York City boss left stunned by cup defeat (From York Press)

gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Good first half even with Chambers continually giving the ball away. Disastrous defending in second half and lack of match practice cannot be an excuse for those who committed the errors.We cannot win matches without scoring though and we don't look like doing that at any time in the near future.
I was impressed with our first half as Coventry were a good, fast moving side but the second was woeful.

Also I couldn't believe it when Pars came on for Johnson when surely it should have been Reedy coming on.We were chasing the game then!

The errors were indeed dreadful, but so was the passing and (lack of) movement off the ball.

The individual mistakes gifted Coventry the goals but I hope Gary doesn't ingnore the poor all-round performance which worries me more.

Eric Style wrote:
gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Mills needs to take some of the blame... but how could he know that Carlisle and Kerr would literally give 2 goals away? He couldn't really, the tactics and lineup were fine (first half we were on top), the only thing he really has to answer for are the weird substitutions. Doig wasn't playing great, but why on earth would you take him off?! We had a clean sheet up until that point! Madness. A night to forget.

YorkCityLuke wrote:

Eric Style wrote: gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Mills needs to take some of the blame... but how could he know that Carlisle and Kerr would literally give 2 goals away? He couldn't really, the tactics and lineup were fine (first half we were on top), the only thing he really has to answer for are the weird substitutions. Doig wasn't playing great, but why on earth would you take him off?! We had a clean sheet up until that point! Madness. A night to forget.

Doig had a tight calf so Mills took him off as a precaution, Carlisle was the obvious replacement, shame he dropped such a clanger! Individual errors cost us dearly. Lack of finishing again with limited chances is worrying. I am sure there will be a big difference saturday

hopefully our lowest point of the season, and in the JPT i am quite happy if that ends up being the case.
looking forward to valley parade on saturday, a really proper derby away-day again for the first time since scarborough folded up, lets savour it. this kind of game is what we were dreaming of when we were drawing 0-0 at Barrow 11 months ago and had 2 players sent off. a year is a long time....lets just remember that and forget this result.

There is probably only one important tie in the Johnstones Paint Trophy, the final itself at Wembley. So I am not too disappointed that we were beaten, but it was the way that we were beaten that has annoyed me. Before the game I saw Chris Brass in the Car Park, this display brought back nightmare memories of his teams. Terrible defensive errors that would shame a kids team. At times in the second half we played with nobody on the right wing, when were supposed to be attacking, a complete shambles of a display. I heard Gary Mills comments on the radio as I was driving home, he said he was speechless, so were we Gary!. A surprisingly good attendance but I wonder how many "once in a while fans" will want to return after that display. The Manager has to sort it out before the rot sets in and we start tumbling down the league table. Hoping to see a much improved York City performance at Valley Parade on Saturday. There will probably be a few changes, because some are still not fit enough, and others are still not good enough. But - "Keep the Faith".

What happened to the coach who is supposed to be helping with our defense?
His defenders have allowed a shedful of goals since he joined

Clearly lack of goals is the problem. We seem to have the momentum going forward early on but do not turn this in to go,als. If we did then the opposition would no longer be in the game, but as long as it is 0-0 their heads are up and in with a chance and put more pressure on our defence than they would otherwise. So if we have the momentum why are we not gettingt he goals, I do not think it is ba d luck, it is in my view the fact we are not getting on the end of crosses and through balls because we have a lone striker, who due to numbers is closely marked and rarely gets the opportunity to score. I do not know how this can be resolved other than playing 2 strikers. This time last year Jason was well in to double figures currently he has 3 or 4 goals; clearly better defences are able to counter his threat when he is the lone relativelysmall front man. A 4-4-2 formation for home matches, preferrably with a big front man alongside Jason, if he Jason is not injured given the disturbing comments on Twitter this morning re him being on crutches and going for an X-ray.

Eric Style wrote:
gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Hey all fellow York City fans, how about Eric Style picks the team and substitutes and formation for every game? I'm sure he'll get it right all the time.

With the way we've been playing at home, a thumping like this was always around the corner. Yet again, Mills is completely out of touch with how to pick a team and if Chambers never played again for us it would be way to soon. As with Saturday, it was very poor and there's clearly one hell of a lot to address on the training field.

The game is History now. The team will learn from it I am sure. Just a bit concerned about the amount of goals we are leaking at the moment.....ah, and the fact we are not scoring, oh dear!

Come on lads put a full shift in for the club.

IMO we are struggling due to too many players being carried, and the worrying thing is, it's because of lack of ability in a few case's.

