What are your immediate end of season thoughts?

[Johnny Musicworks]

For me it’s the first time for a few years where I am actually disappointed that the season is ending. The consistency of performances especially since Christmas , the emergence of Academy players, the feeling of positivity at the Gate and the way so many individual players have improved immeasurably. We now have a ‘Pearson’ team and like others am genuinely excited about next season. We have a reasonable expectation of better to come without feeling the need to add the usual caveat of “but we are Bristol City and it’s the hope that kills us”. I fully expect us to be able get an extra 10-15 points next season as a minimum with an added 4/5 players. 

[Son of Fred]

This season we have witnessed improvement across the board - both on & off the pitch - a big well done to all involved.

Indeed next season as "more of the same"- from us,the fans we will need to be patient & manage our expectation - anyone hoping for a playoff push??.. Your likely to be disappointed......

I see the 24/25 season as where we could really make our mark..

Keep the faith.

[NewquayRed]

Definite steps forward and some real hope to take into next season, mind you looking at that playoff line-up and the point difference feels a bit like a missed opportunity. I think we can afford to lose one or two during the summer but MUST find a bit of class in the middle to replace Scott.
 

 

[Numero Uno]

9 hours ago, The Bard said:

 I just hope the Lansdowns don't do anything stupid or a new owner doesn't feel the need to change manager.  

Having heard Steve’s unrealistic aims for the season just over a week ago that’s the only concern I have. I can totally understand the guy being impatient for Premier League football after pumping in £240m of personal wealth over 20 plus years BUT his unequivocal support of the Mark Ashton/Lee Johnson kid in a sweet shop spending policy has caused the current delay.

Fans might not know much about the football playing side of it in reality, however much we think we do because we played a bit or have been watching for 50 years, but there is enough legal, business and finance knowledge in the fanbase to know a bullshitter when we see one and didn’t we all see one whilst Steve fell asleep…………

To summarise the original question, it’s been the season I thought Nige would deliver in all honesty, albeit there were some doubts creeping in after the Boxing Day debacle, and I expect him to continue on the trajectory and go better next time round. How much better is the unknown. Luck plays a huge part in this league.

[Spike]

My immediate thought is that we all know Scott is going but I really fear Pring and Conway being sold too. Both are immense talents, Pring has especially proven to me that he can play left back at a Premier League level and Conway looks capable of taking the step up in the near future too. 

It's going to be a hard summer, losing Scott, needing a very good CM to come in, possibly two, O'Leary needs some real competition for the gk spot and we're going to need some competition at right back too and that's before we lose anyone other than Scott. 

We have some great potential in this squad and definitely the makings of a very good team with the right recruitment to what we already have but my concerns is who we'll lose and how hard it'll be to create a balanced squad with quality in depth after we lose a lot of players. 

[Searles]

A positive season - the biggest win has been the development of our young players into proven championship starters - add into the mix that we have started to play a decent brand of football. NP deserves huge credit for the progress made and steadying the ship. Another positive is the wage bill reduction.

Moving forward we need to recruit well - with a GK, CB, LB, CMx2 needed. They need to be experienced heads as well as younger players, we need that leadership on the pitch.

A good start to the season and if we are around the playoffs at Christmas then I would be looking to give NP a new 2 year deal, however if we are languishing towards the lower end of mid table, 14th/15th downwards, then I think we can thank Nigel for leading us through the transition very well, but time for someone else to push us onto the next level.

[Numero Uno]

24 minutes ago, Spike said:

My immediate thought is that we all know Scott is going but I really fear Pring and Conway being sold too. Both are immense talents, Pring has especially proven to me that he can play left back at a Premier League level and Conway looks capable of taking the step up in the near future too. 

It's going to be a hard summer, losing Scott, needing a very good CM to come in, possibly two, O'Leary needs some real competition for the gk spot and we're going to need some competition at right back too and that's before we lose anyone other than Scott. 

We have some great potential in this squad and definitely the makings of a very good team with the right recruitment to what we already have but my concerns is who we'll lose and how hard it'll be to create a balanced squad with quality in depth after we lose a lot of players. 

