(FM14) Drink up thee cider!!!

Swansea vs Bristol City - 16th December 2015
0-1
ter Stegen 7.4 rating
Alvarez Balanta 66 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy made only one change to the side that rescued a point against Blackburn as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started instead of Rodrigo Gomez in central midfield. Under pressure Swansea manager Steve Clarke had lots of injuries to contend with, an especially noticeable absentee was the top scorer last year in the Premier League and Liverpool target Wilfried Bony. The two teams lined up as follows:

Swansea were without a win in the league for 7 games so Andrew Booy and his Bristol City team fancied their chances in this rescheduled midweek fixture. Perhaps it was this complacency which meant that Booy's team lost their first game in 14. They were the worst team to be fair and apart from the Yeovil defeat in the Capital One Cup it was Bristol City's worst performance of the season. Swansea striker Antonio Di Natale scored from a Michu through ball midway through the first half and then after last games MOTM Eder Alvarez Balanta was sent off on 66 minutes City never looked like getting a point from this one. In fact German keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept the Swans from scoring more and picked up the MOTM award for a string of world class saves.

Fulham vs Bristol City - 19th December 2015
2-0
Allione 8.1 rating
Welbeck 5 mins
Rodrigo Gomez 45 mins



Manager's review
Bristol City made two changes to the side that lost at the Liberty Stadium three days ago. Rodrigo Gomez came back in for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Marc Wilson replaced the suspended Eder Alvarez Balanta at left back. Fulham manager had no major absentees so Felix Magath had a full strength squad to choose from. The two teams lined up as follows:

Fulham have been performing well below expectations this season and are the only team in the English top four divisions not to have picked a single victory all season!!!! So when top played bottom at Craven Cottage there seemed only one possible outcome. The match started brightly for City as MOTM Agustin Allione crossed in from the right hand side for Danny Welbeck to control and smash in low past the Fulham keeper on 5 minutes. It was Welbeck's 11th goal of the season and Allione's 8th assist of the season meaning only Luis Suarez has more goals than Welbeck and Allione is the joint top assister in the league. On the stroke of half time Rodrigo Gomez repaid the faith manager Booy had put in him by selecting him in the starting 11 by doubling the lead with a fortuitous long range effort which squirmed past Fulham keeper Stekelenburg in the rainy conditions in West London. The 2nd half was a drab affair but Andrew Booy was delighted his side got back to winning ways without a win in the last two.

Bristol City vs Newcastle - 22nd December 2015
2-0
Ince 8.4 rating
Buitrago 20 mins
Ince 47 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy made one change to his side as Eder Alvarez Balanta was back from suspension to replace Marc Wilson. For Newcastle manager Gary Bowyer could have selected ex City players Maikel Kieftenbeld or Yann-Erik de Lanlay but neither made an appearance against their old club. The two teams lined up as follows:

City were the much better side throughout and the Ashton Gate crowd were delighted when captain Mario Buitrago headed in from a looping Tom Ince cross in the 20th minute. There was a clear sense of relief for the Colombian as it was his 1st goal since the end of October. MOTM Ince then got on the scoresheet himself after halftime as a well taken free kick from Rodrigo Gomez was headed in at the near post by the left winger. After the game Andrew Booy was delighted to see that rivals Liverpool had lost to Leeds thanks to a penalty from ex City captain Sam Baldock. Booy was the first to text the striker to offer his thanks! Next up for City on Boxing Day is a trip to Anfield to play 2nd place Liverpool in a top of the table clash!

Youngster Ansell commits future to Bristol City

Just two weeks after his 18th birthday striker Austin Ansell has signed a new contract with Bristol City until the summer of 2020. The England U21 international has yet to make a first team appearance for the club but is progressing fast with the City training team and his first appearance in a City shirt may not be far around the corner.



Man Utd sack manager Marcelo Bielsa

Ex Marseille and Argentina manager Bielsa has been sacked by the Old Trafford hierarchy after only 12 months at the club.



Bielsa guided Man Utd to a 4th place finish in the league last season and won the Club World Championship but this season the club are 7th in the league and struggling to keep up with the top four and Champions League qualification. Man Utd have acted quickly in bringing in their replacement with Frank de Boer joining from Spanish side Valencia after less than 6 months in charge.



