Pearson Signs

[give_us_a_wave]

Hello Nigel

Obviously all incoming city managers read this forum as soon as they are in post in order to gauge the mood of the fans & pick up a few helpful tips.

So...nip back to Hull in January & come back with Robert Koren please.

Cheers.

 

[Han]

Hello Nigel

Obviously all incoming city managers read this forum as soon as they are in post in order to gauge the mood of the fans & pick up a few helpful tips.

So...nip back to Hull in January & come back with Robert Koren please.

Cheers.

I was worried where you were going with that...

 

[give_us_a_wave]

I was worried where you were going with that...

:-D You'll have to go to FT if you want to read the "Bring Back Waggy" posts or "Lets swap Mills for Hobbs"

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Tbf, given that it would be the Hobbs we had under NP and not the one we had under SGE or Sousa, I'd quite happily swap him for Mills.

 

[drummindefender]

TrueShe would, however, look great with a nice pearly necklace

She was wearing one of sorts....

 

[Scotfox]

Whilst Hobbs undoubtably played better when Pearson was manager, I wouldn't put him in the same league as Mills, not yet anyway

 

[give_us_a_wave]

I see where you're coming from Prof...but I'd rather stick with the 5 mill investment & see what NP can make of him.

 

[Babylon]

I see where you're coming from Prof...but I'd rather stick with the 5 mill investment & see what NP can make of him.

Indeed, Pearson managed to make Michael Morrison look half decent. So god knows what he could do with Bamba and Mills.

 

[H T B]

I don't think we'll ever know the real reasons behind NP leaving, but does it really matter?

Personally, I think the way the club has been conducted itself very well in bringing in a new manager.
No one knew what was going on until it was clear they had a target. Then they asked to speak to NP.
Now, let's get back to the serious business of football, and 3 points on Sunday would be very nice

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Whilst Hobbs undoubtably played better when Pearson was manager, I wouldn't put him in the same league as Mills, not yet anyway

Not yet? I presume that means you think Mills has been better for us this season as Hobbs was in 08/09? You must have been watching 2 very different players to me then.

Pearson's defence that season was exceptional and Hobbs, Berner, Morrison and Weale were all excellent that season. Our defence this season has been incredibly inconsistent.

I see where you're coming from Prof...but I'd rather stick with the 5 mill investment & see what NP can make of him.

The money we paid for him shouldn't come in to it. It was someone else who spent it not NP. He shouldn't feel necessitated to field players just because the previous manager paid over the odds for them.

I would never want a manager who would rather stick with a player because of the monetary investment made by a previous manager. NP should simply get in/pick the players who he thinks are best, or who he thinks will fit into our system best, the price paid for these players shouldn't even enter his mind.

Indeed, Pearson managed to make Michael Morrison look half decent. So god knows what he could do with Bamba and Mills.

Or is it more of a case that Morrison is a good player who Sousa and SGE couldn't get anything out of (it's no secret there are questions over Sousa's and SGE's motivational abilities)? Same with Hobbs? Berner? Weale? Charlton fans have been raving about Morrison's form this season.

 

[Jenks]

I do like Nigel's new ponytail. :icon_bigg

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Fwiw, before someone jumps on me for "having made my mind up about Mills."

I'm not saying Mills won't become a better player than Hobbs, but I can't understand all these people saying he already is a better player than Hobbs was. Just what exactly are you basing that on? The incredibly inconstant form Mills has shown over the season so far? Writing Reading fans off as being "bitter" for all saying he was a very average player and laughing at us when we signed him? What? What exactly has Mills actually shown so far that makes him anywhere near as good as Hobbs was for us under NP in 08/09, let alone better than him?

 

[Jenks]

I do like Nigel's new ponytail. :icon_bigg

http://yfrog.com/nw79snpj

 

[give_us_a_wave]

I agree the money shouldnt make a difference Prof I'm just saying that after paying it out we need to try to get the best out of our investment.
If I thought Mills was a complete crock of shite I'd agree with you 100%...but I don't.I think he'll be fine when he finds his game & will go on to be a big asset.My main point was that I think NP will be the right man to get him playing the way he needs to.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I think people are looking too much into this NP will get the best out of players personally. Hobbs, Morrison, Berner, Weale etc. were all good players under him because they are good players whose confidence was torn to shreds by Sousa and irregular gametime under SGE. In fact Hobbs, Morrison and Weale all had very good brief spells under SGE when they had a run in the team before being dropped again.

Doesn't surprise me one bit Hobbs and Morrison are getting rave reviews elsewhere right now and I wouldn't be surprised to hear the same about Weale and Berner too if they went elsewhere (though Berner's decline may have been an age thing).

NP may well get the best out of Mills, but from what Reading fans all said when we signed him he's never shown more than being a decent and inconsistent Championship defender in his career, so I'm just not sure why everyone is so confident NP will turn him into an excellent Championship defender.

I'd rather have a safe option like Hobbs, who we know is an excellent player under NP, Mills possibly coming good under NP is a bit of a risk.

Lest us not also forget Hull have one of the very best defences in the division atm and Hobbs is a big part of that.

 

[The Old Fox]

He wasn't my 'first choice', either but, he's our manager so, "Nigel Pearson's Blue and White Army"

 

[Redditch Fox]

All managers will make mistakes but NP seems to get it more or less right at this level. This is better than having Sven's fantasies about signing big names and fantasies about how strong was his squad . Its a tough division and as I said before the start of the season there are around 10 or 12 clubs who had a decent claim on challenging for promotion - and since then it has emerged that West Ham and Southampton are probably a bit stronger than the rest.

 

[Dour]

I worked in my local pub full time after I couldn't find a job anywhere else when I left uni, they were very good to me there and I thoroughly enjoyed working there. Did I think twice when I got offered a well paid PR job in London? No.

I don't think that's quite comparable. Sure, everyone now thinks you're a ****, but that's simply because you've taken a job in PR. Nothing to do with the generosity shown by your local pub.

 

[Miles Away]

Mills has played 15 times...we've conceded 16 goals in that time....not too bad if you ask me.

In the 4 games he didn't play, we've conceded 7.

While his distribution has been poor, he is one of the first names on the team sheet for me. Our back five is far from being the problem and I would hope Pearson would leave it alone.

I suspect, Prof, if you asked any manager in the championship which player he'd rather have...90% would say Mills.

 

[Brown Nose]

Mills has played 15 times...we've conceded 16 goals in that time....not too bad if you ask me.

In the 4 games he didn't play, we've conceded 7.

While his distribution has been poor, he is one of the first names on the team sheet for me. Our back five is far from being the problem and I would hope Pearson would leave it alone.

I suspect, Prof, if you asked any manager in the championship which player he'd rather have...90% would say Mills.

I agree. From what I've seen of Mills, he has the rare modern quality of fearlessly throwing himself in front of a shot or putting his head in where others would shy away. Steve Walsh had that quality but I can't think of a defender we've had since who so clearly displayed it.

His start with us has been patchy. This will partly be down to the pressure of the price tag and being immediately installed as captain and also partly because our back five were all playing in different back fives last season. But he's a very good defender and I think him and NP will get on famously.

Part of the over the top criticism of Mills has been because he does the things that aren't obvious. Bamba is lauded for his side steps and recovery challenges and his pacey toe pokes which often occur as a result of him being caught in possession of out of position in the first place. Mills does the bread and butter defending quietly and efficiently and usually does it very well.