Match Report 2002-2003
Saturday 26 April, 2003, Division One
Preston North End Away
The problem with Nicky Law
Napoleon had the right idea when it came to his leaders. He wanted them lucky. I wonder what he would have thought about Nicky Law?
Not much probably. Boney was a French military man born in 1769. The dealings of sport in the country he had little time for would not have been top of his list of interests, what he all those restorations and Republics floating about, but it's hard to decide if Nicky Law is the Lucky General that the Frenchman spoke of.
By which I mean I'm not sure if Nicky Law is a good manager who suffers bad luck on the field or whether his tlanets lay away from the pitch. His record with the young players at City is superb, this will be rememebered as the season of Simon Francis, Lewis Emanuel and Danny Forrest, but on days like today one was left wondering if Law has the flair for on the field machinations.
Not that Law makes obvious mistakes, indeed the fact his predecesor Jim Jefferies had one fifteen years in the hot seat more than the City boss but still cocked things up on a regualr basis suggests that the road of Nicky Law's learning curve is not off track, but often his starting eleven fails to spark leading to the odd change livinging up the side. Today was no exception. Ben Muirhead and Danny Forrest were left on the bench but after a first half when Pawel Abbott got the decisive goal then came on and City had a fair few chances that, which a touch of fotune, would have resulted in a goal or two. Andy Gray came closest but saw a Littlewhites defender knock the ball away from him. David Wetherall and Mark Bower also had decent chances, maybe your luck is out when your chances fall to centrebacks.
Gordon Gibb believes that next season will me make or break for Law as the shackles of Bantams Administartion and Premiership hang over come off and with the exception of the problem of Ashley Ward getting paid enough for four pros he is right but one wonders what sort of gauge will be set agianst sucess for the Bantams boss. Law gave a debut to Tom Penford off the bench today as he cranks up the Bantam production line. If Law brought through another three or four good prospects while performing respectibily in the league would that be sucess or are we really after the boss getting us in the play offs next year?
Time will tell. For the moment Law reflects on days like today and decisions like that one at home to Brighton and might concludes that he is due a change in fortune.