The season so far....

I'm a bit bored of the current over-reliance on the Wright-Chapman-Pereira trio which hasn't looked like working at all.

They might be the tidiest 'ballers we can play in those positions, but dangerous? No. Useful to the front man? No. Creating chances for everyone else? No.

I think @Rogered Tart is pretty spot on with his assessment so far, and imagine if we get through this blip in 6th place - that will be an almighty outcome.

We're off form, but I'm far from assuming this bad patch is permanent - unlike under Stuart.

I'd like to see a few changes made in January, not least a reduction in squad size.

 

The last three goals we scored Dion scored one and made one

 

So he’s been involved in 2 this season, thanks for backing up my point.

 

you think thousands of season ticket holders have signed up for a season of messing around ?????
It’s bollocks the whole aim was this season and if the likes of Stevenage can get it right then why can’t we ?????

 

Total nonsense this season is win or bust. The manager has had fantastic backing from manager and club something recent managers could only dream of. We need to get some momentum to ride on the crest of goodwill. But if he fails this one is on Mark Hughes and he must know that

 

No thousands wouldn’t hence why the club would never say it.

 

On Hughes, yes, sure, but that doesn't mean he has to go.

We seem to be obsessed with giving everyone one single go at getting us promoted.

It's not working by chopping and changing frequently, so he needs next season as well - but he won't get it based on the impatience of City fans.

They'll be hounding him out if things continue.

 

Of course not but intransigence is a trait the last three managers share but this one is a big name so it’s ok if he fails. Not to go up this season would be a disaster and finances through falling season tickets will mean our prospects will be reduced by a big margin

 

On the season so far.... the people who run whoscored.com and put out the weekly L2 team of the week based on performance. They published the L2 team of the season so far with a few Bantams making their way in. It's a 442 formation as the below with their ave rating at the side.

GK - Lewis (Bradford) 7.08
RB - Warren (Barrow) 7.10
CB - Piergianni (Stevenage) 7.29
CB - Turnbull (Tranmere) 7.18
LB - Glennon (Grimsby) 7.10
RW - Hoskins (Northampton) 7.60
CM - Moxon (Carlisle) 7.30
CM - Watt (Salford) 7.27
LW - Whitfield (Barrow) 7.24
ST - Cook (Bradford) 7.28
ST - Gordon (Barrow) 7.13

Statistically, Smallwood has been the 6th best player in L2 so far this season but misses out in the midfield by 0.1 ave points to Watt. For the rest of the squads statistical placing, Halliday is the 9th best RB, Platt was the 5th best performing CB with Critchlow at 10th. Foulds is actually the best performing LB in the league for his minutes so far, but they judged it by you have to have played over two thirds of the season to far to be eligible and he is just shy of that mark, but shows just how well he's done since coming in.

Smallwood as said was the 3rd best CM, Gilliead ranking 34th. Chapman comes in as the 12th best performing winger/cam, with no other wide player coming in to have played enough minutes to be eligible. Again, like Foulds, if you expand the criteria to include all performers, Wright has been the 7th best winger, Banks is 12th, Chapman slides to 22nd after expanding the criteria, Pereira comes in at 36th. On Lewis, the Swindon keeper was 6.97 then the drop off is pretty big to the rest. He really has been brilliant. Pointless looking at strikers, Cook has been the only one we've given minutes to.

Stats kind of backs up the general thinking...... the midfield has a weaker link and the 3 behind the striker don't get the numbers they should, but on the flip side we only have had Chapman who has been on the pitch in those slots for more than 66% of the season so far.

 

Can't complain about the league position and I'm not annoyed about most of the performances I've seen. I think we've got a good base to build on but it just doesn't feel like we're progressing.

To my eyes we need more competition in central midfield. Smallwood and especially Gillead leave me cold and I feel like needs players in there whi can dictate the tempo much more effectively.

