Match Report: A game so horrific I've made most of this up

[Olé]

Gary Johnson once promised to show his backside in Burton. His son just showed his bad side there instead. Terrible pun but I haven't got much material to work with here. And I worked on that for 3 hours.

This was easily the worst game of football you will see this season. The pitch wasn't the best but City continually gave the ball away with a succession of underhit and overhit passes or long range punts.

Our first shot on target was in the 92nd minute by which time Korey Smith had put in easily his worst game in a City shirt and Bobby Reid had been reduced to dropping 30 yards deeper and hoofing it upfield.

By virtue only of knowing the speed and run of their pitch better, Burton were the more convincing team, but to say it was just the pitch would do them a disservice - they got the ball down far more than us.

We for some reason (though Cardiff away was a clue) turned into a team that put the ball in the air at every opportunity: the players looked like they hadn't met each other before. This wasn't LJ's finest hour.

We started brightly enough, but quickly it became apparent that Burton would close us rapidly in midfield, resulting in us losing possession to underhit touches or overhit (or downright ambitious) forward balls.

We did contrive the first good move of the game, Pack, Reid and Paterson combining on the left but no one meeting Paterson's cross. Paterson got to the byline next but his near post shot was beaten away.

It was as good as it got for another hour. Burton showed more conviction when they broke, actually holding the ball up better than we could, creating room to threaten and pushing our lot deeper and deeper.

But quality was at a premium in what must be one of the worst ever football games in Championship history, and neither keeper was troubled by largely speculative shots high over the bar - or out of the ground.

That would change just before half time as Burton worked their striker a clear sight of goal inside the box and Fielding made a smart save, but we failed to clear our lines and a further mad scramble went close.

By half time Bobby Reid had dropped as deep as his own defence to get the ball, but in truth his touch has long since deserted him as much as it had his teammates, and little of his contribution was positive.

Diedhiou was marooned up front and did a poor job most of the time of bringing the ball under control. The rest of the team did not know how to get the ball anywhere near him without putting snow on it.

Our first good move of the second half arrived just before the hour, Kelly sent to the byline on the left, and his sharp cross - the best of the match - flashed across goal to where Diedhiou yards out inexplicably sliced over.

With Djuric on, our ability to win the ball in midfield and actually string the odd pass together was marginally improved (from a very low start) and with 20 left he started a move that saw Reid put Brownhill clear on the right, but the keeper was out first.   

Burton were still more purposeful with the ball - helped by their ability to run with it and play simple passes where our lot were determined to launch everything up in the air, or lay it off perpetually to the invisible man.

But our defence, aided by Hörður, held firm, letting us enjoy a predictably awful cameo by Diony - his headless running and total inability to trap the ball a brief comical respite from the continuous skied passes.

Diony has lots of intent but plays a bit like he is being controlled by someone in the stand using a broken Xbox controller. The ball can arrive at his feet and he has already taken off in the other direction.

With minutes left Burton deservedly had a chance to win it (given their better endeavour breaking down the channels), their striker flashing a looping shot across goal from just inside the right of the box, that just curled wide of Fieldings far post.

But two minutes into injury time City could nearly have nicked it. Less smash & grab, more trash & grab, as an awful display was punctuated by a late City rally, the ball breaking to Brownhill on the edge of the box whose stinging shot - our first on target - was straight at the keeper.

In the end a goalless draw that flatters both teams, a game so poor the ref would have been forgiven for abandoning it after an hour, and a pitch that wrongly will get the blame for City's failure to match their lowly opponents ability with the ball.

Notwithstanding the pitch being comically cut up by tyre tracks on the wings, today we saw our real lack of true wingers and apart from Paterson's ability to run with the ball, we rarely stretched their defence.

Worst of all, when Pack and Korey aren't able to pass out of midfield the whole side implodes, Bobby drops too deep, Famara is isolated, and we become aimless punt it long team with no common sense and no desire to put a foot on the ball and play.

