Morph

[quote]Oh my...I wasn''t the only one thinking that then?! And there''s the U21 connection as well, so maybe there''s hope of Bents being here next season and I won''t have to chain myself to his car in the car...[/quote] Actually susie b you should probably chain yourself to his car anyway. Just think how the young lad would feel. ...

Actually I think his pass to Bentley was the right pass. Bentley was open. McKenzie had two defenders around him. Sure he may have scored, but with the space Bentley had a bit more care and attention from him and he also may have scored. Ashton''s first goal was a little bit of class. He made the run as if to go to the front post and took Fitz Hall with him. Then once Hall had latched mentally onto Francis and the ball Ashton peeled away. Great run. Who cares about the finish - from 6 yards out all that''s important is to get it in. His second goal was well taken as well. Mind you if the defenders are backing off you like that then there''s no reason not to keep on going. ...

Nicky Butt?Keeper gets sent off for Man U and outfield player has to play in goal....

Dean Ashton makes the list of candidates for Soccernet''s player of the week. Check out the following page and get Deano up there at the top of the list.http://proxy.espn.go.com/potw/vote?league=ENG.1&cc=5739...

Three inclusions from City for the Soccernet Team of the week.At the back our Jason Shackell.Up front our Dean Ashton.And on the sidelines, our Nigel Worthington.And here''s what they said about Worthy:"There were many worthy contenders for Manager of the Week. Compelling cases can be made for Sam Allardyce, Mark Huhges, Alain Perrin and Stuart Pearce. But there can be only one ''Special One'' and this week the honour belongs to Nigel Worthignton.Granted, United played poorly, but Norwich played very well. Critics will point out that Rooney, Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy started on the bench, but Worthington will point out that they all finished on the pitch and it mattered little as the Canaries worked tirelessly to close down their classier opponents.Crucially, Norwich showed no fear and a healthy lack of respect, they were in the right places to exploit United''s weaknesses when they emerged and for that Worthington is deserving of praise."...

[quote]Spot on Mook. Beds Canary we don''t hate Worthy we feel that he has wrongly stuck with under performing players for the majority of the season and that has resulted in our poor position in the leag...[/quote] silver fox and mook, you''re both spot on. The result on Saturday was music to all the supporters irrespective of whether they think that Worthy has done/is doing a good job. The reason the so called "moaners" are still here is because the club has still NOT met their aspirations for the season. In fact, Worthy himself has not met their aspirations for the season. So even though Worthy appears to have turned a corner with the team''s result on Saturday the jury remains out on his season long ability. Quite simply he has taken too long to make team adjustments. And yes, he hasn''t been helped by injuries to the squad but as an earlier poster pointed out some posters have simply blamed the lack of performance on injuries which was NOT the case. I hope the team can continue in the current vein of form until the end of the season. And then the 17th place that I aspired to at the beginning of the season might not be so out of reach. ...

I don''t think I would single out any one player from the game on Saturday. They all played their part.The substantial difference for me was simply the continuing harrying of the United player on the ball, from all sections of the park. It makes it alot easier for our defenders if the midfield are closing down quicker. When all four midfield players are doing the job in restricting the opposition then the defense are less likely to be caught out. That happened on Saturday.Personally I continue to have my doubts over Fleming, although his performance on Saturday was suitable. At this level he lacks the pace and more often than not is caught out of position when chasing players away from the box. However, if the midfield continue to play the pressure game like they did on Saturday, Fleming deficiencies might seem less apparent....

In the modified words of Mr Aristotle: "One result does not make a season." That said it was an awesome result. The second goal was just brilliant. Six more games like that and you could believe the Great Escape was possible. ...

