Defensive naivety costs City again

How many times have we said similar words this season? Once again, the Tigers get within sniffing distance of a valuable point, and once again, they ?let? the opponents get a winning goal. It is starting to look like the part of the squad that was so strong last season in League 1, the central defenders, has become a problem in the Championship.

Unfortunately, it can be a problem that feeds on itself within the team. Once the players drop points etc., through defensive mistakes, the fear of losing other points can’t help but get into the players minds. Then they start to fear making errors, stop playing in the style that got them to that position of gaining a point and before you know it, BAM!, another goal is conceded and the game is lost.

There is no wonder PT got a bit shirty with Alex Burgess on Radio Humberside when this issue was raised after this game, but it’s a problem that he should be trying to overcome. If this is not his tactic then perhaps the team DO need an older, wiser, more experienced centre back to grab a few of the players by the scuff of the neck. They’re allowing other teams to push them back and dominate the game in the dying minutes, and once that starts to happen then it’s a short step to a slippery downward slope.

Stuart Green may say the team is a confident one, but actions are starting to suggest that on the pitch, between 3 and 5 pm, the confidence is not all it might be. The problem is that the solution appears to be one of time, and time is not what the team have. After Crewe on March 18th, five of the last seven opponents are currently in the top half of the table. Nothing short of 6 points in the upcoming home games against Plymouth and Crewe will be enough, otherwise City’s fate this season will be in the hands of others. Two wins will put the club’s destiny back in their own hands. Let’s hope the players can play the way they can, and make sure that Championship football is back at the KC next season.