Leaderboard

This is why Pearson is the right person for the job and patience needs to be shown. Attitude in football and dressing room culture is vital to a happy team, that is then a successful one. This mess started with Ashton and Johnson - arguably some forced on them, due to players we sold and cashed in on, but ultimately, the process of checking the players coming in was not good enough and did not look beyond their natural and potential ability. Holden walked into a ticking time bomb, with a squad of unfit, unhappy players with a few who were causing issues behind the scenes. Nige has come in - taken stock, and is slowly but surely getting rid of them, to enable the culture required to come back. Players have to do it his way, or no way. When players like Kasper Schmeichel or Matty James speak so highly of him, it is for a reason, however some of our players don't like the harsh realities being served to them behind closed doors. To his credit, Pearson always said it was a 3 year plan to convert and we are nearing the end of year 1. I've no doubt following a summer overhaul, we'll see a big difference in the next 12 months. Today is a good day for this club, and his honesty should be a further warning to those players who think they can do as they wish.

It’s funny isn’t it? Weve always talked a lot about the pathway. It was a buzz word. But in reality, that pathway was anything but open in the tenure of previous incumbents. If we needed a player, the academy was the last place we’d look we’d just buy another - a Diony, a Wells, dare I say a Rodri (god I had banished him to some far part of my brain!). It’s taken years and years of over spending - buying players who ‘aren’t on the bus’, picking up nearly 30k/week for us to realise that the pathway actually was the answer all along. There were 7 clear pathways against Millwall and 5 against Cardiff yesterday. I think many of us agreed that we’d be prepared to fare slightly worse in the league if it meant that the pathway was genuinely open and genuinely open it now is. Whether it’s Nige’s eye, a particularly talented crop, being financially hamstrung into it or just a simple win against Cardiff is anyone’s guess, but these are exciting times for the team. But we must remember that players so young will make mistakes. They may get the occasional drubbing, they will make silly mistakes and from time to time they’ll be anonymous… but so long as we remember they’re young and still learning and we have patience, then we’ll reap in the long term. It’s been a fantastic weekend. Here’s to Tuesday.

For those who following the Away Days YouTube channel, you might already know that the game today was ours. The video is up quite early (and linked below), but for those unfamiliar with the channel, it's all about football shirts and away games. Just watched it and it's well worth 15 minutes of your evening. And if you aren't familiar with the channel, the football shirt videos are well worth a watch as well.

If/when we stay up it will be classed as a good season We've signed next to no one but the effort being put in is better then anything we've seen in a very long time

Absolutely brilliant today and underrated IMO. Take a bow

I really like this team. It’s the savviest side we’ve had since the Cotterill days. We may not win every game and get thrashed a few times - but Pearson is only keeping players who are interested in being here and are desperate to win. Fans can see that. I think this is the most I can remember the fans being behind the team since the good times under Lee Johnson some 4 years ago. I’m confident Pearson will get it right sooner rather than later - not that he isn’t already with the tools he has, I mean getting us higher up the table.

Absolutely imperious today. What a dominant performance. He won every header and as always bravely put himself about to protect our goal. Not sure how he got a seven in the Post’s player ratings. A nine for me all day long. It is vital he stays fit now. Well played Tomas.

Class act, shows exactly what we liked about him, Flint? Not so much. Still, it did enable Chris Martin to outpace someone for the first time since the 2010s today..

Probably still getting over the shock of seeing electricity & running water. It’s like the Middle Ages where they’re from.

Looking like the real deal pace power and now a real goal threat gave the cardiff defence a torrid time this lad is going to be some player well done lad

Nice to have a manager who says it how it is instead of just saying he’s going on loan to get game time .

Really pleased for him today, came on at a tough time & asked to play out of position but stuck to his task & got a high five from Nige late on when he blocked a through ball. Clearly not his position but should be pleased with his efforts.

Yep. Those booing and singing “you’re a ***” at Marlon & Flint need to give their head a wobble. Embarrassing.

He's actually a really knowledgeable lad who's been doing this for years, and for many without much of a viewership. He has a real passion for the game and provides an insight into the stands across all levels of football, not just here in England but all over Europe. Not exactly big of you to belittle someone by calling him a geek without clearly knowing anything about him.

Our ability to pass out from the back has only happened since Max has been in the team. It’s such an important part of our play. Imo he’s far less rooted to his line than Bents, too. There’s no doubt that Bents is a great shot-stopper but sometimes he makes saves having previously given away possession through his own poor distribution. I agree that Max should have done better with Cardiff’s second goal today but right now, I prefer to keep him in the side.

Nice touch clapping all the home end post game today- (it’s riled a few Cardiff fans on twitter). thought he actually was very good today, OOC in the summer, wouldn’t mind him back.