 

Fielding 6 A couple of routine saves

Pisano 6 One of the few to actually get the ball down and run, and strong with it

Kelly 6 Our best cross and a few nice overlaps but poor decision making at times

Wright 6 Solid but unspectacular. One good run (I think he'd give up on everyone launching it)

Baker 6 As above but for half as long

Smith 4 Probably his worst game in a City shirt, kept giving it to the opposition

Pack 5 His range of passing was severely curtailed and became totally ineffective

Paterson 6 Easily the most purposeful with the ball but not much end product and faded quickly

Brownhill 6 Always willing but either no one could find him properly or he needed several touches to control the ball out in the rough on the wing

Reid 5 Dropped deeper and deeper but his passing was way off and understanding with Diedhiou non existent

Diedhiou 5 Couldn't control the ball much of the time and missed a sitter. Had very little support

 

Magnússon 6 Also solid and unspectacular, dealt well with their threat from the right and did more than most to get the ball into their box

Djuric 7 Two touches where he reminded us how well he wins and controls forward balls, are enough to make him our best player on the pitch - it wasn't hard

Diony 4 Becoming an entertaining 100mph sideshow simply from his inability to do the basic things

 

[tts_city]

Magnússon 6  - I think that's harsh.

[Kid in the Riot]

We've played Burton 4 times in the Championship: first game won 2-1 fortuitously, and 3 goalless draws since. LJ has clearly demonstrated he has learnt nothing about how to break down Burton or teams of a similar ilk. 

Poor management and today's performance was just so bad, you start to wonder whether he can turn around such a drop in form AGAIN.

[ChippenhamRed]

It’s curious how LJ appears to be such a feast or famine coach. It defies simple explanation. He is capable of putting out teams that play attractive, winning football - and yet the same personnel then produce a performance like this. All teams suffer inconsistency at times, but it’s the extended spells of good form followed by extended spells of bad that are harder to explain - and the fact that it’s a pattern that appears to repeat itself. Odd.

[reddoh]

19 minutes ago, Olé said:

Gary Johnson once promised to show his backside in Burton. His son just showed his bad side there instead. Terrible pun but I haven't got much material to work with here. And I worked on that for 3 hours.

This was easily the worst game of football you will see this season. The pitch wasn't the best but City continually gave the ball away with a succession of underhit and overhit passes or long range punts.

Our first shot on target was in the 92nd minute by which time Korey Smith had put in easily his worst game in a City shirt and Bobby Reid had been reduced to dropping 30 yards deeper and hoofing it upfield.

By virtue only of knowing the speed and run of their pitch better, Burton were the more convincing team, but to say it was just the pitch would do them a disservice - they got the ball down far more than us.

We for some reason (though Cardiff away was a clue) turned into a team that put the ball in the air at every opportunity: the players looked like they hadn't met each other before. This wasn't LJ's finest hour.

We started brightly enough, but quickly it became apparent that Burton would close us rapidly in midfield, resulting in us losing possession to underhit touches or overhit (or downright ambitious) forward balls.

We did contrive the first good move of the game, Pack, Reid and Paterson combining on the left but no one meeting Paterson's cross. Paterson got to the byline next but his near post shot was beaten away.

It was as good as it got for another hour. Burton showed more conviction when they broke, actually holding the ball up better than we could, creating room to threaten and pushing our lot deeper and deeper.

But quality was at a premium in what must be one of the worst ever football games in Championship history, and neither keeper was troubled by largely speculative shots high over the bar - or out of the ground.

That would change just before half time as Burton worked their striker a clear sight of goal inside the box and Fielding made a smart save, but we failed to clear our lines and a further mad scramble went close.

By half time Bobby Reid had dropped as deep as his own defence to get the ball, but in truth his touch has long since deserted him as much as it had his teammates, and little of his contribution was positive.

Diedhiou was marooned up front and did a poor job most of the time of bringing the ball under control. The rest of the team did not know how to get the ball anywhere near him without putting snow on it.

Our first good move of the second half arrived just before the hour, Kelly sent to the byline on the left, and his sharp cross - the best of the match - flashed across goal to where Diedhiou yards out inexplicably sliced over.

With Djuric on, our ability to win the ball in midfield and actually string the odd pass together was marginally improved (from a very low start) and with 20 left he started a move that saw Reid put Brownhill clear on the right, but the keeper was out first.   

Burton were still more purposeful with the ball - helped by their ability to run with it and play simple passes where our lot were determined to launch everything up in the air, or lay it off perpetually to the invisible man.

