The Swan and Cemetery

Think home form is more of a revenue issue than a league position issue. If we can’t win at home, difficult to expect the faithful to stay faithful, but if we continue doing well away we needn’t be in any danger of relegation. 22nd in home table, 2nd in away table (Bournemouth top), equals 11th overall.

Didn’t see a lack of effort, but a definite lack of quality vs a very expensive team (Cahill on a free is not the sign of a cheap team, he won’t be on £50, a pie and pint), who are unbeaten this season. We’re now 4W 4D 4L, sounds like mid table, rather than worst team in history, but obviously not a great experience for home supporters. Weimann sums us up for me, consistently ineffective at home, consistently effective away. Could easily see us having a record breaking home vs away record this season.

Yep, sharper than us for both goals in their half and then breaking better than we were able to regroup. Overall, we can criticise our players, but parachute payments and ignoring FFP buys you players quicker in thought and deed. Much less bothered being taught a football lesson by (financially) a Premier League team, it’s the mediocre/poor Championship teams we need to look decent against.

Yep, we always used to play a high line against Wolves, usually approximately the edge of their penalty area. As a result the whole game, it seemed like a lot more than one half, was watching Steve Bull bearing down on us before he lashed home a volley/half volley (he was definitely of the David Kelly, min 3 goals a game, vintage). Remember a Freight Rover/Leyland DAF midweek game with the South Bank threateningly (not sexily) whistling at us and we still had that underpass to come.

Rotherham 89/90 promotion season, midweek, 1-0 down at half time, they played Del Amitri’s ‘Kiss this thing goodbye’ during the break, own goal and Super Bob in the 2nd half and a 2-1 win to put us back on track. Any trip to Wigan at Springfield Park includjng drinking in the Springfield Arms beforehand. Feel Scott McGarvey offered a tanned/highlighted contrast to the industrial north in one game, that would have had Alan Bennett waxing lyrical about ‘against chimney smoke, there was orange, exuberant orange, yet, somehow… despairing’. Old school.

Couldn’t agree more, any decent amount of time watching City and genuine, wow, skill is found rarely. Jacki had that in abundance, light years ahead of Tomlin and JET and proven at a much higher level. The team he was asked to play in was the equivalent of asking Viv Richards to play with Moreton-in-the-Monster-Mash 4ths. Most exciting player I’ve seen since starting watching in 74/75. Wouldn’t beat Gow, Super Bob or some others to all time favourite, but would be in my all time starting XI, as every now and then, football can be about joy and thrills, as well as (also very enjoyable) effort and guts. Remember a flick over his head in the penalty area against Ipswich at AG, that no one else I’ve seen for City would have tried (apart from Brian Mitchell). Joy to watch. Still got a couple of ‘Solidarnosc’ t shirts.

Agree, the number of attempts on goal yesterday might to some degree be down to playing defensively dubious opponents, but the team being relatively close from back to front, moving more than in the past and having more players comfortable with the ball at their feet, rather than the hot potato of recent seasons, makes a big difference. Recruitment looking good given funds available (3 or 4 starters for approx £2m), plus some injury returns and trusting younger players (Pring would probably have ended up on loan to PSG under previous regime) - all good signs. Lots still to be done, teams often seem to have acres of space and would love Bentley to develop some sweeper-keeper confidence (a couple of incidents yesterday where he could have easily collected in his penalty area, but was glued to his line). But these are minor quibbles, all takes time (thought we looked much better defending set pieces, again maybe they lacked aerial strength, but promising). Feels like NP arrived, had a very long list of problems to sort, and is working his way through that list at a decent pace (suspect Richard Gould helping a lot vs previous incumbent), but a long to do list is never going to be completed quickly. Very happy with progress being made.

Think O’Dowda’s scored fewer than Weimann (and doesn’t have exactly the same record as Weimann). To some of the Gerard comparisons made, whilst his career record to date doesn’t imply this is likely, wonder if Williams playing slightly further forward could be a decent goal scoring midfielder? Looked dangerous with head and feet yesterday in forward positions.

Massengo, Williams and James look like our best midfield trio, but whilst not winning the most statistically valid sample of the year award, think interesting that King’s 6 starts have delivered 11 points, the 5 he didn’t start, 5 points. A lot to be said for someone unobtrusively keeping things chugging along.

Agree re no look passes, doesn’t seem to adjust his game depending on where he is on the pitch. Their final third, risk/reward probably justified, our final third, play it safe/sensible. Also agree re Williams starting in terms of performance, just wonder, given how he’s struggled coming back from injuries previously, if Rennie will insist on a more gradual approach. If so, hopefully King fit enough to start as whilst lacks energy of Massengo, has looked solid and has great positional awareness.

