It’s the old cliché, but a week is really a long time in football. Last week I wrote about how City’s chances of remaining in the top two looked under threat as we were without a win in five games and the teams around us were closing in, particularly Hull City, who have been in fantastic form in recent weeks. But seven days after our dismal performance and result against Cardiff, we now sit proudly again at the top of the league with just five games to go. But I suppose that’s what football is all about.
Going into the Norwich match on Saturday, we had only managed three goals from our last five games and I suspected if we were going to beat Glen Roeder’s team, we would have to keep a clean sheet. Unfortunately we couldn’t stop Darren Huckerby cancelling out Dele Adebola’s close range finish on 70 minutes and we looked almost certain to end the game having collected only one point. To be fair to Norwich, they had plenty of chances in the second half to win the game, and will count themselves unlucky not to score a second goal.
But what a finish we had. Steve Brooker, making his ‘home debut’ for a second time after a disastrous 14 months of persistent injuries, pops up in the box to head the ball into the net in the 93rd minute, and it could prove to be his most important goal in a City shirt.
After five games without a win Gary Johnson decided to reshuffle his starting eleven with regulars like Marvin Elliot and Ivan Sproule making way for Cole Skuse and Scott Murray, who have both waited patiently all season for their chance. Lee Trundle and Darren Byfield also found themselves out of the squad, having to watch the game from the stands. Gary, explaining his selection at the end of the game, said he felt after the Cardiff game that he had too many players in the squad who hadn’t been with him last season. If we had lost, his thinking would have come back to haunt him, but in the end it worked out well.
Elliot, although one of our players of the season, has looked tired in recent games and was in need of a rest. Similarly, Sproule hasn’t set us alight in recent matches and with Brian Wilson failing to fulfil the right wing role it was good to see Scott put on the shirt again. As Gary said, his starting eleven only contained two players who had not been part of the promotion season last year, with McIndoe and Adebola starting, although McIndoe has already played under Gary at Yeovil and knows what Johnson expects of him.
The inclusion of Skuse received a mixed reaction from myself – I was pleased Elliot was being rested, but am not the biggest fan of Skuse. But to be fair to him he played very well, getting better as the match wore on and made some important tackles. He also won the Man of the Match award, so I must be wrong about him!
Now things are looking very exciting with City at the top of the league with just five games to go, and we are on course to achieve something none of us dreamed of at the start of the season. Yet some people are never satisfied, as I found out on Saturday, with one so-called ‘supporter’ wishing we still had Danny Wilson as manager because we ‘played better football under him’. If that were the case, we would be still languishing in the third tier of English football. It’s funny how you only hear these ‘fans’ when they are moaning. Yet when a the team have a good shot or defend well, it likely to go unnoticed and when we score, they seem to act as if they have been encouraging the team all along. But I guess that’s football.
ANDY DAVIES
Monday 31 March 2008
Tuesday 25 March 2008
Dare to dream? But don't bother with predictions
You can tell it’s that time of the season. I wasn’t able to attend Plymouth Argyle’s 1-1 draw with Watford on Saturday – Easter weekend holiday with family and other half – but even in the days before the game I could feel a creeping sense of fevered anticipation, significantly greater than for an average game.
Going into the tie Argyle were sixth, a point clear of the chasing pack, although those behind had games in hand. Following it, our lead is now only on goal difference from Ipswich, who have played a game fewer, and looking at the remaining fixtures I believe the likeliest outcome will be a straight fight between ourselves and the Tractor Boys for the final play-off spot.
For several weeks I have been resisting the self-conscious inanities of constructing a fantasy Championship future on the BBC Sport website’s Predictor. However, with Argyle’s ‘Played’ column now sporting a heroic big four-o, and reasoning that some quickfire stabs in the dark would not be an utterly ridiculous waste of time, I took the plunge.
And it reminded me of one of the reasons I stopped gambling on football – even though, on a basic level, your own team is the sporting area you are most knowledgeable about, it really is impossible to be entirely honest about their fortunes, whether occurred or anticipated. When you’ve invested so many years and pounds in something, the strong possibility of having your greatest ever success snatched away seems too horrible to acknowledge, yet expecting your dreams to be fulfilled seems like self-delusion.
Coupled with the dizzying unpredictability of this season’s Championship, guessing scorelines seems largely pointless.
But I did it anyway, and supposedly Argyle will win four of six remaining games, drawing the other two and finishing on 73 points, sixth on goal difference from Ipswich.
Looking at it now, this seems very optimistic. But the pivotal half-dozen, on paper at least, are hardly frightening. On Saturday we travel to Coventry, mired in a relegation battle which I think could be ultimately unsuccessful, and coming off the back of two goal-less bore draws with other strugglers. Our other games on the road – where an impressive eight wins have been racked up this season – are a televised trip to Paul Sturrock’s old club Sheffield Wednesday, on decent form but still in the bottom three and with manager Brian Laws on shaky ground, and the final day tussle with Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is surely the trickiest one left, and nightmares of an Ebanks-Blake winner to send his new club into the top six at our expense are already surfacing amongst the Green Army.
At home we have Charlton, winless in five and seemingly fading from view, and Lancashire sides Preston and Blackpool. The historic clubs of Finney and Matthews have pulled themselves away from worries of demotion through good form, but are better on their own patches and will not fancy the long trips south, especially considering their safety should be pretty much assured by then.
But for now, perhaps it’s better to glory in Jermaine Easter’s crushing finish to give Argyle the lead on Saturday. Not only did the Welsh international bury his one-on-one hoodoo against Hornets keeper Richard Lee, but he kept the Pilgrims in the play-off hunt. And what a weekend to do it - a headline writer's soggy slumber.
It was also great to see a decent crowd at Home Park at last - more than 17,500, and hopefully this will be repeated for the remaining home fixtures.
The injury to and sending off of Peter Halmosi, still by far our most important player, was a blow. But at least the Hungarian might have got all his bad luck for the season out of the way in one game, and missing the Magyars' midweek friendly with Slovenia (which Kristian Timar should feature in) could provide him with a well-earnt rest. If Halmosi's back for the Charlton home game on April 5, expect a re-energised magician tearing through the Addicks' defence.
The Coventry match really is a must-win, even with Peter – we can’t keep relying on our rivals slipping up, as has been the case in the last few weeks. As the 2007-8 season reaches its conclusion, the pressure on sides at top and bottom will become greatest, and it will be character as much as technique which breeds success. Argyle under Luggy have rarely been short of character.
RICH PARTINGTON
Going into the tie Argyle were sixth, a point clear of the chasing pack, although those behind had games in hand. Following it, our lead is now only on goal difference from Ipswich, who have played a game fewer, and looking at the remaining fixtures I believe the likeliest outcome will be a straight fight between ourselves and the Tractor Boys for the final play-off spot.
For several weeks I have been resisting the self-conscious inanities of constructing a fantasy Championship future on the BBC Sport website’s Predictor. However, with Argyle’s ‘Played’ column now sporting a heroic big four-o, and reasoning that some quickfire stabs in the dark would not be an utterly ridiculous waste of time, I took the plunge.
And it reminded me of one of the reasons I stopped gambling on football – even though, on a basic level, your own team is the sporting area you are most knowledgeable about, it really is impossible to be entirely honest about their fortunes, whether occurred or anticipated. When you’ve invested so many years and pounds in something, the strong possibility of having your greatest ever success snatched away seems too horrible to acknowledge, yet expecting your dreams to be fulfilled seems like self-delusion.
Coupled with the dizzying unpredictability of this season’s Championship, guessing scorelines seems largely pointless.
But I did it anyway, and supposedly Argyle will win four of six remaining games, drawing the other two and finishing on 73 points, sixth on goal difference from Ipswich.
Looking at it now, this seems very optimistic. But the pivotal half-dozen, on paper at least, are hardly frightening. On Saturday we travel to Coventry, mired in a relegation battle which I think could be ultimately unsuccessful, and coming off the back of two goal-less bore draws with other strugglers. Our other games on the road – where an impressive eight wins have been racked up this season – are a televised trip to Paul Sturrock’s old club Sheffield Wednesday, on decent form but still in the bottom three and with manager Brian Laws on shaky ground, and the final day tussle with Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is surely the trickiest one left, and nightmares of an Ebanks-Blake winner to send his new club into the top six at our expense are already surfacing amongst the Green Army.
At home we have Charlton, winless in five and seemingly fading from view, and Lancashire sides Preston and Blackpool. The historic clubs of Finney and Matthews have pulled themselves away from worries of demotion through good form, but are better on their own patches and will not fancy the long trips south, especially considering their safety should be pretty much assured by then.
But for now, perhaps it’s better to glory in Jermaine Easter’s crushing finish to give Argyle the lead on Saturday. Not only did the Welsh international bury his one-on-one hoodoo against Hornets keeper Richard Lee, but he kept the Pilgrims in the play-off hunt. And what a weekend to do it - a headline writer's soggy slumber.
It was also great to see a decent crowd at Home Park at last - more than 17,500, and hopefully this will be repeated for the remaining home fixtures.
The injury to and sending off of Peter Halmosi, still by far our most important player, was a blow. But at least the Hungarian might have got all his bad luck for the season out of the way in one game, and missing the Magyars' midweek friendly with Slovenia (which Kristian Timar should feature in) could provide him with a well-earnt rest. If Halmosi's back for the Charlton home game on April 5, expect a re-energised magician tearing through the Addicks' defence.
