Match Report: Two points - and our dignity - lost

[CotswoldRed]

4 minutes ago, BanburyRed said:

Barnsley did tire, hence all their pathetic time wasting attempts, players collapsing to the floor at the merest hint of breath, let alone a worthwhile challenge. Then all the cramps and stretching, supposed to be fit professionals for goodness sake....

Will disagee about Fammy and Bobby, Fammy provided the only real moment of quality in the first half, possibly the game, he drifts in and out of the game too much and doesn't make his presence felt, in a similar way to Benteke at Palace, has the build & strength but doesn't seem to use it to his best advantage? Maybe he's still learning the rough n tumble of the Championship compared to the French League.....

.....and Bobby just got no service or even scraps yesterday. Don't think you can single him out as awful. The whole team was pretty rank yesterday.

I hate sport being stopped for cramping. If you are good enough to tire your opponent you should reap the benefits, not wait for them to recover. I don't count it as an injury in the conventional sense. 

Having said that I'd prefer all injuries (not caused by poor challenges) to be treated while the game continues. 

[1bristolcity]

11 hours ago, tinman85 said:

Yet Johnson can still do no wrong in some people's eyes. I said it in another thread but the tactics are similar to the Fawthrop, Burnside and Rosenior spell. Johnson, Holden and McAllister remind me of that. 

You said that previously? You must have been on some kind of bender to repeat that nonsense again, now.   

It's football, someone actually said on here we shouldn't rely on other results,

In a league of 23 other clubs.

This place and the usual suspects that try and undermine everything about this club really do make it an effort just to log on here, OTIB is about the support of Bristol City, sure we can all moan when perhaps the team the coach, whoever deserve it, but get a grip, we have had a fantastic season, but never mind that they have a mission to bring this club down, and for why I don't know, they will never be happy, best for everyone they just jog off and ply their misery elsewhere.

Someone help these poor souls, perhaps they can have a special room and leave the root and branch City supporters ( Happy Clappers) to their own lot, whadda you say Mods? 

A room 101  

[Curr Avon]

A fantastic report Rob and exactly as I saw it.

I tried to explain to Geoff Twentyman - who always likes City fans to err on the positive because we are only outside the play-offs on goal difference - that we haven't won two consecutive games in a row since before Christmas, and are showing no sign right now of bucking that trend.

[CotswoldRed]

4 minutes ago, 1bristolcity said:

You said that previously? You must have been on some kind of bender to repeat that nonsense again, now.   

It's football, someone actually said on here we shouldn't rely on other results,

In a league of 23 other clubs.

This place and the usual suspects that try and undermine everything about this club really do make it an effort just to log on here, OTIB is about the support of Bristol City, sure we can all moan when perhaps the team the coach, whoever deserve it, but get a grip, we have had a fantastic season, but never mind that they have a mission to bring this club down, and for why I don't know, they will never be happy, best for everyone they just jog off and ply their misery elsewhere.

Someone help these poor souls, perhaps they can have a special room and leave the root and branch City supporters ( Happy Clappers) to their own lot, whadda you say Mods? 

A room 101  

Tiring. 

How are they any more trying to undermine the club than you are trying to bury your head in the sand?

No need to characterise people. Just disagree and put your point of view. 

[1bristolcity]

3 minutes ago, CotswoldRed said:

Tiring. 

How are they any more trying to undermine the club than you are trying to bury your head in the sand?

No need to characterise people. Just disagree and put your point of view. 

If burying my head in the sand is being 7th in the league, and having a stadium to be proud of, I must be up to my neck.

It's about time these nay sayers ****** off they will never be happy supporting my club, is that clear enough for you? 

[CotswoldRed]

2 minutes ago, 1bristolcity said:

If burying my head in the sand is being 7th in the league, and having a stadium to be proud of, I must be up to my neck.

It's about time these nay sayers ****** off they will never be happy supporting my club, is that clear enough for you? 

This is the respect you talk of in the other thread. 

[Abraham Romanovich]

1 hour ago, cidered abroad said:

And me. This season is dead even if we're still in with a chance of play offs. We'd need a lot of help from the gods if we did go up.

It's the start of next season in the Championship that I'm scared of. A poor start will see us stuck in the bottom three. How will "Wunderkind" get us out of that?

Colin, even by your recent standards this has to be up there with the most pessimistic post I can recall..