In other Premier League manager departure news Roberto Martinez has been sacked as manager at Everton with the club just outside the relegation zone. Everton have already made an approach to Wigan Athletic about the availability of manager Uwe Rosler to move to Goodison Park and it is expected the German with make the move to Merseyside in the next week or so.

Liverpool vs Bristol City - 26th December 2015
2-3
Welbeck 4 mins
Allione 72 mins



Manager's review
Bristol City named the same side that had impressively beaten Newcastle last time out. For Liverpool Brendan Rodgers considered resting star player Luis Suarez as he is exhausted but couldn't leave out the league's top scorer for this important clash. The two teams lined up as follows:

City started strongly and had the lead within 4 minutes thanks to a Danny Welbeck goal after some pinball in the area which dropped kindly on his right foot. Liverpool came back strong and ter Stegen had to deny Luis Suarez twice in the first half with the Uruguayan one on one with the City keeper. Perhaps Brendan Rodgers should have rested the striker? In the 2nd half City looked in control but a wonder strike from MOTM Joe Allen in the 58th minute levelled the contest. Liverpool then took the lead when centre back Omer Toprak powered in a header from a corner from the right. However City came back again and Mario Buitrago slotted in Agustin Allione to drill a low shot into the corner with 20 minutes left on the clock. Then came the moment of controversy in the 93rd minute as Jeremy Menez was set free on the right wing but he was clearly offside, the Frenchman pulled back for none other than Luis Suarez to grab Liverpool the winner with the last kick of the game. The City players swarmed the linesman as it was such a poor decision. Lets hope that goal doesn't settle the League title come the end of the season!! City remained top but Liverpool can now leapfrog them if they win their game in hand.

Bristol City vs Arsenal - 29th December 2015
1-2
Allione 75 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy made two changes to the side that lost at Anfield last time out with Bogdan Butko earning his first start of the season for the suspended Kana-Biyik, also Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started in place of Rodrigo Gomez in midfield. Arsene Wenger was without centre back Aleksandar Dragovic through suspension but also surprisingly rested striker Timo Werner for this top of the table clash. The two teams lined up as follows:

The first half was a largely even affair between these two sides until Arsenal took the lead through a clever Oliver Giroud finish 1 minute before the half time break. To be fair to City they came back fighting in the 2nd half and equalised after Mario Buitrago set up Agustin Allione for a low driven finish. However it was a mistake from right back Bogdan Butko which resigned Andrew Booy and his City side to a 2nd defeat against Arsenal this season as he brought down MOTM Giroud in the penalty area in the 82nd minute and the Frenchman picked himself up and converted the spot kick.

December 2015 - THE REVIEW

Fixtures

CITY vs Leeds - 1st December 2015 1-0
Crystal Palace vs CITY - 5th December 2015 4-0
CITY vs Blackburn - 12th December 2015 3-3
Swansea vs CITY - 16th December 2015 0-1
Fulham vs CITY - 19th December 2015 2-0
CITY vs Newcastle - 22nd December 2015 2-0
Liverpool vs CITY - 26th December 2015 2-3
CITY vs Arsenal - 29th December 2015 1-2



Monthly Awards

Best Player - Agustin Allione - average rating 7.36

It was a fantastic month for the right winger who won the Premiership Player of the Month award for December. He scored 3 goals and got 3 assists. The Argentine was also shortlisted for the European Golden Boy award but narrowly lost out to to Benfica striker and rumoured City target Otavio. Mario Buitrago was also voted the young player of the month for December and Lucas Evangelista came 2nd.

Highly commended
Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik - average rating 7.30
The centre back has been a consistent performer in December and was instrumental in 4 clean sheets during the month.
Eder Alvarez Balanta - average rating 7.24
Alvarez Balanta has been a consistent performer at left back this month and his particular highlight was his two goal MOTM performance against Blackburn.

The American Bald Eagle arrives......

Andrew Booy has confirmed his first signing of the January transfer window with the capture of American captain Michael Bradley for a fee of 4.8 million pounds from MLS side Toronto FC.





The 28 year old brings much needed experience to a youthful Bristol City squad and will look to form a central midfield partnership with Lucas Evangelista. The box to box midfielder has 105 caps for the U.S.A. and club experience throughout Europe and spent six months at Aston Villa in early 2011. Bradley will be paid 71k per week until 2020 and hopefully his leadership will help City kick on after such a successful first half to the season.

