Bristol City 2 Portsmouth 1 - Run on

City brought Pompey’s six game unbeaten streak to a halt and in the process extended their own run ‘on’ to four games.

My clipping from this morning’s copy of The Sun

I had a quiet chat with Keith Millen after the game and he is now looking up the table for the first time this season rather than sweating on how many teams are chasing City. I think it’s fair to say that this was the game that effectively sealed Championship survival.

Earlier in the season I found myself in the uncomfortable situation of having to ask Keith how he was coping with the pressure as City lurched from one poor result to another. At that point in the season, Millen and City were at a crossroads. He had been with the club in a coaching capacity for some time and seen managers come and go after similar spells. So how was he coping?

Keith is one of the game’s good guys and politely handled questions even though you knew that he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I’m a fighter,” he told me. “I believe we can get ourselves out of this situation.”

In the car park I had a chat with one of the players who told me that Keith had their full support and they really believed that they’d be able to turn things around.

To both Keith’s credit and that of the players, they have.

Millen still wants to reach the fifty or fifty-two point safety mark as soon as possible, but realistically it’s now all about finishing the season on a high and putting themselves in the right frame of mind as they start to prepare for next season.

Of course diehard Robins will tell you that they are still in with a shout of a play-off place and it is certainly a possibility, but how many felt that they would be struggling to stay up during those dark early season days?

Now they have a team that is full of self-belief and players who look like they could beat anyone – they’re also playing some nice stuff.

The return of striker Nicky Maynard from long term injury has also given them another dimension, but it would be unfair on the rest of the lads to point to his return as reason for their change in fortunes as they have all been contributing and have been doing so for some time.

Millen heaped praise on his team after the game and said:

"I'm so proud of my players. Some of them have gone through the pain barrier and done everything and more than I asked of them to beat a very good Portsmouth side. They are full of players with Premier League experience, were full of confidence after a great six-match winning run and showed that in the way they played.

We've had to hang on in there, scrap and fight for every ball and defend for our lives, but the lads have shown incredible fighting spirit and an amazing will to win and I'm really pleased with them. This was a big, big test for the lads and they've come through it with flying colours."

Pompey boss Steve Cotterill shrugged off the defeat and said:

“If we were to losing to anyone, City would be one of those sides. Keith Millen is an honest and hard working guy and has done a great job here. There won’t be many teams who come here and football them like we did. We were better – but just didn’t stick the ball in the back of the net.

We were fitter and stronger, we passed the ball better. ‘The only thing we fell down on was they scored two and we’ve scored one. That’s the only thing we fell down on. All the other aspects of football I thought we were superb, absolutely superb.



Bristol City 0 Norwich City 3 - Pressure

Paul Lambert was obviously chuffed with his side’s performance at Ashton Gate, but then oddly accused the assembled media of getting the fans excited.


The Norwich boss was understandably trying to dampen expectations given that we are still only ten games into the season, but I would suggest that berating the local press, radio and TV guys isn’t the way to go about it. He’d be better off popping in to the city centre pubs and talking directly to the fans because whether he likes it or not, that’s where the optimism is at its greatest.

Or alternatively, try and sneak a few one-nil wins without some of the exceptional and entertaining football his team played on Saturday.

No Paul, I’m afraid that the media isn’t your problem. Things are going well, you have put together a good side and you and your coaching team are employing the right tactics. I’m afraid that if you want to dampen expectations, you’d be better off asking Bristol City boss Keith Millen to do a job swap!

Millen is an honest guy in a horrible position. His team sit rooted at the foot of the table, he’s inherited a team that hadn’t gelled after former boss Steve Coppell bolted before a ball had barely been kicked and now they are losing confidence as each minute of the game ticks by.

And to top it all off, he’s been a Bristol City man for twelve years and would give his right arm for the opportunity to dampen expectations!

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

I spoke to one of his players in the car park after the game and as it wasn’t really on the record I won’t mention his name. However, the player in question dispelled any theories that Millen had lost the confidence of the team. He said:

“After Coppell’s resignation Keith was left to pick up the pieces. He inherited new players, Coppell had sold some that Keith knew well and of course we’re without Nicky (Maynard) until December at the earliest and he’s the type of player who can help build the confidence with one of his spectacular goals.

At the moment we’re going one goal down and you can see heads drop. It’s even tougher at home because the level of expectation is so great. What we need to do is get that first goal to help build our confidence. “

Millen himself is determined to see it through, although his position depends on how long the board can hold their nerve. My guess would be two more games and they’re probably weighing up future managerial options anyway. Millen said:

“All I can do as a manager is work hard on the training field, talk to the players and do everything I can to get the results right.

I don’t mind taking the pressure if it means I’m taking it off the players then so be it, because they’re the ones that have to go out and perform.

It is tough, but they’re a good group and I’m close to them. I know there’s some good quality in there and that’s why the frustration’s so hard to take, but they’re working hard and while you’ve got a group who are willing to work hard you’ve got a chance.

I’ve never walked away from a battle and I never will. I’ll keep working as hard as I can and I can’t work any harder than I am. I’ll keep fighting until someone takes that decision away from me.”

Oh, how Millen would love to have to pressure of smiling faces, pats on the back and expectations of Premier League football.