'Step up and execute' - Liam Manning sets Bristol City squad new challenge after QPR draw The Bristol City boss has challenged his side to be more dangerous in the final third following their 1-1 draw with QPR at Ashton Gate Liam Manning has challenged his squad to deliver more consistently in front of goal, insisting everyone is "playing for their futures" following the Robins' frustrating 1-1 draw with QPR. The Reds looked to have secured a first Championship win in three matches when Scott Twine's second-half free-kick broke the deadlock midway through the second half, after a first half of one-way traffic in South Bristol on Saturday afternoon. But Paul Smyth's 40-yard strike ensured that the points would be shared between the two sides as the 27-year-old beat Max O'Leary to a loose ball before curling into the back of the net from long range' Although City couldn't produce the moment of quality to secure all three points, Manning's side had several chances to double their advantage with Anis Mehmeti, Nahki Wells and Cam Pring all unable to find the back of the net. While Manning was quick to credit his side for carving out a number of scoring opportunities, he admits that he is growing frustrated with discussing a lack of cutting edge in the final third week after week already this season. "That’s the bit I can’t do, unfortunately," Manning explained in his post-match press conference. "If you look at the performances, that’s probably the frustration because it’s quite clear that we have an identity, we press really well, we’re aggressive in duels, and then have good control with the ball. "It’s not the first time I’ve sat here saying this or a similar thing. We had 17 shots, only five or six on target, but we missed three clear-cut chances, for me, there’s only so much work I can do. "It’s then about executing and the final actions, and we’ll keep working away, but at the same time, if we want to shift away from being a mid-table championship side you need people to step up and execute, and deliver." In their win over Plymouth Argyle at the end of November, Bristol City looked as though they had turned a corner as they flexed their attacking muscles to put four unanswered goals past Wayne Rooney's side to send the Ashton Gate crowd into delirium. However, in their last three matches against QPR, Sunderland and Portsmouth, the Reds have only managed to score two goals from a combined 35 shots, nine of which have hit the target. Although they've managed to find the net on 26 occasions in their first 21 games of the campaign, Manning feels his side need to do more in the final third to really mount a challenge for the play-off positions. "If you look over the course of a season, it’s not good enough to do it only 85% of the time," insisted the City boss. "If you want to get where we want to get to as a club, you need people to step up and deliver 95% of the time. "People are going to have bad games here and there, but what we can’t do is be sat here so many times after all the draws like Swansea away, and losing at Watford, so many times saying the same thing. Everyone has to understand they’re playing for their futures and I know the lads are ambitious and driven, but it’s ultimately about turning up and delivering and not talking about it all the time." The Robins have a chance to pick up a first win in four Championship matches before Christmas when they travel to The Hawthorns to face West Brom next Sunday. Although Manning has been critical of his side's end product in the penalty box in recent weeks, the 39-year-old remains confident in his side's ability to convert those chances over the busy festive period. "I don’t have a crystal ball," admitted Manning. "But I see the work that they do. It’s just transferring that into games in high-pressure moments. "With the lads, it’s not through a lack of work or desire or effort to make it happen, it comes down to how you handle pressure in those key moments. It’s what you’re like technically, if your focus is there, if you are in the right positions. "There were a couple of crosses where I thought people could have been in better areas, but I think on a whole we asked enough questions, and got into enough areas to score goals, we just didn’t." https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/step-up-execute-liam-manning-9793377
All very well But I don’t think we have any real quality in front of goal Average teams buy average players That’s us to a tee over the years
Bottom line he does not have the quality up front and the players he does have want to walk it into the net. Whoever signed Armstrong and Fally need sacking 5 million down the drain. We are going no where under Manningball.
That’s a bit harsh on Earthy, Sat was the only time he’s really played in a position to enable him to influence our attacking play, and I think he did pretty well, the rest I agree. Our midfielders have to chip in with goals if we play with one up front.
