Match Thread Bristol City vs Notts County

[PTID1862]

For me, one word to some up today..... Woeful

[Magpie64]

Look at this way, we are 5 points off the play-offs after 23 matches, everyone would have taken that at the start of the season.

 

We are admittedly going through a very bad patch which unless you are either Swindon, MK Dons Preston or Bristol City is going to happen to you through a season, we are not by the way having as bad a run as Peterborough United.

 

We have in Shaun Derry a manager that has supported Notts since birth so he'll be as upset at the current situation as all of us are, but more importantly he has the ability to put it right, if Shaun picked the tea boy to lead the line I'm inclined to say, he has the interests of Notts at heart he must have a reason for doing it.

 

It is clear that we are missing Spencer, that fact has been masked when we were doing well and Thompson was knocking in the goals. Some quality signings in January can make all the difference, but we are a third division club, goal scorers are like gold dust, we are not going to borrow a 20 goal a season man from someone, so we have to be a realistic.

 

  Just think where we were a year ago, most people were talking about being back in the 4th tier. We are in a position where we can still make the play-offs with the right personnel, relegation this season is not even on the agenda so we should be thankful for that, and....for the first time in seasons, Mr Trew is actually talking about money being available to buy someone...blimey, the last person we bought was Judge and I can't even think who it was before that.

 

Chins up people, get behind the team and be positive.........support them for 52 seasons and you either emotionally sink or swim.....now where's my plastic battleship and rubber duck gone!

 

U'PIESSSSSSSSSS

[PTID1862]

@Magpie64 you are right in what you are saying, does that mean we have to be happy with the fact we have just shipped four against a good side, who listening to it, didn't play well themselves

[Magpie64]

We learn from it, then we  consign it to history and we look forward and prepare for Crewe in the firm belief we are going to get three points.

 

If we don't, we are mentally on the back foot from the start.

[PTID1862]

I believe that this group... certainly the defensive unit are at that stage now!

[Northants Pie]

Did anyone actually expect to get anything today? They have a very good squad and a couple of top end championship players within their ranks so it doesn't bother me tbh.

 

Every team has a bad run, we are just on ours now

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Did anyone actually expect to get anything today? They have a very good squad and a couple of top end championship players within their ranks so it doesn't bother me tbh.

Every team has a bad run, we are just on ours now

One or two, yes.

They're better than this league but I still think we should do better. I expected to lose but those who attended must feel worse.

[Northants Pie]

One or two, yes.

They're better than this league but I still think we should do better. I expected to lose but those who attended must feel worse.

 

Unfortunately we are still playing a conference north player as our main centre half, we insist on playing the worst left back at the club at left back instead of left wing, our midfield is just too old to cope with any form of pace or movement and we are severely lacking Jimmy Spencer upfront.

 

Put that against one of the best teams in the league and the end result is??

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Unfortunately we are still playing a conference north player as our main centre half, we insist on playing the worst left back at the club at left back instead of left wing, our midfield is just too old to cope with any form of pace or movement and we are severely lacking Jimmy Spencer upfront.

Put that against one of the best teams in the league and the end result is??

Bingo? Snap? [emoji57]

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Well 3-0 now and J E T being called a World Beater for City. and @notts-joe you said he was off form? Looks like he's found it again!

Would gladly take him in Black n White.

Let's be clear, I've always rated him. Since I like Arsenal, I've always been interested in their academy and he was promising in the early days. I think he should be playing high but it's probably related to his decisions/agent why he's playing in League One.

It was the Bristol fans who had said he was playing poorly.

[weymouthPIE]

I'm not gonna sit here and say we didn't deserve to lose today, but 4-0 is far from a fair reflection of that match in my opinion.

 

We started off alright, had the games first real chance, but then we conceed a quite frankly pathetic opening goal, when not one of about 5 players makes a challenge on their lad and the ball is bundled in on the line, awful defending.

 

For the rest of the first half, again, I actually thought we played alright. We kept the ball well, they certainly were not looking like they'd go on and win comfortably. Went close a couple of times, but on the whole we really lacked that cutting edge in the final third. Garry Thompson tries hard and is a nuisance, but playing a 34 (?) year old winger up front isn't a long term solution to anything.

