For various reasons, this was the first game I have been able to get to this year and I have to say that despite where we sit in the table, I was genuinely looking forward to watching the exciting stuff that I have been hearing about. Sadly, today at least, it wasn't there. These guys were our heroes last year so I am not going to slate them but there is no doubt that we looked out of our depth today. Reading were on cruise control after 16 minutes but went through us like a knife through butter at will, 2 on 2 time after time and the score could have been embarrassing. Now I am told that this is not representative of our performances so far however today, what I saw was a team trying to replicate last years winning formula which was to keep the ball and pass it around patiently until the opposition made a mistake that we could capitalise on. This is clearly not working as it is us who are making the mistake first and more often than not, getting punished for it. Last years formation is not working, we need to change it quick. More worryingly, we were back to the bad old City strikers graveyard days where Jimmy was making the kind of runs that you would expect from a good striker but, the ball either never came or was delayed by an unnecessary touch. You could literally see the confidence draining away from the team as we laboured away with to no avail and our backline is looking more and more shaky. We have no one in midfield capable of playing that incisive pass to the forwards and are therefore offering little up front so, I say to our owner that you had better start overpaying quick or all of last years hard work will go out of the window and our nice new premier league quality stadium will be opening back in league one again.
Perhaps today's performance will be rated 'competent and satisfactory' by the ostriches at Ashton Gate and that might fool them but not us.
I do not sit too far away from SL who sits next to his very young grandson and JL. I noticed that the kid wears ear protectors which seems a sensible as the new tannoy system is rather loud. Next home game I hope they put a blindfold on him as well, otherwise the kid could end up damaged for life.
For the first time at home this season we got what we deserved - nothing On Radio Bristol SC said we deserved nothing as well - just for the record
