An Angry Ipswich Are Heading to Ashton Gate - Notes for Bristol City Friday, 16th Mar 2018 10:30 by HarryFromBath HarryFromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game at Ashton Gate by delving into their forums. “Whatever has gone wrong in these last 15 games?”, “Our chance to make the play-offs is slipping away”, “Ho hum, mid-table calls”, “Consistency is vital at the moment and we don’t have it”, “Thank God we were properly safe a while back. The similarities with last year’s awful run are a real worry.” “Were we really second in December? It’s hard to believe watching us play.” The Robins may be sitting seventh in the table and three points off the play-offs, but a run of two wins and a haul of 11 points from their last 13 league games have seen them fall from their Boxing Day top-two position.” “We are playing true to our mid-table league position. There is no shame in that after two years of relegation battles and we are not there again. It’s just frustrating when we were so close to doing better and a top-10 finish would have been more than many expected before the season started.” “This is clearly not a blip now”, “Although we are still close to the play-offs we are looking far away from being a top-six side”, “The concern is due to the way we’re playing rather than our league position”, “We are light years behind Wolves and Villa but we are still punching above our weight.” “There is a chance we can win six of the remaining games which may be enough to finish sixth”, “It’s natural to feel frustration after starting so well, but if anyone said at the start of the season that we would finish upper mid-table and have the fun we have had, we would have snapped their hand off.” Lee Johnson“I can’t understand the criticism of Lee Johnson. We are further up the league than most expected at the start of the season. We had the huge excitement of beating Manchester United and we also took Manchester City all the way over two legs. We are still in the mix. What a great season it has been.”  Lee Johnson“I commend Lee for the style he is instilling.” Robins have enjoyed the successful stylish pass-and-move football they have played under the 36-year-old former City player and Barnsley boss. “I don’t agree with all his decisions and he has made a few tactical errors but I trust him, he is well in credit.” Johnson has been highly praised for the side’s quality of football, but fans feel that his inexperience has shown in his inability to adjust the side’s attacking balance specific to different opponents, a lack of a Plan B when teams frustrate the side and his habit of making delayed or cautious substitutions. “Any danger of making a positive substitution, Lee?”, “It’s baffling how he keeps making the same mistakes and not learning from them. Poor substitutions have cost us so many points over the last few months”, “The wrong substitutions and the wrong timing. The Lee Johnson of old is returning.” Lacking Tempo and Ideas“Before Christmas we hunted in packs, forced errors and overloaded in attacks, making it count with lovely crisp one-touch football. It was a joy to watch. Now we seem to have time-warped back to the worst parts of last season with poor first touches, a lack of understanding and lazy Hollywood balls.” “Have we created anything?”, “It’s clear that we struggle against teams who sit back against us and it still has not been addressed”, “We do need to work on playing the more physical teams who close, press and crowd out our more creative players. Teams like this have been our undoing this season.” “I know exactly how I would approach playing us an opposition manager. Start with a back four and two holding midfielders, sit back and wait for us to get frustrated about not being able to find a way through or make any ground. Any team who gets a lead against us with that set-up will be laughing.” FieldingPisanoWrightBakerKellyBrownhillSmithPackPatersonReidDiedhiou
