Bristol City head coach Sean O'Driscoll defends decision to keep flair players on bench
Bristol City head coach Sean O’Driscoll is refusing to throw caution to the wind as the Championship relegation battle enters its crucial final phase.
Although the Robins are rooted to the foot of the table with 10 games of the campaign to play, O’Driscoll insists his overriding priority is to make his improving side hard to beat.
-
Bristol City head coach Sean O'Driscoll is sticking to his guns for now.
Charged with the task of balancing the urgent need to win games against the necessity of being organised, he deployed a five-man midfield and left striker Jon Stead to play alone up front against Brighton on Tuesday.
His team selection and tactical approach helped City secure a 0-0 draw against Gus Poyet’s promotion hopefuls and earn another precious point in their quest for Championship survival.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
But some City supporters questioned the head coach’s decision to leave top-scorers Sam Baldock and Steven Davies and talismanic winger Albert Adomah on the bench, believing a more attacking approach could have yielded all three points.
City remain three points adrift of safety, but O’Driscoll insists his team is not yet ready to embrace a more progressive approach.
“I don’t think we are at a stage yet where we can throw attacking players on with 20 minutes to go,” claimed O’Driscoll, who sent on Adomah and Baldock in the 85th and 88th minutes respectively on Tuesday night.
He recalled: “We did it against Barnsley by putting Brian Howard, Albert Adomah and Neil Kilkenny on with 15 or 20 minutes to go and the wheels came off.
“That is no reflection on those players, but things went to pot because we lost our shape.
“I know Sam, Steven (Davies) and Albert are there and I’m wondering whether to bring them on knowing that, after the game, we might have won 1-0 and they have been great subs or lost 1-0 and contributed to our own downfall.
“I spoke to the players about it afterwards and told them they are getting closer to being in a team that can throw three attacking players on with 20 minutes to go.
“But the priority is still to be organised and disciplined and we are getting there.”
O’Driscoll may decide to deploy two strikers from the outset against Middlesbrough at Ashton Gate this Saturday.
Davies and Baldock are pushing for a recall and either one could play alongside Stead, but the head coach is unlikely to make sweeping changes.
He said: “In some senses it (leaving Adomah and Baldock on the bench) was an easy decision to make.
“Albert has been away at the African Cup of Nations and missed a lot of the work we have done, while Sam has been injured.
“We have to make sure we remain a functional unit when we throw attacking players on. If we don’t, then this division will eat us up.
“If you go down that road, then you are saying you will try and score more goals than the opposition and I think that is a bit dangerous.”
8 Comments
by Vonner
Thursday, March 07 2013, 2:58PM
“I've never belittled what McInnes did to keep us up - only what he did the following season and what he left in terms of players utterly devoid of confidence, belief or organisation. You defend him which is your prerogative but I don't - what he did in his last few months really ruined us (for a nice pay off). IMO if he had been left at the helm we would have been virtually down by now - as opposed to having some sort of chance. O'Driscoll has far more to put right than McInnes did after Millen went.
It's also more about listening to what the two managers say and explain their thinking. At times I had no clue what Del was doing or why (I'm not sure he did either) whereas Sean in his programme notes and post matches etc. just makes sense to me.
Football is all about opinions and I respect yours even if I disagree on this one....”
by piledriver
Thursday, March 07 2013, 1:28PM
“@Vonner:
Norwich & Soton are bigger, single City teams who average more than double what we do so would have us at a disadvantage, especially with Premiership standard Academys that are producing the likes of Bale & Oxlade Chamberlain and we're a million miles from that.
We need 14-16 points from the thirty left and the man you say left us in a "complete mess" (I'd disagree with that)saved us fron an identical position last season so I'm not buying that SD's 20 games in charge were to little.
We've picked up 8 points from the last 21 or 38% and we'll have do to better than that to survive.
Over ten in charge, he's picked up 14 or 47% and that might just be enough at 50, although I reckon that 52 will be the maximum number required.”
by Vonner
Thursday, March 07 2013, 1:08PM
“It has been quite a while since I've felt City had someone in charge who knows what they are doing - that time has come.
Sean O'Driscoll for me inspires an awful lot of trust and confidence. Anyone with half a brain knows he inherited a complete mess. He has already addressed part of the problem by making us organised and disciplined, particularly at home. He has got players believing in their ability again (Fontane a classic example) and speaks with honesty and wisdom.
Those of us at the ground on Tuesday were probably going through it with him - wondering if changes should be made earlier. But like he says this is sadly a long-term issue - even McInnes realised we could not go gung-ho in games with the personnel we have and be picked off. I think there will come a time when he has to throw the dice a bit and get our main goal threats involved earlier - the Boro game is starting to look like a 'must' 3 points so I expect things to happen if not leading with 30 to go. A good point was made by another poster that we perhaps gave Brighton a bit too much respect and that we played their reputation - not the players - particularly when their main goal threat got injured.
We have to look at the bigger picture. We may go down due to the damage done months ago. What really matters is that we have a guy in charge who can I believe turn this club around, even if it is a route taken by Norwich, Southampton etc. Whatever happens I feel we are on a good path now...”
by MidlandsExile
Thursday, March 07 2013, 10:54AM
“SO'D has already earned the right to make these calls and I'm sure that the large majority of fans back him.
The fact that we're in trouble is not due to SO'D, but the fact that we have a chance of getting out of trouble certainly is.”
by redferryman1
Thursday, March 07 2013, 10:17AM
“Credit to O'Driscoll for explaining the rationale behind his decision-making.
Cautiously, we are re-establishing our self-belief. And performances like that from Tuesday night raise confidence which has been starkly missing for several months.”
by AnotherOther
Thursday, March 07 2013, 8:48AM
“Well done Sean, stick to your guns, because if we go down, we need this mentality at the club. Also, and I hate to say it, I doubt Albert will be with us next season, so planning a future not built around him (a la Derek McInnes) is very sensible. Come to think of it I'm not even sure Sam Baldock would want to stay with us if we were in the Third Division. Well anyway, S-O-D has the makings of a great manager for City.”
by The_Ghost
Thursday, March 07 2013, 8:32AM
“What fans are questioning it?
The various forums cerainly are in agreement with what he did”
by The_Ghost
Thursday, March 07 2013, 8:28AM
“What fans are questioning it?
The various forums cerainly are in agreement with what he did”