MATCHWATCH : Bristol City (h) sponsored by Bobby Williams

[NewCorkSeth]

Anyone care to discuss the point of bringing Aluko on?

Wasn't my choice

But he was better than Ejaria and Swift although that wasn't difficult to be fair

How so? He made a total of 4 passes.

[Vision]

Yep, total knee jerk reaction to a few wins by the owners. He is totally unproven, and there is going to be literally no one better than us queuing up to hand a contract to a guy in his first management job, with an expensive squad, that SHOULD be comfortably avoiding relegation. There was no viable reason whatsoever to hand him a contract that early. Wait ffs!!! The owners are behaving like bipolar fans, we got some wins quick give him a contract!! Now we'll have to pay a boat load more when we probably have to sack in 15 games into next season because the defense is still handing primary school level goals to the opposition in tight games.

Get an old fashioned, hard to beat, organized manager who will build from the back and weed out the garbage defensive errors that keep handing games to everyone. It's been needed for years now and it hasn't been stopped. Should have waited until the end of the season it is unbelievable that they have learned nothing from the last 3 to 4 years.

Wow

Wow all you like, we are 6 positions higher than when we sacked Gomes. There is plenty of the season left for us to keep gifting teams wins at the Madejski and fall right back in it. This isn't some cheaply built league one squad where he is overachieving in being 16th. There was absolutely no sense in giving a contract extension to a guy with plenty to prove based on a few wins. re-asses in the summer.

We've got one of the better defensive records in the League since Bowen took over. If your criticism was about our lack of a threat at the other end given the creative talent we possess then your point might have more validity.

His contract extension was for an additional year. Given he was already employed by the club in another capacity it's hardly throwing fortunes away is it?

[Zip]

Wow

Wow all you like, we are 6 positions higher than when we sacked Gomes. There is plenty of the season left for us to keep gifting teams wins at the Madejski and fall right back in it. This isn't some cheaply built league one squad where he is overachieving in being 16th. There was absolutely no sense in giving a contract extension to a guy with plenty to prove based on a few wins. re-asses in the summer.

We've got one of the better defensive records in the League since Bowen took over. If your criticism was about our lack of a threat at the other end given the creative talent we possess then your point might have more validity.

His contract extension was for an additional year. Given he was already employed by the club in another capacity it's hardly throwing fortunes away is it?

Yes agree with this. We switched off for the goal that’s for sure but only two goals scored in the last four League games is the bigger problem. Defensively we are pretty solid st the moment.
As for Bowen he is working with another manager’s squad and needs the summer to bring in the players that he needs to push us on for a play off challenge next season.

[Hound]

Wow all you like, we are 6 positions higher than when we sacked Gomes. There is plenty of the season left for us to keep gifting teams wins at the Madejski and fall right back in it. This isn't some cheaply built league one squad where he is overachieving in being 16th. There was absolutely no sense in giving a contract extension to a guy with plenty to prove based on a few wins. re-asses in the summer.

We've got one of the better defensive records in the League since Bowen took over. If your criticism was about our lack of a threat at the other end given the creative talent we possess then your point might have more validity.

His contract extension was for an additional year. Given he was already employed by the club in another capacity it's hardly throwing fortunes away is it?

Yes agree with this. We switched off for the goal that’s for sure but only two goals scored in the last four League games is the bigger problem. Defensively we are pretty solid st the moment.
As for Bowen he is working with another manager’s squad and needs the summer to bring in the players that he needs to push us on for a play off challenge next season.

Part of the problem is he has sacrificed goal threat for solidity at the back. But then we have fallen back into the habit of conceding goals in the last few games.

He was 100% right to focus on tightening up and being more solid and it worked. The problem is as every one can see, the 1 up front isnt working with Baldock/Puscas up there. Joao was perfect for the system

He needs to have another look I feel at the make up of the starting 11 and be a bit braver about controlling the ball with a 4 in the middle.

The basis of a good team is there, but we need to trim back the squad of the high earners and send them on their way, keep the spine, continue to bring through the likes of Olise and invest in a couple of good players. I'm sure thats exactly what Bowen has in mind.

