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Honeymood Period or the real deal?

Discussion in 'Bristol City' started by Oldsparkey, Oct 6, 2020.

  1. Oldsparkey

    Oldsparkey Well-Known Member
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    Great start lads (and new lass poster :emoticon-0105-wink:) with Holden, you can't do better than going into the first international break with 12 points out of 12. We're the opposite over here with just 4 from the 12 and as fans we've already come to accept the limitations of our existing squad and even the management of it.

    Could it be another case for you of getting out of the starting blocks and making a decent fist of it only to run out of steam again before the finishing line, or do you think this is the real deal this season with Holden and your squad?

    Do I detect a real sense of optimism from the posts I've read across here? Dare I say it even confidence?

    Before anyone jumps in with the windup jibe, this is a genuine request for a discussion not an argument. <ok>
     
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  2. bcfcredandwhite

    bcfcredandwhite Well-Known Member

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    It has indeed been the perfect start - but things can change in a couple of defeats.
    Holden certainly seems to be making sensible team selections and used his subs wisely.
    However, to a certain extent his hand has been forced by injuries to players who might otherwise have been in the starting lineup (Kalas, DaSilva....).
    It’s interesting to recall that some of our best times under LJ seemed to be bizarrely when his selection was restricted - not sure where I was going with this - just an observation!!
    There are a lot of games left to be played and Reading have also had the perfect start. Everyone is waiting for us to slip up.
    Feet firmly on the ground - but smiling for the moment!!
     
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  3. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    2020 has been the most unpredictable year one could imagine....so who knows?!
    If will all depend on the reaction of the players and manager when we lose.....there must be a confidence within the squad so fingers crossed we can go on and make a real go of it..
     
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  4. Oldsparkey

    Oldsparkey Well-Known Member
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    What's made the big difference - the presence of Holden or the absence of Johnson?
     
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  5. bcfcredandwhite

    bcfcredandwhite Well-Known Member

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    Still too early to say 100% but I would wager at both, but not forgetting the injection of experience that our new signings have brought (Brunt and Martin). Bakinson is like a new signing too - all these factors have played their part.
    Holden sets us up to win games, whereas LJ set us up not to lose - even at home, which led to boring negative football - especially towards the end of his tenure. THAT aspect has definitely improved!
    If Bentley was to get injured we’d be in trouble though.....
    BTW Sparkey - I see Tomlin has been up to his old tricks again - has the local Cardiff branch of Greggs been closed down, which has p155ed him off?? <laugh>
     
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  6. Oldsparkey

    Oldsparkey Well-Known Member
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    For all his skill, Tommo has serious problems in three areas - fitness, fatness and temper tablets.
     
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  7. Red Alert

    Red Alert Well-Known Member

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    Too early for a lot but there is a big difference. a huge one in the football. Lee Johnson and his ever changing formations, seven or eight last season. It was rare to have the same formation two or three weeks in a row. Holden is playing one!!
     
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  8. Redprintt

    Redprintt Well-Known Member

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    Definitely honeymoon period.

    The best part so far is consistency in set up and player selection.
    Far to early though, dreading a dead cat bounce.
     
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  9. Tom_BCFC

    Tom_BCFC Billy Bibbit
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    Hello Sparkey, I speak to a lot of Cardiff fans at work and just curious if you’ve heard anything about Mendez Laing, I’m surprised no rumours were leaked about what he did but I guess it’ll come out one day.
     
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  10. Oldsparkey

    Oldsparkey Well-Known Member
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    Yo Tom - just to answer your question on that.

    Lots of conspiracy theories but nothing definite about the Mendez Laing contract termination. They range from failing a random EFL drugs test to social drug taking (and even dealing), through to falsely reporting his car had been broken into and stolen when parked at an away game last season in an attempt to cover up his own driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

    There's also speculation that he was heavily involved with Madine's street fighting obsession that came to light when his contract was terminated last year. The one thing that's surprising is that if it was any sort of "criminal" offence, there would have been a police report on it and possibly charges but nothing has been made public so far - it's all guesswork.

    Whatever, it can't have been something mundane warranting a just a club fine or similar. The club would have had a watertight case as to it being a "serious breach" before they would unilaterally terminate his contract - it wasn't by mutual consent - in other words he was sacked.
     
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  11. realred1952

    realred1952 Well-Known Member

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    it worked in the beginning! there was the odd comment "of support" for some of the victories after changing things around … but I guess toward the end it got out of hand a bit as desperation setin along with covid
     
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  12. Red Alert

    Red Alert Well-Known Member

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    Best foootball LJ team played beating Man U was forced by injury and he kept things simple. LJ Chucked that football down the ****ter. Out of hand seaons ago.

    Holden has kept it simple.
     
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  13. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    Because we've been winning, we will see if it remains simple when we hit a bad run.....I really do hope that he goes on to be successful and the club progresses to much better things..........but as it is......it's far too early to tell...
     
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  14. Red Alert

    Red Alert Well-Known Member

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    Because it was simpler, players knew what they were doing. time was spent on one shape. Reid up top leading the pressing. LJ chose to chuck that football away. look at how that team played months later? City went from playing out short football to two lumps up front and smashing it. months!!! no method. no long term planning. it was stupid.
     
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  15. bcfcredandwhite

    bcfcredandwhite Well-Known Member

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    I agree - it almost looked as if LJ had 'lost interest' in the club towards the end.
    I really thought we had found our 'identity' again at the beginning of the season, when Afobe formed that great on-pitch relationship with Palmer - they clicked really well, only for the injury curse to strike us again and LJ went back to what looked like random selections.
    I supported LJ for as long as I could but it was right that he was replaced. As for Holden; we'll see, but the signs so far are good and I'm enjoying watching City again (from my bedroom!!).
     
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  16. Cliftonville

    Cliftonville Well-Known Member

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    The presence of Dean Holden leading to a consistency of approach not associated with Mr Johnson.

    It will be interesting to see if Mr Holden will be as measured x the inevitable results, or if the tombola and hallucinatory toads are still up the training ground.
     
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  17. Supcon72

    Supcon72 Well-Known Member

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    I believe Warnock got in his head in the year they went up. It made LJ move from attractive football to try and adopt a more direct approach favoured by Warnock, but he couldn't pull it off. Also, LJ had Reid and Bryan who were our 2 best players that season, sold from under him, so hard to build a team when that happens.
     
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  18. bcfcredandwhite

    bcfcredandwhite Well-Known Member

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    That's an interesting take on it - I hadn't thought of that.
     
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  19. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    Played decent football 2017/18 season beating Man U along the way. It all changed when we lost to Wolves and then thrashed by Villa. We had injuries in key positions, so he had no other choice to make with the players available (no decent cover) and changed the system..It went downhill from there...Come the end of that season we lost key players which IMO were not replaced with better...From there on I believe, he never had the right players at his disposal to play the system he preferred..back to the same old question....was he in charge of the players we signed? But Like Wiz say's it's history...DH is in charge and the test will be when we hit bad form...let's hope we don't............But I'm not buying, it's down to being simple.....if we go on to lose 2 or 3 on the bounce, he will change it.....the "simple" would have been found out!!
     
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  20. Red Alert

    Red Alert Well-Known Member

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    Played great football for two months. Never got to that level again. Yep. no cover. millions spent. squads of 30+. he never meant to play that way long term which is why he didnt have cover with millions spent and squads of 30+. Its a simple game . See it again again every season. Wolves that season played two formations. Johnson fannied about with all kinds.
     
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