Not come on here to gloat (honest!!) Look, you have to give your side some time to settle down. They need time to gel together. You have good players, a good manager, and when they click you will be up there challenging. All the best for the rest of the season (apart from the return game at Ashton Gate in March)
"Real fans" don't have to live close enoug to go to every game to such. You also don't have to pay exorbitantly high prices to watch your team for seemingly no reason. It really pisses me off this "you're not a real fan if you don't go to every game" rubbish.
I'm surprised that Sven didn't go for the diamond formation seeing as it is the formation that has seen us play our best football so far this season. The team was too slow and ponderous in possession and we couldn't create anything. Wellens had one of the worst games I've seen him play. He is supposed to be our spark in midfield but he rarely made a foward pass. Everyone was calling for Dyer to play but is was a classic Lloyd performance for me. Every time he did beat his full-back and crossed it, the ball ended up nearer to the steward than the striker. Again Nugent was fighting a lone battle up top with no support. King wasn't as close as he usually was and again the wide men stayed too wide. The only decent spell we had was after our goal when our tails were up and Gally had a chance that he should of scored and maybe that would have changed the game but it wasn't good enough. Credit to Bristol City, the early goal allowed them to set-up with men behind the ball and then look to get Maynard in behind on the break and Nicky was clever in that he identified early on that he should target St Ledger who had a shocker. He was about 2 yards behind Bamba all game which meant we could never catch Maynard off-side and then to gift them their goal like that was unacceptable. What is worrying is that two teams have come here and played us on the break and have beaten us. Thankfully I doubt Forest will do that at The City Ground so we might be able to play them toe-to-toe as it were so I think we'll fare better in that one. But we do need more potency up front (which we're trying to address) and creativity in midfield. Bristol City were very clever in that their 5 midfielders were all very narrow and it was almost 5 centre-mid's that they played with so what we should have done is tucked the wide players in more to even up the numbers and use the full-backs to give width. That happened sometimes (mainly down the left with Konchesky and Gally) but not often enough. I think the diamond formation should be used because it gives us more numbers in midfield and ensures that Nugent won't be left isolated. Definately not time to consider sacking the manager because he has built a strong squad that I think needs more time to gel together and if we can be there or there abouts and in touching distance of the top two come the turn of the year, I think we have the squad to be able to push on in the 2nd half of the season once they have gelled properly and the depth to counter some of the fatigue that some other teams might be feeling. Shouldn't panic yet, it's still early and we are more than capable of recovering. As long as we learn and improve from these two defeats, I think we can still push for auto's.
The formation has to change as it quite clearly isnt working as it is at the minute. Sven has said some of the new players havent settled yet and thats why we havent clicked as a team. Well play a formation everyone is comfortable with and play people in the proper positions and that problem wont be as bad as it is at the minute. Once they have settled then we can start trying different things
"I've noticed your comments on the Sack Race thread after each game...I take it you're not a fan of Sven"? I must admit Iâm not one of Svenâs biggest fans. Iâm not sure he knows how to get out of the mess he and we currently find ourselves in. Iâm sure his calm laid back manner rubs of on the players to the extent that they to become laid back and turn into pussy cats. Look at his record he spent over £100 million buying the championship for Lazio and that was an awful lot of dosh back then. They still havenât recovered. He turned the best crop of England players weâve had for many years into pussycats just like us now. His signings this summer have been strange to say the least, Danns where did that one come from?. St Ledger the rock of a relegated defence. Peltier from Huddersfield replaces Naughton???. Fernandes his French club didnât let him go out on loan for a year because he is great did they. Nugent done ok but he aint gonna get 20 goals a season especially up top on his own. And Mills he as managed to turn the best defender in the league last season into a dithering wreck in just 2 games. We have no shape, we donât work as a unit, no one seems to know what there supposed to be doing, and for a team that are supposed to play passing football there is no movement. Pussycats. Oh I forgot Ball retired, and Johnson not played for about 2 years, wasted wonga I fear. How does Sven usually get out of these situations, by buying more players. Heâs like a kid playing championship manager. I hope the owner pockets are deep their gonna have to be. By the way I see Svens odds have been cut in the sack race from 16/1 to 10/1 overnight.
and while i'm on one i know they were all loan players but this team is nowhere near has good as the team that finished last season.
Quote from Sven, Eriksson was apologetic in his response: "We were better tonight than we were against Reading on Saturday, but that is not saying much to be honest with you. "Having said that, for all the possession we had, we should really have created more occasions on goal. That is something that we must work on - and we will, starting tomorrow." Starting tomorrow what you been doing for the last 6 weeks
A lot of these comments are down to perspective. Whilst you're not necessarily wring about many of your points, you could also argue he was the most successful England manager since Ramsey, and guess what, he never had to spend a penny. During his time, we only ever seemed to lose on penalties or fluky Brazilian free kicks. In addition, most of the players he has signed for us are established and generally rated Championship players. They need time to integrate themselves into the squad and team. No team in history has ever gone out, bought half a squad over the summer, then romped a league from day one. It's unrealistic to believe this will happen. If I have one concern, it's that we we have attempted to tinker with one of the areas we were firmest last year, the midfield, and even these additions were defensive minded - bearing in mind we already have Wellens and Abe for that. And we should have had at least another striker in before the season started, even if it isn't our 20 goal a season man, because at the minute Waggy and Howard don't even look like options and Kermo's been told to do one. And, if I'm honest, I do feel Sven has been bringing in every acclaimed Championship player available and willing to join us, whether they're actually needed at the club or not. This would be fine if ALL areas were covered, but they're not.
