Match Day Thread Middlesbrough vs. Bristol City

[QUOTE="oneforthebristolcity, post: 14656470, member: 1001243"
Many on here keep blaming the squad left behind by you know who, but they aren't as bad as they make out..[/QUOTE]

Only 2 of the list that you said were good players started Nagy and Vyner.

I agree about Vyner he has been a shining light in general this season.

The difference was last night everybody put in a shift, especially in midfield, you are probably right about Nagy, his problem has been until last night is trying to do the work of 3 in midfield, especially when Paterson, Massengo or Semenyo start. Last night the first thought of the midfield was to get the ball forward to strikers who were hungry and then bust a gut to support them, the defence opted for a safety first policy and that is sensible at the moment.

It was a great and much needed performance but there are still things to work on.
As good as Bentley obviously is I just wish that he doesn't punch so often.
Hunt needs to be far more consistent in his stopping of crosses, needs to block far better.
Encourage Nagy, Bakinson and Palmer to carry on with their first thought of forward passes feeding Wells and Diedhiou, those passes won't always work but at least as last night proved, when they do these 2 can score.
And Wells and Diedhiou to be encouraged to play in the way that they did in the first half last night, down the middle where good strikers should play.
And finally please, please, please work on Diedhiou's hold up play, we were lucky last night that it never cost us when twice in the first 10 minutes he was weak and they broke away and caused havoc for us, it needs to be a pressure relieving tactic for us knowing that he can hold the ball up, it's his biggest flaw.

I understand that substitutions need to be made in the modern game and at 3-0 the game was probably won, but for me it was obvious that those substitutions weakened us especially in midfield, Paterson and Massengo are both far too weak and Semenyo has been ineffective and struggling for form for several weeks.

But what a performance? and the first time this season and since July that we have scored 3 goals in a league game and that was away to Middlesborough in another great performance against Warnock's team in a similarly great performance, although some here told us it was only Middlesborough and they were ****.

3 more wins should secure our championship status.

 

Wiz I have always rated NP and use to have Rod and few others knocking him some years back when I was crowing about getting him here.

You only have to look what Foxes fans say about him-Watford fans say and many others from other clubs.

We got a gem on our hands i just hope and pray he don't walk into a better job at the end off his stint and stays with us and does a Leicester City at Bristol City-even today Foxes fans say he created what LCFC is today.

 

All I am saying, is the players I like in the squad, will display much better performances, with 1. Better players around them 2. with the right coaching and direction. If we see games that show they can perform, then it's there.....just need to get it from them on a consistent basis...that's where the coach comes in...

 

I hope so RR, we will see where it takes us...quite possible we will get some positive results with the new manager, the test within the squad is the reaction of the players after a defeat and how they respond....then we will know if we have the players playing for the manager...
if the managers demand of players required are fulfilled by the suits....we will get a better idea of the relationship he has with the club.
..

 

The main difference for me is that we were on the front foot, we could have done the same against Barnsley, get the ball forward for Christ sake. In the second half we stopped doing it, which in the circumstances was understandable, but if we do that against better teams they will punish us, even at 3-0 a goal Early in the second half could have made things difficult .

 

I’m surprised we’ve managed to get him here now, a few years ago there was no chance he’d have come, we have to be realistic too,

 

Just hope it a match made in heaven-many fans of other clubs are gutted he joined us -just hope SL and NP hit it off.

 

No, I don't think it's one or the other.
It's a combination of poor recruitment and poor coaching from Ashton, Johnson and Holden.
We will see better players recruited from now on allied to far better player management.
Or I bloody hope so.

 

I would bloody hope so as well, hopefully the penny has finally dropped.

My contention is and will always be most of the senior players on the bench and those coming back from injury, would not secure transfers to bigger and better clubs, because they are not good/consistent enough, but I have always said that the spine minus the midfield and fullbacks is strong and that is what needs the most attention and has done since SC left.

And having a 'manager' who is paid more than any of his players, helps keep the egos in check.

 

Yes I agree, if they do, the skies the limit. I believe up until now SL’s main goal has been to put the infrastructure in place, and a middling championship team will suffice, once that’s done then his focus will change, hopefully the addition of NP will change the focus a bit earlier. He’s allowed Pat Lamb control of rugby matters, so see no reason not to allow NP similar control of football matters. That’s my hope anyway
COYR

 

Not sure it can be said poor coaching by LJ....bearing in mind he maintained a stability in this championship.....not sure NP would have been interested in a League 1 outfit!!

 

It's not about transfers to bigger and better clubs though is it and anyway how do we know that.....I never thought of Bobby Reid being a premiership player when he was with us......you become better player when playing with better around you......

 

Let's put it this way, for whatever reason the coaching and recruitment (with a few notable exceptions) has been poor since the heady days of the great Carabao cup run of 2017/18 the football had been getting more turgid by the season and the recruitment less successful.

Who do we blame for that? LJ, Holden and Ashton all publicly said that the head coach had the final say on transfers in and out, if it wasn't true then 2 of those 3 should have had the balls to say so, I am sure that Pearson would.

The comment about Pearson not being interested in a league 1 outfit is a fair comment, but that situation has been coming for a long time and not properly addressed, as has already been said where we found ourselves has not suddenly happened over night, the results and performances in LJ's last 20 odd games was appalling and after a brief Holden dead cat bounce effect at the end of last season and spilling over into the start of this season, it steadily got worse again and eventually plummeted into the unbearable state that we found ourselves in, the undeniable fact is Holden should have been shown the door at the same time as LJ and the change of direction installed during last summer, because the old direction was failing.

 

No surprise to me, it's why I took 4s.
He's at by far the biggest club in L1 and they won't be a small club in the Championship either.
I always said my boy had a footballing brain and that it would never work here at City (baggage).
Your Alter ego will confirm this.

 

Of course it is, most of the players mentioned were brought in at advantageous prices to get a few years out and sell on for bigger bucks, ala Brownhill, Webster and Kodjia etc.

Bobby Reid was always going to be a target for lower prem sides, he had had a great season scoring 20 goals and can play as a number 10 and in midfield.

 

Did not see that coming yesterday to be honest, I didn't watch it, I haven't watched a game for a while but isn't it surprising what a bit of confidence and playing players in their right positions does to a team.

Some people have different opinions regarding our squad but honestly I believe we have a squad that is easily capable of top 6 it's just our last two coaches never used them properly.

 

Fair play to him, he seems to have got them playing and the fans seem content for the time being.

But come on please don't over egg his achievements so far at his club, when they sacked Parkinson, Sunderland were 7 points off of the leaders Hull and now they are 8 points off of the top club Peterborough. It was never going to be tough ask especially given the position he took them over at to get them challenging.

Just imagine the outcry from a few posters on here had LJ been sacked with City 7 points off of the top club?

 

One decent season, thanks to LJ playing him up there apart from that fairly mediocre......Brownhill, Webster & Kodja had some good times with us, not looking to sell at all, but clubs came in with offers that couldn't be refused due to FFP....it wasn't setup that way how you refer.

 

I say it again they were not playing for DH -THOSE PLAYERS ARE FAR BETTER than what was being produced.