Since my thread on the hopes and aspirations for the season didn''t quite get the feedback for some of the more polarised noters on this board, let''s try a different tack. Ultimately where do you want City to be as a club? I''m not talking next season, or the season after that, or after that, but in the longer term view what do you want the club to achieve? For me, I''d like to think they are a settled Premiership outfit challenging for a European place in the Premiership on a regular basis. I''d like to think they don''t fall at the first hurdle every time they play in the Cup, perhaps bringing home the silverware once in a while - irrespective of whether it''s the FA Cup or the League Cup. In all honesty I do not see City as a club that are going to be challenging for the Premiership title - yeah, in my wildest dreams, but realistically no. I''d like to think they will be a club that is a good source for international talent for any national team, producing from local talent or growing brought in talent such that those players make an impact on the international stage. If you look at the current Premiership table I''d like to see City in amongst the Bolton/Middlesbrough/Charlton/Tottenham/Aston Villa pack that sits outside the top tier of the Premiership, pushing each season at the ultimate goal of a Champions League spot. So what about you? Are you a supporter who is happy just to see them, even if they''re playing in the Third Division South? Or are you a supporter that is only happy if they''re Premiership title winners every year? ...

I''m a bit disappointed by the lack of responses to this post. Opinion on the board has become polarised of late around the issue of Worthy and whether he should remain in a job. I had hoped that my thread would, at least, shed some light on why people are some emotional about the issue. To me it''s pretty clear that several posters are worked up because the club aren''t where they expected them to be at the start of the season. Meanwhile other posters appear to be simply happy with the way things are because supporting City is the prime issue. C''mon guys do us the honour of showing us why you feel the way you do. BedsC, Goleston Jim, BarclayEndKid, 1stWizard, YankeeC and so on. It might help you to better understand the other members of our virtual community. ...

[quote]Next season success = Promotion , anything else is failure because if we dont come straight back Ashton and any other of the better players we still have will leave then your back to square one an ave...[/quote] Premier1, I was actually looking for views on this season.Mid-table mediocrity next season is a dramatic failure, that is taken and Worthy would be seriously typing up the CV. Promotion has to be the target. Anything less is, to me at least, a failure.How do you rate this season? And what did you expect?...

[quote]Funny how some people change their tune so quickly. At the end of last season when we lifted the division 1 trophy he could do no wrong, now when we are struggling in the greatest league in the world ...[/quote] Canary Jim, sorry but I''m going to have to disagree with you on one point you make. Specifically, "The bare facts are that we cannot compete at this level at the moment with the money that we have, I am certain that when we return we will be a far stronger unit in every respect." Staying in the Premiership is NOT all about money. It helps bolster your squad when you get promoted but I don''t think City did too badly on that score when they went up. They brought in three internationals and another Premiership aware defender (Helveg[87 caps], Jonson[44 caps], Doherty[29 caps], Charlton). Winning the Premiership IS all about money. But we never set out to win the Premiership. City, I hope, set out to survive a first season in the Premiership. With the squad they had and the performances in the first half of the season many of us would have believed that was a strong possibility. However, the most important thing to do on getting into the Premiership is ensuring that you are well organised defensively and bloody hard to beat. It is the ONE fundamental issue that the club have NOT addressed as the season has progressed. It is our achilles heel. Look at the clubs that have turned the corner and are now making a fight out of the relegation struggle: a) Blackburn - now out of the mire through their organisation. Last seven results 0-1 Chelsea, 0-1 Middlesbro, 3-0 Norwich, 1-0 Everton, 0-0 Liverpool, 0-1 Arsenal, 0-0 Man U. 8 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 3!!! b) Southampton - have been organised by new coaching staff. The biggest advantage they have is the Premiership experience. Last seven results 1-2 Birmingham, 2-2 Everton, 0-0 West Brom, 1-1 Arsenal, 1-0 Tottenham, 3-1 Middlsebro, 1-3 Chelsea. 9 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 9. c) West Brom - again new staff has got them organised. Last seven results 2-2 Palace, 2-3 Norwich, 0-0 Southampton, 2-0 Birmingham, 0-1 Chelsea, 4-1 Charlton, 1-0 Everton. 11 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 7. d) Palace - got organised the quickest of the promoted teams and made themselves harder to beat. Last seven results 2-2 West Brom, 0-1 Bolton, 1-5 Arsenal, 2-0 Birmingham, 0-0 Man U, 1-4 Chelsea, 0-1 Middlesbro. 5 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 13. And Norwich. Last seven results 0-1 Everton, 3-2 West Brom, 0-3 Blackburn, 2-3 Man City, 1-3 Chelsea, 0-1 Bolton, 1-4 Arsenal. 3 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 17!! Let''s just assume that defensively we were better organised and conceded one less goal in each of those last 7 games. 0-0 Everton, 3-1 West Brom, 0-2 Blackburn, 2-2 Man City, 1-2 Chelsea, 0-0 Bolton, 1-3 Arsenal. 5 points from 7 games. Goals conceded 10. Keeps us up with Palace. When you ship 2 goals a game it is bloody hard to win irrespective of what division you''re in. Ask Keegans Newcastle when their strikers hit a sticky patch! Strangely enough I''m not asking for Worthy to go, but I am asking for him to acknowledge and try to address the defensive issues. Why sign three experienced defenders only to leave them on the bench? The defensive frailities have not been addressed ALL season and their finally coming home to roost in a most dramatic fashion. ...

