I’d say the reaction when it was announced that we were signing Bowler was a positive one overall, but my view at the end of his time with us is that his stay at City is a very strong argument against the concept of inverted wingers. I can remember Bulut saying at the time we signed him that Bowler was one of the best around at this level at the skill which I still call dribbling, but now gets called things like travelling with the ball. It seems odd therefore that he’s been played in a way that tends to negate these skills because he’s always tending to run into traffic when being played on the right.

There have been isolated instances where playing Bowler on what I feel is the wrong side of the pitch has worked, Watford away for example, but nowhere near enough of them to justify that decision I would argue. Another thing Bulut said about Bowler during the season is that he’s a player whose head can drop when things aren’t going well for him - I feel playing him on the right could have been a contributory factor to that happening at times.