Bristol City 1 United 0 - thoughts

[neverknowinglywrong]

Oh and Johnson was shite.

 

[S64 Blade]

Lundstram snuffed out a counter of theirs in the second half when we were exposed..

He's not as dynamic as Fleck but doesn't deserve such a low score, he had a decent chance and as I said, got involved defensively.

Again he's not got the chance to play his own game and everyone's shocked when he doesn't shapeshift into Fleck or Coutts.

Duffy had a bad game and gave it away consistently from trying to dribble through people instead of playing the pass.

Ref was poor.

It was Lundstram’s fault McGoldrick missed all those chances to score, when we were on top.

Joking aside, I don’t think that Lundstram will ever be a key player for us and he is quite evidently slower than Fleck. However, people seemingly laying the defeat on Lundstram is quite ridiculous. We had some excellent chances to win it and didn’t take them; none of which was Lundstram’s fault, nor was their goal.

People need to save the slating of him for when he actually does play poorly and costs us.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I agree 100%.

When I saw Lundstram name on the team sheet instead of Fleck my heart sank.

He didn’t do much wrong. He did a lot right. But he’s not Fleck and never will be. Will he ever be a regular in this team? Only if we go back to League 1 is my honest opinion.

Nothing against the lad at all. But he’s not in the same “ league” as Coutts, Fleck, Duffy or Norwood. And that’s the minimum level a player needs to be for the Championship.

 

[ken shabby]

When I saw Lundstram name on the team sheet instead of Fleck my heart sank.

me too and frankly that says it all.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

I agree 100%.

When I saw Lundstram name on the team sheet instead of Fleck my heart sank.

He didn’t do much wrong. He did a lot right. But he’s not Fleck and never will be. Will he ever be a regular in this team? Only if we go back to League 1 is my honest opinion.

Nothing against the lad at all. But he’s not in the same “ league” as Coutts, Fleck, Duffy or Norwood. And that’s the minimum level a player needs to be for the Championship.

Ditto and there's no getting away from the fact when big shit Lunny starts we lose most games (all of them this season).

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Bloody f in international break!

Gave Flecky longer to recover though sadly he didn't make it.

 

[Etchysketchy]

Thing is Lundstram is our 4/5th choice CM... ofc he’s not as good as fleck norwood coutts, maybe even bash. Can any teams but the ones spending daft money afford to have someone as good as them warming the bench?

 

[neverknowinglywrong]

My reports generally will call what I see and the subs made little impact - I want to give them a chance but they were not the signings I wanted the club to make if they are serious about going up. Maybe I am expecting more than a QPR reserve striker and Middlesbrogh wing back who was not making the bench by the end in the league. We will see.

I thought your report was very fair. I had a chat with the guy sitting next to me at the end of the game...it seems we were watching different games. He thought we were on top for the last 80 minutes of the game and that Bristol were dead lucky to score. For me, the game had 0-1 written all over it from an hour onwards when it looked like we had decided a point would be a good result.

 

[Large Mendonca]

To be fair, given the back drop of a civil war going on with our owners, I’m pretty pleased with the general strengthening of the squad as we are. Yeah of course it could have been better, but in the current circumstances can we really complain too much ?

 

[LJBlade]

Norwood lost the header on the goal....Stevens let the cross come in too easily.

It was McGoldrick who let the cross come in too easily for their goal

 

[Come from away]

Overall I agree with Deadbat on his assessment of the game. Lundstrum is a solid player for the Championship but is not creative. Norwood was taken out of the game in the second half by BC otherwise I would have been interested how he might have done a better job using Washington. Johnson, if he settles, could offer us a real alternative on the left - I live in hope.

 

[originaltrueblade]

Great criticism of the new players who only mcgoldrick has played a full game yet, nowt like giving players a chance is there. Totally negative poor report

He’s right about Lundstram though absolutely poor yet again

 

[Balham]

My view:

An even game between two well matched sides who basically nullified each other. Lundstram is getting pelters here and I wonder whether people's agendas are getting in the way as he played fairly well. The issue we have when Fleck is missing is that we don't have a midfielder who can carry the ball - Fleck is capable of beating a man and carrying the ball forward which forces defenders to make decisions, something we're particularly good at exploiting. His absence meant that while we moved the ball well it was all in front of Bristol. Lee Johnson changed their shape on the hour to a 4-4-2 which was probably the turning point as we responded by bringing Marvin Johnson (a winger) on for Duffy which seemed to cede the midfield to them, a situation which worsened when we took Lundstram off for Clarke. We didn't seem to know what our shape was for the last 20 minutes and that's slightly concerning.

Ratings (there's a theme here!)
Henderson 7: gains a mark for jumping the advertising hoardings to retrieve the ball when Bristol's fans were dicking about

Basham 7: solid but looked a little lost as we shifted shape in the last 15 mins. One great turn left Diedhiou for died [sic]
Egan 7: solid, calm on the ball
O'Connell 7: didn't get forward as much as I'm used to him doing. Gains half a mark for that bodycheck at the end

Freeman 7: did well first half but less well second as Bristol's switch to a 4-4-2 pinned him back
Stevens 7: see Freeman. One moment in the second half saw him almost clean through but he panicked and the chance was gone.

