A frustrating evening for a number of reasons but one that also pointed towards a brighter future, perhaps the 2-1 defeat at Luton Town was Bristol City’s season in microcosm; although there have been several matches like that this season.
The Robins were dominant on the ball, inventive in attack and confident whenever they were in possession, leading to Nathan Jones conceding that his Luton Town team got away with one, given they were largely second best throughout.
But City’s work in possession is no longer the problem, it’s what they don’t do out of it, and their worrying lack of authority whenever a ball comes into the area at any height above chest-level is an ongoing concern.
But hopefully the positives can be taken forward as City now face another of their bogey teams this weekend with a trip to Deepdale against Preston North End.
In the meantime, here are the moments missed from Kenilworth Road…
Jones turns the air blue
Watching Bristol City on the red button is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand you, of course, get to see the Robins from the comfort of your own home - and, as a side point, huge credit to the fans who made the trip to Luton on a Tuesday night for a rearranged game in late January a week before payday.
However, that privilege of being in the warm comes at a price, namely a slightly dodgy and limited camera angle, a lack of replays and just one commentator.
Credit to Rob Palmer he was professional and crisp in his delivery but it’s just not the same as when having another voice to bounce off. And, in fairness, any commentator would say exactly the same thing.
The other by-product of being on the red button is there isn’t that much sound editing going on and because of the closed nature of Kenilworth Road, the broadcast microphones picked up pretty much everything that took place on the touchline.
So maybe Palmer could claim to have an analyst alongside him, however, it wasn’t one who was particularly family friendly as Nathan Jones’ instructions were a feature across the 90 minutes.
Jones’ south Walian screech was a constant, varying between expletive-laden directions to various players and the requisite attitude required to stop Bristol City and buzz words of encouragement such as “system” and “energy”.
Depending on your opinion it was either amusing or annoying - certainly City fans would lean towards the latter - and caused Palmer to issue several apologies, even when the game moved past the 9pm watershed.
Of course, nobody can blame Jones, it’s his field of work and it’s not his fault the microphones were positioned so close to him.
Klose in position
Okay, so there wasn’t specifically a “moments missed” at Kenilworth Road, as it took place 130 miles away back in Bristol, but it’s still very much worthy of documentation, especially in the context of what transpired in Bedfordshire.
Timm Klose has been training with City since last Friday and while Pearson has confirmed such he’s not really been enthused to offer more information other than a simple “yes or no”.
A simple equation would state that Pearson’s desire for a defender, or defenders, and his lack of desire to explore the loan market coupled with the Robins lack of financial resource means the only signings they can make at this stage are free transfers.
Klose therefore may just be the pick of the bunch, given his experience, Championship reputation and the fact he’s a tall centre-back who’s partial to the odd header or two.
The Robins position over his future is a little ambiguous at present and sort of hasn’t really changed but certainly the growing impression is that he will end up signing (again, this is mere guesswork).
With his contract status meaning he doesn’t necessarily have to commit to a contract before January 31, City have plenty of time to check on his fitness levels with the Swiss having not played competitively since his loan move at FC Basel ended last season.
There was some surprise when he wasn’t included in the Under-23 team to take on Charlton Athletic on Tuesday as partnering Robbie Cundy could have been an interesting little glimpse into the near future.
However, Klose was at Failand, spotted in club tracksuit taking in the game from the stands at the High Performance Centre, intensely watching proceedings unfold as the young Robins were beaten 2-1 by a strong Addicks outfit.
There could well be an element of Klose scoping City out, as much as the other way, and the defender may have other offers that could prove more financially appealing but the signs do point towards, at the very least, the Robins keeping hold of him.
Pearson’s intense viewing
When he returned from his second Covid-influend break of the season in November, Pearson was insistent that he wants to be more visible in how he conducts himself at the club.
That covers a number of bases but on matchdays it’s been evident the days of him watching matches from the stands are over and the 58-year-old is now a constant figure in the technical area, rarely choosing to take a seat.
Pearson has shown irritation at the modern phenomenon of the pantomime-like environment that takes place on the touchline either side of the fourth official, and who knows, maybe Jones’ feistiness and vocals may have irked him a little.
The City manager is active down there but nowhere near the same league and still leans towards intensely observing proceedings and then delivering instructions directly to individuals when the situation permits, rather than endlessly hollering at his players.
The visibility has also been apparent before games when Pearson now is on the field as the players take part in their pre-match drills and warm-ups.
Previously the manager would be in the dressing room but now he roams around his coaches checking on individuals and the general mood of the squad.
At Kenilworth Road there was an interesting period of a few minutes when Pearson broke away from what the City players were doing and switched his focus on the opposition.
Luton players were being put through their paces prior to kick-off with a simple but quick pass and move drill and Pearson stood in a fixed position for a good few minutes with an intense gaze on them, almost locked in the moment.
It was difficult to ascertain exactly why but was either that he wanted to assess some kind of trait, strength or weakness in a player or, and we’d dearly like this to be the case, bring some sort of intimidation factor; imagine looking up after pinging a pass and seeing Nige’s eyes bearing down on you… it would make you question a few things.
New face in the squad
Pearson’s commitment to youth has been well-documented and is evidenced by the number of players under the age of 24 who take to the field each week, plus the volume of academy graduates who have made an impact over the last 12 months.
It is, to a certain extent, driven by circumstances as, unlike his predecessors Pearson has to work with a lot of what is already in the building due to the financial restrictions caused by the pandemic but he knew that was part of the brief when he took the job.
As well as making Alex Scott and Ayman Benarous significant members in his squad, showing faith in Cam Pring and Ryley Towler, the manager has also used the matchday environment to help the progress of others beyond just the 90 minutes.
Goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards has been a regular face at games, home and away, as third choice, as opposed to playing for the Under-23s and Saikou Janneh, Tommy Conway, Sam Bell, Benarous and Towler have done the same.
On Tuesday, midfielder Josh Owers was part of the travelling squad, joining the first-team on the bus to the ground and in the dressing room before participating in the warm-up and then taking the game in from the bench among the substitutes.
Owers - the son of former City midfielder and now BBC Bristol analyst Gary - has spent some of the season on loan at Bath City, making nine appearances for the Romans and the 19-year-old is a busy, box-to-box-style player.
How close he is to the first-team is unclear, although in the context of his position with Tyreeq Bakinson’s departure and injuries to Matty James and Andy King, central midfield reserves aren’t exactly deep at the moment.
But either way, whenever his chance may or may not come, it was a big experience for the teenager and worked as both a developmental tool and carrot for him to continue to progression at the club.
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