Masochist? Here is a match report all for you.

[Jacki]

3 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

Sadly we only have 7 games left.

My mistake, I think 3 from 8 has been tattooed on my brain for so long I've forgotten to count down! 

3 from 7 then, 4 of which are at home and winnable for a decent team. All we can do is get behind the team with vocal support and hope it's enough. 

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, gordie said:

Where was the side that pressed high, hassled the opposition in 2's and 3's, worked their socks off and got the crowd going against Huddersfield because they weren't at Brentford.

Missing , like your question mark ! 

[havanatopia]

12 minutes ago, Jacki said:

My mistake, I think 3 from 8 has been tattooed on my brain for so long I've forgotten to count down! 

3 from 7 then, 4 of which are at home and winnable for a decent team. All we can do is get behind the team with vocal support and hope it's enough. 

Lets have a look at these fixtures then..

Preston v City = 1 pt

City v Wolves = 1 pt

City v QPR = 3 pts

Blackburn v City = 0 pts

City v Barnsley = 1 pt

Brighton v City = 0 pts

City v Brum = 3 pts

correction...9 from 21 ... maybe not enough. We have to win at Blackburn or win at home to Wolves to stay up.. cannot see us doing both.

I think we need 52 points minimum to stay up.

[Jacki]

3 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

Lets have a look at these fixtures then..

Preston v City = 1 pt

City v Wolves = 1 pt

City v QPR = 3 pts

Blackburn v City = 0 pts

City v Barnsley = 1 pt

Brighton v City = 0 pts

City v Brum = 3 pts

correction...9 from 21 ... maybe not enough. We have to win at Blackburn and probably win at home to Wolves to stay up.. cannot see us doing both.

I think we need 52 points minimum to stay up.

I reckon 50 would just about do it but it's going to be touch and go. 52 would mean Blackburn would've picked up 12 from their last 7 which is play off form. Forest would have to grab 10 from 7 as well. 

I'm not even going to try and predict the results.... I thought we'd get hammered by Huddersfield and I also felt really optimistic at the start yesterday. 

As I say it's going to be way too close for comfort. Which given the amount we've spent and the players we have is a disgrace in itself. 

[GrahamC]

14 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

Lets have a look at these fixtures then..

Preston v City = 1 pt

City v Wolves = 1 pt

City v QPR = 3 pts

Blackburn v City = 0 pts

City v Barnsley = 1 pt

Brighton v City = 0 pts

City v Brum = 3 pts

correction...9 from 21 ... maybe not enough. We have to win at Blackburn or win at home to Wolves to stay up.. cannot see us doing both.

I think we need 52 points minimum to stay up.

Looking at Blackburn's remaining fixtures I can see them getting 9 more points, including as you predict, beating us.

I think your prediction for us on Tuesday is the only one that looks optimistic, of course we may not beat QPR, but then again we might beat Barnsley..

I reckon all this guesswork leads to us having to avoid defeat at Ewood Park, Blackburn go to Brentford on the last day, I've seen that as a draw but if they need to win there knowing they will survive whatever we do, I think they can.

[BigTone]

10 hours ago, Olé said:

This was a monumentally bad performance on a day that was all about the managers - given that this was a game where both clubs had two weeks to prepare and so their respective managers had every opportunity to study and conceive a ‘set piece’ performance designed to beat their opponents. But in a proverbial battle of wits, we turned up unarmed. 

We now know (as if it were a surprise) that Lee Johnson wouldn’t win a tactical battle with an empty can of Fanta. The first half today, as well as being amongst the most anonymous from our team since the depths of January, was as comprehensive tactical victory as you will see. Brentford’s manager must have felt like he was pushing against an open door.

It was unquestionable to me that he had watched us and knew our flaws. Keep the ball, use the full width of the pitch, target our full backs, pass and move in the knowledge we won’t press and we won’t tackle up the pitch and will stand yards off and invite the cross. Do so also knowing we will quickly get demoralised and sit deeper and start hitting long balls.

