Left Back Crisis - Thick as Mince

Dean Holden hints at left-back recall as Robins prepare for Millwall
With Cam Pring, Jay Dasilva and Callum O'Dowda injured the Robins are reliant on Tommy Rowe.

Bristol City head to the Den next as they look to equal their 2019 FA Cup campaign and make the fifth round of the competition.

Wolverhampton Wanderers knocked out Lee Johnson's side two years ago, an Ivan Cavaleiro goal making the difference in a game that City finished with seven more shots than Nuno Espirito Santo's side had and with Frank Fielding shooting at goal from a corner seconds from the end.

And Dean Holden will hope that his team can repeat that run and make it to one game short of the quarter-finals.

Ahead of the trip we caught up with Holden to ask him how he will approach the game, visiting the Den, and what the latest is regarding City's left-back situation with only Tommy Rowe or Adrian Mariappa naturals to play there.

Dean, are you likely to go strong for this game or might you rotate the team a little, and give other guys some minutes?

We’ll have to have a look at the squad. Certainly, it’s in the back of my mind how many games we’ve got coming up in a short space of time. We’ve got the Huddersfield game coming up, rearranged on Tuesday, then we go to Derby and then we’ve got Brentford which is now going to be on the Wednesday for Sky [TBC] and then we’ve got a game against Cardiff.

There’s lots and lots of games coming up in quick succession. We’ll have to have a look at it in terms of how the boys recover after Wednesday. It’s a long trip back from Norwich, we won’t get back until the early hours. We’ll be in Thursday to recover and the boys that didn’t play will be in to get some training minutes into them ready for Saturday.

I’ll make that decision after that.

Obviously it’ll be a tough game at Millwall, although their home form hasn’t been outstanding this season. I think they’ve only one game at the Den in the Championship this season.

It’s always going to be a difficult test going to Millwall, there’s no doubt about that. We’ll have to make sure that we’re up for it and that we’re ready for the battle.

We saw when they came to Ashton Gate what a team they can be and how they can play and we’ll be ready for them.

With Cam Pring injured, and do we know how long he might be out for, might you look for another left-back at all, maybe even recall George Nurse?

Cam will unfortunately be having an operation on Saturday. He’ll be out for 12 weeks, maybe 10-12 weeks.

The Nurse situation we are keeping an eye on. George is actually injured himself at Walsall and not fit at the moment so it’s something that we are looking into.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/dean-holden-hints-left-back-4915306

 

Cam Pring recalled, 2 days training, he suffers an injury, now he is having an operation and is out for 12 weeks, thought for solution or replacement, call back academy loanee George Nurse from Walsall who is also not fit and injured.

Old saying, you couldn't make it up, what a farce, MA it is a shambles, injury crisis, no contract for Fammy, nothing organised to date in the transfer window, big losses in finances, where are we heading?

 

I admit it, you are correct, guilty as accused, I wanted that conman out of our club for 4 years, I have no excuses, 63 signings, millions invested, unbelievable owner support and he progressed the club by 5 places, what is your reasoning, you have done nothing but belly ache about DH in this his first season, 1 transfer window, 5 signings only, Covid 19, savage continuing injury problems, inherited financial losses and you continue to applaud the values of LJ although his roll of honour with our club is zilch and he was sacked.

It must be a role reversal, if MA is not responsible as CEO who is?