The starting XI (above) for Saturday’s scoreless encounter with Burton had the familiar formation of a back four protected by Korey Smith and Marlon Pack in midfield. Two defensive stalwarts, centre-half Aden Flint and left-back Joe Bryan, were suspended and both will be unavailable for Saturday’s game. Keeper Frank Fielding is equally praised for his saves and criticised for his kicking. Robins are happy to have specialist right-back Eros Pisano back from a hamstring injury while teenager Lloyd Kelly has deputised well in place of Bryan at left-back. Bailey Wright and Nathan Baker are solid centre-halves. “The midfield has been ponderous and is not getting enough to our front two.” Smith and Pack provide solidity in central midfield but fans have seen less of their incisive passing lately. Josh Brownhill and especially Jamie Paterson carry a greater threat playing centrally in their natural playmaking roles. “We look really tired”, “Our movement has not been good enough since Christmas, hence being forced into making too many backward passes. So much back passing and playing across the backline puts us under pressure. Our midfielders regularly struggle to unlock defences nowadays.” The lack of width was an issue at Burton. “The final ball was appalling all match. We have failed to find a red shirt”, “This is Bristol City. If we do get a winger by accident such as Albert Adomah we sell them. We don’t like wingers and even narrowed our pitch this season to underline the message.” Johnson is not short of attacking options. Bobby Reid has blossomed moving from a playmaker to a striking role and his energy closing down defenders is vital to the style of play. Famara Diedhiou is a more athletic striker and a capable finisher while Milan Djuric offers an aerial threat from crosses. FieldingPisanoWrightBakerKellySmithPackBrownhillPatersonKentReid
“Let’s get back to what worked earlier in the season against Ipswich on Saturday.” This popular line-up was suggested earlier this week. Paterson and Reid combined well as a mobile front pair earlier in the season. Many would welcome the width added by winger Ryan Kent and the overlapping Pisano. “Our best form this season has been with no outright striker. We had five in midfield, worked hard to close opponents down and were fast on the break. We did it well, making it difficult for the other side to create anything. We were quick, incisive and the movement was great but we have lost that.” Burton 0 — 0 Bristol City“Poor, very poor”, “A pathetic result all things considered, it sums up our play since Christmas”, “No excuses this time, that is a terrible result”, “That was as inept as you can get, very poor. We couldn’t put more than two passes together. The team looked shapeless, clueless and as bad as last season.” “Sorry to say but this is awful.” Burton picked up a vital point in their quest for survival playing out a second scoreless draw of the season against a tepid City side. “There was too much faffing around at the back and between the midfielders, and we ran out of ideas in and around the opposition area.” “We are way too slow in midfield, we have to move faster”, “Where has all the high-pressing tempo and neat passing gone? We are tired, worn out or worked out”, “Johnson has tried to match physical teams for presence, but we need movement and energy against teams like this. He hasn’t learned.” Preston 2 — 1 Bristol City“Ah, football. No better way to ruin your Tuesday evening”, “Forget about the play-offs, that was a reality check tonight. It was an awful performance, shambolic at the back and easily dominated in midfield”, “That’s a damaging result all round tonight. We just gifted Preston both of their goals.” Alan Browne put the Lilywhites ahead on 20 after a mix-up between Fielding and centre-back Hordur Magnusson. Diedhiou levelled for City on 67 minutes but substitute Sean Maguire restored Preston’s lead two minutes later. A stoppage time off-the-ball incident led to the dismissal of Aden Flint. “We seemed to get outfought and outmuscled all over the pitch. We looked rattled and played panic football”, “Preston as always were a solid, hardworking, well-organised team, not an overly attacking one but with lots of technically good players who simply knew their system well and played to that.” FieldingWrightFlintMagnussonBryanBrownhillSmithPackPatersonReidDiedhiou
“The more I look at Flint’s sending off the angrier I get.” The starting XI (above) has a changed backline with the error-prone Hordur Magnusson partnering Flint. Baker and Pisano weren’t fully match fit while Joe Bryan also picked up a two-game ban after receiving his 10th caution of the season.” Bristol City 4 — 0 Sheffield Wednesday“Well played boys, that was our Bristol City again”, “If we ever needed a good win underpinned by a decent display, today was it”, “The first half was the best 45 minutes of 2018 and our movement in front of their back four was superb”, “We won’t play poorer opponents for the rest of the season.” “Get in, me babbers!” The Robins romped home to the easiest of wins against a poor Owls side courtesy of a Bobby Reid hat-trick with first-half goals on 13 and 35 minutes and second-half penalty on 65. Josh Brownhill’s finish on 43 gave the hosts an unassailable three-goal cushion at the interval. Robins note how the Owls allowed to them play the attractive high-tempo football which brought them success earlier in the season. “The midfield and Reid were brilliant. We were interchanging positions constantly which made it difficult for the Wednesday players to know who to pick up.” FieldingPisanoFlintMagnussonBryanBrownhillSmithPackPatersonReidDiedhiou
