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Relegation Battle

Discussion in 'Bristol City' started by wizered, Feb 21, 2021.

  1. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    After a disastrous transfer window with the key need not addressed, defeat after defeat across the winter months and the fans turning on the board, realisation came all too late: a relegation battle was ahoy.

    "Of course. One hundred per cent. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll continue to work the way I want to work and play the way we can play.

    “Ultimately that’s the DNA of this club and that’s why I’m here. The results haven’t been great, but we need to get back to what we were doing. At the minute we’re very low on confidence.”"

    But enough about Hull City's 2019/20 campaign and Grant McCann's epiphany that eventually arrived in February last season. Now Bristol City are the latecomers to the party. Not promotion but relegation. The sort of jamboree where the only guests left are the drunken dregs and the music has flipped out. The fun times are well and truly over. Roll up the sleeves and steel yourself for what's ahead...

    Catastrophic decisions at board level led to the Tigers nosediving into the third tier of English football a year ago. And now City seem intent on copying the team from the KCOM.

    Only the Robins can't get that right either: they're actually in a worse position than McCann's team was back then.

    After 31 games, Hull City had a point more than City do now, with the 22nd side in the league table on 29 points in the final relegation position both then and now.

    The West Country men have a real fight on their hands. They lead the league at last, ranking as the standout club on recent results: bottom for results over the last six, eight, 10 or 12 games; choose your own comparison point.

    Heck, scrub out those first four wins and City are 21st in the league, from results since then. Things have tailed off ever since Alfie Mawson got injured - both from the sixth league game and recently with the Fulham man missing for the last three matches after the Sheffield United FA Cup ousting. The defence now looks paper-thin without the classy Cottagers sentry.

    Going the other way: no goals in seven hours of play and no corners forced in Saturday's slipshod performance (one for Steve Lansdown there who we note loves his corner stats; his interview on Friday night including the pearl that City had 'no corners in three and a half hours' in the league games from Norwich City away to Brentford away). There was little real will to win, as Barnsley belied having a day less to prepare to come and storm Ashton Gate and win there for the first time in 28 years, a first victory in 10 years over the Robins at any venue.

    Only Wycombe have had a longer sequence of Championship losses than City's current six in a row. Two more would equal the club record and with trips to Middlesbrough and Swansea City up next that cannot be discounted, given the side from Ashton Gate have lost the last seven away games away in the league.

    Why the dismal performance on Saturday? Well it always helps if you can pass to a team-mate. Barnsley pushed high and City looked to weather the storm and punish their opponents by counter-punching with real venom, and maybe even take advantage of the opposition high line with some precise direct play.

    But a poison doesn't work if it doesn't reach its target. City's pass percentage completion rate for the day was by far the worst of the season: just 48 per cent of passes completed. The chief culprits:
    • Jack Hunt - 27 passes; just 7 accurate
    • Kasey Palmer - 22 passes; just 10 accurate
    • Henri Lansbury - 18 passes; just nine accurate
    • Zak Vyner - 21 passes; just eight accurate
    • Steven sessegnon - 15 passes; just nine accurate
    City's ability to cope with the press was on par with that of Hugh Grant. The Tykes, however, did impress and showed a physical superiority that explains why they are climbing the table as City are heading the opposite direction. The Robins were feeble and could not impose themselves on their own turf, like one of Grant's quintessential English film characters that flip-flop from slapstick moment to moment.

    But the comedy on Saturday was arguably reserved for the defending of set-pieces. The Robins looked uncomfortable all afternoon and needed to repel the Yorkshire side in a more stubborn fashion befitting of a traditonally gritty northern side. The scramble that saw Carlton Morris net for a third game running was laughably poor play, as the City defenders took it in turn to swipe at thin air, always second to the ball.

    "The results just aren’t right. But it didn’t happen over one month that we just became s**t players," Kalas explained to the media after the game. "It’s hard to believe that it could happen. It is within us, we just have to get it out of us."

    Key injuries, loss of confidence and form, inexperienced and poor leadership have all played a part in City's demise. The south west side are tanking into the Cumberland Basin with a genuine threat of the drop appearing down the Avon ever larger unless results turn.

    The downward spiral will continue but as the majarity share holder explained on Friday night, there is one last ace up the sleeve: the possibility to bring in someone who can meld something from the last men standing in the dressing room. To yet pull it out of captain Kalas and co.

    "We've got something very, very special. We're not going to throw that away with a rash or a short-term appointment," said Lansdown on Friday evening. Presumably he does not mean just the best stadium and facilities that would look far out of place in League One. "We're going to take our time to get it right."

