Bristol City host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday in the Championship as they look to get back to winning ways in the league having lost back-to-back games since the November international break.
The Robins returned from the break with a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Ashton Gate last Saturday before being beaten by a single goal again when they faced Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening.
Liam Manning’s side currently sit 12th in the Championship table, five points adrift of the play-off positions and seven clear of Hull City who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone.
Wayne Rooney’s Pilgrims on the other hand are only two points above the drop zone and are yet to win away from Home Park so far this season. Last time out, they were thrashed 6-1 by Norwich City at Carrow Road and will be looking to avoid a similar defeat this time around.
As usual, Manning met with the local media on Thursday afternoon to preview the weekend’s game. Here’s a full transcript of what the City manager said…
Liam, they say a week’s a long time in politics. The last time we spoke was at a pre-match press conference off the back of the Norwich game. Since then, two narrow defeats. How do you reflect on the last two games against Burnley and then Watford?
Frustrated with the point return, but I think, you know, some really positive aspects to the performance. Starting with Burnley, I thought, especially the last 30, 35 minutes, we finished extremely well. We applied a lot of pressure, got in some really good areas, and lacked a little bit of quality in the final bit, but for me, we did enough to get something from the game. Not enough to win it, but enough to get a point, especially when, I don’t want to talk about referees today, we’ll move on from that one quickly, but some of the decisions.
Then the other night, I thought we were excellent first half bar the finish, which again, we had a good meeting with the players this morning about it. I think when you looked at it, Watford tried to press, but our quality with the ball and our build-up was excellent. We got into some really good areas and asked a lot of questions with real purpose to it. Out of possession, pressed really well, got after it.
It was aggressive, played on the front foot, everything that I’d want our team to look like, just lacked that final bit to either create a really good goal-scoring opportunity or lacked a little detail when we did get into terrific goal-scoring positions. They had one shot on target and we ended up losing the game. So hugely disappointed, and frustrated. But again, I think the performance was of a high level.
It’s that time of year when Groundhog Day will be on the television. Forgive me for asking questions I’ve probably asked over the last few weeks, but the lack of goals, certainly the last two games, Is that a frustration, a concern? How would you describe it?
No, not a concern. I think it’s probably more of a frustration. Numerous teams across the division will have the same challenge and problem. You know, funnily enough, you’ve got an opposition team trying to stop you scoring. When you know, when you look at Burnley, we still got into some good areas against a team that’s notorious for not giving up many opportunities.
We actually asked a lot of questions. Then the other night we created loads of moments, loads of chances but it shows that you have to have the quality to take one to win a game. You don’t necessarily need 10, 15, 20 and again, I think it’s not something that I’m going to lose huge amounts of sleep over.
It’s work on the training ground. It’s a meeting this morning to ask why? What do we need to do? We need to keep churning out the performance that we did, especially first half the other night. I’m confident that if we keep replicating performances like that, the goals will come and we’ll win matches.
I guess you look to your strikers to score the goals. On Nahki Wells, are you happy if he plays three games in a week? On Fally Mayulu and Sinclair Armstrong as well, where are they at? Are they players that you signed in the summer as Championship-ready, and good to go or do we give them a bit of slack. Do they need time and patience to adjust?
I said that from day one. I was quite clear when we signed them, hence having the three options in the nine position. None of them were ready for a 45, 46, 50-game season starting every game. The skill is to try and put people in when they’re hot and performing. Sincs, I thought was excellent in the first five games, scored two and did an extremely good job. He could have possibly scored more, which is the work we’ve done with him, same as Fally who obviously had a really good immediate impact.
Then Nahki has come in and done extremely well. So I think that’s the bit, all three of them need to be ready to step in and deliver. If you look at the level in the division and what it costs to go and sign someone that’s going to guarantee you 15, 20 goals, they cost a fortune and there’s not a huge amount out there. I look across the division now and if you look at actual goal-scoring nines in the Championship at the minute, there’s not a huge amount. I think it’s becoming harder, teams are so well set up, and well organised, like Watford the other night.
We were excellent first half, when they’re pressing then we go behind. They sit off and defend the box and it becomes quite difficult to break that down because teams are so well organised. They’re bits that we have to work on and we have to get better at, but I’m confident. It’s not just your nines, I think around it as well with Anis Mehmeti, with Yu Hirakwa, with [Max] Birdy, and with [Scott] Twiney coming back, [he had] a great effort the other night. We’ve got that depth there and for me, it’s about sharing the goals out amongst your attacking unit.
Anis is actually producing a good goal return, I think four so far this season. Do you need more goals from other areas of the pitch?
