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headhunter

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Everything posted by headhunter

  1. Listen live: https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=Le2KWTJrcwN So poor it almost beggars belief. Where has the spark gone? Did it go out on December 29 2017 with only the odd flicker since?
  2. As the OP I had him in a midfield 4 to add pace and width: Bentley / Tanner, Kalas, Atkinson, Pring / Vyner, Massengo, James, O'Dowda / Scott / Wells
  3. Your midfield 2 will get overrun - you need Vyner to provide break up opposition play. If fit Williams, Massengo, James & O'Dowda looks a good midfield combo with Scott [Palmer] / Wells [Weimann] in front. Dasilva & O'Dowda is weak physically
  4. Noooo - ffs let's try something different. I recall reading Scott ran further than anyone against Forest and that was just in 65 minutes.
  5. up front!! Weimann & Martin upfront isn't working is it, even though Nige plays them week in week out. Both need a rest having featured in every league game this season. Neither were prolific scorers in their prime and both are past their best. Weimann has scored 4 goals but that was two braces so apart from that he's scoreless in 12 games. He's top of the assists chart here with 2, both against QPR and whilst the pass to Wells for the winner was sublime, the real credit for Martin's goal was HNM's surging run. Supporters defend AW by saying he runs around a lot but that's just not enough - would you associate him with the term controlled possession? The ball always seems to be running away from him, it doesn't stick - compare him to Grabban the other week. Foot on the ball, look up pass. Based on players currently available I would pick this against the Tykes on Saturday in a 4-4-1-1 [I'm no fan of O'Dowda but he fits in this set up and Pring offers more physicality on that left side than Dasilva; time for Vyner to come off the naughty step as IMHO he's more energetic than Bakinson]: Bentley / Tanner, Kalas, Atkinson, Pring / Vyner, Massengo, James, O'Dowda / Scott / Wells. After 70 minutes you could swap Scott & Wells with Weimann & Palmer As an aside, take a look at these stats from the BBC website, it ain't pretty : https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/top-scorers
  6. A reason why Coppell was such a failure at Ashton Gate is that SL said he must keep on Keith Millen as his No. 2 rather than bring in his own team. At Reading, where Coppell enjoyed so much success, he was supported in training by Wally Downes, a member of Wimbledon's Crazy Gang and who worked under Coppell for many years as a coach at Palace after injury cut short his playing career. Off the field activity, i.e. transfers, were handled by former goalkeeper Nicky Hammond. Talk was that Coppell was rarely seen on the training ground but would inspire a winning mentality in the dressing room on match day. When Nige arrived here the transfer dealings were handled by MA and he was expected to work with relative newcomers Downing & Simpson. Were Craig Shakespeare not assistant to Dean Smith at Villa I think Nige would have had him here like a shot and were he available I think we'd have had Steve Walsh here in player recruitment despite the extra cost compared with what we have now. We're not seeing the best of Nigel IMHO because he doesn't have Shakespeare's support - maybe that could change if Villa go on a bad run and Smith is axed along with his team!!
  7. Agree with everything you've written here
  8. It is looking like both Hughton and McCarthy along with Steve Bruce are living up to the dinosaur label and sadly Nigel is in that category too with an outdated approach.
  9. He will never walk as that means forgoing the pay off from the 2.5 year period left on his contract if he were fired or left my mutual consent
  10. FFS Dave, what with this and the content of the message you sent me on Twitter ?
  11. We'll discuss this in a live FBC Podcast at 12.30 this lunchtime. Listen here: https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=xzj0eC7gupo Just before Christmas 2017 we beat Forest to move to 3rd in the table, 5 days later we turned over Man Utd The team that best Forest bar Steele in for Fielding was the same that had that famous cup success : Fielding / Wright Flint Baker Magnússon Bryan / Pack Smith Brownhill Patterson / Reid 5-4-1 : Solid foundation, one man up front with pace. Who of that line up would walk into our current team [injuries apart] . I'd pick this blend playing the same formation: Bentley / Tanner Kalas Flint Baker Bryan / Williams Brownhill Smith Scott / Reid Playing this formation, 5-4-1 with what we have now: Bentley / Tanner Kalas Baker Atkinson Pring / Williams Massengo Scott James / Wells No place for Weimann or Martin who appear undroppables and, quoting Ian on Radio Bristol last night, they are both culpable in the ball not sticking which is why the midfield and are always chasing the ball and the defence is under pressure
  12. Is that the area that needs most strengthening then in the January window?
  13. With everyone salivating over Jamie Patterson's performance yesterday with the expected "why did we let him go" cries of outrage, plus Korey Smith & Marlon Pack both featuring in the same game, it made me think further about our two ex Leicester starlets and question what they've brought to the midfield that we didn't have before. King & James were very, very disappointing on Saturday offering nothing offensively or defensively as I saw it, the game often passing them by with the movement & pace of the visitors. I thought both looked off the pace. We've yet to see the best of them or should we just accept they are with us because those better days are well behind them? There has been little evidence so far from either in terms of stunning free kicks or greater threat from corners. Again we seem to have the numbers in this area of the field but injuries [Williams], inexperience [Scott] and application [Bakinson] make it less effective than it should be. Massengo should be the first name on the team sheet but with Williams out for x weeks we don't actually look this strong in that area of the field. Interesting that Bournemouth rained in 22 shots on Saturday, add that to the tally in previous games [apart from P'boro] and we are offering a lot of teams shooting practice - that to me is down to midfield not defence.