Have PM’d Nige to suggest we pick up Mitrovic in the January window, should be able to secure him for an Alan Walsh-esque fee.

Thought we did really well. The subs to get the goal back (which worked) meant we were left with a very attacking group of players (Weimann RWB), so always likely to be chances. The middle one of Mitrovic’s three had goal written all over it, the other two were half chances I thought. Never felt like the Alamo and 14 attempts is so different to last season. Williams looked good, Palmer made a big difference. Still frustratingly slow to second balls (felt Williams made a difference, but maybe confirmation bias) and too often wasteful in possession up the pitch, but very promising overall.

Pearson out. Lyle Taylor for player manager.

That’s one thing we definitely can blame Nige for, not getting Lyle Taylor over the line when it was guaranteed to happen. He’d probably have 4 or 5 for us by now.

1. We’re 12th not 24th 2. We seem to have players who are decent at counter attacking, but less good at breaking teams down (see Weimann), hence we’re good away but mediocre at home. 3. Home games are attended by more… home fans, so clearly if not so good at home, perception maybe below reality, given 3 points for a win is 3 points for a win in Cardiff as well as Bristol. 4. Thought tonight was miles better than last season, whilst still not being very good. Less sitting back on the lead, decent intent, lack of quality final third, silly howler at the end. 5. Pretty sure Luton were trying as well. Overall can see the trends so far continuing, more points away than at home, but enough points overall. Not ideal as home attendances may dwindle, but hopefully the training pitch can unlock some further improvements and if not, think it’s new players that we’ll need more than a new manager.

Think Luton’s 3 chances in 30 seconds flattered them and have been extrapolated out to us being badly beaten/not deserving anything. They didn’t create much 2nd half (nor did we) and don’t think we sat back as we have in the past with a lead, we just didn’t offer much going forward. Not the worst performance I’ve ever seen, but does seem as if getting 2 or 3 ahead is the likely route to our next home win and we struggle to break teams down and create decent chances at home. All my eggs are in the Conway basket, so maybe early Feb we’ll be up and running… Bentley’s a classic keeper at this level, some things he does are Prem standard, but he’s not Prem for a reason, in the same way the rest of the team aren’t.

All those darned crosses.

Never sure if teams from the past were rammed full of tip-top players, or just that teams of childhood (eg when focus on Panini was all there was) makes them more memorable, but 1981 UEFA cup winning team was: Cooper, Mills, McCall, Thijssen, Osman, Butcher, Wark, Muhren, Mariner, Brazil and Gates. Pretty much legends to a man in my eyes, but maybe I’ve been wooed by watching The Big Match Revisited (aka an awful lot of mud revisited) this evening.

Similar views. 30 years sitting on the couch and eating junk food, then decide to start exercising and eat healthily. Won’t be an Adonis overnight, but can celebrate the new leg warmers and lettuce regime. The past is the past and all that. May not turn out how we’d hope, but for now, I’m happy with how it’s going.

Not sure we’re that slow, Weimann, Massengo and Pring not slouches, but no Junior Bents or Dave Smiths admittedly. Thought we missed guile more than pace, so would have brought on Scott rather than Semenyo.

Not expecting any of us to be excited by these stats (and apologies if my maths has alluded me anywhere), but maybe hints at progress, as well as highlighting the job to be done? 13 home games without a win: 1st 4: 0 points, 0.25 goals scored per game, 1.75 goals conceded per game Next 3: 0, 0, 2 Next 3: 1, 1, 2 Most recent 3 (this season): 2, 0.33, 0.67 Not the most statistically robust sample ever, but maybe hints at improved defence, whilst a fair way to go on breaking teams down and scoring at home. Given constraints, I’m happy with solidifying and then hopefully we can work out the other end of the pitch next. Progress is progress after all.

Not sure we were clearly second best, but agree we weren’t great. Season to date has middle 8, maybe lower middle 8 rather than upper admittedly, written all over it. Nowhere near top end performances, but hardly clear relegation fodder either. As others have said, coming from where we’ve come from, that’s relative progress, even if the absolute outcome isn’t what we’re after.

Wouldn’t people have thought it bit odd if he’d left out Baker or Pring and Massengo or Weimann?

And had won their last 3 games, 2 in the league, probably not the dictionary definition of struggling.

What adds to the general enjoyment is the BCTV crew consistently commentating/reflecting on the game they want to watch, rather than the one they actually are watching.