Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
I share many of Gringo’s frustrations, but I’ll come at things a different way to him. I’m absolutely amazed that a side that can look as bereft of wit, creativity, elementary passing and ball control skills and poise as we often do are actually in with a chance of automatic promotion to the Premier League with two thirds of the season played. I tend to shy away from discussions along the lines of “this is the worst Championship ever” etc. but you have to wonder when you see how we have performed in so many of our matches over the past three months or so.
I can only think that we are where we are because we are very good when we don’t have the ball – we are hard to play against. Now, I can respect and even admire in a way a team set up like that, but such a team would not excite me – even if they were the side I had supported for fifty five years.
I’d be willing to bet an awful lot of money (easy to say when you don’t have it!) that ninety nine per cent of fans of a team or just the game in general got into football because of what they saw when a player or team had possession of the ball. I daresay those who earn their living from the game and owe their continued employment to how they can cobble things together so their team win enough points to keep the money men satisfied derive enjoyment from seeing their team win by being efficient and organised when they don’t have the ball, but supporters want more than that – they always have done and they always will.
Neil Warnock says that he wants to see thrills and spills and oohs and ahs in matches his side plays – he talks about getting in plenty of crosses and shots and not wanting to see any tippy, tappy passing along his back four. I’d be happy with that, in fact, I was happy with that, because that was what we got a lot of during his first year in charge when we attacked with pace, directness and no little skill.
However, in Warnock’s second year so far, much of that attacking verve has vanished and these days when it comes to attacking flair, you’ve got no chance unless Junior Hoilett is on his game (which, thankfully, he is quite often),– but we are so poor at playing the sort of passes he wants, the sort of passes which might play Kenneth Zohore back into form, that he can become as anonymous as he was for long spells of the middle third of the game last night.
I far more enjoy talking and writing about City when we are playing like we did up to the second international break this season, but I can only say what I believe and, while we are not quite back in 2014/15 Russell Slade territory yet, we are getting closer to it I’m afraid.