But our defence, aided by Hörður, held firm, letting us enjoy a predictably awful cameo by Diony - his headless running and total inability to trap the ball a brief comical respite from the continuous skied passes.

Diony has lots of intent but plays a bit like he is being controlled by someone in the stand using a broken Xbox controller. The ball can arrive at his feet and he has already taken off in the other direction.

With minutes left Burton deservedly had a chance to win it (given their better endeavour breaking down the channels), their striker flashing a looping shot across goal from just inside the right of the box, that just curled wide of Fieldings far post.

But two minutes into injury time City could nearly have nicked it. Less smash & grab, more trash & grab, as an awful display was punctuated by a late City rally, the ball breaking to Brownhill on the edge of the box whose stinging shot - our first on target - was straight at the keeper.

In the end a goalless draw that flatters both teams, a game so poor the ref would have been forgiven for abandoning it after an hour, and a pitch that wrongly will get the blame for City's failure to match their lowly opponents ability with the ball.

Notwithstanding the pitch being comically cut up by tyre tracks on the wings, today we saw our real lack of true wingers and apart from Paterson's ability to run with the ball, we rarely stretched their defence.

Worst of all, when Pack and Korey aren't able to pass out of midfield the whole side implodes, Bobby drops too deep, Famara is isolated, and we become aimless punt it long team with no common sense and no desire to put a foot on the ball and play.

 

Fielding 6 A couple of routine saves

Pisano 6 One of the few to actually get the ball down and run, and strong with it

Kelly 6 Our best cross and a few nice overlaps but poor decision making at times

Wright 6 Solid but unspectacular. One good run (I think he'd give up on everyone launching it)

Baker 6 As above but for half as long

Smith 4 Probably his worst game in a City shirt, kept giving it to the opposition

Pack 5 His range of passing was severely curtailed and became totally ineffective

Paterson 6 Easily the most purposeful with the ball but not much end product and faded quickly

Brownhill 6 Always willing but either no one could find him properly or he needed several touches to control the ball out in the rough on the wing

Reid 5 Dropped deeper and deeper but his passing was way off and understanding with Diedhiou non existent

Diedhiou 5 Couldn't control the ball much of the time and missed a sitter. Had very little support

 

Magnússon 6 Also solid and unspectacular, dealt well with their threat from the right and did more than most to get the ball into their box

Djuric 7 Two touches where he reminded us how well he wins and controls forward balls, are enough to make him our best player on the pitch - it wasn't hard

Diony 4 Becoming an entertaining 100mph sideshow simply from his inability to do the basic things

 

Thanks for the report good as always

do you think that the fact we train on good pitches and play on a good pitch has a bearing on how we play when we don't?

solution

train at mem

or

plough one of the training  pitches?

the players are trained to play on a flat pitch where the ball zips around

[Cider Army]

10 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

It’s curious how LJ appears to be such a feast or famine coach. It defies simple explanation. He is capable of putting out teams that play attractive, winning football - and yet the same personnel then produce a performance like this. All teams suffer inconsistency at times, but it’s the extended spells of good form followed by extended spells of bad that are harder to explain - and the fact that it’s a pattern that appears to repeat itself. Odd.

And that's not just at our club.

[Frenchay Red]

Fair and accurate assessment, though I might have knocked a point off pretty much all of them apart from Duric, who managed to win most of the supply to him in the air or on the ground, but no one was getting to his layoffs. Certainly not Diony. I mean what is the point of him coming on. Has the real Diony been kidnapped? The one we have behaves like a football is an alien object to him. Laughable and embarrassing.

[Cidre Monita]

48 minutes ago, Olé said:

Gary Johnson once promised to show his backside in Burton. His son just showed his bad side there instead. Terrible pun but I haven't got much material to work with here. And I worked on that for 3 hours.

This was easily the worst game of football you will see this season. The pitch wasn't the best but City continually gave the ball away with a succession of underhit and overhit passes or long range punts.

Our first shot on target was in the 92nd minute by which time Korey Smith had put in easily his worst game in a City shirt and Bobby Reid had been reduced to dropping 30 yards deeper and hoofing it upfield.

By virtue only of knowing the speed and run of their pitch better, Burton were the more convincing team, but to say it was just the pitch would do them a disservice - they got the ball down far more than us.

