
'Norwich have done to us what we did to Oxford'
We asked you for your views on Liam Manning leaving his role as Bristol City's head coach to join Championship rivals Norwich City.Thank you for all your replies and here is a selection of the thoughts of Robins fans...Adam - Disappointed to lose him and felt we were starting to build something. Hope the likes of Jason Knight and Mark Sykes don't follow him out the door.Joe - Good luck to him but not sad to see him go. His football was pretty stale - sideways and backwards. In the second leg of the play-offs at 3-0 down you would think he would put three up front and have a go! Rob Edwards to come in for me.Harry - I think it's a mix of emotions for everyone involved. Last season was a complete rollercoaster, both on and off the field. I would've liked to see Manning have another season at it. However, I respect his decision and that of his family, and I'd like to thank him for all his hard work. He definitely brought belief and excitement back into the club.Martyn - Can't complain as Norwich have done to us what we did to Oxford! Wish Liam all the best, especially after all he has been through this season.James - The fact we've had our manager taken by a team that finished seven places below us is awful. The fact the Norwich board have managed to convince LM that he'll be better backed than he will be at City is disgraceful on our part.Time for Lansdown to either put his hand in his pocket and really build around Jason Knight and the new manager or sell the club.Jeremy - Personally, I've not got a problem with his departure as the hierarchy can't see his potential. They should have given him the financial backing needed to push on from a pretty good season.He gave the club what they asked for but has been let down by them. Next up? For me it has to be Gary O'Neil.Simon - Can't blame him for leaving when you have an owner who won't give him a budget to move the team forward. He performed a miracle to get us into the play-offs. Norwich will back Manning and have a stronger squad and Manning knows that.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kneecap Glastonbury slot ‘not appropriate', says Starmer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think Kneecap's planned Glastonbury Festival performance is 'appropriate'. He made the comments after Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday, after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.' It comes after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at the festival next week. Mrs Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' The Tory Leader of the Opposition has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. Kneecap took aim at Mrs Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in 'Free Mo Chara' T-shirts. During the proceedings, a prosecutor told the court the 27-year-old is 'well within his rights' to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, is a 'wholly different thing'. O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. Following the hearing, the rapper said: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. 'If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. 'But most importantly: free, free Palestine.' The charge came following a counter-terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs. In April, Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and their merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival.'


Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tip-toeing assassin Jasprit Bumrah finds fast-bowling perfection
As Jasprit Bumrah strode on to the Headingley turf, the crowd was pregnant with expectation. It was not merely that play was about to resume, with England beginning their innings – but that the ball would be thrust into the hands of one of the most remarkable bowlers in Test match history. The clouds circling Leeds lent Bumrah's preparation an especially ominous quality. With his slingshot action, pace and array of variations, Bumrah does not need conditions to be in his favour to be lethal. But the moisture on the Headingley pitch, the grey conditions overhead and the floodlights amplified the challenge facing England's batsmen. Bumrah's first two warm-ups were in vain: drizzle delayed his first bowl in a first-class game for almost six months. Bumrah's appearances will be rationed this summer which only makes the sight of him standing at the top of his mark, poised to unleash hell, more tantalising. Zak Crawley was tasked with facing Bumrah from 22 yards. Perhaps Crawley hoped that, 168 days since he last bowled in a first-class match, Bumrah would need a few overs to relocate his best. If Crawley entertained this delusion, Bumrah's first delivery – which straightened on an immaculate line just outside off stump – showed otherwise. Now Bumrah circled on to off stump, returning to his spot with the menace of a debt collector door-knocking. His third ball squared up Crawley, and narrowly evaded his edge. His fourth delivery kissed the edge but bounced in front of the slips, earning four scarcely-deserved runs. Crawley then blocked the fifth ball securely enough. From the last ball of his opening over, Bumrah seemed to have mislaid his immaculate line, instead spearing the