ProfitInMyPocket

They look quicker to the ball than us at the moment, bit labored from us

No back 3/5… didn't invite pressure. Kept at it the whole 100+ minutes.

All the subs did their bit. Great performance from the whole team.

Have that Russell Martin you whinging tosspot.

COYR.

Less of the ball, less time to think, working on instinct. 

Harass teams and get after them, that work rate and energy has been set from the start.

No more back 3/5 please, brilliant performance. 

Really enjoyed the first half. Got everything right up until the final ball. 

Keep this up in the second half, if we get caught to a slick counter so be it. We look dangerous every time we pinch it. 

Would kill for Sykes in this type of game. 

Yeah we were tired and ground out the result thankfully.

It was around 55 minutes in when the two changes happened and it was absolute one way traffic from there. 

Our first half performance was really good but we got away with it second half. A team with a more prolific front line or midfield come back and win that and the meltdown on here would have been massive.

They were picking up good positions in front of the defence and behind it where they couldn't in the first half because we harassed them so well and the tentative approach after the changes enabled them to get a proper foothold in the game.

We rushed to clear our lines every time we won the ball back and kept giving it back with no outlet up top or wide to give us some breathing room. 

First half was really good and more of what I wanna see of a Bristol City side, second half was the opposite, not good for the nerves. 

Tanner winning that ball back after Dickie misplaced a pass, he's been stand out in the back 4 and in the back 3. 

Gone to this stupid back 3 again, inviting tons of pressure. Need a proper outlet otherwise it's going to keep coming back at us.

Going to be tough to hold on for 35 minutes - we look good with the back 4, why does he keep reverting to this? seen with these players it just doesn't work.

No back 3 and we look aggressive and creating chances in different areas.

No monotonous predictable patterns of play and I'm enjoying it. Yes we look more open at the back but we look much more likely to score when we get it.

Caught them cold here, cracking finish from James. Knight almost fluffed his.

Rob Dickie, what a man.

Bell brilliant in midweek on the left, starts on the right... 

Had our chances to win it, didn't take them. 

Please play the back 4 in the league, be positive.

Back to the back 3 and lost momentum, surprise 

Wouldn't be surprised if McCrorie right side centre half and Bell at RWB. 

Give Tanner a rest and not to leave Roberts on his own Vs Elanga.

21 minutes ago, mozo said:

This thread is hilarious!

Apparently, Manning is tactically inept, can't motivate players, is devaluing our assets and is out of his depth in all ways. 

And yet somehow our team managed to outhustle West Ham twice, were a match for Forest and came very close to a win at Coventry, all in recent weeks. 

Manning must be flukiest head coach in the world. 

Well, he doesnt change from his system no matter what. He's not tactically inept with how we wants us to play but he certainly doesn't deviate from that if it ain't working.

We seem to be conceding after half time quite often so the motivation factor? I don't know.

Players with value like Conway/Bell not being played to their strengths or in their right position certainly doesn't help their value going forward. Even Jason Knight (who I'm not the biggest fan of) shouldn't be played in an attacking right position, doesnt bring a lot there but he perseveres with it for god knows what reason.

He's not out of his depth but he's not showing good early signs bar the ball retention in our own half - which got picked to pieces by a pressing Leeds. 

If a team doesn't press us like the games you mentioned we do pretty well. But not every team plays the same and I hope other teams don't catch on.

That's what you get when a manager comes in and doesn't try to change everything and try to be something they're not.

Gets the best out of what he got and they're reaping the rewards. 

Not fancy football but certainly good value for being a premier league side now. 

1 minute ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

What has he achieved? Holden coached at a higher level than Manning. Similar styles, tactics. Don’t see how this is progressive, someone who was fired by MK Dons. 

More O'Driscoll than Holden.

7 minutes ago, petehinton said:

Ive never been more convinced he’s off after tonight. Body language was very clear that he’s ****** right off. 

Wouldn't blame him either, create zero for our striker.

No shame in losing to a top side like them, but losing in that manner is another thing.

We got bullied tonight, lost countless 50/50s and that Gruev had the whole middle of the pitch to himself to pick whatever pass he wanted.

Only 'positives' were Max keeping us in it, and TGH/Bell were ok off the bench. The rest weren't good at all.

We got pressed man for man and we went into our shells and barely looked like winning any challenges. 

It's all about the unit and the patterns of play with good behaviours on the pitch with this manager. Our team got stretched and bullied man for man tonight. 

They didn't need nice fluffy pointless patterns of play to pick us off, just willing runners at pace. When they had possession it was in our half, not theirs. 

Edit - One final thing, we are losing at home and it's the 90th minute and we go long and the only person in their half is Conway. Always the same formation, never change from the pattern. No plan B winds me up - atleast Nige's plan B (as bad as it was) was to throw a couple strikers on.

Deflating that it's always bloody Leeds. 

Patterns and behaviours du du du.

Leeds barely got out of first gear. We make every 50/50 look like an uphill battle, lost the press/scrap/fight which made us good. 

A team who presses man for man and breaks at pace, I remember when we did that! 

We still got the patterns and behaviours so we'll be alright. 

They're pressing us man for man at every opportunity and we're not being brave enough on the ball to ride the challenge and play positively. 

Think every player has had the ball pinched off them. That Firpo is a liability defensively and the one time we got at him we won a freekick. 

We are frightened they are going to get caught out but if we don't step up they'll eventually take a chance. 

We should be 2-3 down here. Thank goodness for Max.

Barely laid a glove on these so far. Rutter and Summerville are proper dangers aren't they.

Think they're pretty happy for us to play it back and around constantly. They'll keep hitting us on the break if we don't offer more in the forward areas.

Hope he enjoys covering RWB off the bench. He ain't getting in ahead of our lord and saviour Jason Knight at that right attacking spot! 

Good luck to him, don't think he'll get many chances in his preferred position which seems to be at right wing. 

Missing the pace and power and looks like he could bring it with his direct running.

Just need a central midfielder who can drive forward with the ball now. Still something we lack.

Coventry weren't up to their usual standards, pleased with the point. 

Need to play Conway and Wells together from now on, don't want to see Knight play in that forward position anymore. Give Cornick more minutes on that right side until Sykes is back. We actually had a bit about us physically higher up with those three. 

It got McCrorie and Tanner higher up the pitch too.

The last 10-15 minutes felt a bit more front-foot football and the only time during the game we looked remotely dangerous.