Merrick's Marvels

43 minutes ago, maxjak said:

Anybody with half an amount of grey matter could see we would be over run in midfield, and that Scott at wing back was a square peg in a round hole, and a complete waste of a creative player.  Plus Benerous and Scott are too similar to both play?...................sorry we are very consistent,  consistently poor.   I don't trust Niges decision making, and for a man who played his entire career as a central defender, he appears to have no idea how to set up a defence?  IMHO.

I hear you but take a slightly different view.

As someone with half an amount of grey matter, I looked at the starting midfield and thought "we'll do well to get a foothold in this game with that lot". But the fact of the matter is James, Williams and King were all unavailable and from what was left, the manager decided to stick as closely as possible to the side that had got decent results in the last 2 games. 

I agree completely Scott is a square peg in a round hole at wing back. However, I suspect the reason Pearson picked him there and not Semenyo is about defensive discipline and picking the one he thinks will work hardest when we haven't got the ball, especially away from home. And yes, that's a bit negative but the manager has decided his first task is to make us solid, competitive and as difficult to beat as possible. Whether you or I like it or not, there's a logic to it.

"Benarous and Scott are too similar to both play". 4 days earlier they both made significant contributions for 98 minutes in a game that finished City 1 Stoke 0.

Vyner in midfield? Dear Christ. When has that ever worked. He would have just been another passive passenger in there. 

I agree we're inconsistent, but a lot of that, not all but a lot, is to do with individuals making poor errors - and that's on the players, not the manager.

The last week has been a great example of what people mean when they say the Championship is a tough unrelenting league -  a game every 3 days, leaving little room for rest and none for meaningful work on the training pitch, for a team who spends 90+ minutes game after game chasing helter skelter after the ball, with experienced players missing, other experienced players not capable of handling such a heavy workload, young inexperienced players the same, the team full of players with more than a few basic errors in them... we could on, but let's not.

It would have taken a miracle to get any sort of result, let alone a performance, out of yesterday.  Imho.     

11 minutes ago, maxjak said:

Vyner in midfield Alongside Scott and Massengo ........Semenyo and O'Dowda wide  (So basically fill the midfield)    Atlinson, Kalas , Baker and Pring at the back.  Either Wells or Weimann as a lone striker?   I think it's an improvement.......but i'm no coach?  But after that performance do we have any Coach's , other than the one we turned up in ?                       

So completely change the side that had picked up a win and a draw from the last 2 games. Did Johnson leave you his tombola?

We're a side completely lacking consistency. Perhaps the manager thought that picking a settled side might be the first step towards settled performances?

41 minutes ago, Gratz260689 said:

Martin got to be one he has been awful for weeks, with the success we have had out the young lads how Britton so t starting ahead of him is beyond me!! 

If you think Martin is a shirker, you're certifiable.

Nothing to do with whether we think he's any good or not, the thread title refers to players not putting 100% in.

As I say, if you think that applies to Martin, you're insane. 

4 hours ago, Clevedon Red said:

What’s he done for you to draw this conclusion?

Whooooosh

Horse. Stable door. Bolted. 

You're not wrong though. 

20 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Thought he played the position incredibly well.  I didn’t see him caught out of position, certainly not constantly.  In what way did you see him out of position / unaware.  If there’s one thing I’ve seen from Scott this season, it’s that he has a bloody fantastic football brain for an 18 year old old.  I can’t think of many players of his type (an attack minded CM) who could go and play RWB and not be phased by it….least of all at 18.  I thought he got the better of a very talented and highly rated Tymon (22) last night.

All about opinions though.

He was my MOTM last night.

Tymon got in behind him far too easily on numerous occasions, whereas no-one got in behind O'Dowda at all.

Stoke's main threat was down Scott's side time after time, from minute 1 to minute 98 and several times they should have produced more after getting into dangerous positions. Fortunately, our scramble defence held together.

Not a criticism of Scott though - as I say, I like him and he stuck manfully to the task. Excellent attitude. I just don't think wing back suits him very well at all - too much ground for him to cover, up and down, up and down. Not sure he's built for that, whereas O'Dowda is. One's built for short bursts of inter-play and close control, the other's built for stretching his legs out, carrying the ball at a gallop over longer distances.  

Can you imagine Jack Grealish playing wing back? 

O'Dowda MOM for me - defensively sound, didn't give the ball away, posed an attacking threat.  

But, yes, it's all about opinions!

6 hours ago, Fordy62 said:

Christ. That’s a long Un for this time of the morning. Are you working nights too?

No just don't know what to do with meself after winning at home

4 hours ago, DownendStokie said:

Well I thought I’d better stick my head up over the parapet!

I thought we were by far the better side up to the goal - and yes, being done by a long throw is really annoying!