I think Conway getting injured did us a favour tbh. Can’t see anyone punting on him just yet. Similarly with Pring, he’s had half a season playing emergency centre half so don’t see anyone bidding with serious money just yet. Our issue might be if we have a good start to next season what do we do in January if we start receiving serious bids. 100% need a GK though, no criticism of Max whatsoever but Nige clearly said yesterday that NOBODY in the squad should feel comfortable. Right now Max has a cigar on when he looks at his competition……

[Dr Balls]

Overall an improvement on last season, but also a missed opportunity as the chances of making the playoffs with just 69 points is not likely to happen again next season.

We have been unlucky with injuries, particularly defensively. Missing Kalas for pretty much the whole season went we were defensively weaker, plus the injuries to Naismith and Atkinson were disruptive. However Vyner performed far better than expected, although he needs someone stronger, ideally taller and definitely more willing and able to bring the ball out of defence next to him. We also sold Bentley without it really making us weaker at goalkeeper, but I remain unsure if Max is the long term answer. Is he good enough to get into the Top 6?

Of the full backs/wing backs, Pring has been the star. Strong, fast, committed, great at crossing and generally good coming forward. Dasilva has also always been consistent even when targeted by oppositions, who have found him far harder to get past than they might have presumed. Will he stay? Probably not, given the drop in wages in any new contract. On the right Tanner has generally been ok, but at times looks weak and offers a lot less going forward. Kane Wilson has been AWOL most of the season, while Sykes has looked good at RWB.

Scott has obviously been the star in midfield, and will be difficult to replace. As for James, he is Mr Consistency and what he does is more evident when he’s not in the team. The problem we have from midfield is the lack of goals. That definitely needs improving next season.

Up front, without last season’s WSM combination, it’s really been about the emergence of Conway and to a lesser extent Bell. The former is exceptional at this level and I agree we need to hold onto him and keep him free from injury. If we do, he will easily get 20+ league goals next season. Selling Semenyo definitely helped the finances, and didn’t obviously weaken us. Less sure about letting Chris Martin go when he did. It was less about the goals with him but more about holding the ball upfront and at times we lacked anyone to do that. Also Sam Bell needs to go to the gym over the summer and bulk up a little bit. Too often he was bullied off the ball like an 8 year old playing against the senior boys. As for Wells and Weimann, both have their good points but I am not sure how the combination up front would work, especially with Mehmeti as well.

Overall, I am optimistic for next season. Nige and team are doing ok given the financial situation at the club, but it could have been so much more. The fact that only Burnley and Sheffield United did the double over us (the latter having been outplayed for significant  periods of both games) plus we were unbeaten at home in 2023 until the last game, suggests that we have improved, but conceding late goals has remained a weakness, and there were too many draws that should have been wins. If we could get some better refereeing decisions as well that would help.

Prediction for next season? Top 10, with a realistic chance of playoffs, if the luck goes our way, but we will need 70+ points.

[Spike]

10 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

I think Conway getting injured did us a favour tbh. Can’t see anyone punting on him just yet. Similarly with Pring, he’s had half a season playing emergency centre half so don’t see anyone bidding with serious money just yet. Our issue might be if we have a good start to next season what do we do in January if we start receiving serious bids. 100% need a GK though, no criticism of Max whatsoever but Nige clearly said yesterday that NOBODY in the squad should feel comfortable. Right now Max has a cigar on when he looks at his competition……

Yeah you could be right about Conway but Pring playing emergency Center Back just made him even better in my eyes for potential buyers, I mean he's shown he is versatile, he's shown he is consistent and if it was just his defensive game that was solid I think many may overlook him but his attacking side of the game has been phenomenal too. I honestly can't see many teams we've played against this season not making note of him and scouts for various other Premier League clubs will have been at matches watching other players of other teams and will have noticed him. I think it's safe to say he'll have suitors after this season and one more season like this and he'll be very much on the radar of bigger clubs again, honestly I thinks he's been our player of the season.

[And Its Smith]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

My immediate thought is that we all know Scott is going but I really fear Pring and Conway being sold too. Both are immense talents, Pring has especially proven to me that he can play left back at a Premier League level and Conway looks capable of taking the step up in the near future too. 

It's going to be a hard summer, losing Scott, needing a very good CM to come in, possibly two, O'Leary needs some real competition for the gk spot and we're going to need some competition at right back too and that's before we lose anyone other than Scott. 

