Nigel Pearson the ' Task Ahead'

Bristol City verdict: Record home league defeat run shows the task ahead for Nigel Pearson
Our City reporter's considered take on another home loss for the Robins, a record earning fifth.

An unwelcome club record was set at the weekend when Bristol City slipped to a fifth consecutive home defeat in the league (credit Kevin on Twitter: @krr57 - do follow him).

The term 'slipped' suggests a degree of outside interferrence, and certainly three players subbed off by the 37th minute indicates that the breaks were not forthcoming for the home side, with Bakinson's withdrawal later clarified as a 'tactical' change.

As the campaign fizzles out into midtable malaise there remains the need to build momentum for the next season, however, and for Pearson to show his credentials and earn that longer-term prize. We must see improvement less it seeps into the summer and even the next campaign too.

Saturday was deeply uncomfortable viewing, as the Hoops were all too super in their duels with a slipshod City side who took the banana skin on offer to them, allowing the visitors to win at Ashton Gate for the first time since September 2012: a 1-3 defeat that included Scott Murray netting for City, but Karl Connolly twice and Kevin Gallen for QPR.

Nigel Pearson's analysis afterwards was that the current squad are too 'passive'. The manager said City are fit enough to play game after game but lacking in the will to make Mark Warburton's side 'work hard to score' at Ashton Gate. We completely agree: more intensity is needed. Get in their faces and stay there. They shall not pass and so on.

Yesterday QPR certainly passed and, afforded time and space in the Robins' half, picked out their forward players all too easily.

Casepoint one. QPR were named as the sixth most reliant side on crossing in the second tier this week and the Robins seem to have all too quickly forgotten the training sessions put on ahead of facing Swansea City aimed at stopping the crosses, with Mark Warburton even explaining after the game that his side's tactic was to get early crosses into the box. And so when Todd Kane was not shut down quickly enough by Steven Sessegnon, or helped out by Nahki Wells as happened against Bournemouth, what happened next can be little surprise.

The smallest player on the pitch headed in, with Adrian Mariappa's marking on par with my old English teacher's (I badly at school done. I know you know that already.)

This City squad has conceded the third most goals in the league and that needs instantly rectifying. A generosity to allow visitors to play in BS3 has been a problem for too long: this season and the last, when they conceded the eighth most goals last term.

This 'low maintenance' side - as the group was assessed as during the week by the manager - is not short of application and is accepting of what is needed. But the right attitude off the pitch is not being being reflected with the right on it: the players are also too accepting of the opposition. More aggression is needed. More physicality too.

Two more injuries were added to the stockpile here as Zak Vyner and Adam Nagy suffered head knocks that would have allowed City to make a 'concussion substitute' at half-time., according to Pearson after the game.

City have been ravaged by injury for much of this season (a recent count of the days lost to injury is estimated to be around more than the 1,029 days of Liverpool that is the worst record in the Premier League. Nathan Baker, Liam Walsh and Joe Williams account for more than 500 days alone), but they have had enough about them to win of late elsewhere, if not in south Bristol. Home comforts? This side averages 1.3 points per game on the road, and 1.28 at home currently.

"We didn't take the game to QPR enough and make them work hard enough," said Pearson, after losing to QPR for just his second time in nine meetings with the West London outfit as a manager. "I want us to create a winning mentality that allows us to win games when we're not playing at our best."

So do we, Nigel. There is much work to do.

Set piece error again
The Robins had worked on their set-pieces in the run-up to this game, after conceding twice from them against Bournemouth, when Cameron Carter-Vickers fortuitously bundled in Philip Billing's late header and Arnaut Danjuma's cross was bundled in by Dan Bentley after an initial cross was cleared following a corner in midweek.

Alas, the Robins rank bottom of the league for set-piece goals conceded (17), with Barnsley next worse on 14. Only Blackburn have scored from fewer. It's a clear problem for City.

And QPR were the latest to exploit it (also casepoint two): a short corner routine involving the impressive Ilias Chair saw Yoann Barbet find the post via deflected strike. That will have angered Pearson, as the chance for the second goal arose from someone not picking up the French defender. It looked like Mariappa caught short again when rewatching the highlights as the former Brentford man peeled off the former Watford man into the vacant space.

