Basso for England?
By: Matt P |
1 Comment
Not content with helping Bristol challenge for promotion, Adriano Basso is looking to his international career too. Sky Sports have him quoted as saying:
“Brazilian keepers don’t take the headlines, but I would like to change that. I know the future is bright. I am 32 and looking forward to playing in the next World Cup. You can achieve anything you want if you work properly. I want to play for England or Brazil. I have been here five years, so I can get an English passport.”
Here’s believing he gets to fulfill both his domestic and international his dreams.
Bristol City vs Watford Match Preview: Clash of the Titans!
By: Matt P | 1 Comment
Tuesday 11th March, Ashton Gate, 7.45pm
Watford
Position in league: 3rd
Last match: Watford 1 v 1 Norwich
Last five matches: WDDDD
Goal difference in last five matches: +2
Last five away matches: LDWDD
Key man: Dan Shittu - Watford can score goals from all positions and the defender is a continual threat at set pieces, whilst also being a difficult man to get past.
Bristol City
Position in league: 1st
Last match: Bristol City 0 v 0 Leicester City
Last five matches: DWWDD
Goal difference in last five matches: +2
Last five home matches: DWWDW
Key man: Adebola - I think both sides will score tonight so we need to score at leat two if we are to get all three points - Adebola, who’s been in pretty good form lately, is the man to get us those goals.
Result in last match between the two sides: Watford 2 v 1 Bristol City
Promotion rivals
Tuesday:
Norwich v Stoke
Wednesday:
West Brom v Crystal Palace
Odds
Bristol City win: 13/10
Draw: 11/5
Hull City win: 13/8
Prediction
Bristol City 2 v 1 Watford
Congratulations Rovers
By: Matt P | 2 Comments
Judging by the message boards, I may upset a few fans with this. But I want to congratulate Rovers on getting to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a City fan all the way but as a City fan I feel we should extend a round of applause to our city neighbours for reaching as far as the did. They, along with ourselves have done themselves and the city of Bristol proud this season.
Category: 07-08 NewsEnd of season prediction
By: Matt P | Add Comments
With most teams having less than 10 games to play this season, it’s time for me to make my predictions on who will achieve automatic promotion from the Championship and who will have to settle for the play-offs.
So, just like presidential primary results coming in, here is my prediction for what the top six will look like come the end of the season:
1. West Brom
2. Bristol City
——————–
3. Watford
4. Stoke
5. Hull
6. Charlton
So Bristol to get promoted in second behind West Brom. Let’s believe!
City’s smash and grabs of 07-08
By: Matt P | Add Comments
In keeping with GJ’s honesty, I thought we’d look at some other matches when Bristol have been, to say the least lucky.
Burnley 0 v 1 Bristol City, 29th December.
Tamas Vasko gave City fans a New Year present with the only goal of the match, away at Burnley. Despite a good performance from Bristol, City were lucky to come away with one point, let alone all three, and if Ade Akinbiyi had been on sharper form, the team might have suffered defeat; Akinbiyi missed numerous chances while also hitting both of Basso’s uprights but it was Vasko who took one of Bristol’s few real opportunities to mark his return to the side after a two month absence.
Shots on goal: Bristol 7, Burnley 16. Possession: Bristol 48%. Corners: Bristol 2, Burnley 6.
Leicester City 0 v 0 Bristol City, 8th March.
Gary Johnson said after the match “It was an unbelievable point to get - it was not deserved.” Bristol’s point at Leicester came thanks partly to Leicester’s inability to hit the proverbial barn-door and Basso’s fine form in the City net. The official Bristol City website describes a draw as ‘just about fair’ which is odd when the home side managed twenty-one shots on goal to City’s nine.
Shots on goal: Bristol 9, Leicester 21. Possession: Bristol 45%. Corners: Bristol 5, Leicester 13.
Bristol City 2 v 1 Southampton, 24th October.
In ninety minutes, City managed precisely two shots on target compared to Southampton’s five. But clinical finishing meant City scored both of those and took all three points after an inspired opening twenty minutes followed by seventy of backs to the wall defending. The match saw chance after chance missed by the Saints who ended the match having won seven corners to City’s one.
Shots on goal: Bristol 4, Leicester 13. Possession: Bristol 48%. Corners: Bristol 1, Southampton 7.
Coventry 3 v 0 Bristol City, 15th September.