After that we really didn’t get going again and as the game went on your players seemed to grow in confidence and belief. If Romaine Sawyers had half of that we might have done a bit better!

I thought we should have had a pen for your defender climbing all over Ostigard and the challenge on Vrancic could easily have been a straight red. Your penalty shout for handball in the first half was at the other end of the ground so no idea on that one. Allen's red was thoroughly deserved.

A minimum of 9 minutes added time but we only played 7?

Overall a typical championship game that on another day we could have won comfortably but that's football. Hopefully we get a bit of revenge at our place.

Good luck for the rest of the season

Fair play for sticking head above parapet.

I watched on TV. For the first 15 minutes I could only see one result - a battering. Then we scored and got better but without ever establishing parity of possession (this has been the case against EVERYONE for the entire calendar year, btw - looking like the away team on our home ground).

You display commendable self-awareness not to bleat about conceding from a long throw. Fair play again. Otherwise the name Rory Delap would be stuffed back at you. Or indeed the 2 most despised words in the English language, esp around here - Tiny Penis. Or, as we say, welsh gAss untc.

Massengo's rugby tackle of Ostigard probably was a pen. But only out here in forumland - they're never given by actual referees, in actual games, in actual real life. So, no dice. Next week, one of yours will do exactly the same and it won't be given either.

Ostigard's handball when blocking a cross in the first half was never a penalty, despite our crowd's howls of protest - exactly what a home crowd should do: get on top of the referee and opposition and bend them to your will if possible.

The foul on Vrancic was a yellow - our boy was off his feet but not out of control, not reckless and not studs up. Exactly the same as the yellow for our player in the first minute. The referee was remarkably consistent on this throughout the game, to both sides. Remarkably lenient, in actual fact, given the current state of refereeing. He actually allowed a game of football to develop. He let plenty of contact go unpunished, was unfussy, wasn't card happy. Apparently, tonight was the first red card he's shown all season - and he thought long and hard about giving Allen that 2nd Yellow. He didn't really want to because he knew it meant a Red but then decided, correctly, that he had to be consistent and show the 2nd Yellow , based on the other Yellows he'd already shown for exactly the same type of foul.

Fact of the matter is, Allen's cynical trip for his 1st Yellow was borderline Red anyway - and that was in the 1st half, O'Dowda was clean through, so you should have been playing the 2nd half with 10 men. Yes, our man was on half way and out wide but there was no covering defence and he would still have had the  time and space to collect the ball and head straight for goal with no-one in sight - i.e. Allen stopped a clear goal scoring opportunity. Imo. Just because it was on half way don't mean shite -  we were countering and you had no covering defence.

It was the only thing the ref got wrong all night. Apart from blowing up at 8 mins and 37 seconds - not quite the 9 added minutes advertised but longer than the 7 minutes you've quoted. Who knows what you might have conjured up with 10 men in the missing 23 seconds?? 

But no doubt, repeat the same performances at your place and I'm certain you'll have your "revenge". As you say, that's football. 

Enjoy the rest of the season, after too long you have a good team, rather than a collection of overpaid individuals, and an excellent mamager. You'll probably do what we've done in recent times - be in contention, then snatch 10th place from the jaws of the play-offs. Still, that's progress, for you. For us, this season is all about staying up. 

4 hours ago, Simon79 said:

Both played well. But Benarous in particular impresses me. A real swagger, a confidence in his ability on the ball, happy to hand out some stick, ball manipulation in tight areas, has time on the ball & knows how to draw a foul when we needed a breather. Really impressed & I have high hopes for him in particular. COYR 

Think Benarous might just be The Kiddie. Has half a yard of pace which makes him better than Scott imo.

Scott ain't bad himself mind, he's just not a wing back - or Jack Grealish, so stop with that obsession ffs young man. Try modelling yerself on Trevor Tainton instead - neat and tidy, 400+ games, no daft haircut or alice band required.

The future's bright, the future's Eamonn Belarus. Until we sell him.

In the summer, probably.  

3 hours ago, Henry said:

That’s why Palmer can’t make the 18.

This is opinion. It's also The Truth. Hallelujah, brother.

Benarous is half Algerian = he's our very own Zidane! If he's this good after 2 games, well who  knows ...  

He's virtually our best player already which is both sad and amazing at the same time.

2 hours ago, GrahamC said:

MoM for me.

And me, and that's from someone whose last post about this player stated, basically, he should bugger off. ASAP.

So first things first, tonight Callum you were excellent. Carrying the ball forward with intent, driving the opposition backwards, putting  in some excellent crosses. And in defending and tracking Stoke's wide players you were switched on, diligent, resilient.

Well played.

In contrast, to see how not to play this position - an attacking player asked to play an unfamilair wide role - see Alex Scott who was constantly caught out of position/unaware.

