A new season always brings fresh optimism but there is strong justification for the feeling of confidence emanating from south Bristol as the 2022/23 campaign approaches.
Bookmakers may be considering Bristol City among the likely strugglers, while objective Championship commentators mostly envisage a repeat of last season’s lower mid-table occupation, but those who will be taking their seats at Ashton Gate and around the country, see potential for considerably more.
Nobody is getting ahead of themselves, there are clear and present limitations within this squad but some smart recruitment this summer and the fact the talent has been retained, and should improve, means that in such a tightly contested and often anarchical division such as the Championship, very clear and visible improvement is achievable which should translate to an improved league position.
To get a flavour of what the City fanbase is thinking ahead of the season opener against Hull City on Saturday, we spoke to 12 Robins supporters for their opinions on the squad, the transfer market and some of what we can expect over the next nine months…
Are you feeling better or worse about City now than 12 months ago?
Ben Philpott, 50, Austin, Texas: “Having everyone ‘on the bus’ as the manager would say really feels like an important point for this new season. If money were no object and the team could plug in superstars, maybe it’s less of an issue.
“Since City can’t do that, they need a collective effort, true teamwork, to pick up the wins needed to show improvement this year. The subtractions over the summer have left Nigel Pearson with what I would assume is the team he wants to fight with every week. That alone makes me feel more hopeful.”
James Martin, 26, Melksham: “I'd say I feel marginally more optimistic than last season. That being said, I couldn't tell you wholeheartedly why, it's just because of it just being a new season and the optimism that comes with it, rather than the situation being vastly different.”
Jack Perry: “Last year we had a squad that was, in all honesty, a little bit of a mess. We had unknown potential in the young players like Antoine Semenyo and Alex Scott, as well as unknown potential in the veterans like Andi Weimann and Chris Martin.
“I also felt we had made a serious mistake letting Liam Walsh and Jamie Paterson leave. We also had players that Pearson clearly didn't desire like Kasey Palmer and Tyreeq Bakinson.
“We have cleared out the deadwood well, the likes of Palmer, Taylor Moore, Bakinson and Callum O'Dowda and have recruited very cleverly. This coupled with the realised potential of Semenyo, Scott and Weimann makes me feel a lot more positive than I did 12 months ago.”
Sam Jeffries, 35, St George: “Honestly, right now I feel a lot more confident about this squad than I did 12 months ago; we have shipped out some of the dead weight and high wages like Palmer and O’Dowda who were no longer contributing to the team. Then on top of that we’ve recruited well and (so far) kept our important players.
“The addition of Kal Naismith on a free was a real coup as Player of the Year for Luton last season, then with Mark Sykes and Kane Wilson too we have added some strength to what I think were some of our weaker positions. But for me keeping hold of key players like Semenyo and Scott will be possibly the best business we could do all summer, if they stay.”
Ben Mead, 14, Downend: “I'm feeling much better heading into the season. We've managed to keep hold of our quality youngsters who were brilliant last season, Pearson has bought in players such as Wilson and Naismith who were excellent last season, as well as Sykes who has impressed a lot of City fans over pre-season.”
Josh Darwall, 18, Portishead: “Whereas this time last season I felt the squad was one of the poorest in the division, I feel we’ve got a comfortably average squad this time around.
“Players such as Sam Bell, Duncan Idehen and Cam Pring have all shown themselves to be capable at this level, whilst the likes of Weimann, Semenyo and Scott have become top-quality players. The additions of Naismith, Sykes, Stefan Bajic and Wilson are all much more promising then the majority of last year’s signings too.”
Bill Penaluna, 25, St George: “I feel much better about the team. The wage burden of some players has been eased, with key areas such as right back being filled. The continued integration of academy players into the first team bodes well too.”
Tom Parfitt, 26 & Harry Parfitt, 29, Midsomer Norton: “Much better. We've had a solid pre-season, made some good signings and the squad seems more settled than last season. The youngsters have bedded in now and I feel this is the start of good things to come, similar to the 2017/18 season when Bryan, Reid etc all made positive impacts;l this is the start of the Scott, Conway, Bell, Semenyo, Towler era.”
