Brett Pitman

[PFree]

Millen urges fans to give Brett time

KEITH Millen is urging Bristol City fans to be patient while Brett Pitman finds his feet in the Championship.

Whilst I agree there is a significant difference between Brett's usual league and the Championship, the thing that yet again seems to be missed is that we have yet another striker who was scoring freely at his old club and has 'stopped' since coming to Ashton Gate? This is the same rhetoric that comes out when our strikers aren't scoring and was the same 'excuse' under GJ?

My belief is we just aren't creating quality chances for any of our strikers hence why we don't have ANY strikers scoring goals? We keep making strikers go wide to get the ball, they just about always receive the ball with their back to the goal, we have litle width which in turn means there are no testing crosses coming in from the bi-line that strikers can actually run onto?

Comments like this annoy the hell out of me because we are lacking a decent play maker in midfield, we have no bi-line, 'quality' crosses coming in and then we suggest it's down to the strikers lack of ability, pace or 'adjustment' at this level?

My suggestion Keith is for you to work on the training ground on producing quality balls for the strikers to do something with? The answer is certainly not to play three strikers out of desperation and have an even slimmer chance of any creative balls coming in??

I have more patience with a striker who wants to come in and do his best, despite getting little service and less patience with comments like this that pass the buck? you choose the team and organise tactics, so is really Brett's fault?

[Monkeh]

Pitman is like maynard and will need a season before becoming a regular scorer, so milen is right we need to wait for him to find his feet

[hinsleburg]

i think pittman could have had a hat-trick against coventry if he had started. he has a habit of being in the right place at the right time and would of got on the end of some of rose's crosses.

[BCFC_Dan]

He's had about 3 games. Give him a chance. Maynard took a season to settle in before finding his feet and he had played in the Championship before.

It's not just us, either. Look at Berbatov at Man Utd and before him Andy Cole. Looked awful to begin with but once settled and happy the quality shows through.

If anything the problem is that we expect strikers to come in and have an instant impact and end up changing them before they have chance to adapt properly.

[Slave to the rhythm]

He's had about 3 games. Give him a chance. Maynard took a season to settle in before finding his feet and he had played in the Championship before.

It's not just us, either. Look at Berbatov at Man Utd and before him Andy Cole. Looked awful to begin with but once settled and happy the quality shows through.

If anything the problem is that we expect strikers to come in and have an instant impact and end up changing them before they have chance to adapt properly.

The other problem is that some strikers at other clubs do come in and have an instant impact, whereas ours very rarely do.

Jason Scotland at Ipswich is one current example.

As I see it, the real issue with Pitman is that Millen has dropped him within a month of buying him. I'm not sure I understand the logic of that.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

it dosen't help when our new left sided wide boy is being played on the inside of midfield, That is just baffling and also baffling is playing basically one up front at home.

[Redland]

i think pittman could have had a hat-trick against coventry if he had started. he has a habit of being in the right place at the right time and would of got on the end of some of rose's crosses.

I thought exactly the same thing. He would have had a at least two tap ins.

[Fiale]

So is Brett going to get time on the pitch - or is it just a fans who need to give him time ?

[Mad Cyril]

it dosen't help when our new left sided wide boy is being played on the inside of midfield, That is just baffling and also baffling is playing basically one up front at home.

Possibly to see if he can fulfill the role of attacking/creative midfielder?

It seems it has not worked, but Rose appeared to have more credentials to perform this role than anyone else in our current squad.

[Monkeh]

Brett was dropped due to his lack of pace, while playing with Stead we would have the slowest front line in england, which is why I think he will work well with Maynard,

although Stead has been good so far he's never going to score 15 goals a season

[BCFC_Dan]

The other problem is that some strikers at other clubs do come in and have an instant impact, whereas ours very rarely do.

Dele Adebola? Chris Iwelumo?

I think it's one of those psychological things where it feels like it happens more often at other clubs than it does at City simply because there are more other clubs therefore it is statistically far more likely to happen elsewhere than it is at City. I've no facts to back this up but I'd wager if you compared City directly with any other club the ratios would be about equal.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Brett was dropped due to his lack of pace, while playing with Stead we would have the slowest front line in england, which is why I think he will work well with Maynard,

although Stead has been good so far he's never going to score 15 goals a season

Stead was never signed to score 15 goals in a season, He was signed to lay on the goals for the likes of Pitman, Haynes, Clarkson and Maynard. Which is going to be quite difficult when he has nobody to lay it off to, even with Haynes playing it is difficult because Haynes is pushed into a wide midfield role.

[Slave to the rhythm]

Dele Adebola? Chris Iwelumo?

I think it's one of those psychological things where it feels like it happens more often at other clubs than it does at City simply because there are more other clubs therefore it is statistically far more likely to happen elsewhere than it is at City. I've no facts to back this up but I'd wager if you compared City directly with any other club the ratios would be about equal.

I'm sure you're right. Akinbiyi certainly hit the ground running when he joined us, as did Goater before him.

I just don't get the logic of buying Pitman (and we outbid a Premier League club re wages, so he isn't cheap!) and then relegating him to the bench within a couple of weeks.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

I'm sure you're right. Akinbiyi certainly hit the ground running when he joined us, as did Goater before him.

I just don't get the logic of buying Pitman (and we outbid a Premier League club re wages, so he isn't cheap!) and then relegating him to the bench within a couple of weeks.

To be fair to Millen I suspect this is because of the difference in fitness levels between championship.

[Fiale]

I just don't get the logic of buying Pitman (and we outbid a Premier League club re wages, so he isn't cheap!) and then relegating him to the bench within a couple of weeks.

