Worst opening day?

[Bradfordblade]

Got to be up there? I have a similar feeling to the one I had after Adkins' first game - 0 - 4 at Gillingham. I was shocked by that result and performance and quickly became alarmed at Adkins' incompetence and the bullshit he spouted. I hope Selles isn't going to be a repeat. The only difference is that today's debacle was sadly not quite as much of a shock. With the failure to bring in signings to strengrhen in defence and defensive midfield I feared something like this might happen, especially when I saw RND was starting the game. Yet again we are starting a season unprepared and undercooked. You cannot wait until the end of the transfer window to get your squad together.

 

[Plymouthblade]

No

 

[ckpe147]

Be careful you might be called a bedwetter for saying what is clear to us all!

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

It's definitely up there.

Off the top of my head I'm struggling to remember us losing the first game of the season by more than one goal at home outside of the Premier League.

 

[Blades98]

Gillingham was way worse, we got totally bullied all game that day and there were no positives to be taken. Today you saw bits of encouragement. With a competent CB instead of RND we probably win it today. Crystal Palace was also probably more depressing aswell cause we looked absolutely out of depth and you knew we were in a rough time when your starting with Basham and Osborn in CM in the premier league.

The attacking play, especially first half was up there with anything we saw last season, sadly the defending was the worse then anything we saw last season. Unsurprising when the shadow of RND is at CB

 

[Bradfordblade]

Agreed that there was some encouraging attacking play today but the way Bristol City picked us off and got through us with ease was very alarming. I don't think the problem was just RND. The whole set up of the team was naive. I have listened to Selles' post match interview and I am not reassured. Of course, he cannot be judged on one game. I hope he succeeds and he needs to be backed by the board NOW! I think what is so depressing this time is that it is blindingly obvious where we need to recruit and it has not happened in time for the start of the season

 

[peakblade]

Gillingham was way worse, we got totally bullied all game that day and there were no positives to be taken. Today you saw bits of encouragement. With a competent CB instead of RND we probably win it today. Crystal Palace was also probably more depressing aswell cause we looked absolutely out of depth and you knew we were in a rough time when your starting with Basham and Osborn in CM in the premier league.

The attacking play, especially first half was up there with anything we saw last season, sadly the defending was the worse then anything we saw last season. Unsurprising when the shadow of RND is at CB

Complete rubbish , its a team game and replacing just one player would not have made that much difference as city would have then
targeted one of the other three " defenders " and still run riot . A complete fresh back four is required here

 

[bruce]

Worst opening day? Well, I did feel more despondent after the 2-2 home draw with Hereford in 1981.

 

[programmechap]

It's definitely up there.

Off the top of my head I'm struggling to remember us losing the first game of the season by more than one goal at home outside of the Premier League.

Only other time we have had a first game at home outside the top division and lost by more than one goal was 1950. 3-0 v Blackburn.

We lost our first home game v Tranmere in 1995 2-0 and 3-0 v QPR in 2010 but those were our second games overall.

Other than that we've never a lost a first one home game outside the top division by more than one.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Only other time we have had a first game at home outside the top division and lost by more than one goal was 1950. 3-0 v Blackburn.

We lost our first home game v Tranmere in 1995 2-0 and 3-0 v QPR in 2010 but those were our second games overall.

Other than that we've never a lost a first one home game outside the top division by more than one.

That's quite surprising.

It really is one of our worst opening days ever then.

 

[Bradfordblade]

I remember that Hereford result! I was abroad at the time and didn't find out about the result until the following day. Rest of the season turned out OK though so there is hope!!

 

[programmechap]

That's quite surprising.

It really is one of our worst opening days ever then.

Even in the top division losing the first home game by more than 1 is quite rare. Post war we've had

1954 Everton 2-5
1967 Forest 1-3
1973 Burnley 0-2
1990 Liverpool 1-3
2020 Wolves 0-2

 

[Blades98]

Complete rubbish , its a team game and replacing just one player would not have made that much difference as city would have then
targeted one of the other three " defenders " and still run riot . A complete fresh back four is required here

Yep it's definitely complete rubbish to say if the guy who was directly at fault + gave the ball away for two goals (3rd and 4th) which killed off the game wasn't playing the result might have been different. What a crazy suggestion that is.

You're right it is a team game but youu can't carry passengers.

 

[bruce]

That's quite surprising.

It really is one of our worst opening days ever then.

In terms of the actual score. Yes.
But I would put the 2-2 draw at home to Hereford in 1981 right up there with regard to how much despair I felt afterwards.
We were in the fourth division and had been on what looked like a never ending slide for 6 years, getting relegated 3 times in 6 seasons. We really did feel we needed a good start. And at first it looked like we were going to get one. 2-0 up after about 5 minutes and looking rampant. Then, in the second half all the frailties of the previous seasons seemed to kick in and we ended up drawing 2-2.
I felt more despondent leaving the ground on that day than I did after we had lost to Walsall 3 months or so earlier. And certainly more despondent than today. There just appeared to be not hope. We were in the fourth division and couldn't beat a pretty poor Hereford side at home on the opening day when the home crowd was well up for it. And I mean no disrespect to Hereford. They had a terrible start to the game and early on we looked like we would run up a cricket score. But somehow they got back in it and after equalising looked as likely to get a winner as us.
I left the ground thinking there really was no hope left.