Beds, I''d ask Stringer if he''d care to take over the Academy. Promote Williams into the permanent coaching staff in some form - assistant manager or first team coach? If we''re looking for ex-Canaries - Ian Crook, Mark Bowen (unlikely to leave Blackburn), Mike Phelan, Iwan Roberts. Non ex-Canaries, ummmmm. Martin Allen (Brentford)? Gary Johnson (Yeovil)? Andy Hesentaler? How about a more radical step of appointing either a permanent or consultative Director of Football? Sir Bobby Robson perhaps? The alternative is that we look abroad and I have no idea where you look. Model the club on the Dutch top sides. ...

Saint, it''s hard to argue against anything other than results at present, although I still sit in the camp that wants his side to play with flair and style. At least with that you could believe our side capable of the right results. Any positive result would be good at the moment regardless of how dirty. Truth is it''s not happening though is it? ...

Opinions on where the club sits in terms of success this season seem to vary on the noticeboard although there hasn''t been topic that specifically addresses the question. It''s been more focused on the negative aspects of the team management. However, it does appear that a discussion of what metrics you use to gauge City''s success this might be of merit. It might help clarify why people think Worthy et al have done an excellent or awful job this year. In the long term view we could argue that relegation this year is part of the long term plan. The monies acquired by this one season in the Premiership will help bolster the club and the squad for later years. But is the long term view that we will be back again in two years time with a bigger and better squad that has taken the Championship by storm? The ultimate success this season would have been to finish 17th. I didn''t expect any more than that and seriously believed the club - squad, manager et al were capable of that - early season indications were that it wasn''t wide of the mark. Above 17th would have been an exemplary performance. A mediocre success would have been to finish somewhere other than last with a modicum of pride with positive results against the teams we expected to be fighting with - the Palaces, West Broms, Blackburns, Fulhams, Southamptons, Portmouths of the division. A success bordering on failure was to finish last not so far adrift of the relegation pack and with our personal pride in tact because we weren''t the whipping boys. Sadly, we''ve gone outside of any of the above because of where we sit now and how we look compared to the other teams in the bottom half of the Premiership. City must look like an easy three points on the fixture list at present. The season isn''t done and I really hope that some lost pride can be restored. We''re down and I don''t believe any thing other than relegation will happen. I''ll be amazed if it did. However, the signs aren''t good. So how do you measure our success this season? ...

[quote]Although Ridgeman picked up on this, Its not just one game we''re losing, is it King?. Its every bloody week mate!.[/quote] Actually Wiz I think there''s a little more to it than just the losing. I believe some of the Worthy detractors could take the losing if, I repeat IF, the team were playing anywhere near reasonably. They haven''t been. Too many of the losses of late have been capitulations - roll over and die type losses. That is what is getting the whingers back up more than anything. We can all take the losing to Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U and so on, if the team has shown a little effort and guile. But to perform like a Sunday morning pub side is not what we''d expect. In all honesty none of us truly believed this season was going to be easy (not even me BedsC) but I did expect a decent fight. 17th wasn''t beyond us - I honestly believe that. To get relegated wouldn''t have been seen as failure. However, if we get relegated bottom with a substantial gap to our promoted rivals I will be sorely disappointed. It''s not the relegation but rather the manner of relegation. We''ll see how people feel if both Southampton and Crystal Palace give us a doing away from home. ...