You dismiss the playoffs ,then worry about the consequences of achieving promotion , then worry about being relegated if we don't get promoted.

Find the dog lead , take said dog for a long walk along the beach and return in a more positive frame of mind.

 

 

 

[1bristolcity]

4 minutes ago, CotswoldRed said:

This is the respect you talk of in the other thread. 

That's right ignore the comment...so go on make sense?

[Bazooka Joe]

2 hours ago, westonred said:

Yes we played badly but still gained a point on the two sides above us so thats a plus.

Now we need a big shake up bring in Flint, Mags, Kelly maybe Eliason, O'Dowda (if fit) and O'Neil and drop the players looking tired like Wright, Pato and Pack. 

Brentford are on a poor run so are there for the taking if we get it right COYR 

That's what a lot of people thought or said about Barnsley, Burton, Bolton, Sunderland etc

- and you're right, its a very big IF !

 

[ashton_fan]

If we lost our dignity getting a draw at Barnsley where does that leave Derby fans (or Preston letting 4 in at Wednesday)?

[JoeAman08]

Great post. I hope LJ wasn’t too nice to them. By all accounts was a terrible performance. Only context I can add is that Barnsley have a new manager and had 2 weeks to prepare. Also, they are fighting to stay in the league. So wasn’t an easy game even if it said so on paper.

A battering and stealing a point. Part of me thinks that could be the kind of thing we need to wake up. There have been a number of things going wrong for us and hopefully a late equaliser brings them together a bit.

[westonred]

31 minutes ago, Bazooka Joe said:

That's what a lot of people thought or said about Barnsley, Burton, Bolton, Sunderland etc

- and you're right, its a very big IF !

 

I'm trying to put a positive spin on things rather than all the negative comments from the 'doom and gloom' merchants who are only happy when they're moaning

[Hampshire Red]

Well done again Ole for getting this accurate report out to those who couldnt go. My additions would be that our support wasnt that good, we had a decent January window in not letting JB and Flint leave and that their suspension have cost us, as has the absence of CoD. Anyone who has seen CoD live, regularly over the last 2 seasons will know his development has been steady and consistent, perhaps peaking as he ripped Sunderland apart just before his injury. His return could easily tap us into the P.Os as the comments of Derby fans are that their coach will not be good enough (despite their huge budget) to stay in P.Os

[Nogbad the Bad]

3 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

And me. This season is dead even if we're still in with a chance of play offs. We'd need a lot of help from the gods if we did go up.

It's the start of next season in the Championship that I'm scared of. A poor start will see us stuck in the bottom three. How will "Wunderkind" get us out of that?

I don't think we should pin all our hopes for next season on Hegeler. 

[Nogbad the Bad]

3 hours ago, italian dave said:

I don't think anyone believes he can do no wrong, and that includes the man himself, who has said as much recently. He's a young man, still learning. 

However, there are some on here who appear to think he can do nothing right, or at least who won't acknowledge the things he does right, whilst leaping at every opportunity to relish the things that go wrong.

Not sure that's true, not in many cases anyway. LJ has received plenty of praise where his tactics or substitutions have made a positive difference.

The problem is they often have the opposite effect, and then you have to begin to wonder whether the times he gets things 'spot on' are just luck, and not evidence he is learning, or advancing as a coach.

[Alex_BCFC]

I don't think we were as good as Ole made out from first half of season match reports and we aren't as bad now. We at least fought back - no dignity is OTT.

The player ratings are pretty fair. Pack and Brownhill decent. Hard to understand why Pack was taken off. 

We won't make the playoffs but hopefully we beat Brentford to keep it all going another week. 

[havanatopia]

5 hours ago, RedM said:

@Olé That is EXCACTLY how it was. I’m in awe of how you write match reports like this, I could no more write like this than run a marathon or swim the channel. Anyone who wasn’t there please be assured of its accuracy.

 

I am very concerned by the analysis of Pisano, more than the other three, why? ..

1. I have never liked Wright.

2. Baker is not match fit; well I hope that is the reason.

3. Joe Bryan, as thousands of us have been saying for months, is no left back.

So why was Pisano so poor; still not 100% ? he has played his best football with Flint and Baker as the latter has with Flint. I hope they are both given the benefit of the doubt and we see this line up at the back:- PISANO, FLINT, BAKER, KELLY.

