Nottingham Forest v Bristol City Preview

Both of these sides were tipped to push for the playoffs at the start of the season yet only one side is matching those expectations. After a slow start, Nottingham Forest have finally found their feet and they enter this game having just broken into the top six. Bristol City meanwhile are struggling at the other end and despite a pre-season of promise, the Robins are languishing in 17th position.

They may have reached the playoffs last season, but there were big doubts over whether or not Nottingham Forest could repeat their success after failing to add to their squad during the summer. Manager Billy Davies was one of the first to say his team wasn’t good enough, although in the last couple of months they have improved drastically and they have just broken into 6th place. It comes following a run of five victories from their last six and having won their last four, they certainly approach this fixture with plenty of confidence behind them. Their position certainly isn’t concrete, they only sit one point ahead of 7th place Watford, but looking at the bigger picture they have only played twenty five games which is three less than some of the sides up there. If the City Ground outfit can continue to grind out results, there now appears to be no reason why they can’t match, or even better, last season’s achievements.

Bristol City meanwhile may have improved slightly over recent months, but Keith Millen has still not convinced the Ashton Gate faithful that he is the right man for the job. City have at least paved some distance between themselves and the drop zone, with the club now six points clear of the bottom three, but they are still underachieving in 17th considering some of the talent at their disposal. Their form of late is not too brilliant either and without a win in four, Millen’s men need to stop the rot sooner rather than later. On a more positive note, they did manage to keep a clean sheet in their last game at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace v Bristol City Preview

Posted on January 22nd, 2011 in English Championship

This is something of a relegation clash, as Crystal Palace enter this game sat in 22nd position while their opponents are just a few places higher in 17th. It’s been a miserable season for both, especially Bristol City who were tipped for great success after a highly active summer in the transfer market.

It’s a well known fact that Crystal Palace have very little money and that could be the reason why instead of appointing an established manager, the Eagles promoted from within and gave Dougie Freedman the reins at the start of the month. Time will tell if that was a wise decision, although the Eagles certainly enter this fixture with some poor form behind them having lost their last two games against Coventry and Swansea respectively. It now means that the club are sat in the final relegation place although with just two points separating them from safety, their season certainly isn’t over yet.

It wasn’t too long ago that Bristol City were suffering from all sorts of problems but thankfully for them, their form has picked up ever so slightly in recent months and they now have at least some breathing space between them and the bottom three. The Robins have collected thirty one points from their opening fixtures and that now means that they are six points clear from the drop zone

Hull v Bristol City Preview

Both of these sides were tipped to make promotion pushes at the start of the season, yet so far most of their battling has been at the bottom end of the table. However, both have experienced a huge upturn in form over the past few weeks although their league positions are still lowly, with Hull sat in 19th while Bristol City are a couple of places higher in 17th. It’s certainly a completely different fixture to the last time these two met, where Hull defeated City to earn promotion to the top flight in the 2008 playoff final.

Hull come into this game with the news that their takeover has just been completed and Nigel Pearson will hope that will make for a clean start at the KC Stadium. When he left Leicester during the summer to join Hull, in the back of his mind he must have thought that the Tigers had an excellent chance of promotion having only been relegated from the Premiership last season. However, all in all the club have struggled and a return of twenty three points from the opening months of the season will not impress their supporters. However, Pearson’s men are now unbeaten in five and should they taste victory here, they should build a significant gap between them and the bottom three as the festive period approaches.

Bristol City have also experienced a dreadful start to the season although Keith Millen will be hoping that their start is firmly behind them following the past few weeks. The Robins have now won three in a row having beaten Leicester, Sheffield United and Derby. All of those games were at home but having scored seven and not conceded any, it now looks as though the Ashton Gate outfit may have finally turned the corner. With twenty six points to their name so far, they head into this game knowing that victory could even catapult them into the top half. That would be a huge achievement for Millen at this stage of the campaign after so many doubted him during the opening stages of his reign at the club.

As for team news, Hull have plenty of problems heading into this one and Nigel Pearson is set to be without four players. Nick Barmby, Richard Garcia, Mark Cullen and Daniel Ayala are all carrying injuries and have already been declared unfit to play. Bristol City also approach the match with problems and Keith Millen will have two absentees, as Liam Fontaine and Louis Carey struggle with ankle and calf problems respectively.

