CALAMITOUS City sank to a new low at Saltergate as they submitted their annual bid to be nominated football's biggest laughing stock.
Supine, slow and lacking the heart and fight that their manager and fans demand, the Blues were simply pathetic as they crashed out of the Carling Cup after fielding their "strongest" side and taking a 1-0 lead.
This third defeat on the trot and 13th in 16 outings merely piled the pressure on Stuart Pearce's reign as boss with West Ham's visit on Saturday taking on huge significance.
Supporters have a right to expect better than this gutless surrender to a team ranked two divisions below them.
The passing was atrocious, the thought processes worse and the body language lamentable.
After the ignominy of crashing out at Doncaster last season, a result too hot on the heels of a shambolic FA Cup exit at Oldham for any kind of comfort, one might have thought the Blues would be determined not set themselves up as Premiership patsies again. No such luck.
Pearce named a side as close to his starting XI as his long list of injured, infirm and suspended would allow him but not enough of his highly-paid imported stars appear to have enough feel for the club and seemed to be going through the motions.
Heart
If they want their boss to be in a job come the end of this month, they had better start showing it out on the pitch.
One who always does wear his heart on his sleeve, Paul Dickov, was "rested" to the bench and Georgios Samaras given the opportunity to begin justifying the theory that his first full season with the Blues will see him live up to his expensive price tag.
To be fair to the young Greek international he has not really had the chance this term to play as a central striker having too often been asked to perform a role on the left flank that doesn't necessarily suit his attributes - even if he did execute it with distinction at Heerenveen in the less harsh surroundings of the Dutch top division.
Here he was paired with Italian Bernardo Corradi in a partnership that cost the Blues in excess of é8m.
On first viewing it ought to have been thoroughbreds against pit ponies but sporting form lines are rarely upheld particularly when the classier outfit is taken out of its usual rareified environment and this was no exception. Samaras and Corradi looked anything but a matching pair.
Tired
Chesterfield's Recreation Ground, to give it its other name, is positioned neatly in the long shadow of the town's famous crooked church spire.
The stadium, although that is slightly too grand a word, is antiquated, more than a little tired around the edges and must have been a culture shock particularly to those City players who had not come up through the ranks or just arrived from state-of-the-art grounds abroad.
This is Blue Collar football in the raw, designed for the stand-up, a roll your own, pie-eating customers proud of their own small towns. There are precious few signs at places like Saltergate enticing the corporate brigade whose only concept of a nutmeg is as an accompaniment to their prawn sandwiches!
Clubs like Chesterfield have a charm of their own and real soul and it would be a crying shame if they disappeared. In many cases they are the heartbeat of a town and the locals were certainly pumped up.
And even though City went ahead through Samaras the warning signs were there.
Chesterfield could feel aggrieved at being behind but it didn't take them long to make their superiority and desire count as Caleb Folan headed them level five minutes after the break.
Legless City wobbled, though it took a magnificent 20-yard right foot volley from Derek Niven to put them on their knees in the 66th minute. Sadly the Blues didn't have the strength, skill or will to lift themselves off the canvas.
What do you think? Have your say.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
An apology for yesterday's article lambasting us for wanting answers to questions and a commitment to undertake some quality investigative journalism as to what the heck is going on at our club to follow then Mr Bailey? I won't hold my breath.
An honest and excellent appraisal of last night's catastrophe by Chris Bailey.
The only thing I object to is the use of the word "star" to describe ANY City player.
We are really in an awful mess.
Hard luck city after almost pulling off the shock of the League Cup 2nd round. Going ahead against the mighty C/field was a gallant effort, only to be robbed after 2 late flucky goals in the cauldron of an arena which is Saltergate. Unfortunately those goals closed the gate on your dreams this season. Nonetheless there is always the inter players/fans darts competition to look forward to, which always is a good source of silverware for the trophy cabinet..
crisis --- what crisis. ???
!!!!!!!!!!
sick to death of all the doom and gloom surrounding city. This season ticket is my last.
maybe it'd be a good thing to get relegated. I'm not sure I want to support Premier League footballers anymore.
How unlucky is that? The MEN have TWO writers on their books called Chris Bailey! The one yesterday spoke glibby and contemptuously of those fans who call for change, as they believe those running the club have failed them. "No!" he cried, "just a little more patience and all will be well... why, it's only five games into the season!" And then today's report all but has the journo storming the gates of COMS leading the revolt! I think the REAL Chris Bailey should stand up! Crisis? What crisis?
This article is spot on. City could learn a lot from Chesterfield both on and off the field.
Hardly a 'new low' is it.
just embarrassed and ashamed to be a city fan. don`t know why as i`ve supported them through thick and thin over the years and traveled all over but at 36 and i don`t know if it`s my age or what but i genuinely feel like i`ve had enough of this club, would never change my alliegance but rather not bother going to any games any more. fed up of being taken for a mug paying to watch this rubbish week in week out. this whole regime is killing all the passion i`ve had over the years. don`t expect miracles and trophies just to watch a team that plays with a bit of pride and passion in a team who you can feel proud to support even when they lose. would like to start taking my four-year-old to games but why inflict a lifetime of this on an innocent child. don`t we deserve better than this?
