Bristol City boss issues message of hope to the fans
BRISTOL City manager Derek McInnes today came out fighting after watching his team slide back into relegation trouble.
Beaten 2-1 by Hull in front of the Sky TV cameras at Ashton Gate on Saturday evening, the Robins dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season.
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City's boss Derek McInnes shows his frustration during Saturday evening's defeat to Hull City
And a depressing sequence of four straight defeats raises the spectre of another campaign spent fighting for npower Championship survival.
But McInnes insists his squad is stronger than the one that finished fifth from bottom last term and the Scot reckons City will overcome their present problems to finish in a higher position than last time.
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He said: "We are where everybody thought we would be, but we don't want to be there and we certainly did not envisage it. I don't envisage us being anywhere near there come the end of the season.
"I firmly believe in this group of players and I believe that, if they keep working hard, there are still plenty of points to be gained.
"This is a situation we have been in before and, when the chips were down, we came up trumps. I'd like to think we can do it with a bit more style this time and with a bit more to spare. There is plenty of the season left and, as difficult as this run is, we have to keep a belief and a level of support for the players. They will get that from me and the staff.
"I can stand here and say I firmly believe we will make a better fist of things and our final league position will be better than it was last season.
"It is a bit more difficult to believe that at the minute, because people are looking for instant improvement. But we will have that improvement because we have far too many good players here."
City were booed of the pitch by a section of the Ashton Gate crowd on Saturday and McInnes is urging everyone connected with the club to demonstrate a united front in the weeks ahead.
He said: "What we need now is that real level of support from everyone, a level that we've had in the past.
"I'm not just talking about supporters, but also the staff. If everyone gets behind the players, we will come through it together."
City now have the worst defensive record in the Championship after conceding 28 times in 13 games and McInnes admitted: "There is no getting away from it.
"I read the papers like everybody else and I look at the league table. As much as we are scoring goals, the biggest drain on confidence is losing goals.
"We need to try and patch the back four up to try and help that situation, but we are not kidding ourselves. It is everybody involved in that, not just the back four."
Scoring goals has not been a problem for City, who have found the back of the net 24 times already this season.
McInnes reasoned: "Unlike last season, we have a real capacity to score goals and we will keep that with us."
Comments
by royaljoe
Monday, October 29 2012, 7:11PM
“Re Vonner and Charles Bridge----Spot on sensible comments.---Just hope thet get through to the Management.”
by Magger1
Monday, October 29 2012, 6:16PM
“Mcinnes/SL and the rest of you muppets on the board were fed up with excuses and messages of improvement,it's obvious the players we got arent and can't perform to the required standard.The fight Just ain't there,a bit like the midfield...so come on city prove us all wrong and start earning your living otherwise you won't be fleecing me of mine for much longer,if I performed like you in my profession I'd be sacked.”
by harryreg_uk
Monday, October 29 2012, 5:22PM
“@redcapred, cracking result against the mighty Accrington, no wonder you're on here!”
by Vonner
Monday, October 29 2012, 4:43PM
“Hand on hearts - how many of us thought our good start was for real or that we would soon be struggling? I'd like to say I was genuinely in the latter camp, hindsight permitting.
I don't get to as many games as I used to and consider myself less a fan or supporter, more a carer (if I'm not watching I'm updating the mobile wasting 3G or suffering a Radio Bristol commentary in a cold car park on a Tuesday night :-)). But I'm virtually at the point of not really caring, which is somewhere I've never been. The reason for this is the same as when I 'support' England - I'm rooting for a team that simply is technically not good enough. There are not the funds available to buy better quality players for various reasons for another debate - we are no Leicester or Cardiff.
And if thats the case the only thing that gets you anywhere is team spirit, fight, sheer bloody-minded refusal to get beat, like a non-league team fighting in the Cup. Do we honestly think the majority of players wearing a City shirt feel the same way as we would pulling on that shirt? Perhaps one or two look genuinely gutted when we lose, like Stead and Carey. I might be wrong and I'd be interested to hear what the long suffering regulars think.
As for McInnes - if you don't have the two things I've mentioned above the third thing to bail you out is to be an organised, fit, disciplined, hard to beat side. I don't think he has helped the cause with constant changes in line ups, formations, tactics and odd substitutions (injuries and sickness permitting). He is unproven - brought here from Scotland and bringing several Scottish Premier staff and players with him. I honestly don't think these people are good enough at this level and the table and performances do not lie.
City will eventually find their level - part of me hopes we have to look to the acedemy eventually or for some promising players from the region. But it won't happen so long as money rules the game and we will continue to employ mercenaries to go through the motions.
England and Bristol City - a million miles away from success...”
by piledriver
Monday, October 29 2012, 4:10PM
“@DaveinSA:
Yes but we won't motivate them by making them sick, Dave.Custer was known for that kind of "training" and we all know he he ended up!”
by piledriver
Monday, October 29 2012, 4:08PM
“@redcapred..twice
Methinks he doth protest to much”
by DaveinSA
Monday, October 29 2012, 3:47PM
“@piledriver...
much too long in SA! I'm not suggesting that the players are shot, what I am suggesting is a test (of sorts) to see how committed the players are to the cause...!”
by redcapred
Monday, October 29 2012, 2:58PM
“by piledrivel... iwas there you idiot so im quite sure it happened.”
by redcapred
Monday, October 29 2012, 2:57PM
“really piledriver funny that because i was there you clown, think the club should check the CCTV and we will see who is right!!”
by piledriver
Monday, October 29 2012, 2:35PM
“@DaveinSA
Unfortuneately, or perhaps, fortuneately, much of what you suggest is illegal.
We don't shoot striking workers here, Dave!
Perhaps a little to long in SA, mate?”