[NewCorkSeth]

Wow all you like, we are 6 positions higher than when we sacked Gomes. There is plenty of the season left for us to keep gifting teams wins at the Madejski and fall right back in it. This isn't some cheaply built league one squad where he is overachieving in being 16th. There was absolutely no sense in giving a contract extension to a guy with plenty to prove based on a few wins. re-asses in the summer.

We've got one of the better defensive records in the League since Bowen took over. If your criticism was about our lack of a threat at the other end given the creative talent we possess then your point might have more validity.

His contract extension was for an additional year. Given he was already employed by the club in another capacity it's hardly throwing fortunes away is it?

Yes agree with this. We switched off for the goal that’s for sure but only two goals scored in the last four League games is the bigger problem. Defensively we are pretty solid st the moment.
As for Bowen he is working with another manager’s squad and needs the summer to bring in the players that he needs to push us on for a play off challenge next season.

I dont like the "another managers squad" bit. Who's squad was it? Certainly not Gomes'.

[Zip]

We've got one of the better defensive records in the League since Bowen took over. If your criticism was about our lack of a threat at the other end given the creative talent we possess then your point might have more validity.

His contract extension was for an additional year. Given he was already employed by the club in another capacity it's hardly throwing fortunes away is it?

Yes agree with this. We switched off for the goal that’s for sure but only two goals scored in the last four League games is the bigger problem. Defensively we are pretty solid st the moment.
As for Bowen he is working with another manager’s squad and needs the summer to bring in the players that he needs to push us on for a play off challenge next season.

I dont like the "another managers squad" bit. Who's squad was it? Certainly not Gomes'.

We don’t know that. None of us know what influence Gomes had on the players that came in.

[URZZZZ]

Anyone care to discuss the point of bringing Aluko on?

Wasn't my choice

But he was better than Ejaria and Swift although that wasn't difficult to be fair

How so? He made a total of 4 passes.

I mean yeah he wasn’t great and it was a waste of a sub IMO
But he played a couple of nice passes and on the few occasions he got on the ball, he played at a higher tempo than Swift and Ejaria did

[NewCorkSeth]

Yes agree with this. We switched off for the goal that’s for sure but only two goals scored in the last four League games is the bigger problem. Defensively we are pretty solid st the moment.
As for Bowen he is working with another manager’s squad and needs the summer to bring in the players that he needs to push us on for a play off challenge next season.

I dont like the "another managers squad" bit. Who's squad was it? Certainly not Gomes'.

We don’t know that. None of us know what influence Gomes had on the players that came in.

It just seems like we have been through too many different managers/philosophies to actually identify a squad that could be linked to any one manager. Bowen is doing well with the squad. He has been at the club for almost a year and would have had some say in the summer signings. Not power of veto I dont think but certainly some influence.

To excuse a poor game with the "it's not his squad" at this point is a little hard to accept for me. He knows the squad well enough to have challenged Olise to improve on the training ground and reward that. The comment about Baker not being anything better than we already have may have been to cool off any rumours but also says a lot about his knowledge of the players. He has made this his squad and to suggest any issues such as last night is down to him having to "make the best of what he has got" or so to speak is disingenuous. He has a great squad that is well gelled. Last night was an off performance assisted by poor substitutions.

[NewCorkSeth]

Wasn't my choice

But he was better than Ejaria and Swift although that wasn't difficult to be fair

How so? He made a total of 4 passes.

I mean yeah he wasn’t great and it was a waste of a sub IMO
But he played a couple of nice passes and on the few occasions he got on the ball, he played at a higher tempo than Swift and Ejaria did

I just dont think he did anything. 4 passes of which 3 he completed in an advanced role when we had some good spells of possession is not great. One of his passes completed was a suicide ball to Gunter on the right wing which we immediately lost.

[Hound]

I dont like the "another managers squad" bit. Who's squad was it? Certainly not Gomes'.

We don’t know that. None of us know what influence Gomes had on the players that came in.

It just seems like we have been through too many different managers/philosophies to actually identify a squad that could be linked to any one manager. Bowen is doing well with the squad. He has been at the club for almost a year and would have had some say in the summer signings. Not power of veto I dont think but certainly some influence.