 

If we'd kept it to 1-0 at half time, with the way we were going we'd of had a chance of a result, but then we conceed a second awful goal. Again, not one player making a challenge and it results in a tap in. Weather or not the ball went out of play I don't know, it was certainly very marginal, but you play to the whistle - something a couple of defenders failed to do.

 

Derry made a couple of switches at half time, sticking Muray and the new boy Santos on. It was a bit of a "well what have we got to lose?" type of sub, and again, we were playing well but lacking that penetration badly. We certainly were not getting overrun, but once the third went in our heads dropped and City began to play with a bit more freedom and swagger.

 

We have the basis of a very good side, it's nothing that can't be fixed, but we desperatly need two or three reinforcements. We're lacking a creative midfielder and a winger who can actually cross a football badly. And I know we keep banging on about strikers but we need someone in who can come in and at the very least work the goalkeeper - don't think Fielding had a real save to make today. Also, set plays - we never threaten from them at all. Had plenty of corners but every single time they just drifted beyond everybody and the defender was able to play it out with relative ease.

 

Look, City are a championship outfit and will almost certainly be in that league next year, and to be fair to them they gave us a lesson in finishing today. Defensively we were pretty poor, but the difference was they took their chances when they did come. I really don't think 4-0 was a fair reflection, it most certainly was not a case of attack vs defence for 90 minutes, but we were to some extent masters of our own downfall.

 

Confidence is clearly pretty low now, and we must bounce back against Crewe next Saturday. I'm not gonna sit here and say we're gonna end up in a relegation scrap, but it's hard to ignore the fact we are slipping ever so slightly closer to that bottom bunch of sides who are fighting for their lives.

 

Need some fresh faces over the next few weeks. Permanant signings too - can't keep relying on loanees coming in as quick fixes for a couple of months if we want to build properly.  Over to you S&G

[Northants Pie]

Brilliant write up @weymouthPIE, would you have brought Wroe on? On the basis that at least he can pass a ball? Also how did Curtis Thompson do?

[weymouthPIE]

Brilliant write up @weymouthPIE, would you have brought Wroe on? On the basis that at least he can pass a ball? Also how did Curtis Thompson do?

Thought Curtis did alright, and I'm not sure about wroe - don't think I've actually seen him for myself this season. To throw him on so early when he's been out for a while may have been a risk. Thought Blair Adams was very poor today though, don't think he actually made a single challenge. Roy probably didn't have one of his better games, Smith looked off the pace, Jones had a decent game as did the new boy when he came on, just seemed that he had absolutely no support every time he got into a good position.

 

Foundation is certainly there, just needs adding to. I can see what Derry is trying to do in getting a good team of pros in, and getting rid of the bad eggs, but at the same time I think certainly at this level, he may have to accept that the players with real quality will have a bit of an attitude, for want of a better phrase - and will need looking after. Can't fault the effort or commitment, but we're getting found out now

[Dripsey3]

In a week where the ladies team bring in quite a few decent players, the men's team get one young loanee. I don't blame SD at all, he simply hasn't been given the resources to do his job. I've said it before, the women's team are clearly the priority. I can understand that when they have a chance to win leagues and play in the Champions League but the fans and SD deserve better.

[Northants Pie]

Thought Curtis did alright, and I'm not sure about wroe - don't think I've actually seen him for myself this season. To throw him on so early when he's been out for a while may have been a risk. Thought Blair Adams was very poor today though, don't think he actually made a single challenge. Roy probably didn't have one of his better games, Smith looked off the pace, Jones had a decent game as did the new boy when he came on, just seemed that he had absolutely no support every time he got into a good position.

 

Foundation is certainly there, just needs adding to. I can see what Derry is trying to do in getting a good team of pros in, and getting rid of the bad eggs, but at the same time I think certainly at this level, he may have to accept that the players with real quality will have a bit of an attitude, for want of a better phrase - and will need looking after. Can't fault the effort or commitment, but we're getting found out now

 

 

The thing is at any level effort will only get you so far and the higher up the leagues you go the less it will take you, I agree that they are going to have to accept a bit a different attitude to get past where they are now

[weymouthPIE]

In a week where the ladies team bring in quite a few decent players, the men's team get one young loanee. I don't blame SD at all, he simply hasn't been given the resources to do his job. I've said it before, the women's team are clearly the priority. I can understand that when they have a chance to win leagues and play in the Champions League but the fans and SD deserve better.

