Off-colour City have another unenjoyable trip to New York
Talking points from Bristol City’s defeat to Rotherham at the New York Stadium, by
FOOTBALL is never straightforward. Very rarely do the sides at the top of the league go to the teams in the bottom half of table and canter to a win. If they do, you’re talking Wolves 2017-18 or Leeds United 2019-20: champions material.
Sides like Rotherham are always tough to break down on their own turf, and so it proved for Bristol City who failed on their ninth attempt to win at the Yorkshire venue from which they have yet to take the three points.
At the New York Stadium, come the end of Saturday’s game, the lyrics were pouring out for Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York classic ‘if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere...’ and that was so apt given City’s abysmal record there and that their last victory over Rotherham came 25 years ago at Millmoor.
NEW YORK STADIUM VENUE
CITY were blown away on Saturday afternoon: dominated like never before under Dean Holden. Yes, QPR played well but that was more about one early storm, and City at least created chances at the other end.
This game offered nothing. The shot count was a dismal 22 to three, with eight on target to two. The home side were incandescent at referee Leigh Doughty not awarding a penalty after Tommy Rowe caught Matt Olosunde - with replays showing Bristol City to be lucky to get that decision - and by and large, it was one-way traffic.
Perhaps the early goal spurred on the hosts as Tomas Kalas clumsily brought down Jamie Lindsay after mere seconds, and Callum O’Dowda failed to stop 6ft 4 ins Matt Crooks thundering in and powering home his early header (should O’Dowda have been tasked with marking the nine-goal scorer from last season, though?).
Or maybe the home side responded as Paul Warne announced before the game that his job was under pressure and that he needed a result to turn the tide. Psychology? He has been there a long time and his four years in South Yorkshire has led to a strong emotional bond with his dressing room. Warne’s side were on a run of five defeats in six league games, with one draw the other result. They had won just three of 17 games, suffering 10 defeats before Saturday. But the hosts dominated a Robins side who looked shellshocked at the hard-pressing aggressive play of the home team. It really was Miller time.
LIVE AND DIRECT
WARNE’S side have had some decent results at home with wins against Preston, Sheffield Wednesday and now City, with a creditable draw against Bournemouth. And the Robins could not cope with the direct game as Crooks, Michael Smith and Kyle Vassell simply overpowered the visitors, won the second ball and showed the necessary front-foot zeal to charge at goal time and again.
Adam Nagy and Tyreeq Bakinson are normally very reliable passes of the ball, who average pass success rates between 80 and 90 per cent each game, but by the end of this one Bakinson had only completed half of his 21 passes and Nagy 77 per cent. The home side got on top and squeezed the life out of the Robins.
The pervasive feeling among City supporters before the game was that to be successful you need to go to places like Rotherham and get a result. Not a slap around the chops
as was the case on Saturday - with City strangely impotent in midfield, outmuscled in defence - with Zak Vyner beaten by Smith for the second goal and the Robins defence struggling to handle Olosunde all afternoon - and the attack misfiring.
City’s three efforts on goal saw Famara Diedhiou stab straight at Viktor Johnansson - recalled in goal but not hugely tested by the away side - as he also pushed away an early Nahki Wells free-kick. Invention was in short supply.
In fact, City’s attempts to exert even a modicum of pressure was nigh-on laughable as the team of the Chuckle Brothers were first to the ball every time.
BIGGER PICTURE UNDOUBTEDLY the Robins are going through a tough patch and those injuries look to be affecting the team: Alfie Mawson and Nathan Baker would have been handy for this one. On paper, there are still good games to come over the next few weeks, but the Robins need to improve as the bigger picture doesn’t bode well when looking at the wider trends.
It’s just six goals scored in the last eight games, and 44 shots conceded in the last two fixtures. With problems at both ends, six of the last 13 games have now been lost, though beating Millwall tomorrow would reverse that pattern and put things on a more even keel after some patchy sequences of results.
Phrases such as, “we failed to execute” and “we must respond” are however becoming all the more
frequent from the head coach and Dean Holden must now show his motivational skills again, although thankfully this has appeared a strength of his, with previous defeats not developing into runs.
Holden was honest after the game and he was correct that this was the first no-show from his team this campaign.
“It was a tough watch. It’s the first time this season, in fairness, that our performance levels have not been up to the standard,” he said.
The City boss told the official cub channels that his side were missing a spark - and that does look the case. Coaxing a match-winning display from Wells, Antoine Semenyo, Diedhiou or Chris Martin would be well-timed and help get City moving in the right direction again.
POSITIVES FEW AND FAR BETWEEN
THE only good items we noted are that City’s young players were given more exposure to senior football and that the damage does not seem irreparable. Holden’s side remain in seventh and nicely placed, just a point off where they aim to be - and the team from Ashton Gate face a winnable game at home against Millwall next, although Gary Rowett’s side will offer another examination of City’s desire to win the loose balls and dominate aerial duels. And while Rotherham strangely pulled a top-drawer performance like that out of the bag, they do not travel as well and may be a different proposition when they come to Ashton Gate.