Bristol City (a): Score Predictions, Starting XI & Match Thread

Mereo said:
No point letting the facts get in the way of the self adulation, he was probably getting confused with the budget table. The incredible thing about that stat is that Kennedy had us in the top ten!
Click to expand...

He hadn't. We were 16th after the Burton game which was his last in charge. There was quite a few weeks gap during which Tom Shaw had guided us upwards
 
I do not begrudge Skubala anything. Just the club he went to, as when I lived down that way, I veered towards Rovers, not City
 
Brizzle will be wanting to get back on track after losing at the weekend but we are definitely a tough nut to crack. Not sure we'll have that many changes to start with - maybe start Draper unless we see him and the big lad as a future partnership and coming on later in the game? I'd certainly like Ivan to start and Coubis. Saying that though I can only see it as a draw at 2-2 which will be a better result for us than Brizzle. Imps 4ever
 
The Robins were on a three match winning run and easily the better side early doors at Saints even with Larin getting both their goals before Tolaj scored on Saturday so it’s going to be mega tough tonight. We need to keep an eye on Cardines (and Twine/Ballard) too as he has assisted in something like 5 games on the trot?

A point would be very good, those predictions of an Imps win are unlikely IMO. I would be very happy to get messages on here around 9.45 onwards tonight saying why I ever doubted us! 🤔
 
gijsbert_bos said:
It still smarts a bit that he left us and didn't fancy his chances with us at this level, even for a season. I think we've already shown we can be competitive. And don't ignore the fact that we have done it with largely the same players as last year. In fact, you could argue we have put out weaker sides than last year on many occasions - no Moylan, and Sonny and Tendayi injured for a number of the games.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find his reasons for leaving us was just because he was offered a better opportunity than he was already working in.

He left because because of the financial
package Bristol City offered him along with the the lure of an established Championship club with a nice stadium, large fan base and good facilities.

I don't know why people get so attached to coaches, the actual gushing over them from some people is actually quite nausiating, they are doing what they are paid to do. If they do the job well, brilliant, well done to them and it's great for us fans. If they don't, then expect criticism, that's the name of the game.

Skubala got it right....eventually and deserved his move and the financial security that will bring him and his family.

I would never boo him, it's disrespectful for someone who has brought the club to a level most of us thought we would never see.

It's now up to the next two incumbents in the hot seat(s) to build on that but they are just the next in line in a very long line of those who have gone before them.

Eventually they will also go and generally speaking it will be for one of two reasons, that they have done a good job or they have done a bad job....it's the same in any walk of life.

Don't get to attached, it's their day job, their career, they know of all eventualities and they know what circumstances will lead them to keeping their job or losing it.

Let's hope though that they are here for a very long time.
 
Will be interesting to see how the teams set up tactically.
The stats for Bristol City's last match away to Southampton was 56-44 % possession to Southampton but 10 shots v 21 shots in Bristol City's favour, even though it ended 4-1 to Southampton.
So I'm assuming Skubala is still playing the same way, tactics wise at Bristol City. If so, are we both going to be playing the same low possession and hit them on the break tactics? Who will have the most possession and will having the most possession mean they are having to play a different tactic? Has this ever happened before?
 
Croozey said:
Will be interesting to see how the teams set up tactically.
The stats for Bristol City's last match away to Southampton was 56-44 % possession to Southampton but 10 shots v 21 shots in Bristol City's favour, even though it ended 4-1 to Southampton.
So I'm assuming Skubala is still playing the same way, tactics wise at Bristol City. If so, are we both going to be playing the same low possession and hit them on the break tactics? Who will have the most possession and will having the most possession mean they are having to play a different tactic? Has this ever happened before?
Click to expand...

As you say, it will be very interesting tonight.

If both teams have their usual 30% possession, the ref is going to be seeing a lot of the ball!
 
Bristol City have goals in them, we are very good at not letting teams score. A classic irresistible force v immovable object.

