Funny where idle conversations can lead you. Last time my French partner, Suzanne, was in London I was trying to both extol the virtues of - and acknowledge the chequered previous career in England – of Kermorgant. Then on a boat near Charing Cross ahead of the Fulham game I was outlining why I blamed them for at least two of the six relegations I’ve suffered as an Addick (more later). Both streams of thought may, I hope, prove to be fruitful, not least as I’ve found it hard this season to post much other than match reports. This might be pressure of work, but may also relate to the fact that there’s been really nothing to take issue with regarding team formation, selection, tactics, signings (and departures) etc. I don’t profess any understanding of these things in any event, but the spleen venting of recent seasons (very happily) just doesn’t apply.
Taking these in turn, I was telling Suzanne about Yan’s rather unfortunate penalty for Leicester in their Championship play-offs semi-final and - in addition to unearthing a video of the strike (it’s hardly difficult) - came across the song that Leicester fans subsequently penned to sum up their feelings about him. I’m not going to include any links as it’s annoyingly catchy and totally inappropriate for a guy who’s been truly splendid for us (may he continue to be). I was decidedly uneasy when I saw the Mail’s piece on Celtic making a play for him (I wouldn’t read the obnoxious rag if you paid me but the BBC’s gossip page had the link), especially as it indicated that he was “available” for £1m. Just sloppy journalism I trust, but reassurance came with the SkySports report indicating that after Celtic made contact it won’t go any further. This report suggested he is happy where he is, as he should be.
Nevertheless, we do need to come up with a song for him and, as there’s a decent chance he’ll line up for us against Leicester next season, what better than to adapt their one, with more appropriate lyrics? They just might sing it next season and we should be prepared to drown them out with our version. They used the Bonnie Tyler ‘classic’ Total Eclipse of the Heart. This repeats ‘turnaround’, for which Kermorgant is substituted. The rest should remain unsaid and not listened to (the original and the Leicester version) but an appropriate ending for us might be ‘knocking ‘em in from the start’ So, for me it’s ‘Kermorgant, he’s been knocking ‘em in from the start’ (repeat ad infinitum).
Having failed miserably before to generate support for an adaptation of David Essex’s Rock On for Therry Racon (‘Racon .. ooh my soul’) I hold out no hopes, but we’ve a team to be proud of and they deserve more songs. (Should be said, Racon’s been doing a standout job since moving to Millwall; takes their money and so far one appearance, in the League Cup.) Surely we can redo the Nicky Bailey one for someone. It might help if the club site published the places of birth of all the first team. We don’t have to have someone from Portugal (or Senegal) to pin the Jorge Costa/Semedo one on; there’s Donegal for example. I thought if Michael Smith made an early breakthrough into the first team he might get it, coming from Newcastle (or thereabouts). OK, it’s stretching it, but if we can make Solly rhyme with quality .....
It’s a well-worn mantra, but as with the team’s focus the vocal support on Saturday has to be spot-on. It’s going to be a big crowd, a tough game, so pleeeeze no moaning, no howls of anguish at every misplaced pass. They deserve better.
So, back to Fulham and first clearing up the number of our relegations they should be held accountable for. Most of us were there for the linesman’s gaffe that did for us in the Premiership (yes, the blame could be spread around a bit but I’m content to continue to blame Fulham). One. Now our relegation from the Championship can be directly linked to the turmoil following eviction from the Premiership. Two. Before that, in 1971/72 a Fulham revival in the final third of the season (which admittedly coincided with us not winning any of our 10 games, including a 2-2- home draw against Fulham when they equalised with a couple of minutes left) saw us replace them in the bottom two after the final game (we were never in the bottom two until after the final game). Three.
Now it might be pushing it to blame Fulham for us going down from the old Second Division in 1979/80. We did finish bottom and seven points adrift of third bottom .... Fulham. But if you look at the stats we failed to win in our last 12 games and these included two 0-1 losses to Fulham. If we had instead won both, we would have stayed up. Four.
Just how we can point the finger for the 1989/90 relegation from the old First Division under Lenny Lawrence, or for the one from the Premiership under Curbs, is not so easy. Fulham weren’t in our division. So for now the count stands at four from six. If anyone has any good suggestions for why it should be higher I’m open to suggestions. (For the record, I have nothing but good feelings about Fulham, a splendid club with tremendous supporters.)
Anyway, the said onboard conversation about the 1971/72 season centred on my befuddled memory at the time telling me that Fulham’s revival that season was sparked by them getting Alan Mullery in on loan from Spurs at a time when this was exceptional (we’ll pass over us having borrowed a certain Swedish forward at an opportune time some years back). A fellow Addick checked the records and saw that late in the season Mullery turned out for Spurs in a European game, suggesting my recollection might have been faulty. This in turn prompted me to dig out the scrapbooks that I kept, from the mid-60s through to the mid-70s (can’t think why I stopped). This did confirm that Mullery didn’t play for Fulham against us in the game towards the end and further research suggests that Mullery did indeed go on loan to Fulham, was behind their upturn in fortunes, but was recalled by Spurs before the season ended.
The trawl through the scrapbooks threw up all sorts of reminders of past glories and I hope to put together a mini-series, not exactly reviewing the seasons concerned but perhaps highlighting some of the dafter cuttings that I kept and some of the more memorable moments (as I remember them, which must be the truth). After all, following victory on Saturday there’s going to be even less otherwise to carp about.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Proud Indeed
Sod’s law again. Catching up after my usual monthly trip to Amsterdam, I decided that I just couldn’t spare the time to get to Sheffield yesterday. In the event I probably could have gone there and back twice in the total time that I spent in a state of suspended animation while the game was on – I had to resort to doing the washing up to avoid just watching the clock tick down - and subsequently staring at the league table with a silly, smug grin on my face. Haven’t stopped yet.
I can’t comment on the game, but looking at the reports of others the abiding feeling is that, as for the Huddersfield game, the focus was spot on. The home match against Sheffield Wednesday was the only one I’ve seen this season when the opposition were clearly on top in the final third of the game and the final whistle was something of a relief (you could I suppose add Scunthorpe at home, but we were then defending a two-goal lead late on). MK Dons outplayed us in the first half of that one, but we responded in the second. Sheff Wed will have remembered how the previous contest went, as after we wiped the floor with them in the first 20 minutes they gradually ground us down through sheer strength and lumping it up in the air (to be fair, ie playing to that strength). Just how the game would have gone had they equalised as at The Valley is a moot point; they didn’t. The evident frustration in Megson’s post-match comments only add to the delight. And yes, Sir Chris, you’re absolutely right about us being proud of the team.
The victory only serves to cement certain statistics. Everyone’s well aware that the top five in the division are there on merit; two of them are going up and three will be in the play-offs (sod’s law suggests that the team that sneaks the final spot will win through). Against the other four we’ve played five times, won three and drawn the other two. Tellingly, in the five games we’ve conceded just two goals while scoring seven (and not failing to score in any). Of course Sheff Utd could make a mess of these stats on Saturday; but as things stand the perhaps curious one is that our current average for the season is just 0.76 goals per game conceded and the average against the other top teams is even better (just 0.40). Focus and determination when it really matters.
