The best and worst of LJ.

[RobintheRed Red]

8 hours ago, BS3_RED said:

Now let me start by saying, I would have taken a point yesterday before kick off and so am more than happy with it now. I thought LJ did everything right pre game. He kept the same team and formation and built on the previous couple of games where we have looked settled and improving. 

I thought we play played Blackburn of the park and if we had taken our chances we would have walked away with a comfortable 4 or 5 nil win. Blackburn only had the one sniff in the first half and that was due to a lucky deflection. I even said to the guy next to me that Lee could not be blamed for not winning this game if they nicked one as he had done everything right.

 

Then comes their goal from their only real attack up to that point and for me Lee returns to type and made completely unnecessary changes. 30 seconds before their goal we could and should have scored with Brownhills and we were in complete dominance. I thought Paterson was playing well and so was Little. 

 

If we had just rode out the following 5 minutes where Blackburn were always going to get a lift I really believe we would have taken control again and would have created at least one more chance. 

 

As it was, we took Patterson off for Odowda and then moved Smith to right back when Cotts came on for Little and from that point on it was always about surviving as I feel our midfield suddenly lost control of a game that they bossed from the first minute.

 

Now someone might come on and tell me that Patterson and Little had taken knocks in which case fair enough to Lee but both looked fine an still motoring when they came off to me.

This was one time where I really thing making subs was the wrong call and we really should have just let the starting 11 reclaim the dominance that they held.

Apart from that, I thought Lee got everything right and as he is here to stay we might as well get behind him.

COYR and bring on Barnsley where I am sure Lee will need our support.

Tinkerman again

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

5 minutes ago, Cheesleysmate said:

Glad it has taken him 40 games to work out how to win! 

Taking this comment with a pinch of salt, the real question to ask is, given how well we started this season and how well we appear to be finishing, what the hell happened in between?  Was it just a case of a team becoming completely drained of confidence and self-belief after a few narrow defeats, and no one at the club being able to get them back on track?  Certainly the pretty awful January transfer window didn't help (for me Hegeler is up there with Tony Dinning as worst midfielder ever to play for City), but more and more it seems that it was the psychology which was all wrong, and swapping Pemberton for McAllister seems to have been the turning point there.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

3 minutes ago, RobintheRed Red said:

Tinkerman again

Oh come on, surely this thread deserves something better than that.

[Gert Mare]

Just now, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Taking this comment with a pinch of salt, the real question to ask is, given how well we started this season and how well we appear to be finishing, what the hell happened in between?  Was it just a case of a team becoming completely drained of confidence and self-belief after a few narrow defeats, and no one at the club being able to get them back on track?  Certainly the pretty awful January transfer window didn't help (for me Hegeler is up there with Tony Dinning as worst midfielder ever to play for City), but more and more it seems that it was the psychology which was all wrong, and swapping Pemberton for McAllister seems to have been the turning point there.

It was all Pembos fault.....oh, and the fans

[downendcity]

42 minutes ago, Cheesleysmate said:

Glad it has taken him 40 games to work out how to win! 

If I remember correctly it only took him one game to work out how to win this season.

[...]

Look - lets stop squabbling and get behind Lee for the last three games.

I've knocked Lee as much as the next supporter who gives a toss about BCFC, and has 1/2 a brain, but I'm sure we will all miss him when he is poached by Arsenal in June.

I think this is what he meant by possible European football within 4 years?

[paulcityfan]

I don't actually think it is him making the decisions anymore.  Seems too easy recently, something amiss

[BobBobSuperBob]

51 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

With only seven subs you can't necessarily cover every position.  As Korey Smith was at right back when we beat Wigan and Huddersfield, hardly surprising that he should act as cover for RB.

I would hope that most City fans would understand that Matthews should never wear a Bristol City shirt again.

Agree with this totally 

As KS has performed more than adequately at RB recently he had his 'cover' in event of an emergency - no need to have another RB on bench , especially a young inexperienced one 

[JamesBCFC]

56 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Taking this comment with a pinch of salt, the real question to ask is, given how well we started this season and how well we appear to be finishing, what the hell happened in between?  Was it just a case of a team becoming completely drained of confidence and self-belief after a few narrow defeats, and no one at the club being able to get them back on track?  Certainly the pretty awful January transfer window didn't help (for me Hegeler is up there with Tony Dinning as worst midfielder ever to play for City), but more and more it seems that it was the psychology which was all wrong, and swapping Pemberton for McAllister seems to have been the turning point there.

don't agree with the comment about Hegeler, but the rest sounds about right to me

[ScottishRed]

41 minutes ago, Taxi for Johnson said:

Look - lets stop squabbling and get behind Lee for the last three games.

