Bristol City will shoot up the table if we crack our home form, insists boss Cotterill. By ANDY STOCKHAUSEN Steve Cotterill believes Bristol City's home form will make or break their quest to establish themselves in the Sky Bet Championship this season. Last season's League One champions are taking time to adjust to life in the second tier and have found the going tough. Having won just one of their opening nine games, the Robins are bottom of the table with a haul of just six points. Five of those have come away from home with City achieving a notable win at promotion- favourites Middlesbrough and holding Preston and Ipswich to draws at Deepdale and Portman Road, respectively. But they have yet to register a win at the revamped Ashton Gate, with Brentford, Burnley and Reading having triumphed in BS3 this season. City's solitary point on home soil came courtesy of a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Leeds, and manager Cotterill is aware of the need to improve results at headquarters. Fellow Championship newcomers MK Dons, one place and one point better off than the Robins, visit the Gate on Saturday for a fixture that assumes added significance. Victory would almost certainly lift the Robins out of the drop zone, while defeat would leave them adrift going into a break for international matches. Cotterill has been careful not to heap added pressure on his players and he will attempt to play down the importance of Saturday's basement battle. But he admitted: "We need to be getting our home form right and putting games to bed at Ashton Gate. If we do that, you will see us shoot up the table." He added: "We know what a good team we are and we have to make sure we get those wins over the line. We've been to Ipswich and got a result and we've been to Middlesbrough and got a result. We now need to get our home form right." City came within four minutes of registering what would have been their second win of the season at Ipswich last Saturday, only to concede a late goal and leave Portman Road with a 2-2 draw. Despite taking a point, the Robins slipped to the foot of the table and Cotterill will have to lift his players before sending them out to face MK Dons on Saturday. He said: "Confidence would have been a lot higher had we held on and won the game. But the players were affected by what had gone on before. "Had we been used to winning, I think we would have gone on to win that game comfortably. But it is difficult when they are in the situation they are in and they are only young players." Brentford boss Lee Carsley has ruled out staying in the job beyond the end of the season. The 41-year-old was placed in charge following the departure of head coach Marinus Dijkhuizen on Monday. Carsley lost his first match in charge of the Bees on Tuesday, when they were beaten 2-0 at home by Birmingham City. "I didn't ask to be a manager and it wasn't something I put my hand up for. I don't want the job permanently," he said. http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/...insists-boss/story-27900589-detail/story.html
This might sound obvious, but we need to concentrate for 90 minute and stop leaking goals. We are especially vulnerable to set pieces - it's almost like a return to the O'Dismal era defensively. If I were an opposition manager I would say something like this: Let them have the midfield - they are trickier than us with the ball. Sit back and soak it up - let their wingbacks push forward leaving their defence exposed - then lift the ball over the midfield and hit them on the break. Don't be afraid to shoot from distance - they are vulnerable from long shots - and besides, a deflection would give us a corner and they are vulnerable to set pieces. Remember that they are desperate for points and will leave themselves open. You are guaranteed to have at least one opportunity to shoot and when you do, take it - don't be afraid to miss - you'll get another chance. Sort the defence out and we'll be winning games 2-0 and 1-0 - rather than losing them 4-2 or drawing 1-1 or 2-2.
We wont get many better opportunities than Saturday for 3 much needed points, so we really need to make it count.
I hope we stun everybody on Saturday with a superb win but if we fail with a loss or a miserable draw, action for change is a must, I don't mean Cotts being sacked or even threatened but a change of tactics and some new players, I hate to say it but we need to spend to improve our quality. If we win I suppose it will be follow the same old ways and I told you so will be the comment of the day, we could be losers, win, lose or draw, I'll go and find a dark room now..
home form == won 8 drawn 8 lost 8 away form == won 6 drawn 10 lost 8 points 60 points that must be our target
If we can't thrash MK Dons with this great team that Cotterill states that he has then we might as well all pack our bags and let Banksy turn Ashton Gate in to another Dismaland attraction. So sad what has been allowed to happen to us and blaming individuals given our financial restrictions won't get the job done.
Uh, with the transfer window shut and only 1 additional loan allowed, unless we find non-contracted players, where will these new bods come from??
Here are 16 available on a free might be some one of interest there and there must be others around the globe. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/vertragslosespieler/wettbewerb/GB1
Um I wonder why...? Look at the league table this morning Look at the goals against tally Look at the 1 win from 10 games in all competitions Look at the total and utter lack of preparation for competing at this level Doom merchants ? Too right Prove us wrong with 3 points today City. I don't even care about the performance, we just need a home win.