It’s not tempting fate to start a ‘countdown clock’ for promotion; of course we take each game as it comes but we can hardly pretend that the end-goal isn’t automatic promotion. As things stand, 113 points would guarantee a top-two finish. That number will decline pretty much with each passing week (it’s already lower but I’m not sad enough to work out the actual number taking account of teams playing each other) but as of now it’s 56 points from 21 games to remain completely indifferent to the results of others.
Of the games left, only nine will be away from The Valley. It doesn’t mean much, but the other curious stat for me is that at present we have a marginally higher average points return from away games than those at home (2.29 against 2.27). We are going to face a number of games at The Valley where the opposition will just try to shut up shop. We will need to be patient sometimes and it doesn’t need underlining that the crowd has to play its part over the next few months. Let’s make the place rock.
I’ve no idea if there will be further transfer moves in January (or indeed through to March apparently), but with Cort and Russell staying with us and effectively Benson and Euell exchanged for Clarke and Haynes we’re looking strong enough. It’s tough on Hayes (and the younger forwards) to slip down the pecking order, but with the changes we’ve addressed the ‘fourth forward’ issue and perhaps also, with Haynes, the poser of what would happen if Wright-Phillips became unavailable. With Pritchard, Russell, Hughes and the returning Stephens competing for the central midfield spot alongside Hollands (I heard talk of Alonso being released but don’t know if that’s happened/happening), the only positions I can see us possibly wanting back-up are right-back (Solly is playing so well that it seems almost heracy, but as things stand if he’s out we have to rejig the back four) or conceivably the wings. I imagine we’re waiting to see how things pan out at QPR regarding Ephraim, but with Green, Wagstaff, Jackson and Evina we’re not exactly stretched.
A final tribute is that someone asked me who I’d vote for player of the season right now. That Hamer wouldn’t top the list is more down to the effectiveness of the defence in front of him than anything wrong on his part, the ever-present Morrison would have a strong case, Wiggins could edge it for pure consistency of excellence (with Solly close behind), Hollands has been immense (especially considering the number of partners he has had), and BWP might be having a temporary drought but remains the cutting-edge. People talk about successful teams having a strong spine; we have one (and the ones around it ain’t doing bad either).
I can’t comment on the game, but looking at the reports of others the abiding feeling is that, as for the Huddersfield game, the focus was spot on. The home match against Sheffield Wednesday was the only one I’ve seen this season when the opposition were clearly on top in the final third of the game and the final whistle was something of a relief (you could I suppose add Scunthorpe at home, but we were then defending a two-goal lead late on). MK Dons outplayed us in the first half of that one, but we responded in the second. Sheff Wed will have remembered how the previous contest went, as after we wiped the floor with them in the first 20 minutes they gradually ground us down through sheer strength and lumping it up in the air (to be fair, ie playing to that strength). Just how the game would have gone had they equalised as at The Valley is a moot point; they didn’t. The evident frustration in Megson’s post-match comments only add to the delight. And yes, Sir Chris, you’re absolutely right about us being proud of the team.
The victory only serves to cement certain statistics. Everyone’s well aware that the top five in the division are there on merit; two of them are going up and three will be in the play-offs (sod’s law suggests that the team that sneaks the final spot will win through). Against the other four we’ve played five times, won three and drawn the other two. Tellingly, in the five games we’ve conceded just two goals while scoring seven (and not failing to score in any). Of course Sheff Utd could make a mess of these stats on Saturday; but as things stand the perhaps curious one is that our current average for the season is just 0.76 goals per game conceded and the average against the other top teams is even better (just 0.40). Focus and determination when it really matters.
It’s not tempting fate to start a ‘countdown clock’ for promotion; of course we take each game as it comes but we can hardly pretend that the end-goal isn’t automatic promotion. As things stand, 113 points would guarantee a top-two finish. That number will decline pretty much with each passing week (it’s already lower but I’m not sad enough to work out the actual number taking account of teams playing each other) but as of now it’s 56 points from 21 games to remain completely indifferent to the results of others.
Of the games left, only nine will be away from The Valley. It doesn’t mean much, but the other curious stat for me is that at present we have a marginally higher average points return from away games than those at home (2.29 against 2.27). We are going to face a number of games at The Valley where the opposition will just try to shut up shop. We will need to be patient sometimes and it doesn’t need underlining that the crowd has to play its part over the next few months. Let’s make the place rock.
I’ve no idea if there will be further transfer moves in January (or indeed through to March apparently), but with Cort and Russell staying with us and effectively Benson and Euell exchanged for Clarke and Haynes we’re looking strong enough. It’s tough on Hayes (and the younger forwards) to slip down the pecking order, but with the changes we’ve addressed the ‘fourth forward’ issue and perhaps also, with Haynes, the poser of what would happen if Wright-Phillips became unavailable. With Pritchard, Russell, Hughes and the returning Stephens competing for the central midfield spot alongside Hollands (I heard talk of Alonso being released but don’t know if that’s happened/happening), the only positions I can see us possibly wanting back-up are right-back (Solly is playing so well that it seems almost heracy, but as things stand if he’s out we have to rejig the back four) or conceivably the wings. I imagine we’re waiting to see how things pan out at QPR regarding Ephraim, but with Green, Wagstaff, Jackson and Evina we’re not exactly stretched.
A final tribute is that someone asked me who I’d vote for player of the season right now. That Hamer wouldn’t top the list is more down to the effectiveness of the defence in front of him than anything wrong on his part, the ever-present Morrison would have a strong case, Wiggins could edge it for pure consistency of excellence (with Solly close behind), Hollands has been immense (especially considering the number of partners he has had), and BWP might be having a temporary drought but remains the cutting-edge. People talk about successful teams having a strong spine; we have one (and the ones around it ain’t doing bad either).
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Forgotten It Already
Today’s not about blame. It wasn’t my fault that everyone else congregating on the boat off the Embankment before the game didn’t want any of the bottle of syrah I’d purchased, obliging me to consume the lot; it wasn’t my fault that having been in the first two in the queue at The Valley for tickets for the game they decided to sell us ones working from the outside in, such that we were to watch proceedings closer to The Thames than the pitch; and the team wasn’t really to blame for a scoreline that really didn’t present an accurate picture of events. You might argue that it did, to the extent that Fulham demonstrated the difference in quality (and strength/physique) and ran out easy winners. But all games turn on moments and at 1-0 down during our purple patch in the second half we created the chance to level the score. It wasn’t easy and Wright-Phillips didn’t take it, but when that one went and Fulham scored again it was pretty much game over. Their two extra goals counted for nothing; we just have to make sure that with two key games coming up the defeat and scoreline count for nothing too.
It was a draw which offered a pleasant day out at a good price; but especially with hindsight a contest against a Championship team would have provided a better measure of where we are. I kept trying to remember (having passed on the recent Spurs cup tie) when was the last game I’d watched when we were so clearly the underdogs. Fulham, barring an unlikely slump into a relegation struggle, have nothing to play for apart from the Cup and were never going to take it lightly, as reflected in their team selection (and although I couldn’t bring myself to boo Murphy that’s the nicest I’m going to be about a club that I still view as responsible for two of our relegations in my lifetime). They will probably look back on the afternoon as something of a stroll – and undoubtedly it ended that way, with the substitution of Wiggins and Hollands a fair indication of our priorities once the game was beyond us. Just that nagging thought at the back of the mind that if we had levelled things when we were clearly on top the story would have been very different.
