The Derby Redemption

[Nibor]

It's no secret that I've been sceptical of Lee Johnson.  I could see what he was trying to do but it didn't seem to me like he was going to be able to make it happen.  Last season was painful for large parts and we had an indifferent start to this one, playing well against some weak sides and poorly against others.  I lost a lot of confidence in him after the Millwall Debacle so it's only fair to balance that by pointing out how much better we've been since then.  Today LJ got it absolutely spot on, and though of course I accept it won't always be like that if we can keep some consistency in how we approach the game I think this squad and the manager will do very well.

Today's performance was spectacularly good.  High pressing, quick passing, movement, good decisions, forcing errors and snapping onto them quickly - it was the exact opposite of Millwall.  Leko's pace and trickery stood out - he looks a great find - but actually I thought only Flint and Fielding had average games, the rest all up there as very good or better.  I haven't seen better since perhaps smashing Walsall at home when we got promoted.  I felt Derby didn't really have an off day either, they played a bit but they were made to look average because we were exceptional.

Resting Diedhiou was an excellent decision, Woodrow looked bright and capable and the glancing header for his goal was excellent but also when Fam came on he was a cut above what we've seen so far and his goal was very well taken.  Patterson was a pain in the arse for Derby all day, and to be fair with him, Leko and Reid running at them I expect they had a very tough time at it, I don't think many teams would enjoy that.  Bailey Wright is worth a mention, he's not ultra comfortable at right back but he defended solidly and perhaps as importantly didn't get too ambitious in going forward which gave Leko and Patterson a bit more license.  Bryan, Baker, Pack and Smith all had solid games and Reid was everywhere and is really shining, credit to the manager for finding a way to get the talent that we've all thought was there being displayed consistently.

The subs were made at the right time, we had a few minutes of pressure and they gave us a bit more solidity and allowed us to play more on the break.  The moment when four or five defenders all threw themselves in the way of a shot showed the level of commitment in the team, and it was refreshing to see so many players comfortable on the ball and taking time to make good choices with it.  If I were a perfectionist I'd like to see Fielding kick less often and I'd like to see our corners be more consistently dangerous but that's nit-picking.  I also thought the ref was very good - he let the game run, he got most decisions right including both pens and not booking Fielding, and he made the goal line technology pay off too.  Easy to moan when they're bad so well done to him.

I said in another thread from these five hard games I'd want 5-7 points - we now have that after three of them.  That's a fantastic return and the only problem with it is now you have to try and keep it up.  Well done City and LJ especially, today was the best day at Ashton Gate for a long time.

[cheshire_red]

Good read and informative thanks. Pace and movement won the game? Derby's midfield just couldn't match the pace, Huddleston and Johnson more statues and we passed through them to feet between their midfield and defence, sometimes meaning 3 attackers on Keogh and Davies who aren't the quickest either?

Got the impression the first pair subs might have caused us a sit back more and Derby came back in to it for 10 minutes?

[Engvall's Splinter]

Very true. Substitutions were made at the right time with the right personnel changes. 

[Nibor]

16 minutes ago, cheshire_red said:

Good read and informative thanks. Pace and movement won the game? Derby's midfield just couldn't match the pace, Huddleston and Johnson more statues and we passed through them to feet between their midfield and defence, sometimes meaning 3 attackers on Keogh and Davies who aren't the quickest either?

Got the impression the first pair subs might have caused us a sit back more and Derby came back in to it for 10 minutes?

Huddlestone was slow to be sure, thought Vydra got about quite a bit.  Derby weren't bad but to be honest not many teams would have coped with the harrassment.  I imagine most of the midfield will be getting time off between now and Stoke, they really didn't stop.

I thought the game had just about turned against us for a bit when the subs were made and was pleased - usually we wait another 10-15 minutes during which we concede.  It's ok soaking up some pressure in my book IF you have the right players on to do it and you can break.  Problem is when you try and do it with tired players it quickly becomes hanging on by the fingernails.

[cityexile]

Great post, although seeing the heading I assumed you were referring to 'that' 3-3 game against them...

[GrahamC]

Good OP.

As a confirmed LJ sceptic, today has certainly started to make me change my mind, the football was great, played at a high tempo with an emphasis on good technique, I thought all 3 subs added something to us when they came on, plus the starting XI produced a lot of 8/10 performances.

Reid is just an absolute revelation though and now looks like a natural striker.

When you also consider that we have our best RB, Pisano, to come back plus Đurić and O'Neil are currently out injured, we just look to be a much stronger squad all round this year.

[1960maaan]

Glad FD made more impact than I thought he was going to, maybe the goal will make a difference to his confidence . Would have like to see Taylor as a straight swap for Reid but it's just nit picking. 
It was the most all round team performance I have seen for many a year. The pressing now is light years away from what we were trying to do last year, the movement and quick passing is fantastic and as a team we look great . I still don't want to get ahead of ourselves, Brum and Brentford can bring things into sharp perspective , but I really think we have the potential for a good season. Thanks to @BobBobSuperBob's great work I can see what is happening with FD and why we got CW in , it helps to understand whats going through Johnsons mind and stops me criticising him too quickly. Also I wondered about NE coming on for Leko but LJ said on RB he will start Tuesday, it all goes to help understand what is in the coaches mind and to get your head around team and sub choices.  Things look rosy , but no chicken counting or bridge crossing just yet........ it's the pessimist / realist in me. 