The Coventry match really is a must-win, even with Peter – we can’t keep relying on our rivals slipping up, as has been the case in the last few weeks. As the 2007-8 season reaches its conclusion, the pressure on sides at top and bottom will become greatest, and it will be character as much as technique which breeds success. Argyle under Luggy have rarely been short of character.
RICH PARTINGTON
Monday 24 March 2008
Jones' joking irks Johnson
Six games to go and Bristol City are without a win in five, slowly surrendering their tight lead near the top of the table. Ok, so things can quickly change in the Championship as we have all seen, and in two weeks time we could have put two wins together and strengthened our position.
But at the moment I am getting slightly nervous. We all know no one expected City to be challenging for a place in the Premier League, but now that we have found ourselves in this position we want to stay there. After two straight defeats, are we cracking up under the pressure?
For Gary Johnson and his team, I do not think there is any pressure put on them from the fans as we are as surprised as anyone else at their success, but with the increased media attention as the season draws to a close, perhaps this is affecting the players. Looking back on these five games, it was frustrating to see us lose at home to Plymouth, but we have managed to draw against Watford and Leicester away when Ian Holloway’s team clearly had more chances than enough chances to win. We also rescued a point against Charlton away, which is no easy game as West Brom found out on Good Friday. But losing to Cardiff on Saturday was disappointing and frustrating as we have now seen our position further weakened with Hull City now in with a shout of automatic promotion.
Unfortunately, the referee and his officials wanted to become part of the show with the linesman ruling out a goal for Steve Brooker. Then Keith Stroud awarded Cardiff a penalty, and finally Gary Johnson was sent to the stands for attempting to get the ball back in play quickly while the fourth official and Dave Jones were having a joke. The offside decision was touch and go and had it been the home side, I suspect the goal may have stood. The penalty award was probably correct if even Steven PcPhail did go down rather easily, but Johnson being sent to the stands was ludicrous. He clearly tried to get the ball back to his team while the fourth official was having a laugh, and according to Johnson the referee sent him off without even to talking to his colleague.
They say bad things come in threes and that was the case in this game. It remains to be seen whether these decisions could have an impact on the outcome of our season. Following these two defeats, it makes next week’s game against Norwich a ‘must win’. We cannot afford another slip up and we could see ourselves fall out of the play-offs let alone the automatic places. I still believe two more wins will secure a play off finish and at least four wins will be needed for a top two finish.
There were however some positives to take from the game against Cardiff. We managed to score more than one goal in a game, even if one of them was disallowed, and we saw the long awaited return of Steve Brooker. It had been 11 months since he last put on a City shirt but he is now back to full fitness and could be the key to unlocking the door to the Premiership. ‘Brooks’ to me is probably one of our best strikers and I hope he is awarded a full return ‘debut’ against Norwich. He is hungry to prove himself in the Championship, he is fully fit, and he is full of confidence after netting five goals in six games on loan at Cheltenham. I would play him alongside Adebola which would give us added strength up front and take a bit of responsibility off Dele. Not only is Brooker strong in the air, he also has a great shot on him and I cannot wait to see him play this weekend.
Let’s just hope the referee and his officials for Saturday go unnoticed, like all good officials should.
ANDY DAVIES
But at the moment I am getting slightly nervous. We all know no one expected City to be challenging for a place in the Premier League, but now that we have found ourselves in this position we want to stay there. After two straight defeats, are we cracking up under the pressure?
For Gary Johnson and his team, I do not think there is any pressure put on them from the fans as we are as surprised as anyone else at their success, but with the increased media attention as the season draws to a close, perhaps this is affecting the players. Looking back on these five games, it was frustrating to see us lose at home to Plymouth, but we have managed to draw against Watford and Leicester away when Ian Holloway’s team clearly had more chances than enough chances to win. We also rescued a point against Charlton away, which is no easy game as West Brom found out on Good Friday. But losing to Cardiff on Saturday was disappointing and frustrating as we have now seen our position further weakened with Hull City now in with a shout of automatic promotion.
Unfortunately, the referee and his officials wanted to become part of the show with the linesman ruling out a goal for Steve Brooker. Then Keith Stroud awarded Cardiff a penalty, and finally Gary Johnson was sent to the stands for attempting to get the ball back in play quickly while the fourth official and Dave Jones were having a joke. The offside decision was touch and go and had it been the home side, I suspect the goal may have stood. The penalty award was probably correct if even Steven PcPhail did go down rather easily, but Johnson being sent to the stands was ludicrous. He clearly tried to get the ball back to his team while the fourth official was having a laugh, and according to Johnson the referee sent him off without even to talking to his colleague.
They say bad things come in threes and that was the case in this game. It remains to be seen whether these decisions could have an impact on the outcome of our season. Following these two defeats, it makes next week’s game against Norwich a ‘must win’. We cannot afford another slip up and we could see ourselves fall out of the play-offs let alone the automatic places. I still believe two more wins will secure a play off finish and at least four wins will be needed for a top two finish.
There were however some positives to take from the game against Cardiff. We managed to score more than one goal in a game, even if one of them was disallowed, and we saw the long awaited return of Steve Brooker. It had been 11 months since he last put on a City shirt but he is now back to full fitness and could be the key to unlocking the door to the Premiership. ‘Brooks’ to me is probably one of our best strikers and I hope he is awarded a full return ‘debut’ against Norwich. He is hungry to prove himself in the Championship, he is fully fit, and he is full of confidence after netting five goals in six games on loan at Cheltenham. I would play him alongside Adebola which would give us added strength up front and take a bit of responsibility off Dele. Not only is Brooker strong in the air, he also has a great shot on him and I cannot wait to see him play this weekend.
Let’s just hope the referee and his officials for Saturday go unnoticed, like all good officials should.
ANDY DAVIES
Thursday 20 March 2008
The Motson of Nailsworth hill
At 11 o’clock on Tuesday morning, I was in a state of panic. I had an assessment for my Broadcast Journalism degree due in three hours time – to present a piece of commentary on a sporting event (football for me of course), and, after a disastrous button incident at the Cheltenham-Bristol Rovers derby the night before, a commentary was yet to be recorded.
So it was down to the student advisor’s office to beg for an extension. She explained that the best she could offer was 48 hours, unless there were mitigating circumstances, e.g. if my gerbil had died or if I was gravely ill. However I wasn’t, so I had two days to save myself. I like to see myself as someone who can get his way out of anything, and again, the Gods were on my side.
A quick look at the fixture list showed that Forest Green were playing York City at home that evening. Perfect. A game of football would be good for me. Forest Green didn’t give me a straight answer regarding use of the press box, so armed with a minidisk recorder (which the technician assured me wouldn’t run out of batteries, as the old brick of a portadisk did), and having booked a taxi to the station after the game so I wouldn’t be stuck in Nailsworth overnight, I set off on the long trek to the New Lawn.
Anyone who’s visited the New Lawn will know that the ground is at the top of a hill. A very tall hill. The sort that’s so tall, you feel as though you’re physically climbing it, rather than walking it. On Saturday games, the bus will take you up this hill and right outside the ground. On midweek games, it won’t. This was slightly handy though as I needed to pop into Tesco to get a pen to make notes with.
My main worry was using the recording device without being spotted. Football grounds are instantly suspicious of recording devices, presumably in case you’re a spy, or recording a scandal-inducing radio show. Fortunately these minidisks are small, so to the fans I probably just looked like an arrogant teenager listening to his ipod. With the microphone tucked into my coat pocket, and having found a space as isolated as possible, I began my commentary.
I wasn’t helped by the fact that police had joined the stewards today – presumably the York fans have a bit of a repuatation. Every time a policeman walked past I held my breath…
The game itself was rather scrappy. York began with a 5-3-2 formation, from what I could decipher, with a player up front, Richard Brodie who’d signed from Newcastle Benfield at the start of the season. Who says you can’t make the step up! Forest Green’s tactic meanwhile was for goalkeeper Ryan Robinson to launch the ball towards Rigoglioso, who would then head on for Fleetwood to chase.
Sixteen minutes in Forest Green gave away a free kick about 25 yards out, just to the right of the ‘D’, as I described it in my commentary. York’s Nicky Wroe stepped up, and fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner, just past the diving Robinson. The keeper’s day got worse 40 minutes in, as he spilled Simon Rusk’s shot into the path of York left back Mark Robinson, who gleefully slotted the ball home.
Forest Green improved slightly in the second half, and deserved their goal back, Rigoglioso firing low into the corner after the York defence failed to clear the ball. Rovers then had a penalty turned down, which got me rather excited "The fans are furious. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS!" I shouted, trying not to be too biased. Then a few minutes later Fleetwood put the ball in the net, but the referee judged that he was offside.
Ultimately York deserved their win, they came with a game plan, and stuck to it. The result leaves Rovers needing a miracle to get to the play offs. York are in a similar position, but will have renewed hope at a sensational push towards the top five.
JAMES LEWIS
So it was down to the student advisor’s office to beg for an extension. She explained that the best she could offer was 48 hours, unless there were mitigating circumstances, e.g. if my gerbil had died or if I was gravely ill. However I wasn’t, so I had two days to save myself. I like to see myself as someone who can get his way out of anything, and again, the Gods were on my side.