The team saw Taylor return in defence after his rest against Brentford, Green back from suspension, and Hamer taking his one-game ban; but otherwise no changes/surprises, with Pritchard keeping his place alongside Hollands in central midfield and Sir Chris opting to play his strongest available side. With 7,000 supporters making the trip across town this wasn’t the time for resting players. The opening minutes were nervy as Fulham passed it around and buzzed rather dangerously around our box; the priority was clearly to settle into the game and not concede. But concede we did, rather unfortunately. A ball through seemed to be overhit and on its way to Sullivan before it took a deflection, leaving him stranded and their guy able to nip in and score.
There’s seldom a positive slant to be put on letting in the early goal, but in this case there was the hope that it would induce some complacency on their part and the thought that if we could make it to the break without conceding again we could give it a proper go after the break. That proved to be the case. Fulham not surprisingly kept the ball better, had most of the play, and periodically looked dangerous, but if anything we had the half-chances, with one nod back from Kermorgant that might have been converted and one that went into the side-netting from wide left after some lacklustre defending on their part. At the break you felt that we hadn’t done ourselves justice in terms of playing as we can, even against higher quality opposition, but that we were still in the game and capable of raising it.
And raise it we did. The first 20 minutes of the second half saw us if not in control of the game at least having the upper hand. More contested balls were being won, the passing and movement were better, and there were signs that Green – who was finding more space - could deliver some telling balls in and that Kermorgant and Wright-Phillips had the ability to get in behind two ponderous central defenders. The chance came when Kermorgant managed to weight a flick on to BWP who got there ahead of the keeper but saw his shot blocked by the outrushing keeper. Shortly after Green had a shot turned over and from a corner another effort was blocked, while the linesman mysterious gave a foul against Wright-Phillips when it seemed he’d got beyond the defender and was held back. But the goal didn’t come and, forced to reassert themselves, Fulham killed off the game with a second. I don’t like to dwell on the opposition’s goals; suffice to say the ball was played across the box and their guy shot into the net, giving Sullivan no chance.
That was effectively game over. A third came from a penalty after Sullivan was adjudged to have brought down their guy and towards the end Fulham scored again. We didn’t deserve to be on the end of a 4-0 scoreline, but we live with it. I’ve already forgotten the game (if it had taken longer to get back I’ve no doubt I’d remember even less of their goals than I already have). As a measure of where we want to get back to it was a little sobering, but such thoughts are irrelevant. We’ve had a good day out and can take comfort from no distracting fixtures over the next few months. We all know we have two crucial games coming up next and if we play to the same level as we did today we’ll be fine. Some of our stuff was a marked improvement on Brentford, not least the much better hold-up play and overall involvement from Wright-Phillips. Sure, he needs one to go in off his backside, but that happens to all goalscorers; there’s no excuse for not maintaining today’s much better performance in the Sheffield games. What gives me confidence is the focus and determination we showed in the Huddersfield game; if that’s repeated I’ll be more than happy – and when it is we’re more than a match for anything else in this division, probably for a good deal of the Championship.
No player ratings today as there’s a major takeaway with my name on it; and I don’t want to judge us this season against anything other than what we need to compete against. But it’s another game where the mention in dispatches has to go to Solly. Outstanding.
It was a draw which offered a pleasant day out at a good price; but especially with hindsight a contest against a Championship team would have provided a better measure of where we are. I kept trying to remember (having passed on the recent Spurs cup tie) when was the last game I’d watched when we were so clearly the underdogs. Fulham, barring an unlikely slump into a relegation struggle, have nothing to play for apart from the Cup and were never going to take it lightly, as reflected in their team selection (and although I couldn’t bring myself to boo Murphy that’s the nicest I’m going to be about a club that I still view as responsible for two of our relegations in my lifetime). They will probably look back on the afternoon as something of a stroll – and undoubtedly it ended that way, with the substitution of Wiggins and Hollands a fair indication of our priorities once the game was beyond us. Just that nagging thought at the back of the mind that if we had levelled things when we were clearly on top the story would have been very different.
The team saw Taylor return in defence after his rest against Brentford, Green back from suspension, and Hamer taking his one-game ban; but otherwise no changes/surprises, with Pritchard keeping his place alongside Hollands in central midfield and Sir Chris opting to play his strongest available side. With 7,000 supporters making the trip across town this wasn’t the time for resting players. The opening minutes were nervy as Fulham passed it around and buzzed rather dangerously around our box; the priority was clearly to settle into the game and not concede. But concede we did, rather unfortunately. A ball through seemed to be overhit and on its way to Sullivan before it took a deflection, leaving him stranded and their guy able to nip in and score.
There’s seldom a positive slant to be put on letting in the early goal, but in this case there was the hope that it would induce some complacency on their part and the thought that if we could make it to the break without conceding again we could give it a proper go after the break. That proved to be the case. Fulham not surprisingly kept the ball better, had most of the play, and periodically looked dangerous, but if anything we had the half-chances, with one nod back from Kermorgant that might have been converted and one that went into the side-netting from wide left after some lacklustre defending on their part. At the break you felt that we hadn’t done ourselves justice in terms of playing as we can, even against higher quality opposition, but that we were still in the game and capable of raising it.
And raise it we did. The first 20 minutes of the second half saw us if not in control of the game at least having the upper hand. More contested balls were being won, the passing and movement were better, and there were signs that Green – who was finding more space - could deliver some telling balls in and that Kermorgant and Wright-Phillips had the ability to get in behind two ponderous central defenders. The chance came when Kermorgant managed to weight a flick on to BWP who got there ahead of the keeper but saw his shot blocked by the outrushing keeper. Shortly after Green had a shot turned over and from a corner another effort was blocked, while the linesman mysterious gave a foul against Wright-Phillips when it seemed he’d got beyond the defender and was held back. But the goal didn’t come and, forced to reassert themselves, Fulham killed off the game with a second. I don’t like to dwell on the opposition’s goals; suffice to say the ball was played across the box and their guy shot into the net, giving Sullivan no chance.
That was effectively game over. A third came from a penalty after Sullivan was adjudged to have brought down their guy and towards the end Fulham scored again. We didn’t deserve to be on the end of a 4-0 scoreline, but we live with it. I’ve already forgotten the game (if it had taken longer to get back I’ve no doubt I’d remember even less of their goals than I already have). As a measure of where we want to get back to it was a little sobering, but such thoughts are irrelevant. We’ve had a good day out and can take comfort from no distracting fixtures over the next few months. We all know we have two crucial games coming up next and if we play to the same level as we did today we’ll be fine. Some of our stuff was a marked improvement on Brentford, not least the much better hold-up play and overall involvement from Wright-Phillips. Sure, he needs one to go in off his backside, but that happens to all goalscorers; there’s no excuse for not maintaining today’s much better performance in the Sheffield games. What gives me confidence is the focus and determination we showed in the Huddersfield game; if that’s repeated I’ll be more than happy – and when it is we’re more than a match for anything else in this division, probably for a good deal of the Championship.
No player ratings today as there’s a major takeaway with my name on it; and I don’t want to judge us this season against anything other than what we need to compete against. But it’s another game where the mention in dispatches has to go to Solly. Outstanding.
