The reaction of Geovanni to his substitution against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend has brought pretty much unanimous condemnation from the supporters. Interestingly, however, Phil Brown does not seem to be getting off scot free.
Geovanni was playing poorly when the 53rd minute subs' board went up and Nick Barmby shuffled about on the touchline, set to replace him. Upon the announcement of his name, there was a pregnant pause and then a widescale booing from the fans.
Now, the Brazilian would not be human nor professional if he were not upset at being substituted, especially as he knew above anyone that he was not performing and hasn't done for some time. But he was distinctly unprofessional in trotting slowly and deliberately to the touchline, allowing the barracking of his manager to reach a real crescendo before he and Barmby finally crossed hands.
The look on Boaz Myhill's face as Geovanni, whining, sat down next to him in the dugout said it all. The reaction was understandable but far, far overblown. It was infantile, counter-productive and not going to benefit his standing either as a player or as a squad member.
However, Brown has also been subjected to some harsh words over the whole affair, some justified, some not. Firstly, while he was within his rights to spy a player not contributing sufficiently to the action, it beggared belief that at 0-2 down, at home, to a team below the Tigers in the ever-squashier Premier League table, he would remove the one player who could transcend form and consistency to turn a game on its head with one singular piece of action.
Secondly, he expressed his anger in a rather forthright manner to the media, something which his knack for soundbites and hidden messages has always previously prevented in the event of controversy. Saying he hoped Geovanni's drugs test - the Brazilian was one of two players picked at random for doping afterwards - was positive was foolish in the extreme.
Brown also said he had wanted to see Nick Barmby contribute as he had been the best player on show against Sheffield United three days earlier (correct) and therefore deserved a chance to impact upon the Blackburn game. All well and good, but surely this would have been best served by Barmby starting the game? After all, this is what Brown chose - unwisely - to do with Nathan Doyle, who had an above adequate evening against the Blades but was helpless and without any snap at all when faced with Stephen Warnock on Sunday, a player who scored one and made one.
There is no doubt that the crowd reaction was unwelcome and entirely unhelpful on Sunday and Geovanni exacerbated the situation to try to squeeze as much from the sympathy sponge as he could. Yet ultimately he can at least look to one side and see a manager making stranger and stranger selection decisions and then seeking, for the first time ever, to justify them afterwards - something Brown has never had the inclination to do before. Brown has admitted it's a test of his character now as City continue to plummet; whether the character includes an admission that he has done things wrong and needs to have a rethink is something we must await.
As for Geovanni's future, well that depends on whether a Bullard-less Brown puts his own ego and authority ahead of selecting the one player whose creativity and sparkle could be the difference between surviving or sinking.
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