The Manager

[Ivorguy]

Nige made a real difference in the match with his substitutions and tactics.

OK, there are some fantastic new players but two of a number of those were brought here by Nige, eg Tanner, Atkinson, James, and King; and old hands have been revitalised under NP.

Don’t believe either of our last two managers/ head coaches would have achieved what NP has achieved so quickly 

It all goes to prove what everyone knows that the key appointment in a football club is that of manager.  At long last we now have such an appointment.

.

 

[ScottishRed]

He was exactly what was needed after the last regime of MA with LJ and DH was exposed.

He has a lot to sort out but he is doing that slowly but surely.

I expect the team spirit and work ethic is down to him and his methods and attitude.

And don’t forget Dave Rennie, he is a great aquisition.

[RobintheRed Red]

2 hours ago, ScottishRed said:

He was exactly what was needed after the last regime of MA with LJ and DH was exposed.

He has a lot to sort out but he is doing that slowly but surely.

I expect the team spirit and work ethic is down to him and his methods and attitude.

And don’t forget Dave Rennie, he is a great aquisition.

Curtis Fleming also

[CyderInACan]

The team behind the team is just as important. Everyone should be pulling in the same direction. 

It was blatantly obvious that this wasn’t the case previously and we now seem to have transitioned really well to a much better model. 

[Davefevs]

Fulham are a bloody good side, and first half I thought we caused them a few problems when we went direct, especially in the triumvirate of Wells, Martin and Weimann on the right side of the pitch.  But football wise there was no match.  Their well-worked patterns were a joy to watch, and I was hoping we’d get the first goal and it would change things.

Silva made the first changes, mainly to avoid Chalobah running the risk of a red card.  But having gone a goal ahead, I sensed a long second half of chasing possession and getting it back, only to give it away again.  Fulham’s well-rehearsed 4231 (I thought Mitrovic was brilliant yesterday, bar his shooting) was too good for our 442, especially Bakinson, so something had to change.  Tyreeq’s time will come again, but he showed his current level yesterday.  That’s not to be disrespectful, just is what it is….he needs to be on the ball, and yesterday he couldn’t get on it enough, and when he did, he was closed quickly, and a bit out of puff to use it well.

So, Nige changed it.  He could’ve hoped to sneak the odd chance continuing as we were, but chances are Fulham would’ve absorbed it, probably gone on and got another for a comfy win in the end.

Nige gambled big time….went 5212/3412.

Bentley

Kalas / Atkinson / Baker 64

Tanner 76 (Weimann) / James / Williams 64 / Dasilva

Weimann 76 (Palmer)

Martin / Wells

He pushed Tanner (then Weimann) onto Robinson and Dasilva onto Odoi and went man-for-man.  Ream and Tosin no longer able to pass the ball in their patterns, no ball into midfield, so all of a sudden Gazzaniga has to kick long.  We went 3 on 3 with our CBs against their front 3, and took the risk.

We needed the game to be open to create, and we did that well.  We conceded chances, but no point succumbing to a turgid 1-0 defeat.  Mitrovic’s 3 headers were gonna have to be worldy’s to beat Bentley….the two chances with his feet were of course glorious chances.  But we had Wells near post volley, his header (what a cross from TK), Baker’s header, Martin’s turn and hit that led to the goal.  Some of these chances were better than theirs.

So, big credit to Pearson (and the coaching staff) for making the changes.

We won’t come up against a team like Fulham every week either.

[Red-Robbo]

Sometimes you hear the phrase "it's got to get worse before it can get better".

In football, that's usually just a bullshit excuse, but it seems to me that that is precisely the journey that Bristol City have been on under Pearson.

We were worse at the end of last season than under Holden or LJ but it was like lancing a boil.

Nige had to decide which players he could rely on to take the club forward and where there were gaps he needed to fill.  

Well he sorted the wheat from the chaff pretty well and it seems to me we're at the beginning of the upswing that his appointment promised.

Early days and all that, but I honestly believe if he's given time that upswing could be pretty bloody big and pretty bloody special. 

[Roe]

It's worth remembering that LJ kept us up first season then had us top of the league in the September following that..

That said I do love this man

[Davefevs]

12 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Sometimes you hear the phrase "it's got to get worse before it can get better".

In football, that's usually just a bullshit excuse, but it seems to me that that is precisely the journey that Bristol City have been on under Pearson.

We were worse at the end of last season than under Holden or LJ but it was like lancing a boil.

Nige had to decide which players he could rely on to take the club forward and where there were gaps he needed to fill.  

Well he sorted the wheat from the chaff pretty well and it seems to me we're at the beginning of the upswing that his appointment promised.

Early days and all that, but I honestly believe if he's given time that upswing could be pretty bloody big and pretty bloody special. 

We were pretty much safe from those early couple of wins and then as a few bad results sank in then there was no hope of a late playoff bid either (who are we kidding!).  So it meant he could go about working out who he wanted to keep, who the good eggs were, etc.

