Swansea City 1 Leyton Orient 2 - Black Swan

My first trip to the Liberty Stadium didn't start off well. I had planned on leaving home at about 11.00 for the two and a half hour drive to South Wales and had my passport at the ready and had been given my jabs.
As I got out of the shower at 9.30 my wife showed me the paper and the fixture lists - kick off was set for 12.50!
Within five minutes I was dressed and in the car. Fortunately I made it with an hour to spare and I'm expecting to receive the first of several speeding tickets later this week.
The experience reminded me of a story another reporter once told me about his own cock up. As he was driving along the M4 on the way to a Reading match he decided to switch radio channels just in time to hear that the Royals were three goals up. He eventually got to the game with thirty minutes to go and managed to blag it.
Having stopped sweating, I have to admit that Swansea have a great set up and is an extremely hospitable club. A complimentary plate of hash browns, fried bacon and beans before kick off certainly helped get me in the mood.
The game itself was a typical FA Cup smash and grab job. Orient defended well, but only had one real attempt on goal an dyer won the game 2-1.
Midfielder Jimmy Smith nodded past former Chelsea team mate Yves Ma-Kalambay for the first in the 35th minute and admitted afterwards:
"He's a big lump of a keeper and I thought he was going to knock my brains out."
While I wouldn't wish ill on any player, I know exactly what Smith was saying. Ma-Kalambay is 6' 6" and should have clattered his old pal, but instead he flapped and the League One underdogs took the lead.
Swansea had numerous chances to equalise before Dutch striker Cedric van der Gun nodded in Darren Pratley's cross on the stroke of half time.
The main reason that City only had one goal going into the break was due to some superb keeping by Jamie Jones. The 21 year old pulled off three great saves in the first fifteen minutes and then started the second half in the same manner by blocking a point blank van der Gun effort from only twelve yards. He then added a fingertip save from Pratley and at that point Swansea must have realised it wasn't going to be their day.
It certainly wasn't skipper Alan Tate's.
Two minutes before the end substitute Paul-Jose M'Poku - an eighteen year old winger on loan from Spurs until the end of the season - whipped in a low cross from the right and Tate sliced his clearance into the back of his own net.
Tate was obviously gutted after the match, but pointed out that:
"Better players than me have scored own goals. What is important is how we bounce back from this because we still have a lot to play for in the league."
Indeed they have. Swansea are in a great position to push for promotion to the Premier League and despite this result, I have to say that they have the infrastructure in place as the Liberty Stadium is top notch.
I can't really pass comment on the team as far as the Championship is concerned. Not on a one-off game, but they must be doing something right this season to be sitting in fourth place in the table and at least they won't be struggling to find a way past Jamie Jones in the run in.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun



Swansea City v Leyton Orient – New Place

When I was a kid I often went along to Brisbane Road to watch Orient play. Those were the days of the late Laurie Cunningham and then not too long afterwards John Chiedozie - two great wingers. If you lived in London at that time Orient were everyone’s second favourite team and I must say it was always a very friendly club.

This will be the first time I have seen a Swansea home game though and I’m looking forward to visiting the Liberty Stadium as I’ve heard good things about from other reporters. Apparently the pre-match food in particular is exceptional ... and regular readers know how very important that is to me :-)

As far as the game is concerned, on paper it should be a shoe-in for the Swans and yet the great thing about football is that it will be played on grass and in a one-off game anything could happen.

Orient may well be in the bottom half of the League One table, but this side are no mugs. They have lost only one of their last twelve games (against league leaders Brighton) and recently thrashed promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday 4-0. Despite their league position, they are also only seven points off a play-off place.

Of course the Swans are going great guns themselves in the Championship and are fourth in the table, but level on points with local rivals Cardiff who currently sit second.

Let’s face it though, only the most blinkered Swansea or Orient fan expects their team to be walking out at Wembley in May and so this game is all about setting themselves up for possible money spinning 5th round draw. I’m sure that both clubs would fancy a day out to Old Trafford and I’m certain the directors would. A win also helps boost confidence as well and so it’s by no means a meaningless game.

Os boss Russell Slade is looking forward to pitting his wits against opposite number Brendan Rodgers and said:

“It’s a big game for us and we’re proud to be in the 4th round of the FA Cup with a chance of getting into the 5th round.

Everyone I’ve spoken to has told me what a good side Swansea are, especially at home, and so we know it’s going to be tough and we’re under no illusions. The whole team defended well at Norwich and we’re going to have to do that again on Saturday.”

Rodgers has said:

"We had a terrific performance and result against Colchester in the last round and we want more of the same," Rodgers said. We will have the core of players who normally play with maybe one or two adaptations, and we will give Leyton Orient the respect we give to every side."

Oxford v Cheltenham - Bull Heart

I’ve been shunted across to cover the Swansea Cup tie against Orient on Saturday, but still wanted to give a big “shout out” to Oxford for something they are doing this weekend.

This week a person or persons unknown painted the brass bull outside the Kassam a shade of pink as either a prank or an artistic statement and – rather than moan about it – the club have team up with the Abingdon-based charity Against Breast Cancer and will be collecting outside then ground before the local derby against Cheltenham on Saturday.

Fans from both clubs are also being urged to wear something pink to show solidarity with the charity and it is hoped that the day is as successful as the recent Ashes game in which both England and Australian fans wore pink in support of the Glenn McGrath Foundation – set up in memory of the former Aussie fast bowler’s wife Jane who died of breast cancer.

If you can’t get to the game there is a link to the charity below for online donations and further information:

www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/

I’m sorry that I won’t be there as it should be a cracker.

