Match Report 2002-2003

Saturday 16 November, 2002, Division One

Nottingham Forest away

Why not sack Nicky Law?

On the way back from this pasting the topic was thrown up in the air: Why not sack Nicky Law?

This was more of an open forum than a lynch mob. Whenever City lose and lose a lot the solution has always been to get the P45's out. Is that the way to go now?

Reasons to sack Nicky Law

• Results are awful. Law seems to have given up any hope of winning any away games and struggles to get the players, any players, to put in a decent level of performance. Looking at the first team around six of the players could be in the starting eleven that Law would like if his short to mid-term injuries were healed. Law should be getting the best out of players and that should be enough to at least make a fist of a game like this.
• Law does not know what is wrong with his team. He flaps around getting in strikers and midfielders when anyone with half an eye can see that the problem is the heart of the back four. Robert Molenaar just is not good enough and we need someone who can come in until David Wetherall is fit. Stephen Caldwell did it last season, Law should have got someone like that.
• Law things that Aidan Davsion is a goalkeeper when he is in fact a clown. Some people are saying that Davison was at fault for punching Jim Brennan's corner that resulted in a goal for Mathieu Louis-Jean, some say that he does not do enough meat and spuds goalkeeping for all his acrobatics.
• For all his talk about youth Law is bringing in loan players and ignoring City's kids. Harpal Singh plays for Bradford while Andy Lee is on loan away from Valley Parade. Delroy Facey plays while Danny Forrest does not. Law also gave a debut to his young striker Mark Danks while ignoring Forrest. Danks got the last five minutes in the week he signed for City from Wolves.
• Tactically Law does not have any ideas. 442 or 532 and pretty flat versions of them.
• Law uses too many uncommitted loan players.
• Law has had his chance and Stuart McCall should be given the job.

Reasons to not sack Nicky Law

• Nicky Law or Bill Shankley the simple fact is that the state that City are in no manager could be doing any better. City's squad was not strong but with the injuries to players who can do a great job at ths level: David Wetherall, Gary Walsh, Peter Atherton, Danny Cadamarteri, Jamie Lawrence, Ashley Ward and Tom Kearney. Half a team and to be frank the better half. Law deserves the chance to carry on the scramble for points without the stress of having to win games at potential Premiership club's to keep his job.
• Law is at last giving kids a chance at this club. Simon Francis and Mark Danks made debuts today, both aged 17. Michael Standing getting a chance, Mark Bower plays as does Lewis Emanuel. The likes of Andy Gray and Juanjo are senior pros. These players are only going to get better with games and if Law is left to do his job City will have built a young strong side.
• Law has tactical certainty. He likes 442, he uses 532 if he has to. The players who their roles in the side and Law keeps the game as simple as the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool do.
• Law should be judged over the season. We are not going for promotion this year. If in May 2003 we are still in the division then we will have spent a year building a team, we will be able to get rid of a few of the expensive contracts and begin to build a new side. Sacking Law now would be like getting rid of an building firm because you don't like the look of the foundations.
• Nicky Law is the best manager City will get. He is talented and should be given a chance after what he did for the Bantams during the summer. We need fifty points this season, we can make that target when a few players get fit and Law has a better team to pick from.
• We can not keep sacking managers after a year or a year and a half. The best clubs stay loyal to bosses. Law is young, talented and we need to give him a chance.

Perhaps it was the 3-0 defeat thing but it did seem like the "Ayes" had it. Personally I hope that Law's job does not come into question because I think he is building a good side at City with a good attitude. The Bantams were beaten in the first half today and once again it was a chronic inability to defend that did it but City gave a good account of themselves. Delroy Facey and Junajo are no one's dream partnership but given a touch more luck they might have fired City into the game.

As it was first half goals form the superior David Johnson, who looks to me like the best player in this Division, and before him former Grimsby Town man Jack Lester gave the home side an Australian innings advantage by the second half and City, for all the effort, never could have come back and so the long trek home.

The curious thing about this on the way back conversation was it's similarity to one we had last year after a 4-0 thumping at Birmingham City in which we asked what was to be gained by keeping Jim Jefferies at the club.

Jefferies, we concluded, was hamstring by the contracts he inherited and the quality of his squad. Within a few weeks Jefferies had left the club.

Man of the Match

Simon Francis

Made his debut at right back and looked very assured.

Bradford City Team