Thanks for those emails, by the way. I just wanted to drop you a note after a game with my views, for a change. The main reason for that is that, well, you ruined my day, Alex. You ruined it.
Let me just say, at this early point, that you've done a great job this season. I've praised you many, many times previously, and shall do again. However, this is meant to be a match report of the Bolton Wanderers game, so I'm only really going to talk about that. Granted, it's no longer a match report - it's a letter to you - but you get my point.
So, Alex, how did you ruin my day?
Well, everything was going so well. The trip up the M6 was surprisingly smooth and we were in Bolton in good time. There's not a great deal of pubs that allow away fans in close to the ground, and those that do tend to get rammed, so we opted to visit Bolton's top restaurant, Pizza Hut, just a few hundred yards from the stadium. We knew we could get a bite to eat and it was licensed, so that was good. I enjoyed a few Coronas (with lime) and a lovely meat feast pizza. Things were going well. You'd have loved it.
Things were going so well, in fact, that I decided to phone my bookmaker and see what odds I could get on Blues scoring at least three goals. The shackles had come off a little against Burnley, which was good to see, plus Christian Benitez had returned to the side and been excellent. I really fancied Blues to play with freedom in a meaningless game against a Bolton side who were fourteen points below us in the league. They had the pressure of being in front of their own fans and wanting to put on a display, and I just felt that, given the Burnley display and the season we've had, that we'd turn up and spoil their party.
I got odds of 7/1 on Blues to score at least three goals - I was fairly happy with that and put a tenner on. You may be wondering why I'm telling you this, Alex. You may think that it's irrelevant. Well, it's not. I'll tell you why it's not - it's because I want my tenner back. From you.
Why do I want it back from you? Well, mainly because you cheated me.
Despite the fact that you signed Kemy Agustien, I still considered that you were fairly astute. You come across as such on the telly. At times last season, when we were crap, you looked worryingly pale, and I'm glad that the colour's returned to your face, but even then you came across well. However, I am left questioning that now after your team selection today.
You dropped Christian Benitez. Are you mad? Seriously, what's wrong with you?
Four and a half thousand Blues fans made the trip to Bolton. Four and a half thousand in party mood, in fancy dress, well inebriated. It was a party day. A day for everyone to enjoy themselves. Before the game you even mentioned all of this and talked about putting on a show for the fans.
Then you dropped Benitez, brought Michel in and played 4-5-1.
Do you have any idea what effect hearing that team news had on the fans? It made me want to slit my wrists, and the majority of the others around me or that I heard talking were all equally disappointed. The party atmosphere subsided and pretty much only returned towards the end of the game.
The result was never going to affect our league position. Sure, we may lose (which we did), but Blackburn were never going to stuff the Villa (although I was delighted to see that they did win) and there's more chance of Scotland winning the World Cup this summer than there was of Stoke winning at Old Trafford. So why, Alex, why oh why did you pick the bloody team that you did?!
No one's saying Michel didn't deserve a run-out - it's not about that. Why on earth did you drop Benitez though?? Why not go up there with the same system that beat Burnley and have a go at them? If we were trying to hold on to league places or things like that, maybe defending was a decent option, but as I've said above, only a miracle would have seen that change, so why not put on a show for the 4,500 fans who travelled, rather than picking one bloody striker??
Yes, it was a meaningless game, but that's the same for the fans. It didn't really mean anything for anyone who went up there. People could have saved their money and stopped at home and not had to go to Bolton, but people wanted to make the effort. If you'd announced the team well in advance, I'd suggest that plenty wouldn't have made that effort.
Perhaps you think I'm being unfair, but what possible justification can there be for it?! I can already hear you saying, "well, 4-5-1 worked well for us at Villa Park" as some sort of explanation. Well, yes, it was ok, but we still lost, didn't score and in fairness, Villa are a bit better than Bolton bloody Wanderers. Bolton have Fabrice Muamba pulling the strings for them in midfield - someone you let go because his accuracy over ten yards was the equivalent of a blind archer.
Why, Alex? Why oh why? Why change the system? Why go to Bolton and pay them any respect when it mattered not a jot? Why? Why? Why?
