Oxford United - So Far

Things haven't quite gone to plan at the Kassam so far this season and yet Oxford are still very much in the hunt.

The step up to League Two has proved too much for some players in Chris Wilder's view and he has already started changing things and brought in some experienced faces to bolster his squad. Ben Futcher, Paul Wotton and Steve MacLean have arrived on loan and looked to have settled in with the Us winning their last two league games.

I can see Wilder dipping in to the loan market again before too long as he strikes me as someone who won't settle for consolidating in League Two.

Despite only gaining promotion last May at Wembley, Oxford are still one of the biggest clubs in the division and the fans know it. With Swindon one division ahead of them, they will be demanding more of the success they tasted last term.

They are in a good position going into the new year though and only five points off the play off places and so there is still everything to play for. I tipped them for a promotion spot at the beginning of the season and see no reason to change my mind. Expect them to come good.

Cheltenham Town - So Far

Cheltenham played some lovely stuff erlier in the season, but then lost both hot shot striker Wes Thomas and their way as they wobbled slightly. To be fair to them though, they keep bouncing back after losing and so are showing a good mental strength.

Mark Yates is one of the better up-and-coming young managers in the league having done his apprentiship in the Conference and the Robins have the ball players to match anyone on their day.

The biggest problem the club has is the lack of available cash and this might prove to be their undoing if they start picking up injuries to key players like Thomas.

On the plus side though, there is a good squad spirit at Whaddon Road and that will count for a lot when the going gets tough.

I can still see Cheltenham being the surprise package of this division and predict they'll be in the promotion tussle come May.

Hereford United - So far

Hereford are propping up the other 91 teams going into 2011 and the board need to address the situation immediately.

Personally I would go for old boy Steve Guinan who has all the necessary qualifications, knows the club inside out and could also act as a player manager providing Mathieu Manset with a much needed foil up front.

The Bulls have the players and experience to get out of this situation and I bet those fans who felt the side under-performed iunder Graham Turner now realise what an exceptional job he did with very little money.

If Hereford change things now they can secure League Two safety. If the board differs they'll be playing in the Conference next term.

Swindon Town - So Far

Danny Wilson's boys have not had the greatest of starts to the season, but I expect them to turn things around.


As a fan you worry if your side are not winning, but you start panicking if they are not scoring and that's not the case with Swindon. Charlie Austin is still banging them in on a regular basis and I suspect Wilson will bring in another striker before too long to compliment him.

However, I feel that the Swindon m idfield is key to any success they may have. In particular it will be important to keep skipper Jonathan Douglas fit and playing along with fellow midfielder Jon-Paul McGovern who needs to be playing on the right wing and not employed in the centre as he has been (out of nessessity) for too many games.

I also think that Simon Ferry needs to be put back alongside Douglas if possible as he is a crafty player who can pick a few locks and release Austin up front.

Many Robins fans have pointed to the defence as their main problem so far, but personally I feel that the lack of consistancy - in terms of selection - in the midfield has resulted in most of the damage. Swindon haven't had the luxury of a settled midfield as they did on the way to the play offs last term and without that, and the offence threat it brings, the opposition find it easier to attack.

Scott Cuthbert and Sean Morrison at the heart of the defence are two young lads who will grow in stature and while they won't have enjoyed the up and down performances, they will have learned a few invaluable lessons. They are still kids though and the chome support need to back them - or the board need to back Wislon and let him bring in an older head in the new year.

I can see Swindon sneaking their way back into the play offs this season and then, as we all know, it's a lottery.

The Gas - So Far

With Paul Trollope dumped by the Bristol Rovers board, the big question now for the Gasheads is who will they appoint to take the club forward? And the bigger question of course is: Will they get it right?


At the time of writing Rovers occupy the final relegation spot in League One, but things aren't necessarily as bad as they might seem. A run of four decent results would probably see them leap up the table as it6's a tight division.

Darren Patterson has taken on the caretaker role and is being tipped by some to fill the position on a full time basis. Going by some of the forum chatter, this doesn't seem to be a popular choice. Darren who? is the main question being asked. However, in his time as Oxford United boss he was extremely popular with the players and I still maintain that if the Us had stuck with him instead of allowing Jim Smith to take the reigns following a club buy-out, Oxford would have stayed up.

Of course Jerry Gill is also working at the club at the moment and itching to move into management. The former Birmingham and Cheltenham full back is also a popular figure among the players and in the wider football community and if he can get the Rovers squad to play with the same never-say-die attitude he once employed, their season is by no means over.

A lot will depend on the board's eventual appointment, but - like there neighbours in the Championship - I feel they are too strong to stay at the bottom for too long. Even if they appointed the kit man as manager, Rovers have enough talent to see them stay in the division.

I predict a mid-table finish which wouldn't have been acceptable to the fans at the start of the season, but I suspect they'd bite your hand off for it now.

Tomorrow: Swindon Town

Half term report - So Far

As my 'patch' is covered in snow at the moment with very little chance of any football before the end of the year, I thought I'd take the opportunity to give my thoughts on the clubs I cover and, in particular, look ahead to where I think they'll end up in May. Given my poor predictions, this may not be worth the bytes used, but here goes nothing. I'll try and post entries each day and start with the highest ranked club of those I see on a regular basis - Bristol City.

City started the season in chaos. Steve Coppell brought in several players, got rid of a few and then promptly jumped ship. The board then appointed Keith Millen as manager and the former first team coach set about trying to bring some sense of stability to Ashton Gate.

Initially it looked as though Millen may not have been up to the task, but even as they slumped into the relegation zone players were telling me that they thought he would turn things around. Confidence was low, but he slowly built it up again and while they are still only sixth from bottom, City are also only four points away from the lay-off places after a run that has seen them lose only two games in ten.

With Brett Pitman finally finding the same shooting boots he used to top the scoring charts at Bournemouth last season and co-striker Nicky Maynard looking to return to action in the new year, things are looking good in the red half of the city.

Millen also has a decent squad at his disposal and if he can keep them fit and maybe even add a couple of faces in January things will look a lot more positive come May.

I'm not sure whether City have enough to make the play-offs this term, but they are more than capable of a strong run in and a top ten finish.

Tomorrow ... Bristol Rovers

Swindon Town v Tranmere Rovers - Verbal Abuse

Tranmere visit the County Ground tomorrow on the back of three straight home defeats and so may well welcome the chance to get away from the mounting pressure at Prenton Park as they slip towards to relegation spots.

Strikers Enoch Showunmi and Ian Thomas-Moore – son of Rotherham chief Ronnie Moore – head the club’s goalscoring charts with five each and Thomas-Moore – who missed the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat to Huddersfield with a calf injury - may be back in contention.

Tranmere boss Les Parry will also have Joss Labadie available now that the midfielder has completed a three-match suspension for his red card in the 1-0 win at Notts County.

Swindon are missing their tenacious midfield Jonathan Douglas who starts his own three match ban following a sending off in the FA Cup replay loss at home to little Crawley.

The Robins are only two points ahead of their guests in the League One table and only four points from the drop zone. Then again, if you’re a ‘glass half full’ person, Swindon are also only six points from the play-off spots and Danny Wilson will be hoping that some good results during the Christmas period will see them go into 2011 eyeing promotion.

I was at the County Ground for the last league game against Wednesday and the players were all speaking very positively about their chances, although some of the fans that day aimed a lot of abuse at Vincent Pericard. The fella hadn’t played well, but I did wonder whether it was going to help his already fragile confidence and therefore, the team they claim to 'support'.

Charlie Austin scored another in that game and paid credit to Pericard afterwards. Austin has now scored 14 times this season and pointed out that Pericard was working hard for the team even if he wasn’t scoring and that he, for one, appreciated his teammate’s efforts.

I remember a couple of seasons ago when Billy Paynter came in for some grief from a section of the fans while Simon Cox was scoring for fun and I was surprised then that they couldn’t see Paynter’s contribution.

Last season Paynter scored a hat full alongside Charlie Austin, became a fans’ favourite, but then left for Leeds United on a ‘free’ in the summer. I’m not saying that the abuse he received had any bearing on his decision to leave, but it can’t have helped.

I hope that the Swindon faithful get behind Pericard tomorrow. If they do, it will not only give him a boost, but his teammates as well.

Calling Swindon Fans - Vote

Having set up the poll opposite, I was quite surprised to see that the majority of people who have - so far - taken part appear to come from Oxford. I know for a fact that there are numerous Robins' fans out there who read the blog and so would appeal to you not to let the Us have it all their own way.

Come on out of the shadows Swindon fans. Don't be afraid to admit you come from Wiltshire ... or read this blog - there's no shame in either!

Of course it's a great opportunity for Oxford to finish ahead of Swindon in at least one league table this season :-)

Trollope - Gone

It's just been announced that Paul Trollope has been placed on 'gardening leave' by Bristol Rovers. Looks like I underestimatd his position by a few days (see last post).

A club statement read:

"“We would all like to thank Paul for everything he has done for the club over the last five years. He presided over a very successful period for us, and became one of only five managers in the history of the club to secure promotion with Bristol Rovers.
However, we have become concerned with results and performances this season and the recent slide down the table.
We now find ourselves in the bottom four, with attendances dropping off rapidly, and the board felt that immediate action was needed to make the necessary changes and try and reclaim something from this season.
We now hope to make a prompt appointment to take over the managerial role and get the club moving back in the right direction.”