[quote]Definitely, do it, here''s a template you can use. Dear Mr Munby I am astonished at the performance of the team this season and feel something must be done. I fully expected us to be challenging for ...[/quote] Thank you I''ll use that as a starter ;-)Tell me ncfc4prem, are you happy with the way the season has gone?Yes, oh well then I guess there are a few posters on here who don''t have very high hopes for their club.I didn''t expect us to be up challenging for honours, but as Branston said it was not beyond us to expect us to be challenging for that 17th spot. I''d be happy if we were 20th knowing that at least the management and players had shown some guts and pride, but as so many have noted since Christmas the team hasn''t exactly been excelling. What''s worse is the management seemed to be reluctant to change anything - dare I say it scared to change anything.On Saturday we were up against class, not doubt about it but it only went to highlight how poorly we played. The whole incident with Henry towards the end when Safri then went and took him out - he was taking the p**s - a) because he could and b) because our players let him do it.Now you can''t argue that we were up against class against Bolton in the previous game, but a certain team in yellow and green didn''t appear to turn up - well a good half of them didn''t. Was that good enough? Was that what you expected? If it was, then is it too much for me (and many others on here) to hope for a little more? If you think it is too much to expect a little more then I think we''ll have another long season next season and that automatic promotion spot so many are expecting isn''t going to happen.Worthy needs a rocket. The players need several rockets - pure and simple.When the players pull on that yellow jersey I expect them to pull it on with a little pride and then to go out and give their all for that shirt. Play with some style, but most importantly at present play with some pride. We aren''t getting it and nobody, I repeat NOBODY, wants to take responsibility....

[quote]And you think playing Charlton, Doherty, Safri and Helveg who have all been cosistantly bad this season (with the exception of Charlie) will cause a miraculous comeback do you... dream on.[/quote] Beds, tell me would you be happy to see the same 11 fielded in every game between now and the end of the season, even if they are underperforming? Or would you rather Worthy accepted the fact that City are down and try to make some adjustments to pick an 11 who deserve a City shirt for next season? The reason so many posters are complaining about Worthy is his reluctance to change even when so many off the field see that something is wrong. I can only assume that you believe that everything is right on the field and there is nothing that needs to be changed. If that is NOT the case then would it be possible that you could suggest why you think all these "whingers" are so very wrong.  

Team needs to change, but we know it won''t happen. I have to say I think the midfield is as guilty as the defence of defending badly. Holt runs around like a headless chicken by virtue of the fact the others in the middle of the park aren''t doing a good job. So change the line-up and the formation: Green Helveg Doherty Shackell Charlton Stuart Safri Jonson Bentley Huckerby Ashton Subs: Ward, Drury, Francis, McKenzie, Svensson Francis goes missing for too much of a lot of the games, something he can''t afford to do playing in front of the poor back four. So I say give him a rest. ...

I have to say that I''m one of many depressed supporters noting on this message board at the moment. Not necssarily because of the fact that the club hasn''t managed to cut it at the highest level, but because of the way they have capitulated since Christmas in a way that is not like the City we saw earlier in the season. Clearly with the earlier Pink''Un reports about the uptake of season tickets for next season there isn''t much financial pressure on the board of the club to change anything. If I were running the "business" and my operations manager was performing this badly I would have him in front of the board to assure us that things were going to change. That doesn''t appear to have happened or is going to happen. So I have to question whether: a) it is worth writing to Mr Munby directly to express my concerns as a supporter and shareholder in the club over what is currently happeneing; b) writing to the chairman/board would actually achieve anything. I think Worthy had a large majority of support from posters on this board but if he continues to field the same eleven from now until the season end will that continue to be true? ...

[quote]Safri on for Holt - 59 mins Svensson on for McKenzie - 71 mins Helveg on for Edworthy - 73 mins Can''t fault the substitutions today... We were never going to win, a point would have been amazing, ...[/quote] Campbell, given the line from yourself:"We were never going to win, a point would have been amazing, ..."you have to ask why Worthy wasn''t brave enough to try something different for a change. Start Doherty alongside Shackell and put Helveg in at right back. Then try Safri in for Holt from the start.That team selection goes in alongside the farcical team selection for the cup game earlier in the season when he had an opportunity to change things.Clearly Worthy''s position is as assured as Fleming''s centre back role that he doesn''t need to try something different. About time the board had quiet words with Mr Worthington about justifying his position....