Who is impressed with which signings up to now. Me Coulson a tad, but that's all.

why do we need a first team coach we did great last season without one if lyttle is in charge of the defence it is a shambles and when is mills going to wake up we need a big man up front asap come on mills sort the team out otherwise we will be back in the conference and nobody wants that

yorkviking wrote:

Eric Style wrote:
gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Hey all fellow York City fans, how about Eric Style picks the team and substitutes and formation for every game? I'm sure he'll get it right all the time.

I'm sure he isn't the only one asking the same question!

As stated, the new defensive coach is not quite fulfilling his brief!

openallhours wrote:
With the way we've been playing at home, a thumping like this was always around the corner. Yet again, Mills is completely out of touch with how to pick a team and if Chambers never played again for us it would be way to soon. As with Saturday, it was very poor and there's clearly one hell of a lot to address on the training field.

Chambers never play for us again?? Get real and have some perspective. Given us some of the best moments over the past 12 months. He is off his game at the moment but the lad never stops trying. He will fire again soon. Have some faith in this squad

yorkviking wrote:

Eric Style wrote: gary, it was diabolical because you chose the wrong tactics, starting lineup and substitutions which put needless pressure on the back 4

Hey all fellow York City fans, how about Eric Style picks the team and substitutes and formation for every game? I'm sure he'll get it right all the time.

you don't need to be a dentist to know you've got toothache. Mills has been getting a lot wrong lately and his substitutions are baffling at best. Chasing a game, bring on Parslow for Johnson. Even if this is to nessitate a change of shape/formation its still weird when Jonny Smith (scored today against Scunny) would seem much the better option. Reed (scored two today and set Smith up for his) is continually overlooked when our forwards can't find the net (4 home games now).

Nobody expect Mills to get everything right all of the time, but making the same mistakes over and over smacks of his ego getting in the way of his managerial skills.

Head of Bomber Command wrote:
The game is History now. The team will learn from it I am sure. Just a bit concerned about the amount of goals we are leaking at the moment.....ah, and the fact we are not scoring, oh dear!

Come on lads put a full shift in for the club.

IMO we are struggling due to too many players being carried, and the worrying thing is, it's because of lack of ability in a few case's.

Who is impressed with which signings up to now. Me Coulson a tad, but that's all.

Agree, Coulson looks good and Johnson isn't too bad either (but you could tell he wasn't happy with the system last night). Perhaps Carlisle should stick to his Tv/political career after his horror show last night.

Head of Bomber Command wrote:
The game is History now. The team will learn from it I am sure. Just a bit concerned about the amount of goals we are leaking at the moment.....ah, and the fact we are not scoring, oh dear! Come on lads put a full shift in for the club. IMO we are struggling due to too many players being carried, and the worrying thing is, it's because of lack of ability in a few case's. Who is impressed with which signings up to now. Me Coulson a tad, but that's all.

"What do you think of Gary Mills signings this season" - That was just the discussion we had the other day. There was five of us in the pub and everyone agreed that Michael Coulson was the only signing who was any better than players we already had. I know that Gary Mills missed out on a couple of strikers, but his "Plan B" is not working yet.

Dark days.

Hapless performance in the 2nd half.

Kerr not fit and a terrible performance in the second half.

Carlisle a total and probably expensive liability.

Went 1-0 down and the white flag went up.

Something wrong somewhere.

Entertaining first half,dreadful second. Chambers useless as ever,can't beat a man,can't tackle,superb at giving the ball away.Over 270 mnutes since we saw a goal at the Crescent. Mills are u there.

OLD - HEAD wrote:

Head of Bomber Command wrote:
The game is History now. The team will learn from it I am sure. Just a bit concerned about the amount of goals we are leaking at the moment.....ah, and the fact we are not scoring, oh dear! Come on lads put a full shift in for the club. IMO we are struggling due to too many players being carried, and the worrying thing is, it's because of lack of ability in a few case's. Who is impressed with which signings up to now. Me Coulson a tad, but that's all.

"What do you think of Gary Mills signings this season" - That was just the discussion we had the other day. There was five of us in the pub and everyone agreed that Michael Coulson was the only signing who was any better than players we already had. I know that Gary Mills missed out on a couple of strikers, but his "Plan B" is not working yet.

And this is the core of the problem. We moved up a division yet did not strengthen enough. I do think Mills was unlucky at missing out on a few players but he also looks to have made some poor judgements on those he did. For me only Coulson and McReady look like they are working out. I had faith in Smith and felt Doig was worth another contract, sadly it's not worked for the former and the latter does not look a patch on last seasons player. So we are left with what we have until January at least and even then I don't see us splashing the cash then.

duffy wrote:

OLD - HEAD wrote:

Head of Bomber Command wrote:
The game is History now. The team will learn from it I am sure. Just a bit concerned about the amount of goals we are leaking at the moment.....ah, and the fact we are not scoring, oh dear! Come on lads put a full shift in for the club. IMO we are struggling due to too many players being carried, and the worrying thing is, it's because of lack of ability in a few case's. Who is impressed with which signings up to now. Me Coulson a tad, but that's all.