We for some reason (though Cardiff away was a clue) turned into a team that put the ball in the air at every opportunity: the players looked like they hadn't met each other before. This wasn't LJ's finest hour.

We started brightly enough, but quickly it became apparent that Burton would close us rapidly in midfield, resulting in us losing possession to underhit touches or overhit (or downright ambitious) forward balls.

We did contrive the first good move of the game, Pack, Reid and Paterson combining on the left but no one meeting Paterson's cross. Paterson got to the byline next but his near post shot was beaten away.

It was as good as it got for another hour. Burton showed more conviction when they broke, actually holding the ball up better than we could, creating room to threaten and pushing our lot deeper and deeper.

But quality was at a premium in what must be one of the worst ever football games in Championship history, and neither keeper was troubled by largely speculative shots high over the bar - or out of the ground.

That would change just before half time as Burton worked their striker a clear sight of goal inside the box and Fielding made a smart save, but we failed to clear our lines and a further mad scramble went close.

By half time Bobby Reid had dropped as deep as his own defence to get the ball, but in truth his touch has long since deserted him as much as it had his teammates, and little of his contribution was positive.

Diedhiou was marooned up front and did a poor job most of the time of bringing the ball under control. The rest of the team did not know how to get the ball anywhere near him without putting snow on it.

Our first good move of the second half arrived just before the hour, Kelly sent to the byline on the left, and his sharp cross - the best of the match - flashed across goal to where Diedhiou yards out inexplicably sliced over.

With Djuric on, our ability to win the ball in midfield and actually string the odd pass together was marginally improved (from a very low start) and with 20 left he started a move that saw Reid put Brownhill clear on the right, but the keeper was out first.   

Burton were still more purposeful with the ball - helped by their ability to run with it and play simple passes where our lot were determined to launch everything up in the air, or lay it off perpetually to the invisible man.

But our defence, aided by Hörður, held firm, letting us enjoy a predictably awful cameo by Diony - his headless running and total inability to trap the ball a brief comical respite from the continuous skied passes.

Diony has lots of intent but plays a bit like he is being controlled by someone in the stand using a broken Xbox controller. The ball can arrive at his feet and he has already taken off in the other direction.

With minutes left Burton deservedly had a chance to win it (given their better endeavour breaking down the channels), their striker flashing a looping shot across goal from just inside the right of the box, that just curled wide of Fieldings far post.

But two minutes into injury time City could nearly have nicked it. Less smash & grab, more trash & grab, as an awful display was punctuated by a late City rally, the ball breaking to Brownhill on the edge of the box whose stinging shot - our first on target - was straight at the keeper.

In the end a goalless draw that flatters both teams, a game so poor the ref would have been forgiven for abandoning it after an hour, and a pitch that wrongly will get the blame for City's failure to match their lowly opponents ability with the ball.

Notwithstanding the pitch being comically cut up by tyre tracks on the wings, today we saw our real lack of true wingers and apart from Paterson's ability to run with the ball, we rarely stretched their defence.

Worst of all, when Pack and Korey aren't able to pass out of midfield the whole side implodes, Bobby drops too deep, Famara is isolated, and we become aimless punt it long team with no common sense and no desire to put a foot on the ball and play.

 

Fielding 6 A couple of routine saves

Pisano 6 One of the few to actually get the ball down and run, and strong with it

Kelly 6 Our best cross and a few nice overlaps but poor decision making at times

Wright 6 Solid but unspectacular. One good run (I think he'd give up on everyone launching it)

Baker 6 As above but for half as long

Smith 4 Probably his worst game in a City shirt, kept giving it to the opposition

Pack 5 His range of passing was severely curtailed and became totally ineffective

Paterson 6 Easily the most purposeful with the ball but not much end product and faded quickly

Brownhill 6 Always willing but either no one could find him properly or he needed several touches to control the ball out in the rough on the wing

Reid 5 Dropped deeper and deeper but his passing was way off and understanding with Diedhiou non existent

Diedhiou 5 Couldn't control the ball much of the time and missed a sitter. Had very little support

 

Magnússon 6 Also solid and unspectacular, dealt well with their threat from the right and did more than most to get the ball into their box

Djuric 7 Two touches where he reminded us how well he wins and controls forward balls, are enough to make him our best player on the pitch - it wasn't hard