Oxford are on a roll, but they shouldn’t be too complacent. I saw Cheltenham lose on Tuesday night (see report below) and if the players react positively to manager Mark Yates full time tirade, they are more than capable of winning.

The Whaddon Road pitch cut up badly during the game against Lincoln and doesn’t do them any favours as – like Oxford – they like to get the ball down and pass it around.

My prediction would be a real sit on the fence 2-2 draw, but whatever the outcome I promise to wear my furry pink thong in South Wales in support of Against Breast Cancer.

Cheltenham Town 1 Lincoln City 2 - Furious

Cheltenham’s blew a perfect opportunity to push for the play-off places against Lincoln – and any hope they had of a day off!

The Imps started the evening propping up the League Two table, but came out of the traps quickly in last night’s game and were two up within 22 minutes and Robins’ manager Mark Yates was seething at the final whistle admitting he was “frustrated, disappointed and angry”.

That anger was abundantly apparent after the game when a local cameraman – surprised at how quickly Yates had come out to face the media – was unprepared. Yates asked him to “please sort yourself out” (I’m paraphrasing here – the first word wasn’t “please”). Fair enough, it’s our job to be ready and waiting and Yates was understandably fuming about the result and performance.

One of the players later told me that their day off today had also been cancelled and so I guess at least the cameraman still had the option of a lie in if he wanted it.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

Lincoln had suffered a horrendous four hour, traffic congested coach journey to Gloucestershire, missing out on their pre-match meal and arriving only 45 minutes before kick-off and so Yates was right in assuming that they would be the ones to start slowly.

Unfortunately Cheltenham looked as though they were the ones who were unprepared.

In the 10th minute Gavin McCallum’s corner was headed back across the face of goal by Delroy Facey and when co-striker Ashley Grimes nodded the ball against the post, midfielder Stephen Hunt prodded in his first goal since joining on a one month loan deal from Notts County last week.

Twelve minutes later Midfielder Josh O’Keefe side-footed a chip form 30 yards which floated over Scott Brown for his second goal of the season – and what a cracker it was.

It was at this point that Cheltenham woke up and, while I understand Yates annoyance with the display in the first 22nd minutes, I think that the players then woke up – possibly spurred on by the knowledge of what was coming once they got back to the dressing room.

In the 31st minute Robins’ winger Josh Low floated over a beautiful cross from the right and Frankie Artus leaped – dare I say like a salmon? – to nod in from about eight yards.

In the second half Cheltenham were mounting attack after attack, but full credit to Lincoln, they dug deep and held on for the win which delighted boss Steve Tilson who rightly said:

“What I like more than anything is that the team spirit and togetherness is getting there. We may have been lacking that a little bit. I think we could have had two or three goals in the second half.”

Not sure about that Steve, but they definitely deserved what he called a “fantastic” win.

Yates blasted:

“I’m as disappointed as I have been in them tonight. I apologise to the supporters. 2-0 down after twenty-five minutes is rubbish and that just about sums it up. The players have let themselves down with that performance and we’ve got some soul searching to do.”

Presumably that starts this morning on the training pitch. I wonder if there’ll be a cameraman there to record it?

Cheltenham Town v Lincoln City - Consistent

I’ve been asked to get along to Whaddon Road tonight for the first time in ages and it’s good to see that they are positioned nicely for the run in and a possible play-off place.

Automatic promotion can’t be ruled out at this stage of the season of course, but then again neither can a relegation scrap! The Robins though have too much strength to get dragged into the latter scenario and if they can put a run together, I still feel they can surprise a few people – not least themselves and their fans.

Few Cheltenham fans will have been thinking about promotion at the start of the season, as Mark Yates was still a fairly unknown quantity as a manager and the team needed re-building, but he has done a good job and assembled a group of very good footballers who – on their day – can match anyone.

As I have said above, I haven’t seen much of them since the home win over Northampton way back in September, but I have been following their fortunes closely and it appears that, more often than not, a very good win is followed by a defeat or a draw.

They need to improve their home form a little as well. They have won five of their twelve at Whaddon Road so far this season, but won the same number of games on their travels. Keeping that away form going while being a little tighter at home might transform a decent season into a silverware winning one.

I’ve also seen Lincoln a couple of times since Steve Tilson took over and – while they might be propping up League Tow at the moment – he has had an effect. Last weekend’s 4-3 win at fellow strugglers Stockport wasn’t the sign of a side prepared to go down with a whimper. If Cheltenham aren’t fully focused tonight they might catch a cold.

Of the fans I’ve seen this season, I have to say that the Imps followers have been the most impressive. At the game against Wycombe in particular, they didn’t stop singing from the first whistle until the last seconds.

Yates is obviously aware of the potential of his side and said:

“Last year it was a scrap for survival, but we certainly won't be resting on laurels. I will still have plenty sleepless nights, but hopefully they will be good ones, wondering about who to play and how to win matches to take us even higher.

We are only 11 points worse off than we were at the end of last season, so the group have done well and we want to make sure they continue to do so.

We need to be a bit better than we have been and I am confident we can make Whaddon Road a fortress again.

Lincoln won't come and lie down for us and they are a dangerous attacking team, despite their league position. But we have to realise we don't have to win the match in the first 15 minutes."

Imps striker Delroy Facey summed up the never-say-die attitude Tilson has instilled ion his squad and said:

“Cheltenham is going to be a different test all together. They are going to get the ball down and try and play and we have to be in their faces again. If we are going on fitness levels I think the lads' fitness levels are tremendous, we can match anyone on the league on that.