    The problem is Steve, that time is not on your side, chap. This ship is sinking. As the Robins are sucked towards the drop zone perhaps that interview process will be speeded up and the previous six week process - which the club said mattered not that it took so long in the summer - expedited to get in someone who can yet make the difference and arrest what must be an embarrassing state of affairs for Mark Ashton, Jon Lansdown and the other board members.

    "We are looking for someone to come in and make us more special," explained Lansdown further, dangling the carrot of significant 'leeway' in the budgets according to financial fair-play that means there could be spending in the summer, to accompany using the talents being blooded from the academy.

    Special one required then. Over to you, Steve.
    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...ristol-city-verdict-relegation-battle-5027910
     
    #1
  2. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    Relegation Battle
    Form: Last 6 matches
    GP W D L GF GA GD Pts
    1 Cardiff City 6 5 1 0 14 3 +11 16
    2
    QP Rangers 6 5 0 1 8 4 +4 15
    3
    Swansea City 6 4 1 1 10 6 +4 13
    4
    Millwall 6 3 3 0 9 3 +6 12
    5
    Derby County 6 4 0 2 7 7 0 12
    6
    Watford 6 3 2 1 10 3 +7 11
    7
    Norwich City 6 3 2 1 7 3 +4 11
    8
    Nottm Forest 6 3 2 1 6 2 +4 11
    9
    Barnsley 6 3 2 1 7 4 +3 11
    10
    Brentford 6 3 0 3 11 10 +1 9
    11
    Sheffield Wed 6 3 0 3 6 7 -1 9
    12
    Stoke City 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8
    13
    Reading 6 2 1 3 7 8 -1 7
    14
    Bournemouth 6 2 1 3 7 9 -2 7
    15
    Middlesbrough 6 2 1 3 6 10 -4 7
    16
    Rotherham 6 2 0 4 7 8 -1 6
    17
    Blackburn 6 2 0 4 4 6 -2 6
    18
    Huddersfield 6 1 2 3 10 10 0 5
    19
    Coventry City 6 1 2 3 5 8 -3 5
    20
    Birmingham City 6 1 2 3 4 7 -3 5
    21
    Wycombe 6 1 2 3 4 9 -5 5
    22
    Preston 6 1 1 4 3 9 -6 4
    23
    Luton Town 6 1 1 4 2 8 -6 4
    24 Bristol City 6 0 0 6 2 15 -13 0

    Form: Last 10 matches
    GP W D L GF GA GD Pts
    1 Swansea City 10 7 2 1 16 7 +9 23
    2 Norwich City 10 6 3 1 13 5 +8 21
    3 Watford 10 6 2 2 16 6 +10 20
    4 QP Rangers 10 6 2 2 12 8 +4 20
    5 Brentford 10 6 1 3 22 14 +8 19
    6 Nottm Forest 10 5 3 2 12 6 +6 18
    7 Derby County 10 6 0 4 12 9 +3 18
    8 Cardiff City 10 5 2 3 18 10 +8 17
    9 Millwall 10 4 5 1 12 7 +5 17
    10 Barnsley 10 5 2 3 11 9 +2 17
    11 Sheffield Wed 10 5 1 4 10 11 -1 16
    12 Reading 10 4 3 3 12 9 +3 15
    13 Rotherham 10 4 1 5 15 13 +2 13
    14 Middlesbrough 10 4 1 5 11 14 -3 13
    15 Stoke City 10 2 5 3 12 13 -1 11
    16 Blackburn 10 3 2 5 9 10 -1 11
    17 Bournemouth 10 3 2 5 9 12 -3 11
    18 Coventry City 10 3 2 5 9 14 -5 11
    19 Preston 10 3 1 6 6 12 -6 10
    20 Luton Town 10 3 1 6 6 13 -7 10
    21 Huddersfield 10 2 2 6 13 16 -3 8
    22 Birmingham City 10 2 2 6 5 14 -9 8
    23 Wycombe 10 2 2 6 10 22 -12 8
    24 Bristol City 10 2 0 8 7 20 -13 6
     
    #2
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
  3. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    Take Cardiff for an example, they sack their manager, appoint McCarthy within a week, a mauture, stern, old style manager and bingo they are top of the current form tables, take us, to quote Steve Lansdown," We've got something very, very special. We're not going to throw that away with a rash or a short-term appointment" - "We're going to take our time to get it right."

    Any candidates for yes men?

    Will we ever learn?
     
    #3
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
  4. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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    But but but Mick McCarthy is a dinosaur and plays unattractive football.
    In the summer, I wanted Cook. But if the board said we’ve appointed Mick McCarthy I would of been really pleased with that. Ipswich thought they could do better without him.
    The unattractive football has seen them start with two drawers and then consecutive wins. Me and my Cardiff mate was arguing a month when he was first appointed. It wasn’t an argument over who was better, it was who was worse. I said when they appointed Mick, they will go into the playoffs and he laughed me out saying we’re (Cardiff) going down. Guess I’m winning an argument that I didn’t want to be winning.
    If only our board employed a dinosaur eh.
     