Now here's the question Callum - are you a p***k teaser?

Or are you actually, for once, going to back up tonight's excellent performance by playing to this level over and over again. 

Because that's what it requires to call yourself a footballer, that's what it takes to get 20,000 people at Ashton Gate behind you - tonight's excellent performance  over and over and over and over, week in week out. Not just once in a blue moon or when you feel like it.

It's up to you.

Are you a man or mouse, son?

And for the avoidance of doubt, I like Alex Scott very much. Just not as a defensively clueless wing back. 

30 minutes ago, Harry said:

All very nice. But play the next 20 seconds where he loses the challenge, Blackburn break, and Vyner (as one of only 3 recognised defenders), jogs back with no urgency whatsoever. 
You lost the ball Zak - effing sprint back and help your mates out!! 

Absolutely.

Pirouetting centre backs??? Jeez, that just about sums us up at the minute. We can't defend for toffee but our centre backs can do a lovely pirouette!  

Vyner has always had the demeanour of a rabbit in headlights. There's no doubting his physical qualities but it's what he has between his ears that will define his career. 

I said ages ago on here if Pearson sticks around long enough neither Vyner nor Dasilva would still be in the team. I haven't seen much in the meantime to change my mind. 

22 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Nurse has been playing LCB regularly of late.

Aye but Ebanks-Landell and Pierre - 2 big ball winning lumps - both missing. Bit like saying - not to worry that Baker and Atkinson are missing cos Pring can play alongside Kalas! 

Elliot Bennett also missing for Shrewbury. 

Think Cotts is staring at a long old season up there. 

33 minutes ago, RedRock said:

Is that Cotts vs LJ I see there in the fixtures?

Umm…… come on you Shrews. 

Shrewsbury have injuries - 2 of their starting centre backs missing by the looks of it. Will do well to take a point, methinks. 

23 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Noticed that when first shown, laughed, but did think " Must have been recorded during LAST season !

Struck me as somewhat ironic, too. Didn't stop me from laughing though!

3 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

I would of thought he’s at reading watching she’d Utd for Sunday 

I fancy our chances if we're playing Shed United on Saturday  

6 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Nige is off scouting a game tonight. Don't know which one, but encouraging that he feels healthy enough to be out two nights on the trot

Scouting an opponent or a player? 

1 hour ago, CyderInACan said:

I will say though that the pre-game drink-up before was top drawer. Sadly, as soon as the game kicked-off I think we all knew we were never going to win. 

Yours or the team's? 

1 hour ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

 

I've just been deeply disappointed in virtually every match I've been to since the stadium re-opened after lock down.

Even after the euphoria I felt at the end of the Barnsley game and after I had calmed down with no voice left- I just figured we were very very fortunate to come away with a win. 

Can't disagree with that. 

5 hours ago, JonDolman said:

Pearson has a much better squad available to him than Holden had for much of the season

"A much better squad"???

I'd take a different view.

Defence

Holden had Mariappa and Sessegnon

Pearson has Atkinson and Tanner

Midfield

Holden had Nagy, Paterson, Lansbury, Rowe

Pearson has James and King

Forwards

Holden had Diedhiou

Pearson hasn't been given a replacement.

Holden also had the safety net of a large squad to pick from. Pearson is running with a smaller one, one that is regularly diminished further by the usual sick notes. His decision to do that, of course, and maybe one dictated by circumstances to an extent. Nevertheless it means he has virtually no safety net against injuries, rather the stop - he's being asked to perform a high wire act i.e. get results with precious little margin for error. 

2 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

33 games and 7 wins. 

Never in the history of BCFC has a manager been given such latitude for such appallingly consistent performances combined with actual results.IMO.

How many other managers have inherited (1) this much mess, and (2) did so at this level of football?

Serious questions. Name them. 

Statistics are meaningless without context.

Never in the history of BCFC has a manager been given such a mess to clear up at such a high standard and be expected to do so, by some, in such a short space of time.IMO.

But no doubt you've got a list of managers at your finger tips who would've transformed us into Barcelona by now.

I look forward to hearing who these miracle working magicians we should've appointed are.

Has Baker decided to leave? 

7 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

No. I was there.

Ta

2 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

It wasn’t a deliberate ploy to sit back. Vyner, Kalas and Baker panicked for 45 minutes and ****** the whole game up for us. They ruined a midfield that was functioning first half by banging the ball straight back to Blackburn time and again.

I wasn't there but maybe the midfield were hiding, or Blackburn pressing better, and the defence didn't have options other than clearing long?

A draw with Vyner Bakinson O'Dowda Scott and Benarous in the starting line up + not throwing it all away in injury time = positives, irrespective of the overall spectacle. At a time when positives are in short supply, that's a positive!