The club will announce later today who will take temporary charge for Saturday’s game against Colchester at the Memorial Stadium with reserve team coach Jerry Gill in the frame for the job short term.

On a personal note, I'd like to wish Trolls all the best as he's a decent man. Once the dust settles, I'm sure there will be a few Gasheads who look back fondly on his successful reign. I'm sure he'll back in a job before very long ... let's face it we're now firmly into the sacking season and there will be plenty of jobs up for grabs. Chris Wilder to Sheffield United? Trolls to Oxford?

Bristol Rovers 2 Exeter City 2 (Exeter win 5-4 on pens) - Meltdown

Artur Krysiak saved a penalty from Byron Anthony in the shoot out to send Exeter into a two-legged southern Johnstone's Paint Trophy final against Brentford.

My clipping from today's paper

It capped a miserable night for Anthony who sliced an own goal past Mikkel Andersen from former Bristol City Scott Goldbourne's cross in the 65th minute.

Rovers had taken the lead in the 20th minute.

Skipper Stuart Campbell won a crunching tackle in his own half and took the ball forward before releasing it to Will Hoskins who blasted home a terrific strike for his eleventh of the season.

The home side didn't let their heads drop though and regained the lead in the 78th minute.

Hoskins took the ball to the line before cutting it back and young winger Ben Sawyer buried his second of the campaign.

At that stage Rovers looked to have sealed the win and weren't troubled too much ... until the 89t minute.

Ryan Harley latched on to a flick on from former Rovers striker Jamie Cureton and drilled his shot past Andersen to cheers from the 799 travelling fans, groans from the home support and cries of "bugger, bugger, bugger" from the Press Box where is was having to totally re-write my report!

In early stages of this competition they don't bother with extra time and go straight to the penalty shoot out . Everyone of the players took great penalties - even poor Anthony. Krysiak then pulled off a superb save to stun the Gasheads and send the Grecian support wild.

Results have not gone Rovers' way during the last two months and now that they are out of all three cup competitions and have dropped into the League One relegation zone, the pressure is on boss Paul Trollope.

Trollope is still defiant though and believes in his side. At the post match press conference he said: "I've looked into the eyes of every player and see a hunger and a desire to play for Bristol Rovers."

Those qualities might well win the day and see Rovers move up the table, but you can't help feel that many more slaps in the face like last night and they'll go into total meltdown.

Trollope's a good man, and when you speak to him, it is obvious that he wants the nest for the club and still believes in the players. The question is: Do they still believe in him? They really need to give an answer on Saturday whe  they play Colchester at the Memorial Ground.

Bristol Rovers v Exeter – Third Time Lucky

Ah well, it had to happen eventually. After two postponements due to the bad weather, the southern area semi final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is finally on at the Memorial Stadium tonight, 7.15pm kick off.

Anyone who supports a team in the Championship or the Premier League might just dismiss this as a nothing bit of silverware for the also-rans, but try telling that to the Southampton players who won it last season.

It may not measure up to the divisional titles or the FA or League Cups, but how many players get the chance to look back on their careers and utter those wonderful words: “Let me tell you about the time I played at Wembley ”?

It’s going to be a tough game for both sides though.

Rovers will be looking to bounce back from their 6-2 league drubbing at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, while Exeter also go into the fixture on the back of two defeats.

Whatever the two managers have planned, one thing is for certain; it may have warmed up a little, but I have my thermals prepared for action in the Press Box!

Bristol City 2 Derby County 0 - Matador

Christian Ribeiro and I had a brief chat after the game on Saturday and he admitted that City were fortunate to have kept eleven men on the field after David James had cut down Kris Commons – but pointed out that they had also had their fair share of bad luck.

Wales defender Ribeiro, 20, gave an honest assessment and said:

“As David rushed out I was thinking ‘don’t take him out’ as I was sprinting back to cover, but to be frank I don’t think I would have made it. We were lucky David was only shown a yellow card, but decisions were going against us earlier in the season and so I guess it shows that our luck has changed.”

There is no doubt about that, but you often make your own luck in life and City have worked hard to change their fortunes and are reaping the rewards having lost only one of the last nine. The problem is that the division is so tight; they need to maintain this form to stay away from the scrap at the bottom.

Looking at the situation from a ‘glass half full‘ perspective though; if they do manage to continue this form, the play-off places are within their grasp as well.

If they are to keep the momentum going they also need the whole squad to pull in the same direction and in Jamaica central defender Damion Stewart they have men with the right attitude. Stewart was signed from QPR by former boss Steve Coppell in the summer and two weeks later saw the former Reading boss quit.

After City’s dodgy start to the season Stewart was dropped but said:

“Keith Millen is the gaffer. He’s the boss and I told him from day one that he had my full support even when I wasn’t in the side. I was used to playing every week at QPR and so it was a new experience having to wait for the opportunity to get back in. I kept my head down and worked hard and now that I’m back in the team, hopefully I can continue to show what I can do.”

Brett Pitman scored a brace to take his tally to five goals in three games to show why the Robins paid £800k to Bournemouth for his services, but the stand-out player for me was former Barnet winger Albert Adomah who – like Pitman – was signed from the lower divisions and showed he too has what it takes by setting up both goals.

Pitman was fully appreciative of Adomah’s contribution, but preferred to spread the praise about and said: “He played in a couple of great balls, but everyone is working hard, running hard and filling in for each other. We work a lot on shape in training and while the players don’t like it and find it boring, it certainly pays off during the games.”

Nigel Clough was understandably furious with the decision not to send off James, but – unlike some managers – didn’t lash out at the officials. He said: “At the start of the season we have to attend a meeting with the referees where they show us videos of incidents from around the world to explain how decisions are made. If we don’t turn up we’re fined. If we complain about the referee we’re fined.”

I spotted Clough going into the referee’s room for a chat once the obligatory thirty minute cooling off period had expired and he was in there for a good fifteen minutes while his players crowded around a laptop in the corridor outside studying a DVD.

Watching it with them, it was obvious that Ribeiro was right and James was the last man and James should have walked. Commons had knocked the ball away from goal though in an effort to get past the keeper and I suspect that this was the referee’s defence. However, to suggest that a player of Commons caliber couldn’t have reached it and knocked the ball into the net is also daft. The rules definitely need clarifying here.

I also wondered whether the referee felt a little intimidated by the fact that it was the former England number one he faced red carding and reluctant to do so and be accused of trying to make a name for himself. We’ll probably never know, but Ribeiro was right, Bristol City rode their luck with that incident. Then again, maybe it was time they had it on their side.

The highlight of the day in the Press Box was when one of the radio commentators described midfielder Alberto Bueno – on loan from Valladolid – as gesticulating in Spanish. I’m still trying to work that one out. Maybe I missed him doing an impression of an angry matador!

My clippings from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Bristol City v Derby County - Ram On

I've been given the game at Ashton Gate to cover tomorrow afternoon when Nigel Clough's Derby team come to town.

City have now lost only one game (Leeds away) in their last eight as they edge away from the relegation zone while Derby have last two on the bounce and need to get back to winning ways if they are to maintain the challenge at the top of the table.

City boss Keith Millen admitted he knew he was under pressure after a poor start to the season that probably had more to do with Steve Coppell's sudden resignation in the first week then his own ability. But Millen claimed he had the players onside and it looks as though he was right. November's Manager of the Month told the club's website:

"We'll make sure we're ready for Derby," Millen told the club's official website. "If I can start out on the road to Manager of the Month for December with a win, that would be good.  I know the kiss of death has happened a few times over the years and I'll be looking to avoid that. It's a shame the Nottingham Forest match was called off because we had hit a good run of form and felt confident going there. Derby will be another tough test."

Jon Stead, who had a three-month loan spell at Derby during the 2006/07 season, looks to have recovered from an ankle problem while the knee injury defender Christian Ribeiro suffered against Sheffield United two weeks ago was not as bad as initially feared. However, skipper Louis Carey is still out after scans revealed the dependable defender has a torn calf muscle.

Clough is probably under more pressure from the Pride Park boardroom to succeed, but to be fair to him Derby look more like contenders this season than they did last term and will certainly test the Robins.

Rams coach Andy Garner told the club website: ""We want to put it right on the road. There isn't a great deal wrong to be honest. At Doncaster we proved we have enough about us to go away, play well and win a game of football. What the lads need is to build that confidence up playing away from home, and that will come with a good run. Bristol City is another game and another chance for us to get back to winning ways."

Derby striker Alberto Bueno could make his return from a hamstring injury. Jake Buxton is still sidelined by his back complaint and Miles Addison also misses out with a foot problem.

Goalkeeper Frank Fielding's loan deal is up after tomorrow's game and the Blackburn loanee will be keen to sign off with a clean sheet.

I first met Fielding during another loan deal playing for Wycombe and he is certainly a talent. However, he'll be up against a resurgent Brett Pitman who has now scored three in his last two games while City's former England keeper David James has kept his first two consecutive clean sheets of the season and will be hankering after a third.

I have a feeling for the home side in this clash, but think James will pick the ball out of his net at least once. 2-1 to the Robins ... get along to Ashton Gate to see just how bad my predictions are!

