samo II

Of the 13 games left, I can see us going unbeaten or close to it at home and only one away - Peterboro - where I would be surprised if we picked up anything, based on the home game against them.

Nothing to do with the constant SO'D/SC Civil War on here, but just had to highlight this and ask; are you serious?

 

Not deriding you or anything Nick, but I seriously doubt we will come even close to this on current form.  Swindon and Preston alone are two games I think we'll be lucky to get anything on our form, and in terms of away; Peterborough currently looks utterly unwinnable, while Wasall and Rotherham are pushing for the playoffs.

 

We need to be realistic; we're likely to get stuffed several times before the season is out.  It is the matches against the teams sharing the bottom of the table that will need our focus.

There was much moaning on here after the draw at Oldham and now there's jubilation following the wain at Orient.

Would the feel good factor be higher if City had won at Oldham and then drawn with Orient?

 

I'd have been delighted with a draw at Orient, regardless of the Oldham result.

 

My thinking is, and was before yesterday, that we are still in a very dangerous position, and that the real test will be the next four games.

Absolutely.  A great result last night but we've got to be aiming 8 or 9 points from the next 4 matches.  I'm not saying it's easy but it's doable.  And I reckon getting those points on the board will put us a long way towards safety.  But if standards slip again, we're right back we started.

 

Exactly.

 

Yesterday's result and most importantly PERFORMANCE (by all accounts; I wasn't there) has set us up nicely for these utterly crucial games.

 

For me, we need an absolute minimum of two victories (the home games) and at least one draw over the next four in order to give ourselves a chance, ideally 8 or 9 points in order to give us a true fighting chance.

 

The games in hand that those below us hold is not nothing; until the likes of Stevenage, Sheffield United, Crewe, Tranmere and Shewsbury have played out the matches they have in hand we cannot start thinking we are anywhere close to safe.  People were saying how our league position was an advantage pre-Coventry; one defeat put paid to that.

 

When we cannot be drawn back in by other teams results THEN we can start talking about safety.

Absoloutly delighted we won, but how many times have we seen us a win a game, then the next week we play like crap and we're back to square one?

 

The next 4 games are easily winnable, all of them.. we can make our lives so much easier in the future if we keep picking up points

For me, this win is a bonus, an unexpected and excellent one, but a bonus never the less.

 

The next four games were always more important than yesterday; a good performance there, even if we'd lost, that set us up for facing our fellow relegation scrappers was the most important factor.  

 

Brilliant to have another three points on the board of course, and that the team seemed to have 'gelled' in this formation, but if we don't aggressively build on it, will be about as meaningful as our impressive win over Nottm Forest was last season.

 

Tranmere are on a relatively decent run, so we'll need to come flying out of the traps again, and impose ourselves.

Now I'm a Brentford fan tomorrow night; hope they keep Sheffield United below us for at least a few more days.

Well, I'm delighted and shocked.

 

Fully expected a loss, though obviously hoped for more.

 

Been proved TOTALLY wrong, and happy about it.

 

Roll on the weekend; makes it an even bigger game, but I'd rather we faced it two unbeaten than not!

What the hell is going on..?

This is going to be a long last half hour... 

I know it seems early, but throw on Burns; we rarely get the chance to test teams on the break, and this is custom-made for his running.

Two nil up in 12 minutes at Orient...

 

wait...

 

I'm dead now, aren't I?

I expect nothing; would be genuinely delighted with a point; three might induce some form of euphoric coma.

 

What I do hope happens is we are at least try hard in all departments for 90 minutes, and that if we're beaten it is by the opposition playing better football, rather than blowing our own foot off early-doors via mistakes and poor play, then having to start actually performing with a handicap, al la pretty much all recent matches (including Carlisle, where at least our response was strong enough to recover).

 

Think we'll miss both Wagstaff and Marv tonight, and we desperately need the forwards (all of them, including Barnett) to start producing again,  It's now five games since any of them have scored from open play (not counting Burns, who has been played at a winger rather than up top).  

 

The fact we're getting defensively worse, while our at least once reliable goal scorers are not contributing is worrying, and with our only two real midfield goal threats now crocked, we cannot afford to have 'huff-and-puff' players like Barnett in the line-up, unless they contribute something tangible (does he even have an assist yet?).

 

Part of me thinks that the fickle football gods will probably give us a nil nil tough, just to piss off the bookies...

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

 

Two words; Back three.

 

I'm out for the night folk; got stuff to do tonight and work tomorrow, so need not to be too depressed.

Well, that is our quota (2 goals a game) reached nice and early!

 

 

And to make it worse; Andy Fbomf Webster has to get it too...

City u.18's 1-0 down after 4 minutes at Accrington in the F.A. Youth Cup.

Let's hope they are the first team's picture of Dorian Gray tonight...

can not understand Pack dropped, thought he had his best game in a city shirt Saturday and was a close call for Mom with Marv.

How we can have the less than sharp Gillet instead is beyond me, he has had one good 45 minutes since he has been here and gave the ball away for several goals and not even tracked back to watch them go in.

Tiredness perhaps?

 

And GIllett has had more than just 45 minutes of decent football for us; he was excellent against both Walsall and Stevenage.

too lightweight in midfield I reckon

really hope im wrong though

Only thing I would say is that at least all the players in it (bar Gillett) have scored this season, so we might have a bit more goal threat.

 

Agreed, it does look potentially slight, but there is more creativity I'd say, and certainly more pace across it than if Pack and/or Wade Elliott had started.

Cunningham and Bryan is an unusual combination.  I assume Cunningham is playing more centrally?

