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Matt Taylor - What do we think so far?

Antony Moxey

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That’s a fair post Max but my point wasn’t that we shouldn’t be better, more that we shouldn’t expect to be better, as if promotions and play-offs were the norm. Of course they may well turn out to be, and it’s something we should hope to achieve regularly, but expecting, or even demanding, it is both unrealistic and unfair. No-one has any patience these days, we see too many posts along the lines of if we don’t get promotion this season then the manager should go.
 

rifraf

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Overall I feel MT has done very well under the circumstances and I firmly believe we were good enough to get promoted this season but for 2 things which essentially scuppered him. One not in his control: (Covid 19). More significantly, the other being Ajose, who was (and still is for another 2 years) a huge and expensive mistake who was a gamble that didn't pay off. We still do not remotely have a replacement for Stockley (but I thank Bowman for his efforts) and largely why we can't score goals quite often- or at least enough to clinch an automatic promotion slot. And that hasn't changed today. So get use to League 2 for a while longer.

Depending on the youth coming through, we may have to wait 2 years or so before we can meaningfully re-shape and push forward once again.

Alternatively........ what do I know? But that's sadly the way I see it.
 

sidney

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We must stick with MT. I think he is doing a good job, and the squad is much improved. We have some decent youngsters coming through and there will be some fresh signings. Post-covid, our financial position is a lot stronger than many of our rivals. Both keepers are good enough. Midfield looks quite strong, and we must play it on the deck more. Sparkes, Collins, Atangana, Law and Williams is a mouth-watering combination. Jake and Jay on the bench. Bowman is a hard-working centre forward but is not suited to the lone target man role: he clearly needs a speedy and inventive inside forward. It won't be Fisher. I like Parkes but a big centre half is a must. And a right back. Sweeney on the bench.

So, in summary, a right back , a right wing back, a left back, two central defenders, an experienced midfield playmaker, who can play in front of the back four, and two, perhaps three, new forwards. Depending on whether anyone else leaves.

With our youngsters I would rather go for quality than quantity.
 

grecIAN Harris

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IINM Sparkes freshened things up for us and did well, but then got injured . Maybe our stats men Andrew Long or Harris can confirm if we got good points during that brief Sparkes period
Stats us very much how you see things Old Boy.
As for Matt, he's done well with acquisitions, not afraid to call it as it and has kept us there or there abouts for two seasons.
The one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb on Monday was a lack of adaptability during a match. He does like to try and stick to 3-5-2. It wasn't like he didn't have the staff on the pitch to stop him. He could have very easily changed to 4-4-2 (put Richardson at right back and shifted the rest across one, swapped Williams to left midfield and put Taylor on the right before putting any improvements with better players for that formation on), dropped the back four five or ten yards deeper and asked Big Nige to challenge for the long balls coming from their keeper/defenders allowing the back four to deal with the knock downs. The back four could then build play from the back and maintain possession. What he couldn't directly control is the back four promptly hoofing it back to them.
It's not like it is an alien concept to him as he did it in the semi final to support a tiring defence that were getting exposed.
 

malcolms

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Fair enough Malcs, thanks for the correction. However, it doesn’t take away from how poor we were in general pre Tis. I think a lot of people seem to take it for granted that we should regularly be getting promotions or at least challenging for them when by and large we’ve been a struggling mid table bottom division team with occasional flirtations with the division above.
Firstly, let me make it clear that I think that Matt is a substantial upgrade on what came before. It may be that he hasn't got us where we want to be, but for the first time in a long time, I feel we have someone who is working really hard to get us there. Whilst I agree, like many other other smaller clubs, we haven't historically pulled up many trees, I think our record is broadly similar..we have been better than some selectively recall.
 

Sexton Blake

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We are all going to have to be very patient far too many unknown factors yet to be resolved before Matt can have any possible idea of what budget he will be given and able to safely work with.
 

Rosencrantz

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Firstly, let me make it clear that I think that Matt is a substantial upgrade on what came before. It may be that he hasn't got us where we want to be, but for the first time in a long time, I feel we have someone who is working really hard to get us there. Whilst I agree, like many other other smaller clubs, we haven't historically pulled up many trees, I think our record is broadly similar..we have been better than some selectively recall.
I think the perception of how well we have done historically will always be individually coloured on the periods everyone has lived through. For example, we only came in the top half of a division twice in my first twenty seasons of watching City (82/83 to 02/03). One glorious season and one twelfth place finish. So even competing for promotion or play offs on a fairly regular basis feels like a step up.

Overall in the football league we have come in the top half of the table 30 times in 88 seasons. Since we returned to league from the conference it has been 8 top half finishes in 12 seasons. So it could be said we have been more competitive since we have returned against our historical record although the seventies was also comparatively a successful period to our general history with 9 top half finishes in 11 seasons (70/71 to 80/81). Which shows I started watching at the wrong time 😕. I blame my age.

For me, Matt is doing a good job. Two seasons in to his managerial career there will always be a learning curve to follow. His signings have been more successful than not which all managers would settle for. We have continued to ease academy players in to the side. We have improved performance over the two seasons. Our home record is now very good.

Next season is very hard to judge at the moment what a good season will be. There are far too many variables.
 
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older-codger

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After over 71 years of watching City, I would suggest that the only way that you can judge just how far we have come is to recognise how poor we have been in the past. To think that for 3 years out of 4 we have been within one match of promotion was a fantasy dream for most of my years. It is always good to look for more progress and promotion is the only way now that we can say that our situation will improve further. That Matt has done as well in getting us close to that as a new manager over the last 2 years is as well as we could realistically expect.

He failed in one key match and people are now questioning his suitability. As that well known football writer from years ago once wrote "The evil that men do lives on, the good is oft interred with their bones" (Will Shakes).

As for strikers, there were many on here who were delighted when Ajose signed but unfortunately for one reason or another he hasn't worked out this season. Maybe there will be many left with mud on their face if he comes good next season and scores a hatful.
 

dontpassback

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As others have said our expectations have risen from being mid table league 2 ,to being involved in the promotion/play off mix and 5 Wembley finals(I know we only won once )but I think Matt has got more right than he has wrong,and the play off defeat will hurt like hell,so don’t be surprised if he uses that as a platform to push the team on ,we have lost some experienced players but the youth coming through bodes well if he can blend it with Nicky law etc etc,so whilst being used to city not always completing the job,I am quietly optimistic! (It might be misplaced but we will have to see)
 
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