Ipswich Town vs Bristol City 
Saturday September 26th 2015 – 15:00
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
I am starting to jot down this ‘opening thought’ ahead of the League Cup clash, not just because of the tighter-than-usual turnaround between games but also to back up Mick McCarthy’s point about our priorities. Whatever the outcome at the Theatre of Dreams/Nightmares tonight (as I write this), our focus will remain very much the same for the rest of the campaign. Admittedly, Bristol City at home doesn’t quite get the juices flowing to the same extent as a trip to face Manchester United but I think we are all realistic enough to admit that the league represents our biggest chance of success this season. I am wary that I am setting myself up to look rather foolish if we achieve the unthinkable at Old Trafford tonight but Mick had it spot-on when he said that he would rather take the 3 points from Bristol City than a place in the next round of the League Cup. It is/would have been all very well to have/had we beaten Manchester United but if we can’t/hadn’t been able to follow this up with a win at Portman Road on Saturday, it will do/would have done no good to our promotion ambitions!
…
So now, as I write this on Thursday, we can look back on our night at Old Trafford with great pride in our team. It may seem strange to say it after a 3-0 defeat but I think we got everything we could have asked for. As the respective line-ups were announced, numerous Town fans will have been fearing the worst, and you would have been excused for thinking that it was Louis van Gaal who was sending his team out to cause an upset! All manner of stats were trotted out in relation to the value of the two teams, with the most notable being the respective costs of the starting XIs: £200m against £8.5k. No matter how you choose to look at it, our boys did us proud, not looking out of their depth against a team full of international quality. There will of course be a nagging thought of ‘what might have been’ had McCarthy not made 11 changes. But United fans would say that their team had another gear or two to go through, and there would be no guarantee that the result would have been any different. We all suspected that our squad had more depth to it this year, but what better way to prove it than at the home of England’s most successful club? If our second string is capable of going to Old Trafford and not looking out of place, nothing in the Championship should faze the likes of Joshes Emmanuel and Yorweth.
Now, as I was saying, there are 3 points to be won on Saturday…! Yes – a Saturday 3.00pm kick-off! Remember those?
The Opposition – Bristol City
The club was founded in 1897 as Bristol South End and changed their name to Bristol City on adopting professionalism three years later when they were admitted into the Southern League. City joined the Football League in 1901. .
Winning the Second Division Championship with a record number of points when they became the first club in Football League history to win 30 games as well as equaling Manchester United's achievement of the previous season in winning 14 consecutive games (still a record today, which was also accomplished by Preston in 1950–51).
They finished as runners-up in their inaugural First Division campaign. Three years later they won through to their only FA Cup Final. After a five season stay in the top flight in the 1910/11season brought City's first ever taste of relegation and it was to be 65 years before top flight status would be regained.
The 1920s were a rocky time as City bounced between the Second Division and the Southern Section of the Third Division. By the 1930s they had slumped into the lower division, and stayed that way until the Second World War. Harry Dolman became chairman in 1949, a post he would hold for over 30 years. An engineer who had bought out the firm he worked for, he designed the first set of floodlights installed at Ashton Gate in the early 1950s. The late 1950s were a better time for City, with a five-year stay in the Second Division, a league they returned to for a further spell in 1965.
In 1967, Alan Dicks was appointed manager, and things gradually began to improve, with promotion to the First Division in 1976, ending a 65-year exile from the top flight.
City's second stint in the top flight was less successful than the club's first, with thirteenth position in 1979 being their highest finish during this era.
In 1980, the City team went back to the Second Division in the first of three relegations, their debt mounted and their financial losses increased, with two successive relegations following. Thus, in 1982, they fell into the Fourth Division, and were declared bankrupt. BCFC (1982) Ltd acquired the club's player contracts, and the highly paid senior players who became known as the 'Ashton Gate Eight', each accepted termination of his contract for half the amount due. The club failed to pay its debts to many local businesses which left the new formed club difficulty in obtaining credit because of bad feeling toward them.
City spent two seasons in the Fourth Division before winning promotion in 1984. They consolidated themselves in the Third Division during the latter part of the 1980s, and in 1990 achieved promotion as Third Division runners-up.
Meanwhile, City remained in the new Division One (no longer the Second Division after the creation of the Premier League in 1992) but in the 1994/95 season were relegated to Division Two.
Bristol City again achieved promotion in 1998 as Division Two runners-up, but went straight back down again the following season.