I'd expect Bryan would tuck in, possibly;

 

Wagstaff - Gillett - Elliott - Bryan - Cunningham

Thought Marv's take on his contract situation was fairly interesting, you don't normally hear the players viewpoint on these things. Wonder if he will get offered a new contract ?

With the risk of being a League Two club next season still very real, I'd imagine we are neither in a strong position or able to really offer him what he'll likely want at his age (i.e. more than a year, wage assurance).

Personally, I think he'd be a decent player at this level next year, so would want to keep him if we stay up.

But if we go down, although I think he'd be excellent in League Two, I also think we could get someone cheaper in the summer to do a job there.

It focuses more on Elliot getting a move due to his performance, and suggest that the win is effectively meaningless unless we beat Coventry, sidetracking to speculate on the negative reactions that would have emerged towards Cotterill if we'd lost.

 

Wish I'd not read it, wish you'd not posted that clickbait.

 

Why not screenshot stuff like that in future, so as to deny the Post the hits?

In August we conceded two to Bradford, but a few weeks ago, away from home, they were restricted to just one goal.

Our defence must have improved therefore....

Same result in terms of points though, wasn't it?  And that was my point about the next game; we need to beat teams we've already beaten if we expect to get out of this mess.  Losing or drawing to Carlisle, one of just four teams we've got wins against, is a sign we are not improving.

 

In fact, of the teams we've played twice, using your same 'reasoning' we have actually done worse;

 

Bradford = 2-2 then 1-1 (though brilliantly improved defensive performance there...)

 

MK Dons = 2-2 then 2-2 (and in the first fixture we took the lead twice; second time we went 2 nil down) 

 

Wolves = 2-1 then 3-1

 

Brentford = 2-1 then 3-1

 

Conceded more, scored less, (albeit one either way) but most importantly; no extra points.

 

So, yeah; not sure you could say we've improved by that reckoning.

 

But sniping that not beating Carlisle means naff all is stupid in a good number of ways; primarily that if we don't start picking up maximum points from our remaining home games, that is a pretty bright warning light flashing that we've no right getting out of this mess.

The football in general has not been much better. If you compare the 2 MK Dons games, there was little difference in quality and perhaps we deserved to win more in the away game.

 

Tonight was pretty poor. Barnett missed a good chance when we were at 1-1 but after they got the 2nd it was a shocker from City. Don't think we created another chance all evening. Yes we were playing top of the league but to play so poorly was disappointing. At least make it tough for them.

 

I think Cotterill was saving JET for Saturday - big gamble that needs to pay off. I didn't like the guy before I came and haven't seen much from him so far to suggest he will be good long term for us but happy to be proved wrong. We swapped managers at a crazy time and I can't see that it has helped us much.

 

The signing of El Abd was pointless especially when the defence looked more solid. Now it looks terrible again.

 

If we don't win Saturday then I think we are pretty much down - will be a long long way back anyway especially when you aren't winning games very often...

Thanks for the assessment Alex.

 

Out of interest; was El Abd actively bad, or simply part of a problematic whole?

 

My concern is that not only has he thrown the equilibrium out but that he, individually, isn't beginning to show any quality.

Sorry, it will further indicate/HIGHLIGHT we are in trouble.

As a measure of progression/regression one return fixture in isolation means absolutely shite all.

Don't agree.

 

If we're unable to beat teams we previously have, even with the added advantage of being at home and a transfer window to strengthen sine, then we are clearly a worse team.

 

Not sure where the confusion is there.

And this is where the anti-Sodites and Cotterettes will be seen to be hypocritical.

 

SOD came in half way through a transfer window with no funds provided to him, with a team in 24th place and 20 games remaining.

Cotts came in 4 weeks before a transfer window, with funds being promised, with a team in 23rd place and 28 games remaining.

 

The anti-Sodites blamed SOD for our relegation last season.

If we get relegated this season, the Cotterettes will still blame SOD, even though he has taken over a team better placed, with 8 more games and more funds available.

I placed significantly more blame on McInnes last season than SOD, and was absolutely behind him this season.

 

By the same logic, if we go down I'll believe it will be more SOD's fault than Cotterill's, though SC has had more time to correct course.

Ummm or it will indicate absolutely nothing...

I think if we don't beat/lose Carlisle it will indicate... ummm.... that we're in trouble.

 

What a bizarre statement.

I wasn't at the game or even listened to it, it was a foregone conclusion that we would lose given the idiotic team selection.

 

You drop the player that has scored 18 and assisted in 10, coupled with the only other midfielder with any creativity, then play a centre back as a wing back, and you have a team with fk all threat.

 

Shite decision making by the manager and not for the first time.

 

He's fked up the defence by introducing another centre back and playing him out of position and moving a decent centre back to a position he's never played before (other than Wolves where he was a fish out of water) and who has now picked up a hamstring injury. 

 

I never expected anything from this game other than having a go at them but that selection was just plain stupid and throws up a hell of a lot of questions about this bloke we've brought in as manager.

My thoughts exactly.

 

I'm behind whoever is in the dugout, and have felt positive since Cotterill turned up and seemingly lifted the squad.

 

But the selection tonight stunk, and the only surprise is that we've scored, considering how negative the line up was.

 

We line up in a similar manner in future I expect the same results; we need to focus on our positive aspect, namely our attack, and build around that, not sacrifice this single shining light.

It's not games like this which will determine whether we stay in the division, it's when we play teams around us. 

 

Saturday, is a must win.

Considering we beat Carlisle 4-2 away this season, Saturday will be a key barometer on whether we've got better or worse.