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
Showing posts with label Leicester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leicester. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Monday, 11 February 2008
Revenge is a dish best served Ready Salted
Leicester City 0, Plymouth Argyle 1. Every time I read it I feel so happy I could cry.
A raucous 1500-strong Green Army pitched up at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday evening, but I’m not ashamed to admit I wasn’t one of them. For one, I’m skint, with my attendance currently restricted to home games I’ve already paid for, and for two, Argyle matches being featured on live television is still such a novelty that I like to enjoy it.
Oddly, my own experience of the Ian Holloway Grudge Match™ was in the University of Huddersfield Student Union’s fairly empty bar with three mates – a Blackpool/Celtic fan, and two girls who tried to be interested, with varying degrees of success.
My ecstatic roar at Peter Halmosi’s 34th-minute winner attracted the attention of the venue’s entire clientele, not particularly difficult when it barely ran into double figures. Indeed, I was the only fan of either team present, unless there were some Foxes supporters keeping very quiet…although who could blame them, considering the way their team was thoroughly embarrassed and outmanoeuvred for the majority of the 90 minutes? The only similar sound I heard during the game was a Ghanaian fan celebrating his team’s success over Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations’ Third Place Play-Off, which was being shown on another screen.
Watching the green masses packing the visitor’s section and singing the house down at the ‘Crisp Bowl’, and the way Halmosi tore Lionel Messi-like through incompetent blue foes in an unfamiliar role on the right, it was hard to feel anything but pride for the Pilgrim blood flowing from the arteries.
As already predicted on this blog, the Hungarian international will be almost impossible to keep at Home Park beyond the summer unless Argyle can defy the odds and sneak up to the Premiership through the play-offs. Outside of the big boring four, any side would be lucky to have him, and few would begrudge Halmosi a crack at the top flight, given the commitment and excellence he has shown this season.
Jim Paterson also had a good debut on the left. Jimmy Abdou regained the place in midfield he never should have lost and looked solid, while Paul Sturrock finally bit the bullet and tried Argyle’s best strikers together – record signing Steve McLean and the pacy Jermaine Easter, despite neither being the target man he likes to employ. They looked good, with spark and technique Rory Fallon sadly lacks, and the hope must be that Luggy will attempt to rework his footballing philosophies to suit the attractive, attacking, passing football which seems to best suit the resources he has at his disposal.
Ironically, it was Ian Holloway who introduced this style of play, and bought many of the players now employing it. The pained expressions anointing the Bristolian's cheeks on Saturday, at the various points when the Sky cameras focussed on him, were glorious sites to behold, and while Argyle now lie just two points behind the top six, Ollie’s new charges are only three above the drop zone. After watching their disorientated performance, it wasn’t hard to see why. Steve Howard is still as good in the air as ever, but he was generally well dealt with by cult star Kristian Timar, ably assisted by the increasingly magnificent goalkeeping of Luke McCormick. The best home player was probably Barry Hayles, which, considering he was no longer good enough for the Argyle starting eleven when we sold him in January, says a lot for the gulf between the teams.
Press coverage of this game has focussed strongly on Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton’s war of words with Ollie this week, but for now I’d rather concentrate on the important bit. At Leicester, the men in green put together a performance of almost utter control and dominance, played exciting football, and were multipack value for their win. This is a team with sealed-in freshness. But Leicester are looking a bit Tesco Value.
RICH PARTINGTON
A raucous 1500-strong Green Army pitched up at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday evening, but I’m not ashamed to admit I wasn’t one of them. For one, I’m skint, with my attendance currently restricted to home games I’ve already paid for, and for two, Argyle matches being featured on live television is still such a novelty that I like to enjoy it.
Oddly, my own experience of the Ian Holloway Grudge Match™ was in the University of Huddersfield Student Union’s fairly empty bar with three mates – a Blackpool/Celtic fan, and two girls who tried to be interested, with varying degrees of success.
My ecstatic roar at Peter Halmosi’s 34th-minute winner attracted the attention of the venue’s entire clientele, not particularly difficult when it barely ran into double figures. Indeed, I was the only fan of either team present, unless there were some Foxes supporters keeping very quiet…although who could blame them, considering the way their team was thoroughly embarrassed and outmanoeuvred for the majority of the 90 minutes? The only similar sound I heard during the game was a Ghanaian fan celebrating his team’s success over Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations’ Third Place Play-Off, which was being shown on another screen.
Watching the green masses packing the visitor’s section and singing the house down at the ‘Crisp Bowl’, and the way Halmosi tore Lionel Messi-like through incompetent blue foes in an unfamiliar role on the right, it was hard to feel anything but pride for the Pilgrim blood flowing from the arteries.