The result, unsurprisingly, was that Cameron Jerome failed to hold the ball up, Bolton thus regained possession far too often, and we didn't really get going (until Benitez came on). Sure, we created a few chances, but who wouldn't against Bolton? How on earth can it be felt that banging the ball up for Jerome to hold up for our midfielders be a good idea? Please, Alex, please explain it to me.
Your stance when it comes to Benitez has baffled me for some time, and rather than type all the same stuff again, I'm just going to cut and paste some things I said after the Burnley game:
More recently McFadden has been playing up front with Jerome, and Blues completely lose the directness of their forwards when that happens. McFadden, for all his qualities, is not what you'd call a direct striker. He doesn't play on the last man and doesn't get defenders back-pedalling towards their own goal, opening up space. He's good on the ball and, as we've seen, can be effective from the left or in a deeper, free role, but when up front, you're only really left with Jerome as the direct forward. Stop him and the opposition know that the rest of Blues' play will be much deeper. When you throw Benitez in with Jerome, suddenly you have both running at you and looking to run past you. Defenders have twice the threat to deal with, ten or fifteen yards further up the pitch, meaning that they're occupied and stretched. Suddenly the game opens up and Bowyer, Ferguson, McFadden and Larsson are brought into play. It was pretty much the key component of what Blues did so well for three months not so long ago, which makes it all the more baffling as to why it was removed.
As Blues continued to press early on in the second half, Benitez found himself through on goal and bizarrely turned back, away from goal and ended up losing the ball. In that one moment, after his first half display, you probably saw the complete picture as to why there's such a debate that surrounds him. I'm a fan of his, but it'd be wrong of me to argue that he's had a good season in front of goal - he hasn't. Strangely, of his four goals this season, he's actually only scored one with his feet when in front of goal, and even that, at Wigan, he hit the 'keeper with. His other goals have been two headers at Anfield and Goodison Park and his chested effort here - all instinctive. His actual finishing when presented with a decent opportunity and a bit of time (and he's had a few) has been poor. You can't argue with that.
However, there's also no argument about the fact that Blues are better when he's in the team.
Benitez has started 21 games. Blues have won 11 of those, drawn 7 and lost 3, taking 40 points in the process. That's 1.91 points per game, which, over the course of the season, would get you 72 points. That would have secured a Champions League place this season, and is the same number of points as Arsenal currently have.
Benitez hasn't started in 16 games. Blues have won 2 of those, drawn 4 and lost 10, taking 10 points in the process. That's 0.625 points per game, which, over the course of the season, would get you 23 points. That's not many. To emphasise just how bad that is, it's even worse than Burnley. Quite a lot worse.
Now, of course I am not for one second suggesting that had Benitez started every game, Blues would be gearing up for the Champions League or that, had Blues not signed him, they'd currently be below Portsmouth. However, the stats are fairly conclusive, I'd suggest. Forty points from 21 games he's started. Two wins in the sixteen games he hasn't started. That's fairly telling.
If you ignore the Villa game, Blues created more chances against Burnley than they probably had in their previous four games combined. Yes, yes, it's only Burnley, but they still created plenty. As rubbish as Benitez is in front of goal at present, he still makes a massive difference. He still makes things happen. He still adds far more to Blues' offensively than simply his goals (or lack thereof). Is £8m too much for him? Possibly, but look at the stats above. Is £8m too much for a player who has that sort of impact? Maybe not.
The final points that I'll make on the subject are those that have been made before and one that possibly hasn't.
Firstly, he's young, he's never played in Europe before, let alone England, and after his "minder" Giovanny Espinoza was released, he would (you'd imagine) have been a bit on his own. It cannot have been easy for him. Yet despite all of that, I still maintain he's had a cracking season. How many players with such little experience come over from South America and make such an impact immediately? Not many. Not many at all. He's made a huge impact, pretty much other than scoring goals. Yes, yes, that's important for a striker, but look at what else he has brought, and in his first season outside of his home continent. He's been impressive.
And finally, yes, the goals haven't come, but there are signs that they will. He gets into the positions. You can't dispute that. He hasn't made the most of those positions, but he's got into them which is half the battle. Also, go back to what I said above and look at the Liverpool, Everton and Burnley goals he's got - they were all instinctive. He's got that instinct. He can do it. I just hope and pray that it's Blues who see him doing it and that we don't play the part of giving such a talented player a great season of experience and grounding in the English or European game only for him to prosper elsewhere.