We have some great potential in this squad and definitely the makings of a very good team with the right recruitment to what we already have but my concerns is who we'll lose and how hard it'll be to create a balanced squad with quality in depth after we lose a lot of players. 

If either Pring or Conway leave I will be very surprised.  We don’t need to sell, they are starters so probably happy to stay and I don’t think they’ve really put in massively eye catching performances to be on a big clubs radar anyway.  They’ve both been brilliant but I just can’t see a queue forming for them right now. In 12 months maybe.

[Major Isewater]

We ran towards adversity. 

[LondonBristolian]

Not read the whole thread so sorry if someone has said this already but one reflection I would make is that, if we go back to the start of the season, I reckon many of us would have been a bit nervous at the prospect of at least 8 of the players that started yesterday being in the team. O'Leary was very much seen as second choice, Tanner was expected to be second fiddle to Wilson, few of us had confidence in Vyner, Naismith was unproven in a back four, Pring was seen as inferior to DaSilva, Williams was deemed as an injury risk, Sykes as a back up and Conway and Bell as unproven youngsters who were in the team to gain experience rather than first team starters. 

I think what is really promising at the moment is I don't think we've got players I actually want us to get rid of. There's areas we can add depth and there may be practical reasons why we release Kalas and/or Dasilva, plus we don't know for sure whether like Wilson or Bajic will want to stay and fight for their places and obviously we might get an offer for Scott that is hard to turn down but I think we're in a really good place squad-wise where we are building on what we have rather than trying to remove or reshape the squad. Plus there are players like Taylor-Clarke who might develop in the way Conway and Bell have over the past year and Benarous who - if he can overcome his injuries - is a hell of a prospect.

[W-S-M Seagull]

4 hours ago, Son of Fred said:

Indeed next season as "more of the same"- from us,the fans we will need to be patient & manage our expectation - anyone hoping for a playoff push??.. Your likely to be disappointed......

I'm a huge Pearson fan but if he spends the Semenyo money plus any potential money from Alex Scott then I fully 100% absolutely expect us to be involved in a play off push. Pearson would say the same too. 

If he spends millions but can't pick up 3 more wins then there would be something terribly wrong. 

[bcfc01]

18 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

Not read the whole thread so sorry if someone has said this already but one reflection I would make is that, if we go back to the start of the season, I reckon many of us would have been a bit nervous at the prospect of at least 8 of the players that started yesterday being in the team. O'Leary was very much seen as second choice, Tanner was expected to be second fiddle to Wilson, few of us had confidence in Vyner, Naismith was unproven in a back four, Pring was seen as inferior to DaSilva, Williams was deemed as an injury risk, Sykes as a back up and Conway and Bell as unproven youngsters who were in the team to gain experience rather than first team starters. 

I think what is really promising at the moment is I don't think we've got players I actually want us to get rid of. There's areas we can add depth and there may be practical reasons why we release Kalas and/or Dasilva, plus we don't know for sure whether like Wilson or Bajic will want to stay and fight for their places and obviously we might get an offer for Scott that is hard to turn down but I think we're in a really good place squad-wise where we are building on what we have rather than trying to remove or reshape the squad. Plus there are players like Taylor-Clarke who might develop in the way Conway and Bell have over the past year and Benarous who - if he can overcome his injuries - is a hell of a prospect.

Agree with all that, especially the highlighted bit.

I'm not 100% convinced that Scott will leave and I hope he doesn't, same for Kalas.

And if we can get Bryan back here and sign one or two proven players, the squad depth will be further improved.

Hopefully, Benarous comes back fit and can realise his potential to add to the squad depth. It'll be like getting a new midfielder.

Be interested to see how Mehmeti develops over the pre-season and into next season, he has potential to kick on.

I knew that Conway would be a success since I saw him when he was around 17 and I think he has a high ceiling. Looking forward to seeing him develop into a top Championship striker next season if we can fend off interest from other clubs. He will be vital to us imo.

I think there will be interest in Vyner and especially Pring, but we should be in a position to hold onto them.

I think we can be competitive next season with two or three quality additions and maybe one or two of the academy players coming through, not sure about top 6 but top half, even top10 should be attainable.

Also agree with another poster about unrealistic ambitions from SL and JL - keep it to yourselves lads, you are just creating unwanted and unnecessary pressure. Just support the manager and let him get on with it, he's earned that trust.

