So Johnson....

[BCFChayden]

Doesn't want to play to play two upfront because we concede. If it's that's bad why not 5 3 2 with two wing backs? Surely that would show us your trying

[Phileas Fogg]

I don't really think we have the personnel to play that. Only Bryan and Little are wingbacks really out of the entire squad and neither of them have been consistently good enough to perform competitively in that role at this level.

[ploppy]

By setting us up not to concede he's actually making us more likely to concede. We've always looked the least likely to concede when we are on the front foot. Look at the first half at Derby or the second half of Norwich as examples. It's easier to attack teams which are set up to be as sharp as a block of cheese because they don't have to think or worry so much about defending.

It's the biggest cliche in the book but attack is the best form of defence.

[BCFChayden]

1 minute ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I don't really think we have the personnel to play that. Only Bryan is a wingback really out of the entire squad and he's in poor form.

I would try anything but play 1 upfront mate! I really couldn't care if we loose 4 0. As long as the team gave it 100 percent and wore the badge with pride.

[Red Army 75]

Well that wasn't what happened Tuesday. He's running out of excuses 

[Phileas Fogg]

4 minutes ago, BCFChayden said:

I would try anything but play 1 upfront mate! I really couldn't care if we loose 4 0. As long as the team gave it 100 percent and wore the badge with pride.

I'd like to see two forwards too, especially now we have Taylor and Djuric here. Lots of different styles that could compliment each other. 

[BCFChayden]

1 minute ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I'd like to see two forwards too, especially now we have Taylor and Djuric here. Lots of different styles that could compliment each other. 

I just hate the fact wilbs is 36 years old. Yeah he can do a job but not on his own! We ain't got pace but we got height, lets use it! Hoof the ball to wilbs, what can do he on his own reallyyy

[Mr Popodopolous]

Thing is a lone striker- by which I mean Djuric and NOT Wilbs can work. With the correct support, the correct pushing on from wide men and runners from midfield.

So even Djuric with the right support up top alone could work. If you are going to pick a lone striker though then make it Djuric mostly and not Wilbs.

As an aside, 3-5-2 would work quite well I think with Djuric and Taylor and latterly Djuric and Tammy. Vs more defensive teams take out say Hegeler for Tomlin and play Tomlin between the midfield and strikers, but Djuric as a lone striker certainly can be appropriate at times IMO.

[daored]

13 minutes ago, BCFChayden said:

I would try anything but play 1 upfront mate! I really couldn't care if we loose 4 0. As long as the team gave it 100 percent and wore the badge with pride.

Agree, not sure how many games we've got left , but let's go down fighting at the very least.

I've said before Johnson has in my opinion tried to be too clever all season. Whilst I appreciate you've got to take into account the strengths of the opposition by setting up defensive you almost create a feeling of defeat within your own team.

But I'm not sure will see two up top much the remainder of this season. When Tammy is back he will be upfront on his own.

[BCFChayden]

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Thing is a lone striker- by which I mean Djuric and NOT Wilbs can work. With the correct support, the correct pushing on from wide men and runners from midfield.

So even Djuric with the right support up top alone could work. If you are going to pick a lone striker though then make it Djuric mostly and not Wilbs.

As an aside, 3-5-2 would work quite well I think with Djuric and Taylor and latterly Djuric and Tammy. Vs more defensive teams take out say Hegeler for Tomlin and play Tomlin between the midfield and strikers, but Djuric as a lone striker certainly can be appropriate at times IMO.

He just needs to be bold in these last 10 games. He needs to try and win us back now, probably never will happen but just give us something! 

[Mendip City]

8 minutes ago, daored said:

Agree, not sure how many games we've got left , but let's go down fighting at the very least.

I've said before Johnson has in my opinion tried to be too clever all season. Whilst I appreciate you've got to take into account the strengths of the opposition by setting up defensive you almost create a feeling of defeat within your own team.

But I'm not sure will see two up top much the remainder of this season. When Tammy is back he will be upfront on his own.

Crazy isn't it... on Saturday he could have one of the most prolific scorers at this level (Tammy), a real handful for any defender (Djuric)... and on the bench one of the best traditional centre forwards we've had in years (Wilbs) and a hard working poacher who's scored tons of goals at the level(s) below. Coulple that with the best deliverer of a ball we've had in years (Cotts).... and yet, no, let's set up to stop the opposition scoring with all our defensive talent!!!!!!

[Mr Popodopolous]

9 minutes ago, BCFChayden said:

He just needs to be bold in these last 10 games. He needs to try and win us back now, probably never will happen but just give us something! 

Only way he might win the fans back is to stay up and stay up with a strong run of results a'la the back end of last season.