Alan Pardew - New Guy

Okay, the last word on the farce that is Newcastle United.

As this has been a slow week for football given the number of local fixtures I have lost to the weather, I'm trying to be a little topical - even if it does concern footaball club at the other end of the country from my patch, so apologies.

Earlier this season I wrote a post criticising Alan Pardew's treatment by the Southampton board given his sterling efforts at St. Mary's last season. The club started with a ten point deficit and yet he still took them to within a whisker of the play-offs and landed the JP Trophy giving the Saints their first trophy since the mid-seventies. Then he was sacked.

I spoke to several players from clubs chasing League One play-off places last season and they were all looking over their shoulders with dread as Southampton honed in on them. Pardew had the Saints on the march and was ditched for his efforts.

Ironic then that he has stepped into Chris Hughton shoes after the former Irish defender he took the Toon back to the Premier League. I guess there is no pleasing some football directors/owners.

I sincerely wish Pardew well in his new role. It will be tough and there won't be much money to spend, but if he has convinced Mike Ashley that he can take Newcastle to the summit of the league on a shoestring budget, then good for him. The five year deal he has should see him receive a nice pay-off when Ashley loses faith in him in February.

Delighted when Hughton got the boot – Your Time Is Up

After Chris Hughton was cynically dumped by Mike Ashley’s Newcastle earlier this week I was as stunned as most people at the board’s decision, but delighted to see the football community united for once in support of a decent guy.

Of course as football followers – fans, players and media professionals alike – we are a fickle bunch and what is this week’s top story soon gets replaced by something else. Last week we were all fuming about missing out on the World Cup – this week it’s Hughton.

I’ve noticed that a quite a few commentators have used the word ‘decent’ in association with Hughton and, as I have only met the guy once (after Toon’s FA Cup draw at Plymouth last season), I can hardly put myself up as a close confidant. However, on the strength of that one meeting I can say that I found him to be pleasant, humourous and approachable.

At the time Newcastle were still in the Cup of course (and would go on to beat the Pilgrims at St. James Park) and so from a result point of view it wasn’t a disaster. The pitch that day was in an awful state and neither side could get to grips with it. It was one of those uninspiring games that you get from time to time and Hughton shrugged it off as just that.

He was a realist. The FA Cup was a fun competition, but the bread and butter was the league and, in particular, Newcastle’s push for promotion.

Newcastle are a big club. Many fans around the country disagree with that statement, but it’s true. Look at the size of the local support, the stadium and the history (five league titles and six FA Cup wins). Sadly for them they don’t have ‘recent’ history despite the passion.

When Kevin Keegan had the audacity to suggest it would take several seasons for Newcastle to get back into Champions League contention he was rapped over the knuckles by Ashley’s cronies.

But Toon fans knew in their hearts he was right even if – like Ashley - they didn’t want to hear it. Unfortunately Ashley didn’t know he was right. Keegan’s vast experience of the football world counted for nothing as his casino buddies (including Hughton’s possible replacement Alan Pardew if some reports are to believed) had his ear.

Relegation to the Championship, the very real possibility of dropping down another division and an owner who was repeatedly trying to offload the club at a vastly inflated price in a seriously depressed economic market, ensured realism set in fast within the ranks of the Toon Army.

As usual they wanted a big name to help them out of the ‘clart’, but no-one fancied the challenge and so Hughton got the job without the board’s whole-hearted support.

He did their bidding though and sold off as many stars as possible to slash the wage bill. Then he was instructed to take the club back to the Premier League with effectively a smaller version of the same squad that took them down.

The fans saw the difficult situation he was faced with and increasingly appreciated his honest efforts.

Unfortunately the board didn’t and having taken them back up at the first time of asking - with over 100 points - he was rewarded with … procrastination over a new contract.

Toon’s season has been up and down so far – very much a reflection of the Premier League as a whole. They have won games they weren’t expected to win and lost games they should have picked up points from, but they have achieved mid-table respectability.

Several key players have been injured for spells and yet still the results were ground out.

The most important person at any football club is the manager – not something owners like to be told. Say what you want about the Glazers at Manchester United, they know better than to mess with Sir Alex!

The problem with Ashley is that he and his ego want instant success and it isn’t going to happen – it rarely does unless you’re prepared to outspend the opposition and he certainly isn’t.

I get the feeling that he sees football managers in the same light as his sporting goods store managers. If the monthly sales figures aren’t equivalent or better than the store down the street then you better watch out. No real long term planning, just make sure the shelves are empty after the Christmas period is over. Then slash and burn any remaining stock in the January sales and start again.

His stores sell cut price tat (in my humble opinion) and that business philosophy won’t work in the Premier League.

If you want footballing success these days you either have to have an oil sheik as an owner or be prepared to build slowly, but surely and fans (customers) aren’t stupid, they are prepared to wait a little longer if the club is moving in the right direction.

Look at West Brom, for example. The side that gave Newcastle a real tonking in Hughton’s last game in charge on Sunday have been up and down more often than a whore’s drawers in recent seasons, but they’ve slowly been getting stronger and are now in a position to compete and they look like a good solid Premier League outfit.

Under Hughton Newcastle looked like they weren’t going to suffer the same yo-yo effect between Premeir League and Championship that West Brom did, but Ashley’s over-inflated sense of the club’s current worth led him to wield the axe. This might be a decision he lives to regret if the Toon implode again and, in some ways, I hope they do.

The fans have suffered enough in recent years and so it would be harsh to wish relegation on them, but fourth from bottom and an FA Cup giant killing by Stevenage would serve as a metaphorical slap in the face for Ashley.

The irony is that Hughton won’t take any pleasure from that scenario because he’s a more decent man than me.

A case of mistaken identity – Who’s the Daddy

On Saturday morning I picked up a copy of The Sun to see whether there was a preview of the Swindon game as I had been asked at the last minute to help a colleague out.

Each week there is a brief piece on each of the sides and this lets readers know who’s in and who’s out of the respective teams - sometimes there is larger article previewing the game. Given the postponed fixtures on Saturday due to the weather, Swindon v Sheffield Wednesday suddenly became the most interesting game in League One as it was … er, the only game in League One.

Sure enough there was a short item about the Swindon midfielder Jon-Paul McGovern, but to my horror the reporter (an agency freelancer by all accounts) mentioned that J-P was the son of former Nottingham Forest’s European Cup Winner John McGovern. ‘Horror’ because I’d spoken to J-P on a number of occasions, covered numerous Swindon games and so should have known that they were related.

So I was pleased when he told me they weren’t and joked:

“I was surprised to read that John McGovern was my dad this morning, but not as surprised as my real dad was. ‘I didn’t realise he was your father,’ he said and so I told him to go and speak to mum – I was staying well out of it!”

While J-P took that in good humour, he was a little more put out that many of the papers that morning had described him as “baiting” Sheffield Wednesday and felt a spin had been put on his comments that wasn’t intended. He said:

“My partner lives up in Sheffield and I get along to Hillsborough on a regular basis. It’s a great club and I wouldn’t say or do anything to upset them, or the fans, who were always good to me.”

In fact J-P took the time to applaud the visiting support before leaving the pitch (and muted his celebration after scoring the winner) and they appeared to reciprocate, but if any fans have lingering doubts about him, I can guarantee them that he was genuine in his concern that it be known he wasn’t Owl baiting.

P.S. Should have been off to the re-arranged Bristol Rovers v Exeter JPS game tonight, but it has been postponed a second time and will now take place on December 14th ... weather permitting.

Swindon Town 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1 - Learning

I sat next to a young lady from Sheffield University on Saturday and thought that rather than see the same old tripe from me, you might like to see something from a journo of the future. The following has been taken from ForgeToday.com at: http://www.forgetoday.com/page2080/Wednesday-Lose-Away-To-Swindon

My own meagre offering is at the foot of this post.

Wednesday lose away to Swindon

By Verity Sleeman

Published: 05/12/2010

Alan Irvine felt for the fans after Wednesday’s week of weather woe.

Irvine saw his side slump to their first defeat in seven games at the hands of a tenacious Swindon side who rode their luck.

Players and supporters alike had to dig their way out the city to travel to the only game in League One. And the 1,300 visiting fans did their club proud by staying vocal throughout.

Former Hillsborough favourite Jon-Paul Mc Govern helped break the deadlock in the 24th minute by chipping over the Owls defense for Swindon hot shot Charlie Austin to volley home his 13th goal of the season.

It only took six minutes for the visitors to pull one back.

Just before the break midfielder Mark Beevers had a goal chalked off after teammate Clinton Morrison was ruled offside.

The Wednesday bench were fuming at the decision, and Morrsion said, "You see them time and time again in the Premier League and they're always given. There’s got to be some consistency because we don’t know whether we’re coming or going at the moment."

Wednesday also had a penalty appeal turned down before McGovern sealed the win for Swindon in the 70th minute.

A long throw from Michael Rose was flicked on by Sean Morrison to Mc Govern, who slotted home his third of the season.

Wednesday chief Irvine groaned, "We had quite a lot of chances. We hit the bar, had a penalty denied, a goal disallowed, a lot of things to be disappointed about."

"We deserved an equaliser, there were a number of things that happened that on another day could have gone for us."

