Essjayess

No doubt whatsoever now, the NHS hospitals are in crisis all over the place, of course its not just about the numbers of Covid patients increasing quite rapidly over last week or two but the big amount of NHS off work thru Covid related issues. One really does hope that Omicron in the UK is at or at least nearing its daily peak..if it continues to climb i really dont like to think what could be facing the NHS over the coming weeks... Further afield its not just Western and Southern Europe and USA suffering from record daily new cases, in the southern hemisphere to some nations like Argentina and Australia are recording record highs also. The battle with Covid causing worldwide angst continues and will likely do for years to come.

For sure Germany suffered a very late record high case load with Delta in the 70ks at end of November just as Omicron was recognised here and seeded around the nation. Hard to say what general daily case stats are doing in the Xmas / New Year period but i get the feeling that Germany, as elsewhere will get a sudden explosion of Omicron...its so contagious that frankly i dont see what kind of restrictions can stop this variant, short of total lockdown over a very long period. USA seem to be around a week behind UK, France etc...just in the last 2 or 3 days Omicron has surged there...with 572k cases in a day when it was just about 3 days ago that the 8th Jan. high of 312k was broken.

Yep, both Spain and Italy around the 100,000 mark to. Of note to was 8th January this year when both UK and USA had their record daily new cases...67k here and 306k in USA. Of course Omicron blasted that record here about a week ago and now almost doubled it but USA is about a week behind us for Omicron but it finally smashed USA record in last 24 hrs with 312k reported...that will likely go much higher in coming days if it follows the European trend.

Agree with these stats, deaths not given, i guess will be added bit by bit in the coming days.

So, with no Covid stats released over this holiday weekend what will happen tomorrow?...Will we get 3 days worth divided by 3 or just 3 days of stats given as a single days total?..if the 2nd option then Mondays figures could be pretty impressive...350-400k new cases?...350-400 deaths?

The Goons - I'm Walking Backwards for Christmas - YouTube

Some amazing extreme differences in Europe right now...maybe the most extreme between UK and Poland...119,000 new cases and 147 deaths here...in Poland 17,000 new cases and over 600 deaths...would like anyone to accurately explain why the difference in the stats...seems incredible.

Doomsday predictions?...did you read my post?...i dont think i was suggesting anything like a doomsday prediction...in fact i was not and cannot predict anything...i merely suggested that i think your thoughts about the beginning of the end of Covid by Feb / March is for sure very optimistic given the 2 year history so far of Covid and its effects on millions of deaths, huge economic pressures and the affects to nearly all of us on our everyday lives. I also said that vaccinations are doing a very good job in stemming the worst affects of the virus for many of us...but its just my thinking...based on the past 2 years...that i see no sign of any beginning of the end of Covid..but doomsday?...thats hardly a doomsday scenario.

The beginning of the end of Covid?...or the effects it has on society, both here and around the globe?..that is a very under estimation of how much Covid has wrecked millions of lives and economies everywhere. Be realistic, the past 2 years has shown this virus's ability to mutate and spread rapidly around the world in just a few short weeks and there is zero evidence to believe we are nearly at the beginning of the end. Presently we cannot presume what Omicron has and is doing in South Africa will absolutely apply to the UK. Hospitals in London seem to be rapidly spinning towards full Covid bed capacity...maybe a sign for the rest of the UK. While double jabbed and Boostered helps hugely in the battle against Covids many variants even with the latest Omicron variant we are at early stage here and its seen it can blast thru and bypass the immune system even after being boostered. Im not fear mongering, simply because nobody as yet has a all round or general complete picture of Omicron's effects, but to think its near the beginning of the end is a brave thing to say, especially as there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that. I can think to and my thoughts are that Covid will continue to be a huge issue for the globe, both personally for health and for economical reasons..the battle of Covid vs. Vaccination will likely be ongoing for years to come.

Many factors in stats of course that can never explain certain situations that arise in each nation but these two differences for sure go quite a way in explaining that just quoting countries population similarities does not mean much. South Africa...pop 60 mill, land area 471,000 sq. miles, pop. density 120, total testings since Covid began 20 mill. UK pop. 68 mill, land area 94,000 square miles, pop. density 700, total testings since Covid began 380 mill. These numbers are approx but as near as. But as i said, many other factors contribute to stats, especially given Covid history is now nearly 2 years and ongoing. Always felt though that throughout the past 12 months or more our very high in general new daily cases compared to much of the rest of the globe is down to our pop. density and that we are streets ahead of testings compared to any other nation above 10 mill population. Boris and the Tories get a huge amount of flak concerning Covid, if Starmer and Labour were in power over this period they would have to..Covid makes it a hiding to nothing...not just here but all around the globe..thats why i dont bash politicians over this situation.

