firstdivision

Just now, Leveller said:

Radio Bristol saying we’ve been brilliant. Radio 5 saying it’s been a very very dull half!

Yeah, but that was the same bloke who said Weimann’s late goal against Coventry was an own goal. 

The only disappointing aspect of that first half is that we’re not about 3-0 up. Blackburn have been lacklustre. We have passed it nicely. Can’t believe Blackburn will be so passive in the second half. 

13 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Really? Wilson, Kalas, Klose, Tanner, Pring. Some decent alternatives there.

Kalas, yes. But when is he going to be fit? 
I’m not even sure NP is totally convinced by the others you mention. And he keeps talking about the need for a new central defender. 
The defence we’re currently employing is like watching the climax of a cliffhanger movie. Which is not to be overly negative - it’s just a reason why I think the top six is beyond us. 

Sometimes you go to football, - travel a long way to be there - for one moment, for it all to be worth it. That happened tonight - it was the moment AS’ rocket hit the net. Glorious. 

Hands off tomorrow anyone thinking about it. 

51 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

I’m normally Mr Sensible but someone is going to have to give me a bloody good reason why this team can’t finish in the top six.

Our defence? Our lack of defensive options?

6 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Nige interview from Bristol Online:

aimed at Mark Carter, Ian Gay, and perhaps Bristol City Analytics???

 

On an aside, he calls it ugly…he doesn’t flower-up a win, nor go overboard in defeat…if we’ve played okay / well.

 

I’m not sure we are the same team, though, Dave. Didn’t the more mobile forward line in the last two league games made a big difference? 
I’ve watched all five league games and there was a definite difference between the first three and the last two. 

1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

Lovely left foot, one of those players that looked older than they were because of his hair (lack of it).  Good Saints team in his era too.

Delightful man, too.

The squad is definitely thin. 
In an ideal world, we would change nearly the whole team for Wednesday at Wycombe with a league game at Blackpool next Saturday and then two more games the following week. But I’m not sure we can.

Also, let’s see where we are by the international break. We’ll have played 11 by then, including Blackburn, Norwich and Burnley away in September. It has been an encouraging week but I think some are getting a bit carried away. 

NP talked last season about having a team that opponents hate playing against. I've seen that for the first time under him this week, consistently anyway (for 180 minutes in back-to-back games).

That's the team I want to see as well: energy combined with quality - a significant improvement on the first three games and vast swathes of the last 18 months.

The challenge will be keeping it going in a packed schedule before the international break.

Best aspect of this week (apart from the obvious): we’ve passed the ball, which makes us so much more exciting/interesting to watch. 

Semenyo, if he isn’t sold, won’t come straight back. He’ll be eased back in. But we’ll also need to give Conway or Wells a breather. It’s a squad game over 46 matches. And it’s physically demanding.
 

Well played NW and TC, but Semenyo is our best striker.
 

15 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Yes, no cup game for them, knocked out by Barrow on pens.

So is Sykes banned for the League Cup game, not three league games, because it's an EFL competition as opposed to it being an FA competition (FA Cup)? 

4 minutes ago, RedG said:

Great interview on sky sports news basically saying the refs are shit and he has had enough of it.

He’s not wrong.

20 minutes ago, BCFCGav said:

Stonewaller on Atkinson. I thought ‘well he CAN’T not give that ’.

He can.

Yes. It was just a penalty. Simple. I thought it as it happened and the replays confirmed it. 

18 minutes ago, grifty said:

He just chested Sykes in the back. Never a red for Freeman. Sykes got sent off because the ref saw him get caught/held back when tackled and looked like he went in angrily/out of control.

I think the ref got all the decision correct. Sykes was just about a red, Freeman was a yellow and I don't think Atkinson was a penalty although I didn't really see a great angle of it.

I actually thought the ref gave us many 50/50 decisions where our players just fell over with minimal contact if any.

I’ve seen it several times. It was a clear penalty. 

We passed it. Joyous. 

Unbelievable decision from the ref not to give a penalty for a foul on Rob Atkinson. Glad it didn’t matter in the end. But just not good enough. 

