Last Three Half Seasons...

[cityexile]

A little bit bored, so, Cotts been here just over a year:

First half of last season, with Cotts only in charge for a couple - 22 points

Last half of last season, clearly increasing influence - 36 points.

First half of this season - chance to bring some in - 48 points.

That is not unimpressive. Hopefully with a chance to make some further changes in Jan, we can maintain or improve on 48.

Last full season of 46 games we have accrued 84 points, which is top four form. Considering our starting point, that is pretty special.

[Aizoon]

Well impressive, but again I'll upset people by saying that O'Driscoll.laid the foundations. It was tedious to watch, but he taught the players the basics.

Mind you, Cotterill turned that into a team that plays the best football I've seen at the Gate since AD was in charge.

[Guest]

Well impressive, but again I'll upset people by saying that O'Driscoll.laid the foundations. It was tedious to watch, but he taught the players the basics.

Mind you, Cotterill turned that into a team that plays the best football I've seen at the Gate since AD was in charge.

I'd have to strongly disagree. I don't see anything reminiscent of SOD's teachings on the pitch.

[City1970]

Well impressive, but again I'll upset people by saying that O'Driscoll.laid the foundations. It was tedious to watch, but he taught the players the basics.

Mind you, Cotterill turned that into a team that plays the best football I've seen at the Gate since AD was in charge.

The best football I have seen at the gate was when Dicks was in charge. The football this season is getting close to the Dicks era. The worst was when SOD was in charge and McKinnes laid those foundations and yes even worse than the Pulls days. Mind you Pulis was shocking.

[ashton_fan]

SO'D definitely laid the foundations. He only had one transfer widow but in that he signed Jet, Pack, Flint, Wagstaff, Fielding, Williams, Wynter who are all still around today. If he'd been given another window then I'm sure the results would have picked up. However what Cotts has added is more pace in the way we play. Under SO'D the posession football was there but the build-up was too laboured and teams had plenty of time to get men back when we got the ball. But the way we play now was started under SO'D, when he took over the squad was a complete mess and confidence at an all-time low, he started the process of turning it around and the way we play now is a progression of what he started.

[GrahamC]

I can't be bothered to argue the point about O'Discoll's influence (in my option very little) but the fact is he had 2 transfer windows, as he signed Brendan Moloney in his first.

[Ian M]

In my opinion SOD bought some decent players but didn't balance the squad or know how to manage the players effectively. I'm confident we would have survived (just) had he remained but we would have continued to be a bottom half team under him. Very happy to have Cotts.

[sodburyred]

SO'D definitely laid the foundations. He only had one transfer widow but in that he signed Jet, Pack, Flint, Wagstaff, Fielding, Williams, Wynter who are all still around today. If he'd been given another window then I'm sure the results would have picked up. However what Cotts has added is more pace in the way we play. Under SO'D the posession football was there but the build-up was too laboured and teams had plenty of time to get men back when we got the ball. But the way we play now was started under SO'D, when he took over the squad was a complete mess and confidence at an all-time low, he started the process of turning it around and the way we play now is a progression of what he started.

 

I tend to disagree. Of the players listed JET cant get in the team, Pack and Wagstaff are ok back up, Wynter never gets picked even by SOD. Fielding and Flint were slated under SODs tenure and only now under Cotts are they playing well and Williams was a brilliant buy to be fair.

We have basically a completely different team to the one SOD had playing a completely different style of football. SOD cant be given credit for technically good players playing technically good football. 

[B-Rizzle]

In defence of S'OD (a little bit), the mindset at the club during his pre-season/ summer transfer window with us was very different to that of Cotts in the summer just gone.

When we had first been relegated there was an attitude of having to cut costs, that we would and could no longer spend big money. I know we paid a fairly sizeable fee for Flint but everyone else was pretty much free transfers. Wynter is a good example of a young play that was signed for the first team but is clearly not actually up to that standard.

Then, this summer just gone there has been much more financial backing from SL that says that actually we will still spend, only we'll soend wisely and with strategy. There's no way we would have been in for players of Ayling, Little, Smith, Freeman and Agard's calibre the summer before.

I respect SODs football knowledge and respect him in the game but also believe he was terrible for us. Having said that, there's no way he had the same kind of financial backing as Cotts has had this summer.

[Aaron-Bcfc]

I didn't disagree with SOD's team selection/tactics or anything, but he was unable to motivate or bring any confidence to a team which really wasn't that bad. The bloke's also a miserable sod, ironic that those happen to be his initials

[Monkeh]

SoD has nothing to do with this and was disliked at the club by most, according to a few (including our owner),

whats happening now is 80% SC and 20% board

[Super]

The trouble with SOD was he was obsessed with possession, playing the ball along the back four time after time and ending the game with 60% possession counts for little.

[ciderbeans]

Cotterill a signings have been the more influential IMO. Freeman, k smith, wilbraham, little to name a few. Without these influential players, we would not be top of the league. Cotterill has also instilled more attacking intent and drive in the squad as well as an i breakable bond between the players. Very hard thing to achieve

[Red Skin]

The trouble with SOD was he was obsessed with possession, playing the ball along the back four time after time and ending the game with 60% possession counts for little.

I'm not convinced possession alone especially passing it around the back four was a reflection SOD was trying to instill in the players. (I think back to the day Donny and JET under SOD destroyed us as evidence to where he was trying to get to which seemed akin to Dutch total football of yesteryear).

However, it was clear that whatever he was trying to coach was not getting through to the group of players he was working with. Ultimately this reflected in poor results and latterly performances. (Early in his tenure performances were better even though we weren't winning). This and his failure to engage and manage upward to SL led to his downfall.

Personally, I still view SOD's tenure more positively than that idiot Pulis'. Pulis disliked City from the start and only ever seen us as a stepping stone in his plans for the Pulis brand. I see SOD as a selfless and principled man who was undone but some of the failings I outlined above.

On the whole very happy with Cotts despite my (unfounded!) reservations. He doesn't half fancy himself though and can be very bitter in defeat. Not traits I admire (though no one wants a good loser which could be another crticism of SOD) but whilst he continues to walk the walk I'm more than happy to forgive Cotts on those counts.