And the ability we have got throughout the squad speaks for itself. Everybody says it's a false position that we are in at the moment and you can see that. But we are down at the bottom of the league for a reason and it's a different task against Cheltenham, but if we show that same grit and desire and the commitment that we showed against Stockport, the same attitude, then I don't see any reason why we can't go there and come away with three points.

We are going into the next game on the back of a win. Now it's a matter of can we go and get a second win. And if we win tonight, can we go on and get a third win and so on and so forth.

We have got to think positive from now on in everything that we do."

Possibly a rally message for both teams, but for different reasons?

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Rotherham United 0 - Virus

I don’t know what combination of vitamins Gareth Ainsworth takes in the morning, but I really need to find out. At 37 years old Wycombe skipper Ainsworth really should be considering life AFTER football, but – as he told me a few weeks ago – he’s hoping for an extension to his contract and boy is he playing for one.

But Ainsworth isn’t in it purely for himself. On Saturday evening it was difficult to get him talking about anything other than how proud he was of the team and - to quote full back Danny Foster who was mobbed after teeing up Ainsworth’s winner – you “can feel the love” at Adams Park.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

When you combine this team spirit with the solid workman-like performance they put in against promotion chasing Rotherham, you have possible Champions in the making.

Rotherham weren’t that far off the pace themselves, but will need cooler heads than that of Jason Taylor who booted Kevin Betsy up in the air as the winger ran down the clock by the corner flag in injury time. Taylor had already been booked in the game and received a straight red for his assault on Betsy.*

You could also see the frustration on Adam Le Fondre’s face when he stormed of to the dugout after being replaced in the 83rd minute. Le Fondre has now only scored once in eight games and obviously wants every minute of every game to give his luck a chance of changing. It will. Alfie is too good a poacher for this dry run to continue for too long.

But Saturday was all about Wycombe.

In the first half they dominated and hardly gave the visitors a sniff. When the impressive Andy Sandell was taken off injured in the 24th minute, I wondered whether his replacement Foster might be exposed by Rotherham. I’d never seen Foster play before and so had nothing to base this fear on, but it was totally unfounded.

With his first kick of the game he floated an exquisite cross to the far post and Ainsworth leaped to nod in his sixth of the campaign before running over with the rest of the players to congratulate his 26 year old team-mate.

Rotherham came back into the game in the second half, but the home side stood firm and even striker Ben Strevens managed to nod one attempt clear from under the bar.

But the Yorkshiremen must have known it wasn’t going to be their day in the 68th minute when striker Ryan Taylor jumped for a header 6 yards out and directed downwards to wrong foot keeper Nikki Bull. Bull then somehow managed to change direction as the ball flew back up towards the back of the net and tip the ball onto the bar.

I t was some save and people were rightly comparing it to the Gordon Banks save for England against Pele and Brazil in the 1970 World Cup. For me Banks edges that one as – with the best will in the world – Ryan Taylor is no Pele, but it was still one hell of a save and the best I have seen live at this level in seventeen years of reporting.

Wycombe manager Gary Waddock refused to get carried away with the win and said:

“It is the points total at the end that counts. It doesn't count now. We have got a great result today and a fantastic three points. Nothing more.

The performance was very good. They showed a bit of everything today. In the first-half we passed it around and in the second-half we stood up to everything they threw at us.

They are a big strong side and stood up to physical side so we are delighted. We can look after ourselves if the game goes that way.

It is a strong, hard and physical division and we showed we can stand up to that today."

Millers boss Ronnie Moore was forced to discuss Le Fondre and said:

He wasn't happy but I don't expect him to come off and jump all over me. It showed disrespect to players and to the decision I've made.

Nobody has a divine right to stay on. We were chasing a goal but the way he was playing, he wasn't going to score. I put on Tom Pope for a big more height, strength and a bit more willingness."

* Having see the BBC coverage here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/9371263.stm) I realise I made a mistake and it was in fact Ben Strevens who took the kicking from Taylor. Betsy is nowhere to be seen in fact! I should have stuck to my guns as I had Strevens as the victim in my notes, but was persuaded it was Betsy by several people (including one manager) in the press room. The Press Box at Adams Park is poorly positioned when it comes to that corner of the ground, but it's still no real excuse for not following my gut instinct though. I'm waiting to join Jason Taylor on a three game ban for that one :-)

Wycombe v Rotherham – Tough At The Top

I’m looking forward to going to Adams Park tomorrow for the clash between promotion chasing sides Wycombe in second place – five points behind Chesterfield - and third placed Rotherham.

Rotherham could leap-frog their hosts by one point if they win, whereas the Chairboys could put clear water between themselves and the chasing pack with a home win.

I’ve seen them both this season and been impressed. Neither club has a lot of money to throw around, but they both have solid managers and are focused on automatic promotion rather than the play-offs.

Wycombe have won five of their last six games and only slipped up to Crewe who put three goals past them without reply. But, hey, you’re going to lose sometime and it’s how you react that’s important. Wycombe followed up that defeat with another in the Cup to Hereford, but then went to Lincoln and picked up all three points last weekend.

Rotherham have taken only one point from their last two outings, but will be out for revenge after Wycombe edged a seven goal thriller at the Don Valley Stadium with a last gasp penalty from striker Scott Rendell.

The Miller’s own hot shot, Adam Le Fondre, scored two in that game and the transfer window closure can’t come too quickly as far as the Rotherham fans are concerned.

