Jamie Mccombe Cursed

[Frex]

What have Booker, Skuse, Mccombe and Keogh all got in common? Recent winners of the Young/Senior Player of the Year Award

Where are they now?

Booker - Poor season last year due to several injuries and continuing into new season - Not in squad.

Skuse - Reasonable season last year but not in starting eleven - Making squad, sometimes.

McCombe - Injured in pre-season build up, now fully fit, not making bench. - Not in squad.

Keogh - Sent packing to the wind swept Penninies up North - Not in squad

Just a coincidence or an evil curse similar to managers winning the "Manager of the Month Award"?

What can these players look forward to over this new season?

Booker - Hard work and reabilitation - I wish him well.

Skuse - In and out of the squad depending on injuries and bookings

McCombe - Spending his Saturdays sat in Starbucks drinking coffee or pushing his agent to find him a new club that actually wants to play him

Keogh - Wondering what he must do to prove his worth to BC

What has been the reaction from the supporters on these pages?

Booker - Lively debate on how quickly we can off load him countered by equally forceful support of his abilities and contribution and how he is still a key asset to city.

Skuse - Grave concern expressed when we all thought he was leaving, now very quite.

McCombe - The forgotten man. Jamie who? Recent reserve match reports have failed to mention him being on the field.

Keogh - Confusion on what has gone wrong between him and the club. Concensus seems to point to at the none signing off a two year contract extension but clearly this is a red herring as Lee Johnson has not signed his extention and he is still playing every week. Surely there can be no suspicion of favouritism at our club. Fans still seem split between "if he wont sign, get rid" and wanting to keep this bright prospect.

I look on from the sidelines at these unfolding events with mixed emotions. The elation of being unbeaten and our league position contrasted with the severe pressure that our defence has endured in all games this season. What is different from last season? Not the hard work and efforted displayed on the field, certainly not the teams spirit but the main difference is LUCK. The start to last season saw us get battered against Blackpool, Bradford and Huddersfield and we lost all three games with no apparent answer to our problem. Our luck then changed!!! GJ puts in the unknown Jamie McCombe and suddenly we have a "First Ball Winner" that stops the bulk of the pressure building in the first place, this sets the tone and the structure for the rest of the promotion winning season. Where is this valuable asset on today? Sat drinking coffee in Starbucks!! Are we unbeaten so far without Jamie? YES. Is Fonts playing out of his skin? YES. Should Boom Boom replace Fonts in the starting eleven? NO. Will our luck run out? YES Can the current back four keep absorbing contant pressure? NO. Will the sponsors continue to award Basso the MOTM award every week because our team is allowing so many shots on goal for him to save? UNLIKELY.

What do we do?

a) Nothing - The tide will eventually change. We will still display our famous never say die attitude but start to lose. Then Carey will possibly start to show his frustration that will see the yellow and red cards arriving like buses in threes and fours or teams will start to take the direct overhead head route when they realise we have no answers. Jamie may be given a chance to start a game or maybe the "find of the season" Mr Vasko may be thrown into the battle due to his outstanding earlier defensive games and his recently discovered prowess in attack with his proven goal scoring ability against, York, Doncaster, Carlise and Middlesboro!! NO WAIT that was Jamie Mccombe, are well, I feel sure that the reserve goal at Bournemouth will put Vasko ahead of Jamie on the bench this weekend. Recall Keogh to give us the extra bit he always delivers - however his motivation to play for BC maybe be very low and his understanding of his team mates will be very rusty. The good news for us the fans is that if he does come back to help pull us out the sh*t and plays poorly we can berate him on here for months and support GJ decision to ostricize him in the first place.

b) Come to our senses - Start to appreciate the talent, commitment and determination already shown from our existing players. Find creative ways to get passed the Keogh stupidity and prepare the rest of the squad to contribtue to Bristol City. Announcing on the Club Web Page that we now have a second first team may have led GJ to believe he is an inspired leader and motivator but for the real footballers in the team who want to play first team football every week it will be seen as an insult.

I am still elated at our start to the season but I am genuinely concerned that fit players like Skuse, McCombe and Keogh will eventually vote with their feet and leave. I am also suprised that the fans who come on this page to support last years POTY are in the minority and how easily be forget.

Frex

[robins72]

Mccombe is being kept out of the squad due to Fontaines performance no other reason. This is a player who was given the captains armband last season. He was unfortunate to get injured in the summer but is definitely part of Garys plans as he was given a contract extension in the summer. I saw him in the reserves a few weeks ago and he didnt look that far off match fitness. I'm sure with alot of midweek games coming up he will soon feature.

[helenlovescity78]

Its slightly difficult to take your post seriously when you keep referring to 'Booker'.

[BristolCity1992]

What you are saying is bang out in my opnion especially about JM. Can not see Jaimie McCombe wanting a move anytime soon.

[samo]

Skuse is part of the squad and has made 6 appearances off the bench this season already. Marvin is in on form and whatever you think of LJ Skuse is not a natural replacement, so that explains that one.

McCombe was injured and his replacement (Fontaine) is playing out of his skin. No doubt suspention, injury or fatigue will let McCombe back in and I think most people on here are actually quite pleased at how decent our options at the back are. I doubt McCombe will be trying to get out quite yet, especially as he only really came into the team at this time last season.