Those were my thoughts last week, Alex. Basically, for eight games we'd looked less threatening than we had done for most of the season and failed to win. Then you brought Benitez back in, he was (for many people) man of the match and hugely influential, and we won.
As balls were being launched forward into the channels for Jerome to chase today, I couldn't help thinking that if you had two men up there, they'd be doing 50% of the work each. I know that sounds obvious, but balls were going left, right and down the middle, and Jerome, as quick as he is, couldn't make something of them all. Add the fact that, when the ball does get to Jerome, there's only a 25% chance that he can control it, and you're suddenly up against it when it comes to keeping the ball. At least the ball sticks at Benitez's feet.
Now, seriously Alex, it may have been a meaningless final game, but can you please justify to me why Benitez has been side-lined so much late on this season? He was a crucial part of what Blues did when we went fifteen games unbeaten. The statistics when he does play and when he doesn't play speak for themselves - look at them above again and you'll see that. In fact, that was last week, you can add another defeat in the "games not started" column.
Yes, his finishing is rubbish. His penalty today was one of the worst I've ever seen. I've seen people hit their kids harder than that. Who was it who won the penalty though? Who was it who had come on and helped Blues have a period of sustained pressure? Sure, it may just be coincidence, but today, when Benitez was off the pitch, Blues lost 2-0. When he was on the pitch, Blues won 1-0. Look at the statistics. It's gone beyond coincidence.
I'm not stupid, Alex, and nor are our fans. Well, some of them are, mainly the ones from Weoley Castle, but most aren't. Is your best justification really the one I read a few weeks back that he "needs to do a bit more in training"? Really? Honestly? Are you sticking to that?
Last time I checked, the Premier League didn't award many (if any) points for what someone does in training. I understand that Caleb Folan and his Hull teammates train really hard, but it hasn't done much for him or them, has it? On the other hand, Ledley King's a lazy sod and never trains, yet he was immense in midweek, is in the Champions League next season and is currently England's best centre half. So tell me, Alex, why is training so important when the results on the pitch suggest otherwise? I couldn't care less if the players sat on their arses, in their pants, playing Call of Duty 8 and eating Doritos all week if, when it gets to Saturday/Sunday/Monday evening/Tuesday/Wednesday or whenever they play a match, they play well and contribute to a victory. Benitez always has and often does, yet you won't play him.
What is it, Alex? Were you shunned by a girl in a club on Sauchiehall Street whilst Sash's 'Ecuador' was playing? Do you hate his hair? What is it? Just be honest with us, and we'll accept it, but don't say, "och aye, he could try a bit harder on the shuttle runs". That's garbage. We deserve better than that. We may not have years of experience in football and we may not be managers, coaches, players and all the rest of it, but we watch quite a lot of football and we know what we see. We know Stephen Carr is better than Stuart Parnaby and that pretty much anyone is better than Garry O'Connor. We do know a few things. Just be honest with us, please. Look, I'll buy you a beer over the summer and you can explain it to me. I'd like that. Are you going to South Africa to scout anyone? I'll be over there. Let's meet up in Cape Town. I'll be the one in a Blues shirt with "BENITEZ 11" on the back.
Most of this is probably fairly irrelevant now, as you're not going to sign him and you're going to bring in Kris 'Perpetual Motion' Boyd. I get the impression that he's a top trainer. He always looks quite an athlete to me. You'll be chuffed with him.
So, Alex, that's why you ruined my day. You dropped a forward who had been influential in a win just a week previously, played 4-5-1 and paid Bolton Wanderers respect in a game that meant nothing to anyone except to the 4,500 fans who bothered to show up. The result wasn't really a surprise.
As I say, we've had a brilliant season and you deserve all the credit that you get. This was one game though, and it was a game that could (and should) have been a real sign-off to the season - a real party. You pooped that party, Alex. You pooped it, you party-pooper.
So, hopefully we'll meet up over the summer for that drink and you can give me my tenner back. Enjoy your break - apart from today's insanity, you pretty much deserve it.
Yours, a little fed up,
Richard
PS - Don't spunk £12m on Aiden McGeady.