‘Alfie’ has scored 17 goals already this season and grabbed thirty in Rotherham’s march to the play-off final last season where they lost to Dagenham & Redbridge and it his a testament to manager Ronnie Moore’s managerial skills that the players didn’t sulk and look to be on a mission to get into League One.

Wycombe have shared the goals around the team so far this season with Rendell and veteran skipper Gareth Ainsworth on four, Andy Sandell on five and Kevin Betsy – who may be missing through injury tomorrow – on five. Manager Gary Waddock is looking forward to the game and said:

“They are a strong, powerful side and it will be a really tough game for us. The most important thing for us is not to think about what is at stake but to concentrate on putting on a performance that will help us win.”

While Moore seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet and said:

"I think it will be an open game, we're not a side that will go and put nine men behind the ball. We're going to go on the front foot and if we do that I think it will be wide open and we'll win the game."

Have your say

Each week I am told which game I am being sent to and so sometimes I find that I am getting out of touch with other clubs on my 'patch' (see poll for the full list). Given this situation, I’d be happy for fans of any of these clubs to submit 300 words or so on a game they have seen so that every team has some coverage on a more regular basis. The financial rewards are non-existent, but the blog is quite widely read now – by players and fans alike – and so it might give you an opportunity to get your message across. Any item should be sent to: taplinjeff@gmail.com and I reserve the right to edit it if necessary.
This offer is also open to players - or former players - from any of these clubs.

Bristol Rovers 0 Hartlepool United 0 - Not So Pretty

As Dave Penney said last night: “It ain’t pretty,” but at least Rovers kept a clean sheet – their first since October.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

Hartlepool also ended a three game losing streak and so everyone was happy … apart from anyone who expected to see scintillating football and lots of goals.

But this game was never going to be about entertainment. Penney was honest enough to admit that he expected that to come later and his priority after inheriting a team that hasn’t won in twelve league games was to get the players believing in themselves again. One way of doing this is to stop them conceding and give them a platform to move on.

Penney played Brentford loanee David McCracken last and the 29 year old certainly made a good impression alongside fellow central defenders Byron Anthony and James Tunnicliffe and picked up the man of the match award.

I also asked Penney what his plans were for bringing in a big lad up front and he agreed that one was needed. Jo Kuffour and Will Hoskins worked tirelessly, but neither have the presence of a target man and if the rumour I saw yesterday on the Internet of Calvin Zola joining the club had proved correct, he would have been an ideal addition. At 6’6” and built like the proverbial brick out house, he could have held the ball up for one or both of the two current strikers and cause chaos in opposition defences. Unfortunately at the time of writing this his move to Burton from Crewe has just been confirmed. However this is just the type of player needed.

Kuffour was unlucky not to grab a winner in the 43rd minute when his shot from 10 yards deflected off a defender, but was cleared off the line by Paul Hartley.

About twenty minutes earlier he found himself in the wrong place on the goal line when Chris Lines effort hit him on the knee and bounced away much to the relief of the visitors.

When I’m writing a report on an evening game I always write a little something on the first half action to pad things out just in case it’s needed. Unfortunately for Jo they were the clearest cut chances in the game as a whole and so the paper ran with it in the lead paragraph.

After the game Penney said:

“It was vital we kept a clean sheet, and that will give us confidence. It's something to build on. It's no good playing pretty football and getting beaten every week. We were too open in the games I'd seen so far (against Plymouth and Walsall) and let nine goals in our previous three. It ain’t going to be pretty because we are going to have to battle and grind things out. We need to do the other side of the game as well and we did that tonight.

We know we can play better, but it was important we got something from the game.”

Pools manager Mick Wadsworth was pleased with the point and said:

“Even though we’ve drawn I’m as happy with that as I have been with some of our away wins this season.

I thought we dominated that game by and large for 80 to 90 per cent of the game. I never felt in any danger, especially in the second half, I thought we coped really well.”

Changes at Swindon - All The Young Dudes

An interesting afternoon down at the County Ground by all accounts.

Highly rated central defender Sean Morrison has signed a 3 and one half year deal with Reading and could be a Premier League player this time next year the way they are going. If the reported transfer fee of £250k (Swindon Advertiser) is true, the Royals have got themselves a steal.

To make matters worse for the Swindon fans it is being reported by the BBC, among others, that hot shot striker Charlie Austin also wants away, although niether the player or the club are talking.

Selling Morrison to help fund a re-building of the squad, I can understand, but if Austin leaves as well Danny Wilson will be left wondering where the goals are going to come from.

There are 12 days or so before the transfer window closes, but a quality striker will be hard to come by in that short time. Maybe a loan deal for former hero Simon Cox (currently a bit part player at West Brom)?

Bristol Rovers v Harlepool - Monkey

Off to Rovers yet again tonight to see them take on the Monkey hangers of Hartlepool and hopefully they'll get the rub of the green because they certainly need it.
New boss Dave Penney has overseen on draw and a defeat in his first week in charge and has brought in 6'4" Leicester central defender Cian Bolger, 18, to bolster the defence.
The Pirates now haven't won in the league since mid-October and nerves are definitely becoming frayed, but as one manager pointed out to me the other day: "We're just over half way through the season. There's an awful long way to go."
Hartlepool themselves have lost the last three games (one in the FA Cup) and so their form isn't too great either and they'll be hoping to pick up a point or three to ease away from the mess at the bottom.
Anthony Sweeney appears to be the Pools' leading scorer with only five, but a few of his team-mates have waded in with a couple each to support him this season and so while they might not be prolific, they seem to be able to find the back of the net from anywhere.
Not a comforting thought for the faithful at the Memorial Ground.