There can be NO place for Bryan at left back. He MUST be left midfield. Pato moves to the bench. So the midfield is:- BROWNHILL, SMITH, PACK, BRYAN.

Up front Duric and Reid.

Remove that Liverpool kid from the bench and bring Eliasson in and where has the other forgotten man Walsh gone?

37 minutes ago, Alex_BCFC said:

I don't think we were as good as Ole made out from first half of season match reports and we aren't as bad now. We at least fought back - no dignity is OTT.

The player ratings are pretty fair. Pack and Brownhill decent. Hard to understand why Pack was taken off. 

We won't make the playoffs but hopefully we beat Brentford to keep it all going another week. 

I do not doubt the accuracy of Olé's report especially with so many, presumably who watched it live, agreeing with his analysis. On balance I think we may still scrape the play offs but only because Boro and Derby, particularly, are bottling it just as much as us now. Preston and the Blades also have and are having wobbles. That just leaves Millwall who seem on an inexorable charge. 

 

[italian dave]

3 hours ago, BanburyRed said:

Barnsley did tire, hence all their pathetic time wasting attempts, players collapsing to the floor at the merest hint of breath, let alone a worthwhile challenge. Then all the cramps and stretching, supposed to be fit professionals for goodness sake....

Will disagee about Fammy and Bobby, Fammy provided the only real moment of quality in the first half, possibly the game, he drifts in and out of the game too much and doesn't make his presence felt, in a similar way to Benteke at Palace, has the build & strength but doesn't seem to use it to his best advantage? Maybe he's still learning the rough n tumble of the Championship compared to the French League.....

.....and Bobby just got no service or even scraps yesterday. Don't think you can single him out as awful. The whole team was pretty rank yesterday.

Yes, agree, wasn’t meaning to single him out, just making the point about him and Fammy having good games at the same time. Bobby was by no means the only one to have a poor game. I just thought Fammy made more yesterday of the equally poor service he was getting

[Redrascal2]

Johnson appears incapable of stopping this awful run as happened before. Based on his previous attempts it will be more of the same Monday. He doesn't learn from his mistakes. It gives little confidence for next season. Just another rerun of his obvious shortcomings.

[CyderInACan]

4 minutes ago, Redrascal2 said:

Johnson appears incapable of stopping this awful run as happened before. Based on his previous attempts it will be more of the same Monday. He doesn't learn from his mistakes. It gives little confidence for next season. Just another rerun of his obvious shortcomings.

If being 7th with 7 games to play gives little confidence then you’re probably supporting the wrong club

[Esmond Million's Bung]

 

15 hours ago, Olé said:

89 days ago City waved the white flag at Villa Park and were taken to pieces, losing 5-0. Today we actually managed to allow a poor side to have far more chances than even Villa enjoyed during that battering, and yet escaped with a scarcely deserved draw, having produced probably our most chaotic performance of the season. Even with a last minute equaliser this was not a point gained. This time, unlike Villa, there was not fitness or any other excuse to be so exposed. Framed by our defending (or lack of), it was an undignifying spectacle. 

 

It was apt that Josh Brownhill scored the decisive goal to snatch a point because from the very start he was the only player who could be proud of his efforts. He was badly let down by most of his teammates, who appeared to still be on international break even at 430pm. In particular our defence, who produced probably the most amateur and calamitous afternoon of defending that I can remember since the McInnes / Foster / Fontaine days.

 

It is no surprise that we had to come from behind twice, as we appeared determined to let Barnsley run up a Villa style score, in fact either side of half time despite having plenty of players in the box we contrived to let Barnsley create 3 or 4 free headers yards out, it was only their propensity to head straight at Frankie that meant we weren't well out of sight within the hour. As it was, we scored two superb goals but  you certainly couldn't tell which team was competing at one end of the table and which the other.

 

From the start Barnsley came at us, led by a giant Steve Jones looking striker leading the line and another two making diagonal runs in behind us. Moncur was racing out of midfield to tee up moves as they made us look distinctly average when they got 4 strung across the front and had the spare man for both the cross and the header (something we failed to do all game). An early corner was met at the near post by Frankie and one of our defenders, sadly they met each other and Steve Jones lookalike headed in.

 

The most we offered in return was a brief incursion as Paterson got in on the right and his quick cross flashed across goal and was cut out quickly by their defender - something ours would fail to do all game.   But on the whole Pack was dropping deep to get his foot on the ball and we were reduced to long balls - Reid in particular as poor as I've seen him for control - and poor touches or passes whenever we got out of our half, while at the other end Barnsley's forwards were dragging us all over the shop by fair means, or foul (dive).