"What do you think of Gary Mills signings this season" - That was just the discussion we had the other day. There was five of us in the pub and everyone agreed that Michael Coulson was the only signing who was any better than players we already had. I know that Gary Mills missed out on a couple of strikers, but his "Plan B" is not working yet.

And this is the core of the problem. We moved up a division yet did not strengthen enough. I do think Mills was unlucky at missing out on a few players but he also looks to have made some poor judgements on those he did. For me only Coulson and McReady look like they are working out. I had faith in Smith and felt Doig was worth another contract, sadly it's not worked for the former and the latter does not look a patch on last seasons player. So we are left with what we have until January at least and even then I don't see us splashing the cash then.

I hate to say it, but you may well be right. This Johnson guy has shown some promise too though, maybe he'll come good.

Hardly time to throw the baby out with the bathwater yet so we are out of a cup that not too many supporters were very aware of GM experimented it went wrong big deal a bit of a reality check for all concerned.
We have looked unconvincing at the back for too many games shipping goals relatively easily Carlisle might have had a horror show last night but I doubt he will repeat it certainly he will be a sub or early change. Kerr did not look fit last match a s a sub no where near the lean & lively player of last season but it will come. We have yet to get down to it really Doig not enough pace ditto Smith poor ball player in a team built around passing, Carlisle better reads the game well but again lacking a bit of pace we need to put Dan P in there to support the CB without pace we have enough mid fielders to cover his current role surely. Mez not replaced as yet overlapping full backs were a big part of our game last year to overload opposition defences. Just not sure about Oli as I have not observed him as yet but GM has not always got it right only time & games will prove it either way.Back to business on Saturday Cmon City!!!!

Last nights performance was again a one of two halves. The 1st we went at them but with nothing to show against a side low on confidence.
Second half Coventry were given a early Xmas present and it was someone had just flicked a switch and their confidence levels went through the roof and it was wave after wave of attacks. I think that was the reason for Dan Parlsow replacing Oli Johnson. Mills wanted to flood the midfield in an attempt to stem the flow from coventrys high tempo attacks. While still allowing us to play the counter attacking tactic he seems to have adopted at home.
Although not performing to his ability at the moment I think the abuse Ashley Chambers is getting is harsh , that said I believe he would benefit form a spell on the bench to re group and take the pressure off for a little while.The least said about CC's clanger the better.
I can not comment on the Scott Kerr error as I was distracted at the time. But he is coming back from injury and his sharpness and fitness levels are not where he would want them. They will however only return with game time.
I agree with most on regarding the position playing Matty Blair hes not a midfielder and it shows and only Mattys enthusiasm makes up for the fact that he limits the issues of playing out of position however to the loss of his true attacking attributes.
We simply have to play players in their strongest posions. We can no longer just throw a team together (like last season) and expect to get a result.
May be it is in deed time to have other options then Gary mills 4-3-3 formation as his automatic choice.
We are far far too predictable and if we don’t score early in games we know we are in for a nervy afternoon as soon as our opponents manager has sussed how to stop us as we simply have no plan b.
Worried you’re D*m right I am.

I am greatfull for what Gary Mills has done for our club. But sometimes I feel hes just to stuck in his ways and wont budge from his 4-3-3 formation. We need more in our locker in this league and get the points ticking over a one trick pony is never successful long term

we move on to sat . Up the city

I would hardly say Coventry are a team low on confiidence with their recent points to games ratio since Robins took over at the helm, however Mills insistency to push unfit players into starting roles and leaving a talented goalscorer on the bench for so long when our strikers are drawing blanks so often at the moment is ludicrous.

Then there is the 433 formation which is not working against teams in our own division never mind stronger teams from higher divisions.

Millsy please dont undo all your hard (lucky) work of last season. Change the shape give Reedy a few games to prove his worth not just minutes few. And he will reward you. He is a natural goalscorer in the box so just get the right guys to get the ball to him.

I agree Danny P playing so well since the start of the season get him into the back four middle and bolster it up a bit. We have midfielders to earn their wages in the middle of the park.

Maybe even a 352 would work better for us with the players that we have!

