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Does Geography impact on City's hopes?

Stuart Radnedge returns with a post-Reading view on matters and an interesting angle on whether geogrpahy affects the calibre of player City can attract - something I've certainly felt for a number of years.

"I realised quite a few things when I heard ex-Gashead Jason Roberts had scored against us on his debut for Reading on Saturday.  And it wasn’t anything to do with my hatred for him being reignited.
I began reflecting on footballing situations.
Roberts is one of many former Premier League (he did somehow get that far!) footballers who take a step down a league and ply their trade in the Championship.  But why is it that these players always seem to join other clubs aside from us?
Is it the London, Manchester, Midlands factor? Players join a club near those areas because they’ve already set up home nearby and are hoping to stay at the club, like Reading, or alternatively play well and then move on to another not too far away? Maybe.
But by that rationale does this make West Country hopes of playing in the Premier League that little more difficult because the bigger players will always want to keep their options open for moves to clubs that are located more preferably.
Let’s be honest. If you play for City and you move on you’ve got a local selection of Swindon, Yeovil, the Gas, Cheltenham, Argyle, Torquay or Hereford. Oh and Exeter (sorry Uncle Dave).
Anywhere else in the country and you’ve got the option of playing for clubs varying from League 2 to the Premier League.
But does this mean we have to accept mediocrity. One word answer – no.
We can accept that it would have been a good result for us to come away from Reading with a point.  But we should never stop believing maybe, just maybe, we could come away with all three points.
If we looked at the league this year before a ball was kicked and said who we should expect to beat we would all probably pick the three clubs that came up from League One, plus one or two others.
But that’s not the beautiful game. Anyone who’s ever picked a nine-match accumulator and tried to predict how the results will go to make their fortune will remember the one match that ended in a draw after a 94th minute equaliser and cost them £874 for a £21 bet (I’m speaking from experience here – it’s how I could afford to eat at Uni)!
I don’t even think we were unlucky on Saturday. With a new month around the corner all I’m looking at is how we can ensure survival in the Championship.
Then we can give the gaffer a fair crack of the whip and allow him the summer to build a squad that could win us a one way ticket to the promised land…

Thanks to Stuart for his contribution.
Follow me on Twitter: @TheExiledRobin
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  1. Addiswilkin13 February 2012 at 10:51

    They looked at the league this year before a ball was kicked and said who they should expect to beat they would all probably pick the three clubs that came up from League One, plus one or two others.

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