Bristol City boss Johnson can't see where a win will come from
Worried Bristol City boss Gary Johnson has admitted he cannot see where the next win is coming from.
Play-off finalists six months ago, the Robins are struggling to rediscover the consistency which saw them emerge as surprise contenders for promotion last season.
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Lee Trundle takes on Preston
Victorious in only one of their last eight outings, City’s players are suffering a crisis of confidence which is threatening to undermine their play-off ambitions.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Preston in front of the Sky TV cameras saw City drop to 14th in the Coca-Cola Championship table, and manager Johnson made no attempt to hide his growing concern.
He admitted: “It’s nothing that a win or two wouldn’t put right, but I can’t see where those wins are going to come from at the moment.
“I can’t see them around the corner and we’re going to have to work very hard to get them.
“There’s a lack of confidence that means the lads aren’t doing the things that win you matches.
“All I can do is keep working with them and hope our luck and our confidence changes.
“Too many of our players are missing their form and that’s a worry.”
Defeat at Deepdale means City are now five points adrift of the play-off places and under pressure to register only their third home win of the season when Swansea visit Ashton Gate on Saturday.
That game is followed by difficult assignments at Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, and City could find themselves rooted at the wrong end of the table unless performances and results improve soon.
Having challenged his players to break into the top six by Christmas, Johnson conceded: “It doesn’t look as though that’s going to happen now.
“But I certainly won’t be giving up and the players have to hang on in there and keep going.
“I can’t make any changes in the next five weeks and I have to go with this group of lads. This is where managers and coaches earn their money.”
City were again made to pay for missed chances at the weekend as Preston grabbed victory courtesy of goals either side of half-time from Steve Elliott and Ross Wallace.
Offering an honest assessment of his team’s failings, Johnson said: “We’re missing a little bit of luck and a little bit of quality at the moment. I think the two go together. If you go a goal up, then players are prepared to do the flair things, go past people and take a few more chances.
“But when things aren’t going for you, you tend to just sit in and wait for things to happen. That’s what’s happening to us at the moment. We’re not making things happen.
He added: “Once again, we’ve created two or three decent chances and not taken them. We did the same against Watford and, in the Championship, teams are good enough to put you under pressure and make you pay.
“We’re not creating easy chances and, when we do create anything, our finishing is a bit powder puff. We have to work harder to get those easy goals.
“For me, that’s the most disappointing thing. The boys need to do that bit extra all over the park. They have to run harder, pin defenders when they have the chance and hit the back of the net when they shoot.
“At the moment, that game seems to have deserted us and I thought Preston’s defenders coped with our forwards better than our defenders coped with their forwards.”
To add to the problems currently facing the manager, strikers Stern John and Dele Adebola are both under treatment for injuries.
John missed Saturday’s trip to Preston altogether after damaging his ankle in last Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Watford, while Adebola limped off five minutes into the second half after suffering a dead leg.
“They’re both struggling at the moment and we’ll have to wait and see if they are going to be OK for the Swansea game,” warned Johnson.
8 Comments
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by Bob, Wells
Monday, December 01 2008, 6:04PM
“Bet he knows where his next pasty is coming from though!”
by john, Swineford
Monday, December 01 2008, 3:58PM
“If you really can't see where the next win is coming from Gary then no wonder there is a lack of confidence.”
by ian, cheltenham
Monday, December 01 2008, 3:01PM
“Let me prelude this rant by saying that Gary Johnson is a great manager, and that Bristol City are extremely lucky to have him.
That said, the Preston game was so very depressing that I took myself out for a run at the final whistle to get the frustration out of my system. When I get to that stage, I know that things have gone horribly wrong on the pitch for City! There were some obvious factors (to me at least) that made defeat at the hands of Preston sadly inevitable. I submit the following for the consideration of the Bristol footballing public.