In terms of a prediction, we’re going to predict an away win here. Hull are without lots of players and with Bristol City on a superb winning streak at the moment, we’ll predict a narrow 1-0 win for the Robins.

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Bristol City v Sheffield United Preview

These are two teams who were expected to challenge for the playoff positions at the start of the season, or maybe even the automatic spots. However, both have endured dreadful seasons and with Bristol City sat in 21st and Sheffield United in 18th, this is more of a relegation clash if anything. On the plus side, both are coming into this game on the back of victories and that perhaps makes the fixture even more crucial.

We don’t need to speak too much more about Bristol City’s position

Swansea v Bristol City Preview

This is something of a local game for Bristol City, who do not have any other rivals within a close proximity. Swansea come into this game on the back of a real local derby match though and they’ll be full of confidence after seeing off fierce rivals Cardiff on Sunday. With these sides battling at opposite ends of the table, this fixture promises to be an explosive clash.

Swansea fans are probably still trying to get their head around this season with the club defying all expectations and all the way up in 3rd spot. There were thoughts that the Swans overachieved last season under Paulo Sousa and when he left the club, many feared that they would drop down the table. However, Brendan Rodgers has transformed the Liberty Stadium outfit again and they look every bit like a side gunning for promotion. Most of their success is down to their unbelievable record at the back with Rodgers’ men having the second best defensive record in the division. Another proud statistic is that they haven’t conceded in the last six games, which is probably the main reason behind their current unbeaten run of seven games. They come into this game absolutely buzzing though following a narrow 1-0 victory over bitter, and perhaps promotional rivals, Cardiff at the weekend.

In stark contrast, Bristol City are having an absolutely awful season.  Keith Millen’s side are sat in the final relegation place and while they could exit with a draw in this game, their position will still fall well short of pre-season expectations. However, they have been steadily improving in recent weeks and having not lost in their last four, perhaps their season is starting to turn around. Even if they do manage to climb a few places there’s no doubt that the pressure is still well and truly on Keith Millen and he’ll have to absolutely transform his side if he is to win supporters over.

The home side have been dealt a massive boost ahead of this one with Darren Pratley available again after sitting out the last game through suspension. However, after the hard fought win over Cardiff, it remains to be seen whether or not Brendan Rodgers will make any changes. There’s just the one piece of news to report for Bristol City who are hoping to include Cole Skuse in their squad. Skuse has been struggling with a heel problem but the medics have now declared him fit to feature in this one.

As for a prediction, we’re going to go with a straightforward Swansea victory. The Swans have showed in recent weeks that they have a remarkable defence and with Bristol City struggling this campaign, we can’t see that being breached this time. Our prediction

Middlesbrough v Bristol City Preview

with the highly regarded Gordon Strachan and Steve Coppell taking charge of the two. However, both of those managers have now departed and it’s now left to Tony Mowbray and Keith Millen to take the reins. This is in fact Mowbray’s first game in charge and while the Boro faithful will be baying for promotion, his first task is to lift them out of the bottom three. Keith Millen on the other hand has been in his job for quite a while now although he still has to win over his fans, with City rooted at the foot of the table.

Considering the money they have spent, if Middlesbrough carry on in this fashion they must be a contender for the biggest ever underachievers in this division. Millions of pounds were splashed during the summer yet Boro now find themselves in the relegation zone on just eleven points from the opening thirteen games. The Boro board decided to this week turn to Tony Mowbray to replace the recently departed Gordon Strachan

Bristol City v Reading Preview

These two teams that the bookies had down to succeed this term, although Bristol City are doing far from that. The Robins have endured an abysmal start to the season and prop up the table on just six points after the opening eleven games. It’s a better story for visitors Reading who have enjoyed a steady start to the campaign and sit in 10th spot on sixteen points.

They may have had a turbulent start to the season through the unexpected loss of a manager, but there’s no doubting Bristol City’s form so far has been nothing short of inexcusable. On paper, they possess some extremely talented players and having continued to invest over the past few months, there doesn’t appear to be any clear reason why they are performing so badly. The pressure is definitely mounting on Keith Millen and it looks increasingly likely that the decision to appoint someone with so little experience is going to prove a very poor move by the City board. Having collected just one point from their last six and conceded an appalling nine goals in their last three games, it’s clear to see that the problems are deep at Ashton Gate and time is ticking for the club to pick up points before they become enthralled in a real relegation scrap. The fact they threw away a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 to Cardiff on Saturday won’t have done confidence any favours either.