 

 

[TonyTonyTony]

Im very excited about the transfer window this summer. I hope we do our business early. NP has turned us around without really spending anything - just imagine what we could do if he had a few quid to spend? Reflecting on the season - aside from the frustrating period before Christmas, and all the late goals conceded we have played much better football than previous seasons and the emergence of players from the youth teams is great to see. Finally, nice to see Rovers STILL a whole division below us. Coming for us 

[hinsleburg]

I think the big word that's come up in this thread for me a few times is 'identity' and I now feel we know the sort of team we want to be but it's also not a 'one size fits all' approach. Think it's important to differentiate between identity and 'tactical' approaches and think the identity and culture of the club goes much further than 11 players that step onto the pitch.  Kind of feels like all the hard work that's gone in from various people across the last few years is now in a position to hopefully propel us forwards!

As a club we have a clear 'pathway' from academy to first team and if players are deemed good enough they will get their opportunities and exposure they need! It's a really joined up club and process from top to bottom and seems a really exciting place to be. It also gives us as fans a group of players we can really relate to and get behind, seeing local people thrive and excel in a high pressure environment and watching my little one run around the house singing 'Tommy Conway baby' has been exciting and makes me proud.  

We've got a clear strategy in terms of signings which is young, hungry players with a couple of exceptions to form the spine and experience that's needed. Seem to have a really good balance and with some of the younger players maturing and developing we are set up so nicely for next season. We seem to be targeting players with pace and hard work ethics which allows us to do what Nige wants tactically which is a combination of high pressing and counter attacking football. I don't think we want to be a team that has 65% possession every week but instead want to have high intensity and a ruthlessness when we do have the ball. Nige keeps mentioning that he doesn't want anybody to be comfortable and think that's clear every week, the players seem to get on, work hard for each other but know they have to be on it for every minute or there is somebody else waiting to take their place.  

I think we are also quite a forward thinking club behind the scenes as well, since his arrival there's been a few lazy comments saying Nige is a 'dinosaur' and not adaptable for the modern game. How anybody can possibly think that though if they've watched any interview with him is beyond me and feels like a lazy dig based on his perceived persona. He puts a lot of faith in Dave Rennie and the sports science guys and really think we are starting to see the benefits of that on and off the pitch.

Bigger picture, the work we have been doing to engage fans and the community still isn't perfect but it's a lot better than it has been and seems to be a real determination to do this properly. The work we've been doing with food banks for away games is phenomenal and a really great thing to see and by all accounts a lot more is done by the club as a collective but also individuals that goes under the radar. 

For all this to be worth anything though, we have to continue progressing next year. We still have to contend with FFP and our financial situation but the work that's gone in so far puts us in a better position. There's also the obvious Alex Scott caveat at the moment, what we do there will really define our season.

Right now though, we have a club and group of players I feel proud to support and excited for whatever is coming next.

[Bristol Rob]

If this was a report card, I'd probably call this season a B-

Had we avoided that spell which called in to question if we should continue with NP, then we'd probably be a B and if we'd achieved a top-half finish then a B+

I think next season is the important one, the squad should be more balanced with the last of the big earners moved on or agreeing to new terms that are more in keeping with the rest of the first team. The younger players who have been introduced will all have a season to reflect on where they've all been exceptional, and the January signings will have the chance of a pre-season so from that perspective, slates are wiped clean. 

So, could have done better but all told nothing too much to worry about.

Next season the squad will be the one NP has overseen, so my expectation are likely to be higher than they were for this season.

We go again. 

[SecretSam]

Satisfactory progress

[LondonBristolian]

2 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I'm a huge Pearson fan but if he spends the Semenyo money plus any potential money from Alex Scott then I fully 100% absolutely expect us to be involved in a play off push. Pearson would say the same too. 

If he spends millions but can't pick up 3 more wins then there would be something terribly wrong. 

I'd be surprised if we went out and spent millions regardless of whether Scott goes or not. I'm sure we'll spend some of the Semenyo and Scott money on new signings but would imagine we'd be looking at a small number of £1 million or 2 million signings rather than big spending. We also don't know if the play-off total will be the same as previous years. I'd agree that we'd want to aim to get at least 6 - 10 points than last season but there's no guarantee that would be an amount that puts us in play-off contention. 