The whole Keogh saga has a long way to run, but the very fact we have other players with less than a year running who've not been shipped out does suggest some sort of problem, but we'll ahve to wait and see what happens really.

Don't quite know the point of your post, but sure is some nice, bizarre consipiracy theory you've got there.

[Bristol Boy]

I think you should calm down.

We've only played seven League games and GJ, rightly or wrongly, likes continuity and appears loathe to change a team that's unbeaten.

There are several scenarios that could see players return:

• Injuries:We'll play at least 49 games this season and last season it was 60.
• Suspensions:Elliott's on three bookings already.
• Loss of form:McAllister, LJ & LT aren't in great form, so far
• Not scoring (Forwards).

I didn't know that we'd offered LJ a contract extension

Looking at McCombe and some of our defending at home, he may well be recalled soon with LF switching to Left Back.

Any central defender/left back gets injured/suspended and he's back, so one injury away.

Noble may well be on the bench tomorrow.

Only SB's out and should return to training in about four weeks now-All well, ready mid Nov?

GJ's comments about Ribiero will, no doubt, increase the pressure on McAllister to be at his best.

[Percy Parrot]

sorry but going to back up the other replies. Think you have written players off far too quickly. Yes there are concerns about Brooker's fitness but players have these things happen to them and there's not much you can do about it.

Skuse is being kept out of the starting XI by a superb defensive midfielder but is getting on the pitch and will be a part of this season I am sure.

Keogh has never been a first team regular anyway and is still very young. Of course concerns about whether he will sign a contract but is being kept out by 3 very good centre backs.

McCombe- way way too early to write him off. Carey and Fontaine are doing superbly well and McCombe is not long back from injury. He's done nothing wrong but why rush him when the others are doing so well.

[beau45]

I was at the foundation evening last night, Gary was asked the question about Keogh. He said he had offered Keogh the contract half way through last season and he still hadn't signed, he now had a decision on which player to play, the only difference he could see between the players was the fact that he hadn't signed his contract. So he decided to go with the player who had signed and was fully commited to BCFC, in his opinion this was the fair way to do it, and i agree with him. He also added that there was still a place for Keogh at City if thats what he wants!

[tin]

Who's Booker?

Clearly isn't a typo with all the references to him...

[stranter]

...Come to our senses - Start to appreciate the talent, commitment and determination already shown from our existing players...

Yet you want to do this by changing an unbeaten XI who are fourth in the Championship!?

...and suddenly we have a "First Ball Winner" that stops the bulk of the pressure building in the first place...

The way we have evolved defensively this year is that we now have second ball winners, people who pick up the first won ball from Carey/Fontaine. Having Sproule/Trundle/McIndoe/Elliot/Johnson to get these second balls is what's significantly different from last year.

McCombe was great last year and he'll be good this year, but there simply is no case for dropping them in place of McCombe. There's even less of a case for dropping one of them for Keogh, a man who clearly does not want to play at Bristol City.

Stewart

[Bristol Boy]

Yet you want to do this by changing an unbeaten XI who are fourth in the Championship!?

The way we have evolved defensively this year is that we now have second ball winners, people who pick up the first won ball from Carey/Fontaine. Having Sproule/Trundle/McIndoe/Elliot/Johnson to get these second balls is what's significantly different from last year.

McCombe was great last year and he'll be good this year, but there simply is no case for dropping them in place of McCombe. There's even less of a case for dropping one of them for Keogh, a man who clearly does not want to play at Bristol City.

I think that's far to simplistic and falls into the "we're not losing so everything's OK," category.

We've played four home League games and won only one.We've conceded 93rd minute goals in two and that's cost us four points.Both goals followed set pieces conceeded by LJ.Both goals have resulted from not winning the first ball and clearing the corner/free kick.

We've conceeded two goals against Burn & QPR and six in the four games.We've played one home cup game and conceeded two in that as well, so whilst, individually the defence and goal keeper have been very good, perhaps the team isn't defending brilliantly at home? All the goals conceeded, bar one against QPR, have come from crosses.

There is clearly no need for wholesale changes and our goals against record away is exemplary, manly due to sound defending and tremendous goalkeeping, yet there is no need for complacency either and a tweak here and there-Byfield for Sproule up front seems an obvious one, will only make us stronger.

On Keogh, if he doesn't want to sign on the terms offered, and he clearly doesn't, then the choice is stark.Either we improve them or he leaves.

[MATT BCFC]

Gary must feel Mccombe's not ready yet he was by far our best outfield player last season IMO!

He started last season on the bench and earned his place in the first team and I think he will do the same this seasons at Careys expense!

[Nogbad the Bad]

Keogh stupidity

Very stupid not to sign the contract offered.

Announcing on the Club Web Page that we now have a second first team may have led GJ to believe he is an inspired leader and motivator

GJ is an inspired leader and motivator.

Frex

[The Fat Controller]

Gary must feel Mccombe's not ready yet he was by far our best outfield player last season IMO!

He started last season on the bench and earned his place in the first team and I think he will do the same this seasons at Careys expense!

Bet you a pint the only way Carey will make way for McCombe will be through injury or suspension.

Fontaine, McAllister or Orr could all conceivably make way for McCombe though.