Ok so Chambers is not at his best currently, and perhaps should be dropped, but he is very good when on form, in particular at the start of this season. There is no need for some of the comments on here which are nothing short of abusive. He is a confidence player and does not desrve things like "he should never play for us again" There are opinions and then there are ridiculous gut reaction comments,

Right last night was full of mistakes and errors,but iam sure the players will have learnt alot from the defeat and will make them stronger for the rest of the season.
We have to be realist this season is we have come into stronger league and cup competitions.
If we finish half way in the league that will be a major acheivement for the club and then we can build year on year.
There is no point in knocking the manager and players because this season is a massive learning curve for the club.
As supporters i know results have not great something like 1 win 7,but at times like this,this is when we need to back management and players more than ever.
Just remember the great memories from last year.KEEP THE FAITH!

The defence is being put under enormous pressure because we can't score goals when we are dominating play which we've largely done in the last 4 home games. It's now 6 hours+ since we scored at BC and still Reed can't get a game - unbelievable! I've said for a long time that we need to adopt different tactics for home games, involving 2 strikers as Walker is struggling as a lone striker. His goals return this season is very poor. I know he scored 20 last season but that was in a lower division. Is he up to this level? We would know better if he had another striker to work off. I've been a big fan of Chambers but he really needs to man up now. I agree with others that Dan P should be returned to a centre half role and teamed up there with TY as soon as he's match fit. Of course we're all grateful to Gary for getting us back into the League but he now needs to prove that he's good enough to manage at this level. And, indeed, what have we gained from having Des Lyttle on the coaching staff? We now need a result at Bradford but, more vital, is that we score and get 3 points in the next home game against Dagenham.

Phil, Leeds wrote:
The defence is being put under enormous pressure because we can't score goals when we are dominating play which we've largely done in the last 4 home games. It's now 6 hours+ since we scored at BC and still Reed can't get a game - unbelievable! I've said for a long time that we need to adopt different tactics for home games, involving 2 strikers as Walker is struggling as a lone striker. His goals return this season is very poor. I know he scored 20 last season but that was in a lower division. Is he up to this level? We would know better if he had another striker to work off. I've been a big fan of Chambers but he really needs to man up now. I agree with others that Dan P should be returned to a centre half role and teamed up there with TY as soon as he's match fit. Of course we're all grateful to Gary for getting us back into the League but he now needs to prove that he's good enough to manage at this level. And, indeed, what have we gained from having Des Lyttle on the coaching staff? We now need a result at Bradford but, more vital, is that we score and get 3 points in the next home game against Dagenham.

Here's the fact of the matter, last nights first half was identical to last weeks game against Fleetwood, so just what was said or happened at half time I have no idea, but it seemed to destabilise the whole team, as it did last week. However I do believe that a couple of players were being carried and a couple were not fit. Doig had what would seem to be a minor injury, and up to that point he was the only one of the defence not really performing. I can well imagine that the 2 goals we gifted Coventry had a massive effect on the rest of the players let alone the individuals, this was the point that the shape was lost and city were on the back foot chasing the game. I am a staunch supporter of Mills but last night he made some very strange decisions not only with his substitutions but with his naming and shaming on the radio of Carlisle but no one else !!!!
I really hope that the entire management and playing staff have learnt a lesson from their performance last night. I don't want to have a go at any individual but there were 3 or 4 individuals who were at not at there best and 2 or 3 who were not fit, the exceptions being Smith, Blair, Fyfield, and Ingham, all of whom looked to be giving there all right to the end. Lets all get behind the team and management at Bradford and help spur them on to a win. Come on City, in Mills I trust

i'm not going to slag mills off..but the new coach on charge of defence should sort it out now or get out its his job..and the fact we are leaking goals is down to him..i don't see the point in him being here..we also need a new striker in now who can hit the net..and take the pressure of the defence.until we start scoring goals we are always going to concede..we should have gone with the young strikers we had the chance to sign.anything has got to be better then the one's we have..

We need what we should have had in the summer. A commanding centre half, a quality left back( ok Fyfield has done ok of late), and a quality forward. We may have to add a midfielder to that if Smith and Bullock are now out of the picture.

As if last night's serving of the Mills Show wasn't bad enough, some people are trying to defend the geezer. He makes the decisions and he picks the team and at the very least, he should have made a public apology for what happened last night. Not good enough!

A wise man once told me you build from the back. You have a strong back four and build on that. Something we dont have and needs addressing fast. We are making MCnulty from Fleetwood look like an International defender at the moment. We dont sort it and we are in trouble. Fact!

Putting 'fact' at the end of an opinion doesn't make it true...

We're not in trouble, we just need to sort out the long standing issues which have recently become problematic. We're still sat in a respectable mid-table position. A win on saturday will put us level with Bradford, with their massive budget and high flying ambitions. From what I've seen so far this season, we'll take points from the worse teams in the division, struggle against the better teams, and pick up points on the road. That's a high mid table finish. If Mills can sort things out for us, it's a possible play-off finish still.

duffy wrote:
We need what we should have had in the summer. A commanding centre half, a quality left back( ok Fyfield has done ok of late), and a quality forward. We may have to add a midfielder to that if Smith and Bullock are now out of the picture.

