Bristol Live picks out the stand-out talking points from Bristol City’s controversial 1-0 Championship defeat to Millwall at Ashton GateAnis Mehmeti crosses into the box during Bristol City’s Ashton Gate defeat to Millwall(Image: EFL)

You’ll do well to find a clearer example of frustration in football than that displayed by the Bristol City players, staff, and fans in the moments that followed the full-time whistle at the end of the Robins’ defeat to Millwall.

Whether by his own volition or having been provoked, the usually measured Jason Knight found himself in the middle of a melee that seemingly involved everyone in each dugout. The scale of the brawl was perhaps emphasised by the fact that both Joe Williams and Harry Cornick were in the midst of it, two players with a combined six minutes of competitive action this term.

Gerhard Struber was keen to stress that such emotions shouldn’t have bubbled over, but in the eyes of the Reds boss and most of a red and white persuasion inside BS3, this was a cauldron that had been close to boiling point for much of the previous three quarters of an hour.

Such a climax couldn’t have felt much further away during the opening exchanges. Buoyed by their win over Portsmouth last time out, City impressed as they produced some smart passing moves and caused problems in transition, albeit without truly testing Max Crocombe in the Lions’ net ahead of the interval.

READ MORE: Bristol City 0-1 Millwall reaction: Robins beaten as late leveller ruled out at Ashton GateREAD MORE: Gerhard Struber offers referee verdict as Bristol City boss shares perspective of Millwall melee

More of the same followed in the second half before the script was turned on its head a matter of seconds before the hour mark. Having watched Radek Vitek twice deny Femi Azeez from the right side of the penalty area, Mihailo Ivanovic was Johnny-on-the-spot to smash beyond the Manchester United loanee at the third time of asking and hand Millwall the lead.

The Robins rallied and threw all that they could towards the Lions’ goal. Rob Dickie, Emil Riis, and Ross McCrorie all came close to a leveller before Zak Vyner smashed into the back of the net in stoppage time. However, before celebrations could truly begin, the flag was up for an offside in the build-up, and that’s when things truly started to boil over.

What followed was a fracas that stemmed from a snubbed handshake. Who snubbed whom? Well, that depends on who you ask. In the end, that all mattered very little on a day when the emotions were painted over the faces of three sides of Ashton Gate and most in City colours on the pitch.

I’m sure the discussion around this one will rumble on right up until Wednesday night’s clash with Leicester City. Before we begin to think about that, however, here are the stand-out talking points from the Robins’ 1-0 defeat to Millwall…

Bristol City missing magic numbers in final third

Before we get onto the discussion point you’ve all clicked on this verdict to read about, it feels only right that we first focus on what, for two-thirds of the pitch at least, was a positive Bristol City performance.

Both within their own half and in the middle third of the pitch, the Robins popped the ball around against Millwall, in a manner that wasn’t too dissimilar to that brilliant opening 30 minutes at Fratton Park. At times, it looked as though Alex Neil’s side were chasing shadows.

The likes of Emil Riis, Scott Twine, Anis Mehmeti, Adam Randell, Mark Sykes and Neto Borges interchanged brilliantly to play around the Lions’ initial press and build towards Millwall’s penalty area. However, in the first half in particular, that is where the bulk of the good football ended.

Sign up for our City newsletter

Bristol City looking to build on last season’s play-off finish under Gerhard Struber and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.

All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.

It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE

When City reached the final third, Gerhard Struber’s side lacked the quality needed to carve out the scoring chances required to pull ahead. The only shot on target the Robins managed before the break came via the boot of Adam Randell, who caused Max Crocombe few problems with his soft, half-volleyed effort.

Things improved in the second period, thanks in part to a slight tactical tweak made by the Reds boss during the interval, but barring a Ross McCrorie header, a blocked Rob Dickie shot, and a miss at the far post by Emil Riis, there weren’t too many clear-cut chances in front of the South Stand.

It wasn’t for the want of trying, either. Borges played five crosses into the Lions’ penalty area, but not a single one was met by a teammate in red and white. On the other flank, Sykes attempted two and was similarly unsuccessful; not necessarily because of poor delivery, but because of a lack of options.

“I would say we create today in our build-up, we have a really good build-up in the first third and in the second-third, I would say we have enough numbers of players,” Struber explained post-match. “But we miss in the end, for this investment of numbers, that we are so clear to come out and break out with really big numbers.

“Then, in the end, in the last third, we miss a little bit, in the end numbers. We change this in the half-time [so] that we have, in the end, the wing-backs nearer to the opponent’s box.”

When you think back to the games that the Robins have performed well in this term, it has taken a moment of magic to find the net. Whether that be Borges’ cross at Portsmouth, Sinclair Armstrong’s run and finish against Birmingham, Mehmeti’s three assists in the win over Swansea or Twine’s free-kick away to Watford, it was a moment of individual, or collective quality which made the difference.

Such a spark was missing too often at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon, and when it did appear, it was either put out by a poor final action or a decision from the officials. Funnily enough, that brings us nicely onto our next point.

Is it time for VAR in the Championship after Bristol City controversy?

It would be impossible to write a talking points piece after Saturday’s game without touching on the role of the officials in Bristol City’s defeat to Millwall. Whether they got the decisions right or wrong, and you will likely have your own views on that, the men in blue – as they were on Saturday – had a major impact on proceedings at Ashton Gate.

Referee Ed Duckworth was far from a popular figure by the closing exchanges, having turned away at least three penalty appeals from the Robins, all of which came in quick succession.

In all honesty, without seeing said shouts again, it is hard to say whether or not he got such decisions right or wrong, but those stationed in the South Stand, and most in the Dolman and Lansdown, seemed pretty convinced the Reds should have been awarded at least one spot kick.