“Pisano’s back, get in!” The manager was forced to rejig his backline (above) due to injuries to Baker and Wright, but the return of Pisano for a first start since October was warmly welcomed. “Johnson got his tactics and team selections correct and he made substitutions that were timely and sensible.” Goalkeepers and Defenders“Frank Fielding is a truly brilliant shot stopper.” The 29-year-old former Derby man “is a great keeper in the Championship and we are lucky to have him as our number one. Yes, he has weaknesses in his game but far more strengths”, “He’s a decent keeper whose kicking is not the best part of his game.”  Frank Fielding“Fielding has unbelievable reflexes but he gives me palpitations with his indecision at times. If only he could stop kicking the ball out from goalkicks”, “It’s a consistently poor part of his game”, “My eight-year-old godson noticed his awful kicking and asked why he simply didn’t roll the ball out.” “Eros Pisano restores balance to our attacking and defending at right-back.” The 30-year-old July signing from Verona “is good on the ball and pushes forward more than Bailey Wright does”, “It will take him a few weeks to get match fit after his hamstring injury but it’s great to have him back.” “If we want to be tighter defensively Wright should start, but if we want to play more expansively it should be Pisano”, “It feels more balanced with Eros playing and he’s better at passing and running forward and at playing the ball”, “He’s not afraid to take a cynical Italian yellow card for the team.” “I prefer to see Bailey Wright slotting in at centre-half.” The 25-year-old ex-Preston man “is an out and out defender and you get the feeling he doesn’t want to leave home defensively when playing at right-back”, “He isn’t special as a footballer and he can struggle with anything played to his left side.” “Wright’s passing isn’t the best and he isn’t going to bomb forward but he has been solid and this is his job ultimately”, “His poor positioning means that he can’t keep his hands away from opponents’ shirts. He is on the back foot due to his lack of pace and starts pulling and climbing over attackers.” “Lloyd Kelly is comfortable on the ball.” The 19-year-old youth product “did the basics of defending and simple passes well at Burton but he didn’t add much going forward from left-back in the way Pisano did on the right”, “He looks laid back on the ball but when defending he springs quickly into action.”  Tom Cleverley (Watford) v Lloyd Kelly“We do not have a natural left-back at the club and Kelly is the nearest we have”, “He a lovely touch and is a good passer. His movement is also pitch perfect”, “He’s still learning to link up correctly with the midfield, but he’s defensively alert, positionally strong and capable of putting in a decent cross.” “Hordur Magnusson’s errors cost us again and again. He’s just not up to it.” The 25-year-old Iceland international “has a real tendency to switch off and get lazy on the ball. I haven’t seen a defender for a long time that makes such horrendous mistakes”, “He needs babysitting with his nervy moments.” “I panic every time Magnusson has the ball in our final third”, “He is a cult hero rather than an actual hero. He’s good on Twitter, an unusual nationality, came from Juventus and has a good throw-in and his own song. Take all that away and I’m not sure what you are left with”, “He’s a constant liability.” Nathan Baker“Without Baker we are still very fragile at the back.” The 26-year-old ex-Aston Villa man “defensively is excellent. He does everything he’s required to do and does it consistently well”, “You can’t ask for more from a central defender. He’s great in the air, good on the deck and he really loves a tackle.”  