The Official Bristol City v Milton Keynes Matchday Thread

[Robin101]

Even if we forget the transfer policy, how can this team's character have changed so dramatically? Two weeks on the trot now we've thrown points away and I'm worried it will cost us. Where has the fight gone? Seriously concerned. What's cotteril going to do?

[cityloyal473]

So obvious we would concede.  Not even angry about it, just resigned to the inevitable.  

[maxjak]

Who is the frigging moron who runs the website?  I couldn't get to the match today…..and as I was understandably anxious of the result, I checked at half time to see we were 1 up.  At 5.05 I went on the City website and punched up the championship table……….to find we were in 19th place and our home record stood at Won 1   Draw 1 Lost 3……….Much relief and delight followed for the next two minutes, until I heard on TV that we had conceded another late goal….and we are in fact BOTTOM of the table. Talk about jumping the gun?  So some Twit presented a completely false league table well after the final whistle……..Thanks Buddy.  I guess after all this time I should know better than to trust whoever runs the website for accuracy……..they are almost as useless as our defence.

[BCFC Jordan]

Even if we forget the transfer policy, how can this team's character have changed so dramatically? Two weeks on the trot now we've thrown points away and I'm worried it will cost us. Where has the fight gone? Seriously concerned. What's cotteril going to do?

Because the squad has also been affected by losing key players that were part of the team spirit and the completely demoralising summer. It was so obviously going to happen.

[cityexile]

hate to be proven right but the team this season always look like they'll concede a silly one

Think if we had played well second half, and they had equalised, would still have been really disappointed, but second home game in a row we sounded really poor, this game second half. 

[Major Isewater]

And now the 'told you so' brigade come out.

 

Pathetic

told you so .

[samo II]

we tried to cling on vs. a side without a point in 5 at home

simply disgusting

I unfortunately have to completely agree - if that is what it has come down to with a fifth of the season gone, then we have to accept we are rightly relegation favourites now - We can't drop points to teams on runs like MK have come off in the manner we have today and expect anything else.

Bottom going into the second international break; just three points from our last six games; worse goal difference in the division - at this point I don't care about how good the performances may have been in spells; we are doing crap, and whether it is new blood into the squad, tactics, whatever; Cotts and the team need to mix it up - immediately.

We actually had a better goal difference and only one point fewer ten games into the season that SO'D got sacked, and like that season the only bright light is a striker who clearly is a cut above his colleagues - delighted for Kodjia, who is going some to show how actually putting money on the table and investing in players rather than sitting on our hands should have been the way forward.

And for those who'll point at 36 remaining games and saying "108 points still to play for; calm down"; well, MK Dons, Preston and the other teams above us also still have the same amount of points to play for - difference is, they have a head start on us, and seem more capable of getting them, and with every failure to win (forget draws; they are worthless to us where we are now), obtaining more of that rapidly vanishing stockpile of points is a harder and harder task.

We've not time to mess about now; until we're a handful of places outside that drop zone, every game is a cup final.

Edited October 3, 2015 by samo II

[Major Isewater]

So glad i went to work today.The championship is are premiership, and we are simply not up to the task.Shame really, but to put into perspective, this shows how bad football is with the ridiculous wages involved even at championship level. Life in league one is the best we can expect. Let's hope Jonathan Kodjia scores a shit load, so we can make some money out of it, to help reinvest for next season. 

But we were n't playing a Derby or QPR but MK Dongs FFS .

[cityexile]

Last season we would have had the bit between are teeth and been well up for this game.  Sounds like it started ok ish, 2nd half sounds like a shocker

That is the most worrying bit for me. Yes, the summer was useless, but this exact team would have done them last year. MK are not really stronger than last year having lost some key players.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

But we were n't playing a Derby or QPR but MK Dongs FFS .

Strangely last season quite a few claimed they were a better side than us and this season quite a few claimed they had done great business (unlike us) so who is right????

[havanatopia]

I blame Erroll Barnett.

[hortonred]

And now the 'told you so' brigade come o

And wait for the "Cotterill did a great job last year so however bad it is this year it's OK" brigade to come out in force.

Pathetic. 

[Red Rum]

We were actually lucky to come away with a draw today. Average first half and shocking second half. We were 1-0 up but played like we were 3-0 down - looked like headless chickens playing with no confidence and couldn't string more than a couple of passes together. Kodjia was the only shining light. 

I may have something positive to say at some point but not at the moment. 

[Shtanley]

Sorry for repeating everyone ever, but we should've won the game before half time. Someone needs to score as well as Kodjia. Freeman was absolutely appalling. Should've made it 2-0. Smith back and hopefully Reid can venture forward more and show Freeman what it means to be a creative midfielder 

[bristolcitysweden]

I very much like you Cotts and now it's survival time. Sack Pemberton. He is not standing up for you an him for caretaker and we will go down. Two more games to go for you Cotts. Get rid of OAP Burt. Should have been on a gardening leave since long. Approach the Island manager Lars Lagerbäck on a consultant basis in discretion and ask him for his help to sort it out. It's all about your job now Cotts and there is no one there to protect you. You need to hit back This club is a shitty sitting duck. It's all up to you now unfortionately. 

