Chin up, Bristol City fans: four reasons why the Robins will still make the play-offs There's plenty to remain optimistic about down at Ashton Gate Regardless of the reasons, this bad spell of form for Bristol City is slowly starting to resemble last year's poor form at the same time. Will spring again bring rejuvenation for the Robins? Sunday's defeat to Cardiff was not only hugely dispiriting for Robins fans but also a really atrocious game of football with almost 40 fouls, few real chances, a poor pitch and unhelpful weather. But Bristol City fans should rewatch the highlights and realise that that match could have gone either way. Before Zohore's winner - that involved a fair amount of fortune to land at the 24-year-old's feet with virtually an open goal ahead of him - the Robins had a half-decent spell themselves. Defences were certainly on top, and there were some thinly veiled threats following the game from the head coach to his players not willing to play football from the back. With all that in mind there's still plenty to be positive about despite the run on just one win in the last en league games. 1. Players back from injury please log in to view this image Bristol City's Gary O'Neil Gary O'Neil, Eros Pisano, Matty Taylor, Milan Djuric and Callum O'Dowda are all due back imminently. O'Neil was on the bench on Sunday and could be involved against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Likewise, Pisano is not too far away. The cavalry is on the way and do not underestimate the impact. While January saw three players added to the squad only one of them was fully acquainted with the rigours of the Championship. Ryan Kent has performed decently while Lois Diony and Liam Walsh need time to adapt. That will happen. How many fans recognised Bobby Reid as one of the Championship's best players even just a year ago? 2. The fixtures please log in to view this image Aden Flint of Bristol City against Sheffield Wednesday Bristol City have now played all the top six home and away. In effect they've played the most difficult fixtures this season and they haven't been overwhelmed in any game apart from Aston Villa away. Three points taken from Cardiff, four from Fulham, four from Derby, one from Wolves and one from Villa. The matches to come against less capable sides. Sheffield Wednesday have only won of their last 10 Championship games too, like City. The Owls are not on the run that Fulham are, or charging towards automatic like Cardiff with their Vincent Tan-enhanced budget. Besides, Bristol City are a team that generally play both direct and good football, pressing from the front. The better weather and pitches will have the slightest bearing to help a team based more on skilful players, but in a game decided by the finest of margins it all adds up. 3. The players are developing and getting better please log in to view this image Famara Diedhiou celebrates scoring How many people a year ago would have pegged Joe Bryan and Bobby Reid as two of the best players in the Championship? How many Robins fans wrote off Famara Diedhiou in his first few games and are now likewise dismissing Lois Diony? While the ball is in the club's court regarding whether Diony signs up long-term, Diedhiou has grown in stature and scored a decent 10 goals so far this season despite missing three months through injury. The Senegal man has still hit four goals in his last six league games and is getting better from game to game with his hold-up play, yesterday keeping both Sol Bamba and Bruno Manga away at times - two of the best centre-backs in the league. Likewise, Diony - while not looking up to Championship spec just yet - is a work in progress. Yesterday he showed more endeavour to work hard and 'get stuck in' than previously and is developing game by game. O'Dowda too is another player to have blossomed this season and is rapidly making strides. There's plenty of development to come from the Robins squad still, from Walsh to Brownhill to Bryan to Reid. Just you watch. 4. The teams below City aren't all that Of the teams below, the one I most worry about is Preston. The north west side have a vital game against City in a week and if they win that, it could propel them into the top six. However, they did lose key player Jordan Hugill in January. Middlesbrough were blown away at Ashton Gate before Christmas. They have the firepower but do they have the consistency and spirit to make the play-offs. Tony Pulis will forge that togetherness but it may take time having been parachuted in during the season. Given recent results no team looks like they want to gatecrash the playoffs. No-one is yet to emerge from the pack with that traditional late surge to carry them through the play-offs. Last season it was arguably Huddersfield. This season... It's all still up for grabs and City have already shown in the Carabao Cup that they can trade blows with the best. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/chin-up-bristol-city-fans-1265695
Although not being happy with the recent results and coming to terms that a playoff place may not come around, I'm still happy enough with our manager for the time being. The next few games I believe will make or break him for our fans...we need to show at least a fight, a showing by the players that the team still has the mojo/quick one/two touch passing we had.....but if we continue to revert to long ball, letting 2-0 and 3-0 leads slip, giving the ball away so easily, the fans will soon lose patience and LJ will become under pressure regarding his leadership..