Two areas of interest I will be watching (by no means the definitive key drivers): Ballard is a slippy on the move striker inside the box, and even with our very good defence at SB last season, he was still able to find really dangerous pockets of space and exploit them. We will need to keep a close eye on him.

Secondly I feel we need to find a way of getting up the pitch more efficiently to impose our 'chaos' game. It is noteworthy that the coaches made a point of explaining we were more deliberate in our build up (probably to help with ball retention and building ground) at Preston, but I wouldn't say we imposed our game (was it 17 corners we had to defend). That is a work in process, to get the balance between being very direct and turning the ball over too much, and a more considered approach which reduces some of our ability to disrupt.
 
Last edited:
Snats said:
I think we're still in that post-divorce period with Skubala where there's a lot of bitterness about him leaving at a high point for the club. I remember the same when the Cowleys left, but now time has passed and they are rightly remembered for their achievements. I hope the same will happen with Skubala in time. I wish him success at Bristol City, a club I've always liked, but hopefully we can get one over them tonight.
Click to expand...
I think this is a really smart post Snats. I was devastated when the Cowleys left and they will always be remembered at the start of our transformation as a club. When Skoobs left I was annoyed (and the club seemed to be too) by the way he left so quickly.

However, he was the guy that got us back into the 2nd tier which for me has been a lifetime ambition. I look at it like this….

When Skoobs joined and if he had said‘ look I’ll get you guys into the Championship and then move on somewhere else, ok?‘

We would have all said, ’Absolutely, that’s a deal’

I think he was excellent at getting all parts of the club moving in the right direction together. He may not have been the tactical brains but no-one can deny he was the boss when we had our greatest ever season. For that he deserves our thanks and respect.

Tonight is about trying to get a result against a very decent established Championship team not some imagined feud with a former employee.
Snats said:
I think we're still in that post-divorce period with Skubala where there's a lot of bitterness about him leaving at a high point for the club. I remember the same when the Cowleys left, but now time has passed and they are rightly remembered for their achievements. I hope the same will happen with Skubala in time. I wish him success at Bristol City, a club I've always liked, but hopefully we can get one over them tonight.
Click to expand...

Snats said:
I think we're still in that post-divorce period with Skubala where there's a lot of bitterness about him leaving at a high point for the club. I remember the same when the Cowleys left, but now time has passed and they are rightly remembered for their achievements. I hope the same will happen with Skubala in time. I wish him success at Bristol City, a club I've always liked, but hopefully we can get one over them tonight.
Click to expand...
 
I wasn't surprised Skubala referenced 'I' a bit in his pre-match press conference, for no other reason than we did go quite heavy on the 'Tom and Chris trained the team' when he left.

That may or may not have been true to the extent it was made out but I do understand that the Club had to sell the appointments and temper a bit of panic amongst the fanbase so I don't think there's any blame attached and I'm certainly not fussed about Skubala biting back a bit.
 
Luke Imp said:
I wasn't surprised Skubala referenced 'I' a bit in his pre-match press conference, for no other reason than we did go quite heavy on the 'Tom and Chris trained the team' when he left.

That may or may not have been true to the extent it was made out but I do understand that the Club had to sell the appointments and temper a bit of panic amongst the fanbase so I don't think there's any blame attached and I'm certainly not fussed about Skubala biting back a bit.
Click to expand...
I think anyone who has watched the youtube videos of him coaching futsal could see that Michael had every ounce the amount of coaching skills required to improve a team in the way they played...
 
Not fully confident about tonight.

Shaw is talking about an ambitious front foot approach, which might indicate we will try to play more passing football as we did on Saturday. I'm not sure that style creates enough goal attempts for us compared to the long ball box entry style we have played for a while.

I'd therefore be delighted with a draw.

Like some, I also do not understand all this resentment that comes to the surface when a manager or player moves on to a better-paid opportunity. You would do it in your personal life, so why should a footballer or manager be any different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.