Bristol City in Second Place - 1 point behind Fulham

[Davefevs]

8 minutes ago, CHIPLEY RED said:

The point is we haven't got anybody else and aren't likely to have wholesale changes in the summer. Saying your not good enough and ill get rid of you is hardly good motivation for players who are clearly suffering a lack of confidence to see games out.

If your boss told you that how would you feel?

I agree….but just a counter to it….what if you’ve supported and cajoled them for weeks and weeks, not trying to deny their confidence, and they keep making the same mistakes?

It’s a tough one.

Maybe player x might respond to a bollocking, when we all thought they were an arms around the shoulder guy.

I guess we will find out.

[bcfcredandwhite]

37 minutes ago, Arsene's Wanger said:

A simple 'Why are we so sh!t in the last 15?' would be better and generate discussion. The op essentially says 'without the dropped points we'd be in the Prem next year'. Which is, frankly, absurd.

I was saying without the dropped points we’d be second in the league. We would. 
Essentially I was asking exactly that question but underlining it by drawing peoples attention to exactly how many points this ‘habit’ has cost us so far in this campaign. 
I’m disappointed that you don’t like the wording of my post. 
 

[Arsene's Wanger]

3 minutes ago, bcfcredandwhite said:

I was saying without the dropped points we’d be second in the league. We would. 
Essentially I was asking exactly that question but underlining it by drawing peoples attention to exactly how many points this ‘habit’ has cost us so far in this campaign. 
I’m disappointed that you don’t like the wording of my post. 
 

But you've taken 1 set of data, for 1 team and ignored everything else that has happened to every other team for the whole season, to create your 'second' position. It's nonsense.

Fwiw I don't think it can be (entirely due to) a lack of ability. It's either a mental frailty that shows in the last quarter or possibly a lack of fitness that the opposition are seizing on. 

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I preferred the days when only 1 stat mattered. The final score! 

[Merrick's Marvels]

51 minutes ago, CHIPLEY RED said:

The point is we haven't got anybody else and aren't likely to have wholesale changes in the summer. Saying your not good enough and ill get rid of you is hardly good motivation for players who are clearly suffering a lack of confidence to see games out.

If your boss told you that how would you feel?

Perhaps I'd be determined to prove him wrong?

Several of our players have had umpteen opportunities to prove they're made of the right stuff and, instead, time after time, demonstrate the opposite. Perhaps the manager has become exasperated with this??

And I don't think it's just a lack of confidence that sees us lose leads. Just as much, it's down to failing to do the simple basics correctly - hence the exasperation.  

I understand we haven't got a lot to choose from right now but perhaps the manager thinks the time is right to let rip all the same - perhaps because he thinks we're safe already or he knows one or two more reliable players, ones he thinks he can build our future around, are close to returning to action?? (Tanner? Atkinson? In other words - his players)

As for wholesale changes in the summer being unlikely, we need to create room within FFP by selling players. It's that straight forward. Not because we want to, not because we lack ambition, but because our financial position forces us to. And because, by doing so, it will allow the manager to crack on with vital repairs. 

And if that means selling the crown jewels, I'm fine with it. So long as it creates a transfer budget for the manager to build his team. The alternative - keep the young guns, keep the 20 grand a week millstones, but have little money to replace the weak links in our side - is one I'm not interested in.

Thanks to the previous regime, Pearson inherited a team that was, frankly, all fur coat and no knickers.

I'm quite happy for him to dismantle it completely and build a new team in his own image.

I'm confident it would be the sort of team we all crave.  Whether we ever get to see that is another matter.     

Edited February 14, 2022 by Merrick's Marvels

[pillred]

We have conceded more goals after 90 mins than any other team in the Championship, 8 at the last count.

[Davefevs]

Great post @Merrick's Marvels
 

I really don’t want us to sell the “Crown Jewels” either, but if that is the only way to get closer to the squad Nige wants then so be it.