This is what happens when a halfway competent manager actually studies an opponent and sees what to punish. The way Brentford went about punishing us was quality - passing and switching play, committing players forward onto knock downs. We got off lightly to be just two down at half time. At times they were queuing up to shoot, it was Brentford vs Frankie.

It was obvious within 5 minutes of the start that this was a match only one team prepared for. Whereas Brentford had a plan and set about executing it, we offered nothing in midfield and our only threat was two breaks by Joe Bryan with few options - there was so little in front of him. It wasn’t the shape from Huddersfield, Tomlin was far deeper, not playing off Tammy.

With Brentford’s first attack they had the time and space to setup a knock down and shot that Fielding had to beat away. The half would continue in broadly the same one-sided way - passing easily through us and creating the space to test Fielding repeatedly. Time and again they would target our full backs and Joe Bryan in particular was simply miles off their winger.

We were sluggish and statuesque. It was honestly like watching 2 teams playing at different speeds. This had already been well evident before it gifted them their opener as they lifted a second ball over a flat, static City line to setup an easy chance (to howls of derision from City fans behind the goal who could see Brentford movement far more quickly our players would).

The second came soon after, a spot of pinball and close range finish but again the result of Brentford being able to knock the ball about at will without City players getting close to it. It was total one way traffic. Joe Bryan was beaten repeatedly and our central midfield was non existent. The crosses rained in and Brentford always had a spare man over to take the shot.

The only surprise at half time was that we weren’t further behind. It is no exaggeration to say that Brentford were quite simply teeing off on us - they knew how to exploit our weaknesses and kept on doing it. Lee Johnson argued with Tomlin about his positioning - and it’s true he was far too deep and wasteful - but in truth none of the players knew what they were doing.

The second half continued the same with shots flying in at Fielding - the poor guy must have wondered where his defence was - while our shape got progressively worse as Cotterill and O’Dowda drifted to control Brentford’s movement. One early Bryan cross did let Tammy head onto the post, and Cotterill knocked in two dangerous crosses, but it was against play. 

Whether it was just Brentford sitting back deciding to hold what they had, but we only got going after our subs for a final 20 minutes, with our abysmal central midfield removed. Bobby Reid, and particularly Hegeler offered something we hadn’t seen yet, players actually playing with their heads up and seeing where the space to run or pass was. We started to build.

In the end we could still have nicked something from the game - though scarcely deserved. Hegeler was a class above what we’d been doing all game and was taking on opponents (compare to Tomlin, by now virtually anonymous brooding deep in midfield). Several times he beat players and had the likes of Reid, Taylor and even Korey Smith streaming forward.

Reid hit the outside of the post from a well worked move, and then unforgivably Taylor - who looked off the pace and rusty of touch - missed a sitter after Tammy did brilliantly to take on the defence and square the ball unselfishly. But that was it, and we finished with Joe Bryan - among our worst - miscuing one ball out for a throw in and lifting a cross into the stand.

This was a shocking performance. It was replete with many of the worst aspects of the past 5 months. That it came on the heels of a mini unbeaten run and big win last time out, says more about incompetence of the manager than losing 8 in a row does. It was a well prepared game you couldn’t possibly screw up this badly unless something is very rotten at City.

It’s not hard to see what it is.