Tom Hicks, 17, Brentry: “I feel we may miss Semenyo a bit at the start of the season but other than that I’m feeling very optimistic ahead of the new season.
“I don't feel pre-season results should be looked into too much but a 1-0 win over Bournemouth is a great result and on a whole some real positives to take out from the summer and off-season on a whole.”
Sam Graham, 34, London: “Better – Simply because I feel like we now have both a system and a style of play that is understood by the players. I like the fact that Nige has stuck with mainly 3-5-2, or a 4-3-3 system throughout pre-season, just the way that we saw out the majority of the second half, and end of last season.
“Our style of play is playing counter-attacking football. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly what we aspire to be, but the system and style works with the players we have.
"Twelve months ago we had no (Lee Johnson phrase incoming) ‘identity’, but at least now we have the system that the players understand and I think that is huge compared with going into a season still trialling different formations and working out the best squad which I think is how we started last season.”
What’s the fundamental lesson that City need to learn from last season?
Ben Philpott: “It takes the whole team to keep a clean sheet. I know that there were several specific defensive players who took a lot of the blame for City’s goals allowed. But for me the games where they really stood out defensively was when the middle of the field stepped up. Understanding that everyone must stay sharp to be successful. Which kind of points back to having everyone ‘on the bus.’”
James Martin: “It has to be shoring up the defence. Having only conceded fewer goals (77) than Peterborough (87) and Reading (87) it must be the main focus. When we want to play this counter-attacking style of football we can't keep conceding when we let other teams come onto us.”
Jack Perry: “Both the ability to defend and the ability to master the dark arts a little bit more. Simply put, last season’s defence was a complete shambles. Nobody could mark runners at a corner and we were carved open like a hot knife through butter at least 2-3 times a game. This simply has to improve.”
Sam Jeffries: “Concentration! Far too often last season we lacked it during key moments of games, particularly towards the end of matches, which ended up costing us points.
“If all games had ended at 90 minutes last season we would have been eight points and five league positions better off than we were. Hopefully the additions of Naismith and Wilson, plus Timm Klose being more integrated into the squad with a renewed contract, will be enough to help turn this around.”
Ben Mead: “We can put trust in the younger players. We saw Nige bring in a good few youngsters into the first-team space last season and all of them showed their quality when given the chance. This season is another opportunity to fight for their spot in the starting XI.”
Josh Darwall: "We need to somehow learn to stop conceding late goals. It’s a sure-fire way to anger the fans and I can’t imagine it does the players much good psychologically, either. The amount we conceded last season was ridiculous (I count nine last-minute goals conceded which cost us points) and, as a fan, I’d be a lot happier if we conceded a lot less this season.”
Bill Penaluna: “Conceding late goals and soft goals. Obviously easier said than done, but this is vital. We would have been much higher in the table if it wasn’t for that.”
Tom & Harry Parfitt: “Conceding late and not seeing out games. Far too many games were thrown away due to final minute set pieces and mistakes. This is the main lesson the squad needs to sort out.”
Dale Merry, 34, Forest of Dean: “Simple answer - defend. With the forward line we have we are always going to score goals, but we need to get the balance right between defence and attack. “Although it’s only pre-season we seemed to be a lot tighter so far and with Naismith in the back three this should definitely help.”
Tom Hicks: “The main problem last season was conceding late on although the last 9-10 games I felt were much better. I hope this season we cut out those habits and are able to hold onto results which will hopefully see us much higher in the table. Other than that as a fan I’m happy with the direction the club is going in, I just hope the players can perform on the pitch.”
Sam Graham: “To be more resilient, both on an individual level, and as a collective. We let in a ridiculous amount of last minute goals last season, and there’s no easy answer as to why, but I think we were a little too soft and perhaps naïve at times. Do the dirty work as a team, wind down the clock, and do what needs to be done, no matter how ugly it is to get the result over the line.
“On an individual basis, Nigel has shown he won’t stand for moaners, or repeat below par performances. However, if a player gets dropped, they need to keep their head up and work hard to get back into the team – I think Jay Dasilva is a prime example of this. He lost his place when Nige originally took over, but he didn’t appear to sulk, he worked hard, and at the end of last season he started to show the player that we know he can be.”