Monday, 2 January 2012
Not Pretty But Ultimately Effective
Errors are made and there’s a need for some latitude at this time of the year. But I thought the club would have known that the best I could do was to get to The Valley by around 15.30, given that the flight back was scheduled to arrive at Gatwick at 14.10. Delaying the kick-off for 15 minutes was appreciated, but was just never going to be enough. Apologies accepted. By the time I’d settled into the seat, sherry-laden bag in hand, all I really wanted was a win by whatever means, especially after New Year’s Eve in Seville had been ruined by events at Orient (and witnessed in the Texas Lone Star bar; I promised to buy a T-shirt if we won but that just didn’t happen).
So I cannot comment on the first 15 minutes, having been informed that Cort and Pritchard would start in place of Taylor and Russell. A bit surprising it has to be said, not because Pritchard hadn’t earned a chance but rather that, with Jackson coming back and being asked to play a second game in a matter of days, the option of the reliable Hughes wasn’t taken if Russell needed a break. That said, with games in a short space of time you just don’t know what niggles have been picked up and who’s not really available. So no problems, but you have to say that through the remaining 75 minutes or so we struggled to put passes together and to control the game in any meaningful way. You have to give some credit to Brentford, who are no mugs – and if they could shoot would surely have taken something from the game. I’m happy enough to write the game off as a hard-won victory, just as Orient has to be dismissed as just one of those days. But, while happy, let’s just say that in terms of passing, movement and control we were second-best for most of the game. Instead, with Wright-Phillips starting to look out of sorts in a more worrying fashion than before, we seemed happy to rely on additional aerial power from set pieces, with Cort, Morrison and Kermorgant, plus Jackson, undoubtedly a threat all afternoon. From a footballing perspective it wasn’t great. But a win in a congested period means a good deal is forgiven, especially as a failure to pick up three points would have meant one victory in five. As it is, we’ll take being five points clear, have some fun at Fulham, and then gear up for the two Sheffield games.
Brentford played it around well enough and had mobile forwards, but ultimately they lacked the firepower and composure up front to emerge with anything. While having the bulk of possession in the first half, all they had to show for it was a couple of shots from outside the box and a moment of panic when Hamer came and punched out a lowish cross only to see it rebound and fortunately settle back in his arms. We had one moment when Green got through, but the absence of midfield dominance meant we were feeding off scraps in a pretty ordinary game of football.
The opener came out of nothing. A ball dinked into the box should have been headed clear; instead their defender slipped, leaving Morrison alone but with his back to goal and the ball hovering around his head. Their keeper made the poor decision to try to claim it and instead became stranded as Morrison made the necessary contact to nod it home. That was about it for the first half.
The second period had two fairly distinct periods. After a mixed opening we did finally put them under some sustained pressure and had the chances – nearly all of them involving high balls in, arguably justifying the selections and approach - to kill off the game. Jackson drifted in beautifully late to a ball in only for his steered header to go just wide, I along with the rest of the East Stand thought another had been nodded in only for it to become apparent that the header went into the side netting, and finally another header crashed back from the upright and somehow wasn’t buried. Amidst all of this, Wright-Phillips was having something of a mare, not proving as effective as Kermorgant in harrying when out of possession and seeming out of sorts, as demonstrated by a left-foot shot after Green had set him up which went for a throw.
The goal didn’t come and Brentford, having survived the storm, came back into it, having made three substitutions in a short space of time. We had to endure two free kicks awarded just outside the area, one perhaps harshly given for handball and the second one for a shove (apparently by Kermorgant) which was a bit tough to argue with. Both saw one of them try to unsettle Hamer by standing in front of him as he lined up the wall; both were wasted, with the first shot blocked and the second well over the bar. Solly picked up a yellow for deliberate handball to stop one going over his head and Cort was to suffer a similar fate. And finally their guy was played in on the left side of the box only for him to hit the shot over the bar.
Just as they weathered the difficult period, so did we. The newly arrived Clark came on for Wright-Phillips and Wagstaff replaced Jackson and by now we just wanted the clock to run down. Instead we were happily deprived of a worrying stoppage time as a ball in from the right was cleverly protected by Kermorgant (he didn’t touch it but made sure the defender didn’t either) and fell to the onrushing Green. He took it to the keeper, checked inside onto his right foot, and slotted home. Hughes came on for the final few minutes and it was job done.
We’re top of the league, we’re five points clear, and we have nothing to complain about. OK, it wasn’t pretty and the bucketload of sherry purchased in Seville has gone back to Lyon with Suzanne (she had the bag checked in). In the greater scheme of things, I’ll live with it.
Player Ratings:
Hamer – 6/10. All considered, he didn’t actually have a serious shot to save (he should have done, but that’s their problem). Missed badly one cross in the second half and his strange punch in the first could have cost us. It didn’t, I assume he sits out the cup game if that covers his suspension.
Solly – 7/10. Basically fine; picked up the yellow for one that would have gone over his head.
Wiggins – 8/10. Read the game very well as usual and dealt with all thrown at him.
Morrison – 8/10. Notched another and generally commanding in defence. No problems.
Cort – 7/10. Not sure why Taylor was rested, but did well enough and may have made a decisive challenge to put off their guy when he seemed to be in.
Jackson – 7/10. Tough ask to come back and play a second game in a few days but looked cultured and assured, nearly scored.
Hollands – 7/10. Not a bad game, but at no stage did we dominate midfield. Deserves credit for playing with a variety of partners of late, which can’t help him.
Pritchard – 7/10. Here too not a bad game, but you can’t expect everything to be fluid when new combinations are tried.
Green – 7/10. Gets the extra mark for the goal, but otherwise a bit peripheral as the service to him was lacking.
Kermorgant – 8/10. I thought he strived tirelessly in the cause today and deserves some credit for our second.
Wright-Phillips – 5/10. Disappointing. Dry spells happen to all goalscorers and you just get on with it. Today there was too much shrugging of the shoulders and complaints, while his hold-up play was weak. Has shown – and is obviously capable of – much better.
Subs – Clark (6/10: rusty start, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt; looks like back-up for Kermorgant); Wagstaff (6/10: no real impact coming on late); Hughes (can’t give a mark for a couple of minutes, bit unlucky not to start as he did well alongside Hollands before Russell came in).
So I cannot comment on the first 15 minutes, having been informed that Cort and Pritchard would start in place of Taylor and Russell. A bit surprising it has to be said, not because Pritchard hadn’t earned a chance but rather that, with Jackson coming back and being asked to play a second game in a matter of days, the option of the reliable Hughes wasn’t taken if Russell needed a break. That said, with games in a short space of time you just don’t know what niggles have been picked up and who’s not really available. So no problems, but you have to say that through the remaining 75 minutes or so we struggled to put passes together and to control the game in any meaningful way. You have to give some credit to Brentford, who are no mugs – and if they could shoot would surely have taken something from the game. I’m happy enough to write the game off as a hard-won victory, just as Orient has to be dismissed as just one of those days. But, while happy, let’s just say that in terms of passing, movement and control we were second-best for most of the game. Instead, with Wright-Phillips starting to look out of sorts in a more worrying fashion than before, we seemed happy to rely on additional aerial power from set pieces, with Cort, Morrison and Kermorgant, plus Jackson, undoubtedly a threat all afternoon. From a footballing perspective it wasn’t great. But a win in a congested period means a good deal is forgiven, especially as a failure to pick up three points would have meant one victory in five. As it is, we’ll take being five points clear, have some fun at Fulham, and then gear up for the two Sheffield games.
