Mark Stewart

Up with the fairy lights 2012/13.

Parkinson brings that on himself. He would avoid a lot of the flak if, just for once, he replaced a crowd favourite with someone that was better instead of worse.

Stewart has been gone 1 day!

I was referring to Compton Mk 1.

You're on fairly dodgy ground though if you're expecting Parkinson to sign a forward worthy of the name.

In my view parky has improved every position he had tackled with the exception of keeper so I'll keep an open mind.

I agree - although I would add left back to the keeper position. I was always a fan of OB. In that respect Ted has a point

How come, with all this improvement and 23 games, we have only moved from 4th bottom to 5th bottom then?

It obviously isn't a vast improvement but I think you'd struggle to say that Seip, Davies, Ravenhill and Reid haven't improved our side. I do wonder where we would have been without them.

You won't agree but even Fagan is an improvement on the right sided midfielders from the start of the year.

Well for me its because every year we rip up the team sheet and start again with a new manager. I would also argue that the most successful periods in City's recent history have been when there has been a measure of consistency at the club, even through times when managers have changed. I'm thinking Cherry / Dolan, Kamara / Jewel.

I totally agree though its worrying times. But today had a draw written all over it, (I was there), and we threw away 4 points against Morecambe and Burton. I can't help feeling that we should be sat on 7 point from 9 instead of two. I just cannot accept that this team is as bad as its position in the league - or as bad as some on here would paint it.

Fagan got slated on both radio stations today by the commentating teams, their opinions were not just based on today's performance either, it was illuminating to hear Sticks (a wideman himself at Villa as they challenged for the Championship) views of him. He's offering nothing, he's a hindrance, a waste of a position that could be providing something positive, L2 journeymen defenders like Seip or Ramsden could do the same job no problem.

Fair enough, I said you wouldn't agree. At very worst he is interchangeable with Mitchell though.

I take it you agree with the other then?

When as Stewart played as a striker he as either played wide left or wide right in either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation there is only one game he has played as a Striker I can remember since he came here how can you judge him when playing in a role that he wasnt brought in for. I cant knock Wells he has done well and looks a very good player however dont compare him with Stewart when Stewart hasnt played in the same role.

Are you sure Stewart hasn't played as a central striker, I seem to remember him starting the season upfront with Hanson.

I can't agree that we threw points away against Morecambe and Burton, we weren't really better than either of them. If you can't take advantage of chances that come your way and fail to put daylight between you and the opposition, then there will often be a sting in the tail.

I'd pretty much agree with that, the defence does look stronger and Ravenhill looks like an excellent buy as a holding midfielder. Surely that should be enough of a platform to be more expansive in other areas?

To be fair to Fagan, I should have added that with his lack of (any) pace or tricks, perhaps his non-involvement is not down to him, as a player, but the position that he is playing in.

Other 3, all good signings, I am happy with them. But, , you'll never ever convince me it's sensible to play Seip at LB, his distribution was calm and composed till he went there. Ravenhill, I'd have him and Jones as the best partnership, but I'd have Jones and anybody tbh, maybe he is replacing Flynn? I never like a midfield duo to both be scrappers/battlers.

I think when we have our first choice back four it gives us a base to work from, losing 1 or 2 of these certainly affects the platform.

It depends how expansive you expect us to be? To me a team with the attacking threat of Syers, Reid and possibly Wells and Jones is pretty offensive but it depends on your level of expectation. If you're expecting us to steamroller teams with a blur of attacking skill then I fear you will always be disappointed but when compared to other teams at this level I don't think we particularly lack for being expansive when almost everybody is fit.

How did I know there would be a but?!

For me Seip is a full back, I'd actually play Ramsden at centre half before switching Seip and I think he's equally as comfortable on either side. No concerns with Seip at left back in my mind.

I know you like Jones in the middle but the problem IMO is that the opposition often play with two (or even three) battlers in the middle and we lose the war before we ever have chance to play our game with Jones + one other in there. I know you're going to say that we should just be able to possess the ball to dominate them which is great in theory but doesn't happen in practice. I do wonder whether Jones (like Doherty and McLaren before him) would be more suited to playing in a 3.

Seip's distribution from RB or CB stood out as good, at LB he gets in right muddle at times, as any player always on their wrong foot would, Seip is not 2 footed pal, far from it. Jones can battle just as much as Flynn or Ravenhill, he is definitely not shy in the niggly business, but he is the best "footballing" midfieler we have, the only one, come to think of it IMO.