Bristol City have finally worked out how to win at home, but with just four victories since their Loftus Road smash and grab it's been a frustrating season of false starts thus far according to @DaveFevs @FevsFootball

Form not great, just four wins in 15 since the victory at Loftus Road, how’s the team playing at the moment? What should we expect from City?

Back in September, although you were all over us, you caught us with probably our strongest 18-man squad available and we were able to bring Semenyo off the bench and Wells to score and gain an unlikely win. Since then we’ve had to battle through with annoying injuries, and losing King, James and Williams from midfield left us exposed. That played out in results and performances as we dropped down from the heady heights of ninth at the October international break. We weren’t deserving of that position and we dropped down the table with defeats to Bournemouth and West Brom. Ok, no surprises, but it was the manner of those defeats. We’d looked competitive in every game up to that point and suddenly we looked yards off what was needed.

To answer your question, expect the unexpected, we are consistently inconsistent. We have had to use the youngsters more than expected, but in fairness they’ve all put in good shifts, but they can’t perform week in week out. Massengo at 20 was great at your place but had a niggly injury and then a poor run of form, so we just brought even younger players in. Alex Scott (18) and Ayman Benarous (18) have both contributed to those long-awaited home wins. Scott is an England U-19 regular, when virtually all of that squad come from Premier League clubs and is a fantastic talent. He’s been playing right wing back when he is really a ball-playing midfielder, but he’s got a good football brain and has done fine.

Bristol City league results…
Bristol City 1-1 Blackpool Martin 44 — Lavery 90
Boro 2-1 Bristol City Ikpeazu 38, Crooks 70 — King 60
Reading 2-3 Bristol City Azeez 19, Moore 80 — Weimann 5, 52, Martin 14
Bristol City 0-1 Swansea Piroe 19
Cardiff 1-2 Bristol City Bentley og 59 — Weimann 21, 70
Bristol City 0-0 Preston
Bristol City 1-1 Luton Baker 57 — Hylton 90
QPR 1-2 Bristol City McCallum 54 — Martin 45, Wells 90
Bristol City 1-1 Fulham Palmer 79 — Mitrovic 50
Millwall 1-0 Bristol City Wallace pen 64
Peterborough 2-3 Bristol City Szmodics 22, 43 — Thompson og 34, Tanner 40, Martin 84
Bristol City 0-2 Bournemouth Lowe 21, Zemura 45
Bristol City 1-2 Forest Scott 39 — Taylor pen 90, 90
West Brom 3-0 Bristol City Hugill 9, Bartley 42, Grant 52
Bristol City 2-1 Barnsley Weimann 42, 45 — Iseka 28
Birmingham 3-0 Bristol City McGree 14, Hogan 68, Gardner 76
Coventry 3-2 Bristol City Godden pen 51, 90, O’Hare 74 — Martin pen 45, Weimann 68
Bristol City 1-1 Blackburn O’Dowda 34 — Brereton 75
Bristol City 1-0 Stoke Bakinson 38
Sheff Utd 2-0 Bristol City Brewster 40, Sharp 89
Bristol City 1-0 Derby Scott 16
Hull 2-2 Bristol City Longman 3, Honeyman 79 — Semenyo 54, James 90
Bristol City 2-3 Huddersfield Weimann 2, 90 — Holmes 41, Sinani 46, Ward 55

You have finally ended that run without a win at home now, and put three of those on the board — anything changed to bring that about?

We had Joe Williams fit for a couple of them, and if we can get him fit (again) and keep him fit he will make a huge difference. The return of Matty James, Callum O’Dowda and the powerful Antoine Semenyo (21) up-top has given us a different dimension, but our defence is prone to too many mistakes. The back three we used for the first time at Loftus Road has now become the default system, although following last week’s loss at home to Huddersfield I do wonder whether Nige might go back to a back four over Christmas. It’s been less “three wise men” more “the good, the bad and the ugly”. So, Warburton will be left guessing.

Nigel Pearson’s position and popularity currently?