"The fans are fantastic, there’s no question about that."

Bristol Rovers v Bournemouth - Game on

It looks as though I won't know whether I'm needed at the Memorial Ground for tomorrow's game until tomorrow morning after the 9.30am pitch inspection.

If I hear anything more during this afternoon, I'll post information here for both sets of fans.

I hope that the clubs are thinking of more than just the state of the pitch though. Cherries fans might find the drive treacherous and so it might be better to err on the side of caution and postpone this weekend.

I see that the Swindon game against Sheffield Wednesday is going ahead though despite the fact that  Sheffield his been hit as hard as anywhere by snow this week (the biggest fall on the city since the late 1800s apparently). I hope the Owls supporters manage to dig their way out to the M1!

Safe travelling wherever you're headed this weekend.

Gutted! – Russians

Ah well, it’s all over and it looks like we won’t be hosting the World Cup in my lifetime – not that I’m getting on in years, but merely because I haven’t felt this sick in a long while and I’m not sure whether I’m going to recover from the disappointment of seeing Russia get the nod.

Maybe that is why Putin didn’t bother travelling – he already knew it was in the bag and so waste air fuel while you could be doing business with billionaire oil and gas barons.

Still, I have a trip to the Memorial Ground to cheer me up this tropical weekend, so life’s not all bad.

Live from Zurich (via icy southern England) – The Bidding

And so the World Cup bid presentations have ended and we wait nervously while the FIFA committee members enjoy a lavish lunch and choose from an extensive wine list having enjoyed a morning of video entertainment.

Who knows whether their minds were already made up before they had breakfast this morning, but to be fair to the English FA, Prince William, David Beckham and David Cameron, our bid was slick and professional.

Beck’s point about attending the 2010 World Cup draw one day after the death of his grandfather Joe was touching, but I thought it was also a subtle attempt to remind FIFA that he had put them first last year and maybe now was payback time.

The Dutch/Belgium bid was ‘nice’, but having spoken to several friends in the Netherlands during the last few weeks, not one felt they would win anyway. In fact several said they hoped England would win it.

Surprisingly the Spanish/Portugal presentation seemed designed to bore FIFA into submission and won’t have done them any favours.

Russia’s presentation was strong, but with Putin deciding not to attend maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t – I wonder if he spotted something in those WikiLeaks documents?

The Isle of Man’s last minute attempt to be considered floundered when their FA representative was refused admission to FIFA’s Zurich HQ.

The BBC has just announced that the voting process has started (GMT 13:00). As the result isn’t due until 14:30 to 15:00 it really makes you wonder whether the world’s favourite sport is safe in the hands of men who take up to 90 minutes to count to 22!

I suspect that most people reading this blog will have live footage streaming onto their PCs, but I will post the result of the vote on here as soon as it is announced.

English fingers crossed.

World Cup Bid - Dodgy People

I don’t normally use this blog to talk about anything other than the games I’m reporting on, but like every other fan in the country I’ve been following the World Cup bidding process and watched the Panorama programme.


Frankly, I’m fed up with FIFA and its arrogance. The timing of the Panorama programme couldn’t have been worse (and, if by some long shot England do win, it’ll be interesting to see who FIFA’s preferred broadcaster is!) and whether we win the bid or not, FIFA needs to be swept clean.

Their own rules state that members should not accept bribes or payments for favours, but – if Panorama, The Sunday Times, and other news outlets are to be believed – this is happening on a regular basis. Are these people fit to be running the people’s game? And, no, I don’t just mean the English people, I mean the people of the world.

Some FIFA members represent countries where poverty is widespread and yet they are accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars to feather their own goalmouth. This alleged activity isn’t just criminal, it’s morally corrupt.

It may well be time for the national associations to take a long hard look at the structure of the game and especially its governing body.

In the 1990s the English game changed complexion completely with the introduction of the Premier League – maybe it’s time the international game was looked at with each national federation getting a vote when it comes to decisions like where the World Cup is to be held.

Yes, I know that is more than 200 countries, but it’s a global game and so why not? With the Internet available to every national federation, they wouldn't all even have to travel to an ivory tower in Zurich or wherever.

An executive committee could be set up to deal with day-to-day issues, but these members could be rotated every 18 months or so.

The Chair and vice-Chair of the new body could be elected for a limited period of time while a CEO and board of directors could be appointed to assist with the – their ‘shareholders’ being the national groups and also the fans.

Whether you think that my suggestions are complete rubbish or not, surely something needs to be done about FIFA?

Maybe it will be a blessing in disguise if we don’t get the World Cup because you can be sure that it will then be open-season on FIFA as far as the British media is concerned.

Bristol Rovers v Exeter City - Game Off Tonight

My toes are safe (see post below) and the game is off tonight due to the freezing conditions. It has been re-arranged for next Tuesday (December 7th) when it is expected to be 70 degress in the shade.

Bristol Rovers v Exeter City - Icy Cold City

There will be a pitch inspection at 11.30am today to determine whether the Memorial Ground pitch is up to holding tonight's Johnstone Paint Trophy semi final.

Given that the weather conditions aren't going to warm up after the 19:15 kick off time, I'm praying for an abandoned game as my toes have only just recovered from Saturday's game at Hereford! Selfish, I know.

Hereford United 2 Lincoln City 2 - Homework

Apologies for the late posting today, but the feeling has just returned to my fingers following frostbite suffered during Saturday’s game.

My clippings from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Jamie Pitman sauntered out to the dugouts eventually to give his press briefing and said - with a grin - that as he’d been kept waiting by the media after the Shrewsbury game, it was now our turn. If a very important part of my anatomy had not just succumbed to frost bite it would have been funny Jamie. Then again, I hardly ever use it these days.

Enough of my moaning though.

Lincoln looked as though they were going to ease their way into the 3rd round hat after a first half performance that saw them leave for the cozy, warm dressing room having scored two goals and saved a penalty.

A superb dinked ball over the Hereford defence in the 19th minute from skipper Scott Kerr found Ashley Grimes - who had left the Bulls defenders flat-footed - and the striker lobbed the ball over stranded Adam Bartlett and into the net.

Grimes is on loan from Millwall and this was his second goal in two games for the Imps. Boss Steve Tilson said later:

“If that goal had been scored in the Premier League people would Have been drooling over it.” Well the away fans and the neutrals like myself were impressed Steve, believe me. A great finish.

Hereford struck back within four minutes though, desperate for a big money 3rd round draw. If they had known then that the prize was to be Wycombe at Adams Park they might not have bothered!

In a case of “anything you can do …” winger Rob Purdie – on loan from Oldham - ran on to a poor pass from Gavin Hoyte and, as keeper Joe Anyon was left stranded, placed the ball into the back of the net for his fourth goal in six games.

Just as Lincoln contributed their own downfall for the equaliser, Hereford managed to shoot themselves in the foot and let the away side restore their lead in the 27th minute.

Skipper Michael Townsend was shepherding the ball back towards Bartlett with Grimes at his back hassling him, but by the time Townsend released the ball for his keeper, Bartlett seemed to be caught in two minds and planted a scuffed clearance right at the feet of Mustapha Carayol. The Gambia-born winger was impressive all afternoon and deserved his goal, although was probably surprised at how easy the home side made it for him.

In the 43rd minute it looked as though the Bulls were once again back in the game. Midfielder Kenny Lunt sent a shot into the crowded box and it hot central defender Adam Watts on the arm.

Stuart Fleetwood stepped up to take the spot kick unaware that Anyon had done his homework studied the striker’s technique. The former Blackburn keeper threw himself to his right and didn’t just stop the ball, but claimed it mid air. It was at a nice height for him, but there was no photo-opportunity palming away from Anyon. The ball stuck in his hands and, as he said to me later, “Hey, if it’s there to be caught, you catch it.”

In the second half Hereford looked the better side, but it wasn’t until the 86th minute that they managed to force a replay.

Once again Watts gave away a penalty after tripping Fleetwood in the box and Frenchman Mathieu Manset - who had surprisingly started on the bench – blasted the ball in for his 7th goal in nine games. Frankly it didn’t matter whether Anyon had studied Manset, nothing was going to stop this fiercely hit spot kick.

Watts was honest enough to hold his hands up (again) after the game and said: “They were both down to me and I take full responsibility. I didn’t know too much about the first one, but it hit my arm and I dived in too early for the second one. There’s no point in looking back though and at least we’re still in the Cup.

The replay takes place on Tuesday 7th December at Sincil Bank and I think it’s too close to call. If Pitman starts with Manset it could make all the difference as the Lincoln defence looked scared witless of him on Saturday.

Then again, he started against Lincoln two weekends ago in the League and the Imps had no problems with him that day and won 3-1.

It should be an interesting encounter, but with a game against Wycombe on offer, I wonder if both teams will be as motivated as they might have been given their respective league positions.

Hereford United v Lincoln City (FA Cup 2nd Round) – Mischievous Imps

Its FA Cup weekend and I’m back to Hereford to watch them take on Lincoln City.

In the first round the Bulls dispatched Hythe Town fairly easily, but tomorrow’s game at Edgar Street might prove to be much harder work.

The Imps beat Hereford 3-1 last Saturday at Sincil Bank and so will fancy their chances, although they were brought down to earth on Tuesday with a 5-0 home thumping from Bury.

