I posted this on another thread yesterday. QUOTE="ninian opinion, post: 8544992, member: 1004365"]Is this the night that Revell will dumfound us all and score a goal? Can City keep up this extraordinary record of not losing to Leeds this century? 2 questions, one of which may be more likely than the other.[/QUOTE] Well, the answers were hardly a surprise were they? To lose that unbeaten run so meekly whilst a disappointment, is more a disgrace. Leeds have been in the lead in league games this season before last night for a total apparently of THREE minutes. They had not won at home for 8 months. They are a poor team but had no difficulty repelling a toothless City team The strikers cannot be wholly responsible. Ameobi we know had 2 golden chances in the previous 2 games but they were the exceptions rather than the rule. The main problem IMO is the midfield. Leeds were there for the taking last night if City had had some pace and quality in that area. Gunnarrson & Whittingham are a diabolic partnership as we all saw last season. Noone has lost his spark and pace. Pilkington has had very little game time recently. Ameobi is an enigma. Ralls is hard working but that is all he is. Why cannot Slade give Kennedy and O'Keefe a game? (He might have to play the latter now Whitt'm is suspended) Slade cannot really complain he has not been given any money. He spent £1m+ on Doyle, Revell and O'Keefe. Slade cannot really complain he has not had time to find decent free transfers and better loanees. Slade cannot complain he has not had better players in his squad. Guerra, Le Fondre, and Doyle all sent out on loan. (I understand this was purported to be a wage saving exercise but still they have all scored having left City) Look at our next 3 fixtures, and it is not unrealistic to suggest our best hope of points are three 0-0 draws. By the time we get to the Bolton fixture, it could be a relegation 6 pointer. These are depressing and worrying times. In hindsight it may have been better to have had this barren run at the start of the season when tTn may have had to make the choice to sack Slade. He needs to look at his manager now and act accordingly.
Good post Nin - just what we needed. I missed the Charlton game through being away but I've watched the rest at home. I am now convinced as much as I was only speculating at the start of the season that Slade has not got the credentials to take this club anywhere but downwards. In the meantime he's driving the fans away and his only defence can be the financial constraints at the club which I don't buy at all. Someone (Stevo?) said that he thought the Charlton game was OK but we need to take that in perspective - look where they now propping up the table with Rotherham. We're heading down there towards them the way it's going and only root and branch changes will keep us in the top half of the table - it can't come quick enough for me.
I don't necessarily agree that the players off loaded are better than what we have left. As far as I know none of those mentioned have set the world alight at their new clubs. It was Doyle's first goal for Preston last night. What is beyond doubt however is that Slade has signed mediocrity, players who perhaps looked good in Div 1 but simply can't hack it in the Championship. To me those who have left are no better. In terms of strikers then Guerra was the unknown quantity having had little or no game time. He was previously successful in Spain, I assume, as he had creative, energetic players around him to provide him with chances. Little chance of that with us. No matter how good your strikers are, if midfield don't create for you, unless you are Ronaldo or Gareth Bale, you are Donald Ducked!!! It is no secret that Kane has started scoring again for Spurs because Eriksen is fit and playing, as an example. Where we can get someone suitable I don't know, as any players with ability will look away from us taking into account the poor atmosphere about the club that is growing at some pace. However, a creative midfielder with pace, vision and commitment is clearly needed, yesterday!!! Tan should be looking closely at how things have or have not moved and realise that he is never going to have a chance of getting his money back while Slade is manager. Slade did a job of steadying the ship after the Malky and OGS debacles but now we need someone with vision and the ability to inspire the players.
agree with all above......slade is out of his depth and we need fresh faces.......the sad thing is tans so called advisers haven't got a fking clue about football so we could end up with another plonker........
Watched the "highlights" on City player. 4 things stood out. 1. Malone made a tidy run early on and crossed it right into the danger area (like at Brighton) but no city player was up with the pace. Simple tap in missed. to make it 1-0. 2. Gunnarrson missed a straight forward simple tackle which led to the ball falling to the Leeds player to run unopposed towards goal take aim and shoot. No closing down. Terrible defensive play. 3. Mason failed to divert to a header down from Morrison form 6 yards into the goal. That (and 1 above) would have been food and drink to most strikers at this level. 4. There was one amazing passage of play by City in 2nd half involving neat 1-2's, back flicks (honest it was like Barcelona) but unfortunately it ended with a tame shot by mason rather than lashing it high into the net. City have too many players who are just not up to it at this level, and not even a different manager could change that in the long term The squad needs new and better players..
