Just Got Back From Northampton

[Robin1988]

I'm talking about confidence, systems and how that effects other players, it's clear to everyone apart from you that none of our players seem to have much confidence in Fontaine, think how that must effect your decision making, it can and has had a catastrophic effect on results and to continue with him is ridiculous, not based on today's performance or result but on his performances over and over again for the last 12 months.

If you can't see this then I suggest you save your money and don't go.

Fontaine didn't force Flint into any rash challenge in the area for the first, allow Wilson an acre of space to shoot for the second - might have been mentioned elsewhere but he was very lucky caught in possession as the last man twice in the first half.

What you're doing is fairly symptomatic of this forum so I understand. You have a deep resentment of Fontaine's performances over a long period, and so anyone else's failings are overlooked in favour of (or apparently caused by) Fontaine's. So in your mind a mention of other players' failings is an attempt to render Fontaine blameless, whereas if you look again you'll see nowhere have I said this. Repeat ad nauseum.

Don't waste your time, Liam's not listening.

What a flippant, amusing remark.

[The Casual Connoisseur]

Exactly what I have been saying today, he needs to be moved on, gone stale completely, clearly this effects the whole back four as they don't know when he is going to make a mistake. Its clear to see that he is impacting fielding and flints performances as they are having to cover for his ineptitudes. How people don't see this is beyond me.

I think 99% of the fans see what we do, after watching SO'D post match interview I think he's finally seen enough to change it or at least look at bringing someone in.

[The Casual Connoisseur]

Fontaine didn't force Flint into any rash challenge in the area for the first, allow Wilson an acre of space to shoot for the second - might have been mentioned elsewhere but he was very lucky caught in possession as the last man twice in the first half.

What you're doing is fairly symptomatic of this forum so I understand. You have a deep resentment of Fontaine's performances over a long period, and so anyone else's failings are overlooked in favour of (or apparently caused by) Fontaine's. So in your mind a mention of other players' failings is an attempt to render Fontaine blameless, whereas if you look again you'll see nowhere have I said this. Repeat ad nauseum.

What a flippant, amusing remark.

I owed you one, so that's one all.

Good to see that you're a psychologist as well as a football expert!

In which case I can't believe you don't understand the basics of influence on decision making, the role of confidence and judgement?

All of which are apparent to the majority of fans, lets see what happens to the likes of Fielding and Flint if they get an experienced partner, I'm sure as a UNIT we will play better and concede less.

The role of one, has the power to rule many.

[hortonred]

Not long back from Sixfields. Wow, what a bizarre, exciting, mental & depressing 90 mins of football that was...

We got bullied today, badly. Coventry sported a team of physical, hard working (If not great technically) players who quite frankly made us look like a bunch of school girls for most of the game. I've never seen a Bristol City side look as narrow as it did today, and what the hell happened to the interchanging positions from our midfielders like what we saw at Gillingham? Pack is a talented boy who hardly ever gives the ball away, and he quite clearly has the eye for a telling through ball. So why he wasn't pushed further up the pitch at times I'll never know. That brings me to Elliot, yes he finished his goal well and he fought hard in the 2nd half, but I would have much rather had him sat in front of our back four like we saw Wynter do for the first few games.

Both defences were so bad at dealing from the ball over the top that it was like a bug in a video game. I'm not surprised to see both teams utilise it so much as both Coventry & ourselves were creating chance after chance through it. That style put Baldock through early in the game and he got his 2nd goal from a similar long ball. The kick and whoosh for Coventry's 4th goal was possibly one of worst pieces of defending I've ever seen in any standard of football ever. Terrible from Fontaine & then Fielding (I'm really not sure about this bloke either) The ball must have bounced 3 times in our box before their chap drilled it home.

Just so depressing to watch, and also on the verge of slap-stick comedy.

As for their winner, horrible ball watching with regards to the knock down at the back post, allowing their free running midfielder to slot home from 6 yards.

Yes, Fontaine was terrible, but Flint looked wobbly most of the game, and Maloney & Cunningham looked like scared rabbits. Can't remember if either of them managed to put a cross over which is a major disappointment considering their attacking qualities. Wagstaff seems to be full of running, but I'm not convinced he's full of quality, time will tell with that one.