How would you rate the transfer window so far? Where else (if anywhere) on the pitch do you think they need to strengthen?
Ben Philpott: “I really like all the additions. Mark Sykes and Wilson appear ready to help out an already dangerous forward attack. And adding the vocal and physical leadership of Naismith can’t help but make the defence better.
“That being said, I think the team is still thin in defence. Especially if Kalas either takes a while to get back or ends up leaving the club.”
James Martin: “Having finally (fingers crossed) solved our need at right-back in Wilson, who certainly looks the real deal, this may go a long way in sorting out the right side which we have seemed to struggle with for a while. Naismith is a great pickup and Sykes looks a good player.
“For all that to be done on a free is brilliant, I hope a resolution can be made with Massengo, whether that be him leaving for a fee or singing a new deal. Otherwise, a striker would be nice but I also think we are underusing a proven goalscorer in Nahki Wells.”
Jack Perry: “So far, a 7/10. I'm extremely happy to get rid of O'Dowda, Palmer, Moore and Bakinson and think we've added real quality to the squad with Sykes, Naismith and Wilson as well as Klose signing on for the rest of this season.
“There's still work to be done though, I'd like a resolution to the Massengo dilemma (preferably sold) and I'm still of the opinion that we need a striker in the mould of Jordan Hugill/Kieffer Moore should Martin get injured as well as an out and out number 6 because we look a bit light if Joe Williams, Matty James or Sykes gets injured.”
Sam Jeffries: “I would say the transfer window has been a success so far. Considering the club’s financial situation, to be able to offload some high wages from the likes of Palmer and O’ Dowda then replace them with good quality players for free is a win in the clubs books and in mine.
“Further strengthening, I think will fully depend on player sales. Should someone come in for Weimann or Semenyo then we would obviously need to replace, but if no more players leave I would say we are in a position where we don’t need to recruit any more, other than for a player who would be a clear improvement on what we have.”
Ben Mead: “So far it has been a lot better than most fans expected. As I said, keeping our young talent has got to be one if not the best things to come out of the summer. Also bringing in Naismith, Wilson and signing on Klose means we now have quality but also squad depth at the back.
“The only thing I wouldn't mind improving on is getting some depth at right wing-back, especially if we want to continue playing with wing-backs. I don't think we should be playing the likes of Scott or Weimann at wing-back if we could bring in someone who can play in that position on a weekly basis.”
Josh Darwall: "It's hard to really judge this at the moment, but I’d say 7/10. We’ve tried to strengthen our defence with Naismith, fill a hole in the team through the signing of Wilson, and if Sykes carries his pre-season form into the regular season then he may be a shrewd addition too.
"Getting rid of Palmer, Bakinson, and O’Dowda will hopefully have lessened the wage bill a bit, too. It was a shame to lose Robbie Cundy and young Reuben McAllister but difficult to know whether they’d have been an asset for us going forward anyway.”
Bill Penaluna: “7/10 - we’ve filled some key positions, right-back/right wing-back being the most pressing (Wilson). Sykes was an enjoyable and versatile addition. Klose was a revelation last season and provides nous as well as a good ball playing option. It was great to retain him. Naismith was a real coup and helped solidify the team at centre-back. The defence looks much more solid and the attack has some more running threat. What more could you hope for, particularly for free.”
Tom & Harry Parfitt: “It's been a solid transfer window (so far) with the new signings and new contracts for the youngsters. Business being done early has allowed new players to settle in early on, but a striker is 100 per cent needed. Martin looks a little leggy, Wells can do the job but needs to keep focus and it is too soon to rely on Tommy Conway to bag 10+ goals a season.”
Dale Merry: “I’d give it 7/10 so far. Naismith is the leader we need and should help us out defensively. Wilson and Sykes are also exciting signings albeit not knowing if they can make the step up. I’d like to see another 2/3 players in. We definitely need a centre midfielder and I would like to see a striker in a Chris Martin mould, he’s not going to be able to play every Saturday/Tuesday again this season.”