I think some fans are shocked at the reality check . It is what has been missing for some time . Though do we think it would have been different under the successful GJ or SC tenure ? No . You have to create the right environment. It’s a basic of top sides . It’s what Klopp and Pep do and what Spurs and Everton have failed at , as sn example . Pre season , in Robins uncut , I ventured the opinion that Bakinson sat on his rear after one session was not a good look . It really looked terrible . It’s a shame for him , but desire and drive are essentials to get to the next level , no matter your skill with the ball . During lockdown I read more than ever the books of the top coaches . It’s not a modern thing either . The desire and attitude would have been key to any Alex Ferguson squad . Nige has his way , it’s not too different to many top operators . There is a huge difference between a bully and demanding . We have a low budget and tight squad . That group needs to all contribute and work for each other . It’s how you do it in business too . It’s tough but that is how it is . But if you make the grade the results can be exceptional . Anyway , Semenyos second goal vs Fulham . When can anyone recall a City striker turning and then powering away for such a finish ? Not even Tammy did that . That was as good a goal as you will see for City . But that came from hard work , determination and learning . Sadly Bakinson is miles off that intensity and imho is why he will never compete at the top much as I like parts of his game . I would take Camara at Plymouth over Bakinson. Pearson will be given time and we will be a far far better club for it . Shame he arrived 5 years too late as he would have loved the core of our L1 promotion team .

Great to see MP clapping the crowd at the end. I live pretty close to MP and he is a genuine nice guy. My son broke his leg in the first lockdown and within 24 hours MP has used his contacts at Bristol City to produce get well clips from all the city 1st team. My son was over the moon with it and something he’ll always cherish. He didn’t need to do this but did as he’s one of the good guys in the game. We could do a lot worse by bringing him back as some form of coach in the youth set up in the future.

Needs rid of then if he has a bad attitude. Something some former Manager's have been reluctant to do with the bad eggs in the dressing room

So , out of interest- do you feel the same way about your local pub? It may be owned by someone but it belongs to the drinkers? Trouble with this view is about the money- it's always about the money. Colchester , in common with many a business which have a place in a local community, are not exactly flowing with cash or the level of support which makes the business sustainable. Many people want the facility to be there but aren't always willing to support it other than as and when it suits them. I support BCFC but not from my sofa but with hard cash. I dont go looking for basically illegal free streams which deprive our club of desperately needed money and then go bleating on about no money for transfers. When City announce losses of over £30 million in a season ( year) I thank the lord that I don't own the club and I have zero liability for the losses. Fans are great when money is being spent on transfers/trying to get a promotion but turn very quickly if it doesn't work out and the club is in serious debt. Just ask any Derby fan. And whilst I'm on a rant- how difficult is it to pay £5 to OTIB and become a supporter? It's OUR forum after all..... isn't it???

I disagree CiderJar - I don’t think your post should be deleted or banished to the ‘Transfer Section’ - you’ve highlighted a legitimate point about whether one of our former players may be regretting leaving our club - you haven’t advocated buying him back or anything like that, you’ve simply sparked an interesting debate - to be dismissed with a two word ‘Transfer Section’ response is both disrespectful and dismissive. And if this topic is being discussed on the Transfer Forum I would still say it is rude to respond with a two word ‘Transfer Section’ reply - your OP is relevant and interesting and deserves its place on the OTIB football chat home page - why should your post be banished to the Transfer Forum when you are not discussing bringing him back to Ashton Gate? I’d ignore calls for it to be shunted to one side if I were you ...

In 6/7 months we have progressed from a team of players that most fans detested to a side that gives a sh8t and is leaving everything out on the pitch. Green shoots indeed.

Bentley easier the better keeper.

Not ideal but we won FFS & Nige is confident enough to pair HNM & Scott. The process is working, despite the serial moaners.

The thing that I see when I look around the current team, are players who appear to actually love Bristol City, and that for me goes a hell of a long way.

8 of yesterday’s squad were produced by us. I know Pring had a spell early on at Cheltenham & Semenyo was at SGS before we signed him, but that’s splitting hairs. Amazing achievement, I’m sure there are a few other Championship sides doing similar (Derby? Millwall?) but ours in terms of both volume & quality is doing exceptionally well & personally I’d rather see a side with so much local representation in the Championship than a side with barely anyone British in the Prem.

Compared themselves to Norwich City as well. Lets not forget this... or this... Now, I KNOW you shouldn’t judge a whole fanbase on a couple of posts (although in fairness you read this sort of thing from them all the time) however, living in Bristol and working with Sagheads, I know very well that a decent number of them actually think like these two.

Not sure if this has been mentioned before so apologies in advance, but just seen this seeing that Albert, bless him, now holds the record for the most championship appearances. No mean feat when you consider his route into professional football. Definitely a bit of a legend in these parts congratulations Uncle Albert. What a top man (as Geoff would say!)

It’s almost as if you can be a tiny, little bit patient you can see things improving!

The Atyeo Stand Steward Toilet Investigation Team (who aren't keen on acronyms), are struggling to complete their investigation, as after the incident they have nothing to go on.

I heard Pearson shouting "f*****g brilliant, f*****g great Jay" when he closed down 3 Cardiff players in a row. Must be doing something right to get that praise.

