Millen & Taylor ...

[headhunter]

Surely our leaky defence poses a question over the effectiveness of our defensive coaches Messrs. Millen and Taylor.

I think Taylor must be in denial because he didn't get the No. 2 job - with his track record on the field you would not expect any player coached by him to give anything less than 110 %

As for Millen, I think he is a waste of space. His touchline antics ,make Danny Wilson look animated and he offers no motivation as I look at it. At least the 4th officials at AG must be happy now that they are not getting an ear bashing from Barlow like they used to !

Tins needs an experienced, non-threat to his job NO.2 and from within the club that could only be Tony Fawthrop looking outside then are there any others who fit the Dave Bassett type profile.

Sitting in the stand yesterday as he does on most matchdays was Alan Dicks - how would he feel about offering some advice. It's almost exactly 37 years since he arrived at AG so that makes him the same age as Bobby Robson.

In his day they didn't have specialist coaches yet if there was one thing City were renowned for it was a tight defence.

Too many cooks spoil the broth - Tins is hekped on matchdays by Taylor, Millen and Walsh, that's 2 too many in my view

[Robbored]

I don't think the coaching can be blamed for City's poor defensive record.I know that the players are made to work hard in training especially on defence.

The point is that last season three of the currant four back four players were part of the best defense in the league but this season they seem as if they don't know each other.Why's that? Well, that thread has been discussed already.

The coaches send the players out prepared but once they cross the white line its entirely upto the players to do what they've been taught and instructed.If they can't do it - thats not the coaches fault.Its the players fault.

Wilson didn't play Clist much and that was because Clist failed to do the job given to him by Wilson - so he got dropped and now he's gone.

[Milo]

They are the same defensive coaches that were in place for last season's tightest defence in the league. Millen and Taylor are a constant from last year so it makes more sense to look at the variables (change in manager, change in management philosophy <"outscore the opposition">, change in personnel <coaches sacked and not replaced, Carey, Peacock>).

I agree with the need for an experienced coach to help Tins. I'd rather we spent £200K on an experienced assistant than on another striker (although I'd like a target man too!).

Bobby Robson stayed in football while Alan Dicks must surely have been out of the game for donkeys years. Robson would command the respect of players and I'm not sure that Dicks would. Robson wouldn't come as assistant manager but might consider a part-time (say one week in four) consultancy role to help a fellow Geordie for £200k a season.

[Rowley Birkin]

I don't know what you're worried about, we've only let in 9 in the last 3 games?

I said before a ball was kicked, that our defence was more than suspect.

Last season, it was only abysmal finishing that made our defence look so......good?

Every time a ball was put in the box we looked like concedeing, and it's all coming home to roost now.

Why the 'kin hell we've got 64 strikers, and the smallest weakest defence, probably in the entire league, remains a mystery of x.files proportions.

I think Shaun Taylor would still be better on the pitch now, than sat where he is.

[GrahamC]

No, they're not.

Barlow coached the defence last season, Millen had the under 17s and Taylor the reserves and one of the first things Tinnion said on taking over was that he would use all available coaches for the first team, well it isn't working so far.

It's not rocket science, look at the Gas last year, leaking goals all season, Russell Osman arrives and it stops immediately. He's not my favourite person but I reckon he could improve our defence by about 50% in a few weeks because he knows what he's doing.