A quick look at the fixture list showed that Forest Green were playing York City at home that evening. Perfect. A game of football would be good for me. Forest Green didn’t give me a straight answer regarding use of the press box, so armed with a minidisk recorder (which the technician assured me wouldn’t run out of batteries, as the old brick of a portadisk did), and having booked a taxi to the station after the game so I wouldn’t be stuck in Nailsworth overnight, I set off on the long trek to the New Lawn.
Anyone who’s visited the New Lawn will know that the ground is at the top of a hill. A very tall hill. The sort that’s so tall, you feel as though you’re physically climbing it, rather than walking it. On Saturday games, the bus will take you up this hill and right outside the ground. On midweek games, it won’t. This was slightly handy though as I needed to pop into Tesco to get a pen to make notes with.
My main worry was using the recording device without being spotted. Football grounds are instantly suspicious of recording devices, presumably in case you’re a spy, or recording a scandal-inducing radio show. Fortunately these minidisks are small, so to the fans I probably just looked like an arrogant teenager listening to his ipod. With the microphone tucked into my coat pocket, and having found a space as isolated as possible, I began my commentary.
I wasn’t helped by the fact that police had joined the stewards today – presumably the York fans have a bit of a repuatation. Every time a policeman walked past I held my breath…
The game itself was rather scrappy. York began with a 5-3-2 formation, from what I could decipher, with a player up front, Richard Brodie who’d signed from Newcastle Benfield at the start of the season. Who says you can’t make the step up! Forest Green’s tactic meanwhile was for goalkeeper Ryan Robinson to launch the ball towards Rigoglioso, who would then head on for Fleetwood to chase.
Sixteen minutes in Forest Green gave away a free kick about 25 yards out, just to the right of the ‘D’, as I described it in my commentary. York’s Nicky Wroe stepped up, and fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner, just past the diving Robinson. The keeper’s day got worse 40 minutes in, as he spilled Simon Rusk’s shot into the path of York left back Mark Robinson, who gleefully slotted the ball home.
Forest Green improved slightly in the second half, and deserved their goal back, Rigoglioso firing low into the corner after the York defence failed to clear the ball. Rovers then had a penalty turned down, which got me rather excited "The fans are furious. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS!" I shouted, trying not to be too biased. Then a few minutes later Fleetwood put the ball in the net, but the referee judged that he was offside.
Ultimately York deserved their win, they came with a game plan, and stuck to it. The result leaves Rovers needing a miracle to get to the play offs. York are in a similar position, but will have renewed hope at a sensational push towards the top five.
JAMES LEWIS
Sunday 16 March 2008
Your Bristol City correspondent owes me a fiver
Football - tis funny ole' game, innee??
Or so we say in the deep, dark western depths of Cornwall and Devon. Plymouth Argyle's season has been mystifying, exhilarating, depressing, confusing, and historic in so many ways. Saturday afternoon at Ashton Gate will be one of the more well-remembered landmarks of 2007-8, whatever the eventual outcome of Argyle's promotion push.
Rory Fallon - who, in my post-match anger after the horrors of Scunthorpe, I described as a 'lost cause' - scored twice to give the Greens an ultimately unassailable lead over Westcountry rivals Bristol City, as well as our first victory in Turnipland since (ridiculously) 1931. The pasties and cider taste sweet tonight.
The victory almost seemed inevitable, such has been the almost hallucinogenic nature of results in the Championship – particularly for Plymouth Argyle – this season. Argyle’s 2-1 victory over City, with Lee Trundle’s penalty proving but a consolation for the Robins, to earlier away wins over Watford, Charlton, and Sheffield United (the three parachute payment-assisted Premiership failures of last season), as well as play-off challengers Hull. On the other hand, we lost to strugglers Sheffield Wednesday at home and in the aformentioned game at Scunny, were awful at Preston and couldn’t win at bottom club Colchester.
It is difficult to explain this, of course, but I would argue that the major factors are motivation – which have enabled Argyle to secure victories against teams who should supposedly beat them – and underestimation, similar in many ways, which has seen the Pilgrims fall victim to the same phenomenon which has often benefited us.
This has happened to every team in the league, with the most successful sides being those who have ground out results, with a good structure, a settled side and strong tactical operator in the managerial role, augmented by a few flair players. Bristol City and Stoke City closest fit this dynamic, and thus sit top of the pile – because they are, without doubt, the two most effective sides of all, with Watford on a similar level. The difference between the Hornets and their less fancied rivals does not come in the dugout, where Adrian Boothroyd is as determined and shrewd as Gary Johnson or Tony Pulis. If anything it might be in supporter expectations, with the Hertfordshire club’s fans demanding an immediate return to a top flight they have been occasionally familiar with in the past decade. No such historical millstones for the two Cities, whose last dalliances with the wealthy elite were many moons ago. This has kept the pressure of and both teams have blossomed.
West Brom sit fourth when, as any Argyle fan who saw them dismantle the greens at the Hawthorns a few weeks ago will testify, they would be top if pure technique was the sole barometer. But they have a lacklustre manager, Tony Mowbray, who is happy to get well-paid, skilful players knocking the ball around elegantly and feeding a terrifying array of second-level finishers (Kevin Phillips, Roman Bednar, Ishmael Miller, Luke Moore) but seems incapable of building a side with the grit and organisation to dominate the league as they should. If they secure promotion they are probably best equipped of the challengers to survive, because the Premiership is a very different league. But the Baggies’ elevation looks by no means certain – everyone, including myself, tipped them to go up last year, and yet they still failed with a side containing now-England-star Curtis Davies, football league player of the year Jason Koumas, and the lethal Diomansy Kamara. This seasons team went 1-0 up against Ian Holloway’s collapsing Leicester City on Saturday, had Moore sent off, and promptly fell apart, contriving to lose 4-1 and prolong Ollie’s agony by another week. There’s still a fair chance though of, before the month is over, Mafia Mandaric shunting him forcefully towards the exit.
Argyle aren’t a side full of stars, but we have grit in abundance, if intermittently. Paul Sturrock is still sizing up his squad and whatever happens this season I fully expect the next to be less haphazard and more centrally driven by the idea of promotion. Luggy will know what he wants us to do and how to do it – this season he seems understandably less sure, as the players at his disposal are assessed for both ability and character.
Fallon is one of the major protagonists squarely under the microscope, and has not thus far been a fan favourite, with few among the Green Army greeting even his initial signing which much enthusiasm, let alone what has followed. Leigh Moore, correspondent for the Swindon teams on this site (Fallon played for Town), called him a ‘carthorse’ when we signed him, and for large periods it’s been hard to argue. He was good at home to Southampton in January, netting Argyle’s equaliser, yet it is difficult to remember another match which has ended in glory for the big man. Saturday was the New Zealander’s day, though. First was the snatched, eight-yard finish from a ball across the box which shot past Adriano Basso on the stroke of half time. As big a psychological blow as Zoltan Gera’s scrappy goal had been for WBA against Argyle at the Hawthorns, it stunned City, who had been seemingly dominant up until then.
Just before the hour, a corner bewildered a City defence looking lost without Jamie McCombe, and there was the big Kiwi again to bundle the ball home from less than a yard. They all count.
Despite "what a waste of money" Trundle’s rare goal (it was a handball from Jermaine Easter, but it certainly wasn’t a foul by Russell Anderson which led to the free-kick from which the handball occurred) the Greens held on to defy any pundit you would have asked on Saturday morn.
Credit also must go to emergency signing Rab Douglas, amusingly from Leicester, who made a couple of good stops to preserve Argyle’s lead.
The Westcountry derby was the featured game on this morning’s Championship Goals ITV show, which made a nice change from the 20 seconds of coverage we usually enjoy, but it was made clear from the outset that the men in yellow (again, unfortunately) were not what the London-based cameras had travelled so far west to witness. Instead, Bristol’s supposed great resurgence as a football city was the chosen documentation, with a 19,000, capacity crowd (never mind that 2,000 were greens in the away end, with many more, perhaps hundreds, in the away sections) ready to cheer them to the Premiership. Argyle were, as always to the national media, merely a distraction.
Call me paranoid? Just listen to the tone of the ITV commentator, growing increasingly frustrated at City’s inability to break the visitors down. The result was described as a major shock, but anyone who had seen the return fixture at Home Park would not have been unduly surprised. But for a freak Krsitian Timar own goal that day we’d be celebrating a Westcountry double.
As it is, I can’t pretend that any victory this season will be any sweeter, bar perhaps a play-off final victory over the same opponent…if we did do it, it’d be the most publicity-free promotion of all time.
RICH PARTINGTON
Or so we say in the deep, dark western depths of Cornwall and Devon. Plymouth Argyle's season has been mystifying, exhilarating, depressing, confusing, and historic in so many ways. Saturday afternoon at Ashton Gate will be one of the more well-remembered landmarks of 2007-8, whatever the eventual outcome of Argyle's promotion push.
Rory Fallon - who, in my post-match anger after the horrors of Scunthorpe, I described as a 'lost cause' - scored twice to give the Greens an ultimately unassailable lead over Westcountry rivals Bristol City, as well as our first victory in Turnipland since (ridiculously) 1931. The pasties and cider taste sweet tonight.
The victory almost seemed inevitable, such has been the almost hallucinogenic nature of results in the Championship – particularly for Plymouth Argyle – this season. Argyle’s 2-1 victory over City, with Lee Trundle’s penalty proving but a consolation for the Robins, to earlier away wins over Watford, Charlton, and Sheffield United (the three parachute payment-assisted Premiership failures of last season), as well as play-off challengers Hull. On the other hand, we lost to strugglers Sheffield Wednesday at home and in the aformentioned game at Scunny, were awful at Preston and couldn’t win at bottom club Colchester.