Diony 4 Becoming an entertaining 100mph sideshow simply from his inability to do the basic things

 

Steady Ole some people like Spudski will take offence at anything but blind glowing praise. Reality is, we are not as good as the league suggested in Dec, we are somewhere mid table. We have improved as we are not in a relegation battle. LJ continues to be so far off the level required, blaming his players (about 40 plus I think it is now he has got through) and is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C. Ouch, that must hurt his pride. He is unable to use the resources available at record breaking cost, and blames his tools. Warnock got it right, he hit bingo with his love in with Sl. . LJ is blagging it, has read the ladybird book on football and has an owner throwing millions at his training. He needs to go back to L2 and gain a promotion or two. The club needs to sort it's scouting and get someone in who knows how to get the best out of the resources rather than blame them for not playing like Man City. It still remains the Kings clothes. 

[Bristol Rob]

I fell asleep listening to the game on the radio, this was partly because it sounded dull, but also because if I was awake I was meant to be giving the carpet a shampoo.

Bristol Rob 8 - expertly avoided giving the carpet a clean whilst having an epic nap at them same time. Possible man of the match performance.

[ChippenhamRed]

4 minutes ago, Psychopomp said:

Steady Ole some people like Spudski will take offence at anything but blind glowing praise. Reality is, we are not as good as the league suggested in Dec, we are somewhere mid table. We have improved as we are not in a relegation battle. LJ continues to be so far off the level required, blaming his players (about 40 plus I think it is now he has got through) and is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C. Ouch, that must hurt his pride. He is unable to use the resources available at record breaking cost, and blames his tools. Warnock got it right, he hit bingo with his love in with Sl. . LJ is blagging it, has read the ladybird book on football and has an owner throwing millions at his training. He needs to go back to L2 and gain a promotion or two. The club needs to sort it's scouting and get someone in who knows how to get the best out of the resources rather than blame them for not playing like Man City. It still remains the Kings clothes. 

“LJ continues to be so far off the level required”....

...he has a side with a lower half budget and no parachute payments sitting 7th in the table, having inherited a team in the relegation zone when he arrived.

”Is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C”...

...a core he has rightly retained based on their ability, whilst enhancing with good additions such Baker, O’Dowda, Brownhill, Pisano, Famara, Wright, Paterson - and also converting Reid into the division’s leading scorer.

“Record breaking cost”...

...whether it was a club record spend is irrelevant - our overall squad valuation compared to our rivals is the only relevant statistic, and on that basis LJ is achieving above expectation.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

13 minutes ago, Psychopomp said:

Steady Ole some people like Spudski will take offence at anything but blind glowing praise. Reality is, we are not as good as the league suggested in Dec, we are somewhere mid table. We have improved as we are not in a relegation battle. LJ continues to be so far off the level required, blaming his players (about 40 plus I think it is now he has got through) and is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C. Ouch, that must hurt his pride. He is unable to use the resources available at record breaking cost, and blames his tools. Warnock got it right, he hit bingo with his love in with Sl. . LJ is blagging it, has read the ladybird book on football and has an owner throwing millions at his training. He needs to go back to L2 and gain a promotion or two. The club needs to sort it's scouting and get someone in who knows how to get the best out of the resources rather than blame them for not playing like Man City. It still remains the Kings clothes. 

I believe the term is " the Emperor's new clothes" but like so much of your post- you make stuff up.

[stephenkibby.]

16 minutes ago, Psychopomp said:

Steady Ole some people like Spudski will take offence at anything but blind glowing praise. Reality is, we are not as good as the league suggested in Dec, we are somewhere mid table. We have improved as we are not in a relegation battle. LJ continues to be so far off the level required, blaming his players (about 40 plus I think it is now he has got through) and is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C. Ouch, that must hurt his pride. He is unable to use the resources available at record breaking cost, and blames his tools. Warnock got it right, he hit bingo with his love in with Sl. . LJ is blagging it, has read the ladybird book on football and has an owner throwing millions at his training. He needs to go back to L2 and gain a promotion or two. The club needs to sort it's scouting and get someone in who knows how to get the best out of the resources rather than blame them for not playing like Man City. It still remains the Kings clothes. 

Take it you don't believe in the bigger picture ?