All teams have dodgy run and 1 win will get us back firing. Still think we may miss out on the play offs but you never know in football. Sheff Wed have a terrible injury crisis and hopefully we can get the win this w/e.
Our improvement this season to last is , as in a previous post , immense , this is down in no small part to LJ and his team. SL stood by him last season when we were awful, there isn't the slightest chance his position will come under threat this season after all he's achieved, & rightly so in my view. This is the time to be getting fully behind Lee and the team , so forget all this negativity and get behind them for goodness sake.
Mate, you can not say that I don't get behind LJ, one of only a few backing him last season when everyone else wanted him out... I am right behind him and am quite aware we are a much better unit than last season and I don't see anyone out there to replace him..but I know what some fans are like (RR) wants everything today and will start bleating regarding the money spent etc......I fear if we don't start picking up performances and results then some fans will start to become restless..which is no good to anyone!!
My comments weren't aimed at you personally, they were aimed at any one considering getting at LJ because of our recent blip, I was making the point we need everyone including the likes of RR to get behind the team, because LJ is not likely to be leaving anytime soon.
Would be great to get Pisano back to his early season form. Bailey Wright has run out of steam and needs a break
How do you work that out? Net spend for Cardiff 17/18 circa 8.5M. That includes two thirds of that going on madine in January. Net spend for Bristol city? Errrr..... .....circa 8.5M. Our wage bill is lower than last year as well. Silly comments without checking your facts. Now, Middlesbrough, villa, wolves and a few others spent more than both of us on single players.
This is a newspaper article, copied and pasted for public view, not a personal analysis by me, that is why there is a link posted on the bottom of the page for the convinience of a check up, I am sure Mr Warnock is doing miracles for your economics.
world is full of peeps jumping off the cliff without reading or at worst not understanding an article ..... above is A type typical.... its good you post it I don't do Evil post, and have noted recently that some of the other newspapers have cut back on the adverts so do take the occasional glimpse at them
Hmmm. Just like Wales On Line. Lazy journalism not based on facts. I don't know about miracles, but financially he's stabilising the ship. And points per pound spent he'll be near the top of the table though madine will have skewed that. Money spent, you and us are almost identical in terms of sales and purchases. Most of our signings have been freebies. Tomlin cost just shy of 2M, madine 5 ish, 0.5 for boggle couple hundred k compensation for Paterson and the rest were loans or free. Funny thing is Colin had sent Tomlin and Boggle out on loan. Hoilett bamba and Mendez laing are possibly the pick of the frees though the first two joined the back end of last year.
Back from my world travels just in time to put the world of Bristol City back in the right column. Now is the time for Lee to show us the leadership we deserve and need if he wants to cement his place as a true leader at this level and I wonder what the thoughts on that subject have been during my time off the board? Rather than reading all the comments I missed whilst away in the no wi-fi zone I would like to think our posters have been reasonable and sensible rather than reading the riot act, and looking at them all in my seriously jet-lagged state of mind might give me the wrong impression and that would not be a good thing. Nice to be back.
Yes, I'd like to 2nd that, welcome back Mike and I hope you and the Mrs had a cracking time, now back to the reality of Ashton Gate and it's wonders.
We are still in a good spot, had we not blown 4 points from good positions we would be in a very good spot. No need for doom and gloom in my eyes, we have it all to play for - just being in with a shout of the play-offs was unthinkable this time last year. I think we can make the play-offs if we pick up form again as logic and history dictate at least 1 of the teams above us will also have a bad spell at some point.
The lads know I'm back and you just have to look at the half-time score of 3-0 to see my point. One thing though - Sunderland??? I hope we have become wiser and more resilient than that match so let's hope for more goals from us and none from them.
Sunderland- and Leeds - even Wolves. 7 points unnecessarily thrown away. Anyway, perhaps now we have learned........
