Well that was fuvking annoying. Comments to follow.

First a note on Bristol. I thought tactically they were excellent. They played the high press v. well and totally disrupted our game. If they could pass or shoot we'd have been in danger of a drubbing due to the many stupid mistakes we made.

I don't think they actually forced that many mistakes from us though. They all seemed self inflicted and apart from that I thought we coped with the high press well.

Mannone 6 maybe should have done better on the goal, I'd like to see it again. Looked very awkward on the ball.
Gunter 5 predictably average negative performance capped with a game losing error.
Blackett 8 I actually thought he had one of his best games.
Moore 5 shambles of a match, he was all over the place.
McShane 8 very solid and commanding, not the best with the ball and goes back a bit too often, but he's trying to avoid a fuk up
Berg 8 I thought he covered brilliantly and helped bring the ball out well
Kelly 7 good game until injured but not quite that magic moment
Bacuna 7 pretty good on the whole
Barrow 5 looked dangerous but too often final ball or decision was poor. An absolute clusterfuk defensively, can't believe brizzle didn exploit it.
Aluko 6 lots of great skill, no end product, first appearance though
Bodvarsson 5 ran the defence well, decent hold up play, looked like he should have had a nailed on hattrick.

McCleary ok
Edwards I like the look of him but the game was a mess buly the time he got on
Beerens no time, no chance good to have him fit.

Plenty to be positive about, just three or four players with horrendous off days. The system looks very positive, just got to get that integration of new players right.

Highly annoying result, but slightly predictable with all the optimism in the build up
Worst thing is we now have a week to stew on it before the next (tough) game

Meh. We don't need a goal scorer...etc etc

TBH it was always going to happen. No reason to worry, frustrating losing at home but not the end of the world.

Just goes to show how differently people see games. I remember Moore making two brilliant goal-saving tackles and one great block to stop a City striker going through on goal. Also thought Blackett, while he had some nice moments, was a bit too casual. He had a decent game, but nowhere near an 8 for me.

Barrow. Absolute class, needs to work on his defensive understanding but that's no surprise seeing he's just joined a new club

Bodvarsson

Aluko did ok but just why did Reading buy him?

Referee. Utterly awful.

Now 3 points away from the bottom 3 and no midweek game like the teams below.

On the upside, Kermorgant is one week nearer playing again.

Well, no one saw this coming by signing like 4 midfielders and no solid strikers.

Felt we got a head of steam going midway through the 2nd half. only to have it snuffed out by Stams baffling substitutions.

He hits shots like he has shopping trolley wheels for feet.

Would have won that 3-0 on another day. Bristol did well tactically, but rarely caused us problems. Striker or not, 8 yards out with the whole goal to aim at, you have to score.

Aluko played well and will improve as he learns the system. Barrow put in similar performances when he first joined and was excellent today. He needs to be more disciplined with his defending though.

The way in which we effortlessly switched from 4 to 5 at the back was good, there was good movement up front, the wide play was good and we defended well for the most part.

I enjoyed our performance for 85 minutes, we'll play worse than that and win games.

The seat slamming is back too by the way.

Already?

Fcuk it I'm staying out here

We need to play this passing game at a higher tempo otherwise its not effective at all. We had that 5-10 min spell early in the second half where we tore them to shreds with high tempo slick passing and we were unlucky not to score. We also need to be more clinical, the lack of a clinical striker hurt us today, Dadi is great at running around and closing down but he aint no striker....and this will come back to haunt us, i would prefer to Sam Smith given a go upfront.

Just goes to show how differently people see games. I remember Moore making two brilliant goal-saving tackles and one great block to stop a City striker going through on goal. Also thought Blackett, while he had some nice moments, was a bit too casual. He had a decent game, but nowhere near an 8 for me.
I accept I might be being a touch generous to Blackett and harsh to Moore. Blackett certainly *looks* casual but I thought was very good.

I expect Moore to be excellent and he made 2 or 3 stupid unforced errors, gifting corners or throw ins under no pressure. Turning over possession in dangerous areas.

Pretty much the perfect away performance from Brizzle today. Harried and harassed us all game long and put pressure on us high up the pitch. We still should have won by virtue of Bodvarsson's two missed sitters but a draw would have been a fair result imo. Blackett much improved, Barrow terrorised them all game long and I bet they couldn't believe their luck when he was subbed off.

Too early to judge Aluko but why did we actually buy him?

Ref had a good game, let the game flow and got most things right. Can't understand why people are slating him unless they're trying to disguise our own shortcomings.

Seems very simular to what we already have here, decent enough player, but does he actually improve us?

Chatting to three City fans on the bus back they said they thought 0-0 would have been a result, so are well chuffed - did a bit of a job on us.

So we shouldn't get to hett up by it.

Lack of a clinical striker is a worry though and now not playing Tuesday is a big blow.

Aluko and Barrow looked class - will come good in coming weeks - especially away from home on the break

Seems very simular to what we already have here, decent enough player, but does he actually improve us?

Did you see his footwork?! A class apart

Seems very similar to what we already have here, decent enough player, but does he actually improve us?

Think he will do when he gets more time in with the team, there were a number of times when he clearly wasn't on the same wavelength. Also I reckon Barrow was substituted because he was tired - he didn't seem fully fit in terms of stamina. Couple of times in the first half, after he made a run, he would stagger about exhausted (and offside) for the next few minutes.

