Bristol City boss Lee Johnson explains how much playing time Matty Taylor is likely to get The striker has got competition up front with a bolstered squad from summer business Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson has explained how much game time he thinks Matty Taylor will be getting as the competition for places up front has heated up. The Robins now have a choice of seven players upfront and the pressure will be on each of them to prove their worth to make the starting XI.Taylor, who signed from rival club Bristol Rovers in January, was missing from some of the preseason games due to injury. So far this season he has played minutes during the club’s second round tie against Watford last month. He also played for an Under 23s side against Burnley and impressed in the action. The club’s head coach said that Taylor could certainly get playing time in the coming games. He said: “A lot of it becomes not only tactical but given the size of the squad you have got. I guarantee Matty Taylor could definitely play minutes at this stage whether he has got 90 minutes at the sort of the sharpness level we would want I am not convinced at the moment. “I thought he played very well in the Under 23s, but so he should. The sort of standard of quality player he is. “I would like him to just keep working on his sharpness obviously we do the extras every day, the fast feet, but he is getting there. It is a brilliant problem to have because seven substitutes are available and probably got 11 that I can pick from to start. “I really do feel I can any partnership paring to be honest. Obviously we have got Milan, we have got Famara, Bobby Reid now as an established Championship striker, Matty Taylor and Cauley Woodrow. “The reason we signed Fam (Famara Diedhiou) was that Fam could play with Bobby, he could play with Tails, he could play with the Cauley type, Fam can also play with Djuirc, Djuric can play with the Taylor we saw coming on to good effect last year. “So we have got nice options there and it is just a case of not only finding the right partnership, finding the right substitute partnership because the way we are playing it is a lot of work for the forward players and there will have to some form of rotation particularly in the September games.” http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-boss-lee-johnson-441080 please log in to view this image Matty Taylor in action against Watford
Thought he did well when he arrived considering the step up In standard , although he wasn't what I expected , thought he would have been more of a poacher , was interested to see how he would fare with a pre season under his belt , shame it didn't work out that way . Now Reid is doing so well playing a similar role wonder when he will get a chance.
From what I saw last season (admittedly only highlights), he couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo. He fared better when pushed out wide, but he is not a 15+ goal striker at this level for me, probably not even 10 (and thats as a regular first 11 starter, not from the bench). I think he may go in the January window.
That's y I wanted to see what he'd be like with a pre season behind him it's a big step up from league 1 , look how we fared at first when promoted, bit unfair to judge him on last season alone
Personally think Matty Taylor can definitely play at this level,very cute and crafty player,i like him. When he gets his chance, he must take it to keep the shirt.
Downsides of a bloated (albeit very strong in depth) squad. Diedhiou, Djuric, Taylor, Reid and Woodrow all deserving of a start where there is only a maximum of 2 spots.
My one main concern, and despite the impressive number of forwards we now have, is their quality, as none of them are a Tammy or a Kodja at this point. Hopefully one or more of them will prove me wrong.
Bobby Reid has scored 5 in 7 games and 4 in 5 league games. Not really to be sniffed at. At the moment it's his shirt yet the focus seems to be on the other ones we have?