Fielding 7 Embarrassingly overworked.
Smith 6 Works his proverbials off, says a lot about how abjectly we’ve invested in full back that this is the best we’ve got.
Bryan 4 Not a left back not a left back not a left back not a left back. Miles off their winger. Hit and miss going forward.
Flint 5 Not quick enough - battled in the second half but badly exposed in the first.
Wright 5 Sluggish and also slow to react.
O’Neil 4 Never got in the game.
Pack 4 Barely got in the game.
Cotterill 5 Our shape fell to pieces which limited him, but unlucky to be subbed when he is probably our best crosser of the ball. Not surprised he reacted badly to being taken off.
O’Dowda 6 Also limited by the complete collapse of our midfield and disappearance of Tomlin. Had to drop back to stem the tide in midfield. Didn’t really get the chance to go at them.
Tomlin 4 I’ve been told I’m too negative about the guy. I like him. He’s a flare player. Against Huddersfield he played off Tammy just like he used to with Kodjia and he looked great. What the hell was that today? Didn’t look interested and got deeper and more anonymous the more the game went on.
Abraham 6 First half was like the worst of winter - punting long balls to the poor guy on his own. In the end he had to start creating openings, which he did, but it’s getting to the point where he looks like a good player wasting his time in a poor poor team.

Subs:
Taylor 4 Had the appearance of a League one footballer who hadn’t played for a month. Which is exactly what he is.
Reid 6 Looked bright and intelligent when he came on, offered a link up to attack which Tomlin failed to provide. Whether he could do so over 90 minutes remains to be seen.
Hegeler 7 Played with far more poise and belief than any of the rest of them. Perhaps it was just the luxury of playing against a team who had largely done their job, but he took the game to Brentford far more than anyone else did.

Condensed Version

We were shite

[shelts]

I'm struggling to see a pattern of play, style of football we play and we're now into April. Like the way Brentford played and good luck to them they are a established Championship side with league two facilities. 

[robin_unreliant]

4 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

Whilst it is of course down to players , and result, as they are on the pitch and can make and break any plan.

However, the man leading the "group" (as the current vogue of terminology that describes the team) has to provide the following

• Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence 

• Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole 

• Decisions! ..., a commander in chief who has not got the quality of decision, then he is no good.

Montgomery (who said these things) was one of the more outspoken generals, a different man, but having spent my youth talking to many veterans who fought with (for him) in Africa, all of them, to a man, said they would have died for him, they believed in him, and felt he was with them. His defining skill was to see battle through the front line troops who had to apply his battle strategies. He was credible and the troops believed in what he was advocating.

People are getting confused between management and leadership. 

The players at BCFC do not believe in LJ and he has no leadership skills. He potentially(?) could be an able coach, but he is not a leader of men.

 

 

 

Can't give enough likes to this. This is the root cause of our problem and the reason LJ has to go.

[robin_unreliant]

2 hours ago, gordie said:

Where was the side that pressed high, hassled the opposition in 2's and 3's, worked their socks off and got the crowd going against Huddersfield because they weren't at Brentford.

Nor were the sky cameras! Shop window, ego massage, whatever the reason I think it was Sky, not Johnson, who inspired that performance.

[Olé]

4 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

Whilst it is of course down to players , and result, as they are on the pitch and can make and break any plan.

However, the man leading the "group" (as the current vogue of terminology that describes the team) has to provide the following

• Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence 

• Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole 

• Decisions! ..., a commander in chief who has not got the quality of decision, then he is no good.

Montgomery (who said these things) was one of the more outspoken generals, a different man, but having spent my youth talking to many veterans who fought with (for him) in Africa, all of them, to a man, said they would have died for him, they believed in him, and felt he was with them. His defining skill was to see battle through the front line troops who had to apply his battle strategies. He was credible and the troops believed in what he was advocating.

People are getting confused between management and leadership. 

The players at BCFC do not believe in LJ and he has no leadership skills. He potentially(?) could be an able coach, but he is not a leader of men.

I really do not understand why SL has self inflicted on the club this ridiculous situation.

We have to beat Blackburn away, of course, but we also need to match their form over other 6 games. I do believe we can avoid relegation, just. But it will be despite LJ not because of him. 

If we do survive, any triumphalist hyperbole by SL or MA would be grossly inappropriate. This season has been a catastrophe on multiple levels. 

I don't normally do something so clumsy as re-quote an entire post, but what an absolutely brilliant summary, sir.