LISTEN ALL YOU FED UP CITY FANS!! AND LISTEN GOOD. FORGET PEARCE, FORGET WARDLE,ALTHOUGH WE ALREADY KNOW WARDLE HAS NO AMBITION FOR OUR CLUB.FORGET YELLOW SHIRTS. THAT PILE OF 11-15 OR SO IDIOTS WHO ARE PAID MILLIONS HAVE BEEN OUTPLAYED YET AGAIN BY 11 PLAYERS WHO PLAY FOR PASSION AND NOT MONEY.SO THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR.GET RID OF ALL THE MONEY GRABBING TARTS AND BRING IN GOOD OLD FASHIONED HEART, AND THAT IS WHY THIS CLUB HAS A HISTORY.SO PUT THE RESERVES OUT ON THAT GREEN STUFF BECAUSE AS WAS ONCE SAID TO FERGIE 'YOU WONT WIN NOTHING WITH KIDS'.FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!
When will this nightmare end? When will City fans of our Era get to see a decent side? When will anyone ever have a bit of respect for us rather than the constant mocking we normally get. And I bet if we go down this season my season ticket will still be ¿¿500!!
GUTTED,shall i bother goin on saturday ?? Course i will but this is very very bad,one of the worse sides city has ever had,goin back crying now
blimey it must be bad if baileys finally agreeing with us fans.its about time.PEARCE OUT NOW
Who knows if this is the worst team in recent memory, its certainly the worst to watch ( and I include the Div 1 and 2 teams ). SP is a Frank Clark in disguise. His problem is he saw Blackburn and Bolton play hoof and hope last season with good success, and thought he would have a bit of that. Except we havent got the players to do it and so end up being an ugly inneffectual team ! Hopefully revolution will be in the air on Saturday !
Perhaps its a cunning plan: to lower the share price and tempt a billionaire into purchasing the club. Or then again clueless management, player apathy and general arrogance based on past successes.
It is more than likely that a new manager and coaching team will be at City next week. My informants tell me that a manager who is available has been approached on the basis of, should SP leave would they consider a contract until the end of the season with the task to keep the team up and a substantial bonus for doing so. It's early days but you heard it here first rather than in the Daily Mirror! Apparently JW is still undecided but the reputed "fifth column" are working their stuff. SP will cost nothing to get rid of due to the clause he insisted on in his contract, the only cost will be paying off some of the coaching staff.
Sorry, but it's time to go Stu. We cannot carry on like this. Thanks for all your genuine hard work and honesty, but give the keys to Mr Curbishley and save us from relegation
and the point of this article is ???.....presumably to show the author can state the downright bleeping obvious whilst regurgitating the exact same articles on last nights game that have already been written but with the same words in a different order. BE A PROPER JOURNALIST AND GO INTERVIEW WARDLE AND PEARCE
Paddy Fox Manchester presuming you are a `red ` the first real test of the season against Arsenal and you came unstuck sort of makes a statement ? think first before engaging brain ! By the way Paddy shouldnt you be digging roads somewhere ?
You can't sign players on free transfers and who were farmed out on loan at their previous clubs and expect to compete in the Premiership or Division One as it appears.
I wonder if the club wonder why they are having to use their main page of the Website to try to sell tickets to watch us this year. In my opinion, if form continues to decline like it is doing, we will be down to an average of about 30,000 by seasons end. If Stuart Pearce cant motivate this lot to beat Third division sides, then who can? Stop being pushovers, laughing stock, easy meat, and for once, PLEASE STOP BEING HUMBLED....................
I like SP and feel for him but he has brought this on himself with his policy in the transfer market. There were/are two key positions that are crying out to be filled. Left Back and Left Mid. Instead he bought Haman, Dabo, Corradi and Dickov...WHY? Why let BWP go and bring in Dickov, at least BWP had pace and in my opinion never got a run in the side. Why buy Corradi when we have Samaras. Why buy both Dabo and Haman when we have Barton, Reyna, Ireland and Michael Johnson coming through and had Croft who could play either side. Why buy Trabelsi when we have D Mills, M Mills, Onohua and Richards. We could have bought a couple of wide players with pace and a better left back than we have.SP has brought experienced players but in the wrong positions forcing us to play Direct footbal that is not good to watch. The team has no pace in the midfield or attack and we wonder why we are having to play the long ball. SP is reponsible for this and much as I like and admire him as a man and have defended him many times on this board, I have to admit I have lost faith in his tactical ability but am not sure who we should get to replace him. I have never liked Curbishley and O'neil is now at Villa. Please God not O'leary. Maybe Glenn Hoddle if he can keep the other elements of his life out of the job but I cannot think of an obvious, top class, available manager.
What is going on, at City, using the stadium for an excuse give me a break. If these over paid players can't cope with playing at any ground then they should not get paid ¿¿30K a week. Will be calling it a day after the West Ham game unless there is a major improvment I am lucky that I dd not get a season ticket and do have a city card.
Chris Bailey soon changed his tune, at least now he's singing from everybody's hymn sheet. We should have seen the writing on the wall at the end of last season but there were plenty of excuses we could draw on, now I can't come up with any apart from lack of money. And lets face it if we'd have had Harry redknapp or Big Sam their summer aquisitions with no money would have been infinately better.