Which probably comes down to not having a run of games. How can you be consistent if you’re playing every blue moon.
Interesting interview with Curtis Woodhouse at lunchtime. I only caught the last few minutes. When asked what he’d do with regards to the squad left under contract - he said get rid of 75-80% of them. They were no where near good enough in the Championship and he said they wouldn’t be good enough in League One. I have to say I agree. They’ve demonstrated most of them just aren’t mentally tough enough to perform, particularly when the chips are down. I wouldn’t be bothered about any of them going, with the exception of KLP and maybe Elder. Burke and De Wijs have been utterly hopeless since the restart and patchy before that - they can go. Long he can go. He’s been a big part of that soft defence and goals conceded column. He’s just not good enough.
I think he talks a great deal of sense, on a great many topics, but being so gobby will put chairman off giving him the opportunity he so obviously wants.
That's the problem that Eaves and Magennis have had all season. Constantly being swapped out every game for one another. Maybe they're not great, but they don't get a chance. Not helped by the ****ing idiot's refusal to play two strikers.
Eaves did get a run of games when he seemed to be McCann's favoured option. Jury out for me whether it's that he simply isn't good enough or whether it's McCann's system / tactics. I err toward the former, as a good striker would still make chances for himself out of nothing and would still cause a nuisance for defenders; imo he has failed repeatedly to do that. Hopefully he comes good next season, but with McCann in charge and therefore no change in system I'm doubting it.
Fair point. He looked promising under Nige, but under McCann he was poor when he got his chances, getting beat far too easily too often. You just know what's going to happen when he signs for someone else.
Eaves and Magennis are nowhere near good enough for the Championship - maybe they will look better next season but I doubt it, but lets see - I suspect neither are going anywhere as I'm sure they caught no-one's eye, they didn't look dangerous, they can't kick a ball and they can't head a ball - their key skills seem to be a) being offside and b) fouling the defender and in Eaves case c) stop playing and moaning when believing they have been fouled - think we've been sold a couple of pups
“I’ve read a lot of things over the past few weeks about negotiations falling through and these types of things, but there really were no negotiations,” Irvine told The World Game. “I’m sure there’ll be people out there who’ll draw their own conclusions and still think I should have played on, with or without any kind of security. “I had a tough call to make: do I play out the rest of the season with no security, or don’t I? “I asked the club if I played and got badly injured would they then trigger that year (extension), so I’d have a measure of security. “They said they wouldn’t - so for me the risk was too great and I knew my time at the club was over. To have left in that way is upsetting. “I made myself available for the games in June up until the end of my contract, but in the end we came to an understanding that that wasn’t going to happen. “It was an unbelievably disappointing situation. I felt like I gave my all to the club for three years. “But ultimately it felt like I was let out of the side door with a bag of boots and didn’t even get to say goodbye to a lot of people because of the coronavirus situation.” Irvine’s final appearance for City was the 5-1 loss away to Stoke ahead of lockdown in March and he had remained part of Grant McCann’s plans when returning to training in late May. The Tigers were unwilling to extend his deal by another year and that left the midfielder to formally sever ties when his initial three-year contract expired on June 30. “There was no sign of anything - not a peep from the club,” he added. “The season got extended but I only got a call eight days before our first game back asking what was going on. “I was a bit dumbfounded - there was a brief chat about the option and the fact they wouldn’t be activating it.” Irvine, who played a total of 112 games for City, has watched his former club’s demise from his family home in Australia but will return to England next week to pursue his next move. “I’m very disappointed for the fans and club to see them drop to League One,” he said. “I don’t want it to seem like I’m talking now because of the situation the club finds itself in. “I have ultimate respect for the fans and (coach) Grant McCann who made me part of the leadership group. I like to think I gave something back during my time there. I’m focusing more now on what the future might hold.”