You have absolutely nailed it. I work in strategy (the thing startup tech businesses have to do to succeed in competitive markets, not the bullsh-t word Mark Ashton would use to sound smart) and am routinely fascinated by the impact of strong and weak leadership. You have deconstructed the absence of strategy and leadership brilliantly. I share your final sentiments entirely.

[Septic Peg]

@Olé can you start printing out your match reports and sending them 1st class, addressed to Mr L Johnson, to Failand training ground? 

Sure we can all donate the cost of a stamp, paper and ink...

Edit: Here's the address...

Bristol City Training Ground
Clevedon Road
Failand
Bristol
BS8 3TN

[exAtyeoMax]

4 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

Whilst it is of course down to players , and result, as they are on the pitch and can make and break any plan.

However, the man leading the "group" (as the current vogue of terminology that describes the team) has to provide the following

• Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence 

• Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole 

• Decisions! ..., a commander in chief who has not got the quality of decision, then he is no good.

Montgomery (who said these things) was one of the more outspoken generals, a different man, but having spent my youth talking to many veterans who fought with (for him) in Africa, all of them, to a man, said they would have died for him, they believed in him, and felt he was with them. His defining skill was to see battle through the front line troops who had to apply his battle strategies. He was credible and the troops believed in what he was advocating.

People are getting confused between management and leadership. 

The players at BCFC do not believe in LJ and he has no leadership skills. He potentially(?) could be an able coach, but he is not a leader of men.

I really do not understand why SL has self inflicted on the club this ridiculous situation.

We have to beat Blackburn away, of course, but we also need to match their form over other 6 games. I do believe we can avoid relegation, just. But it will be despite LJ not because of him. 

If we do survive, any triumphalist hyperbole by SL or MA would be grossly inappropriate. This season has been a catastrophe on multiple levels. 

 

 

 

I think this is demonstrated by the fact that LJ always brings on subs on the 60 minute mark. (Once or twice possibly 45). In the Derby game, their manager changed it after 30 mins, or when required. By using the clock to make decisions and not reflecting what is happening on the pitch, highlights to me, a lack of game management and the ability/knowledge to affect the game. 

We've been over this 1000s of times…sorry.

[cityloyal473]

1 hour ago, shelts said:

I'm struggling to see a pattern of play, style of football we play and we're now into April. Like the way Brentford played and good luck to them they are a established Championship side with league two facilities. 

You're struggling because we don't have one.  If we did we'd be more consistent.  His constant tinkering throughout the season has bitten him on the ass.  The players are lost and dispirited.  That he is still the manager of Bristol city is a disgrace.

[NOTBLUE]

 

Come off it Ole, we weren't that good

 

[pongo88]

11 hours ago, yardy said:

Very good report as always.

To me it seemed like we needed to change tactics within the first 20 mins, we gave Brentford far too much possession, we allowed them to pass it around the back without any pressure from us which built their confidence and it was just a matter of time until they scored. I think a change in formation to a 4-3-3 with O'Dowda and Cotts either side of Tammy was needed so we would pressure them from goal kicks and not allow them to pass the ball out of defence, i was surprised LJ didn't change formation considering the amount of tinkering we've had in the last few months!

I haven't seen the possession stats but i would be surprised if we had more than 40% (especially 1st half)

 

 

 

Tactics? I often wonder what LJ does on the training pitch when preparing for a match. Time and again the team looks like a bunch of disorganised strangers who only met each other just before the match. I hate to say it, but Darrell Clarke appears to be the exact opposite of LJ when it come to tactics. He regularly tweaks the team selection slightly to suit the opposition's formation but, more importantly, if things aren't going well he has the ability to react and quickly change things. The result? He's managed to get a team of free transfers and loan players to the fringe of the playoffs.   By contrast LJ looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights and has managed to get a team that has cost millions heading for relegation.