Very frustrating, but has already been said, we will play a lot worse than that and win. 0-0 would have been a fair result, but I'd be more inclined to blame the strikers than the defence for the loss.

Didn't deserve that. Aluko started really well and put some decent crosses in.....shame noons was there.
Barrow was excellent.
Bodvarsson is another matter. Held the ball up well, tackled, worked hard but f+cking hell, awful in front of goal.
Shame we took our foot off the gas when they were on the ropes.
Nothing to add other than the ridiculous passbacks that continued today ending in Mannoni hoofing it up the pitch. Must have wasted so much time doing that.

Wasn't there, but reading these comments it seems like the same old same old from last season. Ponderous build up and no cutting edge? A passing/possession game is only any good if played at pace, otherwise it is just tedious and gives the oppo too much time to get themselves back into shape and then you've got to be better than we are to get past them.

With respect not being there you are in no position to comment. it was nothing like how you say, you can`t just assume the way it was.
We had a lot of pace in our attacks today, and no farting about at the back that we were seeing last season.
We played well. it gives much optimism for the rest of the season,
it`s been pointed out on numerous occasions how we need a killer instinct. IMO a predatory goalscorer or 2 is the only thing stopping us from being a very good team.

We got past them plenty of times. It was not at all like the dodgy games of last season. Time and time again we played round them or through them but largely because players aren't quite on each other!p's wave length the passes just didn't quite fall right. Bacuna is twice the player Williams was and shaved the post twice, Barrow and Aluko will destroy teams, both have pace and control.
I think Joey is probably not going to play much. We need Evans in front of the back 4.
Overall we didn't play at all badly but agree Bristol were well organised even if their attack looked less threatening than ours.
On to the next game....

With respect not being there you are in no position to comment. it was nothing like how you say, you can`t just assume the way it was.
We had a lot of pace in our attacks today, and no farting about at the back that we were seeing last season.
We played well. it gives much optimism for the rest of the season,
it`s been pointed out on numerous occasions how we need a killer instinct. IMO a predatory goalscorer or 2 is the only thing stopping us from being a very good team.

With respect, I asked a question, hence the question mark. And if i'm not there, I can only base my comments on the reactions of others, hence the fact I said 'reading these comments it seems.....etc'.

But I don't understand how in one sentance you say we played well and are optimistic, and then saying we are 2 goal scorers short of a very good team. What's the point in playing well if you don't score? You end up with games like today.

We will score plenty.
Not long ago the criticism was we didn't create chances.
We have been creating chances this season and will create more.
If Yann had played we would have won, on another day Bacuna would have got a hat trick.
Such is football, it's odd to suggest we shouldn't be pleased to play well but not score.

Just goes to show how differently people see games. I remember Moore making two brilliant goal-saving tackles and one great block to stop a City striker going through on goal. Also thought Blackett, while he had some nice moments, was a bit too casual. He had a decent game, but nowhere near an 8 for me.

Those scores are the wrong way round surely ... I thought Blackett was the weakest link on the pitch (although had a pretty good game) - he's not a patch on Obita.

I don't think anyone had a real shocker - Gunter even managed 4-5 throwins that took less than 2 minutes and didn't go backwards!! Joey got his predictable yellow

Thought the new boys looked good - Bacuna, Barrow, Aluko and Bodvarsson are quality. McCleary look slow and laboured in comparison to his compatriots - his days with us are surely numbered (shame as I like him). Noticed Edwards being very vocal and leaderly (if that's a word). There is a lot to be positive about - many of that team have only been together for 3-4 weeks with an international break in the middle.

Stam's tactics today we wrong - the substitutions screwed it for us as well.

5 goals scored in 6 league games is simply not top 6 form. Any armchair idiot such as myself can see the problem is the lack of ANY goalscorers in the side. Yet the Dutchman insists on buying ever more midfielders.

Bodvarsson is NOT a striker. 3 goals in 42 apps for Wolves last season is evidence enough, never mid the bambi-on-ice attempts today.
Kermorgant is 36 and retiring at the end of this season, not to mention being injured.

Er, what other striker options do we sensibly have? And I don;t mean midfielders playing up front, I mean actual specialist strikers - you know, those guys who are paid to put the ball in the back of the net?

Stam has totally f****d up his transfer dealings this window - again. Despite fielding our most expensive ever starting lineup today (£20M), we get beat by a side at home who will be relegation candidates for much of the season.

The Chinese will NOT be impressed with the season to date, as indeed I am not. What odds on Stam being ousted before the next transfer window?

Then maybe the Chinese will pony up the Wonga to get 2 decent strikers ...

When you say 'same old, same old from last season', are you alluding to the form that saw us lose two out of twenty three?

When you say 'same old, same old from last season', are you alluding to the form that saw us lose two out of twenty three?

Yup. And I still don't understand how we made it the play off final playing the same dreary negative football. I will gladly bet a lot that if we play the same way throughout this season we will finish an awful lot lower than 3rd. I used to love the SSC way of playing. Get it out to the wing, take 'em on and get balls into the box. This possession style just ain't for me, it is tedious, slow and blunt football.

The problem with that statement is the implication we didn't try too hard to bring a striker in. I'm sure we did. In fact we know about a few of the players we were after.

One think that appears to have been lacking over the last few years is good scouting - we just aren't finding the bargain players like we used to, which results in us going for players with a £10 million price tag slapped on them, even though they aren't necessarily all that great.