City undone again by one of the Championship big boys
Talking points from Bristol City’s defeat to West Brom at The Hawthorns, by
SOMETIMES football is magnificently unpredictable. At other times the opposite, as proved here. You could have written out in advance what might happen at The Hawthorns and what actually took place would not be too far from most Bristol City fans’ scrawlings.
The Robins don’t like playing the big boys. Outclassed by Bournemouth the previous Saturday it was the same story again at the weekend, as the two parachute-payment enhanced sides showed the gulf between the West Country men and the second-tier’s aristocracy.
City have played eight games against teams in the top half of the Championship and only have a single win against QPR to show for it.
It’s been two defeats against two relegated sides from the top tier this season, and a draw at home to Fulham. The side from Ashton Gate only drew one of six games, losing the other five to the relegated sides in 2020-21.
Unsurprising? No biggie, perhaps. This is after all a three-year project, the Robins have explained. They’re looking at another two years on to see real progress and the gap closed.
But will Nigel Pearson last the distance? At this fourth defeat in the last five games on Saturday there was discernible mutinous chants from a section of travelling fans on Saturday.
When young right-back George Tanner was hooked on 34 minutes, some sang, “You don’t know what you’re doing...” while late in the game as the third goal went in Pearson was serenaded with, “You’re getting sacked in the morning...” By both some home and away supporters. The heat is on.
One of the wisdoms of Marcelo
Bielsa is that the Argentine Leeds United head coach, who knows what it takes to escape the clutches of the Championship without parachute payments, defines a manager’s quality by how they see out the tough times, not when things are going well. So maybe now we will see the real work of Pearson.
There are grumbles, with four defeats in the last five games and still not a home win under his stewardship, and the Barnsley home game next weekend looks pivotal: a loss or even draw may ask real questions of Pearson and if he is the right man to take the club forward.
We can see what the manager is doing at the club: improved fitness across the board, a tighter squad and a patience to wait to add genuine quality to the squad in the transfer market. We believe Pearson will get that victory needed next weekend. But if it was not to come, can the club truly stick with a manager unable to win a single game at home approaching the length of an entire season? If the likes of Barnsley cannot be beaten at home then who can be?
A continuing malaise in BS3 severely damages the product on offer, dents attenadance at Ashton Gate and with money needed to be made just to compete in the division and make FFP regulations, it is tough to sell watching a team that never wins.
We’re not there yet, however, and if the Robins simply perform as they have done at home so far results have been bad; not always performances too - then at some point the breaks will come, at the least. City were not bad against Forest, they just finished that game badly, as they have done too often. Poor spells in games have been
punished by Blackpool, Luton and Forest.
EX-WEST BROM MAN MISSING FROM THE HAWTHORNS
FORMER West Brom assistant manager Nigel Pearson was in good mood at the Hawthorns and enjoyed a catch-up with several familiar football faces from his 40 years in the game.
But another ex-Baggie was not present, with first-team coach Keith Downing missing. The writing is on the wall, given the absence, and Paul Simpson leaving on Friday. Surely a departure is in the works and there may have been a slip by Pearson in explaining to BBC Radio Bristol after the game that both have asked, later corrected to ‘Paul has asked...,’ to leave his contract early.
GOALS GALORE FOR THE BAGGIES
WEST Bromwich Albion have now smacked in 31 goals in the last 11 games against City. They must love facing the Robins.
Conceding just six minutes and 57 seconds into this game was a bad start and meant this was going to be a long afternoon for the travelling away fans. It was way too easy for Jordan Hugill to score the opener after right wing-back Darnell Furlong was afforded too much space, and Hugill should have had a hat-trick with the chances that came his way on the day.
One of those best opportunities came via George Tanner’s backpass but Dan Bentley made amends, with Tanner then taken off for his own protection, as Pearson
explained after the game. “It was the right decision to take George off because he was having a very difficult time,” insisted Pearson to the Bristol Post after the game.
Bartley then leaped highest to score from a simple long throw but if the stricken Nathan Baker had been present that probably wouldn’t have gone in, and it is perhaps unlucky that both of City’s best aerial presences were not available on the pitch then (Baker and the 6ft 5ins Robbie Cundy).
To round off a miserable day, Danny Simpson succeeded where Tanner had not in setting up a Baggies goal with a hopeless back-pass. It was that kind of performance and one seen far too often, with echos of Ashley Williams’ error at Ashton Gate two years ago to gift the Baggies a goal then too. They don’t need your help, City.
LAST WORD FOR BEYOND FOOTBALL
WE wish well to both spectators who were given medical assistance at the ground on Saturday. Thankfully both have been reported as in hosptial, conscious and having treatment.
The Baggies fan who left the ground before the game began even managed a thumbs-up and smile to the crowd as he was whisked off just after 3pm, while an elderly Bristol City supporter was treated at half-time and is believed to have possibly suffered a stroke at the game, though a grandchild reported good news from the hospital on social media after the match.