Manager Steve Tilson has started to change Lincoln’s fortunes though and they have only lost two of the seven games since he took over from Chris Sutton. I suspect that Tilson’s priority this season is to ensure that they finish as high up the league on the meager resources they have.

Having said (or typed) that, both sides will be keen to be in the hat for Sunday’s 3rd round draw when the chance of a money spinning tie against one of the Premier League sides is in the offing. The revenue a clash against, say Arsenal, would generate could make life a lot easier for both clubs for the rest of the season.

I’ve seen both of these teams once so far this season and have to say that the Lincoln support at Wycombe was one of the highlights so far for me. There were only a handful in the away end, but they sang their hearts out, were far louder than the Adams Park faithful and stuck with their side and helped urge the players on to a 2-2 draw despite going behind twice.

Hereford’s fans will need to be at their vocal best and Jamie Pitman’s boys will need their support if they are to recover from a little blip of two defeats in the league – the other being a 4-0 drubbing of their own at Shrewsbury on Tuesday.

The Hereford lads were motivated to beat Hythe by the lack of respect shown by their non-league opponents in the last round. I’m sure that Lincoln will show them the professional respect they merit – Hereford just better make sure they aren’t shown the FA Cup door as well.

Jamie played over fifty times for Hereford before leaving for Yeovil and then Woking. He returned for the 2002/03 season and then left again to finish his playing days at Forest Green Rovers. In August 2008 he again returned to Edgar Street, but this time as the as club physiotherapist

And Pitman once scored an FA Cup goal to knock Hereford out of the competition. After the Hythe game he revealed :

“I played against Hereford for Woking back in 2000 to knock the club out of the Cup and I scored with a header on the far post which was unusual in itself.

When Graham Turner signed me a couple of years later he told me that that header had nearly broken the club financially as they needed the revenue a Cup run would have brought. It would have been ironic given how much I love the place if I’d been the one to drive it under.

Now though, it could be pay-back time and I’d love nothing better than to help Hereford into the next round.”

Wouldn’t it be just like the FA Cup to throw up a feel good story like that? Then again, the Imps will have something to say about matters … well their fans will anyway.

What a Caulker! – Silver Spurs

When you watch a youngster playing, you never really know whether they will ever make it big in the game. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve told mates about a player I’ve seen and told them he’ll go all the way to the top … only to watch from a distance as he fades away and ends up playing away his days in the Ryman League or equivalent.

Equally, I’ve written off some lads who have gone on to make it at a much higher level.

Sometimes a performance can be deceptive as they are playing for a manager who wants specific things from them for the good of the team and so you don’t spot their full potential. Playing to their strengths for another manager and suddenly they are world beaters.

On Saturday though I saw a lad called Steven Caulker playing on the right side of the central defence for Bristol City and he put in a solid performance against Leicester’s skipper Steve Howard - one of the Championship’s better strikers and someone who has a wealth of experience.

Caulker is on loan from Spurs along with Danny Rose, 20, and when Harry Redknapp sees a DVD of his performance it should give him some food for thought. I’m not suggesting he should be recalled to White Hart Lane immediately and thrown in alongside William Gallas, but if he maintains this standard, he’ll figure on the Spurs first team bench next season at some stage.

To say Caulker had Howard in his pocket would be exaggerating a little, but the eighteen year old was impressive.

I noticed at one point in the first half that Caulker had come off worse in a tussle with Howard and was left kneeling dazed on the turf. Rather than withdrawing into his shell, he shook away the stars he was seeing and got on with the job.

Last season Caulker played 44 times for Yeovil on loan and I would be very interested to hear what their fans thought of him. Redknapp must have been impressed though to farm him out to a club another level up.

Brett Pitman and Keith Millen - I’m Back

One thing that most fans can’t stand is a prima donna. Often when a player signs in a big money deal his ego gets in the way and he starts sulking or sniping at the manager – not so Brett Pitman.

Pitman, 22, is a likeable lad who recognizes that – despite being star man by scoring 28 goals for Bournemouth last season – he must adapt to a new club in Bristol City and raise his standards.

On Saturday he started doing that with his first goal for the club and I feel his honest and unassuming character will ultimately see him become a hero at Ashton Gate.

After the win against Leicester he said:

“I haven’t played every week which I’d have liked, but hopefully that will get me a start next week and hopefully I’ll keep scoring and, more importantly, the team will keep winning.

Since I’ve come here I’ve found it a big step up from what I expected and it’s been difficult. The pace of the game is a lot different from League One, but I feel each game I play I’m getting better and better, so I was pleased to get 45 minutes.

Working off the ball defensively is something I’ve had to work on. It wasn’t something I did naturally and I feel like I’m getting better at it. I feel I’m adapting to the pace of the game a lot better now. Technically I have no worries about playing in the Championship – I’m confident in my ability.

I think playing up front is more difficult than playing anywhere else. You’re up against better defenders and the pace of the game is quicker and you have to do more defensive work than you have to in the lower levels, but Nicky (injured striker, last season’s top scorer and former Crewe player Maynard) adapted well and hopefully I’ll follow him.

You don’t get the five or six chances you’d get in League One or Two. You’ll get maybe one or two chances in a game and so you’ve got to be more clinical. Now I’ve adjusted to the [pace I feel a lot more confident going on to the pitch. I should hopefully push on from here.

He had a fantastic season last season and I remember playing against him when he was at Crewe. He was always a very good player and I’m sure he’s improved a lot. It will be a nice headache for the gaffer to have when everyone’s fit because we’ve probably got six good strikers now. If everybody’s fit it’s going to be a selection headache for him which I’m sure he’ll want.”

And getting that first goal was a relief. He said:

“The shot crossed the line quite easily (despite Ritchie Wellens’s attempted clearance). I’d have taken any type of goal. Clarky’s (fellow sub David Clarkson) come on and scored a fantastic goal which has made the last few minutes a lot easier than what they might have been. I’ve not seen him do that before, but I don’t think that’s something you’d do every day – maybe he’ll try it again now!

It’s nice to get off the mark, but I knew it would come and now I can just concentrate on playing and winning games.”

Robin’s boss Keith Millen was upbeat after City’s second half performance and in particular his two goal scorers. He said:

“I’m really pleased for him (Pitman). He’s been patient; he’s worked hard in training. We know he’s a good finisher and we know Clarky’s a good finisher and both of them went on and scored.

We had to change it. Jon Stead’s ankle’s been playing him up for a while now. He got another whack on it and he’s struggling to move so I put Clarky on because I felt him and Brett would try and hold the ball up as I knew we’d be under a little bit of pressure and I also know that if chances drop to them, more often than not they’ll hit the target.”

Millen could afford to make light of his goal keeper’s gaff in giving away the penalty and grinned:

“David James gets a telling off for giving the penalty away, but he redeemed himself with a great save. I’ll have to see it again, but it looked as though the lad made a good run in the box and Jambo’s made the decision to come out and the lad’s got there first, so no complaints that it was a penalty. He’s made up for it with a great save.”

Bristol are now moving up the table and Millen said:

“It’s a nice feeling to be out of the relegation zone and what it does is give us a chance now with that to grow if you like with two back-to-back wins with another home game next Saturday. If you do that you suck a lot more teams closer to you.”

On tactics and the second half revival, he said:

“That’s what I’m paid to do. You analyse Leicester and I felt the players were in the right positions, but we never got on the ball. We never got the ball wide, we never got any crosses in the box and we weren’t good enough on the day to pass the ball through the team like Leicester did so I changed it. It was unfortunate for Johno (Lee Johnson who was subbed at half time) as he didn’t do much wrong in the game. I just felt Skuse (Cole) and Marvin’s (Elliott) legs would be important and put another centre forward on to give us an attacking option.

Certainly in the first half we didn’t play like a home side and one of the reasons we set up like we did was I felt we could pressurize Leicester and stop them playing. And I felt we could get close to them, win the ball and then, with our legs and energy, go and give them trouble. But it didn’t pan out like that in the first half.

We’re pleased with the response from the lads. That’s their character they’ve showed there because the pressure was on at half time. The fans weren’t happy, the players weren’t happy and I wasn’t happy, but they responded in a good way.

The penalty save was the turning point, but quite often in Championship games things like that are the turning points. Goals change games and James didn’t have to make that many good saves today, but the one that mattered – the penalty save – kept us in it.

It shows the quality of our squad. We know Brett and Clarky can score goals. I thought Brett came on and held the ball up well at times, won some flick-ons.”

As for the injured Stead, Millen said:

“The trouble is that when players aren’t training every day, after a while it catches up with you and we’ll have to assess Steady’s ankle on Monday. He’s an honest lad who keeps working his socks off and if he’s not fully fit we’ve got a good squad and players who can come in and replace him.”

Bristol City’s Goalscorer David Clarkson and Sven – Freaky, freaky

David Clarkson spoke about the freaky and audacious 40 yard goal he scored to seal the win against Leicester on Saturday and explained:

“I read the throw out to be fair. The keeper tried to throw it to the left back and I knda read it and it fell perfect for me. I just thought ‘hit it, he’s off his line’. It could have gone anywhere and I was delighted when it went in.