It is difficult to explain this, of course, but I would argue that the major factors are motivation – which have enabled Argyle to secure victories against teams who should supposedly beat them – and underestimation, similar in many ways, which has seen the Pilgrims fall victim to the same phenomenon which has often benefited us.
This has happened to every team in the league, with the most successful sides being those who have ground out results, with a good structure, a settled side and strong tactical operator in the managerial role, augmented by a few flair players. Bristol City and Stoke City closest fit this dynamic, and thus sit top of the pile – because they are, without doubt, the two most effective sides of all, with Watford on a similar level. The difference between the Hornets and their less fancied rivals does not come in the dugout, where Adrian Boothroyd is as determined and shrewd as Gary Johnson or Tony Pulis. If anything it might be in supporter expectations, with the Hertfordshire club’s fans demanding an immediate return to a top flight they have been occasionally familiar with in the past decade. No such historical millstones for the two Cities, whose last dalliances with the wealthy elite were many moons ago. This has kept the pressure of and both teams have blossomed.
West Brom sit fourth when, as any Argyle fan who saw them dismantle the greens at the Hawthorns a few weeks ago will testify, they would be top if pure technique was the sole barometer. But they have a lacklustre manager, Tony Mowbray, who is happy to get well-paid, skilful players knocking the ball around elegantly and feeding a terrifying array of second-level finishers (Kevin Phillips, Roman Bednar, Ishmael Miller, Luke Moore) but seems incapable of building a side with the grit and organisation to dominate the league as they should. If they secure promotion they are probably best equipped of the challengers to survive, because the Premiership is a very different league. But the Baggies’ elevation looks by no means certain – everyone, including myself, tipped them to go up last year, and yet they still failed with a side containing now-England-star Curtis Davies, football league player of the year Jason Koumas, and the lethal Diomansy Kamara. This seasons team went 1-0 up against Ian Holloway’s collapsing Leicester City on Saturday, had Moore sent off, and promptly fell apart, contriving to lose 4-1 and prolong Ollie’s agony by another week. There’s still a fair chance though of, before the month is over, Mafia Mandaric shunting him forcefully towards the exit.
Argyle aren’t a side full of stars, but we have grit in abundance, if intermittently. Paul Sturrock is still sizing up his squad and whatever happens this season I fully expect the next to be less haphazard and more centrally driven by the idea of promotion. Luggy will know what he wants us to do and how to do it – this season he seems understandably less sure, as the players at his disposal are assessed for both ability and character.
Fallon is one of the major protagonists squarely under the microscope, and has not thus far been a fan favourite, with few among the Green Army greeting even his initial signing which much enthusiasm, let alone what has followed. Leigh Moore, correspondent for the Swindon teams on this site (Fallon played for Town), called him a ‘carthorse’ when we signed him, and for large periods it’s been hard to argue. He was good at home to Southampton in January, netting Argyle’s equaliser, yet it is difficult to remember another match which has ended in glory for the big man. Saturday was the New Zealander’s day, though. First was the snatched, eight-yard finish from a ball across the box which shot past Adriano Basso on the stroke of half time. As big a psychological blow as Zoltan Gera’s scrappy goal had been for WBA against Argyle at the Hawthorns, it stunned City, who had been seemingly dominant up until then.
Just before the hour, a corner bewildered a City defence looking lost without Jamie McCombe, and there was the big Kiwi again to bundle the ball home from less than a yard. They all count.
Despite "what a waste of money" Trundle’s rare goal (it was a handball from Jermaine Easter, but it certainly wasn’t a foul by Russell Anderson which led to the free-kick from which the handball occurred) the Greens held on to defy any pundit you would have asked on Saturday morn.
Credit also must go to emergency signing Rab Douglas, amusingly from Leicester, who made a couple of good stops to preserve Argyle’s lead.
The Westcountry derby was the featured game on this morning’s Championship Goals ITV show, which made a nice change from the 20 seconds of coverage we usually enjoy, but it was made clear from the outset that the men in yellow (again, unfortunately) were not what the London-based cameras had travelled so far west to witness. Instead, Bristol’s supposed great resurgence as a football city was the chosen documentation, with a 19,000, capacity crowd (never mind that 2,000 were greens in the away end, with many more, perhaps hundreds, in the away sections) ready to cheer them to the Premiership. Argyle were, as always to the national media, merely a distraction.
Call me paranoid? Just listen to the tone of the ITV commentator, growing increasingly frustrated at City’s inability to break the visitors down. The result was described as a major shock, but anyone who had seen the return fixture at Home Park would not have been unduly surprised. But for a freak Krsitian Timar own goal that day we’d be celebrating a Westcountry double.
As it is, I can’t pretend that any victory this season will be any sweeter, bar perhaps a play-off final victory over the same opponent…if we did do it, it’d be the most publicity-free promotion of all time.
RICH PARTINGTON
Friday 14 March 2008
Cheltenham reach new highs with a sensational double
Back in November, Cheltenham took on Leeds United at Whaddon Road. A capacity crowd packed into the small stadium, to watch Cheltenham defend heroically, and nick a late goal to take the three points. Fans went wild, and it was billed as one of Cheltenham's greatest ever results.
But surely it was a one off. Surely Leeds would wait until Cheltenham came to Elland Road and teach them a lesson in football? Especially since Cheltenham's away form had been pretty much woeful. Even Port Vale had managed to hammer us 3-0 earlier in the season.
So onto Tuesday March 11. The Saturday before, Cheltenham had lost 2-1 at Yeovil after a poor performance. The doom merchants were out in force. "Go easy on us" they begged Leeds. "We'll be lucky to be only 4-0 down at half time."
Now admittedly I didn't travel to Elland Road. A four hours plus bus journey was beyond me,
instead I accompanied my housemate to the SU bar to watch Liverpool take on Inter Milan.
On getting home, after a rather dull (for a non-Liverpool fan) second leg, I suddenly remembered that Cheltenham had played Leeds today. I chastised myself for being a rubbish supporter, then, as my computer was at the time very much on the blink, got my phone out, and found the BBC Sport website....
So I scrolled down the list of results, thinking "I wonder how many we lost by?", fearing the Leeds backlash. And then I got to the score...
"Leeds United 1-2 Cheltenham Town".
"Surely that must be a misprint. Surely the 1 must mean 7 or something. Cheltenham surely couldn't have done the double over Leeds? Even Manchester United struggled to do that!", I thought to myself.
I found the whole thing rather amusing. How could Cheltenham go from being outplayed by a rather average Yeovil side, to beating a team which only seven years ago was beating AC Milan and the like in the Champions League, in their own backyard. Leeds losing at Whaddon Road, although still shocking, is partly excusable. Games like that are more difficult than you think, with the crowd close to the pitch, the tight atmosphere, and the players playing as if their lives depended on it.
I had presumed that it was a case of Leeds outplay Cheltenham, Cheltenham get two on the counter attack, then Leeds, after battering Cheltenham, get a goal but Cheltenham defend heroically and sneak the win. Not so according to various sources. Apparently, Cheltenham had been much the better side, and could have won by a higher margin than 2-1.
Yesterday I had the "privilege" of watching the highlights on Virgin Media. The same Virgin Media who once managed to include two commentaries during the same match. The Cheltenham-Leeds highlights didn't feature such an interesting experiment, but did have one of the most bored sounding commentators ever. Most of the highlights seemed to consist of Leeds shooting over the bar, with Cheltenham's goals being squeezed in. Pick of the two was
a curler from Alex Russell from the corner of the penalty area.
Leeds fans meanwhile bemoaned the "darkest day in the clubs history", while Cheltenham prepare for a local derby against Bristol Rovers, relaxed after a day at the races.
JAMES LEWIS
But surely it was a one off. Surely Leeds would wait until Cheltenham came to Elland Road and teach them a lesson in football? Especially since Cheltenham's away form had been pretty much woeful. Even Port Vale had managed to hammer us 3-0 earlier in the season.
So onto Tuesday March 11. The Saturday before, Cheltenham had lost 2-1 at Yeovil after a poor performance. The doom merchants were out in force. "Go easy on us" they begged Leeds. "We'll be lucky to be only 4-0 down at half time."
Now admittedly I didn't travel to Elland Road. A four hours plus bus journey was beyond me,
instead I accompanied my housemate to the SU bar to watch Liverpool take on Inter Milan.
On getting home, after a rather dull (for a non-Liverpool fan) second leg, I suddenly remembered that Cheltenham had played Leeds today. I chastised myself for being a rubbish supporter, then, as my computer was at the time very much on the blink, got my phone out, and found the BBC Sport website....
So I scrolled down the list of results, thinking "I wonder how many we lost by?", fearing the Leeds backlash. And then I got to the score...
"Leeds United 1-2 Cheltenham Town".
"Surely that must be a misprint. Surely the 1 must mean 7 or something. Cheltenham surely couldn't have done the double over Leeds? Even Manchester United struggled to do that!", I thought to myself.
I found the whole thing rather amusing. How could Cheltenham go from being outplayed by a rather average Yeovil side, to beating a team which only seven years ago was beating AC Milan and the like in the Champions League, in their own backyard. Leeds losing at Whaddon Road, although still shocking, is partly excusable. Games like that are more difficult than you think, with the crowd close to the pitch, the tight atmosphere, and the players playing as if their lives depended on it.