[quote]We spent 9 years getting this season. Year after year we drove to Rotherham and Crewe et al in the pouring rain to reach this goal, this dream- The Premier League. Now we''re finally here and it''s no...[/quote] DD, has the fruit of the Premiership really been sour? I can''t believe that to be true. I''m a little disappointed in some of the posts I''ve seen in the forum of late about: a) how people will be glad to not to have to worry about the kick-off times b) how people will be glad to get back to games on a Saturday and so on. I don''t quite know how to describe how I feel about those posts. We waited 9 years to get back to the big time and you''re not going to tell me in all honesty that we''re really any worse than Palace, or West Brom, or Southampton, or Fulham, or Portsmouth, are you? If we really aren''t that bad why are we all so glad that we might be heading back to the Championship. I''m not. I''d rather see us up there in with the big boys giving it our best shot week in week out. I''d rather City were playing the likes of Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle et al on a regular basis i.e. more than one season. I have to say I''m sort of fed up with the mindset "oh well we didn''t expect anything more than that anyway". Sure we''re not going to be disappointed but surely to God we had higher hopes than that of the season in the Premiership. Didn''t we? If you go in with that mindset then you won''t be disappointed but it seems a bit too defeatist to start out with - yeah, we got what we expected but we didn''t expect much. If the players have that sort of attitude then, if I were manager, I''d be really p***ed. I guess I''m feeling a little frustrated. Being unable to attend games as much as I''d like given the geographical distances (Tadley puts me to shame too), and seeing what few games I have seen either as recorded matches or live broadcasts over the internet, I guess I would expect a more positive attitude from all - supporters, board, management and players. We are a Premiership side - the board has helped us get the financial stability the club needs, the management and players have got us there. Why can''t we expect to stay there? We shouldn''t be patting ourselves on the back and saying "oh well we tried" because I don''t think we''ve done enough. We should still be a Premiership side NEXT season. Where''s the belief? Where''s the expectation? Sod the fun of the chase we should have had loftier goals to start with. ...

ZLF, I''m curious as to why you left out McKenzie? Much as I''d like to see Charlton and Helveg come in to strengthen the defence at the expense of Fleming and Edworthy it ain''t gonna happen. The season continues to be on the line and Worthy doesn''t have the bottle to change even when it ain''t working. For me: GK: Green RB: Helveg CB: Doherty CB: Shackell LB: Charlton/Drury CM: Jonson CM: Francis CM: Stuart AMC: Huckerby (playing the floating role behind the front men) ST: Ashton ST: McKenzie Bench: Ward, Charlton/Drury, Holt, McVeigh, Edworthy/Fleming Sod''s law it''s the same eleven that played so poorly against Bolton even though it screams out for a change. ...

Before you read this you must adopt the mindset of "oh no here''s another cynic". Charlton: "Is it possible I can get on to play this week rather than feeling a right muppet on the bench? Alternatively I could dress up as the opposition mascot again" Fleming: "Quick were''s that fiver I saved to pay the manager for drinks to get my name on the teamsheet?" Shackell: "I''m not sure I can take too much more of this finger pointing whilst the rest of the defense are standing still" Francis: "Oh I think I might try next match, but then again it is Arsenal so there''s no point" Doherty: "Maybe I should lobby for four minutes against Arsenal instead of just three. I might be able to break a sweat then." Jonson: "Give me a chance boss, I''d really love to have a go at kicking Viera" ...

[quote]Good post rich, and nice to see you looking more positive! I think you may be right, a lot will hinge on getting a few things right this summer. I would echo your first point if I were giving advice...[/quote] Templeton and Saint, I''m with you on your comments. I''ll add one more. "Call a spade a spade" - if the team played crap then (a) tell them in the dressing room first; and (b) tell the media that as well. But DO NOT put a Labour-ite spin on all that goes wrong on the pitch as it simply doesn''t cut it with the fans. He does have an interesting problem, which every manager has, that he doesn''t want to acknowledge. Templeton you pointed it out in your post. A player can perform well in training all week (clearly Fleming has), but when it comes to match day that same player performs badly. Worthy has to find an effective method for picking a team that performs on the pitch irrespective of how they perform in training all week. At the moment hard work off the pitch is paid back with poor performances on the pitch. That MUST stop. ...