Tuesday 09 October, 2001

JJ to rotate more

Jim Jefferies will rotate the squad more in October blaming a failure to do so as a factor in City's poor November.

"We had a heavy programme of five games in a fortnight and one or two maybe suffered from it. We've not got a big squad and we need to utilise it a bit better." said the City boss. Quite who JJ plans to rotate in is unclear. Gary Walsh is unassailable as goalkeeper. The back four now has the option of Lewis Emanuel/Wayne Jacobs on the left but the injury to Jamie Lawrence means that Gunnar Halle is City's only right back until Peter Atherton returns to fitness. Andy Myers and Robert Molenaar could rotate along side David Wetherall, but Wetherall has proved undroppable.

Even disregarding Lawrence's absence the midfield three of Gary Locke, Stuart McCall and Gareth Whalley come under little threat. Claus Jorgensen has not done enough to suggest he should get a start, Lee Sharpe hopes to come back towards the end of the month, Lee Makel offers little other than fresh legs to replace Gareth Whalley.

Andy Tod or Ashley Ward is a straight choice for Jefferies but the sacking of Ben Jones does cut his striking options. Understanding that the forward line needs height, creativity and pace (Ward, Jess and Carbone respectively, although Carbone adds to Jess's section considerably) a section three of Tod for tall, Blake for skill would need Gareth Grant for pace and while there was no proof that Jones would have been more useful in the side than Grant has proved, his untapped potential was always promising, a case of better the devil you did not know because he might be really good. All that assumes that Grant ever returns from his trial at Darlington.

If City are to rotate and rotate well then Jim Jefferies needs a better quality of reserve player. Of the current crop Andy Myers, Lewis Emanuel and Robbie Blake are the only guaranteed talent Jefferies has to draw on. Peter Atherton and Lee Sharpe both could be useful but have disappointed in the past, Claus Jorgensen and Gareth Grant have a lot of do to convince City fans that they are not more of "second string" than "rotations in" and Lee Makel offers 80% of Gareth Whalley.

Should Danny Calamartari be prised from Everton for minimal cost he would give striking options and would also allow Eoin Jess to rotate back to midfield. M'Saddek Senoussi sits in France (we assume) having agreed in principal a deal to join City on loan for a year. If City are to start rotating more, we need players like this to rotate in.