'Middlesbrough defeat showed up Bristol City's poor recruitment - the buck stops with Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton' Our fans columnist Matthew Withers is worried about the Robins start to the season and work in the transfer market. Saturday’s team selection, performance and result against Middlesbrough showed the deficiencies in City’s summer transfer business and if Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton do not do everything that they can to bring in a dominant first ball winning centre back and a physical presence up front, I fear for our season. I know we are only talking about four games but in each of those games, we have been out muscled at both ends of the pitch and that has cost us. I know I am sounding like a broken record but Johnson himself said last season that we need physical leaders in the team, where are they? With injuries and our recruitment in the summer we were forced into playing a right back at left back and a youngster in the heart of the defence, up against a physical £15million pound striker. Let me say straight off, for me Lloyd Kelly was man of the match and stood up well but the youngster is playing left back one game and centre back the next. Eros Pisano did ok at left back as well, although the balance and the shape of the team was affected. We also had three central midfielders in the team, with Josh Brownhill forced to play wide, which is not his game. Marley Watkins made his first league start of the season playing up front. We are three league games in and already we are playing square pegs in round holes. I was also disappointed to see Niclas Eliasson dropped to the bench after a decent start to his season. Johnson talked about missing four centre backs in Bailey Wright, Nathan Baker, Jens Hegeler and Taylor Moore and yet Johnson knew Bailey Wright was injured in the summer, Nathan Baker’s injury record isn’t the greatest, Jens Hegeler isn’t a centre back and youngster Moore isn’t experienced enough at this level. Poor planning and recruitment. It is the same at the other end of the pitch. Before the season started, we knew Famara was going to miss the first six games and yet the boss and Mr Ashton still sanctioned the sale of Milan Djuric and have said they won’t be looking to replace him. I’m not saying Milan was a world beater but he was an option. Famara will undoubtedly be our first choice number ‘9’ but what if he suffers a loss of form or worse still gets injured. Where is the replacement? Where is the strength in depth for all positions and types of player? Marley Watkins as he showed yesterday, Mo Eisa and Matty Taylor cannot perform that role. Again, poor planning and recruitment. Steve Lansdown has said that he expects Johnson to improve on last season’s position in the league and yet we have sold arguably our three best players and not replaced them with equal quality. Is that Johnson’s fault or Mark Ashton and the transfer committee? Let me qualify that a little by saying that I think the Bristol City were left with very little option in taking the money for Reid, Flint and Bryan. I also think that Weimann is excellent and that Adam Webster will become a very good player for the club but at this stage in his career he is not the dominant ball winning player that Aiden Flint is. The manner of the goals conceded yesterday highlighted what we are missing. For the first, Webster didn’t attack the ball and let it drop over him (hitting him on the back) and then Jack Hunt sliced his clearance into the path of Braithwaite who had a relatively simple task of slotting the ball past Maenpaa. The second was a simple dinked ball into the box which Webster mistimed and Hunt was outmuscled by Assombalonga. As in all four games this season, we played some nice football at times, but it was all in front of Boro and they allowed us to have the ball in the first two thirds of the pitch. We had nearly 70% possession of the ball but Boro were always in control. I would like to see how many touches Maenpaa, Webster and Kelly had and where we had the ball to show just where the majority of that possession was. The transition from back to front is too slow and obvious. We need to move the ball quicker. We did have opportunities and goals do change games. The manner of the goals we conceded killed us but had Eros Pisano’s header or Josh Brownhills free-kick found the back of the net rather than the woodwork, who knows what would have happened. We huffed and puffed and prodded and poked but truthfully I don’t think Boro had to break out of second gear. Saturday’s defeat meant since January 1st we have had 4 wins out of 24 games, 22 points out of a possible 72 points, not good reading and whilst this season is only 1 league defeat in 3. It shows the alarming lack of form that we have been in and Johnson has to arrest this or the discontent in the stands will grow. Tuesday night sees us travel away to QPR who will be on the back of a 7-1 hammering away to West Brom. We don’t have the best of records at Loftus Road but Bristol City have to start creating more chances and turning our possession into goals and take advantage of a team who will be low on confidence. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/middlesbrough-defeat-showed-up-bristol-1917233
* We have been out muscled at both ends of the pitch and that has cost us. * Johnson himself said last season that we need physical leaders in the team, where are they? * We are playing square pegs in round holes. * Poor planning and recruitment. * Three best players and not replaced them with equal quality. * We huffed and puffed and prodded and poked. * It shows the alarming lack of form. * Johnson has to arrest this or the discontent in the stands will grow. * 4 wins out of 24 games, 22 points out of a possible 72 points, not good reading and whilst this season is only 1 league defeat in 3. Quite worrying points from a moderate supporter.