I didn’t have a clue whether it was going in and I just wanted to hit the target. It seemed to be in the air forever and took an age to go in. If you don’t shoot, you don’t score. I;ve never scored from that distance before in my life unless it was in the U-10s when you want to shoot from anywhere. It’s just one of those things. You see players doing it now and again. It just fell perfectly and I hit it.

I was thinking that I should take it to the corner at that stage, but luckily it went in. I’m sure I would’ve got a bit of grief for it if it hadn’t.

I’m not sure if it was the goal of the season, but I’m absolutely delighted to have scored a goal like that. It’s one of the highlights of my career probably.”

Bristol turned the tables on Leicester in the second half and Clarkson said:

“I was warming up at half time in case I was needed, but whatever the gaffer said, it worked. It was important for us to come out in the second half fired up. We kinda got a grip of the game, created a few chances and go the first goal.

Brett coming on and scoring kick-started us and we defended well and got the second goal and killed them.”

And the Scotland international forward revealed that the Robin’s large squad has its advantages. He said:

“We’ve got a big squad now and everyone’s waiting for their chance. It was good for me to come on and for Brett as well. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to come on and get his goal and hopefully give the gaffer a problem and something to think about. He knows what he’s got on the bench plus there are players coming back (from injury).

I’ve not been on for a while and so for me to come on with still a bit of the game to go and try and put your stamp on the game was good. And I managed to get the goal which was absolutely great.

It’s a great result which sends us home on a high and the fans home on a high and hopefully we can kick on and get the results.”

On the lack of reserve team fixtures, Clarkson said:

“It gets you games, but at the same time you can work just as hard in training. Sometimes training is better than playing reserve games. It’s up to the boys like me to work hard in training to be sharp when you get the chance. If you get a run in the team you get your sharpness back.

If you’re just training you have to work that extra bit harder to make sure you’re at your best and the boys and myself have been doing that.

It’s difficult sitting on the bench and watching people get their chance, but you’re there to support the boys and you want the team to win. At the same time it’s up to us to come on and score goals and give the gaffer something to think about which we did.”

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson was not a happy man and when someone suggested it had been a bad day at the office, he agreed. He said:

“Definitely. Once again we showed we are a good football team and can play very good football. I think we were in total control for 45 minutes, but it was a day when we couldn’t score and gave away two goals much, much too easy. Too easy and it’s a pity because if you’d left after 45 minutes you wouldn’t believe we would lose the game.

You have to take your chances and we created chances first half, we created chances second half and we didn’t take it. And then you are punished and we were punished.

Bristol City played much better in the second half. They went to 4-4-2 and put more pressure on us, but they scored too easy in my opinion.

We know how to play football and we do it very well, very often, but of course we have to score more goals and we can’t concede goals like that. Too easy.

The first goal was a good move from Bristol City, but you have to read that he will pop up there. We didn’t and it was a goal.

What can you say about the second goal? It’s like an own goal even if it was taken very well by the Bristol City player. Bad day.”

The Thai consortium that own Leicester have said they want to be playing Premier League football next season, but Sven brushed off any talk of pressure. He said:

“It’s nothing we talk about every day. I think it’s more positive than negative that you’re working in a club that has such ambition. It would be much worse if we had no pressure and who cares where we are. If we want to finish high up in the league, we can’t lose football games as we did today”

Looking forward to tonight’s Forest game he said:

“I didn’t know (they had won against Cardiff) and so congratulations to them. After this it’s even more important to us.

We’ll give the players a couple of days off now.

Bristol City 2 Leicester City 0 - P**s and Vinegar

In the post-match press conference the written press invariably have to wait until the television and radio guys have wrapped up their interviews before asking their own questions. However, the newspaper reporters will also have their own portable recorders running so as not to miss anything. And so it was on Saturday when Sven-Goran Eriksson stood in front of the board bearing the logos of the sponsors.

The Sky interviewer positioned him and then turned to the assembled press and said: “Right, everybody happy?” To which the Swede instantly replied: “No, I’m not happy.” And you could understand why.

Last Tuesday night I watched Walsall squeak past Fleetwood in an FA Cup replay after the non-league outfit had dominated the first half. The Bescot faithful jeered their side off at half time, but Walsall scored in the 58th minute and then at the death to see them through.

On Saturday it was practically a carbon copy, although in fairness to Bristol City they looked much more interested than the west midlands outfit.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football



Substitute Brett Pitman’s 57th minute goal- his first for the club – and David Clarkson’s 90th minute lobbed volley from 40 yards settled the game, but Leicester must have kicked themselves all the way home for not making the most of their first half possession.

David James clattered Andy King in the 22nd minute to give away a needless penalty and then redeemed himself by saving Steve Howard’s spot kick with his feet.

Foxes skipper Howard has – by all accounts – been playing out of his skin this season and, while it was obviously a great opportunity to take the lead, the Leicester camp will have been wondering how they didn’t turn their dominance into goals.

Both sides started with 4-3-3 formations, but whereas Leicester looked to attack, Danny Rose (on loan from Spurs) and Albert Adomah did little to support striker Jon Stead who at times could be seen frustratingly waving his team mates forward desperate for their support.

In the second half Robins manager Keith Millen changed to a 4-4-2 formation by bring on former Bournemouth striker Pitman, 22, for midfielder Lee Johnson while Erksson understandably persevered with the line-up that had them on top in the opening 45 minutes.

Pitman scored 28 goals for the Cherries last season as they stormed to League One promotion and also added another three before his £800,000 move to City in August, but had not figured in many of this season’s games.

The Jersey-born hit man started the first three games following his transfer, but from then has had to make do with a few minutes here and there as a substitute as he built up his fitness to cope with the higher level of Championship football.

His goal showed everyone that he hasn’t lost any of his goal poaching prowess while he’s been busy in the gym.

Full back Jamie McAllister pulled a free kick on the right back to Pitman in the area and he rifled the ball home despite a desperate goal line lunge from Ritchie Wellens.

Clarkson’s goal was worth the entrance money.

Former Robin’s number two Chris Weale threw the ball out to full back Gary Cunningham on the left, but Clarkson was sharp enough to intercept the ball and hit the ball back over the back peddling keeper for his third of the season.

Afterwards Millen refused to be drawn into comparisons with Eriksson or accept he had won any tactical battles with the former England chief and when asked if he would be opening a bottle of wine for the Swede he nodded, but joked: “Mid you he might not want any as the stuff I have tastes like vinegar.”

I suspect that Sven refused; after all he was already leaving with a bad taste in his mouth.

More quotes tomorrow from Eriksson, Millen, Clarkson and Pitman

Bristol City v Leicester City - The Swede Smell of Success

Back to Ashton Gate tomorrow for the game against Leicester City and it's good to see both sides have picked up some good results recently.

The last time I saw Bristol City was in the 0-3 reverse against Norwich and while the Canaries looked very good, the West Country outfit seemed to be lacking in confidence.

Manager Keith Millen is nothing if passionate about the club and he seems to have started to turn things around. In the seven games since, the Robins have only lost two - against Cardiff and Leeds - and picked up 11 points from the remaining 15 available.

Unfortunately skipper Louis Carey will be missing through injury and the back four may be a little light on experience. However, veteran keeper David James, 40, will once again be standing between the sticks and doing his best to shut out a side managed by his former England gaffer, Sven-Goran Eriksson. James won 32 caps under Sven.

Since taking over at the Walkers stadium, the Swede has started to work his magic and the Foxes have won four and drawn two of the eight fixtures.

Eriksson's managerial record is excellent and the Leicester faithful will be licking their lips at the possibility of even a fraction of the success he has brought to other clubs.

In over 850 games, Eriksson has achieved a 52% win ratio. For England it was over 59% - what would we give for that level of managerial quality at the moment?
Then again, at Championship level there will be players who want to show they can mix it with the best and Leicester will increasingly be seen as a scalp. I think that the Bristol City boys will be up for this one and predict a 2-2 draw.

Quotes from the Walsall v Fleetwood Town Cup game – Spiderman

As Blue Square Premier side Fleetwood Town left the Bescot with nothing and yet deserved more, I thought I'd let them have the first word ...

Following the FA Cup 1st round replay on Tuesday evening Fleetwood boss and former Baggie Micky Mellon felt his side did well enough to win the game, but said:

“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Chris Hutchings, but let’s be honest, they robbed us.”

“We were never going, to win the Cup. We outplayed, out-passed and looked more determined than Walsall. We were probably on the wrong end of a defeat and everybody knows it, but that’s football.”

“A lot of credit goes to their goalkeeper – I can’t stand him. Full credit to the guy. He looks like he couldn’t touch the crossbar and yet jumped around like Spiderman.”

There's no doubt that Walsall had personnel problems with several pleyers unavailable, but they really do need to sit down and take a look at themselves instead of taking the 'everybody hates us' approach. Despite the win over the Cod Army manager Chris Hutchings found himself being questioned by a less than impressed local media and said:

“You’re on a hiding to nothing in these games as we were when we went to Stourbridge last year. You just want to try and get through and be in the hat for the next round and that’s what we done. We were up against it when we played at their place when we were down to ten men after thirty-five or forty minutes. We had to dig deep up there.”

“It was a cup tie and they’re trying to cause a shock aren’t they? The most important thing is that we’ve kept a clean sheet and won the game and we look forward to the next round and that’s all that matters really. There’s things that we can look at and work on.”