Rovers Loan Signing Bolger - Big Boy

Bristol Rovers have signed Cian Bolger, 18, on a one month loan deal and the lad goes straight into the squad for tomorrow's game against Hartlepool.

Foxes Academy Player of the Year for 2009 Bolger has spent three years at Leicester and former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson is obviously hoping he gets some experience down at the Mem. Going on the last few games, he suspect he'll return to the Walkers Stadium absolutely knackered.

The 6'4" Irish central defender has yet to make a league appearance, but is a confident fella going by what he has told the club's website. He said:

"I'm a big, tough old school type defender. I'm a tough tackler and good at passing the ball. I'm looking forward to making my league debut and getting as many senior games under my belt as possible."

Good for him. They need a bit of self belief at Rovers at the moment because they are not as bad a bunch of players as the results suggest.

I think Dave Penney will be hoping to bring in a couple more faces soon though and suspect that anyone else who comes through the door might have been shaving for a few years as Rovers need a little experience in there to look after what is already quite a young squad.

Before I wrap things up, I spotted this description of Bolger on a Manchester United fan website:

"... the fans called out well done "Keano", and I have to say, I will be shocked if we don't see Bolger playing for the Republic of Ireland in an international tournament of the future. Picture vibrant red hair, at least 6'4 of muscular centre back beef, and confidence in the air to win literally EVERY header he challenged for. By the end of the game the Coventry City strikers must have been wishing they were anywhere else but having to get past the "big man". To add insult to injury, he saved his most towering header of the day for one of his trips into the opposition's penalty box. He leapt high above Coventry's defensive markers to thunder home a headed goal from a Leicester corner. Unstoppable!"

Bristol City 0 Middlesboro 4 - Horror Show

Normally I tend to focus my report on the match winning side or key figures in the game. Unfortunately on this occasion the Boro lads were rushing off to catch a plane back to Teesdie and Barry Robson was on the team bus and on his mobile before I could get to him while Leroy Lita is refusing to talk to the press following reports last year that led to his mother facing deportation to war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo.

Blood is indeed thicker than water and so I fully respect Leroy’s stance, although I would argue that there is often a huge gulf between the lads who cover football games and the more ‘serious’ news stories or feature articles.

Fortunately the City website managed a few words with Leroy which I managed to reproduce in my piece (below).

So as two of the goal scorers weren’t talking, I turned to the other guy who found the back of the net on Saturday – poor, but honest City central defender Kalifa Cisse. He had an awful afternoon and I thought he was more likely to lamp me than talk to me, but credit to the guy, he fronted up and took the time to have a chat.

Apologies to Boro fans for not giving their side the coverage they deserved and apologies to City fans for giving them further coverage in a game they’d rather forget!

On with the report …

Kalifa Cisse owned up to his part in City’s horror show, but backed his team mates to bounce back – again.

Honest Mali international Cisse, 26, put Leroy Lita’s cross into his own net two minutes before the break, but admitted:

“I know I had a very bad game and it wasn’t a good performance, but we have to keep our heads up and work hard to come back and play better. It’s easy to let your head drop, but in football you have good days like when we won against Cardiff and then on some days it’s totally different. You have to keep going though. We’ve had a bad run before this season and turned things around and we can do it again.

Former Robins hitman Lita didn’t celebrate his part in Cisse’s opener, but was booked for removing his shirt in front of the home fans after he nodded in the second in the 58th minute and he explained:

"I wasn't going to celebrate at all. I love this club and it did so much for me and my career. However, on this occasion I heard something from that corner of the ground that I felt wasn't acceptable. We all have feelings and it does affect you. I apologise to the rest of the fans, the vast majority."

Winger Barry Robson,32, finished a mazy run to score the third from 14 yards in the 77th minute and Lita wrapped up the win with his 6th of the season from the spot after keeper David James saw red for bringing down substitute Cameron Park in the box in the 90th minute.

But England World Cup stopper James said:

“I thought the referee was going to book their guy for diving. It wasn’t a red card because we had players coming back to cover and I’m sure we’ll have a good case to appeal.”

City boss Keith Millen kept his team locked in the dressing room for an hour after the game and then said:

“We have a nice bunch of lads, but it’s time some of them got a bit angry. It was a low point in the season for us and we need to pick ourselves up quickly because the last two performances have not been anywhere good enough.”

Middlesboro manager Tony Mowbray was delighted with the win and said:

“We didn’t play a lot better than in some other games that we have lost this season. When we got the second goal you could see the players start to relax.

Leroy was virtually unplayable and never allowed City’s defence a moment’s peace. He’s showed what a player he can be in this game and set a standard we hope he can do his best to maintain.”