Tom Lawrence v Nathan Baker (Aston Villa)“Have it!”, “Baker sees no shame in belting the ball out of the stadium if it dares to go past him”, “It is funny how our defenders get pulled out of position when he isn’t playing”, “He is reckless at times but he’s a solid reliable defender who gives his all in every game and is simply never found wanting.” Central Midfielders“I like how Liam Walsh can change the direction of play.” The 20-year-old former Everton youth player arrived in January and has made several bench appearances recently. “He has spells where he looks off the pace and gives the ball away, but that’s understandable given that he has just arrived.” “I really like Walsh’s ability. He’s clever and agile with a great passing range”, “He looks like a natural footballer but he also has a nasty bite tackle that reminds me of Joey Barton”, “He has great vision and shows for the ball. It looks like he will start to flourish when he starts finding pockets of space.” “Marlon Pack sits deeper in midfield and doesn’t move around, but his positioning is second to none in the team.” The 26-year-old ex-Cheltenham man “is a fantastic player, a vital cog who gets hold of the ball and keeps it. He wins the ball and finds a red shirt and he does that very consistently.”  Marlon Pack“Pack is the team’s metronome”, “His work off the ball is great, but the main problem with his game is the time he needs to think when he’s on the ball”, “His lack of pace has been a problem in a two-man midfield. Burton spotted that he dictated the play and hassled him every time he had the ball.” Korey Smith“Smith is a terrier, a natural quick-thinking ball player who harasses and forces the ball out into wide areas or sticks to his man.” The 27-year-old one-time Canary “sets the tone and is the organiser, he’s tenacious with a good engine and he’s quick over the first 10 yards. He reads the game brilliantly.”  Aron Gunnarsson v Korey Smith“The only thing holding Smith back is his first touch”, “He isn’t about pure strength or winning aerial battles but reads the game well and makes good interceptions. He’s not ambitious with his passing but gets his passes off quickly”, “He’s good in tight spaces and he often comes away with the ball.” Wide Midfielders and Wingers“Ryan Kent is the new less effective version of Luke Freeman.” The 21-year-old arrived in January on loan from Liverpool. “He is inconsistent but unplayable when he’s in the mood. His technical skill and movement are unbelievable but he must work on his final ball and the defensive side of the game.” “The phrase ‘poor from Kent’ seems as common as ‘mistake by Magnusson’”, “He tries to beat one player yet again and gets dispossessed yet again”, “He is clearly giving his all but lacks the experience to take the right options at times”, “He looks good on the ball, but what does he actually achieve?” “Niclas Eliasson has a better end product than Kent.” The 22-year-old August buy from Norrkoping “has pace which scares defenders and he seems to be comfortable taking on the full-backs on either side”, “I think he just needs time to acclimatise. He’s highly rated at the club but he isn’t ready yet.” “Josh Brownhill is all energy and very good at quick short passes. He has a good shot on him and a bit of pace too.” The 22-year-old former Preston central midfielder has played regularly on the right flank lately. “A a brilliant technician who is key to our quick transitions between defence and attack,” “Brownhill holds the ball well and is very creative getting past opponents, he’s a key player in many of our attacks”, “He does his best work on the ball and works well on the right wing with a full-back that can overlap”, “His ball control and agility are really exciting to see in someone who is so young.” Jamie Paterson“I can’t get my head around how Paterson has kept his place given his shocking form over the past two months.” The 26-year-old former Nottingham Forest man “takes lightweight to a new level, he must be a defender’s dream to mark”, “He’s not a player to have in the trenches in a physical game.”  Jamie Paterson celebrates for Forest“Paterson is at his best playing centrally behind Bobby Reid. He always looks sharp in the free role with his lovely instinctive passes”, “We needed him operating 20 yards further up the pitch away at Burton, not stuck halfway back in his own half”, “When he stays out wide he’s not the same player.” Strikers“Milan Djuric is much more effective from the bench. He gives us a different option.” The 27-year-old Bosnia international “wins basically every ball in the air that comes to him”, “He’s an absolute beast in the air and never seems to tire. He intimidates defenders with his presence and physicality.” “Djuric can hold the ball higher up the pitch to give some respite to our defenders”, “An aggressive physical striker who gives us the alternative of going direct when required”, “He’s an asset if we can get down the wing, but lumping balls up to him is no good unless he has someone playing off him.” “As a supporter who likes to