Spike

Massengo is killing our attack atm, he just seems to be off the pace of how we're playing.

That's been coming mind because we're not marking those passes across the box, shame really because that's been the only thing we've looked weak at defending.

Plenty of squads full of talent that cannot play together without the right guidance. That Forest squad couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery until Hughton started making the changes needed, now he's gone and the building was near done and they're fighting for promotion. Yes they had the talent, but they had no direction.

Bournemouth play those passes that would change our game, those little intricate passes in the final third, we're doing a great job so far today but we could really do with that added to our game to keep teams pinned back and put them under pressure rather than us being put under the pressure so much.

Am I the only one who watches Robins TV but hates the secondary commentator because he constantly tuts when things go against us, like I get frustrated too but it's so frequent it's annoying!

Funnily enough he saved Forest from relegation then had all his players sold from underneath him as well as a lot being let go and then when he wanted to build the attack for Forest he may resistance and they ended up in a right mess. He fixed a hell of a lot that was wrong there but the fans overlooked that because they are the mighty Forest and deserve to compete. The reason I say funnily enough is because Pearson now finds himself in a similar situation with many of our fans taking similar stance. Hughton did a lot for Forest but ultimately the club gave him nothing back and then was surprised when the results didn't come in. Since then Cooper has signed 3 attacking players and essentially built on what Hughton was trying to fix. I think this happens far too often in football, managers coming in, starting a major overhaul job and then having a bad run before they can finish the multiple season turn around work they've begun only to have someone come in and continue that work and get all of the credit.

I'm actually laughing, I said right before it to the mrs we're winning so the equaliser is coming now and then there it was.

The part I don't understand about fans wanting rid of Pearson is when they suggest a manager to take over but don't ever stop to think why the manager would want a job with us. The positives is that we have good youth talent. The negatives is that the club is poorly run. The manager will have no financial banking. Our squad is probably one of the poorest balanced squads in the league. We have no naturally right sided players at all. Our goals against is one of the highest in the league etc Honestly, even as a City fan I wouldn't touch this job, I'd be looking elsewhere, especially considering we've never been a Premier League team and show no signs of ever being one. I think some fans just assume any manager without a job will just instantly accept a role here but that's definitely not the case and I'd dare to say I don't remember the last time we were a less desirable team to manage. Even in league one we looked like there was potential but right now with the club in the financial situation it's in I'd be avoiding it at all costs

I'm thinking - 1-3 is the best airline we're getting today, obviously I hope I'm wrong but I think today is going to be embarrassing infront of our own fans...

No arguments, just discussion but I feel those players who aren't performing are suffering with weaknesses that cannot be fixed right now. Playing as we are we have no-one that would fill anyone with confidence to play that right wing back role which means whoever plays there is under more pressure, this in turn makes the midfielders feel that they need to do more to help that "weakened side of the pitch" which essentially means you already have 2-3 players trying to cover a single position through fear that the player playing there isn't able to cope on their own. This pulls the formation out of shape, makes players play with fear where they otherwise would be confident and this has an impact on the overall team performance. When we play with no fear you see solid performances but when confidence is knocked I think a lot of players are double guessing themselves and/or trying to do two roles when they need to trust their teammates. Looking at our attacking play I think a large issue is that Martin is the key outlet as we struggle to play the ball through the middle, as much as Massengo is an exceptional talent I'm starting to think more and more he should be an attacking midfielder as his forward passes are great and his ability to attack the play is strong but with his back turned away from goal he's prone to losing focus of the threats and making silly passes. The issue that Pearson has is that he needs Weimann, Martin and Semenyo on the pitch meaning that Massengo is always going to play deeper. Semenyo is the player who can create and pressure defences, Martin is the outlet and Weimann is the unpredictable player who can get into dangerous positions and score so if we were to drop Martin we'd lose that outlet when we can't pass out, if we take off Semenyo we lose one of our best threats at attacking the defence and Weimann is just too valuable for his workrate and ability to be int he right place at the right time. This squad simply isn't balanced and whilst I think Pearson has brought in players in attempt to add depth and create balance he's still missing key players and certainly a confident right sided player to relieve some of the pressure on the center backs and tracking midfielders. I think if Pearson can't get that balances sorted in this coming pre-season then it may be time to move onto a new manager but I feel any manager coming in will struggle to find the quality with our current finances and I feel that Massengo may be the player we need to let go of unless Semenyo leaves. If Semenyo leaves then Weiman and Martin could play as the strikers and Massengo could be allowed to move into an attacking role. Whatever happens we need a right back and right sided midfielder who can both play that right wing back role if we want to have tactical options next season and Pearson needs to find that with no money. I don't see Pearson as the type of manager to want to bring in players to play those roles without being confident that they are worth bringing in. All things considered I can understand why people are frustrated with Pearson, I feel he arrived far too late and had he been appointed a few years before he was with the squad LJ had the results would be night and day. I personally think the board got Pearson too late and were trying to pander to the fans knowing how much they'd dropped the ball knowing the financial situation that was coming.