Brentford played it around well enough and had mobile forwards, but ultimately they lacked the firepower and composure up front to emerge with anything. While having the bulk of possession in the first half, all they had to show for it was a couple of shots from outside the box and a moment of panic when Hamer came and punched out a lowish cross only to see it rebound and fortunately settle back in his arms. We had one moment when Green got through, but the absence of midfield dominance meant we were feeding off scraps in a pretty ordinary game of football.
The opener came out of nothing. A ball dinked into the box should have been headed clear; instead their defender slipped, leaving Morrison alone but with his back to goal and the ball hovering around his head. Their keeper made the poor decision to try to claim it and instead became stranded as Morrison made the necessary contact to nod it home. That was about it for the first half.
The second period had two fairly distinct periods. After a mixed opening we did finally put them under some sustained pressure and had the chances – nearly all of them involving high balls in, arguably justifying the selections and approach - to kill off the game. Jackson drifted in beautifully late to a ball in only for his steered header to go just wide, I along with the rest of the East Stand thought another had been nodded in only for it to become apparent that the header went into the side netting, and finally another header crashed back from the upright and somehow wasn’t buried. Amidst all of this, Wright-Phillips was having something of a mare, not proving as effective as Kermorgant in harrying when out of possession and seeming out of sorts, as demonstrated by a left-foot shot after Green had set him up which went for a throw.
The goal didn’t come and Brentford, having survived the storm, came back into it, having made three substitutions in a short space of time. We had to endure two free kicks awarded just outside the area, one perhaps harshly given for handball and the second one for a shove (apparently by Kermorgant) which was a bit tough to argue with. Both saw one of them try to unsettle Hamer by standing in front of him as he lined up the wall; both were wasted, with the first shot blocked and the second well over the bar. Solly picked up a yellow for deliberate handball to stop one going over his head and Cort was to suffer a similar fate. And finally their guy was played in on the left side of the box only for him to hit the shot over the bar.
Just as they weathered the difficult period, so did we. The newly arrived Clark came on for Wright-Phillips and Wagstaff replaced Jackson and by now we just wanted the clock to run down. Instead we were happily deprived of a worrying stoppage time as a ball in from the right was cleverly protected by Kermorgant (he didn’t touch it but made sure the defender didn’t either) and fell to the onrushing Green. He took it to the keeper, checked inside onto his right foot, and slotted home. Hughes came on for the final few minutes and it was job done.
We’re top of the league, we’re five points clear, and we have nothing to complain about. OK, it wasn’t pretty and the bucketload of sherry purchased in Seville has gone back to Lyon with Suzanne (she had the bag checked in). In the greater scheme of things, I’ll live with it.
Player Ratings:
Hamer – 6/10. All considered, he didn’t actually have a serious shot to save (he should have done, but that’s their problem). Missed badly one cross in the second half and his strange punch in the first could have cost us. It didn’t, I assume he sits out the cup game if that covers his suspension.
Solly – 7/10. Basically fine; picked up the yellow for one that would have gone over his head.
Wiggins – 8/10. Read the game very well as usual and dealt with all thrown at him.
Morrison – 8/10. Notched another and generally commanding in defence. No problems.
Cort – 7/10. Not sure why Taylor was rested, but did well enough and may have made a decisive challenge to put off their guy when he seemed to be in.
Jackson – 7/10. Tough ask to come back and play a second game in a few days but looked cultured and assured, nearly scored.
Hollands – 7/10. Not a bad game, but at no stage did we dominate midfield. Deserves credit for playing with a variety of partners of late, which can’t help him.
Pritchard – 7/10. Here too not a bad game, but you can’t expect everything to be fluid when new combinations are tried.
Green – 7/10. Gets the extra mark for the goal, but otherwise a bit peripheral as the service to him was lacking.
Kermorgant – 8/10. I thought he strived tirelessly in the cause today and deserves some credit for our second.
Wright-Phillips – 5/10. Disappointing. Dry spells happen to all goalscorers and you just get on with it. Today there was too much shrugging of the shoulders and complaints, while his hold-up play was weak. Has shown – and is obviously capable of – much better.
Subs – Clark (6/10: rusty start, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt; looks like back-up for Kermorgant); Wagstaff (6/10: no real impact coming on late); Hughes (can’t give a mark for a couple of minutes, bit unlucky not to start as he did well alongside Hollands before Russell came in).
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Rest(?) Ye Merry Gentlemen
‘Tis that time of the year, apparently. When everything is in abundance, especially stress. If it’s not trying to finish off the last hundred things to do before the supposed break, while still finding time to play with the new things that you just had to add to the online Xmas ordering process, it’s the anxious wait to discover whether Santa’s bag to be lugged around the relatives will be filled with actual gifts or just promissory notes/email confirmations (‘I ordered it in plenty of time, honest, the bits I bought for myself have been delivered, including the essential radiator shelf’). And you’d think that with the fixture list having been available for a little while at least the preparations for our upcoming games would have been simple. Not so.
Yeovil on Boxing Day will have to be passed up, I’m afraid. Although the recent minor contretemps between the UK and France has not (yet) soured personal relations, with my partner Suzanne flying into London that day I suspect a message from me saying ‘we’ve just gone past Bristol, make yourself a cup of tea and I’ll join you later’ might get the Gallic fur flying (some people just have no sense of priorities). If she’d planned properly she could have flown in the day before and we could have gone together.
Orient away on New Year’s Eve ought to have been a breeze and a delight. However, when asked some months back whether I’d like to usher in 2012 in Seville I forgot to check. Seemed like a good idea at the time (basically anywhere easyjet flies to given the Lyon connection). To her credit she’s trying hard to repair the damage by scouring lists of bars in Seville which might be willing and able to tune into Sky on New Year’s Eve for a League One game to satisfy one forlorn Addick. Ah, come on. I’m confident that all of Seville will be putting the festivities on hold to watch the game and I’ll find myself surrounded by well-wishing Addicks-at-heart singing Valley Floyd Road (with a slight accent) and keeping my sherry glass topped up as we stroll to victory. The alternative scenario sees me plonked in front of a screen in some Irish bar with hushed conversations all round about the sanity of some strange Englishman. Either way, as long as victory is delivered I won’t give a monkeys.
I am after all defending a proud recent record of not having seen us lose when I’ve watched the game from a foreign bar. In Madrid I watched with delight as Bryan Hughes stooped low at the far post to notch the winner against Aston Villa (come to think of it that was over New Year too). In Amsterdam I cheered as BWP’s shot found the back of the net. But at the risk of going back a few years (before the advent of texting and internet access) it doesn’t yet compare with reaching San Franciso after a few months of hitch-hiking around the States during a gap year, going to the library to scour the English newspapers and discovering that while away we’d beaten Chelsea 4-0 (among other results which haven’t stuck in the mind).
The flight back from Seville is apparently scheduled to land at Gatwick at 14.10 on 2 January. I hope Suzanne isn’t counting on any assistance with her bags, or company while she waits for her flight on to Lyon. Nobody’s going to see my tail for dust (unless I have to wait for a bag full of sherry) as at best I’ll be hard-pushed to get to The Valley much before half-time. I shall forgive the lads if we’re 3-0 up and game over before I get there. Note to easyjet: an early arrival would be much appreciated.