Reading on the other hand have been relatively solid through the season and following last year’s poor campaign, their supporters will probably be happy that their club is starting to climb again. Their position of 10th highlights a steady start, but with only two points separating them from the playoffs it’s clear that anything is still possible this term. An unbeaten home record which stretched back to the opening day of the season was broken with a 1-0 defeat to Swansea on Saturday and with that they’ll be looking to put things right in this midweek outing. Their form on the road is one of the best in the division and with just one away loss so far, they’ll prove very tough opposition for Bristol City.

Bristol City head into this game still without the services of influential front men Sam Vokes and Nicky Maynard, with the duo still being kept out by hamstring and knee problems respectively. Other than that there’s nothing to report although Keith Millen will again want to ring the changes after his side threw away the game on Saturday. Reading on the other hand will have the option of including Brian Howard and Jay Tabb after the duo became available following suspension and injury at the weekend. However, Brynjar Gunnarsson will not feature as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury.

The stats suggest that Reading should have a very good chance of taking all the points here, but for some reason we think Bristol City may just edge it. City’s season must turn around soon and after coming so close on Saturday, we think they’ll just close this one with a 1-0 victory.

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Cardiff v Bristol City Preview

At the start of the season many will have predicted both of these sides to be pushing for the top six but as it turns out, just one is competing at the right end of the table. Having again invested heavily in the team Cardiff are reaping the rewards and sit in 2nd place, but it’s not too promising for Bristol City who are propping up the table in 24th.

For the past few years Cardiff have flattered to deceive and after coming within one game of the Premiership last term, many feel as though this season could be their year. Despite being under an embargo through most of the summer, the Bluebirds still managed to arrange plenty of transfers as soon as they came out and that squad strengthening has made Dave Jones’ men into one of the strongest teams in the league. At the moment they sit in 2nd place on twenty points

Bristol City v Norwich Preview

At the start of the season, expectations for these two sides were probably wide apart. Bristol City were tipped for a push for promotion, whereas newly promoted Norwich were expected to consolidate. As it turns out both teams have surprised people, with the Robins struggling in the relegation zone whereas the Canaries are within touching distance of the automatic promotion positions.

Bristol City supporters must be sat in utter shock as they watch their team this season, with the Robins defying all odds and having a real season of struggle. Admittedly, they were thrown into complete disarray when manager Steve Coppell opted to resign just weeks into the season, but plenty of time has passed since then and replacement Keith Millen has not had a positive effect on the club. They’ve collected just six points from their opening nine games and having lost three of their last four, it would be fair to say that they’re not in the best of form. What’s more, while they had one of the best home records in the division last season, they are ranked bottom this year having drawn one and lost three of their four fixtures at Ashton Gate so far.

Norwich on the other hand are having an absolute blast of a season. They were never expected to struggle under the ambitious Paul Lambert, but even he wouldn’t have expected the club to be flying high in 3rd position already. The Canaries have taken the division by storm and like we said last week, if there ever was a good example of a relegation helping a club, it’s with Norwich. Sixteen points have already been collected although unlike many teams up there, they seem to rather grind out results rather than win by large margins. However, that won’t matter to Norwich fans, who will be hoping that the good times will soon be flooding back to Carrow Road.

As for team news, the home side have just the one concern as Jamie McAllister faces a race against time to be declared fit following a groin injury. Other than that the Robins have no new concerns although after recent results Keith Millen will be looking to change things and a host of players are pushing for a starting place. Norwich on the other hand have nothing to report on and Paul Lambert is not tipped to make changes. Steven Smith is edging closer to full fitness although after the Canaries won their last outing, there’s a good chance that Lambert will want to keep changes to a minimum.

Bristol City have an awful record at Ashton Gate, while Norwich’s form on the road has been fairly inconsistent. With that, our prediction will be a 1-1 draw for this one.