Don't really see how the ladies team signing players has any effect on us - they're a seperate club and as such have a totally seperate (and a hell of a lot smaller) budget and a different chief exec. Must remember there isn't as much competition for players in the women's league over here

[Northants Pie]

In a week where the ladies team bring in quite a few decent players, the men's team get one young loanee. I don't blame SD at all, he simply hasn't been given the resources to do his job. I've said it before, the women's team are clearly the priority. I can understand that when they have a chance to win leagues and play in the Champions League but the fans and SD deserve better.

 

I don't think it's so much that the ladies team take priority as that the big budgets have been blown by previous managers and Ray & Aileen were understandably reticent about giving that sort of money again given that they can't get it back in equity anymore due to the FFP rules

[Dripsey3]

It's not big money we are talking about though. It's about giving SD a half decent budget so he can bring a bit of quality. Of course the women's team take from the club resources as a whole as there is only so much money to go around.

When I look at the squad we have, I see League 2 written all over it. SD has performed a near miracle up to now. Wycombe who have a smaller budget than us got Marcus Bean week. A player who would walk into our team. Why don't we pick up players like this? Mr Trew says he has put 18 million into the club and I applaud him for that, it's just that I don't see where this investment has gone.

[Northants Pie]

It's not big money we are talking about though. It's about giving SD a half decent budget so he can bring a bit of quality. Of course the women's team take from the club resources as a whole as there is only so much money to go around.

When I look at the squad we have, I see League 2 written all over it. SD has performed a near miracle up to now. Wycombe who have a smaller budget than us got Marcus Bean week. A player who would walk into our team. Why don't we pick up players like this? Mr Trew says he has put 18 million into the club and I applaud him for that, it's just that I don't see where this investment has gone.

 

Whilst I agree about the SD and a decent budget it's not as easy now due to the FFP rules, we would be in the championship without a doubt if SD & GA had had the budget that n0bend Curle had.

 

With regard to the £18 million, if we look at it this way,

 

1) 11.5 million to clear existing debts when he took ownership of the club

 

2) £2 million on the ground

 

3) We were loosing money hand over fist up until this season, when he first took us into league 1 it was something like £2.5 million in that season alone

[Dripsey3]

I'm sure Mr Trew has a plan so I'll be quiet now. Besides Notts aren't good for my blood pressure

[PTID1862]

Notts have never been good for the blood pressure, but they do prove one thing... your heart is still working...

[CliftonMagpie]

I think thought the defensive set up allow them to get on top of us very early on.

If we cant attack teams, we barely defend and we cannot rely on our better players to get us out of trouble because they are not the same as the players we had last season. yes some of the last seasons player were inconsistant and to a point lazy, though their skill managed to dig them out and we miss players like jcr and liddle. possibly sheehan too.

[allardyces tash]

Derry should grow a tash, that would solve 90% of the problems.

To avoid being light on the subject, he moulded last years squad around his work ethnics and this season he introduced it to a squad with has much less ability than the one of last season. Confidence is down, though good teams respond and poor ones get swallowed.

[PTID1862]

@CliftonMagpie We do miss some of the side from last year.. but gifted or not, there is one word you rightly used... "at times LAZY"..that is both inexcusable and unacceptable..

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

@PTID1862 I do feel currently 'Derry's type of player is easy to manage, cheap and hard working.

I don't knock commitment by our lads but I do wished we had kept some of the flare, it would be interested to see where we would be now if we had managed to of kept Liddle and Sheehan. I'm not bothered about JCR because he only proved my point about him being good in order to earn a contract elsewhere and that for me is not a player I want at the club. We can debate Sheehan and we have done.

Our current squad needs a lot more quality, majority of the players are very similar which only limits Derry's tactics.

I'd love us to sign a fresh and young future Gavin Mahon. We need a defensive midfielder who can distribute well, just as much as we need a striker who can score and wingers who are tricky, fast and can cross.