JET looks one of the classiest players I've ever seen at this level, and we must work harder at giving him the ball to feet in and around the opponents box, and just getting him into the game whenever we can. Another great byline pull back/cross for our 1st goal and a great strike for the free-kick (Even with the help of a deflection) Also, his long throw in's caused all sorts of problems in the Coventry box, so that was nice to see.

Considering there were only 2000 in the ground, I would have thought to hear how vocal some of our players were. Well, I didn't hear much come out of anyone's mouth? Still think we lack a real leader, maybe it's Flint, maybe it's Pack, who knows. I'm just not sure Sammy B is the right man for the arm band.

We need to gather ourselves and go again against Wolves on Saturday. I'd like to see Bryan get a game for a bit of width down the left, and I'd like to see Pack & Wynter in the middle of the park with Wagstaff on the right. I'd also like to see Fontaine & Fielding dropped on their asses...

SOD, over to you...

You Reds

Good summary.I was also amazed at how the team were bullied and knocked off of the ball so much.If this is league 1 then we will need some more muscle or a lot more determination from the current squad.

[Robin1988]

Good to see that you're a psychologist as well as a football expert!

In which case I can't believe you don't understand the basics of influence on decision making, the role of confidence and judgement?

All of which are apparent to the majority of fans, lets see what happens to the likes of Fielding and Flint if they get an experienced partner, I'm sure as a UNIT we will play better and concede less.

I understand what it is. I also understand that when Flint had Wilson under control one-on-one in the corner of the box, Fontaine was out of the equation and he had no need to make a rash challenge. Similarly for the second, he was Wilson's man and stood off completely and again Fontaine isn't culpable.

We won't see Fontaine back to 07/08 levels, that's plainly clear. But the limitations in Flint's game may also become plainly exposed.

[Cider red]

I think 99% of the fans see what we do, after watching SO'D post match interview I think he's finally seen enough to change it or at least look at bringing someone in.

I sure hope so, we cant stick with the old guard. No one other than jet performed well today but we cant stick with the old guard who have and will continue to keep letting us down. Kilkenny, fontaine, and to a lesser extent Elliot shouldn't be in the team anymore. We have better replacements in pack, Williams and winter.

[Loderingo]

As is assuming that's been suggested when it hasn't.

So Fontaine is causing Flint to play badly - right, that'll be it. The perpetual OTIB love-in for new players continues.

I don't think it is just that.

Just a reminder that Flint last year had 28 starts in a team that overall conceded 39 goals from 46 games. Of the 28 starts that Flint played I count that there were 10 clean sheets

Fontaine had 41 starts in a team that overall conceded 84 goals from 46 games. In those 46 games City managed a paltry 6 clean sheets

[The Casual Connoisseur]

I understand what it is. I also understand that when Flint had Wilson under control one-on-one in the corner of the box, Fontaine was out of the equation and he had no need to make a rash challenge. Similarly for the second, he was Wilson's man and stood off completely and again Fontaine isn't culpable.

We won't see Fontaine back to 07/08 levels, that's plainly clear. But the limitations in Flint's game may also become plainly exposed.

I'm not saying Fontaines at fault for every other players error, I'm saying that confidence and trust will effect Flint and any ones decision making, we won't operate as a unit coherently which will change an individuals psyche.

There no doubt that if you have no confidence in yourself (clearly he hasn't), then team mates surely won't.

Once we defend as one unit ( like good teams do), then we will do very well, we won't do that with him in the team, and we possibly won't do it with Williams either but we need to have someone there whom we can rely on to do the simple things, Flint was brought in to do that alongside an experienced cultured defender, he can't do it all.

Interestingly Flint tweeted this recently:

Aden Flint ‏@AFlint5 5m

No excuses at all today, my performance was terrible, let the boys down, credit to them for gettin back into the game. #BCFC

Well that's a start just need the other 4 to follow suit.

[Kibs]

But the limitations in Flint's game may also become plainly exposed.

Especially if he's got to carry Fontaine....

What's your beef with Flint? As far as I'm aware, he was decent in pre season, solid against Bradford and played well at Gillingham. You mention the OTIB love in but you slaughtering the guy in his first bad game for the club is far more pathetic.

Fontaine is shot to bits, I hope S'OD doesn't fall in to the same trap as his predecessors relying on the likes of him and Kilkenny because they will let him down and he'll only have himself to blame.

[SecretSam]

Crikey, well a lot of unhappiness on here, remember we did score 4 (but Baldock should have got more...if he'd taken that volley at 0-0...)