Lundstram 7: didn't do much wrong; bit hit and miss with his long range passing but some solid defensive work. We lost shape when he went off
Norwood 7.5: kept the ball moving and loves an outside of the boot pass. That "we've got Oli Norwood, he is fucking reyt good" terrace chant is terrible though
Duffy 7.5: standard Duffy performance. Probed, caused issues, lasted 70 minutes

Sharp 7: some good work defensively and a couple of great through balls but we need him on the ball in the opposition penalty area and that didn't happen
McGoldrick: 7.5: on another day he'd have scored but he snatched at two on his left foot then missed a decent headed chance. Dropped deeper and deeper as the game went on

Subs
Johnson (for Duffy, 68'): 6: shanked one over the bar at the end when he should have put it back across the goal
Washington (for Sharp, 68') 6: ran about a bit, didn't look at all threatening
Clarke (for Lundstram, 83') n/a

Wilder: 6: didn't seem to have an answer to Bristol's change of shape. Subs seemed confused and we lost shape when Duffy and then Lundstram went off. We should have targeted Kelly when he moved to left back but didn't; instead we ended up without a winger down that side at all.

Referee: 4: poor performance. No idea about the advantage rule and either missed or ignored some pretty blatant holding and two-handed shoves from Kelly at the back for Bristol. Additionally, he completely failed to cut out Bristol's gamesmanship with the balls being slowly returned by ballboys or kept by the crowd once they'd gone ahead. I know that winning is everything to some clubs but I really dislike that sort of behaviour - it smacks of small-mindedness.

Bristol City: 7 - set up to nullify us before nicking a goal and that's exactly what they did. I'd possibly take Pack, Eliasson and O'Dowda from their squad but that's it.

Bristol fans: 4 - only piped up when they scored and celebrated at the end as if they'd just won a cup. Bizarre. Kudos to the older chap who trolled us with "it's a long way back to Sheffield when you've lost" after the game - a comment which made his wife admonish him and left moDtheGod and me speechless as, to borrow Mod's words, that's the sort of stuff you'd expect from children. He didn't respond to me congratulating them on their cup final win (see above).

Ashton Gate 8 - nice stadium, well redeveloped. Need to sort out their row numbering/lettering system though.

Ale trail in Bristol 10: Grain Barge (good), Pump House (good), Nova Scotia (awful) - game - Bristol Beer Factory (very good), Spotted Cow (very good), Leveret (very good), Steam Crane (average), Wild Beer Co (good if pretentious), Small Bar (pretentious), Beer Emporium (very good - my pick for alehouse of the day), Cornubia (good), No 1 Harbourside (decent considering it was midnight). Hangover: avoided, somehow.

nb - I know they don't like being called Bristol but I've used that throughout as they seem to all refer to us as Sheffield, the know-nowts.

 

[I should coco]

Lundstrum and Lafferty have no place in a squad with any serious intentions of gaining promotion to the top flight. Couldn't care less who that upsets

Kids watch and learn! Spot the effortless ease with which a poster manages to get a dig in on a player (in a thread rating Saturday's team), who wasn't even on the bench! Superb slasher technique.

BTW you don't 'upset me'. You bemuse me maybe. Lafferty hardly played last season but when he did, it was generally an unfamiliar position. He'd come on for the last 15 minutes and sit in midfield to keep the game tight. He did nothing wrong and never let us down.

I'm sure he's learned his lesson though and won't be shagging your wife again.

 

[Bill Johnson]

Kids watch and learn! Spot the effortless ease with which a poster manages to get a dig in on a player (in a thread rating Saturday's team), who wasn't even on the bench! Superb slasher technique.



BTW you don't 'upset me'. You bemuse me maybe. Lafferty hardly played last season but when he did, it was generally an unfamiliar position. He'd come on for the last 15 minutes and sit in midfield to keep the game tight. He did nothing wrong and never let us down.

I'm sure he's learned his lesson though and won't be shagging your wife again.

I'll leave the anger and insults to you and just remind you that this is a football forum where there is a huge breadth of opinion. Lafferty, in my opinion has been a bit of a bombscare when used in the capacity you mention. Especially when alongside Lundstram. Just as Evans and Lundstram together were woefully short of the quality needed for a serious tilt at the top 6.

 

[I should coco]

I'll leave the anger and insults to you and just remind you that this is a football forum where there is a huge breadth of opinion.

No problem with someone having a different opinion, but as I said, I'm bemused why you want to bring Lafferty into a thread aboutn Saturday's team.

The only insult I made was 'slasher' - I presume you'd disgaree with that?

Lafferty, in my opinion has been a bit of a bombscare when used in the capacity you mention.

So name me a game last season where he cost us?

Especially when alongside Lundstram. Just as Evans and Lundstram together were woefully short of the quality needed for a serious tilt at the top 6.

I can't disagree with that. As a pair they simply weren't good enough, but then of course had Coutts not been injured they wouldn't have played as a pair.