The decision that has caused the most contention, however, came in the final knockings when Zak Vyner’s leveller was ruled out, with Ross McCrorie adjudged to have drifted offside. Screenshots that have circulated on social media suggest the wing-back was, at worst, level with the last defender, and Gerhard Struber was certainly of the opinion that the goal should have stood in his post-match interview.

Content cannot be displayed without consent

Naturally, criticism has fallen at the door of the linesman who appears to have gotten a decisive call wrong. While Struber certainly wasn’t defending the official for what he – and I must emphasise this – felt was a mistake, the City boss thinks the time has come for referees and their assistants to be given more help in England’s second tier.

“In this direction, I would be happy when the EFL look inside, deep inside [at] what we can do together [so] that we have a situation not like that,” Struber explained in his post-match press conference. “I can see many other colleagues in the Championship who are not always happy, so what can we do together [so] that we have in the end a better situation?

“I would say the video assistant would help on a really good level. This helps in the end. Of course, you can see every week, with the video assistant, you have also topics and also discussion points, but in the end, the decision goes in a better direction, and this would be, of course, better.”

Now, I’m sure there will be some of you turning green at the thought of VAR making its way into the Championship. While I am by no means the system’s biggest fan, it is hard to argue that Struber’s suggestion that such technology would have ensured the primary point of contention in City’s defeat to Millwall would have been dealt with in a better manner – regardless of whether the goal was or wasn’t awarded.

Ross McCrorie reacts during Bristol City’s defeat to Millwall at Ashton Gate(Image: EFL)

The Austrian isn’t the first manager to suggest such an introduction of technology. In his time at Ashton Gate, Nigel Pearson called for a similar change, and in the three years since the former Reds boss made such a plea, nothing has changed in the second tier.

Such an addition in the future would make very little difference to what has already been and gone in BS3, but it would stop similar events from occurring again. With young referees given charge of these crucial games, would it not make sense, as Struber has suggested, to give them as much help as possible?

Round pegs return to round holes as Bristol City begin to exit injury tunnel

For more than two months, Bristol City and Gerhard Struber have been forced to operate on a basis of square pegs in round holes.

In all honesty, when Jason Knight was forced off injured in the Robins’ draw with Preston North End back in September, few could have expected that the Reds would have been working with one fit, ready-to-start, senior midfielder – Adam Randell – for the next 11 games.

Over the course of that spell, Zak Vyner, Mark Sykes and – at times – Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine all stepped into unusual roles to guide the Reds through what were incredibly uncharted waters without their skipper.

Did such methods work in each and every game? No, but they were effective enough, often enough, to keep City in the play-off race.

However, for the first time since that trip to Deepdale, Struber was able to name a team that had every player in their best position – in this system, at least – as Knight returned to the starting line-up against Millwall on Saturday. While the result and manner of it put a dampener on proceedings, it finally feels as though the Reds are closing in on more familiar territory.

Bristol City captain Jason Knight is fouled during the Robins’ defeat to Millwall(Image: EFL)

Such a shift was visible on the bench. Just a month ago, the Robins named two goalkeepers and five academy prospects amongst their substitutes at Watford and this weekend, they had room for just Jed Meerholz and Max O’Leary as Harry Cornick returned to the matchday squad. Not only is the starting 11 getting stronger week by week, but the options in reserve are also improving.

Yes, there are still more players to return with both Josh Stokes and Max Bird, hopefully not too far away from featuring once again, but things seem to be heading in the right direction. Not only that, evidence of such progress is finally becoming visible on a matchday, which is what really matters to fans.

Getting more than an hour into the legs of Knight and another cameo under Cam Pring’s belt can only be a good thing heading into the festive period. With the games coming thick and fast between now and the first week of January, the whole squad will have to be called upon – something that Struber has mentioned time and time again over the course of his tenure.

Such a prospect sounds far less daunting now than it would have done a week ago, let alone a month.

Bristol City still have it all to play for ahead of Leicester City visit

Amongst Bristol City fans, this run of games between now and the festive period has been viewed as potentially season-defining. That is primarily due to the fact that over the course of the first three weeks of December, the Robins face three of the Championship’s top four sides and Leicester City.

In the eyes of most, dropping points against the teams around you will likely mean that they begin to pull away from you. Although that proved to be true this weekend as Millwall, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town moved away from City in the standings, results elsewhere in the division showed why this month alone may not be the be-all and end-all.

Bristol City Live on Whatsapp

Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone

Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.

Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.

Table-toppers Coventry, fifth-placed Preston, and sixth-placed Stoke also dropped points, with the latter losing 4-0 away to Sheffield United. Below the Reds, Birmingham and Hull were both beaten, meaning Gerhard Struber’s side ended the weekend seventh and just a single point outside of the top six.

With the added perspective that the Robins went toe-to-toe with and were arguably the better side against Millwall, this block of matches serves as an opportunity, as much as it does a potential banana skin.

“Today, we can see, they are near the top of the table, and we are near them,” Struber explained post-match. “I would say today that most of the time, we have everything in our hands.

“We control the game, we dominate the game, so of course, this gives us a really big hope. At the same time, we have to be also in moments where we create chances, sharp.”

Beat Leicester on Wednesday, and Struber’s boys could be third, depending on results elsewhere. Play as they did on Saturday afternoon – with a bit more fortune and end product – and there is no reason City can’t get the better of the Foxes.

Perhaps more this year than ever before, England’s second tier is proving to be a mad, mad division. Everyone is capable of beating everyone, and when that is the case, the standings can change in the blink of an eye.

While defeat to Millwall is a blow and will be viewed by many as a missed opportunity, it changes very little in the grand scheme of things. It is all still to play for.

OPINION

READ MORE: Mark Sykes: ‘The Bristol City I joined is not the club we are anymore, I want to be part of that’