 

[Rudders]

So this close season the board has:

• sacked a successful manager who got 92 points
• appointed an inexperienced first team coach/manager
• arranged a succession of mainly unimpressive or un challenging pre-season friendlies
• sold our best/key players
• not replaced our best/key players
• slowly arranged some loan signings and some AI ones but left huge gaps in the squad
• further reduced the athleticism in the squad
• left it very late in the window to try and sort out an almost complete team re-build.

Great start, almost every decision they have taken they have got wrong. No wonder we got battered today. They’ve cocked it basically and probably for the season. Well done team COH sports! Well done Ruben!!

 

[Slim Man]

. With a competent CB instead of RND we probably win it today.

Whilst I'm anything but Anti-Selles... boy is that a reach. 3 goal margin.

 

[Bradfordblade]

Difficult to argue with that Rudders, except I think most of the pre - season friendlies had already been arranged by the time Selles came in

 

[Andy67]

Give that man a cigar

 

[Andy67]

So this close season the board has:

• sacked a successful manager who got 92 points
• appointed an inexperienced first team coach/manager
• arranged a succession of mainly unimpressive or un challenging pre-season friendlies
• sold our best/key players
• not replaced our best/key players
• slowly arranged some loan signings and some AI ones but left huge gaps in the squad
• further reduced the athleticism in the squad
• left it very late in the window to try and sort out an almost complete team re-build.

Great start, almost every decision they have taken they have got wrong. No wonder we got battered today. They’ve cocked it basically and probably for the season. Well done team COH sports! Well done Ruben!!

Give that man a cigar

 

[Bladesman]

Difficult to argue with that Rudders, except I think most of the pre - season friendlies had already been arranged by the time Selles came in

A very Wilder pre-season fixture list.

 

[Harry's Game]

Gillingham away is up there.. but this was on live TV… . So yes this was the worst.

 

[Rudders]

Difficult to argue with that Rudders, except I think most of the pre - season friendlies had already been arranged by the time Selles came in

A very Wilder pre-season fixture list.

It’s probably not a massive one this but I think it probably lulled Selles/whoever decides about transfers into thinking our defence was going to be okay.
Maybe losing by 4 or 5 in the first friendly against decent opposition might have woken the owners up to the need to invest in the team a bit earlier in the window.

 

[Blades98]

Whilst I'm anything but Anti-Selles... boy is that a reach. 3 goal margin.

Dont think it's that mental? 2 of those 3 down to him giving ball away when he was under no pressure to do so? Those goals killed off the game as contest and any chance of us getting back into it which looked a real possibly until we gifted them a 3rd and 4th.

 

[bruce]

Dont think it's that mental? 2 of those 3 down to him giving ball away when he was under no pressure to do so? Those goals killed off the game as contest and any chance of us getting back into it which looked a real possibly until we gifted them a 3rd and 4th.

Bristol City deserved the win. No complaint.
But it was one of those games where the result didn't really reflect the overall balance between the two teams. Bristol City deserved their win, but not by the 4-1 margin.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

I’ve always found it bizarre that a league table is actually compiled after one game. But when our beleaguered neighbours inevitably join us at bottom of this hastily put together list, it’s important to remember…one team is getting paid and the other one isn’t.
United chucked in the towel today, and that’s unforgivable for me at Bramall Lane.

 

[Railway Blade]

.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Last 3 promotions have started with opening day defeats.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Bristol City deserved the win. No complaint.
But it was one of those games where the result didn't really reflect the overall balance between the two teams. Bristol City deserved their win, but not by the 4-1 margin.

It's hard to contradict Blades98 as it's a fact that RND was directly involved in two of their goals. I don't think anybody would argue that we'd improve with a top quality Champ CB instead of RND.

What I'd say is that they had many excellent counterattacking chances aside from the goal, that another day a team capitalises on, and that, bar a ten minute spell first half,we had zero control of the game.
Looking at that performance, repeating it and extrapolating over a season we look like a win one, lose one draw one team to me. A huge amount of work needs doing on what we do when the ball turns over.

 

[ckpe147]

Im hoping that activity in the market starts ramping up now.. it feels like we're now in the same position as them lot now who cant spend transfer fees! Clear to see that COH would have invested in the playing staff had we got promoted, but now trying their best to protect the value of their asset by selling Vini and Anel, and not spending too much on transfer fees!
Just hope that we dont make the wrong decisions in the market, hopefully this Korean at RB is of a high standard, as Callum Brittain was available at 3m..

 

[Jan Age]

I said to my lad when the team was put out that it was too attacking and no balance and so it proved.

First half I thought it was pretty decent and entertaining when Bristol allowed us on the front foot by sitting deeper.

Second half once they broke our high press with more direct balls it was like the parting of the Red Sea.

RND should not be on the pitch , we need a destroyer in midfield (pecks not up to it on his own)

And Cooper needs to demand more and be more vocal.

Oh and please don’t start throwing on more attackers in the vein attempt to get more goals I hate that we just got worse.

In the end it all just looked messy and disjointed.

But I think it looked good for 45 minutes.

He’s got 10 games playing like that though and then he’s gone if if didn’t improve.