How City came away from this match with three goals and all three points is a mystery to all. Despite only having a third of the possession and roughly half the number of shots on goal that Coventry had, Bristol won the match wih an impressive scoreline. The result allowed City back to the top of the table.
Shots on goal: Bristol 10, Coventry 19. Possession: Bristol 34%. Corners: Bristol 7, Coventry 8.
Bristol City vs Leicester City: Match Preview
By: Matt P | Add Comments
Saturday 8th March, 3pm, Walkers Stadium
League - Bristol haven’t been out of the top six since the victory at Scunthorpe in the third game of the season. On the same day as that win, Leicester achieved their highest placing this season - hitting the lofty heights of ninth.
Early goals - Leicester have conceded twenty-four goals in the first half this season, compared with eighteen in the second period.
Ian Holloway factor - Gary Johnson blamed the defeat at home to Leicester on it being Ian Holloway’s first match in charge. The subsequent story tells a less rosy picture for Leicester fans with the team having only won 20 points from a possible 60 since that day and Bristol having won 38 from a possible 57.
Clemence, Stephen - the Leicester City captain and joint-fourth top scorer misses the match with a hamstring injury. For Bristol, McAllister and Carey are fit and will travel.
Extra match ban for Orr - Having served his ban for getting sent off at Colchester, Bradley has been given an extra one match ban for using abusive language towards the referee at the end of the match, so the right back spot is up for grabs again.
Second half performance - Gary Johnson has said Bristol need to “play like that team that played the second half up at Charlton” when in his words City looked like a “premiership side”.
Three - Despite there being seventeen places between the two teams, Leicester’s goal difference is only three worse than Bristol’s.
Etuhu - Leicester have signed pacy attacker Etuhu on loan from Manchester City and could start the match. A nineteen year old, he played eight times for Man City in the premiership, netting once; against Bolton.
Run - Bristol are on an undefeated run of six matches while Leicester have lost five in their last seven.
Promotion rivals
Stoke v Burnley
Saturday at 3pm
Odds
Leicester win 11/8
Draw 21/10
Bristol win 13/8
Prediction
Leicester 2 v 2 Bristol
Keeping an eye on City’s promotion rivals
By: Matt P | Add Comments
Watford
No matter how many they score, Watford seem unable at the moment to take more than a point per game. The Hornets drew their third match in a row as Norwich held them 1v1 at Vicarage Park, leaving them in second place, three points behind Bristol.
Watford next play Bristol at Ashton Gate before Stoke at home and Plymouth away.
Stoke
Separated only by goal difference from Watford, Stoke have been suffering a mini explosion which have seen them drop from first to third. Having won five on the trot, Stoke lost 2v0 away at Preston and then suffered the same result as Bristol at QPR, losing 3v0.
Stoke are next at home to Burnley, then away at Norwich, then at Watford.
West Brom
After the shock loss at home to Hull, West Brom have won both their last two matches; beating Plymouth and Sheff Wednesday. West Brom lie in fourth on 61 points but with a game in hand over the top three.
West Brom now play at home to Crystal Palace and then Leicester before travelling to Charlton.
Blast from the past: City beat Liverpool at Anfield
By: Matt P | Add Comments
I thought I’d post this clip of Brian Tinnion scoring to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup in 1994. Let’s hope we get the opportunity to follow Bristol to grounds like Anfield next season!
Category: HistoryKey point at Charlton
By: Matt P | Add Comments
Bristol City 1 v 1 Charlton Athletic
After a poor first half, which Gary Johnson put down to the players acting like they had been “reading their own publicity”, City went in to the break a goal down having seen Charlton create and waste numerous chances in a opening 45 minutes that were dominated by the London side.
Charlton, desperately needing a win to keep their quickly fading automatic promotion hopes alive, opened the scoring with Darren Ambrose netting from close range. But a changed Bristol side after the break came back strongly and a Lee Johnson cross was headed home by the on fire McCombe. City had a chance to win the match but McIndoe’s free kick hit the woodwork.
McCombe volley takes City top
By: Matt P | 3 Comments
Bristol City 2 v 1 Hull City
Bristol City went top of the Championship after a spectacular Jamie McCombe goal gave the Robins a 2v1 victory.
Adebola opened the scoring on 14 minutes only for a Fontaine own goal to even the scores. Bristol, in truth, were a little fortunate to take all three points; Hull having the majority of posession and chances, but it was McCombe who fired home an overhead volley to bring Bristol a vital win.
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