“We’ve had a lot of injuries. People who have come through at the end of the day. You know, Macken (Jon) was just short and McDonald’s (Clayton) just short. We’ve had Grigg (William) away and obviously McGivern (Ryan) couldn’t play and Devaney (Martin) and (Darren) Byfield. As you saw with the bench it was a little bit threadbare shall we say?”

On Walker’s man of the match performance Hutchings said:

“Well that’s what he’s there to do. We knew when we were getting him in what we were getting and he’s come up trumps for us today and kept us in the game at times. He’s a noisy, bubbly character and full of confidence and that’s what you need at this moment in time. People need to stand up to be counted and that’s exactly what he did tonight and he gave us a springboard to bounce back and get a result which we’ve done and that’s all that matters when you’re in the hat.”

Having played this quote back, maybe I was being a little harsh on Hutchings in yesterday's blog in his praise of Walker and so I apologise to him for that.

Scorer Rueben Reid was also praised for his face-saving brace by the gaffer who said:

“It was a great ball in for the first one and great contact and for the second one he’s put them on the back foot and gone round a couple of people and slotted it in and obviously that just basically kills it off so late in the game. Get the ball in the box with that type of delivery and he can also get on the end of them and he can also create as he did for the second goal and that’s what he’s got to do more of.”

On Fleetwood and lower level opponents in general Hutchings said:

“I’m sure they’ll look back on the chances they would have had in the first half when Wacker’s (James Walker) kept us in it, but I would imagine most of the cup ties that were on tonight would’ve been the same scenario. League clubs will have had to defend well at times. They’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

“You can call it luck or whatever you want, but you’ve got to take heart from that. We’ve got to look to progress and do better and keep winning games. Hopefully that will be a springboard for Saturday and that’s what we’ve got to look forward to now. “

“We’ll be in tomorrow. We’ll be having a recovery session tomorrow in preparation for Saturday and that’s the important one now.”

“A win’s a win. We had to go to Stourbridge and get in and get out and we done a job there. Doesn’t matter how you do it, you need a little bit of luck. We’ve had decent games here and we’ve got beat so maybe our fortunes have changed and so we’ll see.”

“I thought we started the game well and then they wrestled it from us and took over in the first half to be quite honest. Second half was probably even Steven, but we scored the goals when it mattered. In the games that we’ve lost in the past the opposition have scored goals when it mattered and so it’s pleasing that we’ve ended up winning the game.”

“The be all and end all is that we’ve got through. It doesn’t matter how you get through. At any stage in any game the keeper’s going to have to make saves. You might need a little bit of luck. Whether we’ve had it tonight, doesn’t matter – we’re through. We’ve had a clean sheet and so let’s take heart from that.”

“We’ve got another game coming up and so there’s always pressure , but hey, we want to take confidence from the win and a clean sheet and that’s what we’ll do. There’s going to be tension. It’s the FA Cup, that’s what it’s all about.”

“We’ve put ourselves under pressure because we want to win the game and we haven’t been winning games recently so that’s what it’s all about.”

When I asked him abnout his own position and whether he felt the pressure he said:

“David Moyes says he fears for his job every day and that’s David Moyes.”

Striker Reid said:

“Everyone who watched the game will understand that it was a tough game and a real FA Cup tie. I think they came and were up for it. It was a bit of a battle, but in the end we came away with a positive result. That’s what cup games are like. From a lower position they’re always going to be up for it. To be honest, in the first half they done quite well. Walker’s made some fine saves and kept us in the game and in the end we’ve come off with two goals.”

“It’s a game of football. They had their chances and definitely didn’t take them. At the other end we took our chances. We win.”

“We went to their place and I think they had a real good opportunity to beat us in the sense that we only had ten men on the pitch for the majority of the game, but we battled hard there and it was another battle there tonight. I’m just happy to get a positive result.”

On his own goal scoring record – six for the season - he was honest enough to say:

“It could be better. I’ve had a few more chances that I could have put away. It could be more. I’m pleased with tonight, but I’ve got brace and effectively won the game.”

On the mounting pressure at the Bescot, he said:

“It’s important to win every game. Obviously it’s known fact that at the moment we’re not on the best of runs, but hopefully a result like this might help us turn the corner, you never know. Everyone’s got to stick together and pull together and get out on the pitch and get the results.”

“I can’t speak for the other lads, but for me it was just another game and I focus on my own performance. We’re all pulling together to get the right result for the club. We’re professional footballers we go across the line we have to focus on our performance and produce the goods. That’s what it’s all about. If you’re taking into account situations and fans and what people are going to get at, it could affect our game.”

“I can only speak for myself and I know that when I go on the pitch I concentrate fully on my performance. Sometimes things won’t go for you and sometimes they will and tonight it went for us in the sense that we got a positive result.”

“Games of football are there to be won and we done that. Maybe we can now get some belief and confidence around the place. Different players will react to the situation differently. I go out there and I just want to play my best. Other players may feel the heat a bit more, I don’t know.”

Walsall 2 Fleetwood Town 0 – Fat Man

Chris Hutchings is on the line after this WIN!

Woeful Walsall have veteran keeper James Walker and on loan striker Rueben Reid to thank for keeping them in the Cup and setting up a second round tie at Torquay.

But when the south coast club sees a DVD of this game they can be forgiven for starting to plan for the 3rd round.

I don’t know what the behind the scenes situation is at the Bescot, but Hutchings should start packing his bags if the West Midlands outfit loses against Carlisle on Saturday.

The abuse being hurled at the directors at half time must have been difficult to take and I don’t know of too many football board members who can take that sort of thing for too long.

The Saddlers boss didn’t do himself any favours at the post match press conference either. When asked about Walker’s six or seven terrific saves, he initially brushed the keeper’s performance as “his job”.

Yes, it’s his job to act as a last line of defence, but this performance from a 37 year old was beyond the call of duty.

In the 26th minute the local favourite dived at full stretch to tip a 35 yard drive from midfielder Anthony Barry past the post.

Three minutes later defender Shaun Beeley picked out midfielder Gareth Seddon on the edge of the box, but again Walker thwarted the gutsy Blue Square Premier side by turning the low shot around the upright.

From the resulting corner Walker was then called on again to palm away a close range effort from midfielder Jamie McGuire.

In the 35th minute winger Sean Clancy’s shot ricocheted across the box to Lee Thorpe and the striker’s stooping header from six yards was blocked by Walker. Then on the stroke of half time Clancy had a ten yard effort of his own blocked by Walker.

You probably get the idea – Walker was doing an impression of King Canute trying to turn back the tide and everyone on the opposing side was having a pop at him.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Things were a little quieter for Walker in the second half, but he still managed to dive low to stop another McGuire effort from 16 yards in the 51st minute.

This was probably the nest goalkeeping performance I have seen in a number of years … but it’s his job, eh Chris?

I felt for Reuben after the game. When a striker grabs a couple of goals he obviously likes to talk about them and his part in the game, but again the questions centred on the building pressure on the side and the manager.

Reid’s first goal came in the 58th minute when he slid in at the far post to connect with Alex Nicholls cross and score his 5th goal of the season.

But Fleetwood didn’t give up even if they were then restricted in terms of clear cut chances.

Baggie loanee Reid settled things though in the 90th minute when he rounded Cod Army stopper Scott Davies to leave the fishing port team to concentrate on their league ambitions.

I’m very aware that this report focuses on Walsall’s shortcomings rather than Fleetwood’s extremely capable showing and I apologise to them for that. They deserve more credit than I have possibly given them, but the real story is about Walsall and whether they can stop the rot.

The away support were magnificent and when they chanted good-naturedly (if that's possible) “you fat bastard” at their own rather rotund skipper, Steve McNulty, it brought a grin to my face. McNulty resembles a Sunday league player in physique, but boy has he got a good football brain. He picked out passes and anticipated the movement from Walsall’s front two for most if the game and while I reckon I could match him in terms of our respective waistlines, he didn’t look out of place on the pitch while I was blowing heavily just sitting in the press box.

And should anyone who wasn’t there last night feel I’m harsh in my criticism of Walsall, it’s nothing compared to the frustration shown by the home support – just ask the directors.

N.B. I'll be posting quotes from Hutchings, Reid and Fleetwood boss Micky Mellon on tomorrow's blog.

Walsall v Fleetwood Town – Fishy

I’ve been asked to cover the FA Cup replay tonight and I suspect the boys from the Bescot will be quaking in their boots before kick-off as they fear a real battering.

Fleetwood – a.k.a. the Cod Army - have come up from the Blue Square North division and have taken the Premier League by storm under former West Brom and Blackpool legend Micky Mellon.

Walsall, by contrast, look as though they are in self-destruct mode if recent results are anything to go by and Chris Hutchings job must be under threat. He has something like a 30% win ratio and we’ve all seen football managers walk with better records than that.

Then again this could be the turning point in Walsall’s season if they beat the minnows from the North West to set up a mouth-watering 2nd round tie against, er, Torquay.

Devon is a great place to visit in April and August, but I can’t see the Walsall players busting a gut to make sure of a long trip to the south coast in a couple of weeks.