Factor number one - City are wingless wonders. McIndoe and (when he came on) Sproule are wingers in name, but neither one seems to have the ability to beat a player, get to the by-line and deliver a cross. The pair of them seem intent on cutting inside. Was there a single cross delivered from either of them, or from any other City player at the by-line through the whole 90 minutes? City need at least one winger that is prepared and able to play on the wing.
Factor number two - Lee Johnson. I am not a Johnson basher, he isn't a bad player. He can be inventive. He has a decent shot. But... against Preston our midfield, and Johnson in particular, went missing. To some extent that was a result of factor number four (see below). It¿s my opinion however that Lee Johnson is too light-weight at this level. He ducked out of half a dozen 50-50 challenges on Saturday. He was shrugged off the ball all too easily. In miserable places like Preston on a cold, foggy night, City need players with presence and bite in midfield (dare I say a Nick Carle type). The only bite to come the way of the Preston players on Saturday came from the icy fog, not from the City midfield, and not from Lee Johnson.
Factor number three ¿ the absence of Stern John. Stern John is our only proven goal-scorer at this level. Let me emphasize that, he is the only person currently in a City shirt who has proved that he can consistently score goals at this level. We've signed him on loan and haven't given him a chance to show what he can do. Strikers like John have a point to prove - look at what Brooker proves when he goes out on loan! Stern John deserves the chance of three or four consecutive starts. The likes of Maynard and Akinde are two for the future who can learn from watching and playing alongside Stern John.
Factor number four - chest or head height passes to Dele Adebola. This seems to be City's predominant tactic of late. It's not pretty and it isn't working. City were so predictable on Saturday. Preston didn't need to think about what shape the attack against them would take. They knew what shape it would take. They knew that Adebola would try to flick the head height ball onto Maynard - it didn't work. They knew that Adebola would try to control then lay-off the chest height ball to Maynard - it didn't work. City have enough talented footballers in their ranks to allow them to keep the ball on the deck and play the ball to feet. The direct ball to Adebola tactic is known about by the other teams in this league. It hasn't got us a whole bunch of goals in the first part of the season, and it isn't going to in the second half.
Factor number five - the final factor - overlapping full backs. I think this one is possibly the most important. In the modern game this adds another dimension to a team's ability to attack. It's hard work for the full-back - I wouldn't want to be charging up and down the length of the pitch for 90 minutes. But this tactic is so effective. Against Preston we didn't employ this tactic at all. Again, this made us predictable, stale and easy to defend against.
I return to my opening comment at this point, I think Gary Johnson is an excellent manager, and believe that he'll ultimately take City to the promised land of the Premiership. However, to get us there (and hopefully keep us there) I also firmly believe City need to fix some of tactical problems listed ”
by J. Joyner, Yate
Monday, December 01 2008, 2:48PM
“Supporters have been saying it all season "until Lee Johnson is replaced in midfield, were gonna keep struggling". I,m a season ticket holder in the east end and we all say the same. We all keep trusting you Gary but nothing seems to be getting better! We sing our hearts out for the team every game, we've all got behind your son, but we are beginning to get disheartened with his constant poor performances in midfield. Please tell us what he actually provides in the midfield? Because i don't see anything! All i see is he is the week link and the other teams most be seeing the same. The fans love Lee Trundle when he comes on, he puts 100% in every game and is the most talented footballer down the gate, yet is always on the bench? Poor Maynard has had very little service all season, yet when he does get it he scores? When you gonna open your eyes and stop this stubborness and start making some changes as the team you keep sticking with obviously isn't performing. The form doesn't lie?”
by jasiepoohs, Swindon
Monday, December 01 2008, 2:39PM
“We have cornered the market in strikers yet do not score goals. I agree with most of what has been said above. We have no width, we don't get behind defences. Also, a player like Maynard needs to be "fed". Have a word with Dario, he got the max out of a limited but effective skill set.
I also have to agree about Lee Johnson, he's very good when on top of his game but an absolute featherweight when he's struggling. When you're 4'10" and 7 stone wringing wet, you can't even put it about when you are out of form.”