Source: FOOTYMAD
Boothroyd has high hopes for McSheffrey
City boss wants positve result from dropping striker Coventry City manager Aidy Boothroyd is hoping that when his striker Gary McSheffrey gets another chance to start a game, he will respond in the same manner as he did when he was previously dropped to the bench, both at Coventry City and while he was on loan at Leeds. On both ocassions McSheffrey was dropped to the bench because of indifferent form and both times when he made a start, he responded by getting himself on the scoresheet. “He came back and scored five goals after he was left out last time and hopefully he can do the same again,” said Boothroyd. The 28 year old Coventry lad McSheffrey found himself on the bench for the match at his Leeds, where he spent some time on loan during his time at Birmingham, but he did play as substitute in the second half at Elland Road. He found himself back on the bench for the home game with Crystal Palace last week, but on that ocassion, he was an unused substitute. Boothroyd explained, “What I want is competition for places and we haven’t really had that for a spell and sometimes things have got to change and sometimes people do need a bit of a push and I think both Sheffs and David Bell can feel themselves unlucky because of the form of the boys who have gone in ahead of them." "So they have got to wait for their chance and when they get it they have got to take it. And we are too small a squad for them not to get a chance.” The City boss was asked if dropping McSheffrey was a kick up the backside for the player, or if he though fellow striker Lukas Jutkiewicz was in better form at the moment and had earned his starting place ahead of McSheffrey. Boothroyd admitted, “It’s a bit of both. I think Lukas has done very well and Gary has set himself such high standards and I wanted to mix it up a little bit and that’s what I have done, but that doesn’t mean that anyone is out of my plans, far from it." "They are here because they are in my plans and he certainly is. He’s done very well but I have to do my job as well and if I think I need to shift things around a bit I will.” He continued, “When you get players coming back it obviously makes people a lot happier, especially me, because it means you have got competition for places which I don’t think we’ve had." "The team has sort of picked itself and that maybe that is one of the reasons why it has dipped. The fact that we have got lads coming back now spices it up a little bit.”
