What's In A Name ?

There's been so much doom and gloom recently that for my own sanity, I needed to find a bit of light relief and I think I may have come up with something.

Writing my previous article on the appointment of our new reserve team coach, and don't get me wrong I really do wish him all the best, it suddenly dawned on me that many of City's recent appointments to the back-room staff have an inanimate object theme.

On the way out we have Tim Flowers and Frankie Bunn, who have been replaced by Eric Steele and Kenny Jackett respectively.

I guess a precedent had been set by the first team whose "inanimate" managers include Tony Book and Alan Ball. In fact City's first ever manager was called Lawrence Furniss ( a bit tenuous I know !).

I'm wondering now whether having the same name as everyday objects is a pre-requisite for the job and what possibilities that opens up for future appointments? No doubt I'll get a few decent suggestions.

I'm sure I've missed a few, but I've saved the best for last, as I don't think Arthur Cox will ever be surpassed ;-)

No Jackett Required

A lot of fans have been calling for a shake up of the backroom staff - me included. With the departure of Tim Flowers and Frankie Bunn to Coventry, there was a chance to do something radical to shake the playing staff out of a deep malaise.

It was disappointing, but sadly predictable to say the least that Pearce has seemingly gone for a "safe" option by appointing Kenny Jackett to the reserve and first team set-up, and now the opportunity to do something radical has passed him by.

I don't have anything personal against these guys, but when you look at the pedigree and achievements of Wigley and Jackett it doesn't really set the pulses racing. Was he (Jackett) selected for his outstanding footballing credentials or was it more a case that he was simply available? Similarly, Wigley's record at the top level doesn't really stand up to much close scrutiny; Southampton fans will testify to that.

I remember Jackett from his Watford days and he was a solid enough stopper. He did ok at Swansea in the sense that he managed to stay for about three years, a decent enough achievement for any football manager these days, but City are a Premiership club (well for now anyway), and should have European aspirations.

After the debacle of Saturday against Wigan, I fear that with the new backroom set-up we're in for more of the same dour, negative and mainly clueless performances. What City need are some big, strong and uncompromising personalties to whip the team into shape and reel in all the big egos and delusions of grandeur that have infested our club over the years.

Put it this way, if I were an ambitious current City player or someone looking for their next footballing career move and I was faced with a coaching staff of Jackett and Wigley, would I really fancy that? I think not !

We've got one of our biggest games for a while on Sunday when we take on Blackburn in the Cup. Hopefully we'll win, but if we do, that mustn't paper over the widening cracks in our club, because we are in big trouble, and on recent evidence we do not appear to have the management team capable of really turning it around and taking City forwards and upwards.