I've often clashed with people on here for being unfairly critical, but here is a piece where someone has been able to articulate his criticisms justly. Like he says, there are certain allowances because the club pretty much had its hands tied regarding Reid, Flint and Bryan, but other issues have not been addressed. I have begrudgingly accepted that the forced sales have stymied our progress and we need to be a bit patient, but it is difficult not to look at the situation regarding our goalkeeper and lack of suitable cover in defence and up-front and think that mistakes haven't been made. It's true that it's hard to find value in the market these days, but inaction isn't a suitable response either. It could well be that a few weeks down the line, we go on a bit of a run to at least partially forget this, but it's also become that much more apparent that if things go a bit wrong that we could be sucked back into a relegation battle. Not yet time for alarm bells, but we're not far off an 'amber alert' and if the club wants to try and make some amends through the loan market then action is needed quite urgently, even if it means accepting that it'll cost a bit more than they would've liked - compared to relegation, it'd be peanuts...
There are plenty of "freebie " players out there that could do a job if our " training/moulding" is all it is cracked up to be … didn't Cardiff pick up Bamba as an out of contract player? On minimal terms with the prospect of a decent contract in the future might be a way forward? [not Bamba of course] they also have picked up Cunningham for around £4m ..any sell on clause? ….
Nick - From my perspective I agree that the club had its hands tied to a degree with the players that subsequently left such as Reid, Flint and Bryant but the dip in form goes way back to the turn of the year when those players were still in the first team. Since then, we've won once every 7 games, and the major failings we had for much of last year have still not been addressed despite them being glaringly obvious. I made the point about the GK situation on another thread. Very good keepers were available to the Championship this Summer and all went elsewhere. Were we ever seriously interested in Krul or Pantillimon for example I wonder ? A defeat tomorrow and another against Swansea and the heat on the management team will be turned up significantly.
The biggest problem for me is someone isn't listening, or even worse not feeling the pulse of the club, and here we are travelling the same old road to where? The three major departures were virtually inevitable and yet I wonder if the cycle of repeated indifference was the major part of their decisions? Why does Lansdown concentrate his attention on corporate waffle and statements, and I mustn't forget the new revamped stadium, when he is missing the heart of the entire organisation (BCFC) and totally forgetting the life blood that keeps the heart pumping (the supporters)? How bloody more difficult can it be to understand the other dynamics surrounding success and failure? No wonder Lee has adopted the same stupid sardonic smug smile of his boss because he knows he can't lose, unlike the squad that he has created during his tenure.
Agree with almost all of the report except replace the departed players of the same quality. That’s a difficult task unless you broke the bank to sign them. Although I believe Weinmann will be a step up on Reid. What we need to remember is we are still losing money even with the increased attendance so we need to be a selling club allowing youth to come through.
The only way to make this a profitable club is success on the pitch.That requires a successful football team on it. SL needs to create a successful football team competing at the right end and the ground will be full. A chicken and egg situation.
So in other words you want SL to fund us loads to create this team you want? I bet when he goes to work his wife says “surely you could retire now Steve, he replies “no because Red Robin wants a new player, sorry love put my tea in the microwave” You have heard of this FFP thing that’s been talked about have you? When we was in the top four, in the championship we was only getting 22k
My jury is out on LJ - it’s a new season and if we are adrift by December then I’ll want him gone. If not then i’ll be ok with him staying. I don’t blame him for the departures - they wanted away and what can you do? The new arrivals look ok to be honest (from my bedroom). Injuries have been a plague and perhaps our training methods need revising?
Whilst I have been harping on about this for a long time, responses have centred around …. nah, they are blah blah injuries etc … however, maybe it is the diet? although in this day and age most clubs employ dietician's that most likely sample the bodies chemical balance down to 0.00000000 ppm of chromium or whatever! maybe it is the footwear, or the attempts at making complicated turns etc..... watched a young lad in the local park trying to do some fancy stuff, and it was quite good, till he tried something whilst flapping a leg around and turning and finished up on the floor....in tears ...he had hurt his knee! I regularly take glucosamine [ with chondroitin occassionly ] I had problems with knee joints back in 2008/9 it got progressively worse and I lived on ibuprofen to manage my escapades in the mountains, until 2014 when I started on it. I now only have a hip problem which is controllable, but I need to give "just that leg" additional exercise once or twice a day to strengthen the muscles in that leg as I tend to adopt a limp favouring that leg when walking. My method a bungy cord stirrup hanging from the pergola, it helps lift the leg / knee up, and you have to force it down …. I do detract, but maybe someone else may benefit if they have similar ailments …………… probably not professional footballers though!