Doesn't Carlisle fit that "commanding centre half" bill? I personally think the problems with this position is that with the system we play we have either a choice of "commanding centre half who can lump it forward" or "ball playing centre half who isn't as dominant in the air". You can call all you like for a commanding centre half who can also play the ball, but you ain't going to get one decent enough to drop to our level.

speaks99 wrote:

duffy wrote: We need what we should have had in the summer. A commanding centre half, a quality left back( ok Fyfield has done ok of late), and a quality forward. We may have to add a midfielder to that if Smith and Bullock are now out of the picture.

Doesn't Carlisle fit that "commanding centre half" bill? I personally think the problems with this position is that with the system we play we have either a choice of "commanding centre half who can lump it forward" or "ball playing centre half who isn't as dominant in the air". You can call all you like for a commanding centre half who can also play the ball, but you ain't going to get one decent enough to drop to our level.

Going back to the start of last season, I thought Fyfield was doing a great job as a 'classy centreback' and any player in any league is going to have an off day or dip in form at some point. For some reason, Mills loves to chop and change a lot and this is where our problems are. As for bringing in Lyttle, it's clear he knows 'Lyttle' about organising a back 4.

I had reservations about the end of last season (that I expressed on here and got summarily shot down) and they've not been reduced since. There was just too much self congratulations in May - the players, management and directors wandered off to Benidorm and then protracted holidays, whilst every other team was busy preparing for the forthcoming season 2012/13. And it went on. Mills took nearly three weeks off during the close season (I know "everyone needs a holiday" but this was a critical period and last year he obviously thought it more important not to) and everything ground to a halt. We were chasing players and failing to attract anyone. Players were kept on wrongly with decisions made in the after-glow of Wembley. The promotion to Football League status was seen only as a step up in cash, not required performance. We failed to address attacking and defensive frailties. Some people will say, that this occurred "not for the want of trying" but I'm sorry management, in all walks of life, are judged on results, not effort.

I look at the squad now and see problems everywhere. I look at the formations we're using and just see the word "simplistic". It feels to me that our promotion and performances since pre-season have been naive, almost childlike in their preparation and expectations.

I hope I'm wrong, but I fear a difficult seven months ahead.

Christ we lost to a higher team in the JPT due to a couple of schoolboy errors that we have not seen for a long time nor awill again for soem time. Its not he end of the world, a result on saturday and evryone will be OTTwith praise again!

We are in a higher and better league than last year, have some patience

Well said uhtred it will take time to settle and Gary Mills has and will make mistakes but continues to give 100% .First half on Tuesday was excellent then we shot ourselves in the foot .
We learn from it and move on .

Uhtred and Tips have finally brought some sanity to this thread. We bettered a Div 1 side in the first half and lost due to some individual errors.
This is not a crisis. No Div 2 team has taken up apart this year and there is no need for panic. Mid-table this year would be a good, solid result and I feel we could edge a play off place with a bit of luck.

Agree completely with George, tips and uhtred

sb72 wrote:
Agree completely with George, tips and uhtred

Fine, if you're happy that's great but not to score in 4 consecutive home games and more than 6 hours playing time suggests that all is not well. At any level of football that is extremely poor and needs addressing. And if that means changing the beloved formation then change it but do something for God's sake. By the way, you make your own luck to a large degree.

I admit, I am a doom monger. It's a natural role I find myself in almost always.

However, answer these two questions:

In what way has the team improved since Wembley?

How have the tactics, organisation or team's style evolved now that we're a Football League side playing better teams?

Answer that, rather than simply state that "everything's fine and stop moaning".

I would argue that with Meredith leaving, we're actually a poorer team than we were 5 months ago. Bearing in mind amount of player's we've signed (and already dropped), the extra coaching resource and the extra cash resources - that's nothing to be proud about.

PhilTopping wrote:
I admit, I am a doom monger. It's a natural role I find myself in almost always.

However, answer these two questions:

In what way has the team improved since Wembley?

How have the tactics, organisation or team's style evolved now that we're a Football League side playing better teams?

Answer that, rather than simply state that "everything's fine and stop moaning".

I would argue that with Meredith leaving, we're actually a poorer team than we were 5 months ago. Bearing in mind amount of player's we've signed (and already dropped), the extra coaching resource and the extra cash resources - that's nothing to be proud about.

