CITY SHOULD PLAY THE U18's WAY
As anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Coventry City U18's in action this season will tell you. For long periods of this season, it has been City's U18's that have been playing a style of football that would have supporters flocking into the Ricoh Arena rather than the first team.
Whilst the belief of Andy Thorn, who has only been seen at two halves of two home U18's matches, is that the whole club should be playing to one system is in some ways commendable. One only has to look at Ajax in the past and currently Barcelona to see that it does work. However, it should not stifle the good, entertaining football that Greg Rioch's teams have played this season.
It is a system that some of the best Academy teams around including the likes of Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest have failed to deal with and if chances had put away, (a massive problem for the first team this season), then the Sky Blues would have had a lot more success this season.
Granted there are matches when City's first team have to be set up not to lose, but if the first team can play like the U18's in always looking for that next goal, whilst moving the ball quickly and accurately up-field to play in the front runners then this has to be the way forward.
Thorn to his credit since he replaced Aidy Boothroyd, has made more use of the full backs and we are playing a more creative game, thanks to his diamond formation which makes for a better spectacle.
However, in the last three games against Scunthorpe, Middlesbrough and Reading, what seemed like a reluctance to finish the opposition off when chances presented themselves and trying to settle for a draw has been seen by some I've spoken to as a tad disturbing and City, as a consequence,only have two points from these games when nine was not out of the question.
We saw with Aidy Boothroyd the problems of a manager with a system and rather than going with a cover your ears attitude of 'my system is right', Andy Thorn and his back room staff need to find the right system, possibly using the Academy system as a template. It needs to be not only one that all the players playing it whatever their level are comfortable with, but is one that is good to watch and get results.
If this can be achieved, then a City season ticket may for once prove value for money.
Covsupport News Service are just one of the Academy sponsors for 2011/2012. To join them, please email Lyndsey.Elward@ccfc.co.uk