the list I'd have thought. 

Not sure why some are being so critical. This is our 4th pre-season friendly - which to remind people is mainly about fitness, new teammates getting to know each other’ and starting to gel. The best quality opposition we have met so far yesterday (although again some highly critical of Stoke) and I saw an improvement in every aspect of our performance from previous games. 3 very good goals without McGoldrick!
Room for optimism, without getting carried away. We have still not seen much of Elder, nothing of our new striker, and Wilson, who obviously needs more match fitness, but again showed what he may bring to the table.
Brian Clough built from the back - just as we have done now. Bradley, Nelson have got better and better with each game - how many times have I sat and watched a colossus for other teams heading away every cross into the box. We have our own now in Bradley now. Fuzzy played very well too. Cash not quite there yet, but will be. A big reduction in defensive mistakes so far.
3 good goals yesterday against a Championship side - we looked a bit sharper up front. Despite his critics, Collins scored his third goal, all laid on a plate for him from right wing crosses.
Still some work to do in midfield but Smith had a good game yesterday ( his passing also much better than last year). Bird has looked very promising in his more advanced role too. Hourahan who looks as though he may be the new captain, had a quieter game but knitted things together well. Making him captain could be a clever move from Warne to keep him fully engaged. Can’t help but admire Liam Thompson’s enthusiasm and determination, he could be a valuable squad member.
The attack is our unknown element, but I am sure we will find sufficient quality to make us competitive and score some goals. Our crossing has been upgraded significantly with both Ward & Hourahan which should create some goals, particularly as we look far more threatening from dead ball situations.
So some promise yesterday and reasons to be optimistic, still 2 weeks until the first League game, time for injured players to make appearances, greater fitness and tactical awareness ( and for the signing of at least one striker!). Loan market still to be tapped once Premier League Team finalise their squads.
It might all fall apart next week against Premier League opposition, but provided we still see some improvements in areas, that will do for me, for now.
Come on you doubters, give the team a chance before you pronounce they are not good enough. Be realistic for heavens sake, we are building something, not yet the finished article. If you can’t see the grassroots of major improvement on last year, then maybe you need to watch more cricket.
 
 

Ballon dor for me

Poor turnout really. Fizzy deserves better in my view.

Many years ago, I managed to go round for free. My stepson (avid Leicester CIty fan) was in his teens, doing a school project on whether a stadium should be enlarged (they were at Filbert St then), or a new stadium built. I contacted the club who kindly invited us to a free tour, just the 2 of us. A very interesting tour, I have to say. A bit of banter, naturally, and it seems LCFC had been visiting it for ages getting ideas for their impending new stadium. (I wonder how their expansion plans are going)
Not only that, they arranged for us to go round the Baseball ground, which appeared to be watched over by just a scots guy. By the time we got there it was dusk. A very surreal experience, you yould almost feel the ghosts of the past were there.

Many years ago, I managed to go round for free. My stepson (avid Leicester CIty fan) was in his teens, doing a school project on whether a stadium should be enlarged (they were at Filbert St then), or a new stadium built. I contacted the club who kindly invited us to a free tour, just the 2 of us. A very interesting tour, I have to say. A bit of banter, naturally, and it seems LCFC had been visiting it for ages getting ideas for their impending new stadium. (I wonder how their expansion plans are going)
Not only that, they arranged for us to go round the Baseball ground, which appeared to be watched over by just a scots guy. By the time we got there it was dusk. A very surreal experience, you yould almost feel the ghosts of the past were there.

It was about 20 years ago when I last went on the stadium tour but well worth it.
It was in the days when you could also combine a tour of the old BBG and we did both. 
I love the old BBG but it was like chalk and cheese. I still have the old pictures we took on the day but if you want to remember the BBG full to the rafters with the lights on they are not ones you should look at.
Weeds growing through the seating, tiles falling off the walls in the changing rooms ( I have been in better parks changing rooms ) everywhere showing its age and how small it all felt , especially in the corridor with the directors rooms and press offices.
I remember the guide telling us during the Pride Park tour that the opposition are analysed closely before each game by a team of people.
We had just lost at home 4-0 to Leicester and I remember asking if they had all been on holiday that week.

There were a few ghosts of the past floating around Pride Park last night! 😊
Great photo, borrowed from Paul on Twitter.
 

Perhaps you should change tack and be objectionable with him. Ask, no, demand why it's necessary to show your season tickets every time you arrive. Perhaps suggest he goes to SpecSavers, that sort of thing.

For me a sporting God with a place in my personal Pantheon. It isn’t about your trophy count, win or lose.  It’s about spirit and ethics, how you play the game. 
 
Always a “nice guy” yes of course. 
But that season, back against the wall, ever present at his age, with the greatest of courage and leadership. Peerless, a life example. The epitome of a sportsman. It’s what you strive to be, what it should be like but rarely if ever is. 
 
 

The real victory is being able to continue demeaning the Australian side as dastardly and underhanded.
Them winning the ashes from here is irrelevant because they were just to Australian about how they went about it.
I do hope someone puts sandpaper instead of toilet roll in the visiting team's changing room.......

Ay up. Any one 'eard owt from Owd Miner recently?