Gary Johnson has issued Bristol City's under-achieving players an ultimatum days before the January transfer window opens. Frustrated by his team's slide down the Coca-Cola Championship table, the manager is warning City's stars to perform or be replaced. Speaking in the aftermath of the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Queens Park Rangers, Johnson gave a clear indication that he is running out of patience and will bring in new faces next month unless results improve. A confidence-sapping return of one win in eight games has seen City drop out of play-off contention. City take on Watford at Ashton Gate today in a fixture which now assumes added significance, and failure to take three points will almost certainly force the manager to act when the transfer market opens for business later this week. Johnson warned: "The boys know they have to do more and some of them need to step up to the plate. If they don't, they'll be deemed as not being quite good enough for this level. With January coming up, this is a good time to remind people that they are still being assessed. Some of them are not reaching their 100 per cent and some are not showing the quality needed to keep up with the top six in this league."
Bristol Evening Post
Gary Johnson allowed frustration to get the better of him after his side were denied a share of the spoils in controversial circumstances at Loftus Road. City's manager believed the visitors should have been awarded a penalty midway through the second half when Nicky Maynard went to ground under a clumsy challenge from Rangers defender Fitz Hall. But Lancashire referee David Phillips brushed aside strident claims from the striker, his team-mates and several hundred travelling fans ideally-placed to see what happened behind the goal and waved play on. It was all too much for Johnson who, at the final whistle, marched on to the pitch to angrily remonstrate with the official and his assistants, making his feelings known emphatically during a heated exchange which lasted at least a minute before it was ended by a steward.
Bristol Evening Post
Watford are hoping to extend the loan spells of Henri Lansbury and Heidar Helguson. This afternoon's game with Bristol City is set to be the pair's final game for Watford before their current loan deals expire and they return to their respective clubs. But Hornets boss Malky Mackay has confirmed the club are in discussions with QPR and Arsenal over the possibility of Lansbury and Helguson remaining at Vicarage Road.
Watford Observer
He may have secured his first win in QPR colours, but for manager Paul Hart the Boxing Day defeat of Bristol City needs to be matched by the same level of performance against a revived Ipswich Town side this afternoon. After being booed off the pitch against City, the former Portsmouth boss leaves the relative security of Loftus Road and heads to Suffolk for his touchline debut against Roy Keane who is atop his own fortress.
Telegraph
Akos Buzsaky, the Hungarian midfielder who helped usher Jim Magilton out of Loftus Road, claims the QPR players are united, happy and fighting for each other. His former manager will think that a bit rich after their nose-to-nose confrontation two games ago in the Watford dressing-room. Then, Buzsaky stormed out, still in his kit, alleging he had been butted. Magilton's suspension was inevitably followed by his departure. Four points and two home games later, new manager Paul Hart would have expected more from the punters than the players being booed off, albeit after a fortuitous win. 'I'm sure the club and the players are very happy and we are very together,' was Buzsaky's sardonic view on QPR post-Magilton, about whom he was asked by the club not to comment.
Daily Mail
It's the FA Cup again next week and I'm looking forward to the game at Bristol City. But it brings out that old dilemma of how to deal with the cup. We know better than most how great it is if you can go on a run and get to Wembley and what it can do for a team and a club. But when your main aim above everything else is to reach the play-offs this year it makes it difficult for managers. If you treat it as a pain in the backside or an inconvenience in the early stages, the players will feed off that and getting beaten can then have a knock-on effect in the league games. Go for it and you obviously risk injuries when you can't afford them or you miss out on a chance to rest players after such a busy schedule.
Wales Online