Tom Hicks: “So far I'm happy with the business we have done; Naismith has looked a leader so far at centre-back, Sykes I didn't know what to expect but watching him so far he looks very versatile which is always good and looks to be able to attack and defend.
"Wilson I think has been okay in pre-season I’ve been surprised seeing him as a left wing-back. But I am looking forward to seeing him and George Tanner fight for that shirt.
"The only other addition I would like to see would be a centre midfielder a box-to-box style player who is consistent. Other than that, I am very happy.”
Sam Graham: “I think it’s been okay – not amazing, not awful. We’ve obviously been restricted by what we can do financially. I think ideally we would have a couple more in but by the sounds of hearing Nige on Sound of the City the other night, I think his hands have been tied without shipping some out the door.
“I think it’s been well publicised that Nige would ideally like a defensive midfielder and another centre-back and I would tend to agree with that if we are to play three at the back, and Tomas Kalas struggling with injury. Personally, I think we still lack the ‘sprinkle of stardust’ – those players that can make something happen out of nothing and are just entertaining to watch.
“If you look at the likes of Bournemouth last year, their team was full of pace and skill. With that said, hopefully Scott can really show what he’s about this season, and Antoine can come back raring to go again, and they might just fill that void.”
What do you think will be City’s main strength this season? And what do you fear will be their No1 weakness?
Ben Philpott: "Strength - the attack should be scary as hell. I can see double digit goals (as long as Semenyo comes back relatively soon) from Weimann, Marin and Semenyo. Plus add in Scott being able to work up the middle and the addition of Sykes and Wilson, I don’t think the team will have to worry that the strikers are scoring 90 per cent of the goals.
"Weakness - I truly think the back three are better this year. So, I don’t think the talent is a weakness, as such. But, after giving up all those points from a winning position last year, I think their confidence could be the weakness. Get a couple of clean sheets out of the first five matches and I think they’ll come on strong. Endure a 4-0 blowout…and things could take a while to fix.
James Martin: “I think our main strength is going to be our forward play with the likes of Scott possibly playing in the role behind Andi Weimann and Semenyo (on his return), with the presence that is Martin up top or even Wells. I think once everyone is fully fit there will have to be some hard decisions to make.
“As for weakness I think squad depth, as you keep hearing Pearson say we have all these young players we want to get out on loan but just cannot afford to due to the lack of players. If any one of the starters go down with an injury it's going to be an uphill battle.”
Jack Perry: “I think our biggest strength, once again, will be our strong, quick and direct attacking football but then I also fear our defence will be our weakness but I'm hoping it won't be anywhere near as severe as last season with the additions of Naismith and Wilson.”
Sam Jeffries: “So long as the front three can continue in the rich form they showed last season I fully believe our attack will be our main strength this season. With Semenyo injured, Sykes has looked good in the front three with Martin and Weimann during pre-season, plus Wells has shown he can still tuck them away when needed so the battle to start against Hull will be interesting.
“As for weakness, it’s hard to look past our inability to hold onto points in the final minutes of a game from last season. I really want to hope that our new additions can help bring a change to the mentality toward the end of games, but until they start proving they can do it I have to consider this my number one weakness.”
Ben Mead: “Our attacking force has definitely got to be our main strength; if Martin, Weinmann and Semenyo can continue their form from last season into the new season then we have goals there. Also with Scott, Sykes, Wells and Conway all fighting for a spot, we have players there to score goals. But I also believe having that squad depth could cause Nige to play players out of position and we have seen in recent years that doesn't tend to work!”
Josh Darwall: “Same as last year. Strong going forward, weak at the back, though I expect us to be a little better in the latter department this year. Naismith is, of course, a good signing but Luton have a well-organised defence (which is something we haven’t had at any point under Pearson), which I expect helped him thrive. I don’t think our defensive issues can be fully solved through signing one centre-back, so I still expect us to concede a lot this season.”
Bill Penaluna: “I think consistency in selection and considered new signings are under rated. This is now a league where some teams can bring in around 10-15 players a season. This may be a real strength as the understanding the players have will only grow and is more developed than rivals. This is a cohesive unit.