Let's get all this into perspective - people seem to be going totally over the top on the doom and gloom front mainly and latterly because of defeat to Coventry City.Yes the second half was poor but we possibly edged the first half and in all honesty the scoreline did flatter them - it is very difficult to legislate for one off (hopefully!) errors such as those by Kerr and Carlisle.Also let's remind ourselves on how far we have come - last season Coventry in Championship - York City in Conference. I accept we are in a dip at the moment but as others have said we are only 4 points off a play off place in League 2 so that must be an improvement since being in the Conference.To get there we have played some very entertaining football which has attracted a fair amount of praise from such as rival managers - even Steve Evans (spying at the Fleetwood game) said our pace and movement going forward was well above League 2 level.As recently as a week last Saturday we won away at aldershot with what was a very accomplished professional performance - I was there so speak from first hand experience. Just because we sign players in the close season doesn't mean they should be automatic picks and never dropped so I don't really see the point you are making here. All managers (even such as Clough and Ferguson) make poor buys and Mills is no different on that score.In conclusion I think it is far too early in the season for people to be so negative - there has been as much good as bad - that is perhaps why we are mid table and out of the JPT at Round 2 (NB let's not forget that splendid win at Rotherham!) - pretty much what most expected - more than holding our own whilst finding our feet in a higher division.Gary Mills is a very good and ambitious manager and I have the utmost faith we will not be far off if not in the play offs at the season end.

sixtyfourfive wrote:

PhilTopping wrote:
I admit, I am a doom monger. It's a natural role I find myself in almost always.

However, answer these two questions:

In what way has the team improved since Wembley?

How have the tactics, organisation or team's style evolved now that we're a Football League side playing better teams?

Answer that, rather than simply state that "everything's fine and stop moaning".

I would argue that with Meredith leaving, we're actually a poorer team than we were 5 months ago. Bearing in mind amount of player's we've signed (and already dropped), the extra coaching resource and the extra cash resources - that's nothing to be proud about.

Let's get all this into perspective - people seem to be going totally over the top on the doom and gloom front mainly and latterly because of defeat to Coventry City.Yes the second half was poor but we possibly edged the first half and in all honesty the scoreline did flatter them - it is very difficult to legislate for one off (hopefully!) errors such as those by Kerr and Carlisle.Also let's remind ourselves on how far we have come - last season Coventry in Championship - York City in Conference. I accept we are in a dip at the moment but as others have said we are only 4 points off a play off place in League 2 so that must be an improvement since being in the Conference.To get there we have played some very entertaining football which has attracted a fair amount of praise from such as rival managers - even Steve Evans (spying at the Fleetwood game) said our pace and movement going forward was well above League 2 level.As recently as a week last Saturday we won away at aldershot with what was a very accomplished professional performance - I was there so speak from first hand experience. Just because we sign players in the close season doesn't mean they should be automatic picks and never dropped so I don't really see the point you are making here. All managers (even such as Clough and Ferguson) make poor buys and Mills is no different on that score.In conclusion I think it is far too early in the season for people to be so negative - there has been as much good as bad - that is perhaps why we are mid table and out of the JPT at Round 2 (NB let's not forget that splendid win at Rotherham!) - pretty much what most expected - more than holding our own whilst finding our feet in a higher division.Gary Mills is a very good and ambitious manager and I have the utmost faith we will not be far off if not in the play offs at the season end.

We have won one game at home all season, lets not pretend comments have only been made because of the Coventry result.

some of the happy clappers on here do my head right in..will still be happy clapping when we are back in non-league again..

I dont honestly believe that people are over reacting to the Coventry defeat. That match will soon be forgotten. Peoples expectations were raised by the Managers pre-season comments, regarding back to back promotions. I personally always felt that a mid-table position was more likely. But to be honest I feel that Gary Mills has prepared badly for our return to the Football League. His close season signings leave a lot to be desired. The players who got us out of the Conference were all good players but strengthening in a few vital positions would have turned a good team into a very good team, he has failed to do this.

redbluelion wrote:
some of the happy clappers on here do my head right in..will still be happy clapping when we are back in non-league again..

Yeah and you'd still be whinging away if we got promoted... just like you probably were last season. One battering and a few lukewarm home performances and your faith in the team/ manager is shaken - less than 6 months after they completed one of our best seasons ever. How short is your memory?

We're 14th in the table, and as a previous poster said, we haven't really been taken apart by anyone until tuesday night. Get a grip.

I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

sixtyfourfive wrote:
I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

"Walk away and find a club where he is better appreciate..." ??? Where would he go, the moon?

This is football. Welcome to the reality. A manager can only and is only judged on the "now" not last season or the season before. Gary has built up some good capital with the fans. There's no-one yet calling for his head. Had this been pretty much anyone else and the calls for his removal would now be growing louder by the day.