Then it will be a (hopefully) more relaxed sojourn across town for Fulham in the cup. Splendid draw, dire statue. I did manage to get up at sparrow’s fart that Wednesday to be at the head of the queue when the shutters opened. Apologies to all those in line who must have been hoping for a quick turnaround. The logistics of getting tickets for nine adults, two U-21s and four U-16s were challenging.
So basically my upcoming footballing experiences, after a relaxed boozy day watching the score from Yeovil, will involve scouring Seville for an accommodating bar, haring back from Gatwick, then slogging across town. God rest ye merry gentlemen. But it is all in a good cause; it had bloody better be as two consecutive draws amounts to a second hiccup which needs to be addressed before the Sheffield matches. Sir Chris had better pull his socks up and take a good look at himself. I was advised on Saturday that he was wearing a suit with a sweater underneath. This inexcusable sartorial error did for Parky a year back (similarly after getting Manager of the Month for November). You’ve been warned.
All that remains is to wish all and sundry a splendid Xmas and a healthy, happy 2012!
Yeovil on Boxing Day will have to be passed up, I’m afraid. Although the recent minor contretemps between the UK and France has not (yet) soured personal relations, with my partner Suzanne flying into London that day I suspect a message from me saying ‘we’ve just gone past Bristol, make yourself a cup of tea and I’ll join you later’ might get the Gallic fur flying (some people just have no sense of priorities). If she’d planned properly she could have flown in the day before and we could have gone together.
Orient away on New Year’s Eve ought to have been a breeze and a delight. However, when asked some months back whether I’d like to usher in 2012 in Seville I forgot to check. Seemed like a good idea at the time (basically anywhere easyjet flies to given the Lyon connection). To her credit she’s trying hard to repair the damage by scouring lists of bars in Seville which might be willing and able to tune into Sky on New Year’s Eve for a League One game to satisfy one forlorn Addick. Ah, come on. I’m confident that all of Seville will be putting the festivities on hold to watch the game and I’ll find myself surrounded by well-wishing Addicks-at-heart singing Valley Floyd Road (with a slight accent) and keeping my sherry glass topped up as we stroll to victory. The alternative scenario sees me plonked in front of a screen in some Irish bar with hushed conversations all round about the sanity of some strange Englishman. Either way, as long as victory is delivered I won’t give a monkeys.
I am after all defending a proud recent record of not having seen us lose when I’ve watched the game from a foreign bar. In Madrid I watched with delight as Bryan Hughes stooped low at the far post to notch the winner against Aston Villa (come to think of it that was over New Year too). In Amsterdam I cheered as BWP’s shot found the back of the net. But at the risk of going back a few years (before the advent of texting and internet access) it doesn’t yet compare with reaching San Franciso after a few months of hitch-hiking around the States during a gap year, going to the library to scour the English newspapers and discovering that while away we’d beaten Chelsea 4-0 (among other results which haven’t stuck in the mind).
The flight back from Seville is apparently scheduled to land at Gatwick at 14.10 on 2 January. I hope Suzanne isn’t counting on any assistance with her bags, or company while she waits for her flight on to Lyon. Nobody’s going to see my tail for dust (unless I have to wait for a bag full of sherry) as at best I’ll be hard-pushed to get to The Valley much before half-time. I shall forgive the lads if we’re 3-0 up and game over before I get there. Note to easyjet: an early arrival would be much appreciated.
Then it will be a (hopefully) more relaxed sojourn across town for Fulham in the cup. Splendid draw, dire statue. I did manage to get up at sparrow’s fart that Wednesday to be at the head of the queue when the shutters opened. Apologies to all those in line who must have been hoping for a quick turnaround. The logistics of getting tickets for nine adults, two U-21s and four U-16s were challenging.
So basically my upcoming footballing experiences, after a relaxed boozy day watching the score from Yeovil, will involve scouring Seville for an accommodating bar, haring back from Gatwick, then slogging across town. God rest ye merry gentlemen. But it is all in a good cause; it had bloody better be as two consecutive draws amounts to a second hiccup which needs to be addressed before the Sheffield matches. Sir Chris had better pull his socks up and take a good look at himself. I was advised on Saturday that he was wearing a suit with a sweater underneath. This inexcusable sartorial error did for Parky a year back (similarly after getting Manager of the Month for November). You’ve been warned.
All that remains is to wish all and sundry a splendid Xmas and a healthy, happy 2012!
Saturday, 17 December 2011
One Not Enough
Today, even more than usual (if that’s possible), all we wanted was (in order of priority) an easy win, pay respects to Peter Croker, stay warm, stay dry, and get home. It didn’t turn out that way, but there’s not a lot to carp about. There was nothing wrong with the players’ attitude or commitment and nobody took it too easily. It just proved to be one of those days when we should have won but didn’t. Against a team that would have embraced 0-0 from the start, if it had ended up that way you would have thought ‘hard lines, credit to Oldham for riding their luck, move on’. Having made the breakthrough in a game where we were patently better than the opposition it does, however, it does feel worse as I doubt that any Oldham fan would have put money on them squaring it. They did, with a decent enough goal, and if there is any criticism it’s that we didn’t show enough composure in the closing minutes to carve out a stab at a winner; indeed, thinking about it I don’t think we created a serious chance after we’d gone ahead. Perhaps the feeling in the crowd that one would be enough extended to the pitch. Learn from it and move on.
The team pretty much picked itself, the only mild surprise for me was that neither Hayes nor Benson made the bench, leaving Euell as the only available replacement forward. That seemed more pertinent as a nasty clash of heads saw both Kermorgant and their defender both leave the pitch for some stitches and both return bandaged up. That injury break didn’t help the flow of the game in the first half, which was more detrimental for us than them, as we had a spell of 10 against 10, leaving both teams not sure how to adjust; and Kermorgant must have started bleeding again as he had to take another break. What became clear through the first half was that we were by a distance the more potent force and when we got it right they couldn’t cope. A Morrison header from a set piece went wide, Wright-Phillips saw an overhead kick go just wide (although he was flagged offside), and after a delightful pass by Hollands Green found himself clear but put the shot just the wrong side of the post. It wasn’t a case of just a matter of time, but leaving aside the extensive use of the long throw Oldham had really just one moment in the first half when the ball flashed across the box.
Attacking the Covered End in the second half you hoped that the intensity would increase and that one chance would be taken. It seemed to arrive as Wright-Phillips was played in but having rounded the keeper BWP allowed said keeper to thrust out a paw and prevent him from putting it in the net. Wright-Phillips had another that went into the side-netting, while Green shot narrowly wide from a free kick, although in both cases their keeper probably had it covered. Finally on the hour the goal came. A decent ball in from the right saw Russell time the run right and get on the end of it to head home. Celebration and relief all round, but still a third of the game to go.
The fact that Oldham had caused us next to no problems was only a qualified comfort. They made two substitutions in response and clearly they would have nothing to lose. This was the time for the wingers to make more of an impact in exploiting the space and for the forwards to finish off the game. That proved not to be the case as neither Ephraim nor Green managed to come up with telling contributions and, although Kermorgant was chasing and competing for everything, seemingly locked in a battle of the headbands with their centre-half, our play with the ball became a little sloppy when the requirement was to keep possession and not give them encouragement.
