JHRover

Bristol City home results this season: Lost 3-1 v Leeds Won 2-0 v QPR Drew 2-2 v Middlesbrough Drew 0-0 v Swansea Drew 2-2 v Wigan Won 2-1 v Charlton Won 1-0 v Reading Won 5-2 v Huddersfield Drew 0-0 v Forest Lost 2-1 v Millwall So played 10, won 4, drawn 4, lost 2 Swansea, Wigan, Millwall and Middlesbrough have all come back with points, all below us in the table. Let's see if Mowbray can set the team up correctly for a result or if it is headless chicken time.

Millwall won at both Swansea and Bristol since Rowett was appointed.

I think it is true that we could go 3-0 up in the first 15 minutes and the opposition have 9 men for most of the game yet still some people would class a 3-3 draw as a good result away from home. To begin with, without wanting to come across as Mr Negative again, I would have shook hands on a point had that been offered to me at 7:30pm. And I don't think a point was a bad result in the end given our performance late on in the game. Mowbray will be delighted with a draw. It was a game we were getting well beaten in last season so I suppose that points to some progress, and I said after the Derby win I'd be very satisfied to get through these two away games unbeaten and get back to Ewood for the next couple of decent looking fixtures. Now to the game itself. Same old traits of our side away from home rear their ugly head again. Bright positive start and rewarded with a goal early doors. We've seen that happen quite a lot over the last couple of seasons where we are quick out of the blocks and catch teams out early. From that point on you hope/expect to see a well drilled outfit manage the game, keep pressure down, deal with pressure well when it builds. I watched some of the Millwall game at Bristol last night and that is what they did well after going ahead early. Alas we failed to do that, we were wasteful with the ball, made too many poor passes, and allowed them to respond. Their spell of pressure prior to their goal was caused by a senseless throw in on the half way line. Rather than take the sensible route we attempt a ball across the middle of the pitch to begin our pass around the back routine only it was intercepted and they then won corners which they scored from. Having let them back in so quickly i thought we did ok the remainder of the first half. Whilst we looked fragile when they attacked and gave the ball away countless times when trying to play out from the back we caused them a few problems. Second half starts reasonably well. Then we hit the jackpot when their player loses his rag and gets sent off. Nearly 40 minutes left in the game, home fans on their backs, ideal. Great opportunity to seize control of the game, plenty of time for a winner or at least to take control and bombard their goal in search of a winner. Unfortunately, as with Sheffield United away last year, we completely and utterly failed to take any advantage whatsoever from that. We didn't appear to change our approach in the slightest, we didn't appear to up the tempo, make changes to expose their numerical disadvantage. We just carted on as we were before hoping something would happen. As with Sheffield United away last year we then shortly afterwards commit the cardinal sin of shooting ourselves in the foot and giving the referee the perfect opportunity to even things up and get the home fans back on side and give them a shot in the arm. Criminal. Needless. Stupid. We have a knack of squandering golden opportunities when they are presented to us. A team in control doesn't do that. After that I felt we were fortunate to get away with a point, although we could have committed smash and grab in the last minute, we didn't deserve to win the game. Their keeper has had barely anything to do in the 2nd half. The substitutions seemed to make us weaker and we completely lost our way, resorting to sitting back hoping to see the game out for a point. So all in all, not a bad result, but not exactly one to strike fear through the division. Swansea away is not Mission:Impossible as the likes of Millwall have shown recently and when presented with opportunities like we have had tonight you simply have to take full advantage of them if you are going to be up there come the end of the season.

This 'no pay on the day' scheme seems to be more common and is just another example of putting obstacles in the way of people attending games. I can understand it where it is close to a sell out, a risk of trouble or of home fans buying in the away end but there's no prospect of that happening away at Swansea or Bristol. Clubs and authorities trying to take away the concept of rocking up at the last minute and make this a game where you must book days in advance.

Millwall showing that going to Bristol and winning is doable. Hope Mowbray has their game on tape. Problem is Bristol will be desperate to ensure they don't lose back to back home games.

Fulham at home on a night like this ideal opponents for a side like Preston out of form and struggling for goals. Fulham will be the WBA of last season. By far the strongest squad around but hampered by an inexperienced manager and porous defence.

Cant be more than 10,000 on Stoke either.

Not so many on watching the pride of Lancashire tonight. About 6000 at a push by my reckoning.

Hang on, I thought we were perennial struggling little Blackburn before Jack Walker came along?

Our ticketing and pricing policies are failing. The evidence is in the deterioration in numbers in the ground, significantly even on what we were getting during the Bowyer era. Every single time Rovers run a ticketing promotion they attach strings to it. Good that they have slashed prices for the Wigan game. But let's get real - 24 hours before Xmas day, Monday night, live on TV - it would be insanity to charge full whack Category A and expect people to come. So we have to offer something better than sitting at home or in the pub in the warmth and use sky rather than rushing home after work, buying a ticket, getting wet/cold. It's a sad reality that a large number, even at 10 quid, will just not bother because the minute they discover it is on Sky the decision is made. Previously strings have been attached by offering cheap bundles tying people into multiple games including midweeks. Should have made the Birmingham game the promotion and pushed it. Would have had a big gate on and a good day out but at Category A prices probably not.

