I was watching a re-run of the City v Blackpool play off final last night

[blueblade]

You can easily forget how great our football was back then.

As much as we were outfought by Blackpool, we still played some lovely stuff with Chopra making those darting runs down the channel, Whitts & McPhail gracefully pinging passing around, Ledley with those late charges into the box and McNaughton tackling everything (even his own players!)

I looked at that line up and I can't see that any of our current team would get into that side (maybe Wilson for Ledley ?), even the much maligned Kelvin Etuhu was better than Moore & Glatzel.

It hit home how very average we are as a Championship squad, Dave Jones' (who I despised) squad were excellent at this level and we still failed to get over the line.

I remember after that Blackpool game that it took about 2 hours for one of my mates to mention the game and his words were "typical of us to save our worst performance of the season for today". Even with that, so- called worst performance, it was still far easier on the eye than what is being served up currently.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

You can easily forget how great our football was back then.

As much as we were outfought by Blackpool, we still played some lovely stuff with Chopra making those darting runs down the channel, Whitts & McPhail gracefully pinging passing around, Ledley with those late charges into the box and McNaughton tackling everything (even his own players!)

I looked at that line up and I can't see that any of our current team would get into that side (maybe Wilson for Ledley ?), even the much maligned Kelvin Etuhu was better than Moore & Glatzel.

It hit home how very average we are as a Championship squad, Dave Jones' (who I despised) squad were excellent at this level and we still failed to get over the line.

I remember after that Blackpool game that it took about 2 hours for one of my mates to mention the game and his words were "typical of us to save our worst performance of the season for today". Even with that, so- called worst performance, it was still far easier on the eye than what is being served up currently.

I recorded that game recently but still haven't brought myself to watch it, so interesting to read about it from someone watching it through fresh eyes.

Our failure to get over the line wasn't just one game. It was all of those spells where we didn't play good football but hoofed it forward aimlessly. Jones's sides were Jekyll and Hyde, great for a few weeks, rubbish for a while, great, rubbish etc.

I watched a rerun of the 4-0 win at Leeds that I discovered on my pc. I was surprised at how direct we were at times, but accurately so. When we had the pace up front we had, we could ping long through balls. Thinking about it, we never really had a pacey striker after Chopra left. The guy from Bristol City was fast (can't remember his name now) but got injured soon after joining and that was it.

I did a list of my top greatest and worst memories as a City fan. Jones featured heavily in both lists, feast or famine. Sublime or shit. I also think we were helped with having someone with the footballing knowledge of Ridsdale.

[Hilts]

I haven't watched it again. No way will I watch 90 minutes of that.

Etuhu better than Moore??

From what I remember our central midfield was overwhelmed. Mcphail was completely ineffective and was hopeless.

Chopra was magnificent.

A dreadful display.

3 goals conceded in 45 minutes was pathetic.

[Don Corleone]

Moore is a much better player than Etuhu, who was dreadful in that final. We missed the injured Bothroyd once he went off. I think with Morrison and 2018 Bamba at centre half in that team we wouldn’t have conceded 3 goals in 45 minutes.

Shane as I would love to have seen what a front 3 of Chopra Bothroyd and McCormack might have done in the premier league

[Hilts]

It would have been nice to see what the 3 could have done in the Championship.

It also would have been nice to have McCormack and Chopra together when Bothroyd was out.

Losing Bothroyd was key but still shipping 3 in the 1st half. Completely overwhelmed in the middle. Couldnt cope with Charlie Adam.

But this was Blackpool. We made them look like Barcelona at times.

It was pathetic by the manager and most of the side were poor. Omerods goal if I remember was embarrassing.

Feckin hell we had Bothroyd Chopra and McCormack available. Done by Omerod and Taylor Fletcher.

Nah not watching that again.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Moore is a much better player than Etuhu, who was dreadful in that final. We missed the injured Bothroyd once he went off. I think with Morrison and 2018 Bamba at centre half in that team we wouldn’t have conceded 3 goals in 45 minutes.

Shane as I would love to have seen what a front 3 of Chopra Bothroyd and McCormack might have done in the premier league

Good point about our centrebacks. Purse was prone to the odd mistake, Leicester at home being a prime example. Roger Johnson, Gabor Gyepes and Anthony Gerrard had all come from lower divisions. It's a pity we couldn't keep hold of Glenn Loovens, probably the best centre back we had around that time. Hudson was a good captain but suspect on the deck and not the quickest. Who else did we have? Dekel Keinan had a few games in Jones' last season I think.

I also think that our flimsy centre midfield put pressure on our defence at times.

When we won our promotions, we did so conceding 45 and 39 goals respectively. We were around the 55 goals conceded mark in each of our promotion attempts under Dave Jones. True that teams have got promoted conceding more than that, but not often.

[Bobby Dandruff]

You can easily forget how great our football was back then.

As much as we were outfought by Blackpool, we still played some lovely stuff with Chopra making those darting runs down the channel, Whitts & McPhail gracefully pinging passing around, Ledley with those late charges into the box and McNaughton tackling everything (even his own players!)

I looked at that line up and I can't see that any of our current team would get into that side (maybe Wilson for Ledley ?), even the much maligned Kelvin Etuhu was better than Moore & Glatzel.