ball towards leg stump. But as Crawley shaped to play the ball through the on side, the ball leapt up, like a leopard out of a bush, and swung away to claim the edge: fast-bowling perfection, a fusion of swing, seam, bounce and 90mph pace. Jasprit Bumrah has arrived. — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 21, 2025 For Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, the challenge in the rest of Bumrah's spell was to do what Crawley had failed to do, and survive. This almost proved too much for Duckett from his first ball against Bumrah, which he poked just short of gully. Three balls later, Bumrah changed his line of attack and unfurled a yorker which struck Duckett's boot. But India's review showed that the ball hit Duckett fractionally outside the line of leg stump. When Duckett is batting with either Crawley or Pope, England have a left and right-handed pair against the new ball, forcing bowlers to adjust their lines. Yet this is rather less advantageous against Bumrah. Indeed, one of the many wonders of Bumrah is his equal potency bowling to left and right-handers alike: absurdly, he averages under 20 against both. Whoever faced Bumrah bowled in his opening spell at Leeds, the sense of foreboding remained. In his third over, Bumrah treated Pope to a near-replica of his dismissal of Crawley, which again seemed to defy geometry as it moved in the air and off the pitch. This time, the batsman's edge bisected third slip and gully and secured an undeserved four runs. The over ended with another edge from Pope, this time bouncing just in front of gully and again going for four. Bumrah's wry grimace spoke of his ill-fortune. When he returned for his fourth over, Shubman Gill vowed that Bumrah should not again suffer the injustice of an edge through the vacant slips going for four. As such, he fortified the slip cordon – which now comprised four slips and a gully. Duckett knew what awaited him: a series of deliveries angled across him, each moving wickedly and testing his famous reticence to leave the ball alone. This time, the edge did land in a fielder's hands, when Duckett slashed the ball to backward point; yet Ravindra Jadeja, one of the world's greatest fielders, shelled a relatively routine chance. When Duckett survived the next over, Bumrah's first spell ended with a haul of 1-21 from five overs: figures can seldom have been more deceptive. By the time Bumrah returned, an over before tea, the afternoon gloom had given way to glorious sunshine. Yet his threat was undimmed. Duckett, already fortuitous against Bumrah earlier, almost edged another venomous delivery, which pitched on the leg stump then curved past his groping edge. Finally, in the fourth over of his spell, Bumrah cramped up Duckett and elicited an inside edge, which crashed into his stumps. Bumrah celebrated with an undemonstrative smile, exuding the air of a man who was not surprised. Then again, nor should Bumrah have been: no one else in Test history, after all, has taken more than 200 wickets at under 20 apiece. This record is even more remarkable as he disproportionately rests against weaker sides. 🎙️ "You need a breakthrough, you go to Bumrah and he delivers." Ben Duckett departs for 62 ❌ — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 21, 2025 Moving the ball both ways from his exaggerated angle wide of the crease, Bumrah plotted his moves ahead, like Ronnie O'Sullivan constructing a century break. Joe Root was perilously close to edging behind. Pope, who was once the victim of one of Bumrah's most outlandish yorkers, drove at a ball that left him, edging to third slip. This time, Yashasvi Jaiswal spilled the chance. Bumrah covered his face in his Indian cap in his despair. As he trudged back to fine leg, Rishabh Pant ran towards the bowler to console him, apologising for his teammate's failure to match Bumrah's excellence. In the last throes of the day, Gill returned – inevitably – to Bumrah. From his second ball, Pope got an inside edge and scrambled a single to bring up his century; perhaps Bumrah's luck had not changed. But next ball, Root was deceived by a delivery that straightened rather than moved in, and poked the ball to slip: his tenth dismissal to Bumrah in Test cricket. GOT HIM! Jasprit Bumrah gets the BIG wicket of Joe Root ⚡️ — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 21, 2025 Harry Brook has never previously had the misfortune of facing Bumrah before. In an over and a half at the close, Brook learned just how hazardous batting against Bumrah is. Deliveries by turn nipped in and away; there was a surprise slower ball too. Then, Bumrah showed off his bouncer, cramping up Brook and watching as Mohammed Siraj rushed back from mid on to complete a fine catch. Bumrah raised his arms aloft in elation. Then, he heard the umpire's sickening call: he had overstepped, for the third time in the over, winning Brook a reprieve. A brutal bouncer to end the day, which Brook narrowly ducked inside the line of, emphasised the challenge that awaits England on day three and beyond. England's fear for the rest of the series will be that Bumrah will be just as good but less unlucky. Their only comfort will be that, unlike Australia last winter, they will not have to face Bumrah in all five Tests.