None of this looked like mattering as the clock wound down. But they worked a move down their left which seemed to catch Solly out. It came to nothing but just a couple of minutes later there was something of a repeat and having been pulled out of position Solly lost his man, who squared it for another to hit home well from around the edge of the area. Wagstaff came on for Ephraim for the final five minutes or so, but during that period the anxiety set in as Oldham sat back again and happily headed away balls coming into the box. No final chance, no last-minute winner.
Disappointing for sure, but really only in terms of the result. Fact is it was a decent game of football played in a good spirit by both teams, only slightly marred by a ref who was overly fussy from the start (albeit consistently, giving free kicks to both sides for innocuous challenges). On the balance of play and chances we would have won it nine times out of ten, but today it wasn’t to be. A second consecutive draw makes it a little more difficult to just shrug off; you’re tempted to say don’t be greedy, we’re still five points clear at the top. Nothing wrong with being greedy this time of the year and nine would have been nice.
Player Ratings:
Hamer: 7/10. Didn’t have a serious shot to save aside from the goal, for which he had no realistic chance. Handled the crosses well enough and an unremarkable rating only reflects the fact he had little to do.
Solly: 6/10. Has to be at least partially culpable for the goal as he was caught out and that led to the ball being squared and finished off, just a couple of minutes after a similar situation. Didn’t really get forward either. So be it, he’s been outstanding this season.
Wiggins: 8/10. Another superb game; he took the ball out of defence twice in a fashion which showed how on top of his game he is.
Taylor: 8/10. He and Morrison covered and cleared just about everything through the game, not giving their forwards a look-in. That included dealing with the long throws.
Morrison: 8/10. As for Taylor.
Ephraim: 6/10. Struggled to have a real impact today and our lack of penetration down the flanks, with two genuine wingers out there, was apparent.
Hollands: 8/10. Might just get edged out for man-of-the-match by Kermorgant, but it’s a close call for me.
Russell: 7/10. Timed the run into the box well for the goal and generally competent.
Green: 6/10. Perhaps a little harsh, but today I felt we didn’t get enough going down both flanks. No shortage of effort, however.
Wright-Phillips: 6/10. Didn’t come off for him today in front of goal and after scoring in five league games in a row that’s three consecutive without one. So what, the guy’s a natural. He could easily have had a couple today.
Kermorgant: 8/10. Absolutely full marks for commitment as he went for everything despite the head injury. Crying out for a decent ball into the box from the flanks (the one that did come in saw Russell get ahead of him to score).
Subs: Wagstaff (no time to make an impact).
The team pretty much picked itself, the only mild surprise for me was that neither Hayes nor Benson made the bench, leaving Euell as the only available replacement forward. That seemed more pertinent as a nasty clash of heads saw both Kermorgant and their defender both leave the pitch for some stitches and both return bandaged up. That injury break didn’t help the flow of the game in the first half, which was more detrimental for us than them, as we had a spell of 10 against 10, leaving both teams not sure how to adjust; and Kermorgant must have started bleeding again as he had to take another break. What became clear through the first half was that we were by a distance the more potent force and when we got it right they couldn’t cope. A Morrison header from a set piece went wide, Wright-Phillips saw an overhead kick go just wide (although he was flagged offside), and after a delightful pass by Hollands Green found himself clear but put the shot just the wrong side of the post. It wasn’t a case of just a matter of time, but leaving aside the extensive use of the long throw Oldham had really just one moment in the first half when the ball flashed across the box.
Attacking the Covered End in the second half you hoped that the intensity would increase and that one chance would be taken. It seemed to arrive as Wright-Phillips was played in but having rounded the keeper BWP allowed said keeper to thrust out a paw and prevent him from putting it in the net. Wright-Phillips had another that went into the side-netting, while Green shot narrowly wide from a free kick, although in both cases their keeper probably had it covered. Finally on the hour the goal came. A decent ball in from the right saw Russell time the run right and get on the end of it to head home. Celebration and relief all round, but still a third of the game to go.
The fact that Oldham had caused us next to no problems was only a qualified comfort. They made two substitutions in response and clearly they would have nothing to lose. This was the time for the wingers to make more of an impact in exploiting the space and for the forwards to finish off the game. That proved not to be the case as neither Ephraim nor Green managed to come up with telling contributions and, although Kermorgant was chasing and competing for everything, seemingly locked in a battle of the headbands with their centre-half, our play with the ball became a little sloppy when the requirement was to keep possession and not give them encouragement.
None of this looked like mattering as the clock wound down. But they worked a move down their left which seemed to catch Solly out. It came to nothing but just a couple of minutes later there was something of a repeat and having been pulled out of position Solly lost his man, who squared it for another to hit home well from around the edge of the area. Wagstaff came on for Ephraim for the final five minutes or so, but during that period the anxiety set in as Oldham sat back again and happily headed away balls coming into the box. No final chance, no last-minute winner.
Disappointing for sure, but really only in terms of the result. Fact is it was a decent game of football played in a good spirit by both teams, only slightly marred by a ref who was overly fussy from the start (albeit consistently, giving free kicks to both sides for innocuous challenges). On the balance of play and chances we would have won it nine times out of ten, but today it wasn’t to be. A second consecutive draw makes it a little more difficult to just shrug off; you’re tempted to say don’t be greedy, we’re still five points clear at the top. Nothing wrong with being greedy this time of the year and nine would have been nice.
Player Ratings:
Hamer: 7/10. Didn’t have a serious shot to save aside from the goal, for which he had no realistic chance. Handled the crosses well enough and an unremarkable rating only reflects the fact he had little to do.
Solly: 6/10. Has to be at least partially culpable for the goal as he was caught out and that led to the ball being squared and finished off, just a couple of minutes after a similar situation. Didn’t really get forward either. So be it, he’s been outstanding this season.
Wiggins: 8/10. Another superb game; he took the ball out of defence twice in a fashion which showed how on top of his game he is.
Taylor: 8/10. He and Morrison covered and cleared just about everything through the game, not giving their forwards a look-in. That included dealing with the long throws.
Morrison: 8/10. As for Taylor.
Ephraim: 6/10. Struggled to have a real impact today and our lack of penetration down the flanks, with two genuine wingers out there, was apparent.
Hollands: 8/10. Might just get edged out for man-of-the-match by Kermorgant, but it’s a close call for me.
Russell: 7/10. Timed the run into the box well for the goal and generally competent.
Green: 6/10. Perhaps a little harsh, but today I felt we didn’t get enough going down both flanks. No shortage of effort, however.
Wright-Phillips: 6/10. Didn’t come off for him today in front of goal and after scoring in five league games in a row that’s three consecutive without one. So what, the guy’s a natural. He could easily have had a couple today.
Kermorgant: 8/10. Absolutely full marks for commitment as he went for everything despite the head injury. Crying out for a decent ball into the box from the flanks (the one that did come in saw Russell get ahead of him to score).
Subs: Wagstaff (no time to make an impact).
Saturday, 3 December 2011
'Keen' Enough
Sir Chris pretty much summed it up in his programme notes. We were indeed “keen” to get to the third round; not desperate, but not entirely indifferent. The first-half performance didn’t get much above indifferent, but by raising the effort in the second period we did enough. You can’t expect the same level of commitment as we saw on Monday night, not from the players - with changes to the team but Wright-Phillips and Kermorgant on the bench if required – nor from the fans. With the crowd down to around 7,500 the atmosphere was missing until we attacked the Covered End. But again, we did enough. And we’re still happy.
