HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums.

“This is no longer about us being plucky losers. That only lasts so long”, “Another Saturday, another bad defeat, level on points and goal difference with the bottom side and only one game left in September”, “We have to improve with what we have got and we have to do it quickly.”

“People have every right to be worried.” The Robins have lost three and drawn one of their last four league games, but the nature of last Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Reading has set alarm bells ringing. The Royals carved City open and won comfortably playing their counter-attacking game.

“Are we going back to League One?” A poll on one forum has 57 per cent saying ‘No’ but the mood is apprehensive given the manner of Saturday’s defeat. “One thing is certain. We are in a relegation battle and should start fighting, scrapping for every point and making it difficult for the opposition.”

“Very thin lines and at the moment we are just falling on the wrong side of them. I’m confident we’ll be okay as long as our confidence doesn’t get knocked.” City had the better of their 1-1 draw at Deepdale last Tuesday week and their one victory was notably away to Middlesbrough last month.

“Many of our League One players are being found out”, “The squad is basically the same as the one that took us up on the crest of a wave last season. I think the management thought that as we demolished League One that if it wasn’t broke, don’t try and fix it.”

The Summer Transfer Window

“The summer transfer window was when it went wrong. Everything that has happened since is just a consequence of that”, “We are a very small squad short of a striker and midfielder. The two loan defenders we did bring in smacked of desperation and have done nothing to stem the goals against.”

“No question, but it has been a disastrous summer”, “I am not sure the current crop of players are good enough whoever the manager is.” Robins are worried both about the depth of their squad and the ability of what is a pool of relatively young players to make the step up to the Championship.

“If Steve Lansdown [the owner] didn’t want to spend money to compete in this division, what is the point in having a shiny new ground in League One?”, “One thing that cannot be excused is the disgraceful summer transfer window we just had. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

Steve Cotterill

“Cotterill out? I’m not even thinking about it. Time is of the essence here. Give it time”, “He is part of Bristol City and is a top manager. I can see what he is trying to do and it is risky but I think we are building something and he is a part of it”, “The club needs long-term stability.”

“Steve took on one of the most abject and pathetic sides I have ever seen here and turned them around to finish 10th and then followed that by leading the club to their only title. Why would we even entertain the idea that someone else could be a better option given how he has performed?”

Fans are backing their manager but many want the former Burnley boss to make changes on the pitch. “It is time for Steve to earn his corn and make some hard decisions. He has to alter things but he looks way too stubborn. It is almost like he watches a different game to us every week.”

“While removing Steve Cotterill is a daft idea, his stubborn refusal to line up with nothing but 3-5-2 does worry me”, “He is pig-headed. He is the last person to recognise that this bad system can still be changed around”, “He has earned the right to turn thing around, but how long do we give him?”

Formation

“We are far too easy to score against. Our 3-5-2 system is being ripped apart. Cotterill has to come up with a Plan B to stop us being so open. If he insists on 3-5-2 we will be bottom by Christmas. We have seen this before and the most critical thing is to fight for points now and not in January.”

Most believe that they don’t have the players to play such an open system. “I said to friends before the season that we would get murdered in the Championship if we used that formation. We are. Opposition strikers are good and we are chasing shadows or running like in a cup final to compete.”

The starting XI on Saturday (above) contained nine of players who were in last season’s promotion winning squad. Reading’s swift counter-attacks often caught the City’s wing-backs up-field. “Our central midfield was also outclassed by the quick touch and movement of Reading’s equivalents.”

“The counter-attack, how many goals have we conceded from them? It highlights our slow attacking in most games”, “The defence is a leaking sieve and we look vulnerable whenever sides counter-attack at pace”, “If you leave a massive gap between the defence and midfield you’re in trouble.”

“Why is Cotterill pushing around players to accommodate this system? Liam Moore is not a right centre-back and Luke Ayling is certainly not a right wing-back.” Some Robins are frustrated by the manager’s refusal to alter formation but many recognise they may not have the players to switch.

Bristol City 0 - 2 Reading

“It was an all-round horror show today”, “We were slow and inept on the ball. There were too many cross-field balls and gaps between midfield and defence”, “We were well beaten today. Two early goals and it was pretty much cruise control for Reading. We were picked off far too easily.”