Our final 5 home games last year saw us beat Bolton 6-0, lose 2-3 v Derby, beat Sheff Wed 4-1, beat Huddersfield 4-0 and a 1-1 with Rotherham- with Warnock's cheating Rotherham. 2 up front is probably the way forward but I do think Djuric as a lone striker with good runners has tactical merit too.

Oh for a 3-5-2 with Kodjia and Tammy up top would be interesting to see the combined damage they could have done at this level...

[Gert Mare]

[EASTEND WURZEL]

for Christ's sake , Johnson has played one up front particularly at home since well before xmas, I forget how many times I've watch Tammy get battered by defences running the line alone. We have successfully managed to secure 8pts since November !! yes the fans are fed up with it Johnson IT DOES NOT BLOODY WORK !!! as for slamming the 442 because we concede goals , you tried it from the start once ! against Fulham and yes we lost . one game that's hardly a reason cast in stone for not using it . every time we play Duric and Taylor up front and go 442 we look better more balanced and we create many more chances that is a FACT. playing one up front be it Tammy or Wilbs is crap and does not work. Every time you open your mouth what comes out is utter rubbish you have no clue about anything you are doing ,  The key to success in any good side is continuity a finely tuned machine with all cogs knowing what the other is doing. take a look through your own notes you've played the entire squad in multiple positions , multiple formations , had more captains than hot dinners brought in players from all areas of the pitch played them dropped them some have come back others not . you have no clue, and whatever your have on Mr Lansdown please let it go , You are destroying the club I love and condemning us to 3rd division football once again.

[Taz]

Sometimes attack is the best form of defence. 

If you haven't got a defence capable of holding out for 90 minutes, set the side up to attack!!! Then when you're 3-0 up at half time to Derby, 2-0 at Newcastle, just carry on playing the attacking game rather than sitting back and trying to keep them out because as we've proven - WE CAN'T DO THAT!!!

Its not as if we've been wallopped at all this season, which proves we have something about us. If he (little Lord Lee) was trying stuff like this, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be as disliked as he currently is. Who knows we may have even got a couple more wins....

The problem is the fact that the majority of the squad are here one week, gone the next 3 or 4. No continuity, no risk, and the same old BS (not Bristol Sport) week in week out.

[Mr Popodopolous]

At Derby the momentum clearly shifted in the 2nd half, I would blame LJ for not reacting quickly enough to that, making the right tweaks.

Newcastle? Well they came from 1 goal down to win 2-1 at Brighton the game after so we can't knock him too much for that. Newcastle will come back against better sides than us tbh.

Derby though...a good manager, a proactive manager sees momentum changing (and picks the right bench to cover bases!) and makes the change/changes. Go 4-3-3 in attack. 4-5-1 out of possession at Derby at 3-1, playing on the break and we win I think. He didn't and we drew.

[BS4 on Tour...]

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

....and a 1-1 with Rotherham- with Warnock's cheating Rotherham.....

Another cheap dig at a proven, successful guy who would have had us in the top 8 by now if he'd had the sort of budget given to LJ....with a team that would have given everything for every point and would not have squandered two and three goal leads...

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Another cheap dig at a proven, successful guy who would have had us in the top 8 by now if he'd had the sort of budget given to LJ....with a team that would have given everything for every point and would not have squandered two and three goal leads...

Don't you remember Mr Halford that evening? Think he was down for about 8 minutes was it, a long time anyway with an apparent head injury and then got up and jogged off with nothing wrong. I like Warnock, he's quite funny, he's clearly a good manager and I always wondered what would have happened had we had him at AG say after GJ left. However his sides let's say have a bit of a reputation for gamesmanship at times, especially his struggling ones.

[cityloyal473]

1 hour ago, Red Army 75 said:

Well that wasn't what happened Tuesday. He's running out of excuses 

Nonsense.  He wont run out of excuses until he runs out of people to fire and has to take the blame full in the face.

[BS4 on Tour...]

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Don't you remember Mr Halford that evening? Think he was down for about 8 minutes was it, a long time anyway with an apparent head injury and then got up and jogged off with nothing wrong. I like Warnock, he's quite funny, he's clearly a good manager and I always wondered what would have happened had we had him at AG say after GJ left. However his sides let's say have a bit of a reputation for gamesmanship at times, especially his struggling ones.

I do remember that evening. His sides also have a reputation for being very successful. Cardiff had 8 points when he took over in October 2016, look at them now. And it's funny how Cardiff are so high in the fair play league this season...

But I agree with you, I think after GJ and before Del was the time period in which we should have employed Neil Warnock. He made it obvious how much he admired us a club and how he wanted to manage us. He still mentions us in interviews now! 