 

We'd spend half an hour looking like the relegation threatened team, second best with the ball. Second best without the ball.  We had a big away following and made a lot of noise but the football did not justify it. Yet after the half hour it would change. First we cut out an attack and sent Pato down the left. He slowed things down and let players pour forward, before sending a cross deep to the right. Brownhill took on the ball and flicked it over not one but two defenders in the box - shades of Gazza 96 - before firing a shot at the keeper.

 

A minute later Pack collected the ball in their half - further forward than his by then customary position starting attacks in front of our own box with no one to pass to. He ran crossfield before slipping it into Famara outside the box on the left. Fammy, who had struggled to get into the game, had his first chance to run at a defender. It was decisive. Two strides, past the defender, looked up, fired a rising shot into far corner from 20 yards. Truly fantastic goal. But largely fortuitous for what we contributed to the match.

 

Before half time our defence would remind us they were still on international break. Barnsley would break through the middle and City would drop six into the box all racing after the same ball like headless chicken. The home side would spread the ball wide right, switch play to the other wing and cross into the box from where the big striker would have a free header on goal from yards out. All this whilst we had six across the box. Our ability to let Barnsley craft clear chances in spite of all our players was both embarrassing but a feature of the game we'd see more of.

 

After half time we emerged with purpose and Bobby Reid in particular looked like he had been reminded to find space. A quick attack saw him control the forward ball, switch left, drag his marker, exchange the ball with Joe Bryan, who raced inside on the edge of the box, and lifted a cross to the far post which flashed just wide. That was all it took for Barnsley to remember that our defenders were still on their week off. Within ten minutes we'd see two more point blank Barnsley headers off crosses, Fielding saving one at close range that for a second looked all the world a goal.

 

City had a few periods of attack aided by Pack and Smith out of a midfield we were often second best in, but with nothing like the incision that Barnsley achieved. And on the hour another loose City touch was cut out and quickly sprung the impressive Moncur, who raced upfield before looping the ball into the big Steve Jones nuisance up front, who went clear on goal and drew a desperate block from Frankie.

 

City had a couple of chances - often from the work of Brownhill or Pack, our only two players of any note. First Bryan would take down a clearance outside the box after a smart move and flash a shot just over, and later Pisano of all people would steal in at the far post and almost glance a header in on goal from the best of what had been an afternoon of poor crosses. But these sandwiched yet another Barnsley free for all as City defenders watched them break, cross and head at goal without action.

 

By now Kent was on, doing his clown act of flying around at 100mph without doing anything of any use. Our only hope to win the game came from Pack's distribution out of midfield and Brownhill's endeavour around their box. For no good reason LJ destroyed that by not only taking Pack off, but surrendering a midfield that we were already second best in, in order to add an extra striker in an area where Fam, and in particular Reid, had achieved very little.

 

Djuric's presence was nothing compared to the foolhardy abandonment of midfield and when added to the lethargy and flat-footedness of City's defence - bordering on the comical - it was a small miracle we weren't 4-1 down. Yet Barnsley would get a deserved lead with ten to go, thanks to yet more of the same hopeless defending. Not for the first time Pisano would show the winger inside, then let him go, and again from the cross City would watch as Barnsley reacted fastest, the Steve Jones lookalike nodding down and his teammate finishing amongst a static defence, when to he frank our back line was so poor he could have setup two teammates for the finish too. The home fans erupted.

 

This was abysmally poor defending and effort set against such loud and positive away support, and for a moment I thought I heard a semblance of booing - this was certainly the poorest that we have looked since the darkest days of last season. The sort of display that'll have the beds sheets out again. And that was that - or at least it should have been. We were even more disjointed for the final stages of the game with even less midfield presence, Kent in full on headless mode, and Barnsley well in control of our three isolated strikers.

 

But Brownhill, who had put teammates to shame with his will to actually affect the game, wasn't finished, and although there were very few chances for us to turn the game, Joe Bryan was seeing some joy on the left, and when his cross was nodded back across the box, Josh, by far our best player, stretched every sinew to get his head under the ball and arch a looping header into the far corner. Brownhill deserved the goal. City didn't.