Odd setup at Wigan with the Hong Kong owners and then Joe Royle and his son on the board seemingly running the football side. Also sounds like Peter Reid involved in some capacity. One or two reckon it would cost them an arm and a leg to fire him off. Their away form is pitiful - 2 wins in 30 odd since the start of last season and one of those was a massive fluke with 10 men at Leeds as their promotion wagon fell apart. Even I'll be confident of a win against them on 23rd if they don't make a change. Mind you they never seem to get hammered anywhere, just keep losing by the odd goal.

I felt in the summer that the appointment of Bilic at West Brom was an outstanding piece of business and looks like it will get them promoted just as they need it before the money stops. Last year they were hampered by the inexperience of Darren Moore then when they sacked him had no succession plan and left it to a caretaker. Learned from their error and got it spot on with Bilic. Leeds - pay the money for a quality manager and allow him to bring his staff and let him get on with it. Surely the end for Cook at Wigan though I half hope that they keep him until they come to Ewood on 23rd.

We'll be moving above Swansea today on GD if this continues. 5-1 now.

Credit to Mowbray where it is due. Whether by accident or design we have ended up with a side that looks balanced, organised and effective and the performances and results are significantly better than they were. I do laugh at the 'holier than thou' people out there who now we've won a few are taking great enjoyment in the 'I told you so' game. Portraying those who questioned Mowbray's position as fools, idiots etc. Let's get to the point. Anyone watching us play up to and including the Barnsley game this season quite rightly had serious concerns about what we were doing. Results were mediocre, the bottom 3 was in sight and we had the look of a disorganised rabble. As manager Mowbray quite rightly got stick for that and had his position questioned. Because it wasnt good enough. It goes to show now that this team is and was capable of much better than what we saw earlier this season. Our good form has repaired the damage of our nosedive culminating in the Preston defeat and we are back in the 'comfort' of midtable. A few good results from here before Xmas and the play-offs will be reachable. A couple of poor results and we could well be back down in 16th.

Swansea are pretty poor at home. So whilst it will be whipped up as mission impossible i think a result is there for the taking. I'd be happy with 2 points from 6 this week and delighted with 3 or more.

A good win, fully deserved. My only criticism would be that it wasn't more comfortable and that we allowed them to hang in there when really we should have been home and dry. We don't quite ever seem to be able to just get that 2nd goal and make it straightforward. Good to see some consistency both in selection and in performance. That must be maintained. For all Mowbray thinking he is clever with regular chopping and changing it is obvious that consistency wins. Long may the wins continue. The victories in recent weeks have repaired the damage of the period prior to that, the next batch of fixtures other than Bristol away are all against average/ struggling sides so a good opportunity.

Why should Macclesfield receive anything but the same as Bolton e.g. 5 points suspended for 6 months?

Whenever I've bought clothing from the shop that isnt made by Umbro or the kit manufacturer I've found it to be poor quality. Usually badly fitting and uncomfortable to wear and doesn't last.

Charlton in free fall

Promotion fever at Deepdale with 11,600 home fans on v rivals West Brom.

I want to get as far as possible in the competition and am more than happy to get through the first couple of rounds playing unattractive fixtures against sides below or alongside us in the tables. The closest we have been to Wembley in 2012-13 we had boring games against Bristol City and Derby, we then got the 'glamour' game at Arsenal, beat them but then fluffed it at the QF stage against Millwall.

Not great but Birmingham better than horror journeys to Reading, Cardiff, Swansea, Brighton, Bournemouth etc. It's easy to get to, usually well priced and winnable. Could be a lot worse.

Relieved at avoiding the dingles. A dull draw but winnable if we want it. Dont want to play the dingles unless or until we are in the same league as them.

We all know how this goes by now. He will be gone by the end of the summer at the very latest. Venkys won't pay the wages we will need to offer to persuade him to sign a new deal. I dont think anyone would deny the lad a move to a Premier League club to fulfil his career ambitions at his age. The problem is I don't think there will be many Premier League suitors and so we then get to the Championship ones. This is where clubs like Fulham and Stoke come in. Sides that may well be looking for a few signings to get them promoted in the next couple of years. It would be a sale to those sort of clubs that would be self destructive and show where the ambition is at. Simple solution- give him a good contract and promise not to stand in his way if a Premier League club comes in.

Fylde home or away looks good. In all honesty any game against lower division opposition is ok. Worst ones are the dingles or sides like Watford, Norwich, Brighton away.