Bristol City boss Gary Johnson will today hand his players video recordings of the 4-1 loss at West Bromwich Albion and challenge them to assess their performances. Johnson set the screen test after watching his team contribute mightily to their own downfall on a rain-lashed afternoon at the Hawthorns. Albion scored twice at the start of each half to confirm their superiority and move back to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship. And Johnson afterwards emerged from a heated dressing-room debate and admitted his side had been second best. And he attributed City's heaviest defeat since they were beaten by the same scoreline at the Hawthorns on Boxing Day 2007 to rank bad defending. Offering a brutally honest assessment, Johnson said: "We have to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by the better side. But we cannot forget about it and ignore what happened. We defended very poorly at the start of the game and at the start of the second half and you cannot afford to make basic mistakes against teams at this level. Teams that have just come out of the Premier League and have Premier League players are going to punish you if you are below par, and we gave West Brom a two-goal start and made them look good."
Bristol Evening Post
Despite the savage nature of the mauling his team received in the West Midlands, Gary Johnson still felt sufficiently confident in City's recuperative powers to predict a rapid recovery. Indeed, history supports his assumption. Beaten by the same margin on their last visit to The Hawthorns nearly two years ago, the Robins thereafter set about establishing a record of achievement which carried them all the way to the 2008 play-off final and to the brink of the Premier League itself. Although the top flight must seem a million miles away right now, salvation is at hand in the guise of back-to-back home games against Sheffield United and Ipswich Town, two clubs experiencing unexpected difficulties. Doing his best to put on a brave face, City's manager admitted his team had come up woefully short against West Brom's array of internationals and Premier League stars, while also offering hope for the future. "We've suffered defeats like this in the past and recovered and we can definitely do it again," declared Johnson, recalling a 6-0 hiding meted out by Ipswich at Portman Road almost two years ago to the day and that 4-1 Boxing Day defeat at The Hawthorns in 2007.
Bristol Evening Post
Roberto Di Matteo has admitted to requesting extra transfer funds from the West Bromwich Albion hierarchy, despite insisting that as yet he has no plans to begin moulding a squad ready for life in the Premier League should his side clinch promotion. Albion have spent the weekend enjoying the view from the summit of the Football League and, having brushed aside a Bristol City outfit that had been unbeaten in seven matches prior to kick-off, are undoubtedly strong candidates for an instant return to the top tier.
Telegraph
Roberto Di Matteo showed that he does have a sense of humour after all as he looked forward to reinforcing Albion's powerful promotion challenge in the January transfer window. Two weeks ago, he was dubbed Roberto Di Meldrew after moaning about a 5-0 win over Watford, but this time the jokes came easily as he confirmed: 'I'm already asking for money for players. The only problem is that the finance director keeps hiding.' When invited to say how much investment he would be demanding from a club renowned for careful housekeeping, he added: 'I'm not going to mention figures, but between you and me I'll be telling my chairman that I want to sign Lionel Messi.'
Daily Mail
Roberto Di Matteo is demanding the Albion board spend big to clinch an instant top-flight return. Di Matteo, making a major impression following a successful managerial debut season with MK Dons, revealed last night: "I've already been in to ask how much I can have! "There are no answers as yet, because we don't know for sure who we will need when the January sales open - but I have to say, the finance director is hiding from me! "It is my job to push to bring in as many good players as we can." That list might add up to £10million if Di Matteo gets his way.
The Sun
Bristol City Academy chief John Clayton admits his side have been handed a tough draw in the FA Youth Cup third round. The Robins' Under-18 side will travel to Selhurst Park to play Crystal Palace on Wednesday, December 9. There has been no love lost between City and the Eagles at senior level in recent years, but Clayton's boys are relishing their trip to south-east London. The former Derby, Plymouth and Fortuna Sitard striker said: "This is always an exciting time of year when the third round draw comes out."
Bristol Evening Post
