A tale of two Cities.

 

I’m not a great one for away games these days and I don’t usually avail myself of the delights of i follow. Unlike last season which, in the memory seems to have been so unlikely but, like you I suspect I watched nearly all the games, home and away through that usually one eyed medium.

Everyone was talking last night about Wigan being the latest moneybags outfit. They didn’t like that much did they? Wigan fans protested that their team cost nothing in transfer fees but that is only half of the story and as many pointed out the sort of players they have attracted aren’t there because the Latics used to be quite famous.

Last season was different and City were able to compete on more equal terms because of the salary cap but you could tell who had the money because the production values on i follow were much better. Needless to say City couldn’t afford any fancy dan dual camera arrangements.

Anyway, my own set up for away games usually comprises, lap top, for twitter, my DAB radio and Sky on the i pad. This frees up my phone for whatsapp messages to my co sufferer Stewart. City, as we know tore into Wigan and at two nil I messaged to ask why City can display such a lack of cutting edge against Wimbledon and yet go to Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic and do so well, Come to think of it, I’m still waiting for a reply.

If you’re looking for a tactical analysis you’re in the wrong place, as I’ve pointed out several times before but it has to be something to do with the way the Imps are set up although we all, I suspect, fall into the trap of saying, defeat, bad performance, win, good performance.

Back to i player or You Tube probably, a different story emerges as the highlights are viewed. City maybe aren’t as bad as we assumed and indeed Michael Appleton is adamant that City played well in the defeat to Wimbledon. As fans of course we question that view as no points were accrued but managers see matters differently to us.

Not for the first time I find myself agonising over the fact that City are saving their best performances for away games. I’m not complaining as the name of the game, as far as I'm concerned, is preserving our place in the division in the first instance. I’m quite hopeful that either the planned reinforcements may materialise after Christmas or other targets with any luck can be secured but I’m not so swept away by recent success to think every season can be a winning one.

If I could be so bold a little bit of the stardust of the last two away performances wouldn’t go amiss this Saturday at home though. I’m sure you’d like that too?

Perfect Day.

 

You know how managers are always happiest with a one-nil scoreline? Well with me it’s a last minute winner particularly when it’s against a jumped up, we shouldn’t be in this league you know club and a ridiculous manager who can’t tell the truth about the latest defeat, we were rubbish, but that hides behind a highly scientific we did this because, we did that so that...

Nigel Adkins can’t tell the truth about Charlton’s latest setback, they were really poor, because he’s a whisker away from the sack. In fact I’m a little surprised he hasn’t gone before now because, you know, we can’t be losing to little old Lincoln can we?

Anyway, to the game. Are we at a turning point in the season? I’d like to think so but with Walsh back, McGrandles returned and playing to something like the standard of last season, Maguire showing he’s the player we and the manager thought we were getting and in fact the whole team looking like it’s had a service. When you factor in Lewis Montsma looks a considerably better player alongside Walsh and Bridcutt and Hopper to come back (In Hoppers case eventually) there’s cause for optimism.

Of course the injuries can return or different players end up on the treatment table, let’s not worry about that till it happens but, for the moment it’s wonderful to see, presumably, what the manager was hoping for when he constructed this latest side. We were saying on Saturday what an elegant player Joe Walsh is, I’d even say he reminds me of Beckenbauer or Bobby Moore, in our own humble way of course. Older readers will know, there’s no higher praise than that. Add in Chris Maguire, Liam Bridcutt and Lewis Fiorini, we’ve got some classy players to admire and after a day like Saturday some others who catch the eye. Personally I wouldn’t like to have to have picked man of the match after that game. I can think of half a dozen who might have got the accolade but Chris Maguire would have picked up the trophy if it were up to me.

Court Jester award goes to Nigel Adkins although he was pushed hard by our referee. I see another circus is arriving on the common. I’d get CV’s ready, the pair of you.

Battling City get the point.

I’ve never for one moment believed City would be in trouble this season. Saturdays game v Plymouth Argyle said to me I was right in that view. Argyle are a good side and City came back from behind, twice to take a share of the points. For a while, at the start, not for the first time this season, I thought the Imps were destined for a win but chances came and went and, if I’m honest maybe it wasn’t that much of a surprise that Plymouth scored.

Being realistic, I couldn’t see any way back for the Imps at that point but they proved me wrong with, firstly the sort of scuffed effort from Sorensen that you start to think is the only way we’re going to get back into the game. Someone said, we just need the ball to cannon off someones backside or something like that. Sorensens effort was in that category I thought. I don’t think the manager is that chuffed with Sorensen judging by his comments but, scuffed or not, when you factor in getting tripped in the box it was his two involvements that got us the point.

Do I sound a bit down? I actually came away from the LNER quite buoyed up. Any thoughts that City may kick on from last season and do well again are firmly on the back burner, if indeed I ever had them which I don’t think I did. It was quite obvious that last season presented a great opportunity for the likes of City as it was a much more level playing field. If that’s a pun, sorry but the bigger clubs weren’t able to spend their way out of the division and the Imps were competing on far more equal terms. Anyway, that was then and this is now.

It was a mammoth struggle to get back into the game. That’s what its going to be this season and for the future. When you see games being postponed because of international commitments, in league one, it brings home the quality of players competing in the division. I’m not sure that was the case previously. Actually, the enforced day off may well work in the Imps favour, as it has in the past. Two more limped off on Saturday and you do wonder if the manager will ever have a full squad of players to choose from. Some are questioning the choice of players who don’t have a great injury record. It’s worked in the past. Are we coming unstuck with that policy?

There’s no doubt in my mind if and when City do get in that happy position they will pick up points far more readily but in the meantime we fight on. As previously mentioned Plymouth are a more than decent outfit and City equalled them, so we’ve got to be satisfied with that. Kind of on the same subject Argyles fans made a fair old racket and I thought we equalled them in that too, particularly at the end when a wall of noise roared our heroes over the finish line.

On reflection then, are we downhearted? Not a bit of it.