More Questions Than Answers

[spudski]

I thought we played really well. 

Moved the ball with a lot more purpose, often with speed and one touch. 

Passing accuracy and control was also noticeably better. 

Had we taken our chances, it would have been a different story. 

Second half imo, there was too much space between our midfield and forwards, and too often rushed hopeful passes made, that lost possession. 

My only gripe is I've started to play ' front foot' and ' behaviors' bingo...that's starting to grate.

Other than that...thought we looked decent. 

[A Horse With No Name]

25 minutes ago, reddoc said:

Expected to lose tonight, think we're rose colouring the first half, few good chances but Southampton largely controlled the game. What concerned me was the subs. Saturday he got it right. Cornick great for running down a game. But Cornick/Weimann when we're chasing it? We were looking at half chances at best and Conway/Bell/Sykes are always more likely to finish one of those.

Bell and Conway couldn't finish a crossword lately. Bell needs a spell out the side. 

[cidercity1987]

1 minute ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Bell and Conway couldn't finish a crossword lately. Bell needs a spell out the side. 

Who plays instead? Surely not Mehmeti

[redkev]

Reading the posts on here and the match day thread , I can see the pattern , people still going on about Nige 

he’s gone we just need to get on with it , it’s not as if we were world beaters ripping everyone a new arsehole there were many on here wanting Nige gone during his tenure , 

like other posters have said with this group of players even with pep in charge we are not going any where ( personally start of the season I thought we might surprise a few ) we need at least 3 decent signing in January, we are a mid table side who are no push overs but just don’t have the quality to challenge the top boys I’m afraid whether that being Nige in charge or Liam 

[Kibs]

Not a dig at anyone, because it affects us all, but it just goes to show how unconscious bias can play such a big role in our opinions. 

Southampton unbeaten in 10 now btw since their poor start to the season. 

 

[REDOXO]

I’m not sure about some of the idiocy I have largely brushed over. However we have given up three goals in two games straight after ht. 
 

That is just a fact! Luckily it has only cost us the full three points once!

Wake the **** up after your ht Orange everyone. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 minute ago, REDOXO said:

I’m not sure about some of the idiocy I have largely brushed over. However we have given up three goals in two games straight after ht. 
 

That is just a fact! Luckily it has only cost us the full three points once!

Wake the **** up after your ht Orange everyone. 

Yes good spot.

Not only that, but I thought we started the first half and the second half both today and Saturday quite slowly even not factoring in the goals.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[TV Tom]

Manning’s doing well considering the squad and injuries he’s inherited 

[REDOXO]

Just now, TV Tom said:

Manning’s doing well considering the squad and injuries he’s inherited 

Now if I didn’t think that was the most delicious irony in OTIB history I would have laughed at your post!

Are you serious with the comment or are you pointing out the obvious idiocy?

[Davefevs]

55 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Well said. Some of the conclusions being drawn at the moment are quite unbelievable.

I reckon Liam has had no more than 5 or 6 days on the training ground with the full squad, given players being away on international duty.

Same injuries, same deficient squad, but apparently we're expecting different performances and results...very funny. 

All on the hierarchy I’m afraid.  The fans (some) saw through their piss-poor excuses and peripheral decisions, and are virtually (on OTIB) holding them to account through LM.  That’s the reality.

They made it a divisive appointment, when it had no need to be.

My word of November - “unnecessary”

43 minutes ago, formerly known as ivan said:

Is that the reason for the change in management though? Why make the change and expect the same results?

If it’s about slow progress, again, why make the change?

Because they wanted shot / their analysis didn’t root out the real problem (or all of the problems if you include Nige).

40 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I feel there are things to build on and things to work on. First half we looked fluid, passed well and created opportunities

 

But even then, there were some poor choices. A lot has been made of the opportunities missed but there were defensive misjudgements too. At one point Tanner sprinted for a ball he was never going to get and left a gaping hole at right back that thankfully was not exploited and Vyner’s block from Armstrong - exceptional though it was - only happened because we had spent too long playing across the back - Vyner to Dickie to Naismith when Vyner could have quickly moved the Naismith without going to Dickie and given him far more space and time on the ball.

Second half, I’d disgree that Manning had no plan to change things. He made subs and adjusted our style to get the hall forward quicker and we had three or four good breaks.

What let us down - as it so often did under Pearson - was players taking too long to make a decision and/or making the wrong decision. Cornick and Mehmeti were both culpable of squandering great positions. That’s not new and it is not something I expect a manager to fix in three games. The question is whether we have players who can be coached into making better decisions over time. 

It reminded me a lot in parts of Hull (a) and Swansea (a)…the good bits anyway.

