A DAY LATE BUT THE SAME CONCERNS

This piece was written on Thursday evening and printed before yesterday's game against Bristol City in the South Wales Echo, I had encouraging comments from supporters at the game who had read the piece and agreed with some of the points I wrote about, normally the article appears online and is linked on this forum but I think somebody at the Echo forgot to do so yesterday. I am pasting the article on here so fans who have not read it can see what the 'view from the stand' is, hopefully I have taken in many of the concerns we as fans have but please appreciate this is before yesterday's game.


Football at City is back, a pleasing set of results in the first two games, no goals conceded but still there is room for a moan or two amongst our support.

The disgruntled amongst us are not complaining about the results we have achieved but more so about the tactics and personnel employed, especially at home. It was more in hope rather than expectation that I thought we may start with two up front against Huddersfield last Friday evening.

Last season when we played the 4-5-1 system I thought it was more a case of using the best system for the players we had rather than a tactic based on choice but despite the number of new signings and the moving out of a few players, Malky opted to play the same old again and the performance was one we have come to expect, a midfield that is very slow in getting the ball forward, Whittingham sitting so deep that he is not having an influence in the areas of the pitch to cause the opposition danger and Don Cowie playing as a winger but tucked in so tight to the centre of midfield that McNaughton becomes a sixth midfielder.

With the quality of Bellamy, Mutch and Helguson coming into the team I had hoped that we would be treated to fast free flowing expansive football because in Craig Bellamy we have genuine pace, a player who will hug the touchline and go past his man to deliver. I appreciate that teams will look to target Bellamy and will in most cases double up on him but surely that in itself presents the question, where was Craig Conway? He was man of the match in the game against Newcastle yet found himself back on the bench when the real games began.

Conway can deliver with both feet and could have provided us with width and offered a threat on the right hand side, which may have given Simon Grayson’s team food for thought.

We have in Peter Whittingham a playmaker that can provide assists, scores goals of real quality but we continue to play him in a ‘quarterback’ position. Why can’t we see ‘Whitts’ advanced further forward than Mutch and Gunnarsson?
The lack of space for our midfield to operate in was evident on Friday evening but it was not a surprise considering the way we set up.

Perhaps I am being too negative so early but I would like to be entertained and I believe we have a squad capable of producing much more than what we witnessed last week against Huddersfield, nevertheless we got the three points and when we look back later on in the season or years to come that, I suppose, is all that really counts.

The draw away to Brighton was pleasing and another game in which David Marshall proved the manager’s decision to put his faith in him as our number one.

Defensively, we looked a solid unit last season and on the evidence of the first couple of games that looks like an area that we will be resolute again in this campaign, I just hope that we will see quicker ball going forward and counter attacks using the pace we have in the team.

It is going to be interesting how Malky juggles his midfield when Kim Bo Kyung arrives and the recent signing of Tommy Smith.

Bristol City had a good win on Tuesday evening at home to Crystal Palace and they have players who can cause us problems but like any other derby match it is one I am relishing and away from home I feel we will see more of our attacking prowess as the home team look to take the game to us affording our playmakers the space to deliver the killer passes.

I have faith in Malky Mackay and I genuinely believe he is the right the man to take us to the next level, his signings have added depth and quality to the squad and once we get our game going I am convinced we will take teams apart and the goals will come.

Not bad really, I am being critical of a team that has yet to lose or even concede a goal, but that’s football and it’s all about opinions as they say.

Malky would probably shrug his shoulders at that comment, I dont know if its me but he seems a different man to when he first came to us.

It's called pressure RichardBluebird....Mackay knows his honeymoon is over and he will now be under the microscope from now on,,not just from fans,but from the owners to