The Journalist

Nothing to do with me... ?

I like to think my knowledge of mid-2000s Bristol City - given I barely missed a game home or away during that period - is as good as ANYONE's... but even you've got me on Tony Hey. No recollection of him whatsoever!

Pretty remarkable that he's still only 26, has 37 England caps... but hasn't played an international for four years. I'm struggling to think of another fall from grace like it. And, you have to say, all things considered you just hope he's OK.

I think Luton are a good team and are doing brilliantly. Last night they gave us our toughest game of the season so far IMO. But, as they say, there's only one thing worse than a bad loser... a bad winner.

This in a nutshell. He looks slightly off the pace and short of confidence. Both of those things are going to be hard to recover amid the mayhem of the Championship, especially having just moved house/potentially uprooted family etc. He’s a human. Let’s see where the land lies after pre-season IMO.

As I said earlier in the thread, it felt like they physically overwhelmed us. They’re a really tough side, particularly at home. Doubt we’ll have a tougher game this season.

They’re a good side. Not sure we’ve been given a tougher game by anyone this season (just for balance rather than it being all about us being poor).

We’ve done well to stick in there. They’ve physically overwhelmed us at times we’ve made a game of it, at least. Pretty amazing considering the way we started and that only two of our back four and midfield three would be first picks.

About six different errors in the build-up to that. As ragged a 60 seconds as we’ve produced in 2023.

Completely agree - I don’t think he sees enough of the ball further up the pitch. I prefer him deeper.

This has genuinely irked me more than it should’ve - I just don’t get the thinking. How has nobody stepped in and stopped it happening? It’s so stupid on a commercial level, SO stupid. Second-rate kit supplier, second-rate branding. Find me another top-level football club who have had four completely different badges on their shirts in four years!

The badge thing is ridiculous IMO. Being a football fan is largely about identity and tribalism. Assuming we wear it before the end of the season, it'll be the fourth different badge we've had on our shirts in the space of four years - and that's not including changing the colour of them on the various away kits. How do you identify with something that's constantly changing?! It's a branding disaster. And it doesn't help that it looks shit and sits on a tinpot supplier, either.

Sam Bell and Tommy Conway have scored 13 goals between them this season - only one of them came when Nahki Wells wasn't on the pitch. Bearing in mind Wells has only started 26 out of a possible 43 matches across all competitions, that's not insignificant...

Certainly get the logic - I think it’s more appreciating that keeping himself in that condition when there may never be another opportunity takes a different level of drive and persistence. FWIW, if he started near every game in a 46-game season I think he’d comfortably score double figures. The timing of his runs into the box is excellent - seems to always arrive onto things, sort of Lampardesque. Very clever player.

Also think King deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s clearly trained and kept himself fit. Having not made a league appearance/started since Boxing Day, given his age (34), given his coaching responsibilities, given his contract situation… to put in two near 90-minute performances in the middle of midfield twice in five days is an absolute credit to him. He’s clearly near the end as a player and after Boxing Day I doubt anyone would’ve been surprised if he never featured again, but he’s also clearly kept applying himself when it would’ve been really easy not to. Fair play.

Harder to watch for Blackpool fans! We’ll win this by three goals or more if it follows the same pattern.

I think we’ve played really well again. If we keep at it the goals will come - and I hope the players believe in that more than a few hysterical boys and girls on here.

That’s it - I don’t have an issue with Mehmeti constantly checking inside because with Pring’s athleticism it gives opposition full-backs a major issue. That said, Dasilva has still linked up well and done well IMO.

This is Alex Scott’s best position, isn’t it? When the game is in front of him he gets even better - his range of passing is excellent. I also think Mehmeti is better with Pring behind him at full-back (albeit I think Dasilva is doing OK).

Certainly dominated for 70 minutes. Should’ve had the game sewn up in the first half when we ripped through them. They were never going to be as poor after the break.

If you’d said before the game we’d be that dominant with that back four and King in the middle it would’ve seemed unlikely. Clearly we should’ve won and they were there for the taking but it’s easy to forget the injuries we’ve suffered and the last week we’ve had.

I think we’ve been great. And considering all the injuries, the size/inexperience of our back four up against a Warnock side, the forced changes, the two successive defeats… we deserve a huge amount of credit for the way we’ve gone about this IMO (irrespective of how poor they’ve been).

I’m a big fan but he gave the ball away probably four or five times in succession, was clearly tiring and if I’m an attacking sub I’m absolutely dying to get on and have a go at this heap of shite.

Keeping Bell on here is doing nobody any favours - the player included.

Certainly tells a story (especially the fouls)…