I listened to my friend in the manager's chair say the following on the radio last night:

1. That last night was a tremendous performance
2. It was one of the best team performances for a long time
3. It was a far better performance than against Blackpool
4. The fans know nothing, otherwise we would be doing his job, not him

I'm sorry but the man is an idiot and seems to be hell bent on antagonising the people paying his wages. I said weeks ago that these dull, boring performances with aimless long ball tactics would turn the fans away. Only just under 28,000 turned up last night, flattered by what has to be one of the biggest away turnouts for a long time.

I spent three hours travelling to and from the game and the best part of £50 quid, for what? It wasn't entertaining, it wasn't exciting, there was no flair (despite the best efforts of Noble to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and create someting whilst those around him stood around like statues) and no invention.

Piqionne is about as likely to score as my mum, Sears was bizarrely playing left wing (?) when he has no aptitude at all and frankly Nolan was a disgrace in every department to name but a few. I was amazed when he left the first two on and took Baldock off. He's had no service all night, just aimless punts forward and we take off Sears and put on a defensive midfielder???? We then resort to 15 minutes of long punts to two big guys and we got absolutely nothing from it. In fact, City could and should have nicked it in the final minutes.

Sorry Sam, you say the supporters have no right to boo (I didn't actually, i never boo my team) but you didnt have to fork out good money to see bad formations, bad tactics and inexplicable substitutions!

People are staying away in droves because the offering is on the whole crap. The 'performance' at Brighton, nicking a 1-0 and being totally outplayed by a footballing side, reinforced the decision of those who watched that game on the telly but were bored senseless and who wont pay to watch this anti-football at the Boleyn.

BFS says I have no right or reason to complain about the performances - sorry Sam, you are talking out of your backside.

Faubert is, and should be a, a right sided midfielder not a right back, he's wadted at the back. He is indeed suspect defensively but he has lightning pace and a good delivery into the box. Him one side and Taylor the other and we'd be cooking with gas.

I posted several times after the Ipswich debacle so only right I should congratulate the team, and most of all the manager who I slaughtered last week, for a cracking performance.

Baldock's movement of the ball and touch was superb, Carew held the ball up so well it was like he had glue on his boots, Diop was a giant (literally) in midfield and Collison was back to something like his best. Faubert too was immense and he has to play regularly.

Big Sam had the perfect tactics, with Blackpool holding such a high line, we sprung the offside trap countless times and smothered them in midfield. They only had one centre half of any stature so Carew must have thought all his birthdays had come at once!

Most of all we played proper football today, on the grass when it right and direct
when it was right. No aimless hoofs from the back four at last, we got the ball wide and played through Blackpool like we have all known we can, and should do.

I have no voice tonight (too many renditions of bubbles today) but today was a long time in coming, great stuff

BuB

No offence NCH, but that is an easier view to take when you haven't spent three hours travelling to and from the game only to spend 90 minutes being bored senseless.

Yes mate, there was similar around me, in the West Stand Upper, people looking at mobiles, chatting to each other about all sorts but not the game, in fact one guy let out a loud yawn behind me after about 60 mins and we all laughed as we knew what he was going through! I can't remember feeling so bored and disinterested at UP for a long time.

The attendance last night was worrying, there were large sections of the BM upper tier empty as there were in the West Stand Upper. I know there was Champions League football on but walking to the ground I was amazed at how few people were going to the ground. The atmosphere wasn't that bad surprisingly, thanks to those in the Centenary lower mainly, but the lacklustre display, the long ball football and the growing frustration at the general lack of entertainment raises concerns about future attendances. In my office there are three guys who have decided to either stay away completely, or will only follow us away, as they cant watch Allardyce's brand of football. I think their ranks will swell......unfortunately like every other season I can remember I have already paid my money, so I'm stuck with him.
The sort of long ball fare served up last night will lead to attendances ebbing away to around the hard core 24/25k mark.
I'm sorry, it is NOT all about winning regardless of how it is achieved; people are forking out a lot of money and want to see some decent football regardless of the score. We are not like the supporters of many other clubs, we expect something better and for the high prices we continue to pay compared to other clubs isn't that right? We didn't get half decent football under Avram but frankly I think the football at home these first few games has been even worse, it's just the opposition has largely been of such poor quality, a notable few like Bullard apart. At least with that Israeli numpty the ball was on the grass a bit more often.....

Sorry guys, if you had paid 40 quid to watch this tonight you would be as cheesed off as I am, it was dull, negative, long ball rubbish.

It wasn't 442, nothing like it, cole was out on the left wing most of the time and neither he or the rest of the team seemed to know why!

Spot on, why persist with that tactic when Cole was winning maybe 1 in 10 of those long balls?