1 hour ago, Super said:

We really haven't. Conway is decent but he is nowhere near the level of Semenyo. If he goes we certainly need to bring somebody in even if it's on loan.

I agree. Antoine well ahead in his development.

8 hours ago, Davefevs said:

@Marina's Rolls Royce

@BigAl&Toby

@firstdivision

Not aimed at you three, but just reading the latest quotes back to me, but it’s an interesting insight for me.  I read pretty much every OTIB thread and try to read every individual post, although sometimes I scroll quickly…and generally see tonnes of negative bollax written, baseless bollax written, etc, and people think it’s fine.  So I thought I’d start a thread with an element of positive bollax and see how it landed. One thing is for sure and I’m no Freud, is that It’s easy to write negative, baseless stuff.  It’s harder to write substantiated stuff whether it be positive or negative.  I love conversing with those that put a bit of effort in.

MRR - I don’t really care how my perceived pro-Pearson view works out.  It’s not really pro-Pearson, for me it’s the reality of a very difficult situation he’s taken over in….and I think he deserves to have the time to at least get a chance once the shit has been cleared up.  That may be next summer - contract talks with the usual suspects might define that timeline to be a bit quicker.  He might not get that time.  I think he is steadying the ship, and whoever replaces him, whenever that will be, will pick up a football club in a better position than it was in when he took over.  For me it is already in a much better state…but financially we have the “legacy” of SL / MA / LJ still lingering over us.

Next summer there won’t be any players that Nige hasn’t had a chance to move on or re-contract.  Not many managers get that full timeline of seeing all the players out they don’t want.  But he will also have lost players he probably would’ve liked to have kept around, plus he isn’t able to bring in much beyond free transfers, bar Naismith, not even free transfers proven at this level.  That’s a major drawback.  When LJ had to sell players he was able to replace.  Generate £23m transfer profit on Webster, Pack, Brownhill and Eisa, spent at least £25m in fees on 17 players….and a hefty wage bill increase that went with it.  Christ, £5.5m amortisation of this season’s amortisation is LJ / MA recruitment.

He deserves some slack…imho.

He far from perfect, but he’s sorting us out for a better future.  When the time comes to appoint a new manager, we might be seen as an attractive opportunity.

 

If we stay up, Dave, will we able to spend any money next summer? 

I always enjoy your posts btw.
 

As for me, I have a questioning attitude to most things. I try to be realistic and even handed.  I am naturally sceptical. For example before the season, I didn’t see much justification for the ‘push for the play-offs’ sentiment. I thought bottom line: ‘just stay up’. I’m concerned that might be beyond us. By no means impossible - and we might do ok - but I can see a path that takes us to relegation and the season has started exactly as I feared. Same mistakes, same fallibility. Also, this has happened in games against less intimidating opposition (although I always think it’s best to avoid promoted sides early). 
We do have Semenyo to come back though. 
 

What I would say on positive/negative and NP or no NP is that there is always more than one way to do most things. Therefore, I think it’s fair enough for posters to be NP sceptics. And to question his ability (as against someone else’s) to solve our problems despite the contraints he is working under. I’m sure you do too. Stick or twist? One of life’s enduring questions. 
 

1 hour ago, Son of Fred said:

So much "information" on the forum post Wigan - so much noise.

Accepting that all of life is 6/4 against (including following City) this is the area I'm genuinely concerned.

Sorry, Son of Fred, I don’t understand your reply. 

6 hours ago, Davefevs said:

…off an running after two defeats

Defended resolutely if a bit deep at times.

Vyner had a good game, Conway very good, should’ve sealed the 3 points with his 6 yard header.  His pace at times was a surprise to me, I knew he had some, but he’s gained an extra yard.

A few quiet performances, but stuck at it.

Will give confidence that we didn’t concede and another ref determined to make it harder for us.  How he didn’t red card Bennett is a disgrace.  Violent conduct…full stop….red card.  Their manager knew it, hence subbed off at h-t.

 

A bit rose tinted, Dave, for me. I thought it was dire game admittedly on a brutally hot day. Two very limited teams. We did work hard but we always have a daft mistake in us. Wait until teams start to score proper goals against us. 

Conway miss astonishing. Might have won it for us but we look pretty unconvincing.  

