Bad day at the office.

[Saxo1man41]

Not full time yet, but 3-1 down.. Hysteria on Brfcs as expected.. I just think too many players having on off day, combined with bristol city actually being quite a good experienced side at this level.. Oh well.

[robinrover]

Not good viewing saxo
Some comfort blankets need replacing
Had a funny feeling we would lose but by that amount?
A long 2 weeks now to make amends
Next up Aston villa also looking to make amends.

[champs95]

Not good viewing saxo
Some comfort blankets need replacing
Had a funny feeling we would lose but by that amount?
A long 2 weeks now to make amends
Next up Aston villa also looking to make amends.

I'll take out first defeat coming in Sept. It was inevitable we would lose some games. Just a bad day all round.
We actually should have easily scored 3 goals today. It should have been 2-0 had Palmer not hit the post. Then Armstrong misses one on one at 1-1. But they where much better all over today, no complaints.
It's 2 perfect weeks imo. We only didn't risk Dack as we have that break. Just to make extra sure. He will be back.
We can integrate Reed (who we need in this midfield sharpish) and get Brereton (who had a chance cleared off the line today) better adjusted. Just a defeat, nothing of any real concern.

[test]

I agree but Armstrong seemed affected by a crunching tackle and Palmer does fade away, hopefully a fitness issue. If we had added our chances after the fluke opener then maybe Brizzle would have folded but it was not to be. They certainly closed our midfield down and that was decisive. Well licked as they say oop north.

[AucklandRover]

We were second-best for the last hour.
Unfortunately, both full-backs looked shaky today. I still prefer Williams, purely as a defender.
Palmer needs to learn to stay involved, especially when we're on the back foot.
Our midfield was outmatched in the second half. Rothwell probably played himself into the side.
As we knew, Brereton will need time. That's the basis he's been bought on.
I've had a look at extended clips on Youtube. He is very strong on the ball and likes to run from quite deep. He is hardly ever shown heading the ball. I wonder if TM is intending to convert him into a target-man. That doesn't seem to be how he has been used so far.
All in all, today was a reality-check. We found out how tough the Championship is. Still, I'd have been happy with nine points from six games before we started. I reckon "win one, lose one, draw one" is likely to be the pattern of our season. I'd be content with that, first year back.
I forgot to say. I thought Bristol City looked a very decent side, once they settled. Credit where it's due; it's not always about your own team's "failings".

[alfinyalcabo]

Just a blip ..Back to winning ways next game against the claret and blues..

[robinrover]

Too many players went missing or didn't play to their usual standard
It was almost as if it was lets get through this then a break instead of lets go into the break unbeaten and strong.
Look I knew a loss would come sooner rather than later,just a shame we looked very average.
A little surprised that rothwell lost his place and Smallwood kept his
The later certainly didn't help his cause he did look uncomfortable in the middle not helped by his usually dependable partner having a off day too
Would of been nice for Travis to get a run out,his energy would of been a better option in the centre
So a bad day for many yesterday
We move on but with villa,stoke and derby coming up we could easily be dragged in the mire.

[champs95]

Too many players went missing or didn't play to their usual standard
It was almost as if it was lets get through this then a break instead of lets go into the break unbeaten and strong.
Look I knew a loss would come sooner rather than later,just a shame we looked very average.
A little surprised that rothwell lost his place and Smallwood kept his
The later certainly didn't help his cause he did look uncomfortable in the middle not helped by his usually dependable partner having a off day too
Would of been nice for Travis to get a run out,his energy would of been a better option in the centre
So a bad day for many yesterday
We move on but with villa,stoke and derby coming up we could easily be dragged in the mire.

to be more than fair, this side has been beset by injuries so far, which has affected us. Any side in this division would struggle losing their best player. We have been with ours for 4 games, 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Plus we have been without Williams (and until yesterday, Armstrong) ....we are no different to anyone else? Other sides losing that many players all at once would struggle. w haven't, we have lost one game.
Nobody got too carried away when we won, therefore nobody should be getting too carried away we lost.
If you are losing 1 game in 6 then its not a huge problem.

I can't understand how one defeat an equate to 'we could get dragged into trouble.'
We have lost one game in six.
We didn't play well yesterday, and still should have scored 3 goals at the very least. We should have been 2-0 up easily. So for all we didn't play that well yesterday, its far off being a disaster. On another day, Palmer doesn't hit the post, he scores, and Armstrong slides that in for 2-1 to us. Then its a different game.
Just we have lost our first game of the season. We dust off, we get our best player back, and we start again.

No point in moaning about the players not being included.
Everyone wants loyalty therefore inferior players like Smallwood will be played over better players sat on the bench.
Because that's the right way of doing it I hear?
Hopefully the inferior players will play themselves out of the side.
Smallwood hasn't been up to it since the first game. 6 games down the line and he hasn't improved. I remain unconvinced he will improve over the next 2 weeks to a level we require. Therefore get this Reed in the side.
Rothwell doesn't play in that position, so was never going to replace him like for like.

I still say we look light, despite some decent signings. Especially in midfield and at the back. Even after getting shut of Whittingham and Caddis, we have a lot of bodies, but not a great deal of quality.

But my overriding feeling is, we will learn a lot more about this side after a defeat, than a win.

One defeat in 6 does not mean we are relegation fodder, nor does it mean we will lose one win one, we have simply lost one in six. How quickly that gets forgotten when one result doesn't go our way. That's despite being poor, could easily have got something on another day.