[Dr Balls]

7 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I'd be surprised if we went out and spent millions regardless of whether Scott goes or not. I'm sure we'll spend some of the Semenyo and Scott money on new signings but would imagine we'd be looking at a small number of £1 million or 2 million signings rather than big spending. We also don't know if the play-off total will be the same as previous years. I'd agree that we'd want to aim to get at least 6 - 10 points than last season but there's no guarantee that would be an amount that puts us in play-off contention. 

To ensure making the playoffs a club should be aiming for 75 points, which is about 1.6 points per game. Win 20+ games in a season and you should make it, unless of course you are Blackburn and lose most of the rest! Coventry and Sunderland only won 18 games each this season (that’s under 40% of all games played).

So for us winning 20 games would mean winning an additional 5 games next season compared to this. Is that possible? I really don’t see why not.

[Red-Robbo]

I'm sure it's been said before but "onwards and upwards"....

[pillred]

11 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

We had two bad games around Christmas, Stoke and West Brom. Before that we had a really good performance against Watford and a win against Rotherham away. After those games we had draws away at Coventry and Millwall.

For me those two games were the worst of our season and to have only a couple of bad games in an entire season isn't too bad and to me gives me huge optimism for the future. Even the likes of Coventry have conceded 4 on occasions this season, we've not done that. 

We were bloody dreadful against Brum away truly awful, surely you have not forgotten that, to say we only had a couple of really bad games all season is frankly laughable.

[pillred]

6 hours ago, Tafkarmlf said:

My immediate thoughts are that enjoyed the season as a whole.

There was a time there when things were getting bleak but the Man City game seemed to galvanize the team, when despite the score we weren't actually all that far off.

We've certainly ironed out some of the bad things that have plagued us for years .

I'm not sure what the summer brings as we've a weird mix of absolutely amazing young players , and older players.

Wouldn't be  that surprised to see Kalas, Weimann, Wilson Wells, King, Dasilva, Scott, Conway and Vyner go or scale back playing as appropriate.

No idea where that actually leaves us as will be light pretty much everywhere.

 

Interesting summer ahead methinks 

 

 

Our record after the Man City game was ok, galvanize the team? not sure I would go that far though. It can't be good for confidence to realize you are being outplayed so easily though I admit from some games I have witnessed we gave them more of a game than some so-called top-flight sides.

Edited May 9, 2023 by pillred

[Dr Balls]

2 minutes ago, pillred said:

We were bloody dreadful against Brum away truly awful, surely you have not forgotten that, to say we only had a couple of really bad games all season is frankly laughable.

Only bad home games. Quite a few frustrating home ones e.g. Sunderland, Millwall, Blackpool, Reading; unlucky home ones e.g. Sheffield United; and a couple where we were just outplayed e.g. QPR and Burnley, both of which were top of the table at the time.

[Dr Balls]

Just checked the end of season table:

Goals scored 12th

Goals conceded 12th

In simple terms, we just need to score more and concede less!

[ExiledAjax]

10 minutes ago, Dr Balls said:

Just checked the end of season table:

Goals scored 12th

Goals conceded 12th

In simple terms, we just need to score more and concede less!

And honestly if we could score 6 more and conceded 6 fewer, then we'd have GD of +11 and would probably find ourselves in the top 8 and with a chance of top 6.

We're close, but the higher you go the harder the climb in this division.

[W-S-M Seagull]

54 minutes ago, pillred said:

We were bloody dreadful against Brum away truly awful, surely you have not forgotten that, to say we only had a couple of really bad games all season is frankly laughable.

Yes I had forgotten about that. Looking back now and that game was a turning point. 

OK so 3 bad games out of 46, what's so laughable about that? 

[Bazooka Joe]

Reasonably satisfied.

Expecting greater things next season and feeling a lot more positive than I was this time last year.

 

 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Dr Balls said:

Just checked the end of season table:

Goals scored 12th

Goals conceded 12th

In simple terms, we just need to score more and concede less!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr Balls]

14 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Davefevs Can always count on you to have all the stats! So 12th = to be exact for both goals scored and conceded…

Although I have spotted an inconsistency that I don’t quite understand. In the “shots for” sheet it says we only scored 52 goals rather than 55 in the “goals sheet”. Similar disparity for goals and shots conceded. And we are not the only ones affected. How come? Own goals taken out?