Frustrated Bristol City manager Liam Manning felt his game plan worked 90 per cent of his side’s 3-2 defeat to the Blues at Portman Road but was left bemoaning conceding soft goals.

Manning, a former Town academy midfielder and coach, felt that having got their noses in front twice his team, who have now lost their last four, ought to have got something from the match.

“The immediate bit is that you have to come away with something, ultimately,” he reflected.

“I thought the game plan worked in terms of frustrating them and controlling space where we wanted to, for probably 90 per cent of the game.

“We obviously did a terrific job to go ahead. I think what you then get is key bits of momentum in the game; one up, Nahki [Wells]’s chance [which hit the post], we had a couple of other half-chances which, if you go two up, I think it changes the emotional state of the lads.

“And then they then make the four changes and it shifts back. Just too emotional, I think, and that ultimately cost us in the end.”

Manning thought the game became too stretched after Town’s match-winning quadruple substitution just after the hour mark with Wes Burns, Ali Al-Hamadi, Jack Taylor and Jeremy Sarmiento all making an impression.

“Definitely,” he said. “I think that comes down to the focus side because we get too emotional and we get caught up in the game a little bit. We end up switching off and not doing what we need to.

“When you’re playing against a strong side like them with the attacking threats they’ve got, you switch off and you get punished. Ultimately that was it, we disconnected and we were just far too stretched.”

Asked about the Robins’ dressing room afterwards, the former MK Dons and Oxford manager added: “A lot of angry, annoyed, unhappy people. It’s tough, right? I thought there were so many positives and I’ve not been able to say that after the last couple of games, whereas actually the performance level tonight I thought was very good for 90 per cent of it, which I know going forward, if that’s the level we hit, we’ll win games.

“The chances we created, the goals we scored, we just have to cut out giving away soft goals.”

Regarding the positives of the display from his team’s perspective, he said: “It was slightly different [to previous approaches]. Happy to concede a bit of possession, try and control space, slightly different without the ball.

“Then I think that has a knock-on effect where spaces on the pitch, rather than them being low and us having to break it down, there was more space on the back of them.

“And that was the plan, to try and counter and I thought even at the weekend in the first half [of the 1-0 defeat at Cardiff], some of the the threats were from counter-attacks.

“It was to try and exploit that and I thought, especially in the second half, there were a couple of times when we got into really good areas.

“We had a spell where we controlled the ball in the attacking half for a little bit. I think there were so many positives to take that we’ve not been about to speak about at late.”

Regarding conceding soft goals, he added: “We have to change that, we have to have a clean sheet mentality, we have to work harder.

“And, to be fair, for so many games were outstanding at defending our box. I thought we did a terrific job of it.

“Whereas, I think it’s just minor things, just not controlling space in behind us, which is a principle we’ll always have that we have to own the depth and contest in front.

“When you look at the first goal, the set piece [for Town’s second] is frustrating, they overloaded the front and we didn’t move our line. And then just basics again on the third one from us.

“Before Wes Burns came on, I thought we did a terrific job of it. It’s all about your positional play, but with the speed those guys move at, if you switch off for half a second, it’s two or three metres.

“What you can’t do is get your body shape wrong or not scan, not check, not be aware. Especially when you knew the second that Wes Burns came on it was about trying to get in behind us and, to be fair, we didn’t deal with it.”

Photo: TWTD

NthQldITFC added 10:09 - Mar 6 I hope they listen to Liam and give him plenty of time there to develop. He got his players to execute a new and clever and sensible plan which nearly worked against us, and he talks openly about what he's doing in his interviews. Remind you of anyone? Great young manager.
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ArnieM added 10:13 - Mar 6 Ill say Bristol did a fantastic job of applying a middle of the park bloc on us . It worked. We really struggled to find a way through , and they looked to hit us very intermittently on the break : The usual result ensuing. Defence is an equal part of the game , and Bristol's approach whilst it could be said to be a negative one "thou shall not pass", you have to acknowledge what a good job they did. But our Team's endeavor and never say die approach is what gets us over the line, time and time again. What a performance form the whole squad and what scenes when that 3rd goal went in. COYBs

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BurleysGloryDays added 10:15 - Mar 6 Clearly if he can get his dressing room mentality right he’s a great manager. Kieran is a mentality monster.
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Bert added 10:18 - Mar 6 Apart from their time wasting and niggky fouls, they certainly executed what their excellent manager asked of them.
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Europablue added 11:15 - Mar 6 It always makes me laugh when managers mention the soft goals that they let in but ignore the soft goals they score. Their first goal looks like it starts from a foul (on Harness I think) then an easily saveable shot gets a nasty deflection. Their second goal was well worked, but poorly defended the cross was put in without much pressure and the scorer finishes with an excellent header, but he was unchallenged. Bristol City played really well against us and they look like they will be a very good team next year, probably competing for the playoffs. We weren't good enough when KM first came in to mount a playoff chase, but once he had a whole preseason you could tell the difference.

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Dennyx4 added 11:42 - Mar 6 The high line Bristol played was always vulnerable to pace in behind, we just didn’t exploit it until Burns came on. Hirst would have got in behind if fit, which is why we need Burns with Kieffer up top, gives us the different options of play that we need.
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monty_radio added 12:15 - Mar 6 It seems that every goal we score is now a soft goal, unless it's an undeniable worldie - and even then I wouldn't bank on getting the complete credit.
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WeWereZombies added 13:19 - Mar 6 Saying they had control of the game for ninety percent reminds me a bit of that Steve Coogan sketch where the swimming pool manager is interviewed about a drowning and complains about that being the year everyone focuses on and they ignore the other ninety percent of years when no one drowned...
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Bazza8564 added 17:55 - Mar 6 Respectfully WWZ he didnt say they controlled the game he said the game plan worked for 90% of the time, which is a fair reflection. He also said when Wes came on it changed the game, also trues, and that they failed to shift their line to an overload on the front post on the set play. Sorry thats not being soft thats fact. I quite enjoy listening to other managers' comments, it shows how sides respect us and try to shut us down. Thats because we are a damned good side and is a complement. I thought BC did well, we are frankly better overall and ended up getting the three points but fair play to them we had to work hard for it

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bobble added 20:08 - Mar 6 its a 100% game..
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SussexTractor added 20:12 - Mar 6 A fair appraisal.
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blueboy1981 added 20:33 - Mar 6 Liam Manning proved what a good Young Manager he is, he and his Team were extremely close to leaving Portman Road with at least a point. Bristol need to have faith in his ability, he undoubtedly has.
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backwaywhen added 10:58 - Mar 7 A very good young manager that knows his onions , had MK Dons on the verge until they sold his star plays , then took Oxford to the top of the table before being poached by Brizzle , wouldn’t mind seeing him with us at some stage in the future …….top man .
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Pilgrimblue added 11:15 - Mar 7 If we ever lost KMc I’d have him on our short list, top bloke.
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