City was a regular Division Two Top Six side over the next few seasons but couldn’t advance through the playoffs each time.
Despite a slow start to the 2006–07 season, City were in the top six of League One by November and at the end of the month began an 11-match unbeaten run which drove them to the top of the division. Promotion to the Championship was confirmed on the final day of the season securing the runners-up place in the division and resulting in automatic promotion.
After a stop start run of form City went top of the Championship on 1 March, However, a poor run ended City's chances of an automatic promotion place. They made the playoff final at Wembley but went down 1-0 to Hull.
After a poor start in the first half of the 2008–09 season, City finished the season in tenth place.
On 22 April 2010, it was announced that former Reading manager Steve Coppell would become the new City manager at the end of the 2009–10 campaign, when he would start a 12-month rolling contract, and that Keith Millen, who had guided the club to Championship safety in his brief spell as caretaker manager, would remain at the club as his assistant. It was announced on 12 August 2010 that Coppell had resigned as manager with immediate effect saying that he would retire from football management altogether citing a lack of passion for the job. This followed his only two competitive games at the club.
On 29 November 2011, the club announced a loss of £11.45 million.
After a promising start to the 2011/12 season City only just survived staying in the Championship having spent time in the relegation zone.
After a poor start to the 2012/13 campaign, Sean O'Driscoll was appointed head coach on a 12-month rolling contract however on 16 April 2013, City were relegated to League One.
After the sacking of Sean O'Driscoll on 28 November 2013, Steve Cotterill was appointed on a three and a half year contract. When he joined the club were bottom of the table and 5 points away from safety with a −7 goal difference. Cotterill made a huge impact and guided the club to safety and finished the season 12th.
Bristol City were promoted back to Championship for 2015–16 season after securing a top spot in 2014–15 Football League One on 14 April 2015. 1955 was the last time they won a league.
One To Watch – Frank Fielding
One player in the Robins’ ranks who has always caught the eye is goalkeeper Frank Fielding, who turned in a particularly inspired display at Portman Road for Derby a few years back.
The former England U21 international joined his hometown club Blackburn and progressed through the academy at Ewood Park. Seeing his First Team opportunities restricted due to the presence of Paul Robinson between the sticks, he sought regular football in loan stints at Wycombe, Northampton, Rochdale, Leeds and, latterly, Derby. He impressed enough at Pride Park to secure a permanent deal in 2011. Following an inauspicious start to his full-time Rams career, in which he was sent off against rivals Nottingham Forest after just 67 seconds, Fielding went on to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet, gaining a reputation as an able shot-stopper. As well as his service for the U21s, Fielding was named in the full England squad immediately after the 2010 World Cup, but did not make an appearance on the international stage. Domestically, he was on the move again when Derby captured Lee Grant, signing for Bristol City in June 2013. His career at Ashton Gate didn’t get off to the best start either, as he conceded 19 goals in the opening 8 matches of the season, setting the tone for a disappointing campaign in League 1. Both Fielding and City enjoyed a much better season last time out, as they secured the title and promotion back to the Championship.
The Manager – Steve Cotterill
Cotterill started his playing career in the non-leagues as a forward who could play centrally or in wide positions, playing semi-professionally at clubs like Cheltenham Town, Alvechurch and Burton Albion. He then signed his first professional contract, with Wimbledon. He made 25 appearances in four years at Wimbledon and went out on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion to recapture his fitness following a serious cruciate knee-ligament injury. Cotterill signed for Bournemouth in the summer of 1993. In three years at Bournemouth he got his career back in good shape scoring 15 goals in 45 league starts for the club. While at the club he picked up three player of the season awards but had to finish his career in 1995 after another bad knee injury from which he was unable to fully recover.
His first Management appointment came at Sligo Rovers who appointed Cotterill in 1995. He then joined Cheltenham when they were still a non-league club and he built up a successful side which won promotion to the Football Conference in his first full year at the club. He won the FA Trophy in 1998, and Cheltenham finished second in the Conference the same year, their first season in that league. Cheltenham won the Conference and with it promotion to the Football League the following year. His first two seasons in the Third Division saw them finish in the top half. He twice won the prestigious award of Manager of the Year during his tenure. Cotterill took Cheltenham into the Second Division that season, following a play-off victory over Rushden & Diamonds at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He was awarded his UEFA Pro Licence in 2002. For his achievements with Cheltenham Town he is known as "The Messiah of Whaddon Road" by adulatory fans.