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Bristol City v Coventry Preview

Posted on September 18th, 2010 in English Championship

A few years ago three divisions separated these two sides, yet now they are on a level playing field and Bristol City should be tipped as favourites. However, City haven’t enjoyed the start that so many tipped for them, with the Robins languishing just one place above the relegation zone. Coventry on the other hand are probably matching everyone’s expectations and the Sky Blues currently occupy 14th position.

There’s no doubting that the departure of Steve Coppell rocked Bristol City completely, yet still he did leave a very talented squad at new manager Keith Millen’s disposal. Despite that, things just haven’t clicked for Millen and City and one victory, two draws and three defeats will not be classed as satisfactory by supporters. Their latest result will have really frustrated the Ashton Gate faithful after the club lost 2-0 at home to relegation-tipped Watford. Of course, it’s still early days but with Millen having no prior managerial experience, it remains to be seen whether or not he can turn the Robins round and transform them into the promotion chasing club that the fans expect.

Coventry on the other hand have been relatively steady and while their position of 14th may not appear so attractive to some, stability is perhaps something the club needs this term. Their season so far has been made up of two wins, two draws and two defeats giving the grand total of eight points

Scunthorpe v Bristol City Preview

Posted on September 11th, 2010 in English Championship

This is a fixture that will mainly focus on the future of Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins, who is widely tipped to make a move to League One side Southampton later in the week. Bristol City are a side who know plenty about losing a manager though, after Steve Coppell left them after just one league game a few weeks ago. At the start of the season many will have tipped City to be the healthier side, although as it stands Scunthorpe sit in a very respectable 11th place while the Robins are languishing in the relegation zone.

There’s absolutely no doubt that Scunthorpe operate on the smallest budget in the division and with that, they are always favourites for relegation. However, despite a lack of finances, Nigel Adkins has worked wonders at Glanford Park and having masterminded two promotions with the Iron, he also managed to keep them in the Championship last season. It now appears as though Adkins has been swayed by advances from the League One, although arguably bigger, club Southampton. Adkins has showed incredible loyalty throughout the negotiations with Saints and at one stage it appeared as though the move was dead. The former physiotherapist refused to resign from Scunthorpe until Southampton agreed compensation

Ipswich v Bristol City Preview

Posted on August 27th, 2010 in English Championship

Both of these sides were tipped for very good campaigns through the summer, with managers Roy Keane and Steve Coppell highly respected bosses who have both managed in the top flight. Since then, Coppell has departed, but there’s no doubting that Bristol City will still be harbouring ambitions of a promotion push. Out of the two it’s Ipswich who have enjoyed the better start though, with the Tractor Boys racking up seven points out of their opening three games to put them into 5th position.

Last season could only be described as a disaster for Ipswich and it would be fair to say that Roy Keane is under immense pressure to deliver in this campaign. When he joined the club two years ago, Keane set the target as promotion by the end of his second season although judging by the little progress made last year, that looks a little ambitious at the moment. However, ignoring last season’s failures, Ipswich have made a very good start to this campaign with two wins and a draw to their name. Considering the fact that Middlesbrough and Burnley have been amongst their opponents, an accumulation of seven points is a superb statistic and gives the club an excellent footing already.

There’s no doubting that Bristol City supporters have undergone something of a rollercoaster season already following the departure of Steve Coppell just one league game into the season. His successor Keith Millen has been busy working in the transfer market and another two promising players were brought into the club this week. Brett Pitman opted to turn down Premiership side Blackpool and join City from Bournemouth, while fellow striker Jon Stead also signed for the club this week

Bristol City v Barnsley Preview

It would be fair to say that both of these clubs are still trying to find their feet after the opening games of the season. Great things were expected of Bristol City after a productive summer but following Steve Coppell’s departure just two games into the campaign, it now remains to be seen how the Robins will size up. Barnsley on the other hand are always tipped as relegation favourites and a 4-0 opening day defeat did nothing to dispel those predictions. However, a victory over Crystal Palace in their last outing means the Tykes now have points on the board and just like City, the club’s supporters are unsure of what to expect.

Bristol City’s fans may feel as though they are in limbo and all of that pre-season optimism has now evaporated. In Steve Coppell they had arguably the best manager in the league and when the former Reading supremo brought the likes of David James, Nicky Hunt and Damion Stewart into the club, City looked a genuine force for promotion. However, just two games into the season and Coppell quit