[AucklandRover]

to be more than fair, this side has been beset by injuries so far, which has affected us. Any side in this division would struggle losing their best player. We have been with ours for 4 games, 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Plus we have been without Williams (and until yesterday, Armstrong) ....we are no different to anyone else? Other sides losing that many players all at once would struggle. w haven't, we have lost one game.
Nobody got too carried away when we won, therefore nobody should be getting too carried away we lost.
If you are losing 1 game in 6 then its not a huge problem.

I can't understand how one defeat an equate to 'we could get dragged into trouble.'
We have lost one game in six.
We didn't play well yesterday, and still should have scored 3 goals at the very least. We should have been 2-0 up easily. So for all we didn't play that well yesterday, its far off being a disaster. On another day, Palmer doesn't hit the post, he scores, and Armstrong slides that in for 2-1 to us. Then its a different game.
Just we have lost our first game of the season. We dust off, we get our best player back, and we start again.

No point in moaning about the players not being included.
Everyone wants loyalty therefore inferior players like Smallwood will be played over better players sat on the bench.
Because that's the right way of doing it I hear?
Hopefully the inferior players will play themselves out of the side.
Smallwood hasn't been up to it since the first game. 6 games down the line and he hasn't improved. I remain unconvinced he will improve over the next 2 weeks to a level we require. Therefore get this Reed in the side.
Rothwell doesn't play in that position, so was never going to replace him like for like.

I still say we look light, despite some decent signings. Especially in midfield and at the back. Even after getting shut of Whittingham and Caddis, we have a lot of bodies, but not a great deal of quality.

But my overriding feeling is, we will learn a lot more about this side after a defeat, than a win.

One defeat in 6 does not mean we are relegation fodder, nor does it mean we will lose one win one, we have simply lost one in six. How quickly that gets forgotten when one result doesn't go our way. That's despite being poor, could easily have got something on another day.

In midfield, we probably could have done with the touch of extra class that McGinn or Freeman might have provided. On the whole, though, Rothwell has looked as if he could step up in that central creative role. Beyond that, I can't see we're short, except in terms of a proper winger (Chapman-style). I don't think it's a question of just more and more additions to the squad.
In the midfield, we have Rothwell, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett, Reed, Davenport, Travis, Tomlinson, Conway, Gladwin (and Rodwell?).
That gives a lot of choice and flexibility, especially as the players in the next line forward - Dack, Palmer and Armstrong - take on some of the midfield duties in the system TM prefers.
We have no idea yet whether Reed, Davenport and Rodwell are any better than the players we already had. It will take some time to find the best combination, and it will not be the same one in every match.
Nor do we know that Bauer would have been better than our existing centre-backs.
If someone had only watched the first half against BC, that person would have seen Evans and Smallwood quite dominant in midfield. In the second half, they disappeared. I'm not sure why. Perhaps partly because Bennett seemed slightly off his normal pace too. Reed might provide something extra, but that's a guess at the moment. Maybe Travis should have been given a chance (or should be given) a chance first. I simply don't know.
I agree about not getting too worried by a single loss, Champs, but I DO think you got a bit carried away by our first five games. I am sticking to my pre-season prediction of 14th, and I would be satisfied with that. We still seem incapable of dominating for more than 20 minutes at a time, and this habit of going off the boil cost us at times last season too.
Let's be honest: BC looked pretty darned assured, efficient and ruthless in that final hour, and we are probably going to meet even slicker teams as the season goes by.

[champs95]

In midfield, we probably could have done with the touch of extra class that McGinn or Freeman might have provided. On the whole, though, Rothwell has looked as if he could step up in that central creative role. Beyond that, I can't see we're short, except in terms of a proper winger (Chapman-style). I don't think it's a question of just more and more additions to the squad.
In the midfield, we have Rothwell, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett, Reed, Davenport, Travis, Tomlinson, Conway, Gladwin (and Rodwell?).
That gives a lot of choice and flexibility, especially as the players in the next line forward - Dack, Palmer and Armstrong - take on some of the midfield duties in the system TM prefers.
We have no idea yet whether Reed, Davenport and Rodwell are any better than the players we already had. It will take some time to find the best combination, and it will not be the same one in every match.
Nor do we know that Bauer would have been better than our existing centre-backs.
If someone had only watched the first half against BC, that person would have seen Evans and Smallwood quite dominant in midfield. In the second half, they disappeared. I'm not sure why. Perhaps partly because Bennett seemed slightly off his normal pace too. Reed might provide something extra, but that's a guess at the moment. Maybe Travis should have been given a chance (or should be given) a chance first. I simply don't know.
I agree about not getting too worried by a single loss, Champs, but I DO think you got a bit carried away by our first five games. I am sticking to my pre-season prediction of 14th, and I would be satisfied with that. We still seem incapable of dominating for more than 20 minutes at a time, and this habit of going off the boil cost us at times last season too.
Let's be honest: BC looked pretty darned assured, efficient and ruthless in that final hour, and we are probably going to meet even slicker teams as the season goes by.

How did I get carried away? Bristol City are a very good side. They missed out on the play offs narrowly?
They are about 4/5 years ahead of us. And I still maintain we should have scored 3 or 4 goals at least yesterday. Without our best player.
I cant agree we went off the boil last season. We lost one football match in over half a season. If we ever did, it cant have been that bad? Our record in a season and up to now is almost flawless.

Yet one defeat and the knives get sharpened and drawn.
I maybe getting 'carried away' but we have lost one game of football. We haven't fallen apart.

Right back to the default setting being negativity. Which I will always have a problem with. Best for me to refrain from posting while this blows over. I don't want to be accused of supporting the lads during our first real tough game.