[Chappers]

Totally accurate report, slightly generous marks in an appalling game. I really fail to see the logic in moving Reid into midfield to accommodate a totally confidence free striker. 

[Olé]

7 hours ago, JonDolman said:

Was the problem that they outnumbered us in midfield. That has been the problem a fair few times in this bad run.

They definitely closed us quickly in midfield and didn't give us time, but it shouldn't have been a case of being outnumbered because within 20 minutes of kick off Reid may as well have been in midfield too (in fact for two minutes he played as sweeper we'd got so deep), the real issue was we just gave the ball away over and over again, comical stuff at times, 2-3 yard lay offs to no one, balls out of play, up and over balls straight into their defenders.

Yes the pitch was a factor but the real issue was that Burton were much more comfortable moving the ball on that pitch against us than we are against them, as they were last season. Our link up play was non-existent, apart from a 5 minute first half purple patch with Paterson/Reid/Kelly, we had neither width nor the short passing, and apart from one canter from Pisano, we had no one willing to put a foot on the ball and just run at them with it.

@tts_city - you are right about Magnússon who looked very tidy but I didn't feel I could give anyone more than a 6 for a match like that, although reserved a 7 for Djuric who just does the stuff we're not very good at at the moment (winning the ball in advanced positions and making something of it) very well and makes it look so easy, as he did in October/November. That should be our ray of sunshine today - he's a huge player for us and we've missed him. 

[Garland-sweden]

Yes, this was awful. We had luck to get a draw. Burton looked better footballplayers. Eliasson should have come on with Duric, dont know if it had helped. We had no winger who could put the ball in the box. The Cardiff game was bad, but this was worse. It took ages to get the ball from our half to theirs. Difficault shortpasses in the defence and in the middle, and then a long ball with wrong adress. Once again, one point and clean sheet was the only positive. Im always optimistic but seen the game yesterday, dont know what to think. Bryan was missing, thats for sure. We were very easy to play against. No speed, no fantasy, no good passes, no chances. Nothing!!! But anyway, COYR

[reddoc]

Basically if they're big and strong and get in our faces we're in big trouble. Not sure if it's bottle or just lacking the technical ability to protect the ball and create that extra yard needed. Certainly some players hid yesterday, just didn't want it. With Diedhiou, on yesterdays showing I'd suggest bottle. Some of those powder puff challenges must have embarrassed his mum. Love the comment on Diony, to me I had the impression he's mistaking the ball for his pet spaniel, in that if he spins and runs away from it it'll chase him. Peculiar.

[CyderInACan]

9 hours ago, Olé said:

Diony has lots of intent but plays a bit like he is being controlled by someone in the stand using a broken Xbox controller. The ball can arrive at his feet and he has already taken off in the other direction.

Fair play Rob. Easily the best ever match-report description ever. Had me in stitches which, with cracked ribs, is incredibly painful. Worth it though. Bravo. 

[AshtonGreat]

8 hours ago, Frenchay Red said:

Fair and accurate assessment, though I might have knocked a point off pretty much all of them apart from Duric, who managed to win most of the supply to him in the air or on the ground, but no one was getting to his layoffs. Certainly not Diony. I mean what is the point of him coming on. Has the real Diony been kidnapped? The one we have behaves like a football is an alien object to him. Laughable and embarrassing.

And he's probably getting paid 15 grand a week for that. Disgrace

[Numero Uno]

It’s undeniable that Johnson does revert to long ball football when we are struggling and it is bloody awful to watch and furthermore we aren’t even good at it. Leeds, Cardiff, Burton away......:all long ball trash and the results show it’s not even “effective” which is the excuse some trot out on here for it.

The fact is we’ve served up some right rubbish in terms of both performance and results recently (well, months now) and just as Johnson loves taking the plaudits and is Mr Chirpy when it’s going well he needs to man up, face the music and get it sorted out when it isn’t.

As for the signings of both Kent and Diony........Jesus wept. Who came up with those names as the players who would cement our play off place?

[cidered abroad]

9 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

We've played Burton 4 times in the Championship: first game won 2-1 fortuitously, and 3 goalless draws since. LJ has clearly demonstrated he has learnt nothing about how to break down Burton or teams of a similar ilk. 