Enforced and optional changes to the team were always on the cards. Sullivan started in goal, Wiggins and Solly were retained, but Cort came in to partner Morrison, with captain Taylor taking a break. Evina started wide-left in place of the unavailable Ephraim, with Green on the other flank and Pritchard alongside Hollands in the centre. Up front Hayes was partnered by Wagstaff rather than either Euell or the not-departed Benson. It looked like a decent enough mix, with a chance to look at Evina playing further forward and the opportunity for Wagstaff to show he can do a forward’s role if required.
However, when the work-rate drops and players aren’t fully focused, it’s hard to make things happen. Through the first half there were flashes and moments when we threatened, but I can’t remember their keeper being forced to make a save. I did see Wiggins get caught out trying something he wouldn’t in a league game and Hollands robbed of possession. That summed things up. After a wobbly start Cort settled into what he likes best, heading the ball clear – and almost getting on the end of a couple of corners at the other end – but it was telling that Sullivan was by far the more active custodian, making a couple of more than decent saves and leaving those in front of him in no doubt if they’d erred – especially when a back pass or two put him under pressure.
The second half brought a more determined approach and with the effort raised suddenly players who had looked peripheral in the first half – Green, Evina, Hayes, Wagstaff and Pritchard – were suddenly involved. Hayes had a good spell in linking up play, Wagstaff managed to control well a through ball to get in, but stretching the shot was saved. And their keeper splendidly turned one over the bar. It wasn’t all one-way traffic and Sullivan added to his tally of decent saves. But we were looking the more likely and the break came from a set piece, with two or three attempts blocked before the ball sat nicely for Morrison to plant it into the net.
After that Carlisle didn’t exactly go for it with all guns blazing, perhaps still stung by their recent league reverse at The Valley. There wasn’t a great deal of conviction about their play after going behind and, while we looked comfortable – especially with Solly blocking off their left side - with just one, we were more likely to add to the total. Evina managed to wriggle his way through and provided one delicious cross which was nearly converted. Kermorgant came on for Green, with Wagstaff moving back out wide, and then Wright-Phillips was obliged to break sweat for Hayes. His first involvement was to run onto a through ball, but the angle wasn’t good as he declined to shoot with his left and the chance was gone. Finally Euell came on for Evina and as the clock ticked around to 90 minutes Kermorgant made progress inside the area and squared it for Euell to slide in and round things off.
So, we’re in the bag for the FA Cup proper. Any one of three options will do for me: home or away to one of the big boys, home to a decent Championship team, or home to one of the remaining minnows (I’ve nothing against sneaking into the last eight playing no-one of note; after all, Millwall made it to Wembley that way). Equally, I’ll not have many gripes if the cup run ends in the next round, although I will be ‘keen’ that we go through whoever we’re against. The games come thick and fast after Christmas; a cup run mixed with a couple of postponements and we’ll have an unwanted problem. But it’s not such a bad problem to have.
According to the recent ONS study, apparently about three-quarters of people in the UK are satisfied with life. But the survey was conducted between April and August. If it had been done between August and November the reading would surely have been much higher, given our season to date and the effect this must be having on the mood throughout the country. It couldn’t of course be 100% as it’s impossible for a Palace or Millwall fan to be happy, whoever they roll over in secondary competitions.
No player ratings from me for today, given the proverbial game of two halves. Suffice to say that Sullivan should take the man of the match award, with special mention in dispatches for Solly and Cort. On to Walsall on the back of seven straight wins since the Stevanage game, including five clean sheets. May it continue. I just can’t help worrying that this time around Powell might just get that manager of the month award.
Enforced and optional changes to the team were always on the cards. Sullivan started in goal, Wiggins and Solly were retained, but Cort came in to partner Morrison, with captain Taylor taking a break. Evina started wide-left in place of the unavailable Ephraim, with Green on the other flank and Pritchard alongside Hollands in the centre. Up front Hayes was partnered by Wagstaff rather than either Euell or the not-departed Benson. It looked like a decent enough mix, with a chance to look at Evina playing further forward and the opportunity for Wagstaff to show he can do a forward’s role if required.
However, when the work-rate drops and players aren’t fully focused, it’s hard to make things happen. Through the first half there were flashes and moments when we threatened, but I can’t remember their keeper being forced to make a save. I did see Wiggins get caught out trying something he wouldn’t in a league game and Hollands robbed of possession. That summed things up. After a wobbly start Cort settled into what he likes best, heading the ball clear – and almost getting on the end of a couple of corners at the other end – but it was telling that Sullivan was by far the more active custodian, making a couple of more than decent saves and leaving those in front of him in no doubt if they’d erred – especially when a back pass or two put him under pressure.
The second half brought a more determined approach and with the effort raised suddenly players who had looked peripheral in the first half – Green, Evina, Hayes, Wagstaff and Pritchard – were suddenly involved. Hayes had a good spell in linking up play, Wagstaff managed to control well a through ball to get in, but stretching the shot was saved. And their keeper splendidly turned one over the bar. It wasn’t all one-way traffic and Sullivan added to his tally of decent saves. But we were looking the more likely and the break came from a set piece, with two or three attempts blocked before the ball sat nicely for Morrison to plant it into the net.
After that Carlisle didn’t exactly go for it with all guns blazing, perhaps still stung by their recent league reverse at The Valley. There wasn’t a great deal of conviction about their play after going behind and, while we looked comfortable – especially with Solly blocking off their left side - with just one, we were more likely to add to the total. Evina managed to wriggle his way through and provided one delicious cross which was nearly converted. Kermorgant came on for Green, with Wagstaff moving back out wide, and then Wright-Phillips was obliged to break sweat for Hayes. His first involvement was to run onto a through ball, but the angle wasn’t good as he declined to shoot with his left and the chance was gone. Finally Euell came on for Evina and as the clock ticked around to 90 minutes Kermorgant made progress inside the area and squared it for Euell to slide in and round things off.
So, we’re in the bag for the FA Cup proper. Any one of three options will do for me: home or away to one of the big boys, home to a decent Championship team, or home to one of the remaining minnows (I’ve nothing against sneaking into the last eight playing no-one of note; after all, Millwall made it to Wembley that way). Equally, I’ll not have many gripes if the cup run ends in the next round, although I will be ‘keen’ that we go through whoever we’re against. The games come thick and fast after Christmas; a cup run mixed with a couple of postponements and we’ll have an unwanted problem. But it’s not such a bad problem to have.
According to the recent ONS study, apparently about three-quarters of people in the UK are satisfied with life. But the survey was conducted between April and August. If it had been done between August and November the reading would surely have been much higher, given our season to date and the effect this must be having on the mood throughout the country. It couldn’t of course be 100% as it’s impossible for a Palace or Millwall fan to be happy, whoever they roll over in secondary competitions.
No player ratings from me for today, given the proverbial game of two halves. Suffice to say that Sullivan should take the man of the match award, with special mention in dispatches for Solly and Cort. On to Walsall on the back of seven straight wins since the Stevanage game, including five clean sheets. May it continue. I just can’t help worrying that this time around Powell might just get that manager of the month award.
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