I had presumed that it was a case of Leeds outplay Cheltenham, Cheltenham get two on the counter attack, then Leeds, after battering Cheltenham, get a goal but Cheltenham defend heroically and sneak the win. Not so according to various sources. Apparently, Cheltenham had been much the better side, and could have won by a higher margin than 2-1.
Yesterday I had the "privilege" of watching the highlights on Virgin Media. The same Virgin Media who once managed to include two commentaries during the same match. The Cheltenham-Leeds highlights didn't feature such an interesting experiment, but did have one of the most bored sounding commentators ever. Most of the highlights seemed to consist of Leeds shooting over the bar, with Cheltenham's goals being squeezed in. Pick of the two was
a curler from Alex Russell from the corner of the penalty area.
Leeds fans meanwhile bemoaned the "darkest day in the clubs history", while Cheltenham prepare for a local derby against Bristol Rovers, relaxed after a day at the races.
JAMES LEWIS
Thursday 13 March 2008
Who will be crowned best in the West?
Only last season Plymouth were regarded as the best team in the south west, which goes to show how quickly things can change in football. Argyle were in the Championship pushing for a play-off place while Bristol City were in League One fighting for automatic pro`motion. This season has seen the tables turn with City establishing themselves as surprise promotion contenders while Paul Strurrock’s side have struggled to stay in the play-offs. Only a few weeks ago, Argyle’s season looked to be over as they lay far adrift from the play-off places, yet a resurgent run of four straight wins in February took them back into the play-offs and had fans dreaming of the Premiership. But they have now lost three games in March and have slipped outside the top six so Saturday’s game is crucial for both teams.
City, on the other hand have maintained their place at the top of the league and have now gone eight games unbeaten. We have managed to take 16 points from eight games which is a fantastic return and certainly promotion form, and hopefully this will continue. But the Westcountry derby will not be an easy game for City as Plymouth will obviously be desperate to get back to winning ways and maintain their push for a top six finish.
In our last meeting in December, the game ended 1-1, with City scoring from a Krisztian Timar own goal. Plymouth goalkeeper Roman Larrieu had a fantastic game and was unlucky to concede a goal after he had made some fantastic saves. Fortunately for City, Larrieu is injured, as is his number two Luke McCormick, so Argyle have a keeper crisis and are looking at bringing in an emergency loan as they are left with only a youth team goalkeeper to stick between the posts. Hopefully, the headlines from this game aren’t ‘loanee goalkeeper makes fantastic save to win the game for Plymouth’!
The game is sure to be sell-out, which is two in a row at Ashton Gate, so the atmosphere should be fantastic. I am sure the game will also be entertaining with both sides wanting to play football instead of looking to kick the ball in the air, which has been the case in recent games at Ashton Gate. The swirling winds will hopefully have ceased so the players should find it easier to play football. On Tuesday, I became frustrated with the lack of football played by City and Watford, but walking away from the game I realised how bad the wind was which would have made play difficult for both sets of teams.
So who do you think will come out victorious on Saturday? Of course I am going to say City but Plymouth will no doubt create a hard game. With quality players like Peter Halmosi and Jermaine Easter, it promises to be an entertaining game. I expect City to make some changes to the side that played on Tuesday, with Lee Johnson looking doubtful and perhaps Ivan Sproule and Darren Byfield could be recalled. I was not happy, to say the least, with having Brian Wilson playing on the right wing against Watford and we looked a better side when Sproule replaced him in the last five minutes. I also have a bet with a Plymouth fan riding on this game, so a win would be all the sweeter.
ANDY DAVIES
City, on the other hand have maintained their place at the top of the league and have now gone eight games unbeaten. We have managed to take 16 points from eight games which is a fantastic return and certainly promotion form, and hopefully this will continue. But the Westcountry derby will not be an easy game for City as Plymouth will obviously be desperate to get back to winning ways and maintain their push for a top six finish.
In our last meeting in December, the game ended 1-1, with City scoring from a Krisztian Timar own goal. Plymouth goalkeeper Roman Larrieu had a fantastic game and was unlucky to concede a goal after he had made some fantastic saves. Fortunately for City, Larrieu is injured, as is his number two Luke McCormick, so Argyle have a keeper crisis and are looking at bringing in an emergency loan as they are left with only a youth team goalkeeper to stick between the posts. Hopefully, the headlines from this game aren’t ‘loanee goalkeeper makes fantastic save to win the game for Plymouth’!
The game is sure to be sell-out, which is two in a row at Ashton Gate, so the atmosphere should be fantastic. I am sure the game will also be entertaining with both sides wanting to play football instead of looking to kick the ball in the air, which has been the case in recent games at Ashton Gate. The swirling winds will hopefully have ceased so the players should find it easier to play football. On Tuesday, I became frustrated with the lack of football played by City and Watford, but walking away from the game I realised how bad the wind was which would have made play difficult for both sets of teams.
So who do you think will come out victorious on Saturday? Of course I am going to say City but Plymouth will no doubt create a hard game. With quality players like Peter Halmosi and Jermaine Easter, it promises to be an entertaining game. I expect City to make some changes to the side that played on Tuesday, with Lee Johnson looking doubtful and perhaps Ivan Sproule and Darren Byfield could be recalled. I was not happy, to say the least, with having Brian Wilson playing on the right wing against Watford and we looked a better side when Sproule replaced him in the last five minutes. I also have a bet with a Plymouth fan riding on this game, so a win would be all the sweeter.
ANDY DAVIES
Gutless. Witless. Pathetic.
One of the major problems with keeping a regular blog on your football team is that while it’s great fun to wax lyrical on famous victories and dazzling players, bringing yourself to write about those days when your heroes don’t quite cover themselves in glory isn’t quite as enjoyable.
So it is then that I’ve given myself a couple of days to recover from the farcical debacle of Tuesday night at Glanford Park, but the passing hours have barely dimmed how utterly appalled I am at Argyle’s performance in the 1-0 defeat against Scunthorpe United.
Admittedly, there were mitigating factors. The howling wind gusting off the Humber rendered anything but on-the-floor tactics impractical in the first half, and, under Paul Sturrock, this is not Argyle’s forte. But our brainless incompetence in adapting to this was still a site to behold, or rather, one I wish I hadn't. Once Scunthorpe – who were even worse than Argyle and comfortably the poorest side I’ve ever seen in the second tier of English professional football – managed to squeeze a rather fortunate effort past Luke McCormick early in the second half, referee Stuart Attwell appeared to decide that it would be easier, in such an awful game, for the team who scored first to win, and from there on in Argyle were the victims of a run of decisions almost as disgraceful as their performance.
The men in yellow were as awful as our luminous away kit. Lee Hodges, mystifyingly restored to left-back in place of the improving Gary Sawyer, insisted on hoofing the ball skywards every time he received it, despite the force of the wind curling every effort backwards. Hodges, who never had the technical gifts even for third level football but has often displayed enough grit and determination to disguise these failings, was on this occasion so bad that when McCormick was sent off on 71 minutes for handling the ball outside his area, Hodges replaced him and was actually better between the sticks than he had been outfield.
Steve McLean’s ridiculous ineptitude was almost funny, displaying an inability to complete one-yard passes or keep control of even the gentlest of loose balls. Argyle’s most expensive ever signing looked at best lost and at worst uninterested, and got absolutely nowhere near even having a shot at goal, let alone scoring. Lilian Nalis and Jimmy Abdou, in central midfield, were ineffectual to the extent that the only time they were noticed was when needlessly giving away the ball. Paul Connolly's primary achievement was managing to sky the white sphere high, over and out of the shack masquerading as a Championship football ground (which provoked such classics and "My garden shed is bigger than this...", and the more modern twist of "Is your ground from MFI?" from the Green Army) on three separate occasions.
RICH PARTINGTON
So it is then that I’ve given myself a couple of days to recover from the farcical debacle of Tuesday night at Glanford Park, but the passing hours have barely dimmed how utterly appalled I am at Argyle’s performance in the 1-0 defeat against Scunthorpe United.
Admittedly, there were mitigating factors. The howling wind gusting off the Humber rendered anything but on-the-floor tactics impractical in the first half, and, under Paul Sturrock, this is not Argyle’s forte. But our brainless incompetence in adapting to this was still a site to behold, or rather, one I wish I hadn't. Once Scunthorpe – who were even worse than Argyle and comfortably the poorest side I’ve ever seen in the second tier of English professional football – managed to squeeze a rather fortunate effort past Luke McCormick early in the second half, referee Stuart Attwell appeared to decide that it would be easier, in such an awful game, for the team who scored first to win, and from there on in Argyle were the victims of a run of decisions almost as disgraceful as their performance.
The men in yellow were as awful as our luminous away kit. Lee Hodges, mystifyingly restored to left-back in place of the improving Gary Sawyer, insisted on hoofing the ball skywards every time he received it, despite the force of the wind curling every effort backwards. Hodges, who never had the technical gifts even for third level football but has often displayed enough grit and determination to disguise these failings, was on this occasion so bad that when McCormick was sent off on 71 minutes for handling the ball outside his area, Hodges replaced him and was actually better between the sticks than he had been outfield.