 

Barnsley continued to look the more likely to add to their lead in the last exchanges and the final whistle was probably greeted by more relief from City than Barnsley, for whom our central defenders may have for a moment woken up and thought it was a whistle for kick off, such was their failure to participate in the preceding 90 minutes.  It was a lucky point in the context of the game itself, but measured against the season it should be alarming, easily the worst we have defended for years and as angry as City have made me this season.

 

Fielding 6 - Poor for the first, some bad decisions with chance to release the ball quickly, but decent handling behind a non existent defence

Pisano 4 - Very poor defensively, added little going forward

Wright 4 - Very poor defensively, added little full stop

Baker 4 - Very poor defensively, added little full stop

Bryan 5 - Added something going forward and did a bit better 1-on-1 at the back, but part of an awful defence

Smith 6 - Tidy in places with his close control on the ball, but too often drifted out of the game with Pack deep and everyone else marked

Pack 7 - Apparently our only player who can pass the ball more than 5 yards. The only one with any poise but had to drop so deep to participate

Brownhill 7 - For effort alone, no one was on his wavelength nor as interested as him in competing. Must surely wonder why he bothers.

Paterson 5 - A few nice runs but little impact and less effective out left. Hurt himself before going off.

Reid 5 - One of his poorest games this season, touch and decision making way off in the first half, a bit better second half but shows how influential he is when he and we are so bad

Diedhiou 6 - Cracking goal did very little else 

 

Kent 4 - Headless chicken

Djuric 5 - Little time or service

Absolutely spot on, exactly the way that I saw it, I would been tougher mark wise and would have given Bryan 4, Smith 5, Pack 6, Paterson 4, Diedhiou 5 (because he scored a terrific goal) he is far too weak on the ball, the Barnsley striker caused us problems all afternoon, Diedhiou should be far more physical in his approach).

And LJ 1 at least he turned up at the right venue and deserves credit for that.

 

[Northern Red]

16 minutes ago, Redrascal2 said:

Johnson appears incapable of stopping this awful run as happened before. Based on his previous attempts it will be more of the same Monday. He doesn't learn from his mistakes. It gives little confidence for next season. Just another rerun of his obvious shortcomings.

Apart from when he has previously?

[hoxton casual]

5 hours ago, Robbored said:

Absolute nonsense. 

Jeez.........

And you wonder why you get such negative feedback?

[WayOutWest]

Ok I will say it. I think we missed HM yesterday. 

Notwithstanding his one or two positional faults per game, he rarely misses anything in the air. Also he is a fantastic passer of the ball. Just see how many times he gives it away.

Baker had a shocker fair and square. 

[Nogbad the Bad]

3 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

Apart from when he has previously?

How did he do it though?

PNE away 1 year ago. 5-0 defeat. Appalling performance, could/should have been 10, players appeared to have given up and not even trying.

Relegation looking almost certain and more or less all supporters wanted him out the next day, with even many of those who had doggedly continued supporting him admitting they could no longer do so.

Nothing happens and 4 days later we surprisingly beat Wolves 3-1 at home and go on to win 3 of the next 4 to escape.

What happened between the final whistle at PNE and the Wolves game to start such an unlikely turnaround?

Is there something tangible LJ does to prevent an awful run developing into a crisis, or do the good and bad runs just happen and his personal effect on starting/stopping them is negligible?

 

 

[Robbored]

13 minutes ago, hoxton casual said:

And you wonder why you get such negative feedback?

Do you really think that I wonder why I get so much negative feedback?   

Jeez............

[havanatopia]

15 minutes ago, WayOutWest said:

Ok I will say it. I think we missed HM yesterday. 

Notwithstanding his one or two positional faults per game, he rarely misses anything in the air. Also he is a fantastic passer of the ball. Just see how many times he gives it away.

Baker had a shocker fair and square. 

I would sooner have Maggers over Wright but still think the best 4 would be Pisano, Flint, Baker and Kelly. Definitely have Maggers on the bench though.

[REDOXO]

16 hours ago, Olé said:

89 days ago City waved the white flag at Villa Park and were taken to pieces, losing 5-0. Today we actually managed to allow a poor side to have far more chances than even Villa enjoyed during that battering, and yet escaped with a scarcely deserved draw, having produced probably our most chaotic performance of the season. Even with a last minute equaliser this was not a point gained. This time, unlike Villa, there was not fitness or any other excuse to be so exposed. Framed by our defending (or lack of), it was an undignifying spectacle. 