“Something that was particularly frustrating was how easily Reading deconstructed us”, “We were so open to the counter it was a joke.” Early goals from Nick Blackman and Garath McCleary gave the visitors a two-goal cushion which they comfortably held on to for the rest of the game.

“Reading didn’t even have to get out of second gear all game”, “I can normally find positives in our defeats but today we were simply awful and thoroughly deserved everything we got”, “Maybe it is better for us to park the bus on Saturday and go for one point at Ipswich.”

Preston 1 - 1 Bristol City

“That was the most one-sided draw I have seen in a long time”, “It’s frustrating as we were all over Preston at the end. Still, it’s better than the defeat we were heading towards”, “It sounds like all our best chances fell to everyone except Jonathan Kodjia. Damn it.”

“A good late comeback, one day we will win there.” Former Robin Neil Kilkenny opened the scoring with a long range strike shortly after the restart but City leveller through an Aaron Wilbraham nine minutes before the end. Many felt that the visitors could have gone on to take all three points.

Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Bristol City

“We kept our shape and weren’t caught out with players out of position”, “On another day it could have been a thumping by Boro but we defended very well and that clean sheet was badly needed”, “Boro had a whole lot of possession without creating many clear-cut chances.”

Bristol City’s one win this season came at the Riverside courtesy of an early strike from Joe Bryan. While the Robins had a good share of the play in the first half, the second half was a backs-to-the-wall performance which owed much to the heroics of Ben Hamer between the posts.

One Boro fan summed up the second half performance thus: “City were excellent after the break, sitting very deep and pressuring whoever was on the ball into going backwards. They cleared the ball away into our half and forced us to start again while looking very decent on the counter.”

Central Defence

“We have been awful defensively in the last few games”, “If we could tighten up at the back this squad has enough to finish in 21st position which we would probably all settle for now.” City’s clean sheet at the Riverside has been their only one this season.

“Playing the ball back to Frank Fielding last season was a possession thing and we would build from the back. This season it is getting lumped towards Wilbraham and he is not winning much”, “Fielding is okay but slow at getting things going when we are behind and his distribution is quite poor.”

“I think a lot of people are finding out how good Fielding is while he is not in the side.” Many prefer the 27-year-old ex-Derby keeper to Ben Hamer, who deputised for Fielding when he had a shoulder injury early in the season. Hamer was regularly criticised for a habit of parrying shots into danger.

“Liam Moore is clearly not a ball playing centre-half which is what he is being asked to do. I would imagine he is much more comfortable as part of a back four.” The 22-year-old right-sided player joined on loan from Leicester until January. “He is a proper centre-half, not an attacking full-back.”

“Moore was poor against Reading and slowed down any pace we had going forward. You can tell he had never played the formation we use as he looked totally lost”, “He looked uncomfortable at right centre-back and is not an instant fix for the defensive problems but time will tell.”

“Nathan Baker is an all-or-nothing defender who loves a tackle and getting stuck in. He lacks that bit of pace but makes up for it with power, tackling and height. He really puts his body on the line which with his injury record isn’t the best. The weakest part of his game is his distribution.”

The assessment above was made by a Villa fan when the 24-year-old arrived on loan at the start of September. “Baker has nearly 100 Premier League games and should do okay”, “A towering centre-back”, “He isn’t quick enough to play at left centre-back and has struggled to work with Joe Bryan.”

“There is a difference between supporting the wing-back and getting beyond him. That has become one of our problems, particularly with Derrick Williams.” The 22-year-old ex-Aston Villa man also plays on the left of the back three. “He works well with Aden Flint as he is a ball-playing defender.”

“Williams has looked out of his depth in the Championship”, “He was fantastic at Preston going forward and calm in defence”, “One pass through is enough to see the opposition run in behind us”, “He has to start holding his position and at least attempt to fill the defensive area across the back.”

Aden Flint

“Flint has been okay this season. He has done some things well but not dominated a game anywhere like he did last season.” The 26-year-old “has been positionally unaware at this level so far”, “He has been slow to react and all over the shop at times, ball watching, flat-footed and reacting slowly.”

