One Defeat.....

[brad blit]

Lets get back to reality.....

We were beaten for the first time in 6 games in the league last night against the best squad team in our divison. Yes the team as a whole did play poorly in the first half but this is the same team really that got us to the play-off finals last year and have at times played some good footy this year (most notably Coventry away).

Since when has McIndoe not played alot through the middle? Does anyone else not think it was to help a lightweight centre pairing of Johnson / Skuse gain possession of the ball against a well organised, experienced and talented partnership of Larsson, Carsley plus McSheffrey and McFadden (who also play wide but come in centrally)?? McIndoe is one of our most important and consistant performers so to have a go at him after one game and say his play is wrong seems too harsh.

We all wanted a 'fox in the box' at the end of the season and in Maynard we have one of the brightest young english talents to come through the lower divisions from a notoriously good Crewe academy which has produced many great names in the past and still does. This lad before Cardiffs game had the best shot ratio in the championship (10 shots / 9 on target) and came closest many occasions against Cardiff. He does need time to adjust but putting him on the bench wouldnt help that........

Trundle will have his doubters, he dosnt have any pace and does seem a confidence player BUT hes also the only player in this squad capable of last nights goals and our great form towards the end of last season co-incided with the team going back to basics, playing football on the ground as Bristol City should and therefore was using Trundles strengths. There arent many players like him at our level and I'm very happy hes in our squad.

Yes its easy in the 'heat of the moment' to think solely about tonights mistakes but try bring it into perspective of the start we have had, the players we have from last year who got us 4th place and the new players who all seem very good signings. Like all teams, some players need time to adjust and to learn their new teammates.

What next??? I'm actually a big fan of Adebola for what he brings to the team and at times this year hes been unplayable, but I think City should play a more fast paced, passing game which wouldnt suit Dele. We don't use our wings enough and I'm still not convinced by Sproule unfortunatley as a 90min player and Williams would be better suited down the middle. Brooker has looked good when he came on and linked well with Maynard at Cardiff. Trundle can play deep and give the creativity we have lacked most of the year. We do have options now with a bigger, better squad and I for one still am not sure of our best 11 or formation.......... but thats what Gary is there for and I fully trust his judgement 100%.

[citynut54]

Great post!!

Agree 100% !!

[tin]

It's not doom and gloom though is it? It's frustration more than anything else. As I put on my thread, last night was the time to be solid and make them work for the points. Sadly our tactics pandered to them and they picked us off without breaking sweat. That is the reality of the situation.

Donny is simply a must win game now, not necessarily for the points at this stage of the season but to get this monkey off our backs about not winning at home. The sooner that's put to bed, the better.

[Redhyde]

The doom and gloom people have been here all season. It's pretty irrelevent how we play and who we beat there's always something to whine about if they want.

Yesterday however was a tactical nightmare and the people who reserve judgement usually judge that yesterday was rubbish in a game that we could have won had we at least kept to our normal strategy.

We play sensibly and well against a team we "should" beat and those lot me included will go back to being positive. We play 4-5-1 with Maynard on the left again and don't get a result and yeah there will be criticism.

Don't mind mistakes, want them corrected ASAP though.

[easton boy]

Wasn't actually THAT despondant after last nights match.

1st half(apart from playing with 4 cm's and leaving FB's totally exposed both going forwards and defending), wasn't as disastrous as people have made out on here. WE had lots and lots of possession, just didn't do a lot with it.

2nd half we were great!

Positives from last night

1.Johnson shooting - wtf?! (and not just from free kicks either) and overall performance was excellent(can't remember ever seeing him play that well before. It came to something in the 2nd half when he looked to pass one way - no option, swivelled(almost Cruyff like) and played it left - and people behind me were still moaning about him not going forward - "YES BUT HE KEPT POSSESSION"

2.Sproule's overall performance (apart from one comical cross into the Atyeo)

3.Two good penalty appeals turned down

4.Sproules one on one with Taylor

5. 2nd half we were better than a team that were reasonable in the Premier League and didn't lose any of their Prem players(stand to be corrected - perhaps one of their African Mf)

6. WE only play them twice a season.

[The Humble Realist]

Agree with all of the original post, but i don't think we should drop Dele, we arnt good enough to play without him. Trundles good form last year only came when he played with a target man(as several people on here have said before).