Liked it when he chased down an opponent with 10 ish to go and put it out for a throw. Nige gave him a little pat to say well done, which warmed the cockles of my heart!

Never understand how fans could boo a key player in the double winning team. At times we've missed him since he's left. Happy that today wasn't one of those times.

Very mature performance from him today. 18 years old….wow. Let that sink in a minute. What a talent.

People who don’t rate him baffle me. He certainly isn’t the quickest but you don’t bluff the career he’s had. Superb hold up play, wins headers he has no right to, he’s a very good striker.

Mitrovic wouldn’t have had such an easy time of it if Baker had been on the pitch on Saturday.

To be fair to them they missed a staue being carried a hundred metres across thre centre in broad daylight. It is quite gloomy in the Atyeo.

We’re you sat on your own

have they no shame

Shame . Really rate Baker and we miss his presence at the back. More importantly though is that he fully recovers from a couple of serious head injuries

Well there were ‘rumours’ of a bigger issue regarding his health and too many concussions. Hope you get better soon Bakes and do what’s best for your own health.

We always have the tunnel camera footage after a win, but I think Joe Williams has taken it to a new level:

I didn’t think they were “too nice”, I think we just seem to have developed a streetwise streak. Flint would have known of Semenyo as a youth player. What he wouldn’t have expected now was someone who bullied him in every challenge, beat him up physically and, yeah, left a bit on him (within the rules of the game). Was fantastic to see.

Watching Flint fall on his arse after being brushed off by Semenyo in the second half is the Champagne Moment of the Season for me

Afternoon all There's a few other clubs forums I enjoy reading - this one in particular - and huge amounts in this thread are accurate. As a Derby fan it's been a sobering time recently and the reality is whilst a great escape would be something we'd look back on for ever most of us just want a club, our club, to support next season. The one bit I would like to correct - or clarify - is the vast amount of Derby fans do accept that Mel Morris is the reason behind the mess and could fix all this in two strokes: paying the HMRC and indemnifying any new owner against any claim by Boro or Wycombe. Yes, you do still get people on twitter or some message boards who think the sun shines out of his backside but to say all our ire is directed at the EFL and not him (or Stephen Pearce our CFO who is still employed during admin) is inaccurate. There are more chants and abuse aimed at those two at games than the EFL. Where we have an issue with the EFL (or maybe it's with Quantuma) is that the EFL and admins are releasing contradictory stories and for us it's vital our MPs or some other entirely independent body so we can flush out the real position and what needs doing (assuming MM doesn't do the decent thing. If anyone knows where he is please do share!). There is a distrust of the EFL amongst fans which I do think is fair based on past events but ultimately we just want to know how we break the impasse between EFL/admins and will fight and engage whoever we can to do it. As a club we ****** up. Our owner ****** up and the vast majority of fans went along for the ride. We've been punished so far. We need to exit admin correctly which will entail further hardships. But above all we just want a club next season. So yeah it's a cathartic experience reading the thread but please don't think that the fans at the game are blaming anyone other than MM for this. We are. We also know though that in his continued absence and abdication we need the support of the EFL to survive.

I think it is a two way thing though. Wollacott has blossomed because he left. Had he stayed, I’m not sure he would or should have dislodged Bentley or O’Leary and arguably we’d have been holding him back. Ditto I gather Nurse is doing well in League One but that could be seen as an argument that we have done the right thing in letting a player who was not at Championship level build a career elsewhere rather than stagnate at a key time. Likewise with Britton. He’s behind Semenyo, Janneh, Conway and Bell and it may be there are other younger prospects that the coaches think are only a couple of years away too. I’d be sad to see Britton go but the fact Derry City are after him rather than a Championship or League One club suggests he has some work to do before he gets to Championship level, if indeed he ever does so. I think we hoarded players a bit in the past and I think Morrell is an example of someone we held onto without playing him to a point where it was detrimental to his career. James Morton seems to have stagnated too. Not every player will make it here. If Britton, Wollacott or Nurse get moved on, get a chance they would not have got here, take that chance and build out a career in the game, I don’t see that as a failure of our youth policy but more an example of what an ethical youth policy should look like.

Completely agree. There are some that like to think NP’s a bully . Nothing of the sort . He’s exactly what this club needed to turn it around. We’ve had a soft underbelly for years now . You only go one way in that scenario & that’s down . Im excited for the future under nige. This time next season I think there’ll be a big improvement in what we see on the pitch. It’s starts behind the scenes though & it’s the things we don’t see day to day that set the trend .

I’ve continually called him “a warrior” and “the best defender at our club” on here - and I’ve been laughed at, ridiculed and shouted down for those views - but I still stand by them - Nathan Baker is a proper defender - a proper stopper, a guy who relishes the battle and gives everything - it’s been a pleasure cheering him on, I hope he’s ok and can return to play for us - but if not, thanks Bakes - a proper hard man who knew how to give everything for the Red shirt ...