Cotterill left Cheltenham to join Stoke City in the summer of 2002. After a steady start with the "Potters" Cotterill shocked the club by handing in his resignation after just 13 games to become assistant manager to Howard Wilkinson at Sunderland.
As Howard Wilkinson's assistant, they were tasked with keeping Sunderland in the Premiership. However, Sunderland recorded just two league victories under the new management team and both Wilkinson and Cotterill were dismissed after just 27 games in charge.
In the summer of 2004, Burnley named Cotterill as their new manager of the club. In his first season at the club they finished 13th in the Championship and In 2005–06 he led Burnley to a 17th-place finish.
The 2006–07 season began well, with a series of wins, however injuries saw form drop off and Cotterill eventually left the club on 8 November 2007 by mutual consent, after earning the title of longest serving manager in the league with three years seven months service with the club in 15th place.
On 23 February 2010, it was announced that Cotterill would be manager of Notts County until the end of the season.
On 27 April 2010, Notts County were crowned champions of Football League Two.
On 27 May 2010, Notts County announced that Cotterill had left after failing to commit his future to the club.
Cotterill was appointed as manager of Portsmouth on 18 June 2010, with the club in financial difficulty. Cotterill played a key role in stabilising Portsmouth through some turbulent times which saw the club nearly in liquidation. In his second full season at the and under new ownership, Portsmouth were expected to improve on the previous season's performance. However, the team won just two of their first 10 league matches in the Championship. It later became public knowledge that Nottingham Forest were interested in hiring Cotterill as their new manager after Steve McClaren resigned from his post on 2 October 201. Cotterill was granted permission to speak with Nottingham Forest on 14 October 2011 after compensation was agreed with Portsmouth.
Cotterill was appointed as manager on a three and half-year deal. He won four of his first six games in charge. The turnaround was short-lived though and by the end of January 2012 Forest were 23rd in the league. Forest's fortunes improvedand culminated in them finishing 19th and ten points clear of relegation. Cotterill left the club on 12 July 2012 following the take-over of the club by the Al-Hasawi family.
In January 2013 he joined Queens Park Rangers to be part of Harry Redknapp's coaching staff on a short-term basis. Cotterill was invited by Redknapp to coach again in the 2013-14 season but declined the offer and left the club.
On 3 December 2013 Cotterill was appointed manager of League One side Bristol City on a three-and-a-half-year contract. In his first season in charge, Cotterill guided Bristol City to 12th place in League One. In his second season in charge, the 2014-15 season, City won the Football League Trophy, for a record third time. Their form since the start of the season under Cotterill described as "imperious", promotion was gained on 14 April . It was Bristol City's first league title win for 60 years.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both teams
Russell Osman ITFC 1976-1985 Brizzle City 1991-1994
Cole Skuse ITFC 2013-present Brizzle City 2004–2013
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas ITFC 2011–2013 Brizzle City 2013–2015
Media Watch - K L Blue
Capital One Cup third round: Which teams made the most changes?
The Capital One Cup third round saw managers take varying approaches to their team selection - but how many changes did your club make?
The Premier League's big guns usually use the early rounds of the competition to rotate their squads and give fringe players opportunities to impress.
But Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini only made three changes to his side for their 4-1 win over Sunderland - the joint-fewest of the 32 sides competing in the third round. Willy Caballero, Martin Demichelis and Fernando were the only 'second-choice' players in the City XI at the Stadium of Light, and Pellegrini's strong line-up blew Sunderland away with four goals in a rampant first half.
Arsenal, by contrast, made 10 changes for their north London derby with Tottenham, who made eight changes from their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. Mathieu Flamini was the Gunners' unlikely hero at White Hart Lane, scoring the first brace of his career on his first appearance of the season.
Jose Mourinho also used the opportunity to rotate his side. The Chelsea manager made nine changes for their clash with League One Walsall, as Loic Remy, Ramires and Kenedy got themselves on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal only made six changes against Ipswich Town, who were the only side to change all 11 of their starters. United's line-up included the likes of Wayne Rooney, David de Gea, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, but youngster Andreas Pereira did take his opportunity to impress with a stunning free kick.
The same number of changes did Liverpool few favours. Brendan Rodgers's side only narrowly avoided humiliation against Carlisle United, despite the League Two side making four changes from their 2-2 draw with York at the weekend. Liverpool needed penalties to get through despite fielding the likes of Philippe Coutinho, James Milner, Martin Skrtel and Nathaniel Clyne.