Well, tried a walk in and no i couldnt get a jab straight away, they said i need to go thru my own GP practice to obtain official documentation. So then i rang my GP's practice and after a long and lengthy wait on the line finally got a Booster appointment for myself and my son...for January 8th. Ive heard so many do this and do that conflicting reports about the Booster program and it all seems very messy..now my son and i have a month long wait for our Booster but at least we now have a time thank goodness.

Regarding the reports in last 24 hours or so about the Booster program slowing down or stalling despite the Government wanting it sped up, in my case it feels so. Im in my mid 60s and my Booster request was received nearly 2 weeks ago in City centre, same for my son in his 40s and with Special Needs and we are still waiting for a confirmation date of any kind. It of course has now clashed with the "All adults can now receive the Booster". While really wanting to get our boosters, especially as Omicron has now started to spread itself widely, as with my double jabs earlier in the year patience is required i guess.

Reality on the season..17th place is our Everest, lets face it. Think of it as 20th place being base camp, 19th Camp one and 18th Camp two with 17th as the Summit. After 10 games we were rooted in Base Camp, not really looking to want to leave it at all. But the last 4 games we did leave Base and hauled ourselves up to Camp one. But here on in Everest gets steeper and steeper and the task of reaching Summit on the 38th attempt is going to be a mammoth one. Table starts to take shape by 13-14 games, even Watford in 17th and consequently all above them are averaging a point or above a game..take that form to the end and the team 17th will probably have 38-40 points..so realistically City will need at least 28-30 points from the final 24 games...meaning, if we cant get anything from the Liverpools, Chelsea's and Man Citys...we are going to have to get a fair few wins from the likes of Everton, Palace, West Ham etc as well as lower teams than those. Task is herculean and i dont see it happening. Yet, im not going to moan, if City continue to improve from the awful first 10 games, even with relegation, at least we want to see us go down fighting...and though its still relegation...an 18th or 19th finish would still be an improvement from 2 seasons back. Last night our defence was ok..but yea...ponderous and slow with no urgency going forward...but Deano knows that and said so..lets see a reaction the next game or two..against big clubs so nothing to lose.

14 Tuesday games without a win...stat that does not mean much other than it may not bode well for us..also Newcastle looking for a win at the 14th attempt this season...so they gotta win right?...awful record for City up there..so win for Magpies sadly. Ultimate winner could be the weather if the game catches one of the heavy bands of rain knocking around...swim suits would be better than footy apparel. Thoughts go out to any hardy fans making that long trip..good on you guys.

Yep confirmed...if the WHO officially give the new strain VOC status it will become the Nu Variant.

Just shows how important wins are, Wolves have lost only 1 less than Newcastle yet in the top 6 courtesy of 6 wins. Our first 10 games yielded so few points and already put us so far behind most in this division that getting good results from just those around us or lower mid table will not be enough for survivability. Hence we have to somehow pick up points, wins to be honest, against teams like Wolves. They are a decent side, in good form and beating them would be even more impressive than the win against Saints. But its the measure of two wins that now we are even contemplating a win against Wolves, which is certainly possible, but we would have to show 90 minutes of what we showed in the 2nd half last Saturday, likely have to survive a hairy moment or two as well. A tough game to win...but show me any easy game in the Prem...but at the very least the last 2 games ...in periods at least...shows we are at last being competitive...a vast improvement over Leeds at home.

Good OP..thinking about last week and the array of postings trying to give their ideas on what was transpiring ever since Daniel got the sack. Like why sack him straight after a win..well Pink Un says Webber did not get the board approval for four sackings until the Saturday morning so he acted as soon as was possible. Others quesioned about Webbers long term targets..well Dean Smith was sacked less than 24 hours after Farke was sacked..not a lot of time to get a process of officially getting a different head coach into the club other than Dean Smith and once he was officially sacked Webber was on the case...and transpires Webber has been a long term admirer / target of Smith. Also it was widely known that City wanted a head coach in place by the time the guys were back from International duty etc...and here we are, job done. None of us fans know the inner workings of the club and likely most other clubs..we are just free to give our often ludicrous and silly opinions on a football forum...myself included..but thats the beauty of a forum after all..at certain times, given enough personal postings, we can all be made to look like idiots. Welcome to our very special club Dean and Craig, wish you all the best in your endeavours here.

Having read many Villa forums posts of the week leading up to Smith's sacking its pretty amazing how close the situation was to Farke being sacked here...with obvious differences in the earlier lead up. Having lost 5 in a row and also the most defeats for Villa in this calendar year than any other Premier club (18) it had been a slow general decline all thru this year, despite a few very good wins interspersed between the defeats. Not just negative results but other factors came into play to such as Covid, injuries, change of his staff during the Summer, Grealish leaving, and no doubt very big pressure on him to take Villa from being survivable Prem club to actually doing more in the top half of the table. It seems week after week he was more losing his way, unable to find an answer to get a team winning, tried around 5 different formations in the previous 13-14 games and players recently just seeming to be headless chickens with no idea what they were supposed to be doing...sounds familiar? His final match vs. Southampton was the last straw..in the days leading up to his sacking nearly every single Villa poster was saying he had to go...but as here at City fans loved him...he was a local lad of course who had done very good things in his time at Villa. It did not take a rocket scientist to know he was getting the boot..and hey Webber im sure knew this to. But hey...Dean Smith, if that is our new head coach, will kick off proceedings against...Southampton...how ironic. But for Deano and Shakey (their forum nicks it seems) its a fresh start, just as it will be for Daniel, wherever he ends up. Wish them all the best.