 

It was apt that Josh Brownhill scored the decisive goal to snatch a point because from the very start he was the only player who could be proud of his efforts. He was badly let down by most of his teammates, who appeared to still be on international break even at 430pm. In particular our defence, who produced probably the most amateur and calamitous afternoon of defending that I can remember since the McInnes / Foster / Fontaine days.

 

It is no surprise that we had to come from behind twice, as we appeared determined to let Barnsley run up a Villa style score, in fact either side of half time despite having plenty of players in the box we contrived to let Barnsley create 3 or 4 free headers yards out, it was only their propensity to head straight at Frankie that meant we weren't well out of sight within the hour. As it was, we scored two superb goals but  you certainly couldn't tell which team was competing at one end of the table and which the other.

 

From the start Barnsley came at us, led by a giant Steve Jones looking striker leading the line and another two making diagonal runs in behind us. Moncur was racing out of midfield to tee up moves as they made us look distinctly average when they got 4 strung across the front and had the spare man for both the cross and the header (something we failed to do all game). An early corner was met at the near post by Frankie and one of our defenders, sadly they met each other and Steve Jones lookalike headed in.

 

The most we offered in return was a brief incursion as Paterson got in on the right and his quick cross flashed across goal and was cut out quickly by their defender - something ours would fail to do all game.   But on the whole Pack was dropping deep to get his foot on the ball and we were reduced to long balls - Reid in particular as poor as I've seen him for control - and poor touches or passes whenever we got out of our half, while at the other end Barnsley's forwards were dragging us all over the shop by fair means, or foul (dive).

 

We'd spend half an hour looking like the relegation threatened team, second best with the ball. Second best without the ball.  We had a big away following and made a lot of noise but the football did not justify it. Yet after the half hour it would change. First we cut out an attack and sent Pato down the left. He slowed things down and let players pour forward, before sending a cross deep to the right. Brownhill took on the ball and flicked it over not one but two defenders in the box - shades of Gazza 96 - before firing a shot at the keeper.

 

A minute later Pack collected the ball in their half - further forward than his by then customary position starting attacks in front of our own box with no one to pass to. He ran crossfield before slipping it into Famara outside the box on the left. Fammy, who had struggled to get into the game, had his first chance to run at a defender. It was decisive. Two strides, past the defender, looked up, fired a rising shot into far corner from 20 yards. Truly fantastic goal. But largely fortuitous for what we contributed to the match.

 

Before half time our defence would remind us they were still on international break. Barnsley would break through the middle and City would drop six into the box all racing after the same ball like headless chicken. The home side would spread the ball wide right, switch play to the other wing and cross into the box from where the big striker would have a free header on goal from yards out. All this whilst we had six across the box. Our ability to let Barnsley craft clear chances in spite of all our players was both embarrassing but a feature of the game we'd see more of.

 

After half time we emerged with purpose and Bobby Reid in particular looked like he had been reminded to find space. A quick attack saw him control the forward ball, switch left, drag his marker, exchange the ball with Joe Bryan, who raced inside on the edge of the box, and lifted a cross to the far post which flashed just wide. That was all it took for Barnsley to remember that our defenders were still on their week off. Within ten minutes we'd see two more point blank Barnsley headers off crosses, Fielding saving one at close range that for a second looked all the world a goal.

 

City had a few periods of attack aided by Pack and Smith out of a midfield we were often second best in, but with nothing like the incision that Barnsley achieved. And on the hour another loose City touch was cut out and quickly sprung the impressive Moncur, who raced upfield before looping the ball into the big Steve Jones nuisance up front, who went clear on goal and drew a desperate block from Frankie.

 

City had a couple of chances - often from the work of Brownhill or Pack, our only two players of any note. First Bryan would take down a clearance outside the box after a smart move and flash a shot just over, and later Pisano of all people would steal in at the far post and almost glance a header in on goal from the best of what had been an afternoon of poor crosses. But these sandwiched yet another Barnsley free for all as City defenders watched them break, cross and head at goal without action.

 

By now Kent was on, doing his clown act of flying around at 100mph without doing anything of any use. Our only hope to win the game came from Pack's distribution out of midfield and Brownhill's endeavour around their box. For no good reason LJ destroyed that by not only taking Pack off, but surrendering a midfield that we were already second best in, in order to add an extra striker in an area where Fam, and in particular Reid, had achieved very little.

