I think he's the kind of player who'd give you an option in any division with his work rate. Think he'd do a job for any bottom half Premier League team, it actually surprises me that he's never come on to the radar of the likes of Brentford with their algorithm and stats based approach to recruitment.
Seems to finally have moved into the base of midfield. He played a lot of football at 10 or on the wing and had good attributes for those spots but never scored or assisted enough goals. I haven't seen much of him this season but see that he's starting in the 2 of a 4-2-3-1 or else the deep midfield 2 in a 3-4-3. I always thought that was where he needed to be playing long term and needed the games there now, regardless of the energy and thrust he brings in the more offensive roles.
Probably favourite to start in that position against Bulgaria given Smallbone is struggling this season.
Thought after his debut season he'd be someone who'd get you a decent return each season. Scored 6 league goals in his debut season. Unfortunately after that season things went to **** at Derby big time.Originally Posted by Olé Olé
A thread last night on Jason Knight on a Bristol City fan forum with a strong enough response and enough consensus to draw conclusions
https://www.otib.co.uk/topic/229312-knight-to-knight/
Essentially everyone is in agreement that he's their best player and player of the season, consistently very good and has played every minute.
The part that interests me most are his development and career prospects. Many fans seem to think he will be gone this summer and be their "next big sale." One fan says something like he'd have half the Premiership after him if he were better on the ball.
I'll be keenly interested to see if he does move on at the end of the season and if he does attract Premiership interest. The part about his quality on the ball, especially now he's player a deeper role, is hard to escape and might explain why he's played so many games at Championship since a young age without ever getting that move. I think I have seen it myself when he's in an Ireland shirt, he may not be at that elite level but he is very good. A fine line.
Assume he's going to start in midfield for Ireland too in a role he hasn't played a whole pile for us?
It's just good to hear something positive about an Irish midfielder - what's rare is wonderful. I have always been a fan of Knight (and now that I have, since yesterday, learned how to search for my own posts in a thread I was able to double check that before posting this - pleased to see I've been consistent in my view of him down the years!). Maybe a Brighton/Brentford/Bournemouth will see the value in him and go for him in the summer. More likely he'll be at Bristol City again next season.
My other Irish midfielder opinion is that Cullen is a far better midfielder than he's currently being given credit for by the Irish support. So him and Knight plus a more attacking midfielder (Azaz if he shows any form at all) is the way I'd be going next month.
Sounds like he had a very good game today, a lovely assist for one of the Bristol City goals and had a long ranger off the bar too.
But Bristol didn't win and have only snuck into the top six because Blackburn couldn't take advantage of their slip up. They fell from fifth in the table to sixth so have what looks like a much harder playoff semi final now against Sheffield United. To be honest they don't look anywhere near Premier League standard as a team overall but strange things can happen in the playoffs sometimes.
Knight has also won player of the season and players' player of the season at Bristol. Is that the level of performance that might tempt a newly promoted EPL team to take a punt on him if Bristol themselves aren't promoted? Still only recently turned 24, even though it seems like he has been around forever.
This was a lovely assist:
https://x.com/girls0nthebeach/status...yumFhsaFw&s=19
That is a cracker alright. The commentators we're going on about Sheffield United needing a boost in their midfield during the summer window so there's that. I don't see Burnley or Leeds going in for him
https://www.otib.co.uk/topic/230188-...n-to-remember/
This thread is interesting. Effusive praise. A few posters reckon he's gone next season. I think there's a widely enough held view on the forum that they have been lucky to make the play offs and won't do much in them.
Mad reading this thread comparing it to the views on here after recent internationals, including my own disappointment with him. I think he's a good player but himself and Cullen together just doesn't appear to work. Given both are ever present players in top Championship sides, you'd expect they and Heimir could figure it all out..
A lot of pessimism on Bristol's play off prospects are based on concerns surrounding strikers - Wells and our own Armstrong. Thankfully he is only 22 in June so has plenty of time but if they don't go up and identify centre forward as the area requiring investment to actually go up then I would have concerns for his game time. This season has been a mixed back of starting and coming off after 60 minutes or coming on after 60 minutes.
