Hopefully, Derek can finally sign a centre-half
ANOTHER week has gone by and still the centre-half we are crying out for has not materialised. Derek McInnes knows he has to improve City in this area. We as fans know he has to get someone in and yet, other than an unknown triallist playing in a friendly fixture against Exeter City, it seems, from the outside, we are no nearer to signing someone.
I fully expect City to line-up against Bolton Wanderers next Saturday with a centre-back partnership made up from two of these four – Louis Carey, Liam Fontaine, James Wilson and Lewin Nyatanga.
Brett Pitman reminded the manager what he is capable of by scoring all four goals in against Exeter City. I like Pitman and think he is a natural goalscorer, the problem is that he doesn't always show the work-rate and desire that a manager like McInnes looks for and, as a result, he finds himself on the sidelines.
It's difficult to criticise any of the forward players and McInnes could pick any two from those he has available and we would pose a threat.
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I have said a couple of times lately that I wonder how Pitman would do in midfield. He is a clever footballer and with Cole Skuse or Marvin Elliot alongside him, he may be able to provide that bit of creativity and clever play that we have been missing.
But I'm sure Brett sees himself as a striker and I wouldn't be surprised to see former club Bournemouth, now again under the leadership of Eddie Howe, try to sign him.
We are now ten games into the season and that is how former gaffer Gary Johnson used to like to break-up the season. There is no doubt in my mind that we have come along way in a year under McInnes and the quality of footballer we have signed has certainly improved the squad.
However, 11 points from those ten games is not a brilliant return and we still sit only three points off the last relegation place. I want to see us looking up the table, but that is only going to happen if we can sort out our defence frailties.
Ipswich Town, who sit second from bottom of the table, have just signed former Premiership play Nigel Reo-Coker, who will definitely add something to their squad. Peterborough sit bottom, but have won two games recently and may have turned the corner. We need to get back to winning ways and pull away from the lower middle of the table.
The squad are all saying the right things publicly. However, words are never going to win you a game of football.
It's time for Liam Fontaine to look at himself and realise what a good player he is and recognise the fact that he is the Bristol City captain and needs to deliver. He needs to be strong and that will galvanise those around him. Personally, if we don't make a signing, I would start with Carey and Fontaine in the middle and play youngster Joe Bryan at left-back and Mark Wilson at right-back.
Comments
by marmeliser
Wednesday, October 17 2012, 10:21AM
“he has.....19 years old.... NATHAN BATTERSBY.....interesting”
by Vonner
Tuesday, October 16 2012, 3:02PM
“How about City going 4-2-3-1 - Skuse and Elliott holding, Albert and Woolford/Pearson wide, Pitman just off Davies/Baldock?
Might shore it up a bit and that side has goals in it for me...”
by BinRelegated
Tuesday, October 16 2012, 12:43PM
“CiderheadNotts
"but with a decent defence we'd be challenging for a play off spot at this point in time and looking promising...instead we're slip-sliding away as Paul Simon would say! Unfortunately a consistantly poor defence inevitably leads to depression in the front line and a consequent lack of goals"
Spot on!
Im also confident that alot of work is going at Ashton Gate and i suspect DM is fully aware of the problem and has been for a while now. I do however have concerns that he believes the defenders that we have are capable at this level and, having watched these players for a number of years now, im not so convinced that is the case.
Still, there is plenty of positives so looking forward to getting back on track.
Mind the Gap and Up the City!”
by CiderheadNott
Tuesday, October 16 2012, 9:37AM
“I applaud DM for holding his nerve and biding his time in signing some defenders (we need more than one - I'd say three at least - perhaps one a short term loan to cover for Cunningham's injury) but I do have an issue with the time being taken. This defensive problem has been evident for the whole of last season as well as this one, and still there has not been enough progress - some but not enough. We have been unlucky with injuries but with a decent defence we'd be challenging for a play off spot at this point in time and looking promising...instead we're slip-sliding away as Paul Simon would say! Unfortunately a consistantly poor defence inevitably leads to depression in the front line and a consequent lack of goals.”
by piledriver
Monday, October 15 2012, 2:20PM
“Pitman in behind two strikers might be worth a punt especially away from home where we are ineffective in attack but NEVER in a two man midfield.
I wouldn't suggest £350k would have been overpaying for Gerrard and Huddsfld won't be paying massive wages.
We can't afford to wait until January for Monk (unless that's CB no 2) and I have heard from a normally reliable source that Dawson from WBA may come in subject to WBA's injury situation with defenders improving.
We can act now or have another uninspiring season.”
by DaveinSA
Monday, October 15 2012, 2:04PM
“@ Rednem, I agree and also posted about being patient last week.
I'm certain that there is lots of work going on behind the scenes. There has been no speculation at all, not even from our number one source the BEP about this guy, that guy the other guy coming. It usually means that we will sign a player on the Friday before the Bolton game...:-)”
by RedNemesis
Monday, October 15 2012, 8:31AM
“I'd rather sign nobody than waste money on the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker. It's these type of short-sighted signings like Nicky Hunt and Damien Stewart - Prem players past their best - that have caused us financial problems in the past.
I applaud DM for not panicking and bringing in the wrong player just for the sake of it.
No one really knows why he didn't move for "Bikey" as he had first refusal on him, but I guess we must respect the manager's judgement on that one. DM might have seen something he didn't like as a long-term option.
McManus would have been a good capture, and Keogh, and Gerrard, and we were in for all of them. Derek rightly would not overpay for the latter two.
I reckon DM is biding his time until the January transfer window when he will have another punt at getting Monk in from Swansea, who has always been his first choice target.
He' s obviously hoping we can "soldier on" till January with the current options at his disposal.
Let's hope he's right as we have no problems scoring goals, which has been an issue in the past.”