[Davefevs]

7 minutes ago, TV Tom said:

Manning’s doing well considering the squad and injuries he’s inherited 

3 minutes ago, REDOXO said:

Now if I didn’t think that was the most delicious irony in OTIB history I would have laughed at your post!

Are you serious with the comment or are you pointing out the obvious idiocy?

I’m glad you replied first.

[Mr Popodopolous]

9 minutes ago, TV Tom said:

Manning’s doing well considering the squad and injuries he’s inherited 

Slightly amazed at that statement.

[REDOXO]

Just now, Davefevs said:

I’m glad you replied first.

It’s effing brilliant isn’t it! Pleeease @TV Tom give us a clue what’s in your mind!

[The Humble Realist]

Am I alone in the following 

A) there isnt really much difference post NP other than a couple of selection changes e.g. Sykes on the left tonight  , yeboah no longer getting minutes.

B) I dont expect there to be any changes yet and this is absolutely fine. The guys only been here 5 minutes !

15 minutes ago, TV Tom said:

Manning’s doing well considering the squad and injuries he’s inherited 

Top 6 squad

[REDOXO]

2 minutes ago, The Humble Realist said:

Am I alone in the following 

A) there isnt really much difference post NP other than a couple of selection changes e.g. Sykes on the left tonight  , yeboah no longer getting minutes.

B) I dont expect there to be any changes yet and this is absolutely fine. The guys only been here 5 minutes !

Top 6 squad

I’m laughing myself to sleep tonight! 

[Davefevs]

23 minutes ago, The Humble Realist said:

Am I alone in the following 

A) there isnt really much difference post NP other than a couple of selection changes e.g. Sykes on the left tonight  , yeboah no longer getting minutes.

B) I dont expect there to be any changes yet and this is absolutely fine. The guys only been here 5 minutes !

Top 6 squad

A few are looking incredibly hard for differences that aren’t really there.

(you are not alone)

[Kid in the Riot]

28 minutes ago, The Humble Realist said:

Am I alone in the following 

A) there isnt really much difference post NP other than a couple of selection changes e.g. Sykes on the left tonight  , yeboah no longer getting minutes.

B) I dont expect there to be any changes yet and this is absolutely fine. The guys only been here 5 minutes !

Top 6 squad

You've really lived up to your name here 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Bell and Conway couldn't finish a crossword lately. Bell needs a spell out the side. 

I think they both do.

Both are young and shouldn’t be expected to start every game.

It might appear a backward step but I would bench them Sunday and start Cornick and Weimann just for some rotation and to take the pressure off of them.

[NewquayRed]

The main answer is that our striking options aren’t good enough in the final third against the top 6 in this division, they have quality for sure but we need little more physicality and expierence up top which they can run off and support.

Q. Do we need a new striker

A. **** yeah we do JL 

 

[Henry]

7 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

 

Come on gents, no-one still thinks the sole reason Nige was sacked was because of results, do they? 

He was sacked because the Lansdowns found him difficult and intractable. 

And because he hadn't appeared at training for six weeks because he couldn't walk and had no prognosis.

Now we can all cry till the cows come home, but those were the reasons. Not ******* results - we were 8th four days before he was sacked. And you think he was sacked for being 8th? A few pts off the play offs? Come on... 

No-one should be dumb enough to believe that shite. 

I don’t believe it. However, as the Lansdown/board said that was the reasons, I’m judging them on it.

By saying they want better football, better results as we have a top 6 side squad, they have made Liam Mannings job a lot harder. He is going to get less patience from the fans because of the Lansdown. 
 

If they had an ounce of leaderships between them, they could have told us the real reasons in the summer and sacked Pearson in the summer. They could have stopped pretending there was no money and gave their chosen man the chance to improve the squad.

[Gert Mare]

The biggest question for me right now is why I’m a 5XL in a City Shirt when every other garment I own is between a 2 or 3XL? 

I’ve had to put the pie back and go for a quinoa salad.

[1team]

22 minutes ago, Henry said:

I don’t believe it. However, as the Lansdown/board said that was the reasons, I’m judging them on it.

By saying they want better football, better results as we have a top 6 side squad, they have made Liam Mannings job a lot harder. He is going to get less patience from the fans because of the Lansdown. 
 

If they had an ounce of leaderships between them, they could have told us the real reasons in the summer and sacked Pearson in the summer. They could have stopped pretending there was no money and gave their chosen man the chance to improve the squad.

Simply brushing it under the carpet won't make it go away and merely widens the chasm between a large number of fans and the owners.

[LondonBristolian]

7 hours ago, Davefevs said:

It reminded me a lot in parts of Hull (a) and Swansea (a)…the good bits anyway.

The bad and good-ish bits reminded me of Leeds. In much the same way there, we competed first half but were let down by decision making then conceded early in the second half and then sort of held our own whilst struggling to create a real chance for a leveller. 