Everywhere. Centre-backs included, especially against Burnley the number of corners and wide free kicks. Some terrific deliveries but not enough chances created off the back of those dangerous set pieces. I’ll be looking at Rob [Dickie], Luke [McNally] and Zak [Vyner] as well as [Jason] Knighty from set pieces as we’ve seen is a real threat, then your attacking unit.
The second you’re dependent on one person to do it, if you lose that person, you’re in a bit of trouble. So for me, everybody needs to contribute. Everybody needs to chip in and everybody needs to play their part. Not just the goals, but also I think we’re in a really good spot defensively. I think if you look at the other end of it we’ve lost two games against two important oppositions, difficult places without giving up too many chances.
This might be a record asking you on November 28 a question about January, but I know that recruitment is always ongoing. Is it something you’ll, you’ll look at in January if this persists?
The work is going on, and there are meetings going on but I think at the minute it’s still in such early stages. We’ve got so many games to play, there are so many things that could happen before then. I’m sure if in two, or three weeks’ time, our front players have scored loads of goals you won’t be asking that question.
For me, every position we’re constantly working on, whether it be for January, whether it be for next summer or a couple of windows ahead. It’s never-ending and the recruitment guys do a great job of that. Continuously watching live games, games on video and constantly updating our database of players from all around the world.
It’s a squad game. Everyone has to be ready. Harry Cornick hasn’t featured for City in the league this season. Where’s he at, at the moment?
He’s an unbelievable role model of what you’d want in a professional. I know he would have been frustrated. I had some honest chats with him in the summer around the possibility that minutes would be limited here and there are options out there for him and made the decision to stay.
I can’t commend him enough for what he brings culturally and how he applies himself, especially now when you have so many games. In a small group training session this morning, he’s driving it, he’s leading it. Look, he’s a terrific pro and one that I know will be frustrated not to have played a lot.
Is he an option in the matches coming up?
Yeah, I think if he’s going to help the team win, I think he definitely is. I wouldn’t rule anybody out.
Plymouth on Saturday, it’s probably not a good thing is it that you come to Ashton Gate having lost 6-1 in the week?
Yeah, naturally, everyone’s going to think that we should do the same but for me in Championship football, my approach doesn’t change. I might bore people with it, but I truly believe it. I think we’ve seen as well how tight the margins are. That happens but before that, they got a good point against Watford and before that, they’ve picked up some decent points against other high-level opposition.
So for me, it’s one of those. We can’t control expectations externally. What we can do is control where our heads are at and we know it’ll be a tough game. We know we have to do the prep work. We have to be in the best place possible to go out and build on so many positives from the last few performances.
You’ve got Wayne Rooney in the opposition dugout By the sounds of it, speaking to some of the guys down in Devon, he’s all in showing lots of passion and commitment to the cause. It’s a job he probably didn’t have to take, but he wanted the job in the summer. What does a Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth look like at Ashton Gate on Saturday?
I think in terms of when you look at it, I think they’ve performed well in certain games and I’m sure he’s probably disappointed with their performance level, which they’ve put out there in other games. I think we have to prepare for them to be at their best. I think when you look at it, they’ve got some threats, got some decent players. I think they’ve got quite a clear way of what they’re trying to do and it’s on us now to make sure that we stop that and we try and impose the game with our strengths and our qualities.
Team news. How is the squad looking for the weekend?
Good. Everyone came through the game the other night. Twiney’s minutes are building up, so he’s in a much better place as well. They’re rightly so, chomping to get going. I think that’s the biggest bit. We’re coming into such a heavy period, it could be a real strength for us now if we respond in the right way and keep on that even keel between games, not get too high or too low and just make sure that when we get into the next one that we’re we’re all in again.
It was nice to see Sam Bell’s name on the team sheets in the week. I’m sure you’re gonna be very careful on his return. How soon do you think it will be before we might see Sam Bell in a first-team squad?
Not far away. I don’t want to jinx things in terms of how he’s looked. He obviously got some minutes the other night which was good for him and he’s been training for a period of time now. It’s a case of we don’t want to rush things. It would be great to have him back but we want to make sure that when we get him back we keep him back.
Just on team news, are we any closer with Kal Naismith and Ross McCrorie back at all?
Those two and Mark Sykes are out on the grass at the minute so they’re not a million miles away. But again we have to see how they respond to certain different activities that they do and different challenges in their rehab. We’re expecting them back in team training fairly soon.
Josh Stokes was involved in the 21s on Monday. What’s the sort of program with him? Is he back with Cambridge now?
He’s back with them now. It was a discussion that Brian [Tinnion] had with Ben Strang the technical director there and it was a case of he’d been training with them fully, can we get him some match minutes?
