Friday 14th August, 2009last year, mid-August
Will things go as expected? City play Port Vale looking to put the week behind them
When it comes to first weeks of the season they have never come any worse than this one for City.
Ten years ago we were sitting fourth in the embryonic Premiership table after a win against Middlesbrough. A decade on and we are at the foot of an equally new League Two table smarting from a 5-0 defeat and out of the League Cup. That was the week that wasn’t.
Wasn’t very enjoyable that is – unless you like the City of Nottingham – but probably not unexpected. When Championship side (and lest we forget, twice European Cup winners) Nottingham Forest came out of the hat for the first round of the League Cup – away to boot – not a single City fan would have said that the Bantams were anything other than rank outsiders.
Likewise when Notts County started spending money in the summer culminating in recruiting Sven Goran Errikson the majority of Bantams fans would have thought it a surprise if the Bantams had come back from the Lower League all-stars who are assembling at Meadow Lane with a point.
That both things came to pass is the way they did – scoreless and remorseless – has distorted those original assumptions that when City kicked off against Port Vale in the first home game at Valley Parade they would probably have no points and be looking at a few midweeks off after a cruel draw.
Stuart McCall has had little but food for thought in the last five days having played perhaps five different formations during the two matches and used sixteen players one of whom – Jonathan Bateson started his City career in the worst possible way with a red card for slicing Nathan Tyson in half for what seemed like little or no reason. Bateson could not have impressed less.
Steve Williams could have impressed more – it was not a week of full throttle – but he has most probably done enough to secure a debut alongside Zesh Rehman and in favour of Matthew Clarke who seems to be fall guy for the five goals that Notts County put past City despite – whisper it – having a better game than Rehman that afternoon.
Simon Ramsden has started his City career well and slots back to right back after a sojourn at centre back and Luke O’Brien is left back.
The midfield should revert to the four in the middle with Joe Colbeck, Michael Flynn, Lee Bullock and Chris Brandon although James O’Brien played on Wednesday night with Brandon cooling his heels. As a boyhood City fan robbed of his first year as a Bantam Brandon should be bursting to impress and one hopes he puts in a performance that suggests the desire than comes from playing for your own club. So far such as been lacking from the left midfielder but tomorrow can be his Alpha, should O’Brien not get the nod over him.
In the forward line Gareth Evans impressed on Wednesday but is expected to step down to allow Peter Thorne and Michael Boulding back into the line.
Having draw with Rochdale on the opening day Port Vale got arguably a more testing League Cup trip than City – to Sheffield United – and won it although that was more down to comedic goalkeepering which one hopes Simon Eastwood – the City stopper who makes his home debut – will not follow.
The season is young – baby young – and already City are thrashing around but in football everything becomes right with a win and at Valley Parade – under McCall at least following years of home defeats – wins have become expected and City are doing as expected thus far.
Yes it’s true the first games of the season have been against the more fortunate ‘moneybags’ of division two but it’s more than understandable that fans are expressing their disatisfaction on web sites. They have been admirable in their support for Stuart last season and now want desperately to see players with fire in their belly the like of which we saw with Stuart when he wore the Claret and Amber.
In these desperate days of uncertainty in jobs, people look for something and it is often the success of their football club. Whst does it take to motivate footballers?… sadly maybe a new Manager.
This sets up a curious dichotomy. McCall the players was motivated to play with fire in his belly while being managed by Chris Hutchings and Jim Jefferies pointing to a suggestion that he was able to motivate himself regardless of manager. Likewise he did not change that motivation under those two managers or Nicky Law and Paul Jewell suggestion that changing manager will make no difference to the level of motivation the players put in.
However.
Recruiting McCall was key to Paul Jewell’s success at City and gave him an on the field leader which McCall the manager clearly lacks and suffers for. Has that leader player been available and passed up by McCall The Manager?