 

Djuric's presence was nothing compared to the foolhardy abandonment of midfield and when added to the lethargy and flat-footedness of City's defence - bordering on the comical - it was a small miracle we weren't 4-1 down. Yet Barnsley would get a deserved lead with ten to go, thanks to yet more of the same hopeless defending. Not for the first time Pisano would show the winger inside, then let him go, and again from the cross City would watch as Barnsley reacted fastest, the Steve Jones lookalike nodding down and his teammate finishing amongst a static defence, when to he frank our back line was so poor he could have setup two teammates for the finish too. The home fans erupted.

 

This was abysmally poor defending and effort set against such loud and positive away support, and for a moment I thought I heard a semblance of booing - this was certainly the poorest that we have looked since the darkest days of last season. The sort of display that'll have the beds sheets out again. And that was that - or at least it should have been. We were even more disjointed for the final stages of the game with even less midfield presence, Kent in full on headless mode, and Barnsley well in control of our three isolated strikers.

 

But Brownhill, who had put teammates to shame with his will to actually affect the game, wasn't finished, and although there were very few chances for us to turn the game, Joe Bryan was seeing some joy on the left, and when his cross was nodded back across the box, Josh, by far our best player, stretched every sinew to get his head under the ball and arch a looping header into the far corner. Brownhill deserved the goal. City didn't.

 

Barnsley continued to look the more likely to add to their lead in the last exchanges and the final whistle was probably greeted by more relief from City than Barnsley, for whom our central defenders may have for a moment woken up and thought it was a whistle for kick off, such was their failure to participate in the preceding 90 minutes.  It was a lucky point in the context of the game itself, but measured against the season it should be alarming, easily the worst we have defended for years and as angry as City have made me this season.

 

Fielding 6 - Poor for the first, some bad decisions with chance to release the ball quickly, but decent handling behind a non existent defence

Pisano 4 - Very poor defensively, added little going forward

Wright 4 - Very poor defensively, added little full stop

Baker 4 - Very poor defensively, added little full stop

Bryan 5 - Added something going forward and did a bit better 1-on-1 at the back, but part of an awful defence

Smith 6 - Tidy in places with his close control on the ball, but too often drifted out of the game with Pack deep and everyone else marked

Pack 7 - Apparently our only player who can pass the ball more than 5 yards. The only one with any poise but had to drop so deep to participate

Brownhill 7 - For effort alone, no one was on his wavelength nor as interested as him in competing. Must surely wonder why he bothers.

Paterson 5 - A few nice runs but little impact and less effective out left. Hurt himself before going off.

Reid 5 - One of his poorest games this season, touch and decision making way off in the first half, a bit better second half but shows how influential he is when he and we are so bad

Diedhiou 6 - Cracking goal did very little else 

 

Kent 4 - Headless chicken

Djuric 5 - Little time or service

Exactly what I saw. 

My only comment would be Pisano was clearly better than the dire Wright and Baker. 

Kent being a 2. One point for getting his kit on and one point for his poor imitation of a professional football player!!

I was yelling at Mrs Oxo after twenty minutes we should be four down. Second half we were worse. I bet Flinty was going ******* nuts in the dressing room after the game!

[tinman85]

7 hours ago, CotswoldRed said:

This is the respect you talk of in the other thread. 

This 7th rubbish is RUBBISH!!! We were 2nd and miles clear of SEVENTH!!!!! Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton had a chance in Jan to make a massive difference and make a statement. What did we sign? Absolute dross that is what!! This was our best ever chance to get promoted. Forget the scrapers of 2007/08, this team has a lot more ability. We will lose some quality players in the summer if we don't go up. Lee Johnson has again proven that when things go drastically wrong he does not have the ability to turn things around or change tactics/personnel. 

[tinman85]

7 hours ago, CotswoldRed said:

This is the respect you talk of in the other thread. 

This 7th rubbish is RUBBISH!!! We were 2nd and miles clear of SEVENTH!!!!! Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton had a chance in Jan to make a massive difference and make a statement. What did we sign? Absolute dross that is what!! This was our best ever chance to get promoted. Forget the scrapers of 2007/08, this team has a lot more ability. We will lose some quality players in the summer if we don't go up. Lee Johnson has again proven that when things go drastically wrong he does not have the ability to turn things around or change tactics/personnel.