Steve McLean’s ridiculous ineptitude was almost funny, displaying an inability to complete one-yard passes or keep control of even the gentlest of loose balls. Argyle’s most expensive ever signing looked at best lost and at worst uninterested, and got absolutely nowhere near even having a shot at goal, let alone scoring. Lilian Nalis and Jimmy Abdou, in central midfield, were ineffectual to the extent that the only time they were noticed was when needlessly giving away the ball. Paul Connolly's primary achievement was managing to sky the white sphere high, over and out of the shack masquerading as a Championship football ground (which provoked such classics and "My garden shed is bigger than this...", and the more modern twist of "Is your ground from MFI?" from the Green Army) on three separate occasions.
The roll-call of villains in day-glo had a few notable exceptions. Jamie Mackie was given his first start at long last and was Argyle’s sole attacking threat, with the pace, energy, and desire lacking elsewhere. Picking up the ball and realising the rest of his team were going to be of little use, Mackie took on the Scunny defence single-handedly, beating defenders and causing havoc. Sturrock seemed to be mocking either Mackie, the fans, or perhaps even himself when choosing to withdraw the 22-year-old from Horsham for lost cause Rory Fallon. Luggy also refused to bring on Jermaine Easter, who had not even really deserved to be dropped, instead persevering with the hopeless McLean.
Gary Teale added more urgency when on as a sub for Chris Clark, who until this moment I had completely forgotten the existence of, such was his anonymity.
And Russell Anderson was generally able to neutralise what passed for a Scunthorpe attack, despite the goal.
Despite all of this, Argyle still should have won. Scunthorpe were a collective of clueless pub players with a dodgy keeper and a colander defence. On any other day the Greens should have won 7 or 8-0. It is laughable that Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins described his players as 'absolutely magnificent'. If that's true, I'd hate to see them on a bad day. No wonder there were less than 4000 home fans present.
It must be said that the 400 or so travelling supporters were, as usual, immense, providing faultless vocal encouragement for the majority of the game, until even the infinite stoicism which the average Argyle exile wears like a badge of honour began to disintegrate. The likes of Mackie and McCormick - the players that care - clearly appreciated this, and were not shy about showing it. A pumped fist from Mackie and a quick clap from Luke while play continued said it all. And the keeper gave the Green throng the best moment of the entire evening, clearing up a slack Connolly backpass with a nonchalant drag back and turn which left the advancing Scunny striker flailing.
The Argyle fans were certainly louder than their hosts. Even after scoring and at the final whistle, the Lincolnshire natives were largely silent, save for a dozen or so screeching kids immediately to our right. I have literally never encountered such an unenthusiastic home crowd, although as previously explained, their team provide little to shout about.
I’m struggling to decide whether the similarly poor results for Argyle’s playoff challengers – Hull, Ipswich, Charlton, and Wolves – in the last couple of days is a good or bad thing. On the one hand, we are still very much in the race - seventh, only a point away from the magical zone which will allow the extension of our season beyond 46 games. Had we beaten the Iron, as we really should have done, Argyle would be fifth on 58 points, two ahead of Charlton and Hull.
This is despite three defeats in four games, which really should have seen us left in the dirt. But the Championship is wildly unpredictable this season. I’d have said it was a poor league, but the FA Cup semi-final line-up, with three teams from the second tier present, somewhat contradicts this. And two of those, Barnsley (who have beaten two members of the ‘big four’, Liverpool and Chelsea, on their way to Wembley) and Cardiff, are nowhere near the playoffs.
So, in conclusion, if Argyle beat Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday, which I doubt we will, then anything is possible. If we don’t, the playoff charge is definitely over. I’m sure of it. Maybe. Unless we then win a few games…
RICH PARTINGTON
Top of the table encounter ends in stalemate
It was billed as City’s biggest game of the season and it certainly was. The game against Watford on Tuesday night was perhaps one of the biggest games for City since they last won promotion to the top flight over 30 years ago. And for the first time this season, football fans in Bristol realised what was at stake as the game was a complete sell-out with 19,000 fans anticipating a titanic encounter. I have said in previous articles about the lack of full houses at Ashton Gate and after last night’s sell-out, it really does show what a difference a full stadium makes.
The atmosphere was electric and the players certainly responded to the occasion with tackles flying in and the two dugouts also seeing plenty of action involved in the fiery arguments. Although I may be biased, from my position just behind the away dug out, it seemed as Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd failed to control his players and staff as they became involved in arguments with Gary Johnson. But tempers reaching boiling point is hardly surprising, given the occasion and importance of the game.
The match itself was not the prettiest of encounters with the ball often in the air and with the windy conditions, both sides failed to make much of an impact. Marvin Elliot going close with two shots well saved by Watford goalkeeper Jordan Stewart was as close as City came to scoring but the Hornets had the best chance of the half to score when McIndoe was adjudged to have brought down Tommy Smith in the box. Darius Henderson stepped up to take the penalty, but Ashton Gate erupted when Adriano Basso’s right-hand palmed the ball to safety and he later thanked God for his help in making the save. Perhaps another ‘Hand of God’ scenario? That save could prove crucial as we struggled to break through the Watford defence and I doubt we would have equalised had Henderson found the net.
Lee Johnson was substituted at half time after suffering an injury from a challenge by striker Henderson and City missed their instrumental playmaker in the second half. Lee Johnson, has since he arrived at Ashton Gate last season, been subjected to unfair criticism from some sections of City fans who have failed to realise the importance of his job in midfield. As he is Gary’s son, he can be an easy target for many fans criticising his ability hold onto the ball and tackle an opponent. However, hopefully after his absence in the second-half, these fans will realise what an important player he is to the team. He may not make the most challenges, but this is not necessary when he has ‘marvellous’ Marvin Elliot alongside him, who has been a revelation since arriving from Millwall in the summer, to tackle the opposition. Johnson's role is to help keep the game moving with his quick passing and it was easy to see the ball becoming stuck in the midfield after his departure. But he may have won over some his critics as he was given a standing ovation by the Atyeo Stand as he headed for the dressing room. Hopefully, he will make a quick recovery and play some part in the Westcountry derby against Plymouth.
Tuesday’s draw with Watford is City’s third in a row so a win on Saturday is crucial if we want to remain at the top, but we are now eight games unbeaten so the players should be full of confidence. Saturday also sees Stoke host Watford, so City really do have a chance to move away from the chasing pack, so we have every chance of being top come 5pm on Saturday night.
ANDY DAVIES
The atmosphere was electric and the players certainly responded to the occasion with tackles flying in and the two dugouts also seeing plenty of action involved in the fiery arguments. Although I may be biased, from my position just behind the away dug out, it seemed as Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd failed to control his players and staff as they became involved in arguments with Gary Johnson. But tempers reaching boiling point is hardly surprising, given the occasion and importance of the game.
The match itself was not the prettiest of encounters with the ball often in the air and with the windy conditions, both sides failed to make much of an impact. Marvin Elliot going close with two shots well saved by Watford goalkeeper Jordan Stewart was as close as City came to scoring but the Hornets had the best chance of the half to score when McIndoe was adjudged to have brought down Tommy Smith in the box. Darius Henderson stepped up to take the penalty, but Ashton Gate erupted when Adriano Basso’s right-hand palmed the ball to safety and he later thanked God for his help in making the save. Perhaps another ‘Hand of God’ scenario? That save could prove crucial as we struggled to break through the Watford defence and I doubt we would have equalised had Henderson found the net.
Lee Johnson was substituted at half time after suffering an injury from a challenge by striker Henderson and City missed their instrumental playmaker in the second half. Lee Johnson, has since he arrived at Ashton Gate last season, been subjected to unfair criticism from some sections of City fans who have failed to realise the importance of his job in midfield. As he is Gary’s son, he can be an easy target for many fans criticising his ability hold onto the ball and tackle an opponent. However, hopefully after his absence in the second-half, these fans will realise what an important player he is to the team. He may not make the most challenges, but this is not necessary when he has ‘marvellous’ Marvin Elliot alongside him, who has been a revelation since arriving from Millwall in the summer, to tackle the opposition. Johnson's role is to help keep the game moving with his quick passing and it was easy to see the ball becoming stuck in the midfield after his departure. But he may have won over some his critics as he was given a standing ovation by the Atyeo Stand as he headed for the dressing room. Hopefully, he will make a quick recovery and play some part in the Westcountry derby against Plymouth.
Tuesday’s draw with Watford is City’s third in a row so a win on Saturday is crucial if we want to remain at the top, but we are now eight games unbeaten so the players should be full of confidence. Saturday also sees Stoke host Watford, so City really do have a chance to move away from the chasing pack, so we have every chance of being top come 5pm on Saturday night.
ANDY DAVIES
Sunday 9 March 2008
Overview: The Western Rising
Football in the south-west has never had the status and importance of that in other parts of the country. The Westcountry has eight professional football teams, yet none has ever won a major honour. The most successful, Bristol City, experienced their heyday a century ago with runners-up medals in League and Cup, but as recently as 2004 only they and my beloved Plymouth Argyle could even boast third-tier status.
Now things are changing. Argyle won the old Division Two that year and were finally followed into the Championship last season by City. The Ashton Gate outfit have been a revelation, with quick passing football and a formidable home record propelling them to the league’s summit. Most pundits seemed sure they would fall away eventually, but Gary Johnson has made remarkable consistency the trademark of a club which always used to choke when it really mattered. Argyle, much to my delight, are pushing hard for a playoff spot and it is not inconceivable that the Match of the Day cameras could be covering a pair of Westcountry derbies next season.
