Well imo, the first half, we looked outplayed and out classed with very little confidence to string two passes together, looking only to defend. Second half imo was a different game and we could and should have scored 5, with clear cut chances. We were competitive, level playing field or not.. but let’s blame not winning on that basis so it fits your argument.. you’re right as always!
I watched the first half and SOME of the second. I had to leave just after we scored to jump on a train to Bath. I thought we played pretty well tbh and looked dangerous on the break. Massengo DID get caught in possession a few times, but to his credit snapped at the opposition's heels straight away, trying to recover the ball (and successfully did so a couple of times). Martin also kicked the ball out of play once, near the start, in an attacking position which was frustrating - but these were just individual errors and we are bound to get those over the 90 minutes. Overall I thought we played pretty well. Fantastic pass from Semenyo for our goal. Pinpoint accuracy.
Credit where due should always be given ... the South west is currently doing quite well football wise... Plymouth.. Exeter ... Forest Green ... Gas ..... Swindon [ WORST PLACED EXCEPT BCFC] ... Woudnt it be great all those teams in the championship .. with City 1 step higher!
I always thought that a West Country mini tournament, with a cup at the end, would liven up the summer break instead of the usual pre-season friendlies and give the fans something to get excited about, but I'm not sure the local police would agree to it given the intensity of the local rivalry. If Yeovil, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea want to join in too it would soon grow arms and legs and become unmanageable. As for the Gas - I don't actually hate them - we've not played each other for so long that they don't really feature in my mind any more. However, I do intensely dislike Joey Barton - he's a disgrace and a thug - and I wouldn't want ANY team he is involved with to do well - not just because it happens to be Rovers.
It's not about right or wrong, something you seem obsessed with. It is impossible to compete with teams who flagrantly flout the FFP rules and are further protected by parachute payments. The 2 top teams have a striker each who have banged in nearly 60 goals between them and they have premiership ready squads, because they have parachute payments, that allows them to breach FFP in January, something Bournemouth did in spades this season. I know it is difficult for you to comprehend but you keep banging on about LJ's record of being the 2nd most successful manager in City's history, well that is great and now we know what the failure of that so called 'success' has cost the club and it is not pretty reading, the owner signed off on that mismanagement so is ultimately to blame. The summer is going to be very interesting, If Huddersfield fail to go up along with Cardiff times could be tough because the parachute payments will have ended for them, but come May 2023 the 3 promoted clubs will be out of the 3 relegated teams from the premiership + West Brom and maybe Sheffield United, if you see that as a level playing field, then fine there is no hope for you. There is no excuse for the likes of the Peterborough result except it wasn't exactly a surprise, but when you factor in recently a back 5 of 3 centre backs, one of whom was playing at Eastleigh when covid broke out, another who had not long signed for us from Bath City before being long term injured and an ex premiership player who hadn't played much in 2 seasons, our most productive midfielder playing at right wing back and our best goal scorer playing in midfield (and I think Weimann actually played well yesterday in the first and second half). As for our summer I can see Wells, Massengo, Palmer, King, ODowda and Vyner hopefully moving on and maybe even Bentley, Kalas in search of a new challenge (although they will probably struggle to get a wage offer to match what we pay them) and Semenyo if the right offer comes in, maybe even Scott and Baker retiring. The academy kids will have another big part to play but we will need to recruit at least 6 to 8 players, right back is a priority and also midfield, we still lack a leader/organiser, our midfield is hit or miss and has been since promotion under Cotterill.
We shall see, SL has never liked home truths and seeing that we are only a third of the way into the latest round of FFP, I wonder if the obvious and well publicised difference of opinion over next seasons budget between Pearson and SL will see whether SL will consider blowing some of that budget on binning him, to find another yes man?
All seemed ok for the likes of Forest, Luton, Millwall, Coventry, Preston & Blackpool, all in a similar boat as we are and some competing for a playoff place.. so no excuse why we shouldn’t be doing the same imo..
Correct and why exactly? oh yes they were not encumbered by the 5th highest wage bill + one of the highest payments of fees to players agents in our division.
Or they have better players, or they have players that have gelled, or they have better coaches on the training field or they have a better manager that selects, sets the tactics, formations & style of football............IMO has nothing to do with wage bills or fees to players agents...Just a load of blah blah blah again....again IMo, stupid and ridiculous excuses..but I'm sure you have your fans that will back you.....I do not..
Of course they have better players and yet again that is proof positive that the hugely excessive wage bill and our recruitment policy failed totally and even more proof that there are bargains out there that don't cost much in transfer fees and in a agents fees. The truth is the 5th highest wage bill has left us with 1 signed player who 'MIGHT' see a profit for us. Some of them might carry on leaching for another season because other teams aren't stupid enough to pay them what we pay them. The irony is I can think of at least one poster on here who kept claiming we had one of the lowest wage budgets in our league. But your hypocrisy is endless, all season you have been saying that missing chances doesn't matter but suddenly yesterday it started to matter to you. Again the truth is I am honest enough to admit that had we taken most of our chances and had we seen games out that we were winning or drawing out to a positive conclusion, we would be in a wholly false position and that would give our owner the opportunity to actually believe that under his guidance we have been going in the right direction. We are exactly where we deserve to be, the table doesn't lie.
Not hypocrisy whatsoever, you were bleating on about mistakes and I was pointing to the fact that decent performances would lead to chances of which over the season we've had very little of......rubbish performances would lead to errors and IMO that's how the season has panned out..... Mistakes is what matters to you more than performances that is how I read it.......we differ in our stances of the game....
Yet again you make me wonder if English is your mother tongue. The last paragraph you appended this reply to clearly states that even if we had put those chances away or seen games out better, we would be in a false position, it even declares the old adage that the table does not lie. To most English speakers that would translate to we are where we are because our performances have been poor. You obviously read something else.
Our performances have not been consistent, is why we are where we are.. and it's not only the players that are to blame for that..... If you would like me to translate that into French, Italian, Spanish or Bristolian.....I will, just for you!!
Yeah right like you could off of the top of your head. I have sympathy for the first sentence to a degree, I have not always been inspired by his team selections or his substitutions. Even yesterday I would have liked to have seen a midfielder replace Semenyo and push Weimann up front, I don't think he had that luxury, I doubt he fully trusted Kings fitness. But 2 things here firstly several players have obviously been playing through the pain of injuries, even Stevie Wonder could see Kalas was not fully fit early in the season and I think that James falls into the same category at the moment. Kalas probably soldiered on because of Atkinson's illness and Baker's career threatening head injury, James is probably soldiering on to help Williams, King and Massengo to fully recover and that is admirable without appropriate cover. Weimann would play in goal for the squad if asked, Scott has played at right wing back, as has DaSilva, in fact a lot of players have played out of position and I suspect that substitutions are determined more by who is fully fit on the bench and that is down to numbers more than anything else. Also when the players step over that white line there is not a coach living or dead who can legislate for the type of mistakes that some players have made and some week in and week out. For instance in yesterdays game the normally impressive Bentley made 3 uncharacteristic decisions in the last 15 minutes of the first half any one could have cost us a goal and or a sending off for his last rash rush to clear a ball he was never going to get close to, only individuals can claim ownership for those types of decisions, decisions in Bentley's case he got away with, others have not been so lucky and those mistakes have contributed to results and PERFORMANCES.
Might struggle with the Bristolian!! Bentley's quick thinking led to our goal, so although the odd mistake has been made, IMO has more than made up with saves he's made to keep us in games.. I agree in general with the rest..