Ref awful obvs. Same bloke who gave the incredible Posh pen for a ‘foul’ on Szmodics v Lincoln the day Posh were promoted in 20-21 (the single worst decision I’ve ever seen in the EFL). Bennett an obvious ref card. What did the assistant ref see? How could it be a yellow. What on Earth are they watching.

And a pen for a foul on Conway. 
But there is such a lack of quality and creativity in our play for the most part.
 

Wigan won’t finish above bottom third. And they were far too strong at times for us in the second half. We need Semenyo desperately. Desperately. 

Squad is thin and we can’t strengthen. The winter feels to me as if it’s going to be long and hard. 

Desperately poor game. So much hoofing. Red and a penalty for us. Obvs neither given. 
I can see danger if we don’t try to keep the ball and pass it on a hot day. 

Coventry defending like us. 

16 hours ago, PFree said:

We all get excited about football returning but why is there so much expectancy that City should easily turn teams over all of a sudden?

We scraped through last season and played some pretty poor football being honest. We haven’t spent a single penny on transfers this summer. We have brought in a couple of lower league players with potential, one player with a decent pedigree at this level, but all on frees.

A football team doesn’t somehow become world beaters unexpectedly, it takes time to develop a side, and a lot of investment. With FFP, we are basically broke and working with handcuffs on or balls and chains in reality, aren’t we?
That said there were positives yesterday, spells in the first half where our movement and tempo were quite incredible, albeit we didn’t keep it up. It is undoubtedly going to be a long season and if we somewhere towards mid table come season end, we will have done well.

Is our Manager the right man? In my opinion, there are better coaches around who have us playing better by now, but of those available when Nigel was appointed, he would have got my vote. In six to eight games though, if results don’t improve, I expect he will leave, but let’s hope we are in a much better place by then and that we build further..

I, for one, didn’t have much expectancy. I started the season, as I always do, trying to find three clubs that will finish below us. Can’t speak for others but it looked another ‘just stay up’ season to me. 

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

The dilemma of selection when your RWB gets a knock on their ankle pre-season and the replacement plays well enough to afford you the opportunity to bring your “Starboy” into the eleven perhaps a game or two earlier than you thought.

I’m pretty sure had Wilson been for Bournemouth, he’d have played RWB on opening day, and Sykes as the S in WSM. We wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Unless James is ok for Wednesday, I think Scott will move back into midfield alongside “someone” (Williams will be rested I reckon), Sykes will play 10, and Wilson will start at RWB.

A classic case of why I don’t go heavy on best elevens.  You rarely have them fit, available and in-form.  Fun, eh?

Yes, good point.
But we’ve changed the plan from pre-season because Wilson got a knock in training. And we acquired a player with the intention of changing his position plus he won’t get in the first eleven when Semenyo is fit (although I take your point that we, inevitably, will need different first elevens).

I think my point is that Sykes was not a priority signing when you consider the problems elsewhere.

Mind you, we needed a defender, brought in Naismith, and thought we’d pulled off a coup - and  that turned to dust today (admittedly it was only one day). 

14 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We were missing three “power” players today…Semenyo and Kalas as starters and Pring as a squad player.  I do think getting them into the 11 / 18 gives us a different complexion.

Even though people are scapegoating Vyner today, he played ok today…but I think Sykes or Wilson outside him might prefer Klose.  That bit of leadership / comms imho would help the, as they settle in. That’s a bit harsh on Zak though…but needs must.

One thing I find perplexing, Dave, is that we have limited cash but we seemed to have spent the money on two players for the same position. (Or, on the other hand, why did we bring in Sykes if the original attention was to teach him a new position? He was a right midfield player at Oxford according to my Oxford-supporting colleague.) Surely we should have used the limited budget to try to bring in a player in another position. We have Tanner - but he’s now looking like a waste of cash. 

Today was a shambles. The 25-odd minutes after we scored our second was embarrassing. And IMHO extremely worrying. We looked a relegation team in August. I didn’t actually think Sunderland were that great. Good in parts, and in some positions, but not what you can come against in this league.

Semenyo can’t come back soon enough.

All in all, a depressing day.