I like all of the options for the three positions behind Cook and don't mind them being switched around to keep it fresh. They all absolutely need to turn on the ball quicker though, be more direct and run beyond Cook more often. They play the simple ball back to the centre midfielders or the full backs far too often for me when really they're all good enough to create more issues for the opposition.

 

Let's get to Jan and see. Walker is getting there, Eisa is coming back and dont tell me that Hughes does not realise we need a terrier (not a dog botherers) in the middle. Lets see what happens in January .... oh and we have only lost three games so far.....

 

ive generally been pleased, if frustrated more recently after dropping cheap points at home twice.

i wasnt sure on the formation, then results picked up and I accepted it could work, then Swindon and Stevenage results annoyed massively.

that was a great win with ten men tonight.

If we’d said in the summer, you can be fifth after 17 games, two points off the autos, we’d have taken that.

I’d rate our season a ‘B’ - not the finished article but much improved from last year.

you just look at this awful league and the teams in it though…..we really do need to go up this year. Lewis, Crichlow, Wright and Banks might not be here next year. With Smallwood and Walker and Cooky in great form, that’s such a great core of players. No excuses lads, kick on and go for it. Promotion, nothing less.

 

We really need to be tying Lewis and faulds down to longer term deals this summer .

 

Despite some inept performances this year city are only 4 points short of where I thought they would/could/should be at this point of the season.

 

Think 3 out of the next 4 games away from home may actually help us ........... we solve the home form then we could go in and walk this league ............ that was a great win at a promotion rival had the ref not got involved it would have been a lot more comfortable and

 

Massive home game . Hopefully a massive crowd

 

I'm really relaxed about the season so far. Whilst I backed us to win the league, I've done that numerous times in the past...in honesty I wasn't sure what this season was going to look like. A new playing squad, a manager with little experience of this league and bugger all silverware or success on his CV... an expectant support base that can be (at times) counterproductive on its team. Teams like Orient and Northampton whom have settled squads from last season.

I feel its going really well. Slow start, which I envisaged and I feel like we are building up momentum. Home form is sketchy but I can assure you that it will improve. I have absolutely no doubt.

The teams lacks goals across the pitch but we look solid at the back. It's not perfect but we are well in touch.

B+

 

Season so far.
Chapman player of the season.
Halliday most improved, 8 out of 10 every match the last 5.
Happy with where we are.
Style and PPG will keep us on the upward trend.
2 or 3 in the January window to improve the squad and fill Harrat's space.
End of season between 80 and 86 points is my guess.
1.77 points per game at the moment which is 81 in May but I think we might improve.
We are better than most of the teams around us.
Beaten Stevenage, Salford, Mansfield, Tranmere and were robbed against Swindon.
I think we will beat Northampton and Orient to really set it up nicely going into the new year.

 

Totally agree. If it doesn’t happen this season everyone will be disappointed not least MH. He will have a base to start and will no doubt have learnt a lot from this season. Nobody can point to anyone else and say he would have done better because we have tried most of them. We are in the process of defining our identity and that doesn’t happen overnight. We actually saw some of our identity on display last night. Play well and positive, if things go wrong dig in and fight. If after 2 seasons we are no further forward then we can rethink. This hiring and sacking is not what we want to be part of our identity. Everything crossed that we get it right this season.

 

On your points guess..... average points needed to be crowned champions, 3rd and 7th are below from the last 5 completed seasons (obviously not the 2020 season).

1st - 86 points
3rd - 81 points
7th - 73 points

For reference, this time last year after 17 league games we had FGR top with 34 points (would be 3rd by this seasons standards) which is 5 off current toppers Leyton Orients 39 points. Port Vale were third on 29 points (would be 7th in this seasons table) compared to Northamptons 32 points today and Harrogate were sat 7th on 26 points (would be 10th in this seasons table) compared to Carlisles 28 points today.

Citys 30 points from 17 games over the last 5 years would have us sat in the autos twice and be no lower than our current 5th.