Young midfielder Alvaro has been recalled from his loan spell at Espanyol after only 6 months. The Spanish left winger played 21 games for the LIGA adelante side but it was felt that his progress would be better in and around the Bristol City 1st team squad for the rest of the campaign.

Bristol City vs Rotherham - 2nd January 2016
5-0
Alvarez Balanta 9.4 rating
Welbeck 1 mins
Alvarez Balanta 12, 42 mins
Buitrago 14 mins
Allione pen 27 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy made two changes to his side as Michael Bradley came in for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for his debut and Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik returned from suspension to replaced the disappointing Bogdan Butko. Rotherham manager Steve Cotterill was up against the man that replaced him at Ashton Gate 2 and a half years ago and had one major absentee as key player David Worrall was out with a sprained ankle. The two teams lined up as follows:

Andrew Booy could not have asked for much better opponents in the FA Cup as Rotherham were rock bottom of the Sky Bet Championship with only one win all season. So the inevitable romping ensued as City picked up a morale boosting win after successive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League. Within 49 seconds of the kickoff City had the lead after Tom Ince played in Danny Welbeck down the left the striker ran 30 yards with the ball and slotted in under the Rotherham keeper. MOTM Alvarez Balanta scored the 2nd on 12 minutes as he connected with an Agustin Allione corner at the near post to volley in. Only 2 minutes later Mario Buitrago robbed Craig Morgan and curled the ball in from just outside the area with the aid of the crossbar to make the score 3-0. Then just before the hour mark Craig Morgan's day went from bad to worse as he pushed Buitrago in the box during a corner and Agustin Allione slotted home the resulting spot kick. The 5th goal again came in the 1st half as Alvarez Balanta was tee'd up on the edge of the area by Lucas Evangelista and the City left back smashed in low for his 2nd goal of the match. The 2nd half was a drab affair with little action as City had already demolished Cotterill's Rotherham side in the first 45 minutes. Next up for City in the 4th round is a trip to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Bristol City spend big!!!!!

Andrew Booy has completed the 2nd signing of the January 2016 transfer window with the acquisition of Brazilian left back Alex Sandro from FC Porto for a club record fee of 15 million pounds.





Alex Sandro is an offensive minded wing back, espnfc.com describes him as a player who is a "powerful runner and can beat opponents one-on-one'' therefore he is a perfect fit for Andrew Booy's attack minded tactics. The defender has 12 caps for Brazil and has been an ever-present for FC Porto since joining them for 8.25 million in 2011. He will go straight into the team at left back allowing Eder Alvarez Balanta to play in his preferred centre back position at the expense of Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik. Alex Sandro is on a 62k per week contract until the summer of 2020.

Booy terminates two loan deals

Following the arrivals of Michael Bradley and Alex Sandro Bristol City have terminated the season long loan deals of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bogdan Butko with immediate effect. Neither player cemented a place in the City starting lineup so Andrew Booy decided it was not worth them staying and paying their wages to warm the bench.

Saint switches to the 'real' red and white army

Just days after signing Alex Sandro from FC Porto Andrew Booy has opened the Bristol City cheque book again to sign Southampton right back Nathaniel Clyne for a fee of 9.75 million pounds.





Clyne joins with vast Premier League experience from rivals Southampton for whom he has been a first team regular since joining from Crystal Palace in 2012. He will immediately go into the Bristol City 1st team replacing Stefan De Vrij who joined in the summer but is rumoured to be soon to leave the club. Like recent signing Alex Sandro, Clyne is an attacking wing back and the two new signings will hope to raid down either flanks in Andrew Booy's attacking Bristol City side. The Englishman joins on a 50k per week deal until 2020.

Ocampos joins Dortmund on loan

Bristol City left winger Lucas Ocampos, who joined only in the summer for 6 million pounds has failed to impress in training and failed to dislodge the impressive Tom Ince in the starting 11. Therefore when German giants Dortmund offered to pay 90% of the Argentines wages along with a 1 million pound loan fee Andrew Booy was quick to accept the offer for a player who has yet to start a game for Bristol City. Hopefully some appearances in Germany will aid the youngsters progression for the rest of the season.