My clipping from this morning copy of The Sun



Bristol City v Middlesboro - Time To Start

I've been bumped off the Oxford v Bradford game this weekend and have been sent down to Bristol again.. With the price of petrol going through the roof, if might just be cheaper to buy a flat half way between Ashton Gate and the Memorial Ground!
A shame really because I wanted to take a look at Oxford to see how they are getting on and so would appreciate it if any Us fans out there could report back on Monday and leave their thoughts in the comment box. I'll then cut and paste and create a dedicated piece next week based on your thoughts and observations. Bradford will be a real test, no doubt.
Back to Ashton Gate where an equally intriguing game is taking place.
City need to bounce back from their humiliating Cup defeat last weekend against Wednesday, but the way their season is going I can see them doing just that. It's been a bit up and down, but they have shown with recent results against QPR and Cardiff that they can mix it with the form sides in the division.
I saw this same fixture last season when Gareth Southgate was in charge and things have spiralled downhill since then.
Gordon Strachan managed to take them from play off contenders to relegation hopefuls and now Tony Mowbray is at the helm. The side have lost six of the thirteen games since he took over in late October and won only four, but as a local lad and former captain (at only 22 years old), you would think he would get the time to turn things around.
Former Boro' boss Bruce Rioch once said of Mowbray: “If I had to fly to the moon I’d take Tony Mowbray, my captain, with me. He’s a magnificent man” and that is just the type of person Boro need at the moment.
Marvin Emnes, Barry Robson, and Jason Steele, who all missed the 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat at Burton, have returned to training this week and so put themselves into consideration.
Boro are only three places behind their hosts and will be doing all they can to close the gap in a very tight division and Mowbray has said:
Mowbray said: "It's a game that's winnable but also we understand it is a very tough fixture. They actually beat us in that first game. It was a game where, for spells, we were right on top and in other spells we weren't very good. I think we have become more consistent since then and I would hope we would go down there and find a good consistent performance and get a result. It is just the next game and a chance for three points."
Equally, City boss Keith Millen will be pointing to the table and  telling his players that they are only eight points behind Watford in the last play off place with just under half a season to go. It's not all over for the Robins by any means, but it's also tight in the bottom half of the table and Millen said: "Three of the next five matches are against teams currently below us in the table and they are massive games for us. Win them and we open a big gap. Lose and we could be drawn back into trouble."
Millen pointed to last week's Cup defeat as a warning to his players and said: "Hopefully, we've learned a few lessons from that game. I thought we played well in the first half and deserved a goal. We had 13 chances and didn't take a single one of them and, when that happens, you run the risk of being punished. The players went back out for the second half thinking it would be easy and they paid the price. It's something we've spoken about this week and they know they cannot afford to make the same mistake again. If we do, Boro have players who will punish us.
Whether you go one-nil up or one-nil down, you have to keep doing the things that give you success. We played like individuals in the second half against Wednesday and it was our own bad play that presented them with their goals. You cannot afford to take anything for granted and the players now realise that. Boro may be struggling at the moment, but they are a decent side and they have some very good players."
City look as though they might be able to call upon the services of Spurs on loan central defender Stephen Caulker who picked up a hip injury in a collision with keeper David James last weekend. From what I have seen of City this season, he has been there most consistent player and Harry Redknapp must be licking his lips at the prospect of including him in the first team squad next season.
We've now passed the half way stage and for these two sides it's time to start putting a run together if they want to take a little glory from the season.

Kenny's Dalglish - Don't Look Back

It's never a good idea to try and go back and recreate the good times, but I fear that this is what Kenny Dalglish is trying to do at Liverpool.
Any real football fan (even Toffees) will readily acknowledge what a great player he was and would have loved to have seen him playing for their sides in his pomp, but I have reservations about his ability as a manager.
The Anfield side he led to glory was the same side put together by Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, but once he started tinkering with it and bringing in his own players (David Speedie, et al) it started going wrong for him and - dare I say - Liverpool.
Ronnie Moore was left to try and pick up the pieces and the rot well and truly set in under Graeme Souness who had to totally re-build, but probably wasn't given the time needed (whether he could have done it anyway is cause for another debate).
After bailing out on Liverpool he then surprised everyone by taking on the Blackburn job and leading them into the top flight and then wining it with a side that included Alan Shearer who was probably at his peak (and uninjured) at that time. For me this was his greatest managerial achievement. True he had Jack Walker's money to back him when very few other clubs had the same financial clout, but he still had to assemble the right team from nothing and did so. How many managers have we seen get it wrong since then - despite having a sack full of cash?
At Newcastle he took the side to second in the table with a team put together by Kevin Keegan and then during the following summer he started dismantling it and the Toon haven't reached those dizzy heights again since.
At Celtic he was appointed Director of Football with John Barnes as his head coach. Barnes lasted about seven months as the club slowly fell apart. True, Kenny stepped into the gaffer's job and won the Cup for them that season, but frankly with only one real rival team to worry about, it's hardly something that's going to stand out on your CV.
I don't wish Liverpool or Kenny any ill, but just feel that they have taken a backward - and risky - step.
Then again, a win against Everton at the weekend and things may just start looking up for the club and the feelgood factor might take them forward. They need it though because the squad they have look like a bottom half of the table outfit to me once you take Stevie Gerrard out of the equation ... and he's not playing for the next three games.

Bristol Rovers 2 Walsall 2 - Impact

Jo Kuffour took just a minute to make an impact on new bass Dave Penney during a relegation scrap at the Memorial Ground last night.
Former Arsenal youth team forward Kuffour came on as a half time sub and showed the experience Rovers will need if they are to beat the drop.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

