RSW8

Gutless timing as well on a Sunday to give it maximum time until we play again in the hope people’s emotions subside before the next home game.

Crudely premeditated. Lansdown out.

First time in a while we haven’t been completely out-sung by away fans. No ‘is this a library’ etc etc from the start. Obviously the result helps but having home fans close to the away fans tends to quieten them down somewhat in my opinion. It looks/feels more intimidating for away fans as well as opposed to them dominating that end both sound wise and visually. Obviously it needs to be done in a safe way and existing season ticket holders respected but no need for any negativity. Anything to improve the atmosphere and help the team on the pitch should be encouraged.

The referee yesterday was dreadful, as he usually is. My main problems were as follows: 1. The guy was clearly unfit. He was happy to stop the game in the last 30 minutes at any opportunity because quite simply he was knackered. On the odd occasion the game developed/transitioned at any pace greater than a jog he really struggled. 2. As previously pointed out, he frequently turned his back on play at goal kicks, free kicks etc to run to the centre spot at which stage he would turn round. This was a major problem in the last 30 minutes as he had no idea what was going on behind him. He then ended up running back to where he started to deal with stuff which he could have easily seen if jogging backwards. He ended up contributing to the time wasting. 3. The first 60 mins was an easy game to ref as not much was happening. He seemed happy to let a few things go which I thought was fair enough-as long as he was consistent. When the game needed refereeing and managing in the last 30 minutes he showed what he is-an incompetent and sub-standard referee. The only thing consistent was his ineptitude. His level of refereeing is appalling and quick frankly an embarrassment to the championship.

I thought James and king got in each others way. Two horrendous goals to concede again that’s for sure.

Klose and Atkinson were both watching from the family stand in the lansdown.

Frustrating subs again from Pearson imo. Not for first time this season, I felt he stifled out momentum. No need to make subs for the sake of it when we’re on top and pushing for an equaliser. Taking wells off and putting Weimann to right wing back were strange decisions for me.

I’m happy to accept inconsistency in results as it’s where we are to coin a phrase. The problem is performances have begun to drop below an acceptable level on a too frequent basis of late. We’re simply not giving ourselves a chance to grind out a result when we perform like today or games against Birmingham, QPR and Millwall when we have been poor for large parts. Performances against the likes of Coventry and Preston weren’t great but gave us a chance to get something out of the games which we did. In short our minimum standards need to improve.

Just got back. I’m normally pretty level headed when it comes to city but my overriding emotion today is that was a waste of time and money. I have no problem travelling and spending money to see city lose, we’ve all done it enough times. My problem is when I question desire and attitude. We were second best to every first and second ball today and started off flat as a pancake. We all know Birmingham are quite a direct and physical team and you have to match that first and foremost. Far too many players didn’t fancy it today and couldn’t wait to get off the pitch. Speaking to a few Birmingham fans after the game they were surprised how passive we were and weak defensively especially for a team managed by Nigel Pearson. Embarrassing performance today. Could easily have been 5 or 6 in the end as we waved the white flag.

One of my mates lives in Reading and tried to get two tickets for me today-he personally went to the ticket office but they wouldn't sell to him as he has no purchase history. He has a RG post code, a Welsh accent and supports cardiff (I.e. no BCFC purchase history) so absolutely no chance for the rest of us!

Funnily enough, I think weimann is more effective with Martin who drops deep into the hole (thus bringing a defender with him out of the pocket) and allows the space in behind for Weimann to run into. As much as I enjoy the conway/wells partnership (or semenyo when he comes on) and definitely feel it is the way forward, Weimann has not been as effective during this period as the strikers are already making those runs in behind and down the sides which stifles Weimann. It’s all part of the football ‘trade-off’ at the end of the day but makes for interesting analysis for us on a Saturday evening!

I agree-thought the subs straight after we scored stifled any momentum we had built. Would of liked to have waited 5-10 mins before making the subs. We completely lost our shape with Antonine out on the right for a bit and needed to make another 3 subs shortly after to sort it out. The chucking on of all our strikers when we’re chasing a game is flawed if we continually lose our shape and base to play from.

I really really do find that hard to believe. I sit at the top of the lansdown stand in the family section the nearest block to the atyeo stand and heard them loud and clear.

I think 95% of people on here would agree that Vyner is not good enough for the championship. The question is, why does Mr Pearson? Seems to me that he had every intention of starting vyner the first match of the season by his selection for the last 2 pre-season games. Pearson’s inability to structure the side so that we stop conceding goals whilst retaining a threat at the top end of the pitch remains a concern.

For me, our recruitment has to be better this summer. Even though our injury record was horrendous last season, we still ended up signing too many players in the summer with poor availability records in recent seasons eg King, Simpson, James. We can’t afford to make the same mistake again. Whilst injuries are obviously part and parcel of football and can’t be predicted, we need to be more decisive and savvy in this area and stay away from players with questionable appearance/ injury records. Our recruitment policy (or lack of it) is concerning for a club at championship level.

Like many, I had high hopes when he signed in the summer. After a fairly promising start, his performances have unfortunately deteriorated as the season has progressed. Whilst injuries have undoubtedly not helped, he simply doesn’t look fit or mobile enough for me as a central midfield player in the championship. Needs to work hard on his fitness over the summer to have a better impact for us next season I feel.