As already predicted on this blog, the Hungarian international will be almost impossible to keep at Home Park beyond the summer unless Argyle can defy the odds and sneak up to the Premiership through the play-offs. Outside of the big boring four, any side would be lucky to have him, and few would begrudge Halmosi a crack at the top flight, given the commitment and excellence he has shown this season.
Jim Paterson also had a good debut on the left. Jimmy Abdou regained the place in midfield he never should have lost and looked solid, while Paul Sturrock finally bit the bullet and tried Argyle’s best strikers together – record signing Steve McLean and the pacy Jermaine Easter, despite neither being the target man he likes to employ. They looked good, with spark and technique Rory Fallon sadly lacks, and the hope must be that Luggy will attempt to rework his footballing philosophies to suit the attractive, attacking, passing football which seems to best suit the resources he has at his disposal.
Ironically, it was Ian Holloway who introduced this style of play, and bought many of the players now employing it. The pained expressions anointing the Bristolian's cheeks on Saturday, at the various points when the Sky cameras focussed on him, were glorious sites to behold, and while Argyle now lie just two points behind the top six, Ollie’s new charges are only three above the drop zone. After watching their disorientated performance, it wasn’t hard to see why. Steve Howard is still as good in the air as ever, but he was generally well dealt with by cult star Kristian Timar, ably assisted by the increasingly magnificent goalkeeping of Luke McCormick. The best home player was probably Barry Hayles, which, considering he was no longer good enough for the Argyle starting eleven when we sold him in January, says a lot for the gulf between the teams.
Press coverage of this game has focussed strongly on Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton’s war of words with Ollie this week, but for now I’d rather concentrate on the important bit. At Leicester, the men in green put together a performance of almost utter control and dominance, played exciting football, and were multipack value for their win. This is a team with sealed-in freshness. But Leicester are looking a bit Tesco Value.
RICH PARTINGTON
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Honeymoon over at City
The Championship honeymoon is well and truly over for Gary Johnson's Bristol City, with three straight defeats causing a slump in confidence around the club which will need to be put right soon, or we will find ourselves slipping down the league table.
City began so strongly, collecting points on the road against the likes of Coventry, who were top of the league at the time, and Sheffield Wednesday. A minor blip against Barnsley was soon followed by one of the best team performances I have ever seen at Ashton Gate.
Beating newly relegated Sheffield United 2-0 in front of live television cameras was fantastic, myself and many other supporters then began to think that perhaps we could do more this season than just survive. Media attention likened our start to that of Colchester, who were the surprise package of the division last year.
This was followed by another strong performance against the bookies favourites this season, West Brom. A hard fought point through a late Bradley Orr goal raised expectations further. But our good form has come to a shuddering halt, with first a late winner from Chris Iwelumo securing a narrow win for Charlton in a game that neither side deserved to win or lose. Then a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Ipswich wiped away any confidence the players had.
The team hasn’t become a bad side over night, the lads just lack that all important thing in football which is confidence. Ask any player, without confidence you will struggle to hit top form. This was demonstrated on Saturday. City were at home to Leicester. The hype about the new manager, a certain Ian Holloway, familiar to this part of the region, added an extra to spice to this fixture certainly for the fans, yet the players failed to deliver.
A promising opening 20 minutes, with Lee Trundle seeing a shot just go over the bar, was ruined when a simple cross in the box led to the first goal.
In past matches the fans have rallied round the team when we concede, and you sense the players are up for a fight. Unfortunately on this occasion the crowd remained silent, and got the feeling the team weren’t offering much and the fans in return would do likewise. Holloway managed to contain his delight when his new team scored and many City fans decided to clap the arch enemy.
Gary Johnson later remarked: "I think as a club we have forgotten we’re in the Championship. Every bit of support is going to help and I just think it went a little dead today".
There seemed to be no urgency in our play and we lacked ideas, which after a bright start to the season of free flowing football is disappointing.
At the time of writing City have just played Hull City, who, in contrast to us, have won three on the bounce and were looking to extend that winning run. My thoughts going into the game was that if we could stop the run with a point, then that would be fantastic as the KC Stadium is not an easy place to go to and get a result.
Listening to the coverage on the internet while watching Man United in the Champions League, I was hoping for two teams to score – City and Sporting Lisbon. The latter did but I would have rather it had been City of course. On the bright side it seemed the re-introduction of Jamie McAllister and Bradley Orr, who had served one match suspensions, had helped restore a bit of fluency to our play.