Back 4 a mess, lack of leadership? Too narrow in the middle meant that their wide men could cut in

Taylor excellent, but what's the injury? Pack looked good but should play further forward - or perhaps SO'D sees him in the Schweinsteiger/Pirlo role? But Wagstaff did zilch for me, too narrow and looked inside when there were acres ahead of him wide.

Silly penalty, Flint should have known better, he's not a wet-nosed kid, he's played enough at this level.

Finally - don't forget Coventry are a decent team who had something to prove today, first "home" league game and all that. They had pace and movement up top, and used it well. We are a team in transition. There were positives today, although none of them were defensive...

[Robin1988]

Especially if he's got to carry Fontaine....

What's your beef with Flint? As far as I'm aware, he was decent in pre season, solid against Bradford and played well at Gillingham. You mention the OTIB love in but you slaughtering the guy in his first bad game for the club is far more pathetic.

Slaughtering? Don't be so dramatic. I've no beef with Flint, I've criticised him for mistakes he made, since the same has been done of Fontaine.

[CiderJar]

I like this report. A fair reflection of the game as I saw it.

Baldock could have had a first half hat-trick; if he finished half as well as he did in the warm up he would definitely have scored. He hit some amazing goals in the warm up but seemed to go to pieces in the game. His first goal was a Cunningham shot off the post off his shin and in but that gave him the confidence and his second was a nice finish.

Their fourth was a combination of Fontaine allowing a high ball to bounce and then being muscled off the ball too easily and Fielding flapping about having made a good initial save.

I agree that the penalty looked soft ... but we were a long way away and I'd like to see it again. But to cave in as we did made the half-time score seem unbalanced compared to what actually happened. Until the penalty, Fielding barely had a shot to save.

The referee was a nightmare. JET skipped past about five challenges in the first half and was about to shoot when the ref inexplicably pulled the game back for the first challenge. He also gave several throw-ins and at least one corner the wrong way. Bizarre. Pack did lunge in and was rightfully booked, but the Coventry lad who spent five minutes leaving the pitch was only booked when he eventually got to the touchline, thus wasting even more time. The lad could have got two yellows by the time he got there.

JET is going to be immense for us this season. As well as the obvious dribbling ability his throw-ins are a huge weapon. Reaching the penalty spot and beyond every time. The throw in that he took deep in our half up to Ryan Taylor to flick into Baldocks path for him to score was almost a game changer and bypassed their entire team. It's just a shame that he is not on the end of his own throws.

Credit to two Rangers fans for turning up to cheer us on. It's just a shame that the over officious stewards moved them from what obviously weren't their ticketed seats, but who cared?

To the guy sat behind me, well done. If you shout contradictory abuse at the team, you'll eventually get something right. And no apologies to the guy in front who said "Game over" at 3-0 down, and who I told that I hated that kind of attitude in modern football. I shook his hand at 3-3. It's a shame we couldn't have held on.

[Fordy62]

Wow. I'd like some of what you've been taking if you didn't think it was game over at half time!

[CiderJar]

Wow. I'd like some of what you've been taking if you didn't think it was game over at half time!

Ha ha. I never do. We were 5-1 down at Cambridge in the cup years ago and I still felt we had a chance. It's just the defeatest attitude I can't stand. The chant of the day was "We believe when we want, we believe when we want, we're Bristol City, we believe when we want".

[RedZoneJim]

We were woeful after the penalty but before that both teams had chances. We weren't great defensively before that decision but we didn't look as frail as we did afterwards and as everyone's said Baldock converts his chances and it's a different game.

Thing that worries me already is that there seems to be a sense of 'If we're going to get promoted we're can't be losing games like this' on here. Two games in and people who were saying we needed patience and this season was going to be a transition one are changing their tunes.

There is no way that the team that started today will be the team we are seeing come Christmas, even probably by the end of August. I've said all along anyone who's expecting any sort of consistent or promotion form before Christmas is going to be in for a hell of a shock.

If teams let us pass it we look comfortable enough to pass it but the players are not so comfortable with how SOD wants them to play yet that when the brown stuff's hitting the fan, as it did yesterday, they are confident and composed enough to keep possession and keep trying to pass it. Good passing teams can take a sting out of a game by slowing play down and retaining possession, we are nowhere near that yet, whatever the players might have believed themselves after Gillingham.

There were a lot of poor individual performances yesterday but there were positives too.