There are different programmes at different clubs with the categories of what U21 football looks like so I think in terms of it, it was a good opportunity to get him some match minutes. I have to say, I thought he was excellent in the second half, he did some high-level moments in the game and he’s now back with them.
Rob Atkinson played with them as well, rather than being in the squad on Tuesday. How do you think his return to first-team action goes? How is he going to break into the first-team squad? Especially when the back three are playing so well at the moment.
That’s the challenge, right? That’s the I think you’ve answered your question there. When the three are playing so well, it’s difficult to. I think the decision then becomes when we had the games that we had last week, we’re going Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday and then obviously the Under-21s were playing Friday and Monday. You could potentially just sit on the bench in both games and get no minutes, which again, I don’t think it’s what Rob needs at the minute.
Josh Campbell-Slowy has done great with us so it’s one of those where we went right let’s take Rob with us on the weekend and then keep building on his match minutes on Monday. He’s great to work with Rob. He has a great personality, trains really well, good voice on him he is really positive and the information he gives does some excellent things. He’s unfortunate it’s a position which you very rarely change unless it’s forced upon you.
You’ve changed between the three and four in recent weeks at the back. Do you have a preference or is it more to do with who is available?
It’s a combination of things. I think the system tends to be more on the out-of-possession than the in-possession. The in possession, that’s what I quite enjoyed the other night. There was a freedom to it, we have a structure that we play off, but I want the lads to step in and be fluid and not be uber rigid and structured.
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We have it, but within that is kind of guidelines for the players to work off of and I thought the lads did a really good job, especially, I thought Anis, Nahki and Birdy linked up really well at times as a front three. So in possession, I want it fairly fluid and then it tends to be in the out of possession and that would be a combination of us in opposition.
Zak’s been playing in a bit of a wider role. It’s almost gone a bit under the radar how consistent he’s been. He’s almost been in every squad that you’ve picked since you’ve arrived. How much has he improved since you’ve come here?
Yeah, I think he’s really, really progressed. I remember seeing him when I came here when I was at Oxford and being like woah. When you look at physically how he moves, technically how good he is. Again, we’ve done bits on on other areas of his game, which, fair play to him, he’s not a young player anymore.
I think he’s really bought into the bits that we’ve tried to do with him and I’ve started to see that come out more consistently in games now. Again, I think he’s hit a really consistent level of performance, which is the challenge now, sustaining it and if not, then add to it and stepping up a bit. He’s done well, Zak and I’m gonna keep pushing him and I know he’ll keep pushing himself.
Haydon Roberts came on in the second half on Tuesday at right wing-back. I know your options a bit fairly limited out there at the moment. Is that somewhere you genuinely see him as an option?
I’ll be honest, I prefer Haydon on the left. I think it worked if you looked at the out-of-possession, especially the first half and even in the second half how we applied pressure. The call with the five was the right decision. It was great exposure for Yu up against probably one of the best players physically as a wingback in the league.
Naturally, it takes a lot out of you, it’s such a demanding position when you play it, given the distances you have to cover. Hayden’s played there before. We had a chat with him, it’s not something that’s new to him, but ultimately I think you see more of his qualities on the left side.
So it’s something you’d be happy to do again there?
Yeah, if you have to, yeah.
It’s been a bit of a strange season at home where so many good performances, so many close games but the results necessarily haven’t been turned into wins. Saturday feels like a good opportunity to give those home fans a first win in a while.
We try and do it every single time. I think if you see that in the performances. I think we have to shift away from an entitlement because we’re at home that you expect to deserve to win.
I think you have to make it happen. When you look at the progress of some of the performances last year, we were not great but we were dogged and we were hard to beat. I think back to Swansea, we got beat at home. There’s a run around there where the defensive performance was good but the quality with the ball was not great.
Whereas I think, we’ve made strides forward in the performance now with and without the ball. We’ve hit a consistent level but that doesn’t guarantee you to win. I think that’s the next bit for me is how do you go from being good out of possession to now that we’re in a solid place with and without the ball using it to win games.
It’s not something that just happens just because you start performing well. I think you have to learn how to win matches and like I said, I genuinely believe the lads are on the cusp of it. I think it’s very close. I think for however many games we’ve had this season now, I keep saying it, we’ve consistently hit a level across, pretty much all of them.
I think it’s now using, that way of playing, that dominance, that being able to repeat the things that we’re doing, which the players have credit to them, have learned. Then it’s now how do you now use that to win games, which, like I said the other night, with quite a young group learning to be ruthless is something as well. We’re at the stage where we have to now learn that.