Man City vs Bristol City - 9th January 2016
3-3
Buitrago 34 mins
Welbeck 42 mins
Bradley 58 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy was able to name his strongest possible starting 11 which meant debuts for new wing backs Alex Sandro and Nathaniel Clyne who replaced Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik and Stefan De Vrij. Under pressure Man City manager Roberto Mancini was unable to select Antoine Griezmann and David Silva through injury. The two teams lined up as follows:

This was a vital game for both sides as 4th visited 5th in the Premier League. Bristol City were 6 points clear of Man City in the fight for the final Champions League spot so Man City really needed to win this game. Colombia striker Mario Buitrago gave City the lead after Man City had missed chances in the first 30 minutes. Edin Dzeko capitalised however after Stefano Denwil inexplicably lost the ball on the edge of his own area to Hatem Ben Arfa who crossed for Dzeko to head in. From the resulting restart City regained the lead through top scorer Danny Welbeck to lead 2-1 at half time. After half time Stefano Denswil (who played with a match rating of 4.6!!) lost Jordan Henderson in the box for the midfielder to equalise again for Man City. Michael Bradley scored his first goal for the club to give the Robins the lead for the third time with a fortuitous effort that squirmed under Joe Hart. It looked like Bristol City would hold on for the 3 points but MOTM Edin Dzeko pounced on a ter Stegen save in the 93rd minute to rescue a point for Man City. Before the game manager Andrew Booy would have taken a point from a trip to The City Of Manchester Stadium but there was still a slight feeling of two points lost from the away fans at the final whistle. Bristol City remain 6 points clear of Man City in 4th place in the Premier League table.

Bristol City receive record transfer fee....

Andrew Booy has sold Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij to FC Porto for a club record fee of 22 million pounds. The 23 year old defender was outspoken to the media about the recent purchase of right back Nathaniel Clyne by Bristol City and requested in a private meeting with manager Andrew Booy to leave the club.



De Vrij's agent had found interest from Italian side Roma and also from Portuguese giants FC Porto. Following the recent sale of Alex Sandro to none other than Bristol City FC Porto had ample finances to make a monstrous 22 million pound bid for De Vrij who only joined City for 2.6 million pounds in the summer. Even though De Vrij had played every game since joining the club Nathaniel Clyne was seen as a replacement for the Dutchman so Andrew Booy was more than happy to accept the bid from Porto and show Stefan the exit doors at Ashton Gate!!

Hull vs Bristol City - 12th January 2016
2-0
Denswil 8.3 rating
Buitrago 88 mins
Welbeck 90+1 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy named exactly the same team that drew last time out against Man City. For Hull, Steve Bruce interestingly decided to rest star players Leroy Fer, Nicolai Jorgensen and Thievy. The two teams lined up as follows:

In Andrew Booy's 2nd away match in 3 days, 6th place Hull City hosted 4th place Bristol City in what proved to be a cagey affair. Steve Bruce has managed a Hull team performing well above expectations this season so it was an even contest throughout with Bristol City having to be patient and wait until the 88th minute to break the deadlock. It was Mario Buitrago who got that goal after controlling a right wing cross from Agustin Allione and powering in his 10th goal of the season. Danny Welbeck made the score look more comfortable than it was with his 15th goal of the season in injury time after some good work in the penalty area by substitute Guido Pizarro. A special mention must go to the Bristol City back five for keeping a solid clean sheet and in particular Stefano Denswil who bounced back from his personal horror show performance against Man City with a MOTM display.

Bristol City vs Q.P.R. - 16th January 2016
4-0
Ince 9.4 rating
Ince 5, 45 mins
Allione 10 mins
Buitrago 54 mins



Manager's review
Andrew Booy named the same side that defeated Hull last time out which meant the same starting 11 for the 3rd match in a row. Managerial nemesis Neil Warnock only had former City player Jack Colback missing through injury. The two teams lined up as follows:

City started this game on fire and Tom Ince had smashed in a Nathaniel Clyne lay up within 5 minutes to give the Robins the lead on 5 minutes. With the game only 10 minutes old Michael Bradley slotted in Agustin Allione to double the lead against a overwhelmed Q.P.R. side. Just before half time MOTM Tom Ince had his 2nd of the game after good work down the right from Nathaniel Clyne who got his 2nd assist of the game. Then early in the 2nd half Mario Buitrago got on the scoresheet after exchanging passes with Michael Bradley, the Americans 2nd assist of the game. After Chelsea's loss to Tottenham and Liverpool not playing the victory moved Bristol City into 2nd in the table behind leaders Arsenal by only 1 point!!