[B1ackbird]

Derby 'blowing out there asses' after 60 minuets, couldn't really live with us..

 

[tinman85]

Leko looked knackered. Right time to take him off. 

[Alex_BCFC]

Turnaround versus the Millwall game is incredible. That was slow and ponderous. Today was about pressing hard and breaking fast.

I have to say after Brentford and Millwall I was very concerned but cautiously optimistic now.

[Big Nose]

Otib gone mental. Oh My Days

[Olé]

Fantastic post @Nibor and everything I felt today too. Hat duly doffed.

[Chivs]

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

[And Its Smith]

11 minutes ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

Wow. How negative.  We were good first half, just couldn't score.  

[Phileas Fogg]

13 minutes ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

No we weren't, we were in control of the game - unlucky to go in behind.

13 minutes ago, Chivs said:

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Think his offensive contribution far outweighed that. 

13 minutes ago, Chivs said:

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

He wasn't - he only really did a couple of things wrong when he came on, and two of those were in 20 seconds of each other. Was very good today. 

13 minutes ago, Chivs said:

 

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

Think that it was a very good performance. Not really sure if the things you highlighted were stand out areas to improve. 

[Chivs]

9 minutes ago, RedDave said:

Wow. How negative.  We were good first half, just couldn't score.  

We were lacking in any zip. Interesting, "outstanding" counts as negative for you....  

5 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

No we weren't, we were in control of the game - unlucky to go in behind.

Hardly, it was fairly even in the first half.  Carson made a couple of great saves but they also hit the post.

Think his offensive contribution far outweighed that. 

Midfielders these days have to both defend and attack.

He wasn't - he only really did a couple of things wrong when he came on, and two of those were in 20 seconds of each other. Was very good today. 

You watched a different game.  Perhaps watch the highlights

Think that it was a very good performance. Not really sure if the things you highlighted were stand out areas to improve. 

 

[Nibor]

2 hours ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

I thought we completely outplayed them in the first half, aside from scoring the chances we made.  The fact the crowd applauded the team off the pitch despite being one down, and the stats would seem to back that up.  We had over a dozen shots in the first half and Fielding had nothing to do except give away a pen.  

Leko wasn't defending but Wright wasn't going past the half way line, so that evened out.  I don't think we'll see Leko and Pisano on the same flank for a while given how far forward Pisano goes, I expect Leko will play off the left.

Diedhiou had two poor touches soon after he came on and then after that he was very good all round - be interesting to see the extended highlights if they're published.  

The ref could possibly have given Pack a second yellow but for me it was very marginal.  His approach was consistently lenient all the way through and that contributed to a very watchable game.  I thought he was the best we've seen for a while.

[MichaelRobartes]

I thought we were comfortably the better side in the first half as well. The only time we weren't on top was the ten minutes or so after our second goal when we sat back a bit. Even then they didn't really trouble us.

[wendyredredrobin]

I really felt we gave them too much time on the ball in the first half and pressed much better in the second.  Fam does make a difference, even though it's difficult to see what he does at times.  I think he is still adjusting to the pace of the Championship.

Second half was a brilliant display and I was going to say the best in a few years, but some of our performances this year have been pretty good too, if you ignore the Millwall game, when we seem to havegot it a bit wrong.

Defence, midfield and attack all seem to be working well, with plenty of cover for all positions without weakening the team too much.

Onwards and upwards and heading towards the play off's?

[adamski]

6 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

I really felt we gave them too much time on the ball in the first half and pressed much better in the second.  Fam does make a difference, even though it's difficult to see what he does at times.  I think he is still adjusting to the pace of the Championship.

Second half was a brilliant display and I was going to say the best in a few years, but some of our performances this year have been pretty good too, if you ignore the Millwall game, when we seem to havegot it a bit wrong.

Defence, midfield and attack all seem to be working well, with plenty of cover for all positions without weakening the team too much.

Onwards and upwards and heading towards the play off's?

Agree with all except your appraisal of the first half. Some great stuff, plenty of pressing, Carson pulled off 3 excellent saves to keep them in the game and every time we came forwards the derby defence were creaking.

As a horrendous Johnson sceptic I'm thinking he's got something right there, the interplay between players at times was breathtaking(okay the final ball was a bit inconsistent at times), a bit more practice and playing together could well result in a bit of magic! Well done Lee(did I really just say that?)

[wendyredredrobin]

The interplay has been superb all season.  Not sure why this has happened, but I think playing Bobby Reid in the hole has got a lot to do with it   I also think that Fam may be making space for him to play.

We've alao improved the defence with the signings of Wright, Baker and Pisano.

To think that we havethe quality of Hegelar and Magnússon not able to get a look in says a lot for how well the aforementioned are doing.

[pillred]

3 hours ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

while some of what you say is undoubtedly true, lets just enjoy today for what it was, a very good win against a team that will be there or thereabouts when the season ends. 

