Bristol City 0 - West Bromwich Albion 1

Brendan Clegg:

We're through and that's the main thing.

This was another pretty bad performance on a very cold pitch - and a terrible spectacle for anyone who bothered to tune in on BT Euthanasia.

Usual moans - Are we to continue to offer sympathy to Pulis' complaints about tough away fixtures when he continues to pick the same players without giving opportunities or a rest to others?

If Lambert, McManaman and Chester (a combined Pulis spend of 15-17 million?) cannot be trusted against lower league opposition over a set of players undertaking their 3rd away fixture in a week then what is the point in having them? And if you were Peace why would you give Pulis any more money?

Frankly, I've given up on Lambert and Chester but that McManaman was overlooked again surely demonstrates Pulis has a serious problem with him that requires mediation of some sort. A club like ours cannot afford to under-use a player of his qualities and value. If there is an issue with professionalism or attitude I would rather it be out in the open and an under 21 player promoted to the bench while the issues are resolved one way or another - but I would much prefer the opportunity to see McManaman, the FA Cup winner and star of a final, given a chance to prove his worth on the pitch.

Savage on the commentary pointed out how interesting it was to be sat behind Pulis hear him barking commands - also clearly audible to viewers at home, including this despairing Albion fan. No matter where the ball was on the pitch there were cries of "DO IT, DO IT" and "HIT IT NOW ON THE ANGLE" along with the occasional projections of tactical nous such as "TAKE HIM ON" and "GET IT IN THERE".

It was cold, the pitch was hard and bobbly and it's hard to dribble with frozen feet - I know. Best to keep the ball in the air or help it on its way.

Hopefully Fletcher and Saido are back for the Villa game - I really worry for us otherwise. Surely with the options we have it's a game we have to attack - with maybe two proper wingers and Sess in the hole behind a forward? Villa are the worst team in the league by some margin after all.

• Foster - 6 One dodgy cross (that Myhill would never have come for anyway) aside, did the job.
• Dawson - 6 Defensively sound but pretty terrible on the ball. Cross for the goal was a one-in-a-hundred effort, and by that I mean I think it's probably the first decent cross he's hit in 100 attempts over about 10 games.
• McAuley - 7 Gets an extra mark for playing again at his age without looking tired. Remarkable - what is he made of?
• Evans - 6 Solid enough although sometimes went AWOL out of position. Tried to play it when he could.
• Brunt - 4 Was having problems, hopefully taken off as a precaution though.
• Yacob - 6 Did his usual job in there - with a standard booking thrown in.
• Gardner - 5 Lots of effort and running but woeful on the ball. Didn't look a level above Bristol.
• Sess - 6 Showed the odd darting run and move but wasn't great and we made little attempt to supply him.
• McClean - 5 I don't know how bad he has to get before McManaman gets a chance. Usual hard work and dreadful quality.
• Anichebe - 6 God knows where he was playing but seemed to be our only player able to try and put his foot on the ball and find a pass. A couple of moments of energy but otherwise played the game at a snail's pace.
• Rondon - 5 Took the goal well but apart from that was pretty anonymous with little service and hardly won a duel all evening.

• Poco - 6 Given he hasn't played much he did well enough. Was only really beaten for a cross once but defended well otherwise against their main threat and in the first half overlapped and put in decent cross at pace. We've not got Roberto Carlos here but we have got a fairly adequate option being criminally underused, arguably better than Brunt and certainly not worth omitting at the expense of playing Evans in the wrong place or Chester ever.
• Lambert - Looked delighted to take his warm hat and coat off.

Mark Koppel:

Just got back from Bristol after the Highways decided to close the M5 in revenge to our glorious FA Cup victory.

A few thoughts before the player ratings:

• Bristol City are not a great side, and certainly didn't cause us problems a Premier team would.
• West Brom Away fans are very humorous. Today's chants included:
     "If Rondon can score you must be so shit".
     "We have a full back on the bench".
     "When Poco came on "We thought you were dead".
     ...and also going through the whole team singing "we have a "Centre Half at No1, a Centre Half a Number 2, etc".
• If we sell Berahino to anyone, especially a team below us in the Premier League, then I really doubt the Chairman's, or Pulis's, ambition to really improve the Team.

Player Ratings:

• Foster 7 - Some good saves, kicking better than the first tie, and only one wobble when he dropped a cross.
• Dawson 7 - Joined the attack quite well today, most crosses were quite good, especially the one for the goal.
• Brunt 6- As feared another midfield injury. Peace get your cheque book out, we need midfield cover.
• McAuley 7 - Solid as usual but should have scored first half with missed header.
• Evans 6.5 - Bit wobbly again first half by his own high standards. Improved second half.
• Yacob 5 - Very silly booking again, otherwise would have got higher mark.
• Sess 6 - Bit quiet really. Ran at them a few times but his lack of real pace meant he was mainly caught.
• Gardner 7 - Did alright. Pushed forward first half in support and then sat back with a degree of comfort after we scored.
• Sick Vic 7 - Looked pretty good in the deeper 'Troy Deeney' role. Lets see if he can play here in the PL
• Rondon 7 - Gets 7 because he took his goal really well. Wayward shooting again first half though and ball still bounces off his rubber chest quite alarmingly.
• Mad Fenian Man 5 - Ran around a lot with little impact. Too many tattoos for my liking.

Subs:

• Poco The Full Back 7 - The main positive for tonight. He came on and made an immediate impact. Play like this in the PL and we don't need a new left back.
• The Lump - Was on for 25 seconds, ran from one side of the pitch to the other but still managed to lose a stone in weight doing this!
• Chester - Was on for slightly longer than The Lump but didn't actually touch the ball. Warmed up quite nicely though on the touchline for about 20 minutes.

oshawabaggie:

It's hard to knock any kind of away win, but our limitations were on view for all to see. I am still unsure whether Rondon will ever be a regular goal scorer in the PL, but as others have mentioned what is he supposed to do with 50 yard balls hoofed into his general vicinity? If he manages to control the ball there's nobody within thirty yards to play it off to. If you put him in an Arsenal side he'd probably bag his fair share. When big Vic stands out as a player who can put his foot on the ball and make a few passes, what does that say about the rest of our so called creative midfield? I just wish he would chase after the ball when he loses it.

Even when Fletcher and Mozza are fit and at their best, we still sorely lack a creative link man who can gather the ball deep and develop an attack without having to hit the ball forty yards.

If there are statistics for passes backwards or sideways, the Albion must surely be leading that category. And throw ins drive me nuts. There's no movement to receive the throw, which usually ends up being a fifty fifty ball, because it's just thrown into the air for a hopefull header.

I would like to see Berahino playing well and staying at the Albion, but if he's not going to get a start, then get rid of him and spend the money on one or two creative midfielders. We might then find out whether Rondon is any good or not. Finally, as others have mentioned, it was nice to see Poco get almost a full game, albeit through a Brunt injury. He didn't look out of place at all and it makes you wonder whether Gamboa wouldn't fit in ok too if he was given a chance. Not feeling good vibes about the Villa, but let's hope the lads are up for it.