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  5. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    The problem was, MOST, wanted LJ gone for whatever reason and I do understand we became stagnant.....But sourcing a better coach to take us forward was never forward thinking by the club......The club imagined that with everything in place, what coach could resist such a setup....
    It was all about the culture of the club rather than progression or maintain stability within the championship..
    Lack of attention to what was required to compile and improve the players within the squad.
    Like many of us seen and said numinous times, creation within midfield and leader on the pitch was required......It wasn't seen or acted on, hence the reason we are where we are....
    If LJ was the problem, then we would have made an improvement, instead we've gone backwards.........in my eyes it was all very predictable...
     
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  6. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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    LJ had to go, as much as I would of liked him to succeed, his time was at an end the previous season or perhaps longer.
    The summers appointment could have and should have been so different. With the type of people saying they would like the job we should of never considered DH. No other club would of considered DH not even the Sags.
    Hughton showed the type of calibre we could of had. He was not someone I would of chosen but when he applied and was not chosen over DH, every other fan across the country noticed, and could not understand why. According to rumours he was turned down because he was badly prepared on us, is irrelevant. I didn’t want a manager who knows the history of us, someone to push us on. (JGF will say he was never considered as he wants us to believe he knows everything, and will no doubt put one of his old jobs about a million miles into the explanation)
    We’ve become a joke as well as the whipping boys and I never fought I would agree with RR but we need someone like Pearson now just to stop the rot and get us those 4 all important wins.
     
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  7. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    Bloody hell ROD, RR is going to be creaming himself <laugh><laugh>
     
    #7
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  8. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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    He is never going to let me live this down. 5-6 years waiting to say I told you so <laugh><laugh>
     
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  9. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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    #9
  10. framptonfrank

    framptonfrank Active Member

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    We don’t need a coach or manager, we need a magican, the available squad have no confidence, no quality, no fight except Kalas and Bentley, the only players who could bring some forward movement are injured, any appointment will be on a hiding to nothing I’m afraid
     
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  11. Redprintt

    Redprintt Well-Known Member

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    NO.
    The problem was employing him in the first place.
    The board carried on with the same cheap option in employing Holden.
    That's where the problem is !


    'Lack of attention to what was required to compile and improve the players within the squad.
    Like many of us seen and said numinous times, creation within midfield and leader on the pitch was required......It wasn't seen or acted on'.
    You follow the above with :
    'If LJ was the problem, then we would have made an improvement'
    Work that one out.

    LJ, along with Ashton left us with a bunch of 'no hopers'.
     
    #11
  12. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    #12
  13. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    We didn't improve the LJ appointment, what makes you think anything will change..........The suits with the squad in hand believed it must have been the coach that was the problem...It was the same when GJ left......In footballing terms, we've not learnt anything.......They didn't see it then and they don't see it now!!
     
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  14. Supcon72

    Supcon72 Well-Known Member

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    I said many times that some on here would be happy to see LJ gone, even if it meant relegation. Well done, your wish might just come true. I agree LJ couldn’t get us to the next stage, but we were never in the danger we are now under him. Say what you like he helped us progress and become an established Championship side, and for that I thank him!
     
    #14
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  15. Redprintt

    Redprintt Well-Known Member

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    I didn't say we did.
    Ashton carried on making the same mistake when he appointed Johnson. The cheap option.
     
    #15
  16. realred1952

    realred1952 Well-Known Member

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    you can be so sad at times ROD... and it is thought? maybe, as opposed to fought!
    Should you be on about Hughton? I would suggest you go back to the articles from Ashton/SL who denied he was ever considered.
     
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  17. oneforthebristolcity

    oneforthebristolcity Well-Known Member

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    What I remember it was a blah blah in the press etc.. I’m not even sure he was interviewed!!
     
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  18. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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  19. RedorDead

    RedorDead Well-Known Member

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    Me and RR have fought many times, so it was a a pun
     
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  20. Supcon72

    Supcon72 Well-Known Member

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    LJ wasn't the mistake cheap appointment his detractor(s) would have us all believe. Again they are conveniently confusing where the club is now, an established top half of the Championship, with where we were when he was appointed, a newly promoted side in real danger of sliding back from whence we came, an all too familiar pattern for City and many other clubs as well. As a result, we couldn't really attract a 'big name' then; whereas, when LJ left, we could have easily, and if the rumours are correct, we had those type of people apply, so we absolutely shot ourselves in the foot and took the cheap option then with DH, and just as we all said it would on here last summer, it ended in tears.
    I love how the anti-LJ brigade, re-write history to fit their narrative, makes I larf.....
     
    #20
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
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