[exAtyeoMax]

4 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

Tactics? I often wonder what LJ does on the training pitch when preparing for a match. Time and again the team looks like a bunch of disorganised strangers who only met each other just before the match. I hate to say it, but Darrell Clarke appears to be the exact opposite of LJ when it come to tactics. He regularly tweaks the team selection slightly to suit the opposition's formation but, more importantly, if things aren't going well he has the ability to react and quickly change things. The result? He's managed to get a team of free transfers and loan players to the fringe of the playoffs.   By contrast LJ looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights and has managed to get a team that has cost millions heading for relegation.

Yes he talks about it on his post match with GT, even Darren Way does. 

[pongo88]

5 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

Whilst it is of course down to players , and result, as they are on the pitch and can make and break any plan.

However, the man leading the "group" (as the current vogue of terminology that describes the team) has to provide the following

• Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence 

• Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole 

• Decisions! ..., a commander in chief who has not got the quality of decision, then he is no good.

Montgomery (who said these things) was one of the more outspoken generals, a different man, but having spent my youth talking to many veterans who fought with (for him) in Africa, all of them, to a man, said they would have died for him, they believed in him, and felt he was with them. His defining skill was to see battle through the front line troops who had to apply his battle strategies. He was credible and the troops believed in what he was advocating.

People are getting confused between management and leadership. 

The players at BCFC do not believe in LJ and he has no leadership skills. He potentially(?) could be an able coach, but he is not a leader of men.

I really do not understand why SL has self inflicted on the club this ridiculous situation.

We have to beat Blackburn away, of course, but we also need to match their form over other 6 games. I do believe we can avoid relegation, just. But it will be despite LJ not because of him. 

If we do survive, any triumphalist hyperbole by SL or MA would be grossly inappropriate. This season has been a catastrophe on multiple levels. 

 

 

 

Well said Psycho.  The lack of leadership has been obvious to all, except perhaps SL. There are numerous leadership models, but the one I like best, due to it's simplicity is John Adair's Action Centre Leadership. This has three core responsibilities:

** achieving the task

** managing the team or group

** managing individuals

Let's review how LJ has performed against each.  First - Achieving the Task. This must have been to consolidate City as a strong mid / upper table team in the Championship with the aim of pushing for promotion next season. The team is heading in the wrong direction, so Result = Failure

 Second - Managing the Team. This involves resolving conflict,  establish style and culture, maintaining discipline, ethics, integrity and focus on objectives etc to enable the team to develop as a whole. The team has got worse, not better, so Result = Failure

Third - Managing Individuals. This involves understand the team members as individuals - their personality, skills, strengths etc. Supporting and developing individuals so that they improve. Many signings have become worse players since joining the club, so Result = Failure.

Writing this has made me depressed as it's made me realise how bad LJ is.  I need to go to the pub to have some action centred drinking to help me recover.

 

 

 

 

[GrahamC]

1 hour ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I think this is demonstrated by the fact that LJ always brings on subs on the 60 minute mark. (Once or twice possibly 45). In the Derby game, their manager changed it after 30 mins, or when required. By using the clock to make decisions and not reflecting what is happening on the pitch, highlights to me, a lack of game management and the ability/knowledge to affect the game. 

We've been over this 1000s of times…sorry.

Yep, I constantly bore those who sit by in the Dolman by regularly correctly predicting to the minute the time that he makes his first change (and more often than not the player(s) who will come off), as it is all done robotically, as if by a manual rather than by any instinct.

We probably all bore ourselves now by saying it, but he really isn't very good at any part of his job.

The leadership/ strategy stuff above is so spot on, I currently have a team of around 120 and so know the impact it has, if he does have one skill it is in being able to convince SL (and maybe MA?) that he knows what he is on about, whereas our results over half a season and dreadful performances show he clearly does not.

[Portland Bill]

11 hours ago, Chairman Mao said:

I also thought Cotts was badly out of his depth last season but no doubt he was far superior to LJ. 

Dean Smith tactically outwits LJ to the extreme, interestingly the last time we came across Dean Smith was when SC's team put 8 past his Walsall side. 

