That's Entertainment? Must Do Better Mickey!

By CovSid67
November 8 2006

I guess it's time to apologise to the people that run this site, for the lack of articles posted recently. Sorry! Watching paint dry is preferable to watching Coventry City at this moment in time....

It has always been my intention to keep the Coventry City section up-to-date, with (Potentially award winning!) articles and match reports, but, sadly watching Coventry City is just not an enjoyable or interesting experience this season. The pen and pad still comes out for matches, but the pages remain virtually blank....

There is very little worth commenting on that hasn't been said before.

The idea was to have a 'Match Reports' link at the side of the page, which people could click onto, then find the match they want to read up on with ease. Sadly, most matches have been so dull, or lacking in quality, that I've resorted to lumping two or three reports together.

Somehow we have won a few matches, but the question is: 'how?' We have been poor almost all season, with very few displays suggesting we have the slightest idea how to get out of this division (As in 'up' - down isn't an option). Southend and Barnsley can feel particularly hard done to that they came away from our fixtures with nothing.

Our only saving grace is that we played this badly between August and November last season, but took less points - if we can join in around Novemeber time again this season, and gain as many positive results as last time, the Top 6 isn't beyond our reach. Sadly, I doubt it will happen....

The more honest Coventry City fans will admit that any time we have been in the Top 10, it has probably been a false position. We beat those expected to struggle, and struggle against those expected to finish in the top half of the table. That's OK, if bottom 10 is your expected finish position, but we expect more than that.

This is not being cocky. This is not having ideas above our stations. This is because we did well last season with a fairly average side, and have supposedly made the squad better over the summer - but we look far worse as a team. This doesn't make sense (Unless you realise that one supposedly star player, missing throughout most of our decent run last season, has come back and played in most matches this....).

The dozen new signings all look as if they could improve the squad, yet of those that have been given the chance to stake a claim for a permanent place in the first team, they have failed.

Those signings, some costing money(!), mean MA can know longer use lack of finances as an excuse. MA has been backed substantially, and this is now his team. The 'time to gel' excuse is also rubbish, as most sides have a big turnover of players in the summer, yet they seem able to cope. How sad that Adams' budget didn't stretch to buying in somebody that has a game-plan that doesn't involve defending at all costs, and hoping to snatch a win.

Some supporters have pointed to the fact that we have lost our star player in Gary McSheffrey - they are wrong. In McKenzie and John we still have a couple of matchwinners, but the style of play just is not helping to bring out the best in them. Chopping and changing far too often also cannot be helping things.

Interestingly, those that staunchly support Adams seem to be those people that don't go to many/any matches, while those that think there is a problem got to most or every game. I guess if the result shows we won, that is enough for some people. There seems little point in paying £20+ if there is no entertainment on offer, as watching the teletext for the result is a far more worthwhile way of spending your Saturday (Sunday/Monday/etc)....

Ian Holloway once compared a win his side had earned with 'pulling the ugly girl' - Coventry City wins have nearly all been worthy of this comparison this season. It really is time to raise our standards, and to try an play entertaining football, as well as win games. We might win enough points to avoid the drop playing Cliff Thorburn football, but dull football will only result in less people coming through the turnstiles.

Some supporters suggest that Adams is a better manager than everybody that pays to watch games - I disagree. He possibly is, but the reason he was able to get into football management is because he was a better footballer, which has enabled him to get on the managerial merry-go-round. There's not much chance of a track worker from Peugeot (All of whom are soon to be available!) being offered the job should Adams leave, is there?

There are others that point to the fact we are only months into a three-year plan to get back into the Premiership - there seems little point of having a plan off the pitch if you haven't got a clue what to do on it. We all want stability, but if it is broke, it treally should be fixed, not ignored in the hope it gets better on its own!

There are times when I'm left asking myself just how much compensation West Bromwich Albion would have offered had we allowed Adams to speak to them over the vacant managers job there! Adams does seem to be linked with most above average jobs going, so is obviously highly rated by many, but on this seasons displays, I cannot understand why.

I'm sure I am wrong, but it does look as if the players just don't want to play for him - how else can you explain most of them hitting such a poor patch regards form over the first three months? If this really is th best they can do, the January transfer window cannot come soon enough....

There are plenty of articles and reports I've started but not finished, so in the next few days I'll dig the drafts out and finish them off (In a bid to stop this site being de-activated once again!), while hopefully from this Saturday onwards the team will actually give me reason to write detailed reports, one game at a time!

And maybe that cheque for £100 million will be mine this Friday....