The people who said they would never watch a City side under Warnock were talking tosh, they would definitely have been in Ashton Gate when we were genuinely challenging for the premier league. And a certain female moderator on here also said she'd "push anyone who wanted Warnock as manager into the river" - well we got what some people wanted then....NOT a proven, successful, ruthless guy - just an unproven dreamer who actually said in an interview recently: "We must future-proof our football." What does that even MEAN?!

Neil Warnock = what might have been....such a shame...

[BRISTOL86]

Second half v Norwich was the best we've been at home in a long long time and if that team doesn't start on Sat (possible exception of Tammy who may be back) he wants a good kick up the arse.  

[RedRock]

Yes. Unfortunately, we have no wing backs or attacking midfielders - despite having two transfer windows.

If he thinks Reid is the answer for someone who'll get up and beyond a lone striker and be clinical with his finishing we might as well chuck in the towel now. 

I think we're approaching checkmate.  Can't play wingbacks, can't play one up front, can't play flat back four. Utterly hopeless.

 

[lager loud]

10 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

The people who said they would never watch a City side under Warnock were talking tosh, they would definitely have been in Ashton Gate when we were genuinely challenging for the premier league. 

Some might. I wouldn't. It's not 'win at all costs' for all of us.

[EASTEND WURZEL]

6 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Second half v Norwich was the best we've been at home in a long long time and if that team doesn't start on Sat (possible exception of Tammy who may be back) he wants a good kick up the arse.  

To be honest I wouldn't change anything about the team or the formation that finished against Norwich with the exception of Korey Smith at right back ! I would keep Tammy on the bench .

[robin_unreliant]

I think the problem is that Lee doesn't have the right players to put two up front. After all he's only signed 19 new ones. #clown.

[BS4 on Tour...]

6 minutes ago, lager loud said:

Some might. I wouldn't. It's not 'win at all costs' for all of us.

Fair enough, you make a good point. So if we were, say, in 4th place right now, and obviously doing well going into mid March, you wouldn't want to know? I'm not looking for a row, just a genuine question.

You must be a supporter of the current head coach then, because we definitely ain't winning, let alone 'at all costs' - yet we ain't being 'entertained' either - so what do you want? 

[BCFChayden]

36 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Another cheap dig at a proven, successful guy who would have had us in the top 8 by now if he'd had the sort of budget given to LJ....with a team that would have given everything for every point and would not have squandered two and three goal leads...

I disagree warnock wouldn't suit city. 

[lager loud]

3 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Fair enough, you make a good point. So if we were, say, in 4th place right now, and obviously doing well going into mid March, you wouldn't want to know? I'm not looking for a row, just a genuine question.

You must be a supporter of the current head coach then, because we definitely ain't winning, let alone 'at all costs' - yet we ain't being 'entertained' either - so what do you want? 

Bizarrely, perhaps, I'd want the team to do well, but wouldn't want to actively support the club using NW's methods to do so. I'm not claiming that's an entirely coherent position - we people are complex things!

I'm definitely not a supporter of LJ. Not wanting to win at all costs doesn't mean I don't want us to win. He's inept. If I could see some tactical nous and a chance that we could make progress in the years to come I could accept a very mixed set of results and dull games this season. But I don't see those things.

I thoroughly enjoyed the good times under GJ and SC, for different reasons. The football under GJ wasn't particularly exciting but for a couple of seasons he got a team together that performed at a level better than the sum of its parts suggested it could and I could admire that (and enjoy the wins). The promotion under SC was the most dominant season I've ever seen City play - we pretty much never took a step back, and the football was pretty good.

But I also enjoyed the Terry Cooper era. I missed the promotion from Div 4 but saw lots of entertaining games that, ultimately, weren't enough to get us promoted from Div 3. And I drifted away for a few years when Osman was in charge, not just because of the dreadful football - family commitments, playing football myself - but the dire performances at AG were a definite contributing factor.

[EASTEND WURZEL]

16 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

I think the problem is that Lee doesn't have the right players to put two up front. After all he's only signed 19 new ones. #clown.

you're right he's signed players willy nilly , but I do like Duric and Taylor as a combination Duric wins 90% of everything, has good control ,good feet and is surprisingly quick and  always puts in a shift, Taylor has all the attributes to work very well off the taller man. Unfortunately we all know he will revert back to 1 up front against Wigan most probably Wilbs.

[Red Rag]

His biggest failing is being sh1t scared of the opposition. If he pursists with this mentality for the remaing games we are down. Time to take to the pitch set up to win games. Quite an alian concept to our tactical genious.