Pearson verdict
Could we have done better, or have City reached the limit

THE CUNNING FOX, 01.09.2009

City went up last season after winning League 1 in style. So far we have managed to bring home 8 points from our first 5 games and looks solid.

After watching the team live on two occations against Ipswich and Barnsley, I must admit that they have impressed me. There are of cours a couple of things you would have liked to be better.

The defence with Brown and Hobbs looks impressive and with Morrison and Tunchev as cover you would certainly not be thinking about any other players in this area.

McGivern has joined as cover on the left side, with Bruno Berner and Chris Powell also available. Robbie Neilson has been playing on the right back, but honestly after watching him, he looks a bit shaky. I am not convinced that he will be able to cope with this level coming from SPL which is a league on a lower standard than the Championship.

Richie Wellens looks as a great signing and has so far done well. Oakley and King are ok, but we should have signed a new quality central midfielder who could have given Oakley a hard time to settle in the team, or move Oakley out to the right with Dyer to the left.

New signings such as Gallagher and Kermangant is a bit risky and I would be surprised if anyone of them will make a great impact this season. Gallagher is not a flank player and why Pearson sign him for a relatively big fee, £ 1 million, and moves him from his best position and play him on the flank is a bit difficult to understand.

Adams, N'Guessan and Dyer are far much better in the flank area than Paul Gallagher and this looks difficult. To sign a 27 year old player like Kermangant and just have him as a fourth or fifth cover, with also Waghorn available, looks to me as lack of judgement and desperate moves for players you will not use.

The best way to deal with your team is to have a small balanced squad with around 18 players fighting for places in the line up, then cover this up with a gruop of home grown talent of six or seven players that are hungry and looks for a chance just to get on the bench.

I am afraid that we at the moment have a squad that is not good enough to fight for a play-off position and that there are too many players at a standard below the level of Championship top half football.

Straight promotion quality
Richie Wellens
Wayne Brown
Jack Hobbs
Alexander Tunchev

Play off materiel
Chris Weale
Matty Fryatt
Matt Oakley
Michael Morrison
Steve Howard

Mid table men
Nicky Adams
Dany N'Guessan
Conrad Logan
Martyn Waghorn
Max Gradel
Bruno Berner
Paul Gallagher
Lloyd Dyer
DJ Campbell

Championship quality ?
Robbie Neilson
Yann Kermangant
Andy King
Ryan McGivern
Chris Powell
Astrit Ajdarevic

18 players are good enough for the Championship level, but the rest of them will struggle and has done so over the first five games, and two Carling Cup games.

Some of Pearson signings are a bit strange, but hopefully it will make sence in a month or two. City needs more quality in certain areas and the squad looks a bit unbalanced with few options in certain areas.

Right back and the centre of midfield looks a bit thin. A certain Stephen Clemence could, if he can get back after his terrible injury nightmare give us more depth in the centre of midfield.

The right back position is currently occupied by Robbie Neilson, but after watching him in two games and reading the reports from his performances against Newcastle you must wonder why Pearson has no other clear option on that position.