An error in clearing the ball by Famara Diedhiou compounded things and QPR had two goals and the game. Diedhiou, an important figure for the home side when he is in form, had a poor afternoon, unable to control the ball at times even, giving the most fouls away by a player in red and not able to get the better of the imperious Rob Dickie for much of the match, though we did like it when he stuck up for Sam Pearson and pushed Dickie for a reckless tackle on the young winger.

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Nahki Wells of Bristol City is challenged by Rob Dickie of Queens Park Rangers. (Image: Rogan/JMP)

He did however also block Jack Hunt's goal-bound effort in the first half at one point, such was his game on Saturday.

With the Senegalese front-man off form and Nahki Wells wasting City's best chance in the second half, the Robins were outfought elsewhere and struggled to get any fluency to their play, let alone creat chances. Wells did not look just happy to be there, receiving no service and frustrated against his former side, and Seny Dieng had just one save to make all afternoon.

The front-foot football came from Warburton and co. And as Nigel Pearson looks to add more scrapping to his side he may wish to look at how QPR have done that, winning five of their last eight Championship games while looking a tough nut to crack and not particularly nice side to play against - in the greatest respect - while at the same time selling their best two players in the last six months, Eberechi Eze and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Warburton explained afterwards: "We were aware of the quality in Bristol City's ranks. I wanted our two number 10s, Ilias Chair and Chris Willock, to get forward and make sure Charlie Austin wasn't isolated. They did a great job in that respect and after a sloppy opening five minutes when we could have conceded, it was an excellent team performance.

"It was our intention to get in a lot of early crosses and Ilias Chair has got on the end of one to put us in front. Rob Dickie is a very talented player. He relished his battle with Famara Diedhiou and came up with the second goal."

Warburton also explained that Nigel Pearson should make a big impression and get his team well organised, but maybe the size of the task is dawning on the City manager.

For that to happen and success to come, a long list of injured players must be righted.

Pearson positive
Let's end things on a positive though: it's now all about next season and the years ahead. City have room to manouevre in the summer, an experienced and quality manager now on board who knows what it takes to succeed, and a squad of young homegrown players who will all be much better for these experiences over the longer term. If results can be turned now there is so much to be positive about.

The latest of which was Sam Pearson, as the Wales U19s winger became the latest academy graduate to be given a debut and shine. A decent volley at goal and drawing a yellow card from man-of-the-match contender Dickie are to be cherished from his first league showing.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-verdict-record-home-5081418

 

2 words Nige used to describe our team, "Passive" and "Low Maintenance" describes what we have become, what a shambles, what a low calibre performance, no pride, lack of effort, we all know the current crop of non performers have all been inherited from previous regimes but we have moved on, the players are to blame for their actions,

We have earned an unwelcome club record we slipped to a fifth consecutive home defeat in the league, the consequences of this performance remain unseen but if it continues disaster looms, I really pray some miracle is performed and we survive,we are in for a rough ride, batten down those hatches and hope we preserve our status, at least we have the right pilot in the cockpit to see us through, the one positive move SL has made.

Sort them out Nige, YOU are our only hope.

 

List of players out of contract, (I believe) & rumoured Mark Ashton leaving.

Andreas Weinmann.........................June 3oth....2021
Nathan Baker................................................................
Famara Diedhiou..........................................................
Jamie Paterson..............................................................
Jack Hunt.......................................................................
Henri Lansbury..............................................................
Adrian Mariappa............................................................
Tommy Rowe.................................................................
Liam Walsh.....................................................................
Marley Watkins..............................................................
Hakeeb Adelakum..........................................................
Rene Gilmartin...............................................................
Steven Sessegnon.............................May 31st... ....2021

Who should we offer fresh contracts to?

 

Signed 2 year contract with us.
'On 3 September 2020, Martin joined Championship club Bristol City on a two-year deal after being released by Derby.[80] He scored his first goal for Bristol City in a 4-0 EFL Cup win against Northampton Town on 16 September 2020.[81]'