Edited October 3, 2015 by bristolcitysweden

[Lack of Action Man]

I expect we will hear a cliché response from Cotterill along the lines of "we missed the physical presence Aaron (Wilbraham) gives us and that was how they got back into the game" 

 

Personally, it looked as though both Wilbraham and Kodjia (excellent goal) were Shattered from the 55th minute onwards, then was the Time to change it up front - taking Freeman off was a strange one, whilst I can see why Williams for Bryan was made (defensive stability). 

 

Why oh why were we so insistent on playing the ball down the left flank? Fielding was struggling to pick out a target yet we kept trying it, when Little was in acres of space on the right. 

 

Disappointing result and rightly (or wrongly) booed at final whistle.

[Offside]

Well, words almost fail me after that second half. I thought we looked ok in the first half against a very poor looking MK side but after half time the players just seemed to stop. Our inability to keep possession meant the equaliser was always on the cards and playing against a decent side we would have been murdered. At times it was almost as if we were doing anything we could to give the ball away.

On top of having a paper-thin squad we now have a team lacking in confidence. SC has a lot of work to do to sort this out.

[havanatopia]

The one thing that stands out from the usual and 'new' callers into Twentyman Talks Back is that 'we should change to a 4-4-2' . 

The one thing that is riskier than sticking with a formation that served us so well last season because we have the players who are accustomed to that and have proved very successful is to change it; In my opinion changing to a 4-4-2 is suicidal.

The only thing that will pull us out is to stick to what we are doing and, clearly, to strengthen those positions that are obviously letting us down. Many of us have being saying since the end of last season that we need a Championship standard replacement to Wade Elliott.. that, more than a striker, is why we are bottom of the league. Cotts knows it, JP knows it and the team knows it. Why we were unable to get that man in only the club knows but for sure it is not through a want of trying. I would say we have to bring in that man and at least one striker in January or we will be scrapping in the bottom 6 come May.

[Glyn Rileys Mullet]

For me...

Positives were:-

Bobby Reid....great energy and vision.  Must be given more game time.

Baker.....great defender.

Kodjia....A great finisher.

Negatives.....

Did not play second half. Bryan and Little did not give us any creativity.  We seemed to stop moving when we got to the final third, turn back and loose momentum rather than go for the jugular.  We need to let the pass go sometimes and be brave.  

[Offside]

Yes I heard the callers on the radio talking about the formation as well. Unlike other games where we have been so open and vulnerable to the counter attack I don't think today's performance can be blamed on the formation - just rank bad play.

[Flagon]

Having seen MK Dons on TV and reading various reports they looked like they were having a season like us. Lots of possession, missed chances and not keeping the ball out at vital moments. First half we made them look quite poor. Took a good goal,created another few we should have done better with as always but I never saw that 2nd half performance coming. All of a sudden started we started misplacing pass after pass and or losing the ball. Saw a stat on my phone app after that states our passing accuracy was just 56%. 

I didn't really get the subs. I wasn't sure what the intention was. We have conceded a lot of goals already so to seemingly sit on a 1 goal lead for nearly a whole half was ridiculous. Did MK Dons suddenly find an extra gear we simply don't have or did we really sit back like that on purpose? Either answer is worrying.

[havanatopia]

At least we are now unbeaten in 2.. not since the heady heights of our only win have we achieved that.. I am looking for positives.

[HoldenBall]

At least we are now unbeaten in 2.. not since the heady heights of our only win have we achieved that.. I am looking for positives.

By the end of next week we haven't lost a game in 2 weeks. Progress.

[bobbyhutchscurlymullet]

I think we look so unfit. I understand the lack of depth in the squad stretches the players, but we all look spent after an hour, Did they work the players too hard in portugal? With so many Fitness gurus at the club surely this is something we should be getting it right

[And Its Smith]

Cotterill clearly fuming in his post match interview. Looked close to crying with frustration.

[Leveller]

For me...

Positives were:-

Bobby Reid....great energy and vision.  Must be given more game time.

Baker.....great defender.

Kodjia....A great finisher.

Negatives.....

Did not play second half. Bryan and Little did not give us any creativity.  We seemed to stop moving when we got to the final third, turn back and loose momentum rather than go for the jugular.  We need to let the pass go sometimes and be brave.  

Bobby Reid created the goal - that was great. In the second half he was a liability, frequently giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

[BigTone]

I very much like you Cotts and now it's survival time. Sack Pemberton. He is not standing up for you an him for caretaker and we will go down. Two more games to go for you Cotts. Get rid of OAP Burt. Should have been on a gardening leave since long. Approach the Island manager Lars Lagerbäck on a consultant basis in discretion and ask him for his help to sort it out. It's all about your job now Cotts and there is no one there to protect you. You need to hit back This club is a shitty sitting duck. It's all up to you now unfortionately. 

And you Sir are a complete prat

Edited October 3, 2015 by BigTone

[bristolcitysweden]

And you Sir are a complete prat

Attack your own ass Sir. I love you though.

[havanatopia]

And you Sir are a complete prat

Condensed Version:-

Sir Prat