Ipswich

[Mr Popodopolous]

Sorry Nibor. Millen will never have my vote. A quick fix from SL and although done ok last season will never be the answer for the club. Shame.

Doesn't it also depend on excpectations though? Realistically, in the near future what do you expect from City? If it's bumping along and surviving at this level maybe a few weeks before the end then Millen may be the man- I had optimism for abetter year this year than last but somewhat less after Saturday.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Have to say i agree with the majority of that.

On the subject of the hoofball we played, although it was mainly the defence who were playing the balls after watching the first half i find it hard to blame them for that. I was trying to look for the movement from the midfield when the defence had the ball and there was barely any, Elliot would literally just stand like a statue not looking to recieve the ball at all, Albert also just stood there, JCR was anywhere except where he should have been and was just grazing the pitch like a lost bloody sheep, thought he was by far the worst outfield player on the pitch. The only midfielder we had before Kilkenny came on who was offering any kind of movement was Skuse, and his movement was poor by his standards.

Almost exclusively whenever the defenders gave the ball to the midfield it invariably was either just given away, or it was given back to the defence who by then had less room which left little option but just to get rid, at least when they just humped it to Stead and Maynard it did occasionally stick and stay forward for a bit.

Thus i'd argue that our midfield are more responsible for the long ball game than our back 4, because the only way for them to have any chance of getting the ball to stick further up the field was to just bypass our midfield and hope Stead could hold it up.

From what i saw if we want to play any kind of posession football, then Kilkenny is a must and by virtue of generally being able to actually pass the ball if you are going to play 2 in the middle then Skuse is a better option than Elliot.

I'd like to see this side put out on Tuesday, it may not work but at least it's a different approach.

--------------------James--------------------

--Spence---Willson---Fontaine---McAllister--

--------------------Skuse--------------------

----------Kilkenny----------Reid/Elliot-----

--Albert------------------------------Bolaise/Woolford--

--------------------Pittman--------------------

I think that personally that makes the best use of the players we have and their respective weaknesses, Skuse can sit infront of the back 4, mopping up and breaking up play but with Kilkenny and Reid/Elliot in front of him he has the simple option, or he can if he has the time that should be created by having the extra man in the middle pick a pass to any of Albert, Pittman or Bolaise/Wolly. It also allows Elliot to break into the box late as he likes to, but with Kilkenny next to him he will always have a simple outlet for a pass should he find himself in possession in the midfield, which should help in the fact that he can't pass, as when alongside Lee Johnson in the first season, Elliots role when he had the ball, was pretty much either shoot or give it to LJ. I'd personally give Bobby Reid a go, but Elliot is not a bad player if used as a more attacking option rather than a defensive midfielder.

I think that team would do well as you can work around the weaknesses, you task the defence to in general look for Skuse, then him Kilkenny and Reid just use their extra man to keep possession in the middle of the park and try to suck out a defender which should leave the space in behind to allow Albert, Bolaise and Pittman to attack the space in behind, or you suck their midfield narrow which allows McAllister and Spence to exploit the space and get forward.

That team could turn out to be a total shambles, but i'd far rather Millen had gone into the ipswich game with that side and we'd made the same mistakes, i could forgive that side (especially if you have Reid and Bolaise playing) a few mistakes, but it would at least show we are looking to do something different, rather than trying the same shit over and over again but expecting a different result.

Agree- wouldn't mind that formation, possession football and getting some control in the centre. Wilson-Fontaine may be useful partnership, though Pitman as a lone striker, would he be up to it?