  14. I agree Dave but let's say we D-W-D the expectation rises and we'd expect to beat the TYKES at home after that before two away games which, with our record, we'd expect more than 2 points. So, before the next break let's say it goes D-W-D-W-L-W that puts us on 27 points with 1/3 of the season gone - its the hope that kills! Wasn't it MA who said when we were riding high at the turn of the year in 17/18 that we "weren't ready for promotion" - showed that with an unimpressive January window, a squad that either wanted away or bought into that mantra of failure is acceptable.
  15. It begins with a Bournemouth side who will want to regain top spot and maintain their unbeaten start and then Tuesday it is a resurgent under Steve Cooper Nottingham Forest who will provide a stern test. Even more daunting is a trip to the Hawthorns a week today where the home side will be looking to cement their position in the top two. 2 points from 9 and whilst I genuinely believe we won't be in a relegation scrap a 13th - 18th end of season position beckons. Anything above 5 points and do we dare to dream that 6th [you can predict a top 5] is achievable? We'll discuss the match action in our live FBC Podcast at 6.00 PM: https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=NeD6LF0Kuk7
  16. This is a recording of the podcast: https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/city-successful-on-the-road-again-in-a-5-goal-thriller-at-soggy-peterboro/ In addition to discussing the game we review a tough trio of games in 8 games after the international break [ B'mouth & Forest home, WBA away] and what if we maintain our current position or better at the half way stage - will it affect the type of activity that takes place in the January transfer window.
  17. We'll debate the action in our live podcast at 6.00 PM. Listen here: https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=Yn8G2cxYugY A deserved 3 points for City who displayed great team spirit to leave them in 9th with a 1/4 of the season gone going into the next international break. Despite two clever goals Sammy Szmodics was denied the chance to put one over on City. Tanner played well enough scoring his first goal for the club but for me the star was Joe Williams with a battling display when he rode three tackles before setting up the chance for Martin to score the decisive goal. I'm not a fan of O'Dowda but he did OK until going off with injury but Scott did well as a sub and his saving tackle on Kanu as the home side went looking for an equaliser in the closing stages showed a new side to his game. We'd take 9th in May after the trials of last season but can we do better than that???
  18. If you missed our live podcast last night here's a recording: https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/we-lost-and-it-was-poor-a-review-of-millwall-a/ Can't believe the love-in from some on here for Weimann! What did everyone think of COD's substitute appearance? Impact sub my *rse! Bakinson - lacked energy Tanner & Pring - both good Martin - needs a rest [a long one] On the pod we talk about this club's obsession over the years with the proverbial big man up front. We fondly recall Robbie Turner, Steve Torpey, John Kerr [RIP], Wayne Allison, Steve Johnson and some other long forgotten names get a mention. Sadly, whilst me, Mark & Ian could be classified as old gits none of us witnessed Big John Atyeo grace the Ashton Gate turf
  19. We'll discuss a shocking 2nd half display from City in a Live FBC Podcast recording at 10.00 PM https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=l9RLqh8qTK2 - LISTEN LIVE / RECORDING UPLOADED OVERNIGHT The first half was forgettable and, in fairness, City had some decent possession in the opening 15 minutes of the 2nd but an inept performance from Martin was epitomized during this period when he couldn't get his shot away. Afobe had brought 2 good saves from Bentley before being brought down by Atkinson in the box and Wallace made no mistake from the spot Pearson, watching from his sickbed, will have been disappointed with Bakinson and Weimann was missing for most of the game. The final half hour was similar to the dire performances that have dominated the past 18 months and once again O'Dowda showed what a waste of a shirt he is!!! Baker off again inside 30 minutes - oh dear!!!
  20. Good enough to keep his place in my view. Will be discussing his debut in tonight's FBC Live Podcast @ 6.00 PM: Listen here: https://www.podbean.com/lsw/voj3TKjf6G?lsid=qyOmghxwuW9
  21. To do so is a sign of not wanting to lose face IMHO
  22. Companies House showed O'Leary registered as a director at Gamechanger20 on 23 July last year so that is the first documented evidence of Ashton's involvement with the Americans at ITFC even if that is by Proxy - i.e. O'Leary is his longstanding business associate. Did he breach his fiduciary responsibility as a director at Bristol City? Cannot be proven unless there is the smoking gun of an email trail somewhere. Was his heart in BCFC from last summer? I think not. I wonder when interviewing Cook as Holden's replacement IF he blew him out for us knowing that his credentials in lower leagues might help ITFC? Should he have had more of a grip on contractual matters ABSOLUTELY. SL offering praise to MA for HPC is all a show to deflect from the naivety he and his son showed for not being on it. Appleton in at Portman Road before the end of the month; ITFC have Lincoln away next I think
  23. Another Ryan Kent situation developing at Portman Road: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-told-take-action-21550756
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