This will be my first trip of the season to the Bescot. In fact the first visit for nearly one year and I must admit I’ve missed the place. It’s always very welcoming and the fans are a fair lot who – given their size - probably should be cheering on the club as it presses for promotion rather than propping up League One.

From a selfish point of view I hope that the game is done and dusted in 90 minutes. The Press Box at the Bescot is exposed to the elements and at the moment those elements aren’t reporter friendly. It’s definitely going to be a first outing of the season for the thermal underwear – not a nice thought I know – and, if the match goes to extra time, expect to hear plenty of cursing coming from yours truly.

N.B. Full report to come tomorrow.

Rotherham v Oxford Quotes - Injured

I managed to catch a quick word with Chris Wilder after Saturday’s defeat to Rotherham as he left to visit his family home in Yorkshire and the Sheffield-born boss said:

“Le Fondre was the difference. He obviously took his goals great. The first one looked offside to us. The second one he just drifted off and that’s the reason why he scores those goals. I think they’re a decent side, a good side.

I think we’ve acquitted ourselves pretty well seeing as we chucked three players in pretty quickly and they’ve not had much work to do with us. We’re alright. We just need to get those three bedded in. It was a difficult game for us, but as I say, they’re a decent side and they’ve obviously gone close last year and they’re tipped to even closer this year.

I think we can do better in certain areas and I think we will do, but it’s a bit of a tough game for us at the moment, a tough learning curve for us all and we’ve just got to get through it. It’s a test of the players now to see how they go about it. When it’s going well everybody’s a ‘player’, but now they’ve got to show what they’ve got mentally. They’ve all got ability because we’ve seen it. Ronnie (Moore) said in the programme he thinks we’ll go well and we’ve had some decent people say decent things about us, but at the moment we’ve lost three games on the bounce and we’ve got to arrest that pretty quickly. I’m confident that we’ve got the players to do that though.

To be fair to the new lads they’ve come in and had one training session. They’re good players as well. It’s Catch 22. I expected them to be alright, but it would always have been better if I’d had a full week to work with them. We brought them in for their League experience and I’ve seen enough in the couple of days I’ve been working with them to know that they’ll be good for us and we’ll be good for them.”

Millers boss Ronnie Moore was delighted with his team after the game and said:

“It was a good win and we deserved it, there was no doubt about that. I thought we were the better side. The first ten minutes was a bit ropey-ish, but after that we played some excellent stuff and really 2-1 makes it sound a lot closer than it was. We had enough chances to have seen them off, but it’s nice to get the win.

And Ronnie had some words of praise for winger Marcus Marshall, 21, who deservedly picked up the man of the match bubbly. Moore said:

“He’s been brilliant all season to be fair. He’s coming on, has fantastic ability and pace. What he has got at this present time is a bit of self belief. We’ve worked hard on him and I thought he was excellent today.

I thought that Nicky Law was good in midfield. Alfie (Adam Le Fondre) got the glory, but Ryan Taylor worked hard up front. There were a lot of good positive performances from our lads.

Alfie and Ryan are two good players, there’s no doubt about that. It’s just a pity that Ryan hasn’t got a goal for himself, but he showed a fantastic work rate and the commitment to close people down.

We’ve done everything that we wanted to do and we’re just disappointed that we’ve conceded a goal bang on half time. We had one or two little warnings around our area earlier on so it was disappointing when Warry (Andy Warrington) made such a good save and their lad followed it in. To be fair though I don’t think he’s made too many saves after that and we were on the front foot.

Coidy (new Blackpool loan signing Danny Coid) hasn’t played for a while and he’s come in and shown some great quality. He’s two-footed and will be a massive bonus for us I think. He did really well when you consider he hasn’t played a lot of first team football. He reads the game well and knows when to play it long and when top play it short. He’ll be a big plus for us defensively, there’s no doubt about that. He can’t play against York (in the FA Cup replay) because he wasn’t here for the first game. Blackpool were happy for him to play. He can play at Darlington if we get through, but it gives us a little bit of a headache as to who is going to play there especially as Cresser (Ryan Cresswell) has his back in spasm again so he looks as though … well I don’t want to say how long because you can never judge with backs how long it’s going to take. But they’re going down like nine pins at the moment. I can’t believe the amount of bad luck we’re getting with injuries in massive areas for us and he’ll be a big miss, there’s no doubt about that.”

It’s a different injury to the one he had before. It’s on the opposite side to the one he had and so he’ll go and see a specialist and we’ll see what’s going on there cos it’s not right. He hasn’t been doing weights since the last time he did it. It’s never happened to him before when he’s had to come off during a game with it so we’ll just have to monitor it and see how things are.

At the moment we haven’t got a right back. We’ve got the young kid Luke (Ashworth) who’s going to be a ‘player’. Whether he’s quite ready to come in regular is another thing.

We seem to be going to the Chairman every week now saying ‘Can we bring him in? Or can we bring someone else in?’ It’s just incredible, but we’ll keep going and take a look on Monday and see how the walking wounded are.”

And on the crowds cheers at the final whistle Moore was relieved he didn’t have to contend with the jeers he has heard after recent games. He joked:

“It was better than boos wasn’t it? At least we showed a bit of commitment, a bit of effort, a bit of enthusiasm and not too little skill and I think the crowd appreciated that and if I’d have paid my money today I’d have clapped them off as well.”

And Moore is keen to keep Le Fondre once the transfer window opens in January, although he revealed:

“I’ve had no enquires for Alfie and to be honest I don’t want any. If we received a silly off for him of course we’d have to sit down and think about it, but I’d prefer not to think about it.

He has been working hard to add things to his game and I think that it shows. He’s becoming a much better all round player.”

Le Fondre revealed that he is trying to add something to his game which must scare the living daylights out of League Two defenders. He said:

“I’ve been trying to help out the team more this season by dropping back and pressing the opposing midfielders – doing my bit to help the team defend.

I haven’t been thinking about leaving and why should I? You can see from the number of goals I’m scoring that I’m happy here. When strikers are happy they’ll score goals and that’s the situation.

If someone made Rotherham an offer it wouldn’t just have to be right for me, my wife and my family, but for the club as well, but the grass isn’t always greener.”

Rotherham United 2 Oxford United 1 - Alfie

My clippings from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Oxford’s biggest mistake in this game was that they didn’t keep a close eye on Adam “Alfie” Le Fondre.

As he scored two goals that probably sounds like I’m “stating the bleedin’ obvious” - as Basil Fawlty once said, but I was left wondering whether any of the Oxford lads had been told about his goal poaching exploits last season … when he netted 30 times for the Millers.

All the goals in this game came in the first half and Oxford were by no means embarrassed, but they were second best - just.

The first twenty minutes of the game threatened to send all 3800 spectators into a coma and the near 500 travelling fans resorted to singing the Headington Road ditty “Stand Up If You Hate Swindon”, such was the lack of entertainment on show.

I suspect that most players were a little nervy though given the poor run of recent results from both sides and it took Le Fondre’s opener to settle everyone down.

Rotherham had been booed off after their previous two performances and manager Ronnie Moore told me later:

“Frankly I didn’t blame the fans for that as we deserved it. We weren’t at our best in those games.”

But the victory against Oxford approached the standards they set for themselves last season and if Le Fondre can keep finding the room he did on Saturday, then his final tally from last season will easily be beaten.

Moore is well aware that he might come under pressure to sell Le Fondre if a big money offer is made, but he said:

“Frankly, no-one has made an enquiry for Alfie and I’m hoping that no-one does. He has been working hard on his game. I told him that the harder he works, the more he will score. I told him to look at someone like Ian Rush and use him as an example. Rushie (Ian) didn’t just hang around waiting to score at Liverpool, he played his part for the team and that probably got him more goals.”

I don’t think that many Rotherham fans would begrudge him a big money move at the end of the season, but Le Fondre didn’t seem too keen to jump ship when I caught up with him. He said:

“If I do leave it will have to be right for me, right for my family and right for Rotherham, but I haven’t even thought about it. I’m scoring goals regularly and you only do that when you’re happy. There’s no point in even thinking about it.”

Oxford boss Chris Wilder was fairly philosophical after this defeat and said:

“We had three new players in the team and I think we acquitted ourselves well against a very good side.”

The three new players looked comfortable. Paul Wotton came in as skipper and was unlucky not to score with a powerful 25 yarder late on which was turned over the bar by inspired home keeper and Father Ted look-a-like Andy Warrington.

Central defender Ben Futcher looks very commanding when anything is in the air … and his 6’7” frame helps. While striker Steve MacLean was extremely industrious and never gave up running for the cause.

Most of the talk was understandably about Le Fondre after the game, but Warrington deserves a special mention as he made a series of fine saves to thwart the away team. He was even unfortunate to see a save from Tom Craddock fly off his legs and into the path of the lively Simon Clist for the equalizer.

On this show I would suspect Oxford will be a must tougher proposition against Gillingham next weekend after the three new lads have learned their team mates’ names and had a few training sessions.

It will also be interesting to see how MacLean and James “Beano” Constable work together over 90 minutes. Constable had a sickness bug himself during the week and came off the bench to play a small part in this game and Craddock didn’t look best pleased as he made way for his club captain. I suspect that Craddock will be warming the bench on Saturday if Beano is fit.

N.B. I’ll have more quotes from this game in tomorrow’s blog.