The Middlesbrough FC v Bristol City FC Match Day Thread 43

[Maggersno1Fan]

Johnson messed up the run against Boro 

[RUSSEL85]

Boro 21 shots.

[Red-Robbo]

Look up the dictionary definition of "overachieving", you'll see us from August to December last year.

Don't know why folk are even surprised.

We are exactly where most predicted.

[Numero Uno]

1 minute ago, winterbournered said:

If people can't see that we've overachieved with this squad, then they seriously need to give their head a wobble. 

 

Taking that on board why change the style to the long ball rubbish we have seen lately and lose anyway? Wtf was that all about.

[BCFC Grim]

Route one to Bobby and Taylor.  The bloke is clueless.  The lack of any quality on that pitch was frightening.  I genuinely worry for next season.

[City fan 1982]

6 minutes ago, joe jordans teeth said:

He’s a dinosaur long ball merchant don’t you know 

Another experienced manager out smarts our rookie shocker ! 

[Dan Robin]

Predictable, but still hard to accept.  Playoffs now are totally gone for us, and I fear we'll finish 11th, to make our downfall even more disappointing. 

 

 

[Andy082005]

Just now, Robin101 said:

10th. Quite some collapse.

It really is. Some people will rather paint over it and talk about how they think its better then last season. 

The way we have finished this season is worrying to say the least. 

 

[bristolcitysweden]

We are Bristol City. We are braindead. We don't care about anything. We are just haPPY. lOLL LOLL LOLL

 

[Robin1988]

2 minutes ago, Red_Wizard said:

That's the frightening part for me. It's like asking your 8 year old son, and his mates to wash your car.

Fair play to your son getting a side into the top half of the Championship.

[joe jordans teeth]

1 minute ago, Luxo Jr. said:

To be fair, both their goals have come from corners.

True but their all round game was like Man City while ours was the Wimbledon of old,if I see pack hit another long pass into the crowd or a simple pass behind a midfielder I’m going to ,well I don’t know but you get my point 

[RumRed]

3 minutes ago, Robin101 said:

10th. Quite some collapse

[Alex_BCFC]

Happy to finish 11th now. 

[Northern Red]

2 minutes ago, Andy082005 said:

It really is. Some people will rather paint over it and talk about how they think its better then last season. 

The way we have finished this season is worrying to say the least. 

 

It's possible to hold both of those opinions though.

[Luxo Jr.]

Just now, joe jordans teeth said:

True but their all round game was like Man City while ours was the Wimbledon of old,if I see pack hit another long pass into the crowd or a simple pass behind a midfielder I’m going to ,well I don’t know but you get my point 

I don't see the similarity with their style of play and Man City. We were awful though.

[Southstandoriginal]

Considering our form in 2018 is anyone actually surprised by this?

[The Original OTIB]

Traore man of the match. Duric man of the match for us and only played one half. Reid and Fam very average today and our defending at corners woeful. Baker needs to be told how to man mark. We seem to be stuck between zonal and man marking. Neither one thing nor the other.

[chinapig]

3 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

We have a Manager who panics and trys everything and anything when a few results go against us instead of sticking to what we “thought” were his principles. But after watching us lump the ball anywhere lately you have to question what his principles are or whether he even has any.

This is the biggest concern for me. I thought we had decided on a way of playing and would stick to it through ups and downs.

LJ needs to learn from this season big time or his career will go backwards

Though the other side of the coin is that an awful lot of fans were complaining that he had no plan B. Then complain when he changes things.

If he changed things because there was a clamour for a plan B he should learn never to do something because fans are demanding it.

[weepywall]

Said it last Saturday and I'll say it again, gutless, spineless and clueless and a disgrace to the hundreds that travelled to the other end of the country and won't be flying back on a private jet.

[joe jordans teeth]

1 minute ago, Luxo Jr. said:

I don't see the similarity with their style of play and Man City. We were awful though.

Slick passing while we were continually lumping it,you get the point 

[Major Isewater]

The timing of the substitutions seemed dubious, Boro had an attacking throw in and LJ swopped  the defence around .

Where did the goal come from ? 

Where Kelly would have been .

Up until then , despite many of you criticising , I thought we battled well and caused Boro problems.

I thought Djuric and Kelly were amongst our best performers , perhaps they were not fit to go the full 90min ? 