Armstrong just doesn't score anywhere near enough goals. Fantastic physical attributes, great energy on the pitch, but... he's a striker, he needs to score more.
I think Knight and Cullen are both very good players. I wouldn't say there's actually much between them now and Holland and Kinsella back in the day (when they didn't have the benefit of having prime Roy Keane alongside them - he made both look individually better when they played in the same team as him).
But, neither are absolute top level midfielders either. I still hope Knight can establish himself as a Premier League regular in time. Cullen's ceiling seems to be on the bubble of Premier League and Championship. I'd say he'd be a regular starter for at least half the teams in the current Bundesliga.
But we stretch them too much in a midfield two, they're not quite good enough to pull it off as a pair. If we could get someone like Smallbone or Taylor in beside them in a three I think they'd all look better as a result. We'd need to drop someone like Johnston, but for me it would be worth the tradeoff.
Well..doesn't look like Bristol are going anywhere. Unbelievably contentious red card ruined the game and Bristol fans would be right to feel hard done by
I could see Sheffield United buying an Irish player if they go up. Looking for the silver lining anyway.
Edit: Watched the replay again and it's not so controversial. Still, a shame for the Irish contingent
Last edited by rebelmusic; 08/05/2025 at 9:27 PM.
22 points difference between the two teams at the end of the league campaign ! !
I think Bristol City did very well to make the playoffs. A lot of average players in that team based on what I saw of them tonight and a few other times I've seen them this season. They had injuries as well, including Sykes and McNally. They lost Williams in the first half and then the red card and penalty finished them off.
Jason Knight should be playing for a better team really. Probably one of the yo-yo Premier League/Championship teams at a minimum. But there's every chance he'll still be at Bristol next season.
Red card ruined the game. Not really sure. The pull is probably enough for a penalty, but you never ever get them for a shirt pull which doesn’t bring down an opponent. Whereas it’s given for the tackle where he actually comes around and gets the ball. Either way, for me, it’s a yellow card at most when it’s a penalty.
Thought Sinclair Armstrong did well and Max O’Leary made some good saves
I think the red is because the defender put both arms around the attacking player who was clean through on goal to leverage around him and get the tackle in - it's more than just a shirt pull. Strange one because while the defender did get the ball, the initial foul (both arms around) showed no intention of getting the ball and so the double jeopardy argument was probably lost.
Worth noting as well Sheffield United had what seemed a perfectly good goal already ruled out by that stage, so overall the result seems fair enough I guess.
Agree on the penalty - although if you look again the only reason he got the ball was because he pulled him down. Ref was right by the rules but one of those where noone would have batted an eyelid if it was just a yellow.
There was every chance Knight would have cleared the disallowed goal if the United player wasn't offside and impeding him. I thought it was a good call, especially considering the lack of VAR
I'm still not fully convinced that player isn't in line with the ball to be honest, which would mean no offside. Very close call. VAR would have a field day on it. Ultimately for nothing too.
Had a quick look at the Bristol City messageboard - there's a thread of posters all acknowledging the penalty and red was correct (which is rare to see from the affected fans!), but also Armstrong comes in for a fair bit of criticism. This thread for example is about 80% negative ("Dreadful, dreadful with very little effort", "When he comes on its like we're down a man nearly every game he plays", "Gutted when I saw Armstrong, he's just not good enough for this level", "Sinclair Armstrong has to be the worst striker i have ever had the displeasure to watch") and 20% vaguely positive ("Armstrong had an impossible task up front alone")
Edit - actually, that's the same forum Olé Olé links to above to make the same point.
Last edited by pineapple stu; 10/05/2025 at 10:12 AM.
There seems to be a bit of noise around a possible transfer to Everton for Knight. He stands out among that generation of Irish internationals born from 1999 to 2002 that came through our youth system together in that he has never played in the Premier League. Strikes me as the kind of player who could go there and become a solid first teamer for them for a good few years, similar to James McCarthy before him.
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