The signing of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is almost certainly City's biggest of the close season to date, but what can we expect from the new man? I've asked Ipswich supporter Gavin Barber back to The Exiled Robin to give us some insight on this colourful character Comments/shares/RTs etc all very welcome as ever http://exiledrobin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/can-jet-help-bristol-city-soar-to.html
Shall as a mark of respect to the player and others before him be referring to him as Mr Emmanuel-Thomas. Appears his nickname could also be Jetlag, see plenty of those. Earn it.
Fly back to the championship?? Evidently last season City were going to tear all a new one with these forwards they were buying. People might want to wind giddy expectations in a bit. Bloke obviously is very inconsistent and O'driscoll is taking a chance on him. We had a team of invisible men last season. Fly back to the championship I hope to see a team that can run backwards and defend with cohesion let alone fly back.
I have seen Jay play quite a few times having relatives all over the country a few of whom support Ipswich, and even to my eternal shame the Gas, I think he shines when played in the attacking midfield role or in what is called the Trequartista role in spanish or even Italian football the role played by Zidane, Maradona, Baggio and Bergkamp to name a few of the luminaries if he becomes our version of one of those AG will become a great place to watch football this year, Jay has all the abilities to do this role with the added advantage that he is happy to drift wide and hit in some devastating crosses. What it needs is for the fans to take to him like we did Jackie and allow him the indulgence to lope through games looking for the one bit of magic that will spark something special, he is not the Gow type player or even the Tinman type but he is probably better than Jackie in that sort of role and when he shines we will know we have been at a match.
Thanks for those comments Hawk, interesting to get alternative views from someone who's seen him a bit. ThreeLions: no such 'expectations' from me, I too just want to see a more aggressive, pro-active style of play with a team that want to win and work harder for the shirt. However, we would be soon ourselves down if we were not considering the possibility of bounceback promotion
Spot on. City fans are prone to vastly underestimating the opposition, and overstating our own ability. JET dropped down to League 1 for a reason, and although I think that SOD could turn him into a fantastic player, we have very little to go on. That being said, the bookies aren't too far off usually. They predicted that we'd come dead last by some margin, and it happened, and now they're predicting second place. I think it's a bit too high, even with the new signings, but we'll see how the odds turn after ten games.
I'm pragmatic he is here for a reason. That's isn't because he is a truly great player. Give it to January to decide what's what. It's basics like defending as a team that got city relegated same thing needs to improve to go forward. Signing players who turned it on for one go missing for five and need the team to function for them also helped get city relegated. As interested in how Joe Bryan who looks a team play improves as any signing.
I wasn't that far off the bookies view pre season. This? Dunno. Can't guess how City will play.See lots of Christmas tree formations on here with players in holes, O'driscoll has played 4-4-2 with wingers as well at Bournemouth. No Idea really. So it's a big overhaul so will not go overboard win lose. Expect better that doesn't have to be 1st 2nd 3rd just real signs the team is not the mess it was.
Three Lions: I make some points re. my concerns with the JETsigning on the latest 'The Cider Diaries' podcast, and also mentioned dyne role your players will play. Bobby Reid is the one they're all talking about at the club, be interesting to see how all the midfield signings impact his ability to get in the side
Saving my opinion on JET till I have seen him play a few games. I dont need him to be winning every header or running around everywhere to like him though.. I also want to see Reid given a proper run.
The one thing that concerns me about JET is a lot of people on here are basing him on a few games. I have read what other fans have said regarding him, but I feel that watching Anderson last season we have lost a player who would of been a really good player in league one. So gain one who has a lot of bad pundits and lose one that we have seen and a lot of us would agree we didn't want to leave.
S O'D didn't want to lose him either but he must have wanted JET more or the deal would not have taken place so we have to trust that he knows what he is doing and he knows how he wants to play and who he wants to play where. I think I have seen Jay play about a dozen times over the last 5 years and I think I've seen him play 4 poor games 3 of which he was out on the wing and didn't see the ball for most of the game in the 4th he was in the middle for Ipswich and the ball just kept flying over his head from the back and the Ipswich forward hardly won a ball all game so again he hardly saw the ball but the one time he did he rocketed in a shot from 20-25 yards that the keeper just tipped over. So I remain hopeful that if we play him in the right position and give him plenty of the ball if he doesn't score himself he will create loads of chances for others like I said this is what I have observed the reason I remember him so well is he is a player I always buy on Football Manager for Bristol City so I always looked out for him if he was in a game I was watching.
Redordead - similar point to the one we made on the podcast the other night..... Www.facebook.com/theciderdiaries Www.twitter.com/theciderdiaries
