FT: BRISTOL CITY 3 - 2 CARDIFF CITY. Match thread

[Michael Morris]

Saturday January 22nd, ko 12:30pm
Live on Sky Sports Red Button.

Cardiff have sold their allocation of tickets.

Match Officials:

Referee: GAVIN WARD
Assistants: Graham Kane and Bhupinder Gill
Fourth Official : James Linington

[evelyn]

Bristol city vs Cardiff city available at 720pstream.me

[jon1959]

No pre-match manager press conference yet - either WOL or club website. Not normal to wait for Friday.

Last time it didn't appear when due the match was postponed for Covid.

Maybe they are just holding back to combine it with an announcement about a loan player no-one had heard of 2 weeks ago?

[Rjk]

massive game this

A win and we are level with Hull again, and 2 points behind swansea and birmingham - 4 off bristol.

Lose and we will be looking over our shoulder

[Der Kaiser]

If Kieffer is fit enough to go on the bench he needs to start this one, play Colwill and Harris either side with a midfield 3 of Doyle, Wintle and Ralls behind. We really don't have much to lose in putting Doyle in straight away, such is the state of the midfield. Would like to see Sang as wing back instead of Ng but don't see that happening.


2-2.

[Rjk]

If Kieffer is fit enough to go on the bench he needs to start this one, play Colwill and Harris either side with a midfield 3 of Doyle, Wintle and Ralls behind. We really don't have much to lose in putting Doyle in straight away, such is the state of the midfield. Would like to see Sang as wing back instead of Ng but don't see that happening.


2-2.

so 3 up front, 3 in CM + wingbacks, that doesn't leave much room for defenders.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

so 3 up front, 3 in CM + wingbacks, that doesn't leave much room for defenders.

In fairness, halving half of the 10 outfield players playing in defence is hardly working.

[Rjk]

In fairness, halving half of the 10 outfield players playing in defence is hardly working.

we don't, wingbacks are basically midfielders

[City123]

so 3 up front, 3 in CM + wingbacks, that doesn't leave much room for defenders.

Sounds like a 4-3-3 to me. Perfectly valid formation. To get the wing backs high you can have Wintle dropping between the centre backs when in possession (he was, bafflingly, doing this against Blackburn despite our 3 cbs)

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Our defence needs to keep their striker, Semenyo, in check. He scored two away to Fulham and looked very pacy and powerful, in the highlights I saw.

[Der Kaiser]

Sounds like a 4-3-3 to me. Perfectly valid formation. To get the wing backs high you can have Wintle dropping between the centre backs when in possession (he was, bafflingly, doing this against Blackburn despite our 3 cbs)

Yep, this. 3 centre backs just hasn't worked all season, so we may as well get an extra forward minded player involved and attempt to swamp the midfield, which is where all footballing battles are won and lost.

[Rjk]

Sounds like a 4-3-3 to me. Perfectly valid formation. To get the wing backs high you can have Wintle dropping between the centre backs when in possession (he was, bafflingly, doing this against Blackburn despite our 3 cbs)

so full backs not wingbacks then

[Rjk]

Yep, this. 3 centre backs just hasn't worked all season, so we may as well get an extra forward minded player involved and attempt to swamp the midfield, which is where all footballing battles are won and lost.

3 at the back gives you more attacking players than 4 at the back ,if it is done correctly

[Former Labour leader]

Despite being shown training, seems as if Keiffer not in squad tomorrow. This leaves us with a powder puff attack and am not sure where goals are coming from. Not sure that Doyle or Watters will give us that spark, yet.
Team
Smithies
Cody
Flint
Nelson
McGuinness
Ng
Wintle
Ralls
Pack
Collins
Harris

[City123]

so full backs not wingbacks then

You don't have to play 3 centre backs to have your fullbacks/wingbacks playing high, especially in possession. Wintle was already dropping in between our centre backs against Blackburn which is ridiculous considering we have three of them

The 3 centre backs has not worked, I get that you like the system but it clearly isn't suited to our players, why not try something different?

[Der Kaiser]

3 at the back gives you more attacking players than 4 at the back ,if it is done correctly

Well clearly it isn't done correctly, or they are just incapable of executing it. Either way, it's time to move on from 5 at the back, it isn't working - time to stop trying to force it.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

3 at the back gives you more attacking players than 4 at the back ,if it is done correctly

Not necessarily, it just depends on what your full backs do if you have a back 4. When Dave Jones was manager we often had one full back who would join in with the attack while the other stayed in his own half, creating a sort of 3-5-2 when in possession. We never got done by as many diagonal balls behind the wing backs with a back 4.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Well clearly it isn't done correctly, or they are just incapable of executing it. Either way, it's time to move on from 5 at the back, it isn't working - time to stop trying to force it.

Absolutely. For all the stuff that is written on it, about how it improves this and how it facilitates that, we're heading to a club record of successive games without a clean sheet playing it. That means it doesn't bloody work.

[Rjk]

I would go

Smithies

McGuinness Morrison Nelson

Drameh Wintle Ralls Ng

Colwill

Harris Collins

With Doyle, Davies and Bagan on the bench

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I would go

Smithies

McGuinness Morrison Nelson

Drameh Wintle Ralls Ng

Colwill

Harris Collins

With Doyle, Davies and Bagan on the bench

Do you back us to keep a clean sheet?

[Rjk]

Do you back us to keep a clean sheet?

yes

[Eric the Half a Bee]

yes

[Citizen's Nephew]

4-4-2 and make Smithies wear a Peaky Blinders cap and at least half the team play with their socks around their ankles and no shin guards. No blankets or hot water bottles for any of the subs. Morison in a Matrix Agent Smith suit complete with shades and made to keep his hands out of his pockets. The board in a sign of solidarity to parachute onto the centre circle....of The Memorial Stadium in Horfield.

[tforturton]

I'm going to stick my neck out here, and say we'll come away from this one with a point. It'll end 1-1, probably, after a dull game, with the fans jumping around trying to keep from freezing, wondering why they didn't stay home in bed, where at least it's warm.

[Rjk]

3-0 to us.