Seems to be our thing we have Patrick Hoban and Jimmy Keohane, both 19, both on 1 year (I presume youth) contracts. What are we going to do with them ? Keep them on 1 year rolling contracts? Will they get to sit on the bench and a few chances to break into the first team or do we wait until they have completed 3-4 seasons with Yeovil on Loan and then terminate their contracts because we have in the meantime bought others....

[Jon atyeo is my dad]

Hoban keohane hunt cisse stewert Williams all coppells signings with the exception of James . I think had Millen been manager at the start of the season there's not a chance any of these players would be on our books and it wouldn't surprise me if these players disappear in jan !

I still think we lack a creative midfielder so until we sort that pitman who's a fox in the box has no hope !

[BCFC_Dan]

I just don't get the logic of buying Pitman (and we outbid a Premier League club re wages, so he isn't cheap!) and then relegating him to the bench within a couple of weeks.

Nope, me neither.

And what worries me most is the way we signed a whole new strike force whilst at the same time keeping very quiet about Maynard's injury.

Admittedly there has been a fairly positive-sounding interview with Nicky released in the last week or so but do you really go spending all that money on two new strikers if you're expecting your top scorer to be back in a few months? Smacks of desperation whichever way you look at it.

Nevertheless, they're here now and if Millen thinks the best thing to do is have one of them on the pitch and the other on the bench then so be it. He's the boss.

[Lrrr]

it doesn't help that we don't give our strikers the balls through to how they like to score their goals, said it about Maynard last season; he wanted balls played through to run onto but they got passed to his feat instead.

[bcfc_Jamie]

How can we have give him time when he's not even playing. IMO I think he should start vs Norwich. Not Pompey because I think we'll do well to get a draw but we need to score goals at home and that's where pitman comes into this!

[FanaticRed]

Yes potman may of been expensive but everyone knew where he was coming from, league 2. Hes young and talented thats what we paid for and eventualy thats what we will get but you cant expect him to step up two divisions and make an instant impact, these things dont happen. Millen has spoken to him and hes happy with the situation and in time, he will break into the first team, but you cant rush a young un otherwise you could mess up there career.

[FanaticRed]

Pitman*

[Dolman_Stand]

Why is he urging fans to be patient, I haven't seen / heard anything negative / derogatory towards BP as of yet?

[dafarms]

Why is he urging fans to be patient, I haven't seen / heard anything negative / derogatory towards BP as of yet?

I heard loads, even President Obama wasn't happy with them.................................Sorry I'll get my coat.

[Nibor]

I think anybody watching us play will be more frustrated by the service to Brad Pitman than any of his performances.

I'm surprised that he was dropped, I'd have kept him in alongside Stead to build that partnership as much as possible.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Must say, lots of otherwise prolific- or at least more prolific than they had been here- strikers have come to City down the years and then the goals have dried up.

Stewart and Bridges in 05/06 spring to mind, pretty sure Stern John had a decent record at this level but did nothing much here. Certainly in the case of the first 2 they had decent PL and Championship experience behind them Bridges also had played in the CL a few years back.

I'm sure there have been others who fell into these categories. Don't understand it tbh.

[BCFC Jordan]

He is definitely going to struggle to score until we get a creative midfielder. Hoofing it up to a player like Pitman (Small, Not fast) will never work.

[bangers]

Needs better service and a definate run in the first team.

Why do we have a habit of ruining strikers.....our trac record definately not good....

[Fiale]

Yes potman may of been expensive but everyone knew where he was coming from, league 2. Hes young and talented thats what we paid for and eventualy thats what we will get but you cant expect him to step up two divisions and make an instant impact, these things dont happen. Millen has spoken to him and hes happy with the situation and in time, he will break into the first team, but you cant rush a young un otherwise you could mess up there career.

He's 22 years old - if he was a 18 year old prodigy I could understand all this talk, but he's more than a third way through his football playing career already.

[Nibor]

He's 22 years old - if he was a 18 year old prodigy I could understand all this talk, but he's more than a third way through his football playing career already.

Yes and no. I agree people go OTT with the whole "he's young" thing but if he was an 18 yr old prodigy he'd be at Arsenal or Man U.

Unless you get picked up by a top club very early on you can only progress in small jumps by shining at each level and Pitman's done that, it takes time.

Some players improve later and anybody moving up will take some time to get comfortable.

Whilst he might have made a debut very early on, he can't really be considered to be a third into his career either.

He has another 6 or 7 years before he will really peak and should improve all throughout that if he plays regularly against challenging opposition.

The problems Pitman has here are more to do with our service than anything else.

[leedsred]

Must say, lots of otherwise prolific- or at least more prolific than they had been here- strikers have come to City down the years and then the goals have dried up.

Stewart and Bridges in 05/06 spring to mind, pretty sure Stern John had a decent record at this level but did nothing much here. Certainly in the case of the first 2 they had decent PL and Championship experience behind them Bridges also had played in the CL a few years back.

I'm sure there have been others who fell into these categories. Don't understand it tbh.

I agree with a couple of posters above who say we're probably similar to a lot of clubs where strikers come in and some are successful and others aren't.

For every Akinbi - Goater - Super Bob - Adebola.... there's a Stewart - Trundle - Steve Jones..... although I can't add Bridges and Stern John to that list. I felt Stern John was WAY past his peak before we signed him, and Bridges had such horriffic injuries that he was re-starting his career.

And don't forget that those ones that have flourished here... then gone on to be pants... like Ade at Leicester!