“The number one weakness, I would say the lack of a real midfield orchestrator and penetrative passer of the ball in midfield. Barry Bannan anyone?”
Tom & Harry Parfitt: “In terms of strengths, seeing the lads against Bournemouth, counter-attacking football could be a big plus on our game. However, as in previous seasons, keeping the squad injury free over 38 games is by far a massive weakness. Fingers crossed this can be improved.”
Dale Merry: “Attacking again will be our success. With not losing any front players and adding the attacking players of Sykes and Wilson bombing down from right wing-back, scoring goals again is not going to be a problem.
“Centre midfield is a bit of a concern, as good as Williams is, we can’t rely on him being fit. Andy King and James have had fitness issues and they are not getting any younger and we don’t know if Massengo will still be here come the end of transfer window.”
Tom Hicks: “Our main strength I feel will be our ability to score goals with the likes of Weimann, Martin, Wells, Conway, Semenyo (when fit). I am confident we will be up their in the goalscoring charts this season.
“It's the same story as last season, really, as I feel our defence is the weakness. I don't think the loss of Cundy hasn't been spoken about enough as he played a crucial role come the end of the season.
“Klose is great in the middle of the back line but I'm not 100 per cent sure about him on the right side as I feel he lacks that bit of pace. I hate to say it but I feel it could be the same story as last season where we concede too many goals late on which leads us to be in a poor league position.”
Sam Graham: “I hate to say it but I think we could see a similar trend to last year – I think we will be alright for goals, but I do fear we could be weak at the back again. Klose and Atkinson aren’t the quickest, and without that out and out defensive midfielder to break up play, I fear we could be a bit vulnerable on counters ourselves and ship a lot of goals that way.”
Which player are you most looking forward to watching this season?
Ben Philpott: “I’m going to go with Wilson. There’s not much better than a beautiful ball put into the box from the wing, waiting for someone to smash it home. I am hoping for lots of beauties from Wilson this year.”
James Martin: “I think we've seen even in that one pre-season game what a difference Wilson can be for us with that threat of dangerous balls into the area, something that has been missing for a while down that right flank. As for Scott, do I need to say anything, really? We've all seen what a class act he is and how he can only get better with more game time.”
Jack Perry: “I think I'm most looking forward to watching Alex Scott this season and just watching his development from such a raw unadulterated talent, to becoming a star in the senior game. On the back of his summer win with England, I think he'll be one of the best players in the division next year. A small shoutout also to Sykes who has looked incredible in pre-season thus far.”
Sam Jeffries: “It has to be Scott. After a truly remarkable breakthrough season last season, to be level-headed enough to brush off transfer speculation and follow that up by winning the Under-19 Euros with England he truly has the potential for a remarkable future ahead of him. He understands he still has work to do, but if he continues in 2022/23 the way he ended 2021/22 he will be one of, if not the key player for City this season.”
Ben Mead: “I think that battle for the forwards will be something to look out for, with Sykes, Wells and Conway all shining in pre-season, all our forwards will have to be on top form to keep their spot.”
Josh Darwall: “Tough choice between Scott and Semenyo, and it could be either really, but I’ll go with Scott as it looks like Semenyo will take a little bit of time to get back to speed. If Scott kicks on this year to become one of the best players in the division he’s got the world really at his feet. He was a joy to watch for most of last season, hopefully he will be again this year.”
Bill Penaluna: “It has to be Kane Wilson. He was such a good player in League Two and looked the business in pre-season. It’s going to be fascinating to see how he operates in the Championship.”
Tom & Harry Parfitt: “It's difficult to pick one, but Scott, just to see if he can live up to the hype surrounding him. Williams, now he seems fully fit can be a huge plus in the middle and Sykes against Bournemouth ran the right-hand side at all times. So I have to pick these three.”
Dale Merry: “I’m excited to watch Wilson this season. He tore up League Two last season and wing backs seem to be all the rage at the moment. Hoping he’s this season’s Djed Spence. It is always a risk signing players from the leagues below but he has all the attributes to be a success in the Championship.”