Its why I put little stock on last season’s results, and the focus is on what happens this season….which is largely positive (from a low bar).

Its still early days, just 1/5th of the season gone, but we are starting to get a feel for what this squad is about.

[Red-Robbo]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We were pretty much safe from those early couple of wins and then as a few bad results sank in then there was no hope of a late playoff bid either (who are we kidding!).  So it meant he could go about working out who he wanted to keep, who the good eggs were, etc.

Its why I put little stock on last season’s results, and the focus is on what happens this season….which is largely positive (from a low bar).

Its still early days, just 1/5th of the season gone, but we are starting to get a feel for what this squad is about.

Yup.

His additions look good. His promotions up from youth level have generally been sound. I like that his substitutions generally affect the game. 

We're like a middle-aged man who's just started working out and is still carrying a bit of fat. But we've made that change. We're working towards something. And we have a plan. The "buy loads of players and see if one of them works out" era is over. 

[steviestevieneville]

25 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Sometimes you hear the phrase "it's got to get worse before it can get better".

In football, that's usually just a bullshit excuse, but it seems to me that that is precisely the journey that Bristol City have been on under Pearson.

We were worse at the end of last season than under Holden or LJ but it was like lancing a boil.

Nige had to decide which players he could rely on to take the club forward and where there were gaps he needed to fill.  

Well he sorted the wheat from the chaff pretty well and it seems to me we're at the beginning of the upswing that his appointment promised.

Early days and all that, but I honestly believe if he's given time that upswing could be pretty bloody big and pretty bloody special. 

Great post. There will be dips/inconsistency but we were in a real mess behind the scenes last year . I’m amazed how quickly he’s changed that . He doesn’t take praise for it though just puts it back on the players  . Any negativity though he takes on himself. Massively impressed by him .  

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Yup.

His additions look good. His promotions up from youth level have generally been sound. I like that his substitutions generally affect the game. 

We're like a middle-aged man who's just started working out and is still carrying a bit of fat. But we've made that change. We're working towards something. And we have a plan. The "buy loads of players and see if one of them works out" era is over. 

 

[Robbored]

Nige is an established and well respected manager and it’s no surprise that his knowledge and insight into the game has had a significant impact on Bristol City right across the club.

He’s exactly what the club needed after four or five seasons of LJ and the charismatic fraud Ashton slowly ruining the club and already we’re seeing green shoots of recovery.

Obviously the off season has helped when he was able to release several of the unwanted players and use the preseason to get his methods across and improve squad fitness - so his appointment came at exactly the right time, largely down to SL.

 

[054123]

9 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Nige is an established and well respected manager and it’s no surprise that his knowledge and insight into the game has had a significant impact on Bristol City right across the club.

He’s exactly what the club needed after four or five seasons of LJ and the charismatic fraud Ashton slowly ruining the club and already we’re seeing green shoots of recovery.

Obviously the off season has helped when he was able to release several of the unwanted players and use the preseason to get his methods across and improve squad fitness - so his appointment came at exactly the right time, largely down to SL.

 

His appointment came JUST in time.

A big difference.

The should have happened a season before Johnson ultimately.

But here we are and it’s all good

[firstdivision]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Fulham are a bloody good side, and first half I thought we caused them a few problems when we went direct, especially in the triumvirate of Wells, Martin and Weimann on the right side of the pitch.  But football wise there was no match.  Their well-worked patterns were a joy to watch, and I was hoping we’d get the first goal and it would change things.

Silva made the first changes, mainly to avoid Chalobah running the risk of a red card.  But having gone a goal ahead, I sensed a long second half of chasing possession and getting it back, only to give it away again.  Fulham’s well-rehearsed 4231 (I thought Mitrovic was brilliant yesterday, bar his shooting) was too good for our 442, especially Bakinson, so something had to change.  Tyreeq’s time will come again, but he showed his current level yesterday.  That’s not to be disrespectful, just is what it is….he needs to be on the ball, and yesterday he couldn’t get on it enough, and when he did, he was closed quickly, and a bit out of puff to use it well.

So, Nige changed it.  He could’ve hoped to sneak the odd chance continuing as we were, but chances are Fulham would’ve absorbed it, probably gone on and got another for a comfy win in the end.

Nige gambled big time….went 5212/3412.

Bentley

Kalas / Atkinson / Baker 64

Tanner 76 (Weimann) / James / Williams 64 / Dasilva

Weimann 76 (Palmer)

Martin / Wells

He pushed Tanner (then Weimann) onto Robinson and Dasilva onto Odoi and went man-for-man.  Ream and Tosin no longer able to pass the ball in their patterns, no ball into midfield, so all of a sudden Gazzaniga has to kick long.  We went 3 on 3 with our CBs against their front 3, and took the risk.