In the 53rd minute Kuffour picked the box up on the right side of the area and then hit a low hard cross across the face of goal for co-striker Will Hoskins to tap in his 14th of the season from about six yards.
Seventy-nine seconds later (according to the guy sitting next to me from the Walsall website) Hoskins picked out Kuffour on the left side of the area and he buried a volley from 14 yards for his seventh of the campaign.
Kuffour had been left warming the bench while caretaker Darren Patterson ran the side for a couple of games and seemingly had also fallen out of favour with former manager Paul Trollope, but showed he is still up for the fight.
I left the ground with Jo after the game and while I told him that whatever we said was off the record, I can reassure Gasheads that he is keen to prove himself to new boss Penney and is up for the fight that Rovers are facing.
The game couldn't have had a worse start for Penney's boys when Northern Ireland U-21 international striker Will Grigg, 19, converted a cross by winger Alex Nicholls from six yards for his first senior goal in only his third start.
And the match didn't finish too positively from Rovers point of view either.
In the 83rd minute Aaron Lescott was fed the ball by wily striker Jon Macken on the edge of the box and the former Rovers defender drilled home a low shot through a crowded area for his first Walsall goal since leaving the Memorial Ground in the summer.
Lescott doesn't get many goals and seemed as surprised as anyone after he had scored. He started to celebrate and then realised he was standing in front of the Rovers fans and stopped, but was promptly mobbed by his team mates.
Penney is keen to add experienced faces to his squad. He intimated that there was no point in bringing anyone in for this game as they wouldn't have had time to get to know their team mates and "... clubs don't like to release a player just before a game. They like to give them a couple of days to bed in ..." which suggests a loan deal or two and he and said afterwards:
"I saw from the second-half performance against Plymouth last week that we need to strengthen and what I saw tonight hasn't changed my mind. We only have two experienced strikers at the moment in Will and Jo. Eliot Richards can play up there and will be a good player, but he is only young. For where we are at the moment, we need some experience in there and I'm certainly going to add if I can. I'd like to think we could get somebody in for the weekend – Thursday or Friday morning at the latest."
And Gasheads may have to wait a little longer for things to turn around as Penney revealed:
"It's going to take 3 or 4 games to get the players up to the tempo I want. I would like to pick points up quickly but it's important I get my message across on how I want us to play the game. I want to squeeze from the front and force the other side to make mistakes. Three points would have been nice and I wanted us to push on and get the third goal to kill them off rather than sitting back, but it wasn't to be. I want the players to be fit, mobile and committed and that seemed to be a bit lacking."
Walsall looked like a side that is on the up. True they threw away the lead, but they didn't let their heads drop and fought back to steal a point that could ultimately be very valuable.
Caretaker manager Dean Smith has now overseen two draws since taking over and also hopes to bring in players to boost his team's own survival chances and revealed:
"We're trying to bring in new players. I've the best interests of the football club at heart and will do what I can to win games.
I felt this was a game we could've won. The first half was as well as we've played in a while and we need to treat every game with the same work as we have in the last two. The lads are showing they have the bit between their teeth though.
I'm not happy with a point as we need to win football games to stay in this league. I'd earmarked three points from the last two games, but still believe we can stay up."
A final word about the home fans (see my post yesterday). Once again the Bristol City Supporters Club (Undercover Division) were in attendance and booed the team when they were one down at half time. When you looked at the squad on show it included kids such as Richards, Pell, Clough and Reece and I couldn't help but wonder how much they will be adversely affected by the jeers. Penney is right to want to bring in experienced players ..,. and they better come along with Kevlar for skin if this is the support they are going to get.



Bristol Rovers v Walsall – Basement

I’ll be at the Memorial Ground this evening as Dave Penney takes charge of Rovers for the first time tonight against fellow basement strugglers Walsall.

Walsall have yet to appoint a new manager themselves following the sacking of Chris Hutchings and Dean Smith who headed up the youth team under Hutchings will continue to look after the first team and hope to build on the 3-3 draw he oversaw at Tranmere last weekend.

Apparently Penney will not take charge of the team, but will have some input this evening and I always find it strange when this happens. Either you’re in charge or you’re not. If they beat Walsall 7-0 will he give full credit to caretaker boss Darren Patterson? I doubt it. If they lose 7-0 he can always lay the blame at someone else’s door of course.

I think the key to getting off to a flyer though is the support that Penney/Patterson and the team get tonight. The Gas faithful were quick to turn on the side last week during the 3-2 home reverse against Plymouth.

In the first half Rovers dominated the game to take a 2-0 lead, but as soon as Plymouth scored their first goal the atmosphere changed. The fans became nervous and then openly hostile. There were several youngsters playing that night for Rovers and they needed backing no booing.

Rovers have some very good kids, but the club has very little money and so it’s time for the fans to back them if they want to help Penney get out of the mess they are in. It’s all very well ‘screaming’ on the forums for a big name manager or for the board to step aside for a sugar daddy to take over, but as far as I am aware there isn’t anyone out there prepared to sink millions into Rovers.

The situation is a similar one at Walsall. While the club is probably a little healthier than Rovers in terms of finance, there’s not a lot in it and the board have to make do with what they’ve got in the bank (or what the bank allows them in terms of an overdraft).

Unfortunately when you’re passionate about your team – as both sets of supporters undoubtedly are – you often don’t have a clear perspective. Jeering the lads out on the pitch isn’t necessarily going to help. Fans should step back and ask themselves the question: “Would I put in any extra effort if my own supporters were slagging me off?” or, as someone who has no emotional links with the club might think: “ Would I have an eye on the exit door and try to get to it as soon as possible?”.

That’s not to say I excuse any lack of effort by professionals, but ultimately they are just human beings and will react to perceived bad treatment accordingly.

I’ve always felt that win, lose or draw you should never turn on your own team. There’s always another game to be played and it’s a long season. Things can – and often do –change.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Rovers turn the corner tonight or whether Walsall already have.

Richard Butcher - Macclesfield Town

Just heard the tragic news about the passing of Macclesfield midfielder Richard Butcher just before his 30th birthday.
I've seen Richard play on a number of occasions for Macc, Lincoln, Peterborough and Notts County over the years and, while it would be wrong to say I knew him well, I will say that he appeared to be the consumate professional on the pitch and was a decent, pleasant guy to talk to.
My condolences go out to his friends, colleagues and especially his family.