Tom Hicks: “There's a few players I'm looking forward to see more from this season: Ryley Towler, Tommy Conway and Josh Owers, having watched a lot of the u23s, I have always liked the look of these three. I feel Towler is turning into a Championship centre-back and have really liked the look of him in pre-season.
“Conway has been in my opinion our best player this pre-season and I hope Nige gives him well deserved game time as he now looks to be a lethal finisher and a clever forward. Owers I like the look of and think chance will come this season and he looks a very composed midfielder and isn't afraid to get stuck in.”
Sam Graham: “Alex Scott. I think after his summer success with the U19s, I think he will have a real taste of success, he seems to be genuinely happy to be here and raring to go – that, coupled with hopefully having an extended run in what I think is his favoured position behind the strikers, I think (/hope) he can really flourish.”
Finally, what are your heart and head predictions for City this season in terms of where they’ll finish?
Ben Philpott: “I will say 12th. I think the team will start off the season with more confidence and a better sense of collective drive than last year. That alone, along with a better defence, will give them the points they need to go up the table. Looking at last year, they finished nine points off 12th. I think there’s more than a nine-point improvement in this team.”
James Martin: “My head is telling me somewhere around 16th-20th, given the lack of squad depth and the need to save money whilst simultaneously trying to become better is a tough ask.
“That being said, My heart really likes this team and what they're about, so I'd like to say 10th-14th. Anything upwards from there will be a brilliant season and sign me up. Let the rollercoaster of emotions begin.”
Jack Perry: “My heart predicts us to finish sixth, just inside the play-offs - with a perfect injury free season I think it’s ascertainable however I believe that maybe a little unrealistic especially with Kalas and Semenyo out for the first few weeks of the season.
“For that reason, with my head I'll go for 11th. We will be hit by injury and bad form in places but I think our new signings will be enough to sure-up our defensive issues and I don't think we'll have many issues putting the ball in the net either.”
Sam Jeffries: “I will start with my heart, which says we have every chance of a top six finish this season, with the smart recruitment we’ve made this season and the ability we have in the squad. However my head keeps taking me back to our defence from last season and their proclivity to make costly mistakes. So my head tells me we should be looking at aiming for the top half of the table and push on from there.”
Ben Mead: “Heart is saying top 10 pushing towards play-offs over the next few seasons, but head is saying mid-table, which is an improvement from last season so can't really complain.”
Josh Darwall: “Heart says we scrape into the play-offs. After all, Huddersfield managed to turn a bottom-half finish two seasons ago to being play-off finalists last year; is there any reason why we can’t do the same?
“The head, however, says top-half is a more realistic prediction. Even if the new signings don’t live up to expectation, our squad has developed over the past season and hopefully that’ll translate to a higher league position.”
Bill Penaluna: “I’m a realist and can’t see us going much higher than 12th place. I think we could place higher, but it depends on players staying fit and firing all season. Depth is an issue in the squad and single player losses in certain positions (Semenyo being one such example) will hurt us.”
Tom & Harry Parfitt: “Heart says top 10 as I think we've got some good players to challenge the top teams, however head says 15th and below, as I said above, conceding late goals and injuries could still plague us but hopefully these things have been ironed out over pre-season and a top-half finish is on offer.”
Dale Merry: “My heart says we have the attacking power to make the play-offs. My head says it will probably be a 10th/11th place finish. Which would bring an improvement on last season’s position. So, year-on-year progression.”
Tom Hicks: “I’d take 12th-15th now, and I feel that is a fairly realistic prediction but this season could go either way; we could go down, we could clinch a place in the play-offs and I just cant wait for the season to get under way. I’d be happy with an around mid-table finish, as I'm sure most fans would be, but you never know.”
Sam Graham: “Heart – play-offs. As always, I get carried away and stupidly optimistic before every season but with the consistency in style of play and structure we now have, and the couple of additions to the squad, plus hopefully keeping hold of Semenyo and Scott, we could do, it couldn’t we?
“Head – mediocre mid-table finish, and to be honest I would be happy with that after the last couple of seasons. Time for some stability and a slow build – the worry is all the senior players out of contract at the end of this season, if we don’t kick on, and perhaps anyway, I could see a lot of them heading off.”
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