We seemed to be on top, creating chances and winning six corners early on. I got the feeling the team’s confidence was being slowly restored and our defence managed to keep 38 year old veteran Dean Windass quiet.
We came closest to scoring when McAllister had a shot bound for the top corner tipped away by former City loanee and Hull keeper Boaz Myhill. Then on the stroke of half-time all my confidence seeped away when McAllister was sent off for a second bookable offence. Judging by what the commentator said the referee was quite harsh as the player had only made two challenges in the entire half and both were deemed to warrant a yellow card.
Johnson at half-time was forced to substitute attacking midfielder David Noble for a defender to tighten the defence, and now the main objective was to leave Hull with a point. Thankfully the lads worked hard and held on for the draw, but we could have won it when Darren Byfield was brought down in the penalty area, although the referee waved away any appeals.
I would have taken a draw at the beginning of the evening and to play for 45 minutes with 10 men and keep a clean sheet is a step in the right direction. Next up is a tricky away game at leaders Watford. The game is live on Sky so this will give the boys a chance to show any doubters out there that we can cut it with the best in this league.
ANDY DAVIES
City began so strongly, collecting points on the road against the likes of Coventry, who were top of the league at the time, and Sheffield Wednesday. A minor blip against Barnsley was soon followed by one of the best team performances I have ever seen at Ashton Gate.
Beating newly relegated Sheffield United 2-0 in front of live television cameras was fantastic, myself and many other supporters then began to think that perhaps we could do more this season than just survive. Media attention likened our start to that of Colchester, who were the surprise package of the division last year.
This was followed by another strong performance against the bookies favourites this season, West Brom. A hard fought point through a late Bradley Orr goal raised expectations further. But our good form has come to a shuddering halt, with first a late winner from Chris Iwelumo securing a narrow win for Charlton in a game that neither side deserved to win or lose. Then a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Ipswich wiped away any confidence the players had.
The team hasn’t become a bad side over night, the lads just lack that all important thing in football which is confidence. Ask any player, without confidence you will struggle to hit top form. This was demonstrated on Saturday. City were at home to Leicester. The hype about the new manager, a certain Ian Holloway, familiar to this part of the region, added an extra to spice to this fixture certainly for the fans, yet the players failed to deliver.
A promising opening 20 minutes, with Lee Trundle seeing a shot just go over the bar, was ruined when a simple cross in the box led to the first goal.
In past matches the fans have rallied round the team when we concede, and you sense the players are up for a fight. Unfortunately on this occasion the crowd remained silent, and got the feeling the team weren’t offering much and the fans in return would do likewise. Holloway managed to contain his delight when his new team scored and many City fans decided to clap the arch enemy.
Gary Johnson later remarked: "I think as a club we have forgotten we’re in the Championship. Every bit of support is going to help and I just think it went a little dead today".
There seemed to be no urgency in our play and we lacked ideas, which after a bright start to the season of free flowing football is disappointing.
At the time of writing City have just played Hull City, who, in contrast to us, have won three on the bounce and were looking to extend that winning run. My thoughts going into the game was that if we could stop the run with a point, then that would be fantastic as the KC Stadium is not an easy place to go to and get a result.
Listening to the coverage on the internet while watching Man United in the Champions League, I was hoping for two teams to score – City and Sporting Lisbon. The latter did but I would have rather it had been City of course. On the bright side it seemed the re-introduction of Jamie McAllister and Bradley Orr, who had served one match suspensions, had helped restore a bit of fluency to our play.
We seemed to be on top, creating chances and winning six corners early on. I got the feeling the team’s confidence was being slowly restored and our defence managed to keep 38 year old veteran Dean Windass quiet.
We came closest to scoring when McAllister had a shot bound for the top corner tipped away by former City loanee and Hull keeper Boaz Myhill. Then on the stroke of half-time all my confidence seeped away when McAllister was sent off for a second bookable offence. Judging by what the commentator said the referee was quite harsh as the player had only made two challenges in the entire half and both were deemed to warrant a yellow card.
Johnson at half-time was forced to substitute attacking midfielder David Noble for a defender to tighten the defence, and now the main objective was to leave Hull with a point. Thankfully the lads worked hard and held on for the draw, but we could have won it when Darren Byfield was brought down in the penalty area, although the referee waved away any appeals.
I would have taken a draw at the beginning of the evening and to play for 45 minutes with 10 men and keep a clean sheet is a step in the right direction. Next up is a tricky away game at leaders Watford. The game is live on Sky so this will give the boys a chance to show any doubters out there that we can cut it with the best in this league.
ANDY DAVIES
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