I've knocked Lee as much as the next supporter who gives a toss about BCFC, and has 1/2 a brain, but I'm sure we will all miss him when he is poached by Arsenal in June.

I think this is what he meant by possible European football within 4 years?

My connections tell me it's Real that are after him.

[Port Said Red]

4 hours ago, bh_red said:

Question we have to ask is why wasn't their Right Back Cover on the bench?

is Vyner then latest player to suffer the LJ disapeering act.

matthews....

because you can only have a certain number of players on the bench and Korey has already shown that he is more than adequate cover at right back?

[pillred]

6 hours ago, Robbored said:

We are only 90% safe so analysis of LJs season is a tad premature but........

The season could be divided into three parts. Off to a decent enough start, followed by a free fall down the league including a run of 8 consecutive defeats, a club record a a very dangerous flirt with the dreaded DZ. calls for LJs head echoing around AG. Claims that he was too inexperienced in the SBC, that he didn't know what he was doing and that he'd "lost" the dressing room.....SL then publically supports his man which in turn created more angst amongst the faithful. Talk of protests, banners and boycotting games which all turned out to be empty waffle.

More recently results  have improved. 7 points from the last three matches with the same starting 11 and squad. At long last LJ has found his best 11 and players he can "trust". At Blackburn City scored a terrific team goal with 9 of the 11 making a contribution. That alone says that the dressing room is united.

Im optimistic City will be in the SBC next season. A win on Saturday will ensure that and I'm confident that LJ will have gained a huge amount of experience from the pressure he's been under virtually all season and be a better manager for it.

really hope you're right, because if people really do learn from their mistakes we should walk the league next season.

[phantom]

11 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

because you can only have a certain number of players on the bench and Korey has already shown that he is more than adequate cover at right back?

It certainly worked a few games back, but thought he struggled when back there against Blackburn, but can equally put that down to how awful Cotterill was in front of him

[BobBobSuperBob]

Just now, phantom said:

It certainly worked a few games back, but thought he struggled when back there against Blackburn, but can equally put that down to how awful Cotterill was in front of him

Cotterill is in danger of turning into a bit of a dissapointment

Reading back on the Birmingham Forums he was being talked about as a anti Zola rebel 

Looks like he's not overjoyed at being benched here

Shame , as when he's focused I think he's a very decent Championship player

[Port Said Red]

38 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Cotterill is in danger of turning into a bit of a dissapointment

Reading back on the Birmingham Forums he was being talked about as a anti Zola rebel 

Looks like he's not overjoyed at being benched here

Shame , as when he's focused I think he's a very decent Championship player

Yes, it's looking like he isn't that concerned and maybe has something else lined up in the summer. On the face of it, and this was the case in the first few games, he is a very useful balance to the side.

[bpexile]

On 19/04/2017 at 03:33, Cheesleysmate said:

It was all Pembos fault.....oh, and the fans

I really like Pembo but perhaps it was just a simple case of "A New Broom...... blah, blah, blah". Anyhow we do seem to have turned the corner but I'm still a long way from convinced that LJ is the man.

[Hampshire Red]

Ole, haven't yet read your Blackburn report and I really rate your reviews highly and can say they are the closest reflection to the game I watch. So that's a big 'well done' and plea to keep up the good work, not just at Brighton but also next season.

I would add the changing point at Ewood was B.R going 3 at the back pushing one more wide into midfield. Lj reacted well and we still battered them until their goal. The 10 mins highlights on BCWorld is worth watching as it shows the intricate short passing and how good Brownhills also was. Back in February I couldn't see what he nor O'dowda gave us so well done Lj for proving me wrong. I do appreciate he can only puck an 11 not a 14 but it seems he has found his best formula? We played football at a level not seen since Fulham away and perhaps even better than that.

It is sad people like cheesleysmate can't recognise nor appreciate Lj & McA for what they are doing. Probably, unlike Ole, other regular attendees and I they don't go to games?

CoYRs