“I don’t think the answer to our defensive frailties is to drop our most consistent defender”, “Against Burnley he was magnificent”, “Never gave Andre Gray a chance.” The ex-Swindon man “is a 6ft 5in unit but seems to be one of the nicest guys on the pitch. He needs to get a nasty streak”.

“Flint has two newbies beside him in Baker and Moore. It’s going to take time before the telepathy kicks in”, “I will give him some slack because everyone around him has been poor and he can’t clean everyone’s mess up”, “The centre of our back three needs to be a linchpin. He’s not that right now.”

Wing Backs

Former Yeovil defender Luke Ayling “hasn’t the pace to be a wing-back and hasn’t the strength to be a centre-half. He has been very exposed against better opposition in the Championship. He does have good dribbling skills, passing and a decent tackle which sums up a good holding midfielder.”

The 24-year-old “is very good on the ball moving forward”, “He made two sublime defence-splitting passes at Preston”, “A cracking player but not suited to the physical and positional demands of right wing-back”, “He doesn’t have the pace to bomb up and down all game or the positional awareness.”

“Wes Burns seems to have picked up a new position at right wing-back.” The 20-year-old youth product has regularly appeared as a substitute. “He has good pace and would be a good player if he could add finishing”, “He has looked effective and has developed his strength this summer.”

Joe Bryan

“Joe Bryan is normally so high up the pitch when the opposition counter that the left centre-back is left three versus one.” The 21-year-old youth product “has been very poor on the defensive side. He consistently failed to track back against Birmingham, something Paul Caddis took full advantage of”.

“Joe was useless against Reading. His crossing was poor and his tracking back was non-existent. He was below what he should be and has been like that most games”, “What does he do? He hasn’t been defending but hasn’t been doing a lot going forward, not putting himself through the mill.”

Central Midfield

“We are constantly overrun in midfield. Cotterill needs to identify and out-and-out holding midfield player”, “We need a good box-to-box midfielder who can knock in the odd goal”, “We need a strong experienced leader to operate as a defensive midfielder and control the middle of the park.”

“One of the few leaders we have.” Former Norwich and Oldham man Korey Smith picked up a groin injury against Reading and is rated by Steve Cotterill as 50/50 for Saturday. “Losing him would be a massive blow for us. He is one of the few midfielders who looks comfortable at this level.”

“Smith was most effective in a holding role in front of the back three when Wade Elliott was in the team. He and Marlon Pack are both all over the place together.” The 24-year-old “moves and tries to get into little pockets of space but a lack of movement forces him into making safe little passes”.

“Marlon Pack isn’t a goalscorer or a clattering tackler. He is much more of a Cole Skuse type who is equally as important.” The 24-year-old ex-Cheltenham man “gives the ball away too often, holds on to it too long and when pressed passes to team-mates and puts them under pressure”.

“Pack telegraphs 95 per cent of his passes, he can make a tackle or win an aerial challenge but only if it is right at him”, “He tries to make us tick but unfortunately doesn’t”, “Marlon likes having the ball at his feet and spraying 40-yard diagonal passes that centre-backs like gobbling up.”

“Bobby Reid is too lightweight for central midfield but I would like to see him start against Ipswich”, The 22-year-old youth product “will lose the ball with his lack of strength but it’s nothing we haven’t seen Pack do five times a game”, “He passes forward and tries to move the team up the field.”

“Give me Bobby with his pace and energy.” Reid has mostly appeared from the bench. “What he lacks in height and strength he makes up for in pace and energy. He has great technical ability and quick thinking”, “Nice and mobile he was the pick of the midfield against Reading when coming on.”

Luke Freeman

“Who was wearing the number 15 shirt and what has he done with Luke Freeman?” The 23-year-old ex-Stevenage man “looks a shadow of the player from last season. He looks much heavier and seems to have lost the mobility and work rate that epitomised his play last year”.

“It looks like Freeman has bulked up and lost some of his sharpness”, “He’s too pedestrian at this level and slows our play down”, “Brushed off the ball far too easily by Reading and looked well off the pace every time he had it, he didn’t compete at all”, “He wasn’t too shabby at Deepdale.”