The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Pope century lifts England after bowlers claw control away from India
A day on from that much-debated decision to bowl first by Ben Stokes and the clouds had started to lift for England. The hosts were still some way from flipping the advantage they had handed India but by stumps, after an earlier fightback with the ball, Ollie Pope's unbeaten 100 had established something akin to a foothold in the contest. Pope came into this Test with questions being asked about his spot at No 3; questions that centred around a poor record against India and Australia and not quelled by that 171 against Zimbabwe. Jacob Bethell, flavour of the month in New Zealand late last year, was breathing down his neck, even if potential, rather than back catalogue, was the driver. And yet as England closed on 209 for three in reply to India's 471 all out – a total derailed by a collapse of seven for 41 – Stokes was grateful to his vice-captain for holding firm in the face of a typically electric display by Jasprit Bumrah. It would be wrong to roll out Graham Gooch's old line about Richard Hadlee – 'World XI at one end, Ilford 2nds at the other' – but when Bumrah was on, the smell of wickets hung in the clammy air. India's remarkable slingshot could easily have had more than his three for 48 from 13 overs, not least the edge that Yashasvi Jaiswal had earlier grassed at slip when Pope was on 60. His day underlined where the crux of this series likely sits but ended with those broad shoulders slunk. Harry Brook, on nought simply tasked with seeing out the final over, was caught playing a wild hook, only for a front-foot no-ball to be called. The Yorkshire faithful could have been forgiven for grumbling about there being 'more brains in a pork pie' – a charge that at least could not be laid at Pope. His one life aside, England's No 3 had been largely equal to his unique challenge of Bumrah and the spikiness of Mohammed Siraj. Emerging after the loss of Zak Crawley sixth ball, and looking in touch from the outset, Pope sent 13 fours cruising along this fast outfield. Pope looked a bit like a local at times, picking up runs behind square as they tend to do in these parts and sealing his ninth Test century before the close. The celebration was one of pent up frustration being released. But he also needed partners, Ben Duckett making a typically punchy 62 in a stand of 122 runs and Joe Root adding 28 in an alliance worth of 80. Both had early reprieves – Duckett dropped on 15, Root overturning an lbw on seven – and both were ultimately Bumrah'd in the end. It was never going to be straightforward, with India's collapse either side of lunch as welcome for England as it was potentially ominous. The clouds had rolled over Headingley to see the Dukes ball start hooping and only made way in the evening. For Josh Tongue this was simply manna from heaven, day one figures of none for 75 from 16 transformed into four for 86 from 20 courtesy of a rapid demolition of the tail. As Stokes joked in his celebrations, Tongue was devouring some rabbit pie here. Although the spark was Shoaib Bashir getting the breakthrough that his performance 24 hours earlier had deserved when Shubman Gill looked to take down the off-spinner on 147 and skewed the ball to deep backward square. Gill and Pant had put on 209 for the fourth wicket, the latter turning his overnight 65 into three figures and celebrating with a superb somersault. Going by the ovation, the locals thought was flippin' marvellous. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Pant sure is an entertainer, his eventual 134 from 178 balls packed with more fun than a day at Disney. And yet for all the tumbling scoops and range hitting into the Western Terrace – 12 fours and six sixes – it was stitched together with watchful defence. This, as much as the mischief, is why only three wicketkeepers – Adam Gilchrist (17), Andy Flower (12) and Les Ames (8) – have scored more than his seven Test centuries. But with an end opened up by Gill's removal at 430 for four, the previously listless England suddenly surged and India's total became the lowest in Test history to contain three centuries. Among the three ducks that made it so was poor Karun Nair, who had spent eight years waiting for a Test recall and chipped his fourth delivery from Stokes to a flying Pope at short cover. It really can be a cruel sport at times. Tongue knows it all too well, of course, the fast bowler back this summer after an 18-month battle with injuries. Reward for this perseverance came with the eventual removal of Pant, a switch to around the wicket messing up the left-hander's calibrations and leading to an odd-looking lbw offering no shot. Jamie Smith, who had earlier missed a stumping off Pant when he was on 124, could also breathe a sigh of relief here. This was possibly surpassed by those from Duckett and Crawley after Tongue gobbled up his rabbit pie and 40 minutes of rain then intervened. Not that conditions improved much after the restart, Bumrah steaming in under lights, squaring up Crawley in his first over, and seeing an edge fly into the cordon. But on this sticky second day Indian hands lost some of their adhesiveness and Pope managed to wriggle England free.