Poor management and today's performance was just so bad, you start to wonder whether he can turn around such a drop in form AGAIN.

I honestly now believe that LJ does not have the ability to recover our form EVER AGAIN.

Thanks Ole for confirming what I was thinking throughout the RB match commentary. That virtually the whole side was incapable of stringing passes together, unable to make any controlled efforts to bother their keeper. If it had been a park game that I had stumbled upon while doggie walking, the dog would have been begging me to continue walking!

Continue like this into August and September and the spectre of relegation will be there again to haunt us.

The board have messed up on ST big time but that is small fry compared with SL's continuing devotion to the Head Coach. Nepotism rules at Bristol City.

[ChippenhamRed]

Find it a bit annoying how people can rubbish other people’s posts without EVER having the balls to actually post anything themselves. I’m looking at you Mr No-posts@red and ready

[spudski]

8 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

Steady Ole some people like Spudski will take offence at anything but blind glowing praise. Reality is, we are not as good as the league suggested in Dec, we are somewhere mid table. We have improved as we are not in a relegation battle. LJ continues to be so far off the level required, blaming his players (about 40 plus I think it is now he has got through) and is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C. Ouch, that must hurt his pride. He is unable to use the resources available at record breaking cost, and blames his tools. Warnock got it right, he hit bingo with his love in with Sl. . LJ is blagging it, has read the ladybird book on football and has an owner throwing millions at his training. He needs to go back to L2 and gain a promotion or two. The club needs to sort it's scouting and get someone in who knows how to get the best out of the resources rather than blame them for not playing like Man City. It still remains the Kings clothes. 

How the hell is LJ blagging it? We sit 7th...ahead of 17 other teams, many with bigger resources and more experienced managers. That after only 2 seasons up, whilst others have had far more years in this league and below us.

We've seen how well this team can play. However some people seem to forget these players are human and not some FIFA game. Players have bad games...Smith and Pack have been great this season on the whole....but it's LJ's fault they had a poor game yesterday?

It's been a culmination of many things that have caused our dip in form...mainly injuries to key players, others having to play more games and fill in, then getting knocks and playing through them. Other players off form or not firing ( it happens, they all aren't going to work ). All of this culminates in extra pressure and more individual mistakes happen. Fear sets in and players fear losing and making errors. That's what often leads to performances like yesterday. Especially when you have a back 4 made up of 3 not 100% fully fit players and one Academy product.

When you look at the squad, most would have picked yesterdays team with what we have available. Yet LJ gets the blame for the performance? The players know what to do....you really think LJ said to perform that way? Of course not. But when playing against a side battling for their lives, on a poor pitch, and not playing well, the team resorted to percentages. That's what players do when on the pitch and can see and feel what's happening. Nothing was going our way, players were not playing well (it happens, as it does to all of us ) and we rode out a goal less draw.

We've lost 9 games all season and still sit 7th with 9 games to play.

Yes we are all disappointed after our flying start, but reasoning and understanding why things like this have happened seem to have gone out the window for many.

LJ gets the blame, Ashton, the January transfer window...blah, blah, blah...it's rubbish.

We've done remarkably well this season after only two seasons up.

As for the core of the side, you'll find that 5 of em were playing when SoD was here. Go figure.

You say we are somewhere middle in our ability...what's wrong with that after two seasons?

You think you can gain promotion from League 1 and within 2 seasons get promotion again...guaranteed? If so, why aren't every team doing that?

When we came up 2 seasons ago, if you asked most fans, would you be happy to be an established mid table team and stable two seasons later, the majority would have said yes.

Of course we would.

Problem is...we did very well at the beginning and have given some fans false hope as to what we really are.

Take everything into consideration, we will have done well this season if we finish top 10...and anyone who thinks otherwise is not understanding how football works imo.

[ChippenhamRed]

8 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

I honestly now believe that LJ does not have the ability to recover our form EVER AGAIN.

Thanks Ole for confirming what I was thinking throughout the RB match commentary. That virtually the whole side was incapable of stringing passes together, unable to make any controlled efforts to bother their keeper. If it had been a park game that I had stumbled upon while doggie walking, the dog would have been begging me to continue walking!

Continue like this into August and September and the spectre of relegation will be there again to haunt us.