[Luxo Jr.]

Just now, joe jordans teeth said:

Slick passing while we were continually lumping it,you get the point 

And yet their goals came from corners. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but I don't think their slick passing really achieved very much, other than passing it to Traore occasionally who would then try to cross it . For a header.

[WarksRobin]

And the season fizzles out...

Hope we play some youngsters in the remaining games.

[havanatopia]

Fabulous game plan from another tactical master; Pulis. Stopped City playing brilliantly, made us look useless, chasing shadows and being harrowed when Boro did not have the ball which was not often. 

Look at the managers who will likely contest the play offs. Jokanovic/Colin, Bruce, Pulis, with one place up for grabs for a relative novice manager. Ok, so Fulham/Cardiff, Villa and Boro all have much bigger budgets. This is why City's priority, for 3 seasons now, should have been a creative midfielder with legs and a solid defender who is a commanding captain. Easier said than done of course but this is where the cash has to be spent if we are to properly challenge next season. What this season has taught us is we cannot compete and win, i.e. do both, with limited resources, too many youngsters and a novice up and coming manager. Thats my take on this seasons failings and last season and the season before that. Its about time it was addressed.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

We don't deserve to be in the top 6, we ain't good enough, 4 wins in the last 19 games tells you everything that you need to know, another long miserable LJ piss poor run to add to his others.

We have totally run out of ideas, we lack an on pitch leader, we lack any quality at all in midfield, we look a very poor side indeed.

Flint and Baker look like strangers.

LJ is just shuffling the pack, clutching at straws and making as many mistakes as his team.

Priority this summer SIGN SOME FUCKING QUALITY FFS, enough 'ones for the future', enough taking a punt, we desperately need quality.

Case in point, we take off our giant sized strikers and then start lumping balls at the short arses that are left on the pitch for most of the 2nd half.

Woeful just woeful, people who imagine they saw a good performance against Birmingham are dreaming, we won full stop but it was a papering over the cracks exercise.

[Singingsuperstar]

1 minute ago, chinapig said:

This is the biggest concern for me. I thought we had decided on a way of playing and would stick to it through ups and downs.

LJ needs to learn from this season big time or his career will go backwards

Though the other side of the coin is that an awful lot of fans were complaining that he had no plan B. Then complain when he changes things.

If he changed things because there was a clamour for a plan B he should learn never to do something because fans are demanding it.

Plan B would be better if rehearsed and "planned" pre-season and at failand rather than on match days! Making it up as you go along is shit... I ad-lib football anyone?!!! 

Having a plan C and D that suits the players would help. 

[chinapig]

4 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

It's possible to hold both of those opinions though.

Precisely. It's possible to acknowledge that progress has been made while agreeing that there are also serious concerns 

People increasingly seem to take polarised positions on any subject and see everything in black and white.

[BCFC Grim]

2 minutes ago, Luxo Jr. said:

And yet their goals came from corners. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but I don't think their slick passing really achieved very much, other than passing it to Traore occasionally who would then try to cross it . For a header.

They looked average at best, which makes our performance even worse.  

[joe jordans teeth]

4 minutes ago, weepywall said:

Said it last Saturday and I'll say it again, gutless, spineless and clueless and a disgrace to the hundreds that travelled to the other end of the country and won't be flying back on a private jet.

I watched it on a illegal stream and I want 2 hours of my life back so god knows how they feel 

[Numero Uno]

1 minute ago, chinapig said:

This is the biggest concern for me. I thought we had decided on a way of playing and would stick to it through ups and downs.

LJ needs to learn from this season big time or his career will go backwards

Though the other side of the coin is that an awful lot of fans were complaining that he had no plan B. Then complain when he changes things.

If he changed things because there was a clamour for a plan B he should learn never to do something because fans are demanding it.

Our plan B is hoof ball and if you’re going to play that way, as shit as it is, at least do it properly, have runners and players around the ball to pick up the second balls.

We just look like a side that normally plays football just smashing it anywhere!! That’s our Plan B.

If Johnson doesn’t learn quickly and we start next season poorly Man U and Man C will be long forgotten and he will be under serious pressure. I would rather that wasn’t the case but two horrendous and prolonged runs in two seasons makes me wonder if he had what it takes.