“Freeman has a strange addiction to beating players until the moment is lost”, “He looks rusty and is guilty of taking an extra touch or two”, “He needs to play the ball early. He is taking so long that by the time he plays the ball our players have all pushed up and are out of position.”

Strikers

“Callum Robinson has looked lively when on the pitch, always looking for the ball and trying to make things happen.” The 20-year-old Aston Villa loan signing, “is not a starter but can cause opponents problems and have an impact from the bench. He looks to be more of a creator than a finisher.”

“A hard-working selfless player”, former Miller Kieran Agard has appeared regularly from the bench this season. The 25-year-old “makes runs none of our other strikers can make, dropping a shoulder and using his low centre of gravity to shift across on to a through ball no-one can get near”.

“Agard is very good at closing down the opposition, his pace causes problems for slow defenders”, “He is a very long way from being a clinical finisher. He’s the only competitor for Wilbraham’s place but he scores less and is less of a physical presence”, “Cotterill prefers to play with a big striker.”

Aaron Wilbraham

“Why do we persist with Wilbraham? His touch is awful, his play facing the goal is poor, encourages hoof ball and lacks the mobility to close down high up the pitch.” The 35-year-old “has been poor in every match but he is older. I don’t question his effort. I question is football ability at his age”.

“He did not have much pace but he has lost that bit of sharpness he had”, “He brings absolutely nothing to the team and cannot hold the ball. He runs and runs and people think that makes him good. I respect everything he did last year but I’m afraid there’s no room for sentiment in this sport.”

“Wilbraham is definitely finding it tough.” The former Norwich and Crystal Palace man “is playing because Cotterill failed to sign a like-for-like replacement during the summer”, “He is a useful finisher but you need more than that at this level. He would be a useful substitute to bring on.”

Jonathan Kodjia

“I’m at Deepdale, and Jonathan Kodjia has just played the best 45 minutes I have seen from a City striker technique-wise since Andy Cole. It’s like watching Drogba and two teams of kids. He is the best player on the pitch by a distance. He is an absolute class act”, “He’s one hell of a signing.”

“Jonathan is like a version of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who runs all day, great to watch and runs with the ball so well. He has plenty of tricks and a neat finish, certainly worth the money to go down”, “He’s an intelligent player who reads the game and thinks several passes ahead to build a move.”

“Kodjia’s strength, runs, touches and intelligence are first class and were more skilful than the Preston game deserved”, “I feel bad for Jonathan at times. He seems to be the one shining light and hope so far in this frustrating season and it almost feels as if we are wasting him.”

“He’s still learning the game but is a real edge of the seat player.” The 25-year-old summer signing from Angers “is deceptively quick with the ball at his feet”, “The one ray of sunshine against Reading. He looked a class above the rest even though he had to play with his back to goal most of the time.”

Robins’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“It has been 37 years since we won a League game at Portman Road. On Saturday September 23, 1978, Tom Ritchie dispatched a penalty in a 1-0 victory”, “I really hope we get something there. We are certainly due a win at Portman Road, but whenever I've seen us there we've been shocking.”

“We played them at Portman Road twice in less than six months in 1978, the end of one season and near the beginning of the next. I wasn't there for the win in September, but typically had managed to get there for the 1-0 defeat in the April.

“It was Ipswich's last home game before their FA Cup triumph against Arsenal a couple of weeks later and Sir Bobby Robson stayed on the pitch appreciating the pre-Wembley singing and flag-waving after the game.”

Pre-match prediction polls have made more sober reading than Robins’ reminiscing, with 29 per cent forecasting a City away win and 57 per cent a home triumph. Goals are expected with a 3-1 Town win and a 2-1 Robins’ victory the most popular score forecasts. Nobody has forecast a scoreless draw.

“All in all things look bleak heading into the weekend’s game. We can but hope for a result. We will need to get our wings backs sitting a lot deeper and a more compact set-up to stifle the obvious strengths of the Ipswich side.”

“It's a pretty long shot that we'll get anything but not completely beyond the realms of possibility. We seem to be marginally more solid away than at home”, “Concede early again and we'll get turned over. Keep it tight until the break and we have a chance of nicking something.”

