April 22 2007

Peter Taylor

As CPFC's season stutters to a close, Jamesey almost started to reflect on the meaning of life, but thankfully stopped himself at the last minute.

After nearly six years as your humble columnist, it is a unique feeling that I have almost nothing to write about at all.

On Saturday (April 21), the Eagles played Barnsley away and managed to lose 2-0 to a struggling team.

There were, of course, mitigating factors, such as the retaken penalty because of Julian Speroni's save was deemed to be down to early movement.

I have a hardly seen a penalty taken for years without the keeper moving early but referees always ignored it...until now.

Anyhow, no excuses, we lost the match and, as I write, stand 13th in the CCC table with two more games to play.

At this point I ought to come clean and say that I am more annoyed with myself than I am with Peter Taylor and his under-performing troupe.

When Simon Jordan named his first manager as Alan Smith in 2000 I didn't expect anything very much on previous evidence and, by George, I certainly didn't get very much.

But at least we had the excitement of a relegation scrap and, ultimately, the famous Stockport victory to help keep us up.

I expected quite a lot from Steve Bruce but his early departure prevented us from seeing what could have been.

I certainly didn't expect anything from Trevor Francis and I certainly didn't get much from him either. His entire reign matched this current season in dullness and mediocrity.

But, as I have admitted before in this column, I did expect a lot from Peter Taylor.

I thought he was the right man for the job and had been a great coup for Simon Jordan.

Well, unless the situation changes dramatically next season - and that, of course is always a possibility - I have seen little in Peter Taylor's attitude, player buying, selection and tactics, to convince me that we are going anywhere under his guidance.

And the really irritating thing is that I am as much to blame as anyone because I welcomed him with open arms.

Mea culpa...

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