To excuse a poor game with the "it's not his squad" at this point is a little hard to accept for me. He knows the squad well enough to have challenged Olise to improve on the training ground and reward that. The comment about Baker not being anything better than we already have may have been to cool off any rumours but also says a lot about his knowledge of the players. He has made this his squad and to suggest any issues such as last night is down to him having to "make the best of what he has got" or so to speak is disingenuous. He has a great squad that is well gelled. Last night was an off performance assisted by poor substitutions.

Not his squad is a poor excuse, but there are certainly remnants of previous regimes which are tying his hands a little. Once Mannone, McCleary and co are out of contract then its no longer valid imo

[NewCorkSeth]

We don’t know that. None of us know what influence Gomes had on the players that came in.

It just seems like we have been through too many different managers/philosophies to actually identify a squad that could be linked to any one manager. Bowen is doing well with the squad. He has been at the club for almost a year and would have had some say in the summer signings. Not power of veto I dont think but certainly some influence.

To excuse a poor game with the "it's not his squad" at this point is a little hard to accept for me. He knows the squad well enough to have challenged Olise to improve on the training ground and reward that. The comment about Baker not being anything better than we already have may have been to cool off any rumours but also says a lot about his knowledge of the players. He has made this his squad and to suggest any issues such as last night is down to him having to "make the best of what he has got" or so to speak is disingenuous. He has a great squad that is well gelled. Last night was an off performance assisted by poor substitutions.

Not his squad is a poor excuse, but there are certainly remnants of previous regimes which are tying his hands a little. Once Mannone, McCleary and co are out of contract then its no longer valid imo

Ok yeah. I accept our wage budget on players not involved or unlikely to be involved in the future is far too high. But the core team and the "first reserves" make up the best team we have had in years. There are some duds but he doesnt have an obligation to play them or anything.

I dont want to throw around the injury excuse as he has had other options but I will say the Joao injury came at a very bad time. It shouldnt have been season ending in terms of our progression up the table (which I think it is likely to turn out to be) but it would have been nice to see those games with him leading the line.

[The Royal Forester]

Are we winning the toss and electing to attack the ED stand in the 1st half? 2 games now we`ve failed to win doing that, its almost tradition to attack 1871 in the 1st half.

According to the Radio Berks commentry it was the oppositions captains choice both times.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Drop Ejaria, play 2 up top. Wouldn't even mind Aluko starting in front of Ejaria on current form - if you all take off the rose tinted hate glasses for Aluko he actually was fine tonight.

Pele dropped several massive clangers, including a pass straight to the opp when Olise was less than 3 ft away unmarked, which Olise then tried to make up by doing a red card challenge, which he fortunately missed.

Pele sprayed some delightful passes around tonight. Yeah I recall that one poor pass but he was comfortably our best player.

Yeh I agree he was generally good, think I said that in another post somewhere, but he seemed to be falling apart near the end and could have easily cost us a goal/red card.

[Snowflake Royal]

Shit result, didn’t watch but seems we were poor up to the last 5 or so

Think we have to ditch the 1 up top. We just aren’t scoring goals since Joao got injured against any half decent side. That injury was obvs a huge blow which we’ve not properly recovered from

Meite had a good impact, I'd be tempted to give him another go leading the line. But yeah, I think we have to switch it up.

Puscas just doesn't do anything and Baldock doesn't score enough. Ejaria still not delivering.

Tempted with something like:

Cabral
Gunter*, Morrison, Moore, Blackett*
McCleary, Rinomhota**, Swift, Olise
Baldock, Meite

* wasn't impressed with either in the bit I saw, but no knee jerks- another chance
** interchangeable with Pele, but he dropped some clangers and Rino drives forward better

Ejaria just not doing it and at least he could make an impact off the bench. Can't see Adam coping in a midfield pair.

You really are clueless - Pele was by far our best player today ...

I only saw the last 30 minutes where he dropped two clangers. And he's best screening the defence in a three man midfield. Not sure he has enough in a two.

But you see where I clearly said he and Rino were interchangeable right?

Talk about shit reaction.