Realistically (and some may see this as me being selective) he has 3 players of his own at the mo’:

• James - 3 year deal - the set the project going
• Tanner
• Atkinson

Why aren’t I including:

• Simpson - temporary to hopefully buy us 12 months (failed - acted early with Tanner)
• King - one year deal to instill the basics (failed - unless he makes a speedy comeback)
• Klose - 5 month deal, he might stay next season, but he isn’t part of the 3 year project

The other two:

• Weimann - good pro (a huge success)
• Baker - likes him, but been unlucky, Atkinson signed to be the long term Baker

Luckily we have Pring, Scott, Semenyo, Massengo, Benarous and Conway, but we are well short of a squad in the mould of Nige.

We either get rid of (most of) Wells, Palmer, O’Dowda, Moore, to create some wage budget (the wasted wage players)

Or we try to get some wiggle room by selling Dasilva, Bentley, Kalas.

Or we have to bite the bullet and sell one of our big 3!

[REDOXO]

4 hours ago, Davefevs said:

The defence needs a revamp.  Whether that includes Kalas or not I don’t know.  I’m v.happy with Atkinson, based on what he showed earlier this season.  Shame suspected covid and now a calf injury have left us w/o his services.  We have Tanner for RB, Pring for LB.  So we will need competition for them too.

I don’t think the priority is a striker, but if we manage to move on Wells then we have scope depending on whether we use that money in other positions.

Still a lot of unknowns though.  Contract decisions will drive much of it.

I agree the defense needs a revamp, but it’s not just about defenders, it’s our defending that is poor. 
 

We are not great with dead balls and defending crosses , but we let so many in. The midfield becomes less competitive as the game goes on and teams work out we are not great at 

1 stopping the ball coming through the middle of our midfield 

2 Allowing way to many balls behind our midfield in wide positions which in turn leads to crosses into the box

Until we have a more robust tackling team (not just getting a little foot in that often leads to the opposition picking up the second ball) and a midfield 3/4/5 that are less static out of possession nothing much will change, as the law of averages would more than imply the more box entries the more opportunity! (If that is not the case LJ might as well retire now) 

I get very frustrated with the numbers game played on this forum. Any amount of numbers that add to ten and if you just agreed with “me” that’s where it all goes wrong.Another thread on it right now. 
 

The way I see it is our front 2/3 make poor decisions in front of goal and are not taking enough chances  often leaving us 1 up (the thread is about throwing away winning positions which we routinely do). Also the press is great for an hour but will disintegrate, as such the opposition defense can play the ball around picking passes in the second half  

A midfield 3/4/5 who look ok on the ball but are not robust (we have no one who opponents don’t fancy playing against) enough by any circumstances. At the moment teams know it’s only amount of time before they can start brushing aside Scott Massengo DaSilva Odowda et al! They become anonymous defensively typically from HT onward. Williams may replace Massengo as Pearson is aware of this but the guy is still clearly not fit and was simply terrible (usually he is decent enough) on Saturday. 
 

THE DEFENSE (sorry my phone is set to US) We have Kalas who is great at shot blocking, but is “currently” always under the ball, far cry from the Euros. Is this due to our current effed up mix of zonal marking v man to man, maybe I don’t know. A new lad who looks neat at times but is liable to shanks, and a selection of others who are out of sorts.

Vyner is our current whipping boy! Unluckily ODowda the full time whipping boy is unavailable! Vyner is out of form in some ways and out of luck constantly, particularly as he is targeted due to our other failings and Pring who looks like a Deer in the Headlights from the 59th minute onward as the pressure mounts!

Massengo and Scott are good players, but it is essential and somewhat obvious one needs to move on to raise some cash to get a player in that isn’t Williams King James who’s sick notes are looking a bit tatty 

Anderson and Tanner at the moment are looking like they will follow suit and Baker, well we all know!

We are screwed yet again with sick note signings BUT those are the opportunities others dream of

So in summary take more chances of the shit loads we create and work harder for the entire game out of possession. Be more robust in midfield and more mobile out of possession (it’s not just about attacking football) Learn to actually tackle not just get a dangling foot in. Get faster out of possession and close players Out wide and the defense needs to stop getting under balls. Vyner and Pring could do with a few days with the sports pshychologist, while the other eight need to help them more. 
 

