RedRock

To avoid being in the relegation mix, a team need 8-9 ‘dependable’ players. Those who’ll consistently achieve 7/10 performances. For a large chunk of last season we had only 2-3 who could be placed in that category. This season an improvement, I’d say we’ve 5-6 ‘dependables’. The bad news is that ain’t enough. Unless Big Nige can develop some of our youngsters, as he has with Pring, or motivate/ up-skill some of the dross - who have been given chance after chance to prove themselves - we are in for a long old season.

Yes. Hasn’t it always been so …. was it Palace in around 100BC, who hadn’t won a game all season until they visited The Gate in December, all served up to the nation on one of our few appearances on Match of the Day?

Wow. A team of two halves. One half a group of fighters who gave 110%. The other trotting around doing **** all. I suppose that’s progress from last season though.

There are several players, Bents, Atkinson, Kalas, Tanner, Pring, James who really don’t deserve to be on the losing side here. Pity the rest haven’t shown such fight and determination.

Bakinson ffs.

Martin needs to get into this game. Like playing with 10 men at the mo.

Satisfactory. Doing well at the back, Bents superb, Atkinson very good. Need to be sharper up front. Bakinson silky smooth but for a guy of decent height and strength needs to do a lot more work on his heading (in)abilities.

It is based on most of last season’s performances.

Struth look a bit chaotic at the start, but settled now. Could be a couple up. Need to be sharper though. Bakes down…and off.

In the early/mid 70’s, Henbury, Southmead, Horfield and Redland formed the broad ‘front line’ dividing predominantly City to the west and the Sags to the east. Being a regular visitor to ‘front line positions’ I was acutely aware of tensions and who was who. The Sags have never ‘owned’ North Bristol. Certainly back in the day, Southmead had good representation on the East End.

A good dose of glyphosate applied on the green shoots tonight. Only HNM emerges with credit from that one. I’m a believer in Nige, but that was as bad as the worst performances of last season. It looked like the team had been told just before kick-off that they were all going to be made redundant. No spark, desire, leaden-footed and totally disjointed. Poor effort that. We must do better.

How did people get the Sky red button to work? Simply refuses to go beyond the please wait message.

Likewise!

Yeah but…. If someone had made me look a mug ,cost me £millons and left the Club on the precipice of relegation, I certainly wouldn’t mention him by name at a media event in a positive way. If it was just a matter of trying to save face, I’d just erase him from the history of the Club.

Tricky one isn’t it. The facts are inconsistent in terms of validating a position. SL mentioning Ashton by name in opening the HPC, Nige saying some complimentary words about his then CEO -gives weight to parting on good terms vs no public departing message on the official Club site (to my knowledge), on/off the pitch leaving the Club in a perilous position- including losing £££ millions on players he signed, no slot-in replacement CEO, those issues makes you think he departed rapidly and under a cloud. Maybe someone could ask Nige at the forum what he really thought of Ashton. While his words probably wouldn’t give things away, his body language might.

I saw the second half. Thought the defence looked ok - pace and intelligence. Dodgy keeper, midfield and attack pretty poor.

Oh dear. They really don’t know what’s going to hit them do they. Ipswich fans moaning about their previous owners not being able to maintain the floodlights …..tell you, it would have been a blessing if the friggin floodlights went out in most of our games under Ashton’s command. His only achievement after 4 years tenure was to have made me fall out of love with the ‘beautiful game’…. something no previous regime had achieved in 50 years - even when we were bottom of the entire league. No, Ipswich you’re more than welcome to Ashton and his people. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Brilliant. Our City may be coming back. Luv it.

Energy up lads. Giving them too much space.

What. A. Goal.

Excellent half. Haven’t said that for a while! Well done lads.

Keep it tight lads!

Yep, manager when I first started supporting City too .…and then a decade later spent 4 years with his son doing a degree, mostly in alcohol studies with a bit of football playing specialism. You wouldn’t have wanted to mix it with him either. A Sag, due to City’s treatment of his father from what I recall.

No it was more I said this 10+ years ago and was shot down in flames as AshtonYate was and now it is accepted by most the Academy then on reflection wasn’t very good. Those who now say ‘but, but it is now’ well, there remain still some sceptics. I hope I’m wrong though.

Always said, invest in scouting and player analysis. Put the remainder of the £xxxxx that it costs to run the Academy into transfer fees for HUNGRY, young, talented players from the lower leagues who are out and out WINNERS. If 1 in 10 are successes, that ‘hit rate’ far exceeds that of our Academy. I fully ‘get’ the idea of the Academy, but we just aren’t delivering as AshtonYate and I said decade or so ago. Could things be changing? Possibly - and more optimistic than in the past - but, as always, braced for the ‘always tomorrow’ scenario. Maybe the DNA that runs through the Club is just all wrong, too soft, too accepting of the mediocre which is why it is best to import from elsewhere.