give a player time, Lois Diony has to be the worst striker I have seen in a City shirt.” The 25-year-old arrived in January on loan from St Etienne. “There may be an issue with his confidence but he is frankly woeful”, “I struggle to believe that he is a professional footballer.” “Diony isn’t up to the pace of physicality of the division. When he gets the ball he loses it straight away”, “I suspect he needs through balls to run on to rather than playing with his back to goal”, “He likes to play off the shoulder of the last defender, so coming deep is not really his natural game.” Bobby Reid“Bobby Reid is a hero”, “You spider-haired beauty!” The 25-year-old youth product “is on fire. He makes a fantastic false number nine and is getting better behind Diedhiou, where he can get a bit of space to play one-twos making it look so easy”, “He works his stocks off and his finishing is sublime.”  Bobby Reid v Luke Chambers“Our defence suffers when Reid is not on the pitch. He is a focus for beginning our high-pressing game and makes sure the opposition has no space in midfield”, “His goals have been incredible, his trickery and ball control are exceptional and his stamina sets him apart. He’s so graceful and agile.” Famara Diedhiou“Famara scores, often.” The 25-year-old summer signing from Angers “plays on the ground as well as he can in the air. Some of his hold-up play is superb and he can pass and lay off the ball brilliantly”, “He works hard battering centre-halves but he tires and should be taken off around the hour mark.”  Famara Diedhiou“For all Diedhiou’s clumsiness he has a knack of scoring goals”, “He is not always easy on the eye and can look clumsy with a poor touch, but there are times when he can hold off his man, control and spin, and lay the ball off with either foot. His goal output is very good, he makes the keeper work.” Robins’ Views on ITFC and the Game“Next up are Ipswich who are in worse form over their last three games”, “If we don’t beat Ipswich I fear that is our play-off hopes gone”, “I know other results can go in our favour but if we can't beat the likes of Ipswich at home to add to our awful run then what hope do we realistically have?” “We will not go up and don't deserve to go up not being unable to beat the poorer or average teams in the Championship such as Ipswich.” Robins don’t run prediction leagues but the wide consensus is that they really should be beating a team at our perceived level if they are to make the top six. “We could have done with Ipswich beating Hull to make them think they have a chance of play-offs so that they would go for the win on Saturday rather than sit back too much like most of the teams we struggle against”, “We really need to go for it now at home. Draws are as good as a defeat.” “With Mick McCarthy at the helm, anything is possible”, “Mick knows what type of players he wants and they don’t cost large amounts. His objective is to have hard-working players first and foremost expecting that the talent will come through with the hard work but it’s clearly not as simple as that.” “I just hope the club can get us in the right shape for next season or do we accept being a team like Ipswich and sit comfortably in the Championship for many years to come”, “They seem to have the remnants of a ‘big club’ image but seem to be happy to coast mid-table in the Championship.” “Ipswich finished last season on 55 points and they have already got 52 points this season. Assuming they will pick up more between now and May, how is that not moving forward?” A number of Robins picked up on the negative chanting at Tuesday night’s Hull game. “God, how awful do Ipswich look?” There was also some discussion about last month’s East Anglian derby. “You have got to feel for Ipswich there. They hadn't beaten Norwich for about a decade and it was taken away from them. Imagine how we would have felt if the Gas scored a last-gasp equaliser.” “Every time I watch this game it’s awful, the worst derby in the world. Feisty tackles every now and then but atmosphere wise is shocking. It’s hardly an entertaining watch either with both teams set up being hard to beat each time they play each other.” “One interesting fact just mentioned. In the five years Mick McCarthy has been manager he has spent approximately £3 million in transfer fees but has recouped approximately £14 million in sales. It shows the tight budget he’s operating with but he still keeps Ipswich on the fringe of the play-offs.” WebsitesThe busiest Robins’ forum is the well-informed and friendly OTIB.
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