The goalkeeper! Well it’s popular to put OLeary in a classification with ODowda and Vyner our popular scapegoats, but I have not seen a single goal which I think he was responsible for. But if the back 3/4/5 are more confident with Bentley then maybe it’s his time, but the rest of the team need to look at themselves, and the supporters need to look at the rest of the team, before either goalkeeper! It was only 18 months ago Bentley was being touted as a possible England goalkeeper now not so much!  

 

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

26 lost but I make it 11 gained after conceding the opening goal.

Net gap 15...then as another poster said, the fairest reflection is the same exercise for all 24 clubs.

[Topper 123]

I think it’s time players took a hard long look at themselves, nobody wanted these players on dead line day ( except offers of loans for free ) so their going nowhere.They should be embarrassed to turn out performances like they have in front of 20thousand paying hard working supporters, taking our money and stealing a living in this division 

[Numero Uno]

Just now, Magger1 said:

I think it’s time players took a hard long look at themselves, nobody wanted these players on dead line day ( except offers of loans for free ) so their going nowhere.They should be embarrassed to turn out performances like they have in front of 20thousand paying hard working supporters, taking our money and stealing a living in this division 

The thing is the Manager did say three windows (and he knew who was tied down contract wise) so if we have a bit of patience we will really be able to look back on a few who are turning out for us right now and remember them with the "respect" that they deserve. Unfortunately it seems to be the higher paid members of the squad who have been short changing us.

[everreddy]

26 minutes ago, Magger1 said:

I think it’s time players took a hard long look at themselves, nobody wanted these players on dead line day ( except offers of loans for free ) so their going nowhere.They should be embarrassed to turn out performances like they have in front of 20thousand paying hard working supporters, taking our money and stealing a living in this division 

Maybe at least 8 of 'em could be persuaded to tear up their contracts....?!!! 

[Topper 123]

24 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

The thing is the Manager did say three windows (and he knew who was tied down contract wise) so if we have a bit of patience we will really be able to look back on a few who are turning out for us right now and remember them with the "respect" that they deserve. Unfortunately it seems to be the higher paid members of the squad who have been short changing us.

Your right the players know who they are and the whole of the Ashton crowd know who they are -put in the effort and show commitment or **** off

[Merrick's Marvels]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Great post @Merrick's Marvels
 

I really don’t want us to sell the “Crown Jewels” either, but if that is the only way to get closer to the squad Nige wants then so be it.

Realistically (and some may see this as me being selective) he has 3 players of his own at the mo’:

• James - 3 year deal - the set the project going
• Tanner
• Atkinson

Why aren’t I including:

• Simpson - temporary to hopefully buy us 12 months (failed - acted early with Tanner)
• King - one year deal to instill the basics (failed - unless he makes a speedy comeback)
• Klose - 5 month deal, he might stay next season, but he isn’t part of the 3 year project

The other two:

• Weimann - good pro (a huge success)
• Baker - likes him, but been unlucky, Atkinson signed to be the long term Baker

Luckily we have Pring, Scott, Semenyo, Massengo, Benarous and Conway, but we are well short of a squad in the mould of Nige.

We either get rid of (most of) Wells, Palmer, O’Dowda, Moore, to create some wage budget (the wasted wage players)

Or we try to get some wiggle room by selling Dasilva, Bentley, Kalas.

Or we have to bite the bullet and sell one of our big 3!

 

I try to imagine what the team might look like if Pearson has the time to repair and rebuild - say, at the start of 23/24 the season after next (giving him his 3 proper summer windows and excluding the Januarys).

It's based on :

* what our financial position dictates and

* the type of characters he looks for.  

You've listed 21 players. Based on one or other of the above factors, I can't see many of them still being here in August 23, let alone making the first XI.

When you consider there are players you haven't listed who are also unlikely to be here then (eg. Martin), this equates to a huge turn over of players in the next year or two.

As such, that illustrates just how big a task Pearson has taken on - he hasn't even got the basic building blocks of his own team in place yet. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Merrick's Marvels