I don’t think he’s under any threat at all, although some fans do. I think a lot of fans have found the football tough to watch. It’s been pretty direct, but with a few players back, we’ve passed it more in recent games. So I don’t think he’s hugely popular, but my view is that he’s doing a great deal of “other stuff” as part of our rebuild and he’s laying foundations, and it won’t be until the summer where we start to see the fruits of his labour and experience. He took over with the club in a bit of a mess. The outside world see City as a well-run club, but we are expecting huge losses for 20/21 and that constrained Nige in the summer.

Any rumours for January? What’s needed?

No rumours, finances dictate that we are likely to be looking for players of the ilk of Atkinson (from Oxford) and Tanner (from Carlisle), maybe the odd loan. Dembele (Peterborough) currently getting some traffic on our Forum (OTIB — One Team in Bristol). The bigger debate is whether Kasey Palmer, Nahki Wells, Jay Dasilva and Taylor Moore might be moved on during the window. Do you fancy Nahki back? He’s rarely started this season, and now looked out of form. I’m not sure that it will create much wiggle room for transfers although reducing the wage bill would be a big benefit.

If Nige is gonna persist with a back three, then we need a right sided Centre-Back. We need a striker, talk that it needs to be a target-man, but I’m not convinced. Weimann has nine goals and four assists from predominately deeper positions, and Semenyo is looking a handful and I don’t think Barbet will enjoy him roaming into that inside right channel, he’s a bit of a beast.

Ins: >>> Rob Atkinson, 22, CB, Oxford, £1.6m >>> George Tanner, 21, RB, Carlisle, Undisclosed >>> Matty James, 29, CM, Leicester, Free >>> Andy King, 32, CM, Leicester, Leuven, Free >>>

Outs: >>> Adam Nagy, 26, CM, Pisa, Undisclosed >>> Tommy Rowe, 32, LM, Doncaster, Free >>> Famara Diedhiou, 28, CF, Alanyaspor, Free >>> Jack Hunt, 30, RB, Sheff Wed, Free >>> Henri Lansbury, 30, CM, Luton, Free >>> Liam Walsh, 23, CM, Swansea, Free >>> Hakeeb Adelakun, 25, RW, Lincoln, Free >>> Joe Woollacott, 24, GK, Swindon, Free >>> Marley Watkins, 30, RW, Cardiff, Free >>> Adrian Mariappa, 34, CB, Released >>> Jamie Paterson, 29, AM, Swansea, Free >>> Zac Smith, 20, CM, Released >>> Rene Gilmartin, 34, GK, Retired >>> Taylor Moore, 24, CB, Hearts, Loan

Strongest performers and weakest links?

Tomas Kalas’s performances (in the main) and Andreas Weimann’s goal contributions have been key, even if Weimann’s form has been inconsistent. Not forgetting Alex Scott, mentioned earlier.

Zak Vyner has made mistakes since coming back in at RCB, having been steady at RB early season. Chris Martin is now looking less effective up top, whether that is form or fatigue as he’s started every game.

Overall we are not that special a squad so too many players have been much of a muchness.

Revised expectations for the season?

I said middle eight at the start of the season, and I still see that, although I think we will be at the bottom end of that bunch. I don’t see a relegation battle, we have enough about us to pick up results, and we are eight points clear of 22nd placed Peterborough. The transfer window will be interesting, if only to point is in the direction of how much work there is still to do.

Links >>> Bristol City official website >>> The Exiled Robin — Blog >>> One Team In Bristol — Message Board >>> Bristol Post — Local Paper >>> One Stream In Bristol — Podcast

The Twitter @loftforwords, @fevsfootball

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TacticalR added 17:15 - Dec 30 Thanks to @DaveFevs. I agree that at least until recently the statement: 'the outside world see City as a well-run club' was true. Now it seems City have been becalmed for quite a while and Pearson is slowly getting the ship moving. It seems like ages ago, but he did a lot to build the foundations at Leicester, so maybe he is one of those managers who can be successful if given time. Or maybe he is one of those managers like Chris Hughton or Paul Hughton who looks as though he has had his day?

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TacticalR added 22:10 - Dec 31 Oops, that should have been 'Chris Hughton or Paul Lambert'.
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