For Plymouth, the second-largest city in Europe (after Hull) never to have a top-flight team, it’d be a first. Of course, for those raised on the self-preserving Premier League elite, this seems absurd. But Bristol is the seventh-largest city in England, and Plymouth has a larger population than Derby, Portsmouth, and Blackburn to name just three. Both have huge catchment areas which could clearly support top clubs.
And these are not the only two south-western teams on the up. Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers both won promotion last season to join Yeovil Town, and of course Cheltenham Town, in League One. All four should retain their status this year, enabling them to push on afterwards. Cheltenham have risen from utter obscurity a decade ago to challenge Gloucester Rugby for public and media attention in this area.
Rovers have delighted football romantics nation-wide with their FA Cup adventure, with giant-slaying wins over Fulham and Southampton giving them a quarter-final clash with West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. It’ll be tough – the Baggies are the best side I’ve seen in the Championship this term – but with a raucous Memorial Stadium behind them and goalscoring threats Ricky Lambert and Craig Disley in the side, they have a real chance.
Further down, Exeter City, Forest Green Rovers and Torquay United are all vying for elevation from the Blue Square Premier, the Devon sides hoping for a return to their traditional fourth-tier level, and Rovers aiming to become the smallest club ever to play in the football league. Anomaly of the season, though, must be the fact that promotion could actually impact negatively on the finances of these clubs. Fifth-tier sides, now given ample television coverage by Setanta, receive excellent broadcast revenue, and greater media exposure than those in League Two. Added to the dent in attendance figures from a likely season in the middle or the lower reaches of the table, as opposed to a play-off race, and you can see why some have darkly suggested it might be better if Torquay and co remain where they are.
Look out, too, for Truro City. The ‘White Tigers’ from the Cornish capital are backed by millionaire property developer Kevin Heaney, who aims to give the peninsula a league side by 2017. They won the FA Vase at Wembley in May in front of an astonishing crowd of 27,754, and stormed Western League Division One last year, winning 37 of their 42 games and scoring 185 goals. Striker Stewart Yetton (formerly of Plymouth) bagged 72 himself, as well as 36 so far this season, and is a prime example of City’s successful policy of cherry-picking the best players from non-league and professional reserve sides in the area. Truro were installed as 2-7 favourites to win the 2007-8 Western Premier and have not disappointed, currently sitting five points clear. Next season they should go up to Southern League Division One, with four additional promotions needed to realise Heaney’s dream.
RICH PARTINGTON
Saturday 8 March 2008
Surprise promotion contenders
Every season, in every league, there is a team that exceeds all their expectations and has bookmakers scratching their heads wondering whether they underestimated them. Last year in the Championship Colchester surprised many people when they finished just outside the play-off places, when many tipped them as relegation contenders. This season is no different, only there are two teams who are upsetting the form book, Bristol City and Stoke City, who both currently occupy the top two places of the league. I am sure I am not the only one who is surprised by their deserved success.
Before the season began, bookmakers ranked Bristol City 30-1 to win promotion and Stoke’s odds were not much shorter. To be fair to the bookmakers, I was happy with the odds we were given as we were given a better chance for promotion than some teams who had established themselves in the Championship in the last few years. Stoke’s success this season has surprised some people but Tony Pulis’s side almost made the play-offs last year, missing out by just one place and they have come back stronger this year with a sustained push for Premiership football. But can either side achieve it?
The favourites at the beginning of the season were the likes of Watford, West Brom and Charlton, who all had bigger spending powers than the other two sides. Watford started the season brightly leading the way, but inconsistent results have left them playing catch up. West Brom also led the way for a time and they are regarded many as the best football team in the Championship, which I would have to agree with. They have the best goal scoring record in the league although not the tightest defence, but with Kevin Phillips up front they will rarely struggle to find the net. Personally, I still believe West Brom will gain promotion and anyone who finishes above them is guaranteed Premiership football.
The biggest surprise by far has been Bristol City, and Gary Johnson has to be awarded manager of the year even if we ultimately do not win promotion. City have been the most consistent team in the league and although we don’t have the best goal scoring record compared to West Brom, we certainly deserve to be where we are. We have won 18 games, the joint-highest in the league with the Baggies, and have only lost seven matches in 37 games, a record which takes some beating, in a league where almost anyone can beat anyone.
With only nine games left now, we are still top, with Stoke in second place three points behind. City are now seven games unbeaten after today’s 0-0 draw away at Leicester and the team is on a roll. I’m sure most fans will agree that March is probably the most important month in our season with four matches still to play, in particular Watford at home on Tuesday night, a game I cannot wait for. A result against Watford would go a long way in securing Premiership status and we are more than capable of beating them as we proved at Vicarage Road in December. We also host Westcountry rivals Plymouth, who also have promotion aspirations on Saturday, so March really could make or break our season. With a trip to Stoke in April also still to come, our destiny is in our hands and is ours to lose.
ANDY DAVIES
Before the season began, bookmakers ranked Bristol City 30-1 to win promotion and Stoke’s odds were not much shorter. To be fair to the bookmakers, I was happy with the odds we were given as we were given a better chance for promotion than some teams who had established themselves in the Championship in the last few years. Stoke’s success this season has surprised some people but Tony Pulis’s side almost made the play-offs last year, missing out by just one place and they have come back stronger this year with a sustained push for Premiership football. But can either side achieve it?
The favourites at the beginning of the season were the likes of Watford, West Brom and Charlton, who all had bigger spending powers than the other two sides. Watford started the season brightly leading the way, but inconsistent results have left them playing catch up. West Brom also led the way for a time and they are regarded many as the best football team in the Championship, which I would have to agree with. They have the best goal scoring record in the league although not the tightest defence, but with Kevin Phillips up front they will rarely struggle to find the net. Personally, I still believe West Brom will gain promotion and anyone who finishes above them is guaranteed Premiership football.
The biggest surprise by far has been Bristol City, and Gary Johnson has to be awarded manager of the year even if we ultimately do not win promotion. City have been the most consistent team in the league and although we don’t have the best goal scoring record compared to West Brom, we certainly deserve to be where we are. We have won 18 games, the joint-highest in the league with the Baggies, and have only lost seven matches in 37 games, a record which takes some beating, in a league where almost anyone can beat anyone.
With only nine games left now, we are still top, with Stoke in second place three points behind. City are now seven games unbeaten after today’s 0-0 draw away at Leicester and the team is on a roll. I’m sure most fans will agree that March is probably the most important month in our season with four matches still to play, in particular Watford at home on Tuesday night, a game I cannot wait for. A result against Watford would go a long way in securing Premiership status and we are more than capable of beating them as we proved at Vicarage Road in December. We also host Westcountry rivals Plymouth, who also have promotion aspirations on Saturday, so March really could make or break our season. With a trip to Stoke in April also still to come, our destiny is in our hands and is ours to lose.
ANDY DAVIES
Monday 3 March 2008
City reach the summit...and stay there
All too often this season, when Gary Johnson’s Bristol City side have reached top spot of the Championship, we have been knocked off it within a few hours. But on Saturday, after our 2-1 success at home to Hull City, we stayed top. Before the game, Johnson described the match as a ‘must win’ game as we face a tough March with an away trip to promotion chasers Charlton, and host Watford on 11 March. The match was important and there was big crowd waiting in anticipation, although it was not a sell out and I can’t understand why not.
We are in a fantastic position, the highest the club has been for 28 years yet we still have not had a 19,000 plus crowd cheering on the lads. I know I have mentioned this before but there are few home games remaining and we are on course to achieve the biggest feat this season. To be fair to City fans, the 15,859 spectators present were mostly made up of home supporters with Hull City bringing probably less than 1,000 supporters. With Watford and Plymouth likely to bring support in the region of 3,000 fans, I am sure Ashton Gate will be sold out for some games this season.
Back to Saturday, and Phil Brown’s Hull City side made life very difficult for City and could have easily taken the lead after just 50 seconds when an unmarked Caleb Folan found his way into the box, only to slice his shot wide of Adriano Basso’s left hand post. The miss proved crucial on 14 minutes when a Jamie McAllister long ball forward was misjudged by defender Neil Clement and Dele Adebola lashed the ball on the half volley into the top corner of the net from 15 yards.
It was a fantastic finish from a player many City fans questioned the signing of when Gary made a bid for him in the January transfer window. But three goals in six appearances speaks for itself and this may prove to be one of the smartest signings of Gary’s reign if his goals send us into the Premiership. Personally, when we signed him, I looked at his record at Coventry City, which revealed he had scored six goals this season, and I was unconvinced. Many friends, one a Coventry fan, couldn’t speak highly enough of him, while others believed he was too old. But I think all his doubters can agree they were wrong.
After the first goal, as has been the case so often this season, we struggled to score a second and the visitors equalised on the stroke of half time through a Liam Fontaine own goal. The goal did not come as a surprise as Hull gained in confidence as the half progressed and City seemed to sit on their one goal advantage. I’m sure Gary gave the players a roasting at half time as their performance was not up their usual high standards. His team talk worked again, as it has on so many other occasions this season, as defender Jamie McCombe scored with an over head kick which any striker would have been happy with. From then on the team grew in confidence and could have scored more with Adebola going close and David Noble shooting over the bar.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was fantastic, one of the best all season, as fans began singing and dreaming of promotion as we headed to the top of the league. With Stoke City losing to QPR on Sunday, we are still top and there is now a real belief that we can achieve promotion and with just six more wins needed from 11 games according to Johnson, it is certainly achievable.