As usual here we are well into a new campaign still asking the same questions that we have done since time began. When you ask questions that need a firm decisive answer we fall off our perch with consistency and come up with newbies that can't fit the requirements no matter which way you look at it. The names that were supposed to offer us salvation have actually become that ten ton weight around our neck and critically we still haven't even come close to solving our ongoing problems. What the heck is wrong with us is my main question and I believe it is buried deeply amongst our hierarchy and it is almost something that we need to dump today because I think the interference is stifling our growth. Tinnion gets a lot of shouts in the interference department and if he is responsible in any way for the signing fiascos he should be shown the door and replaced by someone who won't kowtow to Lansdown (difficult I know) at every opportunity. Nobody has ever refused to admit that owners are sometimes their own worst enemies and with Bristol City I truly think that it is our number one stumbling block. To get to be where you want to be sometimes is difficult but if there are self-caused major barriers between you and the target then you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting there. The lax manner in which we approach our problems has become a sick joke because on nearly every occasion because we haven't got a clue where to start yet alone end, and going with the 3rd best option all the time is stupid if not criminal. Wake up Lansdown and your lackies and smell the roses.
As an afterthought I was thinking about the soon to be transfer window and wonder what you guys think about what we should do and what we may do? For me it's something like this: Out on loan at a lower level club to re-evaluate whether they can ever meet the standard needed for us to compete in the Championship: Mayulu, Sinclair, Cornick and possibly a couple of others. Goalkeeper It has to said that Max is not up to the Championship due to his poor distribution and decision making. We need to up that ante and get an experienced guy between the posts who can offer more security and possibly mentor Max to improve his contribution and eliminate the stupid mistakes that have cost us serious league points. Backroom staff I'm leaving the manager's job out of the equation for now because if the other problems are addressed Liam could be O.K. What are we doing on the scouting front as it seems whoever is in charge of transfers and targets clearly don't know their arse from their elbow and certainly don't know how to find decent players to make our team better. The whole infrastructure of the club needs a major overhaul, and there's nothing new there, and it has to done solely in a way that improves the entire culture of the club because without any assessment of what we do so wrong we may as well shut up shop and turn out the lights.
Dump Jon Lansdown, put Tinman back in charge of the academy, invite Nige to be sports director or someone of his ilk.
I like your thought process Wiz as you have hit the nail right on the head. We seriously need management and all those down the chain to be on the same page and actually know what they are doing. The minute you employ a trip hazard to the process it can never work, as we all know very well. I have always believed that it is easier to get it right than wrong unless some idiot get's in the way of sanity. Until such time that we sort out the wheat from the chaff and get rid of the disturbers we have little or no chance of doing what we know is really possible and you only have to look at the smaller clubs that have achieved that success to see how it's done. Our management walk around with blinkers on and so will never see the light. Bloody shameful if you aren't prepared to do what the wage payers (that's us) want and deserve to see.
He’d probably go anyway if they tried to demote him. On reflection I agree, he’s a brown nose. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had a hand in NP’s demise as well.
you need to read NP's report on his state of health ... learning to walk again!!!! most managers who realise they have a problem take time out he has always been a bit obstinate if he had been fit and well might still be in charge .. but he had "health" problem before then the latest episode .. different .. so hopefully will be OK now.. maybe playing it cool!? and when LM goes would like another chance!
He didn’t choose to leave. That’s the point, he was pushed. I’m not going to go through the whole thing again, but it wasn’t his decision to go. If his health was that bad the last thing he needed was to be pushed out, he should have been supported and encouraged, not kicked out, that’s just common decency.
I'm not advocating in any way LM leaving, we need more command, ambition, directed from the top, Jon Lansdown has got to be booted back to his bloody yacht and replaced, Tinman was great running the academy, that is where he belongs, an experienced man as sporting director such as Nige or his like, this would enhance our scouting, recruitment needs and give a boost with leadership experience to our headcoach.
I wouldn’t have chosen LM, but now he’s here he seems a decent young coach, I believe with the correct guidance from an experienced DOF he could do well, much better than keep chopping and changing. It’s above him that’s the problem. JL needs to go and be replaced, as Wiz suggested with a “NP type”. BT either needs to go back to overseeing loans, or whatever it was he did, and we need to bring in a new head of recruitment.
