admin“FURIOUS”- Liam Manning break silence with brutal dig after dispointing 1-0 home defeat against Bristol City
Norwich City head coach Liam Manning admitted his team are “too nice” to play against after a 1-0 home defeat to Bristol City — another setback that leaves the Canaries hovering just above the Championship relegation zone.
The loss marked Norwich’s fifth consecutive home defeat in the league, with an additional Carabao Cup exit adding to their struggles. Mark Sykes scored the decisive goal for Bristol City, Manning’s former club, deepening the frustration for the Norwich boss.
“I feel like I’m repeating myself every week — we’re just too easy to play against,” said Manning. “I’ll take responsibility for my part, but some of the players need to take ownership of their performances too. We need more toughness and desire to win games, especially in tough atmospheres like today.
“We had good chances but didn’t take them. Teams that succeed at this level are ruthless, and we weren’t. I don’t want to see us playing safe passes all the time — we need to attack with purpose. Overall, we were too passive and not brave enough. When you don’t score, pressure builds, and then we concede a soft free-kick and switch off — and suddenly the ball’s in our net.”
The match, which lacked many clear chances, was decided in the 73rd minute when substitute Sykes — on the pitch for just five minutes — finished sharply at the back post after Anis Mehmeti’s cross from the left.
Norwich had earlier gone close through Emi Marcondes and Jack Stacey, but both were denied by outstanding saves from Radek Vitek. The 21-year-old goalkeeper, on loan from Manchester United, impressed again in what was a crucial performance for the visitors.
Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber, who replaced Manning at Ashton Gate, praised his team’s resilience after taking just two points from their previous four games.
“After the disappointment against QPR, everyone was determined to respond,” Struber said. “We came here with a clear plan, and the players gave everything. They worked extremely hard defensively and looked dangerous on the counter. We might have scored more, but overall we deserved the win.
“Radek made some big saves for us — he’s only 21 but already looks like an excellent Championship goalkeeper with huge potential.”
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