So, either Dean Smith is now a tactical genius, or our manager hasn't got a clue.

I know which one I'm going for.................

 

[Fiale]

Personally, I don;t think our players rate LJ. We avoided relegation last season, and have recruited pretty well selling the dream of pushing at the other end of the table. We have now 2 relegation battling seasons, for some of our players, and I suspect they don't want to be here and risk it again. We have other players who signed thinking we would be mid table / pushing for playoffs and then next season building on that success - instead they are in a relegation battle. through all this we have LJ, who I don't think can do the job, I don't think the players think he can either. Most are tied into contracts, but a lot have relegation clauses, so if we go down it's a easy out for them (without losing too much face)having to stay here, with someone they don't trust, risking relegation battle 3 and having to decide whether to hand in transfer request.

[downendcity]

17 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

 You could give him Chelsea's squad and he would piss about with the tactics, formations and line ups, annoy the majority of the squad and end up turning them into relegation candidates.

In other words, he's Jose Mourinho last season. 

[shelts]

8 hours ago, cityloyal473 said:

You're struggling because we don't have one.  If we did we'd be more consistent.  His constant tinkering throughout the season has bitten him on the ass.  The players are lost and dispirited.  That he is still the manager of Bristol city is a disgrace.

Agree he should be gone . Worst squad I can remember for years. 

[Spike]

On 02/04/2017 at 08:23, havanatopia said:

Lets have a look at these fixtures then..

Preston v City = 1 pt

City v Wolves = 1 pt

City v QPR = 3 pts

Blackburn v City = 0 pts

City v Barnsley = 1 pt

Brighton v City = 0 pts

City v Brum = 3 pts

correction...9 from 21 ... maybe not enough. We have to win at Blackburn or win at home to Wolves to stay up.. cannot see us doing both.

I think we need 52 points minimum to stay up.

 

 

I love your optimism, I personally don't see one more win all season.

 

Agree he should be gone . Worst squad I can remember for years. 

 

I actually don't think the squad is, I think with a 3-4 out and 3-4 in and we are easily capable of mid-table, the problem isn't in the quality of the squad, it's the quality of the man "leading" them. I can see a few from this squad moving to other clubs and proving to be very competent championship level players.

[shelts]

10 hours ago, Spike said:

I love your optimism, I personally don't see one more win all season.

 

 

I actually don't think the squad is, I think with a 3-4 out and 3-4 in and we are easily capable of mid-table, the problem isn't in the quality of the squad, it's the quality of the man "leading" them. I can see a few from this squad moving to other clubs and proving to be very competent championship level players.

I will never fault effort. Ours don't put enough in . No desire. No want . Regardless of a clueless manager they should be able to always put in a shift 

[Spike]

11 hours ago, shelts said:

I will never fault effort. Ours don't put enough in . No desire. No want . Regardless of a clueless manager they should be able to always put in a shift 

Yeah but it's fair to say there aren't many players who are motivated with a clown in charge. You see it a lot in football, the manager is clueless, the players lose motivation and the performances drop.

I love Flint's attitude, I believe he cares, the issue is he seems very prone to mistakes and at Championship level even more so. We seem to have a few who want to fight but aren't up to it and a lot who seem to have given up the fight despite having the ability to turn it around. Either way LJ is the issue, we're awful under him and it's not changing.

[shelts]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

Yeah but it's fair to say there aren't many players who are motivated with a clown in charge. You see it a lot in football, the manager is clueless, the players lose motivation and the performances drop.

I love Flint's attitude, I believe he cares, the issue is he seems very prone to mistakes and at Championship level even more so. We seem to have a few who want to fight but aren't up to it and a lot who seem to have given up the fight despite having the ability to turn it around. Either way LJ is the issue, we're awful under him and it's not changing.

Unfortunately I pay good money so they cheat me. Our players are spineless . Tonight ...