He's had 12 months but if you look at the transfers: Out: Hunt - our main Right back and only natural right back - left on a free Diedhiou - Our once highest paid transfer fee striker- left on a free Rowe - Probably our best utility player able to play a variety of roles - left on a free and numerous others. Not a single fee received for any of the 10+ players who left. In: Rob Atkinson - £1.4M - Our only cash signing, very promising youngster who has been unfortunate with injuries Klose - arguably our best CB, especially when on the ball, calm and collected, in on a free King and James - brought in because of previous experience with Pearson, most likely brought in to get Pearsons back and show the players around them what his football style is. When you consider that means Pearson has lost over double the players he's been able to bring in and has only made one paid purchase it's fair to say he's hardly been given the tools to fix the issues this club has left him with. We currently have no natural right sided players, neither in midfield or defence. Simpson was most likely forced on Pearson because he was the only option available at the time meaning Pearson has had to create a team with no natural balance. Pearson is obviously having to create a squad with no money, no backing and using a formation that the club built it's squad around years ago and no longer has the players to make it balanced, that said, he cannot change the formation or playstyle because we don't have the players to do so. Any formation with a back 4.... no right back, any formation with a wide midfield, no right sided midfielder. Ultimately Pearson has put out the best he has to offer under the constraints he's been given to work with and fans still seem to be surprised that we're not performing. In my personal opinion, the players know the situation and they know they've got no financial gain to be made with good performances as our finances are so poor, the only driving factor for a player is pride or the hope of a move elsewhere to improve their career. It doesn't surprise me that some of our best performances are coming from youngsters and that's because they have a future if they perform. The older players know that they'll not be getting any significant pay rise and with covid ravaging the market their best bet is to see out their contract and then look for a move. Ultimately Nigel has been left with a bare bones squad and is being expected to compete at the top of the table which is just madness. If we sack Pearson tomorrow we're hardly going to get anyone in who can change the situation or the mentality of the club short of doing what Pearson is already doing.

Not the worst team, could argue that its the worst balanced though.

Support in what they do, or the lack thereof it is the answer IMO. If you look at the managers who have had success under us they've all been supported financially and by the board. All the managers who have struggled have done so because they're brought in to fix a mess created by the previous management team and are expected to do so in a single season which gives SL enough reason to sack them and get another manager in who does what he wants. NP will probably get the preseason to fix a lot of issues through cheap signings on a shoestring budget and just as we start to see some cohesion and long term stability he'll be out the door for the next yes man who will come in and be supported to the fullest. I don't blame NP, I blame the repeated cycle of the very top of this club in bringing in managers to fix his issues created by previous managers only to hang them out to dry with frustrated fans when the fans lose patience of the mess not being a quick fix situation. The squad we have now is the most one dimensional, lacking depth squad that we've had in maybe 10 years and it's not down to Pearson but what he inherited and is expected to fix in a time when we have no money and a ravaged squad. NP will ultimately be sacked after laying foundations for the younger players and probably signing a few more cheap players to see us through and when the next man comes in and gets results off of the back of his work he'll be overlooked for getting us through a season without a single natural right sided player, an injury prone midfield and a demoralised defence. I'm honestly impressed that we've managed 43 points because when you sit down and look at this team it's almost impossible to name a starting 11 where every player is in their natural and position. NP isn't to blame for that, he had to accept we'd lose a lot of players and our only incoming players would have to be cheap and he didn't have a lot of time to prepare for it, all whilst in a pandemic driven market. I think a lot of our fans are overlooking just how bad the situation of this club is beyond the team and NP, the very running of it during the time MA was here and the fall out of his impact has had in the long term.