The board have messed up on ST big time but that is small fry compared with SL's continuing devotion to the Head Coach. Nepotism rules at Bristol City.

EVER AGAIN?! Laughable. Utter nonsense. He’s recovered from a much worse spell than this under the far greater pressure of looming relegation.

Even if we continue with our indifferent form until the end of the season and finish mid table, he will have the summer to regroup and push on again from a higher starting point than the season before.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

13 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

I honestly now believe that LJ does not have the ability to recover our form EVER AGAIN.

Thanks Ole for confirming what I was thinking throughout the RB match commentary. That virtually the whole side was incapable of stringing passes together, unable to make any controlled efforts to bother their keeper. If it had been a park game that I had stumbled upon while doggie walking, the dog would have been begging me to continue walking!

Continue like this into August and September and the spectre of relegation will be there again to haunt us.

The board have messed up on ST big time but that is small fry compared with SL's continuing devotion to the Head Coach. Nepotism rules at Bristol City.

Ha ha.  A clean sheet and a point away from home and you’re ready to open a vein.  Can you not see the progress that we have made this season?  Lee Johnson is a young manager and is bound to make mistakes, but we’re moving forward.  The suggestion of nepotism is as ludicrous as it is unwarranted.  Sticking with one of the most highly rated young managers in Europe is nepotism?  Do me a favour...

[ChippenhamRed]

8 hours ago, ChippenhamRed said:

“LJ continues to be so far off the level required”....

...he has a side with a lower half budget and no parachute payments sitting 7th in the table, having inherited a team in the relegation zone when he arrived.

”Is only surviving because of the core side he inherited from Steve C”...

...a core he has rightly retained based on their ability, whilst enhancing with good additions such Baker, O’Dowda, Brownhill, Pisano, Famara, Wright, Paterson - and also converting Reid into the division’s leading scorer.

“Record breaking cost”...

...whether it was a club record spend is irrelevant - our overall squad valuation compared to our rivals is the only relevant statistic, and on that basis LJ is achieving above expectation.

How on earth has this post gathered more “rubbishes” than “likes”?

Can people not deal with objective analysis based on fact?

[cidered abroad]

14 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

EVER AGAIN?! Laughable. Utter nonsense. He’s recovered from a much worse spell than this under the far greater pressure of looming relegation.

Even if we continue with our indifferent form until the end of the season and finish mid table, he will have the summer to regroup and push on again from a higher starting point than the season before.

Do you honestly believe that at any other club, a manager/head coach would have survived either of the last two seasons?

Good entertaining football for half a season with the other half so bad that we find it impossible to win either game this year against Burton Albion.

I give Burton some credit as a village team with a hard core of 3,000 supporters, and battling for all they are worth but they have lost thirteen home games. But we can't beat them. In the form table from 1st January 2018, we would be down with them, scrapping against relegation.

Smell the coffee and get real .

[GrahamC]

7 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

How on earth has this post gathered more “rubbishes” than “likes”?

Can people not deal with objective analysis based on fact?

Because as soon as we hit a rough spell a few who simply cannot abide the bloke come out of the woodwork to slag him off.

I didn’t want him appointed, thought he was incredibly lucky to keep his job last season but can also see that he has improved us this season.

I think it is called having a balanced view..

[ChippenhamRed]

1 minute ago, GrahamC said:

Because as soon as we hit a rough spell a few who simply cannot abide the bloke come out of the woodwork to slag him off.

I didn’t want him appointed, thought he was incredibly lucky to keep his job last season but can also see that he has improved us this season.

I think it is called having a balanced view..

Thanks Graham. This is certainly how I see it.

[GrahamC]

3 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

Do you honestly believe that at any other club, a manager/head coach would have survived either of the last two seasons?.

Last two seasons?

Last one I grant you, but you seriously don’t think he should keep his job now?

Incredible.

[firstdivision]

It was an unbelievably appalling game, but don't underestimate how much a poor pitch - and it was poor - can affect even Championship-level players. Everyone is fit and organised and the slightest bit of miscontrol is immediately seized upon.

We took apart Swed in the first 45 minutes last Saturday and god knows how we didn't take some of our chances at Preston. 

We get used to playing on a good pitch at home and in training. A poor pitch is a leveller. Only for about three seconds near the end of the first-half did Burton really look like scoring.