Gary Mills raised expectations, Gary Mills said he would only sign players that would be "better than we already have", Gary Mills said he was "so, so proud" of his players after the Rotherham game, Gary Mills takes off an attacker and brings on a defensive midfield player when we're losing at home.

To be honest, he's making a rod for his own back.

But you're right. Gary can do no wrong and we're just plain wrong.

sixtyfourfive wrote:
I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

How many times can you keep harping back to last season and " one" of my many comments. It's time to look at what's happening this season and what matters now. I could start quoting posters who stated this squad was good enough to win the title the start of this season while I got slagged for stating it was not strong enough. Don't see you quoting me on that ?

PhilTopping wrote:

sixtyfourfive wrote:
I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

"Walk away and find a club where he is better appreciate..." ??? Where would he go, the moon?

This is football. Welcome to the reality. A manager can only and is only judged on the "now" not last season or the season before. Gary has built up some good capital with the fans. There's no-one yet calling for his head. Had this been pretty much anyone else and the calls for his removal would now be growing louder by the day.

Gary Mills raised expectations, Gary Mills said he would only sign players that would be "better than we already have", Gary Mills said he was "so, so proud" of his players after the Rotherham game, Gary Mills takes off an attacker and brings on a defensive midfield player when we're losing at home.

To be honest, he's making a rod for his own back.

But you're right. Gary can do no wrong and we're just plain wrong.

You really cannot be for real with these comments which I believe are totally insulting towards Gary Mills after all he has achieved for this club - have you forgotten those 8 years in the Conference already? In nearly 50 years of watching City, believe me in relative terms these are good and exciting times.I think you would find there are several clubs who would be more than happy to have Gary Mills as manager.

don't get me wrong i don't think walker should be dropped but we need a center forward that can hit the back of the net..after all that's the main job of a striker...why doe's mill keep signing midfielders not just midfielders but one's nobody else wants..its a striker we need.

duffy wrote:

sixtyfourfive wrote: I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

How many times can you keep harping back to last season and " one" of my many comments. It's time to look at what's happening this season and what matters now. I could start quoting posters who stated this squad was good enough to win the title the start of this season while I got slagged for stating it was not strong enough. Don't see you quoting me on that ?

Last season will live long in the memory and rightly so. You are right that this season matters now, but why the negative comments on a squad which has done pretty well on our return to the football league. There are many good sides in this league and we are holding our own so far. I am sure GM is constantly looking at further options and possible loan signings. Oxford came to BC on the back of 3 wins and then went on a 6 game losing streak, I can't imagine they will sack their manager and I am sure they will improve based on what I saw at BC. We don't have a right to storm up league 2 and I predict a really tight division, hopefully with York finishing in the top half. No crisis here

redbluelion wrote:
don't get me wrong i don't think walker should be dropped but we need a center forward that can hit the back of the net..after all that's the main job of a striker...why doe's mill keep signing midfielders not just midfielders but one's nobody else wants..its a striker we need.

Heard Walker was struggling to put weight on his foot yesterday so he may not be playing on Saturday. Will give Mills an opportunity to play a different front line, Parslow as centre forward lol

skilly wrote:

duffy wrote:

sixtyfourfive wrote: I despair at all this over-reaction. The brutal fact is we win (eg as recently as a week last Saturday and away) and hardly any comments of praise. We lose and all hell is let loose. If I was Gary Mills reading all this c""p I'd be inclined to walk away and find a club where he is better appreciated without all the moaners. Many on this forum seem far happier when we are under par. It said it all to me recently when a certain well known contributor on this forum even suggested that we only got promoted because of a linesman error and Mills got lucky! What a pathetic way to try and justify us not "having blown it". Says it al I believe.

How many times can you keep harping back to last season and " one" of my many comments. It's time to look at what's happening this season and what matters now. I could start quoting posters who stated this squad was good enough to win the title the start of this season while I got slagged for stating it was not strong enough. Don't see you quoting me on that ?

Last season will live long in the memory and rightly so. You are right that this season matters now, but why the negative comments on a squad which has done pretty well on our return to the football league. There are many good sides in this league and we are holding our own so far. I am sure GM is constantly looking at further options and possible loan signings. Oxford came to BC on the back of 3 wins and then went on a 6 game losing streak, I can't imagine they will sack their manager and I am sure they will improve based on what I saw at BC. We don't have a right to storm up league 2 and I predict a really tight division, hopefully with York finishing in the top half. No crisis here

I think midtable would be fine in all honesty but i still think one win at home up until this point is poor by any standard. I'm still all in favour of Mills as manager and anyone thinking otherwise is daft.