I have to agree with this, I think most of our issues come down to formation. With 3 at the back the opposition only needs to mark up our wide positions and our two deep midfielders and it forces a long pass as the 3 at the back means one less option in midfield. Even with a basic 4-4-2 out means when playing out of defence you double your wide options with short passing and create more triangles to move the ball in. I think if we can get a couple of good right sided players in during the pre-season we'd instantly be in a much stronger position for tactical options /changes. Looking at the squad I would argue we don't have a single natural wife right sided player in defence or midfield. Pearson is essentially playing the 3-5-2 because if he were to play 4-4-2, 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 you'd have at least two players out of their natural positions.

I would expect with my description of having talent and going through multiple managers that it wouldn't be hard to guess which United I was referring to but hey ho. I mean if you're still unsure I was referring to Manchester United FC in the English Premier League.

He brought in Atkinson who in my opinion has a lot of potential but again, the current formation doesn't suit any center back looking to grow as they're under far too much pressure when we're having to put players out on the right who aren't comfortable there. We literally don't have a subtle player capable of playing right wing back which means the back 3 are being pulled out of shape far too easily. You can put that issue down to Pearson but I don't believe for a second that Simpson was good choice, I think it was more of a case he didn't have an option there so accepted what he had not knowing that Simpson would disappear on him. The fact is that we don't have a RB/RWB in the squad, this means we're essentially forced to play 3 center backs. I don't think Pearson ever expected that to be the case but I also kind of admire the fact that he didn't just grab any old right back in the transfer window knowing that they wouldn't have been good enough to improve us. With regards to James and King, he obviously wanted players to come in who he knew would try to impose the right mindset and I do wonder if that is a large part of the issue, that many of the players we have are far to used to doing things a certain way and aren't adapting. I also think when Pearson came in he knew the financials, I also think he knew we had no players we could afford to sell at the prices other clubs were offering. It's easy to look at his signings and say "he's been crap" but realistically knowing our financial situation who else could be sign? He hasn't been supported financially at all, he's had to even sign back players he probably never wanted to but had no other choice. I think all things considered we're very lucky we're not still in a relegation battle because I've seen many a manager come in, spend more than Pearson has had and still been fighting relegation at this point of the season and that's with better talent in the squad. I know you and others think I'm saying Pearson is doing great, but that isn't the case. The set piece defending has been awful this season, Pearson has said they've been working on it but it's still a major issue so I'm that regard he's going to get the blame. I honestly can't understand how so many basic mistakes are being made when defending short of it being down to the players not being able to find confidence in the starting line up. Pearson has one more pre-season to change this around, that's obvious, but firing him now would just mean a new manager having to come in, access the situation, but the positions we're lacking in with what is most likely no budget and start fresh. Pearson may have had a while to work on this squad but he's not had financial backing and so it'll take multiple seasons to turn this around, it doesn't matter what manager we have, this isn't a quick fix job, it's a rebuild.

No, because we know full well that he's aware of the issues and is obviously not shirking away from them with the players. If we're being fair he's holding the players accountable. If he says to his players "do x" and then they go out and do y instead then what can he do? When players haven't performed he's been the first to say it, when we're conceding sloppy goals he's the first to say it too. I honestly don't get how players making the same basic school level mistakes over and over again is the managers fault when he's clearly aware of it and very vocal about it. No matter what you think of Pearson he's given plenty of chances to players this season when it comes to defending and there are still pub league errors being made. Pearson and the coaches can go over this time and time again but if the players don't stop making those mistakes what more can they do? I still maintain we need to play a back 4 as 5-3-2/3-5-2 doesn't work in this league, but how can you play a formation with 4 at the back with no semi decent right back in the entire squad? I think Simpson hung this club out to dry and we've been unfortunate in that noone at the club seems comfortable /capable as a right back. That instantly makes us predictable and vulnerable as any manager playing against us instantly knows our formation and our weakness and there is nothing we can do to counter that.

Would you say that since he came in our youth has not come along alot? I'm as frustrated as anyone but we've seen some huge improvements in our youth. The crazy thing is of the defence was performing we would actually have a very solid team. Yes, there are weaknesses but without a shadow of a doubt our real issue is in defence. My hope is based on that we have no right backs at the club, this creates more pressure and takes away crucial formations as options so I want to see what we can do if Pearson can bring in the players to create actual balance in the squad. For me he has this summer to bring those players in, if he doesn't do that then I feel he'll have to go but there's no point in sacking him right now as he's essentially had a season with key positions having major issues.