The Reds weren't the only Premier League side to struggle, either. Newcastle made just five changes against Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 defeat. The result looks even worse when considering the visitors made 10 changes from their 3-2 win over Fulham on Saturday - with defender Tom Lees the only player to keep his place.
Elsewhere, Leicester and Hull both advanced to the fourth round despite making 10 changes apiece, but Swansea and West Brom were knocked out. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic heavily rotated his squad during their Europa League qualifiers, but he opted for stability in the Capital One Cup. Winston Reid, Dimitri Payet and Diafra Sakho were the only starters from their 2-1 win over Manchester City to drop out, but the Hammers were eventually beaten by Leicester in extra-time despite Bilic's strong selection.
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Town Wins.............................26......(46.43%)
Bristol City Wins................................18......(32.14%)
Draws.............................................12......(21.43%)
Ipswich Town Goals...........................87.....(1.55 Ave Per Game)
Bristol City Goals..............................71.....(1.27 Ave per Game)
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Town Wins..............................18......(64.29%)
Bristol City Wins..................................2.....(7.14%)
Draws...............................................8......(28.57%)
Ipswich Town Goals...........................53....(1.89 Ave Per Game)
Bristol City Goals..............................17....(0.61 Ave Per Game)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
One positive to come out of Wednesday night, as pointed out to me by Frosty, is that I should have a decent chance of predicting the correct team for Saturday…! I’m just hesitating over Larsen Touré v Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the right…
1 Dean Gerken
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
39 Larsen Touré
8 Cole Skuse
22 Jonathan Douglas
14 Ryan Fraser
20 Freddie Sears
11 Brett Pitman
Bristol City
There won’t be so many changes for the Robins, who have had a week to prepare for their trip to Portman Road. They will be looking to get back to winning ways after going four games without victory, since their surprise success at the Riverside.
1 Frank Fielding
5 Luke Ayling
4 Aden Flint
16 Liam Moore
3 Derek Williams
15 Luke Freeman
14 Bobby Reid
21 Marlon Pack
11 Scott Wagstaff
18 Aaron Wilbraham
22 Jonathan Kodjia
Marko's Caption Contest
Caption contest was excellent over the past two weeks, some genuine lol's going on.
5 points went to Number 9 for the Reading caption, (coffee was swallowed down the wrong hole laughing at that; fkn mess!) and the 5 points went to Barmy Billy for the Birmingham effort. Current holder, Blueblood scores 4 points in both and takes himself to the top of the league.
LEAGUE TABLE
Blueblood 15
Barmy Billy 14
DerickIpsw 13
Quasar 12
Number9 12
Floors 11
Foxy Lady 8
Charnwood 8
James Scharmann 7
Frosty 7
Ando 7
Bluemike 7
IpswichtownNo1 6
Nicscreamer 6
Herforder 6
Ohiotractorboy 3
Ashfordblue 2
Watership Down 2
Hallamblue 2
Shed on Tour 1
LoudNProud 1
Have a bash-tol City at this pic.
Match Referee – Peter Bankes
Final Thought - Frosty
So we missed out on the League Cup, I guess we will only win the FA Cup this year then.
I think what was answered on Wednesday night is the question of what MM’s primary focus is this season.
So it’s back home to face the might of Bristol City on Saturday. This recently promoted outfit are just struggling a bit to make the step back up to the Championship and currently share the bottom of the table with Rotherham.
There are fixtures against opposition where we just have to target the maximum points this season, and in my opinion, there has to be the expectation of winning these matches if we are going to make it to the big boys league next year.
We have an amazing record at home against Bristol City, 64 % of the games we have won and a further 29% drawn leaving only two games out of 28 played where we have gained no points at all.
Cotterill’s side may surprise come Saturday, but recent form doesn’t suggest it with a heavy loss to the Brum, losses to Burnley and Reading with only a draw against Preston their lot over their previous four outings.
The last time the two sides meet was at the end of January 2013 and ironically they beat us at Ashton Gate as they made their way to League 1 that season.
In other fixtures over the next few days which could have a bearing on our early season progress are Hull at home to Blackburn, Bolton are going to have to lift their game if they want to compete with the visiting Seagulls, Boro host Leeds on Monday night and finally for me, the match of the round in my opinion is Readings visit to Burnley.
Have a great weekend all, and hopefully you witness a more positive result from a match where the opposition wear red.
COYB!!!!!
IPSWICH TOWN 3 BRISTOL CITY 1