[GrahamC]

11 hours ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

You seem to forget the two outstanding saves by Carson.

2-1 to us at HT would have been a fair reflection.

[RightUpInCider]

12 hours ago, Chivs said:

I think there are some with "goals-goggles" on here.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first half where we were fairly ponderous (cf. Millwall).

 

I thought we were here in complete control  in the first half. If we had come off at half time 2 or 3 up it would have not been an unfair position.

As per LJs comments, second half just needed to be more of the same. It was and we got the goals that you would hope would come from 90 mins of performance at those levels.

 

 

Quote

Leko was almost unstoppable going forward but his defending was poor to say the least.

I agree with you that Leko was a little out of position at times, but he is young, still learning and new to the squad. I am sure this part of this game will improve in the coming months.

Going forward was great to watch and always a danger.

Quote

Diedhiou was plain awful before he scored.  His first touch was heavy and he passed to Derby on more than one occasion.

 

He had a couple of iffy moments when he first came on, coming to deep and getting caught without the space in perhaps needs to play into. But was fine after that and no one can argue with the classy finish for his goal.

Quote

The ref should have booked a couple of their players first half and arguably Pack sent off second half.  He was consistently bad for both teams.

Please be aware that I thik Derby are a good team and beating them 4-1 is outstanding.  But let's not let that overlook all the options for improvements.

 

 

No performance is perfect and there is always room for improvement but today I thought we looked like pure class all over the pitch. A day to be proud of everything that is Bristol City.

 

Perhaps the one area that could still be improved is the support from the stands... was good yesterday but we can be better!

[Chivs]

9 hours ago, pillred said:

while some of what you say is undoubtedly true, lets just enjoy today for what it was, a very good win against a team that will be there or thereabouts when the season ends. 

I was watching Bristol City play. I hadn't appreciated enjoyment is an option.  

[Esmond Million's Bung]

17 hours ago, Nibor said:

It's no secret that I've been sceptical of Lee Johnson.  I could see what he was trying to do but it didn't seem to me like he was going to be able to make it happen.  Last season was painful for large parts and we had an indifferent start to this one, playing well against some weak sides and poorly against others.  I lost a lot of confidence in him after the Millwall Debacle so it's only fair to balance that by pointing out how much better we've been since then.  Today LJ got it absolutely spot on, and though of course I accept it won't always be like that if we can keep some consistency in how we approach the game I think this squad and the manager will do very well.

Today's performance was spectacularly good.  High pressing, quick passing, movement, good decisions, forcing errors and snapping onto them quickly - it was the exact opposite of Millwall.  Leko's pace and trickery stood out - he looks a great find - but actually I thought only Flint and Fielding had average games, the rest all up there as very good or better.  I haven't seen better since perhaps smashing Walsall at home when we got promoted.  I felt Derby didn't really have an off day either, they played a bit but they were made to look average because we were exceptional.

Resting Diedhiou was an excellent decision, Woodrow looked bright and capable and the glancing header for his goal was excellent but also when Fam came on he was a cut above what we've seen so far and his goal was very well taken.  Patterson was a pain in the arse for Derby all day, and to be fair with him, Leko and Reid running at them I expect they had a very tough time at it, I don't think many teams would enjoy that.  Bailey Wright is worth a mention, he's not ultra comfortable at right back but he defended solidly and perhaps as importantly didn't get too ambitious in going forward which gave Leko and Patterson a bit more license.  Bryan, Baker, Pack and Smith all had solid games and Reid was everywhere and is really shining, credit to the manager for finding a way to get the talent that we've all thought was there being displayed consistently.

The subs were made at the right time, we had a few minutes of pressure and they gave us a bit more solidity and allowed us to play more on the break.  The moment when four or five defenders all threw themselves in the way of a shot showed the level of commitment in the team, and it was refreshing to see so many players comfortable on the ball and taking time to make good choices with it.  If I were a perfectionist I'd like to see Fielding kick less often and I'd like to see our corners be more consistently dangerous but that's nit-picking.  I also thought the ref was very good - he let the game run, he got most decisions right including both pens and not booking Fielding, and he made the goal line technology pay off too.  Easy to moan when they're bad so well done to him.

I said in another thread from these five hard games I'd want 5-7 points - we now have that after three of them.  That's a fantastic return and the only problem with it is now you have to try and keep it up.  Well done City and LJ especially, today was the best day at Ashton Gate for a long time.

I would like to agree and say my sentiments are exactly the same as those above.

The consistency point is spot on and as I pointed out on another thread, yesterday has laid down a marker, not so much a marker as to standard of play but more towards the standard of commitment and anything below that standard of commitment and LJ and the fans can rightly ask questions, it's good to have a good quality squad, my only minor worry is lack of cover for Pisano, Vyner is clearly not yet ready and has not even made the bench for the last 2 games.

For Tuesday I would bring in Steele for Fielding, Magnússon for Baker, maybe Hegeler for Wright if he is fit, Kelly for Bryan, Eliasson for Patterson, Brownhill for Smith and Diedhiou for Reid, for no other reason than resting our best players and giving some of the squad a run out.

The key is now consistency.