I've only just read all the claptrap on here. City have just lost to a League One side in a competition that's not a priority with players coming back from long layoffs. OK, one win at home is a poor return but no-one has outplayed us until Tuesday's second half. Have some sense of proportion ffs. We have to be realistic. Midtable this season would be a fine achievement and I still think that's what we'll get. Slagging off GM and individual players is pathetic.

Peppa07 wrote:
I've only just read all the claptrap on here. City have just lost to a League One side in a competition that's not a priority with players coming back from long layoffs. OK, one win at home is a poor return but no-one has outplayed us until Tuesday's second half. Have some sense of proportion ffs. We have to be realistic. Midtable this season would be a fine achievement and I still think that's what we'll get. Slagging off GM and individual players is pathetic.

Well said!

sixtyfourfive wrote:

Peppa07 wrote:
I've only just read all the claptrap on here. City have just lost to a League One side in a competition that's not a priority with players coming back from long layoffs. OK, one win at home is a poor return but no-one has outplayed us until Tuesday's second half. Have some sense of proportion ffs. We have to be realistic. Midtable this season would be a fine achievement and I still think that's what we'll get. Slagging off GM and individual players is pathetic.

Well said!

No one's outplayed us???! Rotherham could (and should) have scored at least 5 on Saturday. Which part of 'results business' do you not understand. Also, we have the players that if played in their correct positions and to a better system, can win football matches. Frankly, your attitude of can't say a bad word about Gary/the team is not only naive, it's an insult to the paying fans who turn up to watch the rubbish that Mills & co put out.

openallhours wrote:

sixtyfourfive wrote:

Peppa07 wrote:
I've only just read all the claptrap on here. City have just lost to a League One side in a competition that's not a priority with players coming back from long layoffs. OK, one win at home is a poor return but no-one has outplayed us until Tuesday's second half. Have some sense of proportion ffs. We have to be realistic. Midtable this season would be a fine achievement and I still think that's what we'll get. Slagging off GM and individual players is pathetic.

Well said!

No one's outplayed us???! Rotherham could (and should) have scored at least 5 on Saturday. Which part of 'results business' do you not understand. Also, we have the players that if played in their correct positions and to a better system, can win football matches. Frankly, your attitude of can't say a bad word about Gary/the team is not only naive, it's an insult to the paying fans who turn up to watch the rubbish that Mills & co put out.

The league table is based on results- not what could or should have happened. The unalterable fact is Rotherham scored zilch/zero. If you are going to promote such ridiculous logic I would counter by saying we should have scored 3 in the first 10 minutes against Fleetwood/ outplayed Coventry in first half etc etc. The results business I understand is the final score. Mr Mills is at The Pitchside Bar on October 18th - I trust you will be telling him face to face what rubbish he and his team are serving up and giving him your wisdom as to how to win matches. I doubt it!

I'll stick to seeing Mills on matchdays thanks, as it would seem to be a bit creepy to want to go and see him anywhere else. You and the other Gary worshippers should take heed - He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!

Openallhours

Tit !

Seriously, sixtyfourfive is correct. You're ok to spout off on here about Mills, but you wouldn't have the bottle to question him face to face. To be fair, you're not on your own.

walwynwasgod wrote:
Openallhours

Tit !

You should take your abuse somewhere else and learn how to use a forum while you're at it. Ever heard of free speech?

Hey! It's only a game. Get over it.

walwynwasgod wrote:
Openallhours

Tit !

You should take your abuse somewhere else and learn how to use a forum while you're at it. Ever heard of free speech?

openallhours

Of course i've heard of free speech mate. I've just used it haven't i ? Not really abuse is it ? Just fed up of the doom and gloom merchants like you that come on here after a few bad results. I'm sure Gary is aiming to put things right.

Come on lads let's not fall out amongst ourselves we are all CITY fans and want success for the club.
We all have our own opinions but the man who makes the decisions is Gary Mills who will be judged at the end of the season.
Get behind Gary and the team and together we can achieve our aims.

walwynwasgod wrote:
openallhours Of course i've heard of free speech mate. I've just used it haven't i ? Not really abuse is it ? Just fed up of the doom and gloom merchants like you that come on here after a few bad results. I'm sure Gary is aiming to put things right.

Well, I'm not going to use an abusive word for anybody I disagree with mate. For the record, if we're playing well I'm the first to offer praise. The results show that Gary's aiming but missing so far.

openallhours

"so far" being the key words !

Don't think it warrants much more comment on the subject. Roll on tomorrow !

walwynwasgod wrote:
Openallhours Tit !

seconded, a wind up merchant!

uhtred wrote:

walwynwasgod wrote:
Openallhours Tit !

seconded, a wind up merchant!

Another Gary worshipper then? I bet you lot were the same when chris brass was in charge - 'give him more time coz he'll come good in the end!' lol!