The big positive today (aside from the result obviously) was certainly our capability to utilise a more direct style of play, AKA we now have the much fretted over Plan B for when the passing game isn't working. Ranger and N'Guessan were both outstanding in that respect (imagine Andy Williams in that game
), and for the extra dimension he offers and his interplay with Ranger I'd have N'Guessan over Byrne as first choice on the right wing any day (he also has a thunderbolt of a shot).
Midfield was mostly bypassed, with the City players pushed high up the pitch, but I thought L. Thompson did extremely well alongside the slightly off colour Kasim and the okayish Luongo.
As for defence, Hall remains, despite the torpidity of Ward, the biggest concern for me. He seems to switch off totally at times (also my long-standing gripe with McEvely, who is otherwise a perfectly capable right back. On the subject of McEvely, why is it that he always seems to blame everyone else for his own mistakes? He's supposed to be one of the senior players and setting an example. At one point he was lying on the floor beating the ground like a petulant child throwing a tearful tantrum!)
Our disallowed goal was a beauty and didn't look like a foul from what I saw (certainly not by the standards already established in that game by the referee, in which a great deal of shirt pulling went unpunished), and L. Thompson getting booked for a perfectly good challenge was even more ridiculous.
Bristol City were a decent team (especially their no. 10: his control from one 60 yard pass was absolutely exquisite) and will probably feel they deserved something, but we finally had the footballing gods back on our side after that surreal game at Wolves.
Finally, classy from Aden Flint at the end to man up and face the home fans, and be the last City player to leave the pitch. It was a great battle between him and Ranger today and both will have a few scars in the morning (though Ranger will wake up with the 3 points
).
Roll on Chelsea.