People keep saying this but look at United. You know they have talent, they've gone through multiple managers and don't perform anywhere near the level they can. It's all good to blame the manager but sometimes there are just too many players rocking the boat to get the team playing well. I have no idea who we would bring in if Pearson goes, I actually think that may be the final straw that sees us relegated because if these players won't play for Pearson I don't see them playing for anyone else.

Our chances aren't the issue, in 38 games we conceded 67 goals, averages out at 1.76 goals a game conceded. Fair to say we can create all the chances we want but being as we have the third highest goals per game conceded in the league and the next the team with the 4th highest has conceded 9 less goals than us says it all. I can see the positives Pearson has created, the issue is that until he has the chance to bring in a right back and organise the defence we're going to be awful at defending. That said the corner defending is inexcusable, the right back position has no impact on that at all. I don't know what the issue with the defending is. Kalas has been in our team when the defence was solid, Klose is arguably the best CB we've got and yet we're league one standard when it comes to our defending. I'm actually concerned at this point that we're probably one of the favourites to go down next season if things don't change for the better in our defence.

I'm so confused, I'm in work, my phone buzzed to say a late goal, didn't even check it at I assumed the usual happened. Just checked it now and I see a clean sheet and a lay minute winner... for us!! Bloody pigs will be put flying tomorrow but I'm not complaining ?

Calling Williams shite baffles me, when he played as the man just inverting of the defence a few weeks ago he was the reason we looked solid in the middle. I still think the right back position is causing so many problems and yesterday just highlighted that. We can't play 3-5-2 when we have injuries because we don't have the depth and we can't play 4 at the back because noone can play that RB role with any degree of consistency or ability. We're desperate for a proper right back but with our finances as they are in concerned about next season. We may fix the RB issue but it could come when we lose Scott or Semenyo. Another issue is all of the talk about playing HNM when the lad is still terrible with his passing decisions at times. He may be able to make passes some of our players would dream of but he also makes passes that a L2 player could make. All in all consistency is the real issue throughout the squad, I would say we only have a few players who are consistent with them being Klose, Weimann and DaSilva (recently). It's going to be a very hard preseason if we can't bring in some players who are going to be good players and consistent and it's the mentality that causes this lack of it.

You see it from the angle behind the goal, 100% a deflection

I've been watching City for around 30-32 years so I'm interested in fans who've been around longer than I have, do you think this is some of the best youth we've developed consistently? I mean I've seen much better Bristol City teams by a long shot but I do think we're finally starting to see us develop good players rather than bringing them in via transfers.

You want my reason we have no Plan B, it's not actually Pearson but the players we have. I don't think Danny Simpson was ever a player he wanted, I think that was down to the club and just so we could say "we have a right back", the truth is we have no right back nor anyone who has any real natural ability there. DaSilva is a quality player but the fact is that he's not a right back/ wing back which means as we play our 3-5-2 full counter tactics when it doesn't work we cannot switch to 4 at the back without putting someone out of position. The purpose of a plan B is to be able to switch the style of play to better suit our strengths against the opposition but without that right back we'd only be putting square pegs in round holes. The real test for Pearson IMO is when we have a squad capable of being able to play more than one type of football, the fact that we've progressed on the pitch is a credit to Pearson, the defensive awfulness comes down to always having to play 3 at the back as even the best teams in the world struggle to make 3 at the back work, especially when you've been playing it for so long and opposition managers know how to play against it. It's at this point you'd say "well that's down to the manager" but as I mentioned, we don't have that right back to play a "normal" back 4. If you're forced into playing with a back 3 then you need to have a very strong midfield both physically and mentally but we've got a midfield mostly comprised of younger players who are still learning. Ultimately we can't really switch to playing 4 at the back until we have a consistent and natural right back which limits almost every formation that you can play short of playing a flat back 5 which requires creativity throughout the midfield, which again, we don't have. I think Pearsons goal this season was simply to improve our 3-5-2 counter attack tactic whilst keeping us out of a relegation battle so that we can get a right back and develop more tactical options over the pre-season. If we can in a good right back and maybe add a few calmer, experienced players over the preseason and then develop a tactic to slowly build up our attacks with 4 at the back in the pre-season we'd go into next season with a lot more tactical options, depth and composure. If we enter the next season with still only a single game plan then my opinion on Pearson may very well change but for now I think it's a case of him trying to make the most of the tools he has been given.