As I walked away from the Coventry Building Society Arena, groups of Bristol City fans were chanting ironically about finishing in 12th place. Following Saturday's performance and defeat against Coventry City, who can argue that we are going to do anything other than finish in our perennial midtable position?

The defeat against Coventry was, aside from the first fifteen minutes, another abject performance lacking any cohesion, the ability to execute simple passes, aggression or an actual belief from the players that we could win the game. Coventry weren't that much better than us, in a game that was a poor advert for Championship football, but I think they created better chances.

Ellis Simms squandered numerous opportunities and they had one moment of quality, with Brandon Thomas-Asante's winning strike in the 62nd minute. I disagree with Liam Manning, I don't think we deserved anything out of the game and the Sky Blues deserved the win.

There were no surprises in the starting line-up with Rob Dickie, Max Bird and Nahki Wells all recalled. It was the bench that surprised a few with Joe Williams and Sinclair Armstrong both named, having returned from lengthy injuries and Fally Mayulu not in the matchday squad at all. There are rumours on the forums that City have been approached by other clubs for Fally and you wonder if something will happen in January.

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I was also disappointed not to see Elijah Morrison on the bench. Kal Naismith, who will surely be allowed to leave either in this January transfer window or when his contract ends in the summer, was included and I don't get the rationale behind this. With the preferred formation that includes wingbacks, I would have thought Morrison would have been the better option. We had defensive cover in George Tanner and midfield cover in Williams. Elijah has shown up well in his brief substitute appearances and with Cameron Pring out injured, he would seem an obvious option if Haydon Roberts got injured or showed the lack of form that he recently has. Where are the academy players in Manning's matchday squad? Where is the pathway?

Goals change games and had Anis Mehmeti been able to sort his feet out after a good early move and get his shot away or had Wells not sent Oliver Dovin a telegram of exactly where he was going to place his shot in the ninth minute, we may have taken the lead and it could have been a different story. We didn't and apart from a couple of moments in the second half after Mark Sykes and Sam Bell came on, both of whom offered more pace and directness, that really was as good as it got for another tremendous away following.

Too many of our players from back to front had off days. Ross McCrorie won the early exchanges with former Robin Jay Dasilva, but after that first 15 minutes, Jay got the upper hand and Ross offered very little. On the opposite side, it was another poor performance from Haydon Roberts.

As stated above what has Manning got to lose in giving Morrison an opportunity? I can't see how he would offer anything less than Roberts is currently. In this formation, the wingbacks are arguably the key positions and with both Ross and Haydon currently providing very little offensively, is it any wonder that we are struggling to create? Whilst I would prefer him as a right midfielder, after his substitute appearance, I would be playing Sykes right and Morrison left if Liam insists on this formation. If it doesn't work, fine but what is the point in having competition if you don't use it when players aren't playing well?

I thought both Zak Vyner and Dickie were below the levels that they set, with only Luke McNally coming out with any credit from the back three. Luke was excellent aside from the one key moment in the 62nd minute. He played a poor pass out and then got caught out by Thomas-Asante. It was harsh on him, but he still got my man-of-the-match vote.

The midfield pair of Jason Knight and Bird just weren't good enough on the ball and the execution of their passes. Too many times the ball was turned over and when we did have overloads we didn't make the most of them. Both Jason and Max had chances in the first half to play what from the away end looked like simple through balls that the defenders easily intercepted but I do appreciate it is always easier from the stands.

Within this team, it seems as though if Knight's levels drop the rest of the team's do as well. Liam cited the pitch as a reason for the lack of ball retention and poor passing, but it was the same for both sides and I have seen us play much better on much worse pitches.

Mehmeti just couldn't get any change out of the Coventry City defence and faded as the game wore on. Scott Twine was for much of the game anonymous. Wells worked hard as he always does but just didn't have the quality or pace when it mattered in key moments. There really was next to nothing to get you out of your seat.

You can just about afford to have two or three players off their games in the Championship but when you have the eight or nine that we did on Saturday, you aren't going to come away with anything.

After the game, Liam was asked about our away form and was insistent that he was not worried by our record on the road, with our last three points coming at Carrow Road against Norwich City in November. Since then we've lost to Portsmouth, Watford, West Brom and Coventry and drew with Sunderland and Plymouth Argyle.

"I want to win games. I want to win home and away. But I think the priority has to be at home," explained the City head coach. "You have to make sure the home form is good, and the lads have performed really well there and then it's about picking up as much as you can on the road. We have performed well at times away and picked up results so you know we can do it. "

Comments made in post-match interviews can be taken out of context and you can read into it what you will. I don't think that Liam meant the away form doesn't matter. The old adage is that successful teams win at home and pick up points away from home. I think that is what he meant but that's all well and good. Fans spend thousands of pounds a season travelling the length and breadth of the country and Liam should be worried about our away form and particularly the performances in the defeats.

I'm worried, I got home Saturday night and questioned if I fancied driving to Sheffield on Wednesday night, knowing that I have to travel to Liverpool for work on Thursday. The feeling didn't last long and by Sunday morning, I'd decided I absolutely would go, but for the first time this season, I have questioned it. Maybe the slow puncture I had to and from Coventry added to it.

The fans who travel on Wednesday and those who pay for TV subscriptions to watch the game want to see a much-improved display against the Owls. We have a real opportunity not to finish in the midtable positions this season and Liam and his team must believe that and demonstrate it to us, the fans, in every challenge, every tackle, every cross and every shot. Give us the belief back.

Our 3 Peaps in A Podcast player ratings were Max O'Leary 5.5, Ross McCrorie 5, Zak Vyner 5, Rob Dickie 5.5, Luke McNally 6.5 *MotM, Haydon Roberts 4.5, Jason Knight 5, Max Bird 5, Scott Twine 4.5, Anis Mehmeti 5 and Nahki Wells 5.

For the substitutes who must play a minimum of 20 minutes (including injury time), we went with Sam Bell 6 and Mark Sykes 6. A game average player rating of 5.27. That's an overall season-to-date average player rating of 6.22.

For Liam Manning, it was 4.5. Another abject away performance and like-for-like substitutions.

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