I can't get my head around Gunnar in a midfield with Whits. IT DOESN'T WORK. His defaulting back to that proven poor partnership has eroded a large part of my fragile confidence in him as a manager. Despite that our strikers have been the issue. Ameobi has been a disaster, I don't know what our budget was for him but it's been a waste. His miss against Bristol city was unbelievable. It would have been a total injustice had it gone in but that does not excuse him. Other than a deflected effort v Wolves has he produced anything of note for us? He looks like another JET, moments of brilliance that are far too infrequent at Championship level. He is not even close to PL level but that probably wont be an issue for Newcastle next season anyway...... Mason isn't good enough. He's never threatened to score 20+ despite being backed by a few managers at this level. He's ok as part of a squad but if he's your number 1 striker midtable or lower is the best you'll achieve. I think Doyle is a more natural goal scorer and would quite possibly have more than 5 to his name if he'd been given the unwavering support Mason has received. KWJ is a huge loss but he hasn't got the appetite to sustain a promotion push. He's unplayable on his day, then unselectable on others. If we could get him into the playoffs we might persuade the lazy ****er to put a shift in 3 games in a row. It's immaterial whether I rate Macheda, he's a sick note. Revell is rubbish. The 0-0/1-0/0-1 run has been hard work to support. My not posting has been more to do with a complete apathy towards the last few weeks. I still think the foundations are in place to turn this around pretty quickly but we need more quality. I have to agree with Sparks and others that it's difficult to trust Slade to sign anyone for the front 6 positions, he has totally failed in all previous attempts to sign midfielders or attackers.
I think we all agree that the nucleus of the team is not bad but won't pull up many trees unless some proven quality is added in the central midfield and up front.
The fact that only 5 of us have bothered to contribute is further evidence of the 99% apathy that exists around the club at present. And I'm getting that way too. I'm organising a business function Saturday night in Newport which means I have to get there by 6.30. When this has happened before I have attended the game and left at half time to go home and prepare. I really can't be bothered to make the effort for half a game this week as things are so dire. I have passed my ticket on to a youngster who will enjoy going whatever the result but overall I can't take much more of what is happening (or not as the case is) on the field, and off it.
There are many, many more feeling like that Bluey, including myself. I'll be there on Saturday but I wont put myself through much more of it. This may all seem a bit melodramatic to some many of whom attend through habit, but long standing supporters of the club are voting with their feet. Whilst we recognise that it must always being results driven, this is also an entertainment business. The trouble is we're getting neither at the moment and those controlling the club have got to take heed of what's being said.
Do you know, I was only thinking on the way into work this morning that unless it was for my son who goes to the games with me that I seriously would think of jacking it in until the team starts playing more high tempo football with better players. Problem for the club is that many people will find it easier not to go back once they get used to not going. I cannot see anything but backs to the wall performances against Reading and Burnley in our next 2 home games. Listening to Slade on the City player after the last game was just incredible; he just does not get it. Going on about how good the defence is, and that they are creating chances but not putting them away. He just is in cloud cuckoo land.
Going to football these days is just not worth the money you work hard for. Its so over priced because of greed that there is no pleasure in it anymore....not even 18k at leeds to watch a game that years ago would attract 30k - 40k......Not all fans have stopped going because of form the biggest reason is the cost and fans are being hurt in their pockets more and more....how is that fun and pleasurable......I gave up going to football after 54 years not because i cant afford it but because how greedy the players and the clubs are and ignoring the people who make the club what they are...the fans......I now watch on the TV and the internet and any game on the fields of parks etc......i wont put another penny into football ever again however successful or poor a team is....and its a growing trend....
I watch Barry Town occasionally when City aren't playing - £5 on the gate. Some decent football and usually goals. We hit seven last Saturday against Aberdare in the Welsh cup. Decent crowd 441 and a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Saw highlights this morning. Reading deserved to lose......... .....if only for that kit they wore. two goals from set pieces and a string of saves from marshall. Hardly convincing. Ralls looked good in the middle and can deliver a corner with his left boot. did we miss Whitts? Maybe not. Idriss looked keen from the glimpse I saw and may be a ray of light. Need to see more of him.
