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City V Preston Match Thread


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Agreed Kim. Today was a chance to throw down a marker and show that last week was just a blip. Oh Dear! Time to knuckle down and start getting some wins back on the board. We are a very good footballing side but in the back of my mind, I have been concerned about how we would handle the cold, dark days of Winter. Come on City, time to bounce back - at least we are still top.

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In all honesty I don't know why everyone seems to think these games won't happen. If you look at our record we're one draw better off than Swindon. I stick by what I've been saying all along, we may have gone on a long undefeated but once we lost a couple we're only a point or two off of second and third and that's down to drawing games we should have won because we can't keep the goals out. The last two games were essentially the most important games to win and both of them kept a clean sheet against us whilst we failed to score.
I was being called "negative" and told I was "panicking" when we failed to keep the ball out of our net but in these big games that is where you need to be able to do that. Had we kept clean sheets in both of those games the league would be:

1 Bristol City 38pts
2 Swindon 33Pts

3 Preston 32 Pts

 

instead of 

 

1 Bristol City 36 Pts

2 Swindon 35 Pts

3 Preston 34 Pts

 

We would have been 5 points clear instead of 1, it just goes to show the difference keeping clean sheets makes. I still maintain defensively we can improve and if we can improve then having a dry spell in front of goal will not hit us so hard.

 

I hope in January we show our intention to push for the top two spots by strengthening, if we stick with what we have I honestly think there will be disappointment as I don't think we'll get a top 2 spot.

Oh and just in case the reaction to this post is "knee jerk", it's not, I've said this for a while and was waiting for this to happen as it was inevitable that we'd have a dry patch, it just so happens to have come against the two teams pushing for the top spot.

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In all honesty I don't know why everyone seems to think these games won't happen. If you look at our record we're one draw better off than Swindon. I stick by what I've been saying all along, we may have gone on a long undefeated but once we lost a couple we're only a point or two off of second and third and that's down to drawing games we should have won because we can't keep the goals out. The last two games were essentially the most important games to win and both of them kept a clean sheet against us whilst we failed to score.

I was being called "negative" and told I was "panicking" when we failed to keep the ball out of our net but in these big games that is where you need to be able to do that. Had we kept clean sheets in both of those games the league would be:

1 Bristol City 38pts

2 Swindon 33Pts

3 Preston 32 Pts

 

instead of 

 

1 Bristol City 36 Pts

2 Swindon 35 Pts

3 Preston 34 Pts

 

We would have been 5 points clear instead of 1, it just goes to show the difference keeping clean sheets makes. I still maintain defensively we can improve and if we can improve then having a dry spell in front of goal will not hit us so hard.

 

I hope in January we show our intention to push for the top two spots by strengthening, if we stick with what we have I honestly think there will be disappointment as I don't think we'll get a top 2 spot.

Oh and just in case the reaction to this post is "knee jerk", it's not, I've said this for a while and was waiting for this to happen as it was inevitable that we'd have a dry patch, it just so happens to have come against the two teams pushing for the top spot.

 

 

Well, I equally get frustrated for trying to get some comment going when we win as being to negative, but we do need to keep some perspective.

 

We have created less chances in games this season and won. Sure, if we had kept a clean sheet we would not have lost (!), but equally, the issue certainly today was not scoring. We have had games this season where we have done exactly that, and won.

 

Worried about our strength in depth for sure, but would not swop our position for anyone elses.

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Surprised to hear Cotts talk so positively after that.

I'm as optimistic as anyone but today was very poor and we just couldn't adapt when PNE made it clear they weren't going to allow us to play the game we wanted and dwell on the ball.

Came away from the ground hearing everyone talking about how we were the better side and played nicer football, but today was the classic example of the result being more important than the performance, and I think PNE deserved the result.

They came to do a job and did everything right.

Yes our finishing was woeful and I think if Wilbs scores that open goal we would have been talking about a different outcome.

But teams are wising up to how to play against us, and we don't seem to have much versatility when we need to mix it up.

Also did Freeman pick up a knock? He was the one bright spark today and was surprised to see him make way for JET rather than Wilbraham.

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SC Interview

 

Had the chances to win by a country mile. First 15 minutes were good. Then got stuck in a long ball game, and got scrappy, with no quality.

 

Second half we were excellent, without taking our chances. Thought it was only matter of time before we scored in second half.

 

We were snatching at things, and needed to relax more. Tried to force things to much. Ball retention was good. Important we learn from the period when we allowed ourselves to get involved in a long ball game.

 

League table still healthy, still on target for what we want. Proud of this group of lads and when we were unbeaten. Young team today, need to learn from the first half today.

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More annoyed this week then I was last. For me PNE for very comfortable, their keeper didn't need to make any saves. Agard and Albie missed some sitters, some very forced passes as well. Taking Freeman off for me was insane, our only attacking player that could pick the ball up and make something happen.

Not sure why Little played, clearly not fit, struggled getting up and down the pitch today. Also how does Derrick Williams get away with some of the mistakes he makes?? Last few games he's been poor for me.

Go again against Peterboro next week, would take a point now ahead of our fairly easy looking December (famous last words!!!)

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Well, I equally get frustrated for trying to get some comment going when we win as being to negative, but we do need to keep some perspective.

 

We have created less chances in games this season and won. Sure, if we had kept a clean sheet we would not have lost (!), but equally, the issue certainly today was not scoring. We have had games this season where we have done exactly that, and won.

 

Worried about our strength in depth for sure, but would not swop our position for anyone elses.

 

I don't recall that particular game.

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I don't recall that particular game.

 

Sure ya do - it was that game when we used our Microsoft Playstation points during the warm up to give us a 3 goal lead.

 

Couldn't hit a barn door throughout the actual match, but saving up those points instead of splashing out on updated stadium images really paid dividends.

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Shit. We failed to score against one of the worst defences in the league.

We missed an open goal.

We seemed clueless how to change.

They were a nasty dirty side - Classic Grayson - and with cocks like Davies, Kilkenny and Garner deserve to stay down. Horrible side.

 

 

Worst defences? conceded the same amount of goals as yourselves.

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This is fair I think;

SC: "By a country mile we had enough chances to win that. We had enough chances to win that game, the one last week and the one next week."But that's what happens if you don't take your chances. We started the game really well for 15 minutes, I thought our passing was excellent. "Then, all of a sudden, we got embroiled in a long ball, second-ball game and they're better at it than us.

"We lost a little bit of concentration for the goal and then it's nip and tuck and a scrappy game from about 20 minutes onwards."

I thought we were OK , no more, but that would and should have been enough had we taken one of the easy chances we made.Bryan and little were poor/average the defence was ok , midfield was OK but not greatand the forwards were ineffective even though we still created several decent chances. The Ref was inconsistent , very lenient with PNE on a few occasions.

It is clear we need cover/options up front. When this was mentioned on other threads the noise from the happy clappers was deafening, but we have no plan B in regard to strikers. Wilb's was not great and being a little bullied with little protection from the ref until late on. Agard was poor and yesterday was the day no-one stepped up to save the day. 

Unlucky all around but on other days this year everything has gone our way so we can't complain too much. The Jan' window needs to be used to get cover up front and maybe a midfielder. I would like to see Freeman used further up the pitch, but my main concern is the forwards, the worry was injury but equally loss of form leaves us with no alternatives.

I'll probably be put down as a nay sayer but I don't much care, that's as I see it. Disappointed but not despondent.

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