CITY 1 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 3
You often hear it said that City are an unpredictable team. Unfortunately the opposite is true – we are totally predictable! First we have not had back-to-back wins all season so this alone made it very unlikely we could do it when it really matters; second we invariably struggle when faced with teams around or below us in the table; now add in the fact that we are nearly always beaten when we go behind, plus we find goals very hard to come by and finally we have the second worst home record in the Championship.
Cold logic pointed in one direction and the abject performance against Wednesday fully bore this out. Powder-puff City got exactly what they deserved – nothing. Our great club achievement in never in our history having played outside of the top two divisions has been destroyed forever. Forget that we still have one match to play and that Southampton, who have beaten us three times this season, might still have a wobble, we were relegated today and rightly so.
The crowd indicated their anger and disappointment with chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' and those of us whose support for City is measured in decades could only nod their heads in agreement. This was a woeful performance by a woeful team.
It all seemed so different at the start with a mini-Wembley atmosphere provided by a full house. City got the early upper hand and within the first few minutes there was an almighty scramble in the Wednesday goalmouth which they did well to survive. This happened more than once in the game as City hardly ever create clear-cut chances but rely on deflections, errors and rebounds to establish pressure.
Shots have to be taken immediately and with confidence low most players want another touch to be sure and in spite of more huffing and puffing the chance is gone. If City were the wolf, Wednesday were the third little pig!
However in the 18th minute the huge and emotional following got what they wanted. Henderson booted the ball from his own area deep into enemy territory. The centre-back committed the basic error – as did N'Gotty later on several occasions- of letting the ball bounce, Hume got between him and the advancing keeper, gratefully seized on the loose ball having collided with Grant and rolled it into the empty net. Cue massive celebrations. This was the high point of the day for City fans and it was all downhill from here……
Wednesday might have equalised almost immediately putting a free header from a corner well wide. Our players should be sent to train with the Sheffielders so that we can learn how to take corners. Ours usually have snow on them whereas theirs boomed in under the radar and were very difficult to defend against. We did try a different tactic late on when Bell began dinking them to the near post where Hume was expected to win the flick-on against players almost a foot taller!
The game was always rather scrappy but our goal forced Wednesday to come out of defence and at least it made for an open game. Wednesday forced a corner which was taken long to beyond the far post. Hayles realised that the ball was going over his head and although no great danger threatened he flicked the ball away with his hand; an act of stupidity which donated them a penalty.
How a player could do something like this in a match of such importance I will never know. I imagine we practise it on the training-ground! Burton took the penalty and Henderson guessed right making a fine save low to his left. The crowd celebrated as if we had scored.
Shortly afterwards City suffered the loss of Kisnorbo, arguably their best defender, with what looked a serious knee injury. He was replaced by N'Gotty but City's defence never looked totally secure from that time on.
Both sides mounted attacks after this but we seemed to be heading for half-time with a priceless advantage. However it was not to be and ironically it came from a counter-attack after one of our best efforts. Stearman made a long surging run deep into their penalty area but then gave the ball away – he did this later with the same result, by the way. They promptly counter-attacked in the wide space down our right. The City defence was pulled over, McAuley was far too easily turned by Slusarski who smashed a fine shot into the far corner giving Henderson no chance.
The players trooped off at half-time in a manner that suggested their spirits were low, a view shared by the crowd who appreciated a probable turning-point had been reached.
More huffing and puffing at the start of the second half did nothing for the crowd's expectations. Our central midfielders were second-best to most loose balls and we had no width or pace on the left; Bell is the latest in a long line of wide right players who have no real pace and cannot get past the opposing full-back. Up front Howard was like Horsfield – remember him from last season – on a bad day and Hume remained our only real hope.
Howard has some goals pedigree but his performances for City have not been as good as those of De Vries who is an appalling header of the ball but far more mobile than Howard and infinitely better with the ball at his feet. I am afraid that both Howard and Campbell have been a complete waste of £4M.
The worst happened some 15 minutes into the second half when Wednesday again broke quickly after Stearman had lost the ball deep in their half. This was the best move of the game as Wednesday exchanged several passes down the left before transferring the ball to the wide open spaces down the right where Clapham, not a great player but one who gives his all, was faced with two opponents.
The ball was quickly crossed into the heart of City's penalty area where Watson, completely unmarked, stroked the ball home. The most depressing thing about this goal was that we simply cannot score goals of this nature. We have no pace to get the ball upfield quickly, we cannot get players quickly up in support, we cannot put a series of decent passes together and we cannot cross to an unmarked player to save our lives.
The overwhelming feeling was that this had decided the outcome but more huffing and puffing followed until Wednesday gave us a lifeline when a defender handled in a decidedly non-threatening part of the box. Doomed teams scorn opportunities and Hume, employing for the first time a stutter in his run up, shot horribly wide of the right post.
No one anywhere near where we sit could remember the last time City scored a goal at the Kop end. We all knew now that this was the end and when substitute Clarke lobbed Henderson in the final minutes that was simply further confirmation of our fears.
The last four years have been the worst spell by City that I can recall and watching them is often painful. Frankly I am almost relieved that the fight is over. Ollie has talked a good game but his purchases and loan signings and his selections and tactics have made us a worse side not a better one. He will have to go. We may have to look abroad for a replacement as English managers of intelligence are very thin on the ground.
Next year will be no less painful unless we have a mass clear-out and virtually start again. This team will struggle in Division 1 where nearly all teams are like those at the bottom of the Championship. Frankly I would not be certain of automatic promotion from the Conference.
Definitely 'Not fit to wear the shirt!'
City: Henderson, Stearman, McAuley, Kisnorbo (N'Gotty 21), Clapham, Bell, Oakley, Wesolowski, Hayles (Fryatt 78), Hume (Campbell 78 ), Howard
Wednesday: Grant, Bullen (Johnson 46), Wood, Beevers, Spurr, Watson, Bolder, Sahar (Clarke 84), Songo'o (Wallwork 73), Burton, Slusarski
Att: 31,892 (could be a long while before the ground is that full again – Picture courtesy of Raymonds/lcfc.com)
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation