Andreas Dei.
Active Member
As I can’t get to sleep because of the joy engendered by Ewood's most moderately exciting transfer window of the current Decade; and Wednesday night's win over my home town team, I thought I'd fill my time posting a thread for Saturday’s game against Bristol City.
Compared with the optimism engendered by the new Director of Football/Head Coach combination available at our local Greggs (sorry, I'll try not to use that one again!), Brizzle City seem, from the reply Google gave to my question, "What business have Bristol City done in the summer 2022 transfer window?" to have had a moderately quiet window with mainly free transfers in and out.
They've signed a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Ligue 2 team, Pau. That's just along the Pyrenees from Lourdes, but I haven't been able to find out whether or not they're expecting miracles from him.
I doubt it, actually, because he's arrived on a Free transfer, as have three of the other four players they've brought in during this window. They comprise a right back from Forest Green Rovers; two centre backs, one from Luton and one returning from a season's loan at Shrewsbury; and a centre midfield player from Oxford United. No disrespect to any of the five of them but I'd never previously heard of them.
Unlike two of the players they've let go: Callum O'Dowda, who's gone on a 'Free' to Cardiff City (I'm sure he used to play for Oxford United a couple of seasons ago); and Kasey Palmer, a somewhat peripatetic midfielder - once of these parts - as a Chelsea loanee.
Palmer actually only lasted the first half of the 2018/19 season at Ewood and, after he made 14 League appearances for us, he spent the second half of that season at Ashton Gate. He must have made more of an impression on Lee Johnson, City's then-manager, than he did on Mr. Mowbray because he signed a contract with City at the start of the 2019/20 season with City reportedly paying Chelsea £3.5 million for him. After his first season at Ashton Gate, he spent the following one on loan to Swansea before returning to his parent club for last season.
However, he left them on a Free at the end of last season and we may well have a chance to see him when Coventry City come to town for our penultimate home match next April.
Enough of this blether (Is that a "Hear hear" in the background?!) Let's focus on Saturday. I have a healthy respect for their current manager; Nigel Pearson's one of those managers who always seems - to me, at any rate - to field teams which are very difficult to beat.
City are currently only one point and two places below t'Rovers in the Championship table. That's mainly due to their home form, with 3 wins (all by 2-0) and one defeat by Sunderland who won by "the odd goal in five", to use the good old football writer's cliché.
Their form away from Ashton Gate has seen them pick up two points from draws in Wigan and Blackpool after starting the season in Hull where they lost by 2-1, a creditable but disappointing result, given the money that Hull City's new Turkish owner is said to have spent assembling his squad and that the winning goal was scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Unlike us, the Robins have scored in every League game this season; and that's before Antoine Semenyo, their currently-injured but exciting 22-year-old forward who won his first cap for Ghana this summer, has been able to start a game.
He's presently recovering from a shin injury sustained while on international duty but that didn't stop the usual Premier League suspects - yes, Frank Lampard; I do mean you! - sniffing around while the transfer window was open. He's a year behind BBD in that at the end of this season, City will be able to exercise the same sort of option on him which means that BBD's still a Rover.
So this is doubtless going to be a tough game for Rovers. I'm going to predict that City will score, but I'd also like to think that Rovers' refreshed squad will just squeeze through by the odd goal in three. Personally, I'm not bothered how odd a goal it is; a missed clearance by one of the City defence which bounces into their goal off one of our substitutes' backsides will do for me!
Compared with the optimism engendered by the new Director of Football/Head Coach combination available at our local Greggs (sorry, I'll try not to use that one again!), Brizzle City seem, from the reply Google gave to my question, "What business have Bristol City done in the summer 2022 transfer window?" to have had a moderately quiet window with mainly free transfers in and out.
They've signed a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Ligue 2 team, Pau. That's just along the Pyrenees from Lourdes, but I haven't been able to find out whether or not they're expecting miracles from him.
I doubt it, actually, because he's arrived on a Free transfer, as have three of the other four players they've brought in during this window. They comprise a right back from Forest Green Rovers; two centre backs, one from Luton and one returning from a season's loan at Shrewsbury; and a centre midfield player from Oxford United. No disrespect to any of the five of them but I'd never previously heard of them.
Unlike two of the players they've let go: Callum O'Dowda, who's gone on a 'Free' to Cardiff City (I'm sure he used to play for Oxford United a couple of seasons ago); and Kasey Palmer, a somewhat peripatetic midfielder - once of these parts - as a Chelsea loanee.
Palmer actually only lasted the first half of the 2018/19 season at Ewood and, after he made 14 League appearances for us, he spent the second half of that season at Ashton Gate. He must have made more of an impression on Lee Johnson, City's then-manager, than he did on Mr. Mowbray because he signed a contract with City at the start of the 2019/20 season with City reportedly paying Chelsea £3.5 million for him. After his first season at Ashton Gate, he spent the following one on loan to Swansea before returning to his parent club for last season.
However, he left them on a Free at the end of last season and we may well have a chance to see him when Coventry City come to town for our penultimate home match next April.
Enough of this blether (Is that a "Hear hear" in the background?!) Let's focus on Saturday. I have a healthy respect for their current manager; Nigel Pearson's one of those managers who always seems - to me, at any rate - to field teams which are very difficult to beat.
City are currently only one point and two places below t'Rovers in the Championship table. That's mainly due to their home form, with 3 wins (all by 2-0) and one defeat by Sunderland who won by "the odd goal in five", to use the good old football writer's cliché.
Their form away from Ashton Gate has seen them pick up two points from draws in Wigan and Blackpool after starting the season in Hull where they lost by 2-1, a creditable but disappointing result, given the money that Hull City's new Turkish owner is said to have spent assembling his squad and that the winning goal was scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Unlike us, the Robins have scored in every League game this season; and that's before Antoine Semenyo, their currently-injured but exciting 22-year-old forward who won his first cap for Ghana this summer, has been able to start a game.
He's presently recovering from a shin injury sustained while on international duty but that didn't stop the usual Premier League suspects - yes, Frank Lampard; I do mean you! - sniffing around while the transfer window was open. He's a year behind BBD in that at the end of this season, City will be able to exercise the same sort of option on him which means that BBD's still a Rover.
So this is doubtless going to be a tough game for Rovers. I'm going to predict that City will score, but I'd also like to think that Rovers' refreshed squad will just squeeze through by the odd goal in three. Personally, I'm not bothered how odd a goal it is; a missed clearance by one of the City defence which bounces into their goal off one of our substitutes' backsides will do for me!
