ChippenhamRed

Edited just now by cityloyal473 Not letting me post for some reason. His performance on the pitch has EVERYTHING to do with his ability from the spot; he's blatantly shit at both Blatantly? You're judging Pack's penalty taking ability on a sample size of one?

Easy to over-analyse a penalty. It's one kick of a football and the best players in the world have been known to miss them. Pack's overall performances are largely irrelevant to whether he was the best person to take it. He missed it - end of. Could just as easily have happened to any other player.

His overall performances on the pitch have virtually nothing to do with his ability from the spot.

The problem with this assessment is that our best player and one of the top scorers in the division plays in the final third. Personally I think our biggest problems lie in midfield. Smith excellent; Pack and Freeman inconsistent, very little competition for any of them.

Anyone able to give a brief summary of the half and how we're playing?

Sounds like the Beeb are having a shocker then. Goals in three other games.

Anyone else's BBC Sport app just send a notification saying HT 0-0 followed by a goal notification for 45+6??!!

Not a lot wrong today. You cannot fault the effort. I look at that team and wonder what a change of management would achieve; I don't think that group of players is necessarily capable of much more. Most of our failings seem to relate to a lack of ability, rather than a lack of good management. We created chances and, on the whole, defended solidly. Personally I think the issue is more whether Cotterill is able to attract the right players in January.

Huge psychological boost for City not having to worry about Austin. He has an aura at this level.

Understandable concern about today's opponents, but let's not forget it it was only two home games ago that we got a good battling point against Hull, who are arguably an even better side. With confidence fragile, the first goal will be especially important today.

Your logic doesn't stack up. The reality is we are still not in the bottom three.

Clearly the point I am making is that the table currently suggests there are four worse teams than us, which indicates we are "good enough" to survive. Did I really have to explain that?

And yet if the season was to finish right now, we'd finish in 20th and therefore survive.

Some serious perspective needed here. We are not one of the best teams in this division, so this is going to be an up and down season. We'll win some games we expect to lose and lose some we expect to win. Maybe today is going to be the latter. Even if it is, is there any chance we could avoid the customary overreaction and mass hysteria? The last time we had a crushing defeat (Fulham), the forum went into meltdown and then what happened? Clean sheet and three points next game. Anyway, still time to turn this around.

We were bottom of the table a few weeks ago. So, yes, we are actually. Oh, and grow up.

Depends on your definition of a "comeback". I'd say claiming a 2-2 draw would be a comeback from here - and one I'd be happy to take right now.

Why do people insist on putting conditions like this on a game? We need two goals any time before the final whistle, simple as that.

That's the spirit. Over an hour left and you've given up already. One thing this team does have is fight - even if you evidently don't.

Well that didn't take long. So what happens if we do lose? Prepare for League 1? 30 games to go after today...

Refreshing to see we've managed 17 posts on the matchday thread without anyone calling this a "must win" game. Only a matter of time though surely....

3 clean sheets in 5 games. Let's not be so quick to dismiss the 3-5-2 system next time we have a poor result. In broad terms, we ARE improving defensively.

Yep you got smashed for saying it because we'd kept 2 clean sheets in 3 games. Please keep your smug "I told you so" posts to yourself, no one is impressed and no one wants to hear it when we've just been hammered at home.

I don't really know where to start with this but "Welsh squad player" was probably the low point.

For the last three games we've played like a top half team if not better. Another very encouraging performance tonight. Transpose that level across the rest of the season and we'll finish comfortably in mid table at the very least.

I think that's a very harsh assessment. It was an instinctive header, not one he had time to plan. And he orchestrated the entire move!