In both games, we sort of looked good away at a recently relegated side whilst failing to meaningfully lay a glove on them.

Edited November 30, 2023 by LondonBristolian

[DaveInSA]

I’m suffering from a severe case of cognitive dissonance.

The board and technical director say we have a top 6 squad. 

They sack the previous manager because we were 8th. They also say that there is no money for players, that the wage bill is maxed out and that what football makes football spends.

The new guy comes in and I’m expecting a magical turnaround, because we are told we have a top 6 squad and we want to play high intensity front foot football. The new guy should therefore be able to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

The evidence suggests however : that we are a mid table squad. With mid table results from the old and the new manager. We have a squad of committed players, who aren’t yet good enough to compete at the top end of this division. In addition we actually do have money to spend and might be in the market in January. 

Which is all very Bristol City. And I wouldn’t support anyone else.

 

[westonred]

We cannot compete with the big boys in this division who have a lots of international players throughout their squads where we cannot even fill a bench these days (emarrassing)  Players like Bell arn't ready yet and ought to be out on loan gaining much needed experience as he is too weak and non existent in games, like last night.  If he wasnt a darling of the fans, a local boy and the son of a legend he would be getting the Cornick treatment. I know BT bangs on about these kids are good enough but they are not ready for Championship football yet. Most of our successful academy players went out on loan before being ready for our 1st team Semenyo,Vyner, Reid, Bryan, Pring (8 times) yes there are a couple of exceptions Kelly / Scott but we seeem to be chucking them in too early now as a cheap option hoping it'll work 

[RedRoss]

We were decent.. Good first half, not so good the second against a very good team. Their only goal was a moment of magic from a player who made his debut for England last year. Let's have some perspective please.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, LondonBristolian said:

The bad and good-ish bits reminded me of Leeds. In much the same way there, we competed first half but were let down by decision making then conceded early in the second half and then sort of held our own whilst struggling to create a real chance for a leveller. 

In both games, we sort of looked good away at a recently relegated side whilst failing to meaningfully lay a glove on them.

I thought we were a bit ragged v Leeds, lost shape a bit too often.

I don’t think Southampton are in the same league as Leicester and Leeds though.  The epitomise Russell Martin, easy on the eye, can pass it for passing’s sake, but don’t take you apart if you want to sit deep…and you can play through them if you execute well.

We will continue to learn more.

We will have more answers when we’ve played a bunch more sides and sides of different levels.  Just like starting the season with a win a draw and a defeat versus Preston, Millwall and Birmingham, three very similar style sides wasn’t a real indication of where we were.

[Phileas Fogg]

3 games is far too early to judge anyone really. And I doubt we’d have got a better points return if Pearson was still here.

Manning has clearly been bought in to work to a longer term plan - he’s not a manager you bring in during a crisis to get quick results in the short term.

We will probably spend the rest of the season bobbing about in mid table, which is pretty unexciting, but the board will measure progress over a longer period of time. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Phileas Fogg

[Midlands Robin]

10 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

 

Come on gents, no-one still thinks the sole reason Nige was sacked was because of results, do they? 

He was sacked because the Lansdowns found him difficult and intractable. 

And because he hadn't appeared at training for six weeks because he couldn't walk and had no prognosis.

Now we can all cry till the cows come home, but those were the reasons. Not ******* results - we were 8th four days before he was sacked. And you think he was sacked for being 8th? A few pts off the play offs? Come on... 

No-one should be dumb enough to believe that shite. 

It's absolutely this.

When you add this to the really good point that Fevs made about the quality of the squad, we can see the problem.

Who ever came in after NP was always going to have an issue and that was the total bollocks in the comms around NP's sacking. The line about the performance of the squad and where we should be in the table. I know the vast majority of us knew that was a pile of horse crap and I don't expect that St Tinnion of Gurnsey believed it very much either.

LM is going to need time as any new manager needs time. Lets look at it again, to begin with after 10 games and then after the January transfer window. I've no doubt he knows where he wants to add to the side, and no doubt his kitty will have more cash in it.

Nige has gone, the whole thing was a crock of shit. We know that.

Liam is here. He had nothing to do with Nige going. Let's get on with it. Stop pulling the team apart in a way we would never have done 3 months ago and let the bloke find his feet.

[Son of Fred]

10 hours ago, redkev said:

we are a mid table side who are no push overs but just don’t have the quality to challenge the top boys

This is us in a nutshell.....

All the talk on here, the comical spin from 'the club' -we can talk, they can spin, until we're all blue (sorry,red) in the face -

Simple fact remains imo - without an injection of quality to the squad we ain't heading north of where we are at anytime.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Son of Fred