One Swallow doesn't make a summer....

Ok I admit it, I didn't believe it either.

There I was celebrating at my other team's ground (Poole Town to those of you who are new to this) as they were presented with the Wessex Premier League Championship trophy when I received the text from my sun that the game was over & we had won 4-2.

My first thoughts, as I posted on the facebook site, was typical City. Great result but just about 3 or 4 weeks too late.
But it was the response to my reply that took me into the realms of total & utter disbelief. Both Yakubu & Bruma has scored two apiece.
Now dear reader I am sure you can understand my grounds for disbelieving my teenage son. Had he been out in the wonderful bank holiday heat too long? No, he was ill when I left so I don't think he had been outside at all. Had he overdosed on the night nurse? Possibly. Ah that had to be it then.

Unable to get a signal I rushed home, annoyed at the wait in the kebab shop. Not that there was a queue, no there was just me. But in an effort to make sure my kebab meat was fresh I had to wait 5 mins for the meat to cook (or as it looked to me - warm up).
Still no signal. Dam.
Now is it just me or has anyone else on Orange found that since they teamed up with T-Mobile it is actually harder to get a signal not easier ?

On arriving home, the aforementioned offspring was despatched with the duty of sorting out the kebabs whilst I logged onto check the match report.

And there it was... he wasn't lying. Two of the most maligned loanees of the season (and we've had a few) had put the doubters to bed and found the back of the net. Bruma was the surprise package with a brace & after being dropped Yakubu came on at half time to score two, his first since he got three against Middlesborough.

So City win 4-2 & we still have a mathematical chance of reaching the play offs, although I'm afraid I overheard the fat lady singing a few weeks ago.

But lets take those post match win rose coloured spectacles off for a moment.

Yakubu is a striker of, it is alleged, Premiership quality. So at Championship level he should be scoring at a more regular level.
Its great to see him get the 2 & 3 a game but this is on a sporadic basis. I would much prefer to see 1 goal a game more regularly, and like i stated expect it from someone of his supposed level.

Bruma is a Dutch U21 International. According to reports on FB he was played today in his preferred midfield role. Now I will have to wait to see the Championship to see how true that was, but if that is his preferred , and I am sure Sven would have know this, then why has he been played in defence where he was totally, as was obvious to every Fox Fan I believe, out of his depth even at this level.

As we were discussing this over the said kebabs, my son was impressed by the goal scoring of these two players, I did have to remind him of a certain player from Leicester's not so distant past.

Another player brought in by a new manager. A striker who had also been a Dutch International. But unfortunantly a striker who couldn't hit the proverbial barn door. Thats right, if you hadn't guessed it Mark DeVries.
We all know how bad he was. How we groaned when anyone passed to him. The smile on the opposition 'keepers face as DeVries bared down on him, knowing his effort would end up in row Z.

And yet for those all too brief 2 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur on the FA Cup game he defied all the odds to not only score, in fact not only score the winning goal but managed it from a one on one.
But then when the celebration died down we remembered it was Mark DeVries and true enough he never managed those magical heights for City again.

And thats what I can't help thinking about as I reflect on the efforts of Messrs Yakubu & Bruma tonight.
Pleased to bits for the team & for them both, but realising normal service will be resumed again next week.

On top of this another ex International who has failed to deliver this season is Vassell. Another 89 minutes. Oops sorry I meant another blank 89 minutes. He's had enough time to re-find his fitness & adjust to the English game - again. But once again here is another striker who fails to deliver more often than not.

Then there is the goalkeeping fiasco. Logan simply is not good enough even as a number two. He has had long enough to prove himself & he has not stepped up to the Mark. I for one am no great fan of Ricardo, although its obvious Sven is.
I was a fan of Weale, preferring him over the ex Portuguese International although like many others despaired at the blunder that cost us the points at Nottingham Forest. In my opinion still the best of what we have but long term? Long term we need a new Number 1 with Weale as the back up stopper.

And that has been the story of so many players this term. The simple fact is we have been caught short. We simply are not yet good enough. But should we be too downcast?

NO

Just remember,as I have said many times before, where we were when Sven came in. Bottom of the league & not long havinfg been stuffed 6-0 by the ten bottom of the league Portsmouth.

The difference Sven has made has been unbelievable.
The Thai owners have backed him to the hilt as they promised they would and, if we are honest, Sven has done the best he could within the restraints of the situation.

No pre season to assess players, quick decisions needing to be made only on the recommendations of others within the coaching set up, loan players which are always a risk but a necessity in the situation the club found itself in.

Look at the loanees, be honest to yourself if we had 'bought' all of them how many would you have been happy with ?

But as always with footy fans of clubs the world over, whatever we get we want more.
But lets take our Top 12 placing at the end of the season, be grateful for that, as I said in a earlier blog, remember where we got here from, give Sven a pre season to sort out his team with a few permanent signings, of which hopefully a goalkeeper will be one and look forward to the top 2 finish we are all hoping for,

Keep the faith.

Fozza1 / LTID