ANDY DAVIES
We are in a fantastic position, the highest the club has been for 28 years yet we still have not had a 19,000 plus crowd cheering on the lads. I know I have mentioned this before but there are few home games remaining and we are on course to achieve the biggest feat this season. To be fair to City fans, the 15,859 spectators present were mostly made up of home supporters with Hull City bringing probably less than 1,000 supporters. With Watford and Plymouth likely to bring support in the region of 3,000 fans, I am sure Ashton Gate will be sold out for some games this season.
Back to Saturday, and Phil Brown’s Hull City side made life very difficult for City and could have easily taken the lead after just 50 seconds when an unmarked Caleb Folan found his way into the box, only to slice his shot wide of Adriano Basso’s left hand post. The miss proved crucial on 14 minutes when a Jamie McAllister long ball forward was misjudged by defender Neil Clement and Dele Adebola lashed the ball on the half volley into the top corner of the net from 15 yards.
It was a fantastic finish from a player many City fans questioned the signing of when Gary made a bid for him in the January transfer window. But three goals in six appearances speaks for itself and this may prove to be one of the smartest signings of Gary’s reign if his goals send us into the Premiership. Personally, when we signed him, I looked at his record at Coventry City, which revealed he had scored six goals this season, and I was unconvinced. Many friends, one a Coventry fan, couldn’t speak highly enough of him, while others believed he was too old. But I think all his doubters can agree they were wrong.
After the first goal, as has been the case so often this season, we struggled to score a second and the visitors equalised on the stroke of half time through a Liam Fontaine own goal. The goal did not come as a surprise as Hull gained in confidence as the half progressed and City seemed to sit on their one goal advantage. I’m sure Gary gave the players a roasting at half time as their performance was not up their usual high standards. His team talk worked again, as it has on so many other occasions this season, as defender Jamie McCombe scored with an over head kick which any striker would have been happy with. From then on the team grew in confidence and could have scored more with Adebola going close and David Noble shooting over the bar.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was fantastic, one of the best all season, as fans began singing and dreaming of promotion as we headed to the top of the league. With Stoke City losing to QPR on Sunday, we are still top and there is now a real belief that we can achieve promotion and with just six more wins needed from 11 games according to Johnson, it is certainly achievable.
ANDY DAVIES
Cheltenham hold on for draw
There are boring 1-1 draws, and there are entertaining 1-1 draws, and this would probably just come under the second category. However it was not entertaining in the case of free flowing football, there were no spectacular goals, or spectacular pieces of skill. Instead it was end to end stuff, with both teams creating enough chances to score a hatful. Despite Southend badgering Cheltenham's goal with shots, the Robins took the lead on 25 minutes. Steven Gillespie, lively as ever, danced through the Southend defence, and squared to give Steve Brooker an opportunity that even my grandmother couldn't have failed to score. The rest of the half consisted of each goalkeeper taking very, very long goal kicks, and not much action on the floor.
The second half began with Southend continuing their onslaught on the Cheltenham goal. While it wasn't pretty, it wasn't the sort of game you could take your eye off, as Southend came forward in waves, with Cheltenham occasionally threatening on the counter attack, thanks to a couple of moments of determination from Damien Spencer. Sadly, two moments of good football didn't hide what was in truth a poor performance from Spencer, and especially the other winger, Ashley Vincent, who did less in 75 minutes than Michael D'Agostino did in 15.
The equaliser finally came with 17 minutes to go, when a clearance fell to Nicky Bailey, who rifled home from the edge of the area.
At this point I was disappointed with two points lost, but as Southend went all out for the winner, I suddenly realised a draw against a team battling for the play offs couldn't be all that bad. After a short period of injury time, in which Southend came close with a free kick, I left Whaddon Road feeling slightly disappointed, but relieved it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
All in all our situation is probably slightly better than it was this time last season. It was around this time that we started to go on a run, winning against decent teams such as Oldham and Doncaster. Hopefully another such run of form will materialise, pulling us clear of the drop zone, and giving us a comfortable mid table position.
JAMES LEWIS
The second half began with Southend continuing their onslaught on the Cheltenham goal. While it wasn't pretty, it wasn't the sort of game you could take your eye off, as Southend came forward in waves, with Cheltenham occasionally threatening on the counter attack, thanks to a couple of moments of determination from Damien Spencer. Sadly, two moments of good football didn't hide what was in truth a poor performance from Spencer, and especially the other winger, Ashley Vincent, who did less in 75 minutes than Michael D'Agostino did in 15.
The equaliser finally came with 17 minutes to go, when a clearance fell to Nicky Bailey, who rifled home from the edge of the area.
At this point I was disappointed with two points lost, but as Southend went all out for the winner, I suddenly realised a draw against a team battling for the play offs couldn't be all that bad. After a short period of injury time, in which Southend came close with a free kick, I left Whaddon Road feeling slightly disappointed, but relieved it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
All in all our situation is probably slightly better than it was this time last season. It was around this time that we started to go on a run, winning against decent teams such as Oldham and Doncaster. Hopefully another such run of form will materialise, pulling us clear of the drop zone, and giving us a comfortable mid table position.
JAMES LEWIS
Saturday 1 March 2008
Outplayed but never outsung
Twelve hours ago I awoke with the fuzzy, spreading glow of hope that the 2007-8 season may turn out to be the greatest in Plymouth Argyle’s history. And despite the 3-0 mauling the Greens got at West Bromwich Albion today, it refuses to leave me. Because the almost carnival atmosphere present amongst the 3000 travelling Pilgrims swarming to the Hawthorns provided a clear marker of the positive momentum which has already been accrued. This defeat felt like little more than a setback, and one achieved by an overly numerous margin.
As silver linings go, comprehensively outshouting your opponents from the stands is not to be sniffed at. From well before kick-off, in the pubs and streets of Sandwell, Westcountry accents bawled out all the old favourites and KC & The Sunshine Band-inspired newies. The 19,000 home fans were relatively subdued throughout proceedings, and even after each goal their Boinging seemed oddly restrained. The Green Army were able to eagerly indulge in mocking chants of the "worst support we’ve ever seen" variety, while, in contrast, proding a level of verbal support which was frankly astounding.
The effect of this on players like Paul Connolly and Kristian Timar was immediately obvious. The Baggies were clearly the more technically proficient side, but Argyle outfought them for large parts of the first half, until lacklustre defending allowed Zoltan Gera to scramble home on halftime. A sickening blow for Argyle, a slightly below-par visiting side failed to recover, and Uriah Rennie’s big club refereeing and two more scrappy goals put paid to our hopes.
But we roll on, now effectively joint-sixth with Ipswich, and Tuesday’s home clash with demotion-doomed Colchester United assumes significant importance. The line-up requires refreshment; Steve McLean currently looks lightweight and lacking in confidence, a pair of accusations which it would be unthinkable to level at Jamie Mackie – whose flashes of brilliance during limited runouts from the bench deserve greater exposure. Even today, with his team-mates low on ideas and drive with the game already lost, Mackie beat defenders, won free-kicks, and was unlucky not to be given a penalty after being clattered eight yards out. He deserves a full test alongside the hardworking Jermaine Easter.
Gary Teale is also yet to impress, while his second-half replacement today, Chris Clark, looked sprightly on returning from injury. Let’s hope the change is effective from 7.45pm in midweek.
Argyle should beat Colchester, but either way there is a new spirit and verve among fanbase and players which promises to bring greater glory.
RICH PARTINGTON
As silver linings go, comprehensively outshouting your opponents from the stands is not to be sniffed at. From well before kick-off, in the pubs and streets of Sandwell, Westcountry accents bawled out all the old favourites and KC & The Sunshine Band-inspired newies. The 19,000 home fans were relatively subdued throughout proceedings, and even after each goal their Boinging seemed oddly restrained. The Green Army were able to eagerly indulge in mocking chants of the "worst support we’ve ever seen" variety, while, in contrast, proding a level of verbal support which was frankly astounding.
The effect of this on players like Paul Connolly and Kristian Timar was immediately obvious. The Baggies were clearly the more technically proficient side, but Argyle outfought them for large parts of the first half, until lacklustre defending allowed Zoltan Gera to scramble home on halftime. A sickening blow for Argyle, a slightly below-par visiting side failed to recover, and Uriah Rennie’s big club refereeing and two more scrappy goals put paid to our hopes.
But we roll on, now effectively joint-sixth with Ipswich, and Tuesday’s home clash with demotion-doomed Colchester United assumes significant importance. The line-up requires refreshment; Steve McLean currently looks lightweight and lacking in confidence, a pair of accusations which it would be unthinkable to level at Jamie Mackie – whose flashes of brilliance during limited runouts from the bench deserve greater exposure. Even today, with his team-mates low on ideas and drive with the game already lost, Mackie beat defenders, won free-kicks, and was unlucky not to be given a penalty after being clattered eight yards out. He deserves a full test alongside the hardworking Jermaine Easter.
Gary Teale is also yet to impress, while his second-half replacement today, Chris Clark, looked sprightly on returning from injury. Let’s hope the change is effective from 7.45pm in midweek.
Argyle should beat Colchester, but either way there is a new spirit and verve among fanbase and players which promises to bring greater glory.
RICH PARTINGTON
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