We needed the game to be open to create, and we did that well.  We conceded chances, but no point succumbing to a turgid 1-0 defeat.  Mitrovic’s 3 headers were gonna have to be worldy’s to beat Bentley….the two chances with his feet were of course glorious chances.  But we had Wells near post volley, his header (what a cross from TK), Baker’s header, Martin’s turn and hit that led to the goal.  Some of these chances were better than theirs.

So, big credit to Pearson (and the coaching staff) for making the changes.

We won’t come up against a team like Fulham every week either.

Baker’s header was just about the miss of the match for me. Perfect height. Back across goal and the keeper has no chance. I feel the XG of City 2.59 Fulham 2.27 is extremely clunky and not very helpful/accurate - as discussed before.

Does the 2.59 include our goal, which was clearly offside?

I feel we should have lost our last three games in some sort of equitable football world (which largely doesn’t exist, I know) but somehow we’ve managed five points. 

[steviestevieneville]

3 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Baker’s header was just about the miss of the match for me. Perfect height. Back across goal and the keeper has no chance. I feel the XG of City 2.59 Fulham 2.27 is extremely clunky and not very helpful/accurate - as discussed before.

Does the 2.59 include our goal, which was clearly offside?

I feel we should have lost our last three games in some sort of equitable football world (which largely doesn’t exist, I know) but somehow we’ve managed five points. 

To be fair I think a lot of these stats even including possession are complete bollocks . 

[firstdivision]

4 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

To be fair I think a lot of these stats even including possession are complete bollocks . 

Yes. We’ve discussed the clunkiness of Xg before on here. Possession stats are the same as the ‘weather was fine’ or ‘it was raining’. Just facts - don’t tell you too much.

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Yes. We’ve discussed the clunkiness of Xg before on here. Possession stats are the same as the ‘weather was fine’ or ‘it was raining’. Just facts - don’t tell you too much.

No single metric in any walk of life is useful in isolation. As you say, % possession adds no value on its own. You need to look at the package of key metrics, i.e. those that have a significant impact on outcomes and where appropriate the relationship between them.

And you don't just need competent analysts you need subject experts to make judgements based on the results. You could give me data on something you are expert in and I could do an analysis but only you would be qualified to make decisions based on that analysis.

The role of an analyst is to support decision making not replace it. Good managers know how to use analysis as a tool to supplement their own knowledge. As true of football as of any other field.

[BrizzleRed]

18 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Yes. We’ve discussed the clunkiness of Xg before on here. Possession stats are the same as the ‘weather was fine’ or ‘it was raining’. Just facts - don’t tell you too much.

I know one stat for sure ….. my arse was off my seat way longer during a match than it has been in a few years and that tells me a lot!!!

[downendcity]

2 minutes ago, BrizzleRed said:

I know one stat for sure ….. my arse was off my seat way longer during a match than it has been in a few years and that tells me a lot!!!

Yes it does.

Never have a  Vindaloo the night before a home game!

[pongo88]

What score will Gregor MacG give him in the Post?

[bcfc01]

43 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

What score will Gregor MacG give him in the Post?

GMG isn't around at the moment and his boss didn't give a rating for Pearson.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, firstdivision said:

Yes. We’ve discussed the clunkiness of Xg before on here. Possession stats are the same as the ‘weather was fine’ or ‘it was raining’. Just facts - don’t tell you too much.

1 hour ago, chinapig said:

No single metric in any walk of life is useful in isolation. As you say, % possession adds no value on its own. You need to look at the package of key metrics, i.e. those that have a significant impact on outcomes and where appropriate the relationship between them.

And you don't just need competent analysts you need subject experts to make judgements based on the results. You could give me data on something you are expert in and I could do an analysis but only you would be qualified to make decisions based on that analysis.

The role of an analyst is to support decision making not replace it. Good managers know how to use analysis as a tool to supplement their own knowledge. As true of football as of any other field.

Spot on.  I try to look for trends between more than one “stat”.  Here’s some charts (pre-Fulham) looking at four bits of data:

Left pic:

- how many possessions we had and the average number of passes per possession.  If you look at the wins (squares) you see little trend.

Right pic:

- percentage possession versus passes made per minute of possession.  Our 3 wins have been our lowest possession matches of the season, our highest two….our two defeats, go figure!!!  QPR probably shows our high tempo counter-attacking play.

So when I hear people say things like we should’ve won because we had more possession, I tend not to take that very seriously.

Was chatting online the other day to the Recruitment Analyst for Luton about his experiences of working with the pros.  Someone like Nathan Jones is interested in the stats, but more interested when it can be shown in the context of what that means on the pitch.  So, he’s very supportive of it but not in isolation.  In the same manner he’s not particularly enamoured with analysts showing him a video of a goal conceded, because he will already know why it happened, having looked himself….unless it’s something niche that he might’ve missed, or it’s a recurring trend.

 

[pongo88]

1 hour ago, bcfc01 said:

GMG isn't around at the moment and his boss didn't give a rating for Pearson.

Thank goodness for that. I thought GMG’s manger ratings were a bit embarrassing