I read a lot of comments on social media before Saturday’s game against Oxford United that it was a six-pointer and I even read some comments saying that if we were to lose the game, head coach Liam Manning would lose his job. Some even said that they wanted us to lose because it would have seen the end of his tenure. A view that I just don’t understand. How could you want your own team to lose games? I don’t think for a minute that his job was on the line, but I do think Manning was under some pressure, not least of which from the fan base, after his team’s last two performances and results in the 3-0 defeats away at Derby County and Blackburn Rovers.
The fan pressure won’t have been eased when the team news came through at 2pm. I honestly expected to see Yu Hirakawa named in the starting eleven on the right-hand side, with either Anis Mehmeti or Mark Sykes on the left and Scott Twine played centrally in the 10. I fully expected Haydon Roberts to come in at the expense of Cam Pring, with Joe Williams also benched. I couldn’t believe that Manning had once again opted not to play Twine centrally, despite practically every City fan I know having cried out for it. It was also a reoccurring question to the head coach in the build-up to the game and the pre-match press conference.
I know after the game when asked Manning said that in the first half when in possession Twine was in the 10 and out of possession he was left but we saw again in the second half just how better balanced we look as a team with Twine central and Max Bird and Jason Knight in behind. Is it a case of the head coach being stubborn? I do worry that at times he over complicates a simple game. Surely, the second half performance will see that formation from the start, against Swansea City on Sunday.
For all that being said, according to the Opta statistics, Twine created seven chances for the team on Saturday, the most of any player across England’s top four tiers over the weekend at the time of writing this column and a number of those were in the first half. So in possession Twine coming from the left did create chances but it also narrows the pitch and Twine, Bird and Knight all seem to want to be in the same place.
When not on the ball, we get exposed and it makes it a tough game for the left-back. Haydon Roberts put in a decent display, a performance that will, I am sure, see him keep his place in the next game. Roberts is good on the ball and created a number of opportunities the best of which was when he sent over a cross in the 16th minute that Sinclair Armstrong should have got on target, but placed his header just wide.
The atmosphere was generally pretty good, albeit with an air of nervousness which wasn’t helped with the Oxford United opener. Siriki Dembele, who had been impressive all afternoon, drove through the heart of the defence and whilst there was a degree of fortune with the way the ball broke for Ruben Rodrigues, he finished it well. There was some discontent from the stands, understandably but the majority kept with the side with Section 82 again making a lot of noise. As the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, there were some boos, but I also think that most fans will have felt it wasn’t a bad half and that we should have taken one of the chances created.
Manning opted to change things at half-time, bringing on Yu for Joe Williams. The decision may have been made a little easier with Williams having been booked in the 10th minute. It’s become somewhat of a standing joke that Williams is nailed on to pick up a booking and for those that like a bet, he is a shoo-in in the bet builder. No one wants to see Williams lose his aggression, but he must cut out the stupid bookings.
There was a real sliding doors moment in the 55th minute when after a good move, Oxford United striker Mark Harris somehow managed to fail to hit the target, having lost Zak Vyner with his run. The striker should have made it 2-0 and that would have made for a very different game and, in the end, I think a very different result.
Almost at once, Sinclair Armstrong brought the teams levels with a powerful strike from a Jason Knight cross. Hirakawa was involved, calmly sliding the ball into Knight. Somewhat surprisingly on 65 minutes, Manning opted to withdraw Armstrong for Nahki Wells. A decision that a fair percentage of fans in the stands couldn’t understand and a decision that seemed to have Sinclair scratching his head. It was a brave decision from the head coach and ultimately proved to be the right move.
Bristol City Live on Whatsapp
Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone
Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
There was a real buzz around the ground every time that Yu was on the ball and it was no surprise to see him involved in the winner. His left foot pass found Roberts in the box and when he shifted the ball back, the unlucky Harris seemed to tread on his foot and after a second or two’s deliberation the referee pointed to the spot. I’ve only seen the incident at the time live and can’t say whether it was the right decision or not. The experienced Nahki Wells stepped up and smashed the ball into the top right hander corner to seal the win and all three points.
It was a half an hour from Wells that showed all his nous and football knowledge. The way he pressed the Oxford United defenders, ran the channels and generally made it hard work for them. Armstrong and Fally Mayulu can learn a lot from Wells.
It wasn’t quite a case of McFly and it being “All about Yu” but the home fans got to see what the winger is all about; I genuinely cannot recall him having lost possession of the ball. Yu has a great touch, an eye for a pass, gets a shot away and has decent pace. There was one moment from a lofted clearance that he just brought the ball down under his control instantly.
You cannot understate just how big a cultural change it must be for our Japanese international. Whilst he is learning English, there is still a gap in his understanding of his team mates and that makes his home debut all the more impressive. Maybe it’s an age thing but I will admit to welling up a little at full-time when Yu was taking in the applause and bowing to his adoring fans.
There was a great video and post made by Ali Durden at the BBC after the game, showing Yu signing autographs with lots of fans waiting to meet him. We seem to have found a new fans favourite.
Our 3 Peaps In A Podcast average player ratings were Max O’Leary 6, George Tanner 6.5, Zak Vyner 6, Luke McNally 6.5, Haydon Roberts 7, Joe Williams 5, Jason Knight 6, Max Bird 6.5, Anis Mehmeti 7, Scott Twine 7 and Sinclair Armstrong 7.5. For the substitutes who must play a minimum of 20 minutes (including injury time) we went Nahki Wells 8 and Yu Hirakawa 8.5 *MotM. A game average player rating of 6.73. That’s an overall season to date average player rating of 5.89.
For Liam Manning it’s a 6.5. I still think that the head coach got his starting line-up wrong but he made brave decisions at half-time and with the substitution of Wells for Armstrong. The game rating was 6.5.