It hit home how very average we are as a Championship squad, Dave Jones' (who I despised) squad were excellent at this level and we still failed to get over the line.

I remember after that Blackpool game that it took about 2 hours for one of my mates to mention the game and his words were "typical of us to save our worst performance of the season for today". Even with that, so- called worst performance, it was still far easier on the eye than what is being served up currently.

Why did you hate Jones out of interest?

As you say, he really had the team playing football that was easy on the eye (contrast to the absolute garbage that we play now) but ultimately unsuccessful, where success is determined by fine margins - losing a Cup Final, missing out on promotion in the cruelest of manners.

I haven't watched the game back but didn't it turn against us when Bothroyd went off?

[Moodybluebird]

Why did you hate Jones out of interest?

As you say, he really had the team playing football that was easy on the eye (contrast to the absolute garbage that we play now) but ultimately unsuccessful, where success is determined by fine margins - losing a Cup Final, missing out on promotion in the cruelest of manners.

I haven't watched the game back but didn't it turn against us when Bothroyd went off?

I think if a fit Bothroyd had been on all game we would have beaten them but we will never know. Certainly in the last 20 years the most deflated I have ever felt after a football match, far worse than the cup final defeats.

[Hilts]

We may have won with Bothroyd. We may have won if McCormack had come on.

With Jones all too predictable.

[Bobby Dandruff]

I think if a fit Bothroyd had been on all game we would have beaten them but we will never know. Certainly in the last 20 years the most deflated I have ever felt after a football match, far worse than the cup final defeats.

God yes, and there have been a few....

(the Carling Cup Final came close as we had SUCH a good chance to win in penalties and yet STILL messed it up.)

[lardy]

I recorded that game recently but still haven't brought myself to watch it, so interesting to read about it from someone watching it through fresh eyes.

Our failure to get over the line wasn't just one game. It was all of those spells where we didn't play good football but hoofed it forward aimlessly. Jones's sides were Jekyll and Hyde, great for a few weeks, rubbish for a while, great, rubbish etc.

I watched a rerun of the 4-0 win at Leeds that I discovered on my pc. I was surprised at how direct we were at times, but accurately so. When we had the pace up front we had, we could ping long through balls. Thinking about it, we never really had a pacey striker after Chopra left. The guy from Bristol City was fast (can't remember his name now) but got injured soon after joining and that was it.

I did a list of my top greatest and worst memories as a City fan. Jones featured heavily in both lists, feast or famine. Sublime or shit. I also think we were helped with having someone with the footballing knowledge of Ridsdale.

Nicky Maynard. I think he'd have been quality for us.

[the other bob wilson]

Blackpool came down here and dominated a 1-1 draw on a rock hard pitch about four months before the Play Off Final with Charlie Adam running the show on the back of them having the extra man in midfield, they also played really well in beating Forest I think it was in their Semi Final. I never shared the confidence that so many City fans had about that match and was not surprised at all by the outcome - the Leicester game down here was great entertainment for the neutrals watching on Sky and it was also one of the great occasions so far in the new ground, but we made a right mess of things in many ways after being 2-0 up on aggregate, most sides would have seen things out with few alarms at that stage, but, for all of our, at times, dazzling attacking play, we had something of a soft centre and the recent repeats of the game on Sky have shown how close we came to losing the tie.

[Hilts]

Didnt Bothroyd miss the 1-1 game as well. I seem to remember Magennis starting a game v Blackpool.

[City123]

Morrison easily gets into that side, Moore is also far better than Etuhu whilst Bennett probably gets in ahead of Kennedy and Wilson for Burke

I think if we'd had an Aron Gunnarsson type in midfield we'd have been promoted

[Bobby Dandruff]

Didnt Bothroyd miss the 1-1 game as well. I seem to remember Magennis starting a game v Blackpool.

Probably in goal!

[Bobby Dandruff]

Blackpool came down here and dominated a 1-1 draw on a rock hard pitch about four months before the Play Off Final with Charlie Adam running the show on the back of them having the extra man in midfield, they also played really well in beating Forest I think it was in their Semi Final. I never shared the confidence that so many City fans had about that match and was not surprised at all by the outcome - the Leicester game down here was great entertainment for the neutrals watching on Sky and it was also one of the great occasions so far in the new ground, but we made a right mess of things in many ways after being 2-0 up on aggregate, most sides would have seen things out with few alarms at that stage, but, for all of our, at times, dazzling attacking play, we had something of a soft centre and the recent repeats of the game on Sky have shown how close we came to losing the tie.

Yes you are right - a combination of the defensive solidity of a Malky side and the attacking flare of a Jones side would have been perfect!

[the other bob wilson]

Didnt Bothroyd miss the 1-1 game as well. I seem to remember Magennis starting a game v Blackpool.

Yes he did, Magennis started the game well and hit the crossbar early on, but didn't last long - he went off with a broken leg around the twenty minute mark if memory serves me right.

[theclaw]

I have never watched it back but what I recall only Chopra really showed up.

[Hilts]

I have never watched it back but what I recall only Chopra really showed up.

Yes thats just about it from what I remember.