Absolutely this...what a load of cafuffle from so many posters. Ok so back to that Thursday...Webber gets Daniel into his office and says "hey Daniel, we are sacking you instantly after the match this Saturday, also all your backroom guys, but you are contracted until then so do your best to give us 3 points from the game, then be on your way, Ta very much"...or...hey Daniel, we are giving you the boot right now, you and your staff, leaving us managerless for the important Brentford game"...honestly, as brutal as it felt or seemed, it was done at the (if ever there is a right moment) proper time, Daniel had a good win to end his time with us, a Premier win under his head coaching. As to the opinionated reasonings and thoughts about the two sackings that weekend, fact is all we know for certain is that DF and Dean Smith were sacked within a matter of hours of each other...not months or weeks or even days. Actually what TVB says about working out who to interview etc..the possiblity that the process did not begin until after Smith had already been sacked seems possible...and actually more plausible than many other possible far fetched opinions being touted on here. Whatever...if its to be Dean Smith then welcome Dean. You have my support throughout the rest of the season, and yep its going to be a tough one...but get the squad playing to the best of their abilities and as a team and win, draw or lose you will have our backing.

Not a single word, as is always the case, has come from the club and the new manager / head coach will be announced officially by the club when its signed and sealed. So what you or anyone else has posted, what the media is spurting, all of it, circus or not, does not come from NCFC. Until that time comes everything is just gossip, rumour and irellevance.

No idea about if sacking Daniel is / was the right move, but a few weeks prior to it i posted saying the team needed at least 10-12 games to gel, bond, find their feet and look to have a confidence and momentum to at least have a go in matches. Leeds was the 10th game and any of that felt like a million miles away. Yes we won at Brentford but to be honest under DF i still then felt that the prospect of even getting 5 wins to reach our dismal points tally of two seasons ago would not be reachable...a measure of how hard it is surviving in the Prem using Farkeball, which clearly does not work. We have been relegated from the Prem often, mostly gathering around the low 30s in points..but under Daniel it was 21...and even that i feel would have been a tough ask this season . He was a lovely guy, perfectly right at the time when we needed it and has helped hugely transform this club on the pitch by promoting us from the Champs twice. Yes he had huge adversities to deal with...Covid, injuries...but so did every other club, maybe not quite as stark as City had but it was what it was. I also noted that the Prem is brutal and that to sack DF and his backroom staff would be..or at least feel...brutal, but Webber is the guy charged with the task of improving City season on season and im sure after much thought, he acted. Maybe there is no right or wrong move at this moment, its just one decision, albeit a big one, made by the guy in charge of such decisions.

Sacking DF also means losing 1 or 2 other guys who came with him no doubt and a team coach who is wedded to the complete restructure of the club these past 3 or 4 years. I do believe DF time has come...and gone...but dont under estimate the huge challenge the club faces if they do go this route..getting another manager / coach in plus 1 or 2 others to support him..none of whom are remotely knowledgable about the players, the way the club is run, the policy of bringing thru youth and selling on at profit...never mind actually getting a team or squad to actually win games in the Prem...on paper sacking Farke and bringing in a new guy is a molehill...in reality its a mountain...gettin City to win a Prem game is like climbing K2...but all of the above is like climbing Everest without the best gear.

Completely puzzled by the starting eleven...Daniel, what are you doing...

You obviously didnt read my post or have not yet realised we are not in the Champs this season...which is my whole point. Idid say farkeball was great in the Champs..but in the Prem the ball is going nowhere fast..add in the zonal stuff and players who as a team are just leaving huge gaps everywhere and every other Prem team who know how Farkeball works..its just to easy for other teams to do as they wish..the whole performance on Saturday was a plod...no desire, no spark...if you saw anything to suggest that farkeball works in the Prem then pease enlighten me...for me the team looks slow, ponderous, bereft of ideas, weak, not knowing how to get a win from anywhere...nay not even score..i describe the whole thing as plodding and slow..and its farkeball.

If Daniel just let go of his philosophical play style that works in the Champs but is a death knell in the Prem...if he said to his lads " forget zonal marking and slow plodding passing tippy toe football...just go out there...get stuck in...attack at will..dont be worried by the result but give it your all"..then many of us could be behind him as a start of redeeming things...but i fear that wont happen.