“Cotterill will tweak the formation for Ipswich to make us a bit more solid at the back and counter-attacking. I can't see us being thrashed, but I don't see us getting a result either. I would think a narrow win for Ipswich.”

“Big Mick was at the Reading game with Terry Connor. He knows we will not be that bad against them”, “Ipswich seem to be a bit of a physical long ball side under McCarthy so we'll need to be strong and up for a scrap. Flint could be a key player.”

“You just know Gerken is going to play a blinder”, “Hopefully Skuse will do us a favour and score an own goal”, “Pitman has scored for Ipswich at Preston. It is old ground but I'll never understand the criticism we gave him both whilst and after he was with us. He is a top poacher at this level.”

One Robin is certainly getting their hopes up: “Saturday was dreadful, we all know it and have all said it. It’s time to put that one to bed and never mention it again. Looking ahead to Saturday, I can see our second win of the season, a cheeky 1-0 City win against an Ipswich side who will be a little too confident they can exploit our weaknesses.

“I expect a carbon copy of the game against Middlesbrough. We'll put in a stubborn display at the back to the displeasure of Pitman, but probably to the secret delight of Skuse who must still have a soft spot for his old club and long for a day when he might pull on the red shirt of City once more.”

Websites

The busiest website is the well informed and polite One Team in Bristol .

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

mojo added 10:15 - Sep 25 Thanx Harry. That Reading defeat has cost us and we really need to boost out goal difference. I'm going 3-1 to town.
3

Bluetaff added 10:21 - Sep 25 Good read thanks Harry, so a 3-5-2 system! Oh I hope they stick with that and our wingers have a field day... I'm going for a positive 4-0 here to kick start a good run!
2

Bluebell added 10:58 - Sep 25 Thank for that Harry. Very informative as usual. We have to watch out for Freeman. A fantastic player and I'm surprised they were able to hold onto him although I guess if they carry on the way they are, they could lose him to a better team. A must win for us and on paper it sounds easy but we mustn't get blasé about it. I predict we will win and hopefully by a big margin. 4-1 sounds good!

2

SouperJim added 12:15 - Sep 25 Fraser/Sears/AMN running beyond their wing backs could be very tasty indeed. Have got a feeling this is going to be a great game for us.
3

essextractorboy93 added 13:42 - Sep 25 They'll be desperate to get a good result to kick start their season and as we know there are no easy games in this league, anyone can beat anyone. They didn't win league 1 by a mile for no reason. As others have said before, Freeman is quality but he's not their only dangerous player. Flint is a real goal threat from set pieces, he scored more than 10 last season from central defence! Another great assessment Harry! Interesting to find out other fans views about us!

2

tractorgrl added 16:08 - Sep 25 Thankyou Harry. Blimey, they are not very happy with most of their players are they? This league is tricky as we very well know, they would like some of our team by the sound of it! It's time we showed our true colours 5-0 town win please!
2

Seasider added 17:16 - Sep 25 They havn't been the same since JET went!!! Could this be the game we improve our goal difference.I sincerely hope so;but a must win after changing whole team for Man Utd. Would like to see Bru Bart and Jonny Parr retaining their places but not raising my hopes.
1

gippeswyk added 17:18 - Sep 25 I remember all the confidence and big winning scoreline predictions going into the Brighton and Reading games. Of course tomorrow should be 3 points for the taking but any team that beat Boro away isn't to be written off. I hope it all comes together for us tomorrow, we are due a convincing win.
2

gippeswyk added 18:47 - Sep 25 Thanks Harry for another great read. Really good to have a look at the opposition and how they're shaping up for our game.
1

Pip50 added 19:50 - Sep 25 Pressure is on you Mick giving it they have just come up to this level and resting 11 from the last league game mid week. Anything less than a tonking and we can all crow!!
0

carsey added 20:37 - Sep 25 What ever MM says publicly he should be telling the players they are expected to murder Bristol City and get our goal difference well back into positive numbers. I know the old thing about anyone can beat anyone in this league but they are bottom and we have aspirations of promotion so let's get 3 points and a hatful of goals please.
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