Bristol Rovers Appointment - The Penny Drops

Former Doncaster Rovers, Darlington and Oldham boss Dave Penney has taken on the job of managing Rovers following Paul Trollope's sacking in December. Penney guided Doncaster back into league football and also won the League Two title the following season. He spent six years as Donny before moving on to Darlington and Oldham Athletic, but left his Latics role in May last year.

Penney told the local media: "It is nice to get back in and straight down to it, which is just what I need. I made a conscious effort when I left Oldham to try and choose the right football club and I have been in a fortunate position to wait a bit.


This felt right when I had the interview. The club has great tradition and I don't think it is in the position it should be. I have watched the team and there are certainly things to build on. It is an exciting time for myself and something for me to get my teeth into. When you get the club moving in the right direction, the fans will be right behind you.

There is half the season left and plenty of time to turn things around. We need to get the players back at it and with a couple of additions we'll be a lot stronger. First and foremost we need to make sure we are in this division next season. Long-term the aim is to build on what we started."

The Bristol Evening Post (link below) carried the following on its website: "We are delighted to welcome Dave to the club," said Rovers' chairman Nick Higgs. "There were over 60 applications for the job and Dave quickly emerged as the top candidate. The interview process took slightly longer than anticipated as a number of candidates were in employment and we had to seek permission to talk to them.


During his interview Dave showed an understanding of what we need to do as a club to move forward, and an extensive knowledge of the lower divisions and lower league players. We believe we have a nucleus of good players, but the aim is to sign two or three new faces before the end of the transfer window."

More news to follow as it comes out of the Memorial Ground, but I've been told to get along there tomorrow evening to cover the relegation clash against Walsall ... who still haven't got a boss since Chris Hutchings recent sacking.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/sport/Penney-takes-charge-Bristol-Rovers/article-3082212-detail/article.html

Bristol City 0 Sheffield Wednesday 3 - Video Nasty

Bristol City allowed Wednesday back into this Cup tie after dominating the first half in which they had several shots on goal and even saw diminutive Owls midfielder James O’Conner head the ball off the line.

My clipping from today's paper

City boss Keith Millen was fuming and kept his players locked in the dressing room for thirty minutes after the game before saying:

“I have sent all of my players home with a DVD of the match and will be looking for a response from them at our next training session. We were weak mentally after falling behind and the dressing room was too quiet afterwards.

We looked a bad side in the second half and it showed we still have a lot of work to do over the rest of the season. It was a damaging result financially for the club and just how bad we will only know when we see who Wednesday draw in the next round.”

Well they ended up with a home tie against either Wycombe or Hereford (depending on the outcome of tomorrow’s delayed third round tie) and so while the Yorkshire boys won’t be exactly salivating at the prospect of that one, at least it's at Hillsborough and gives them an opportunity of 5th round Cup glory against one of the big boys.

Winger Gary Teale, 32, started the demolition job on City with rare header in the 48th minute for his 4th of the campaign and admitted:

“The work rate was there in the first half, but we weren’t showing quality that we can do. In the second half we played off the front foot and created a lot of chances and luckily enough we managed to put a few of them in.

That’s the way the manager wants us to play and it suits us. Obviously in some games it doesn’t work out that way, but hopefully on the back of this result we can kick on. We’ve just been lacking a wee bit of consistency.

You know we’re not going to win the Cup, but winning games breeds confidence especially when we perform like we did today away from home. If anything that’s been our downfall this season and so hopefully we can now kick on and add some consistency.

Teams in the league look at us as a big scalp. We’ve maybe let ourselves down a bit away from home, but hopefully with this result we can build on it and add some consistency.”

Preston loan striker Mellor, 28, nodded in his 13th goal in the 55th minute and the Sheffield born former Liverpool star said:

“It was good result. We believe that we’ve got a squad full of Championship players and so when you come to a place like this it’s important to try and prove that point and I think that we proved we can play against a Championship team, but we’ve got to do the same in the tough games in League One because we’ve got players capable of playing at this level. We can’t afford too many more slip ups in League One though.

I really enjoy it here, I really do. The manager and Chairman both want us to get promoted and the whole point of coming here was to gain promotion. We’re all pushing in the same direction. It’s a huge club and anything’s possible and so I’m hoping it takes off here. I’m still only 28 and I still have ambitions. I don’t want to be playing in League One. I want to get promoted to the Championship and then one day play in the Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday. It’s a long term ambition, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t happen. Smaller clubs have made it into the Premier League.

It’s such a fanatical club. Every away game we take three or four thousand with us. There’s a lot of passion in the city and if we can get it going they’ll be right behind us as they have been so far this season.

My targets are to stay in the side, score goals and get promoted. And of course enjoy my football and it’s no secret that I’m enjoying myself.

I really enjoy playing alongside Clinton. He’s got loads of experience and brings so much to the training ground and on match days. He has so much enthusiasm.

We know though that if we don’t keep running for 90 minutes the gaffer will drag us off. So far we’ve had a good understanding and we’re both scoring goals and so long may it continue.

He’s the best coach I’ve ever worked for. I just love his training sessions and if you’re doing that you can take it into the matches.”

Clinton Morrison, 31, wrapped things up and slid in score the third goal from 4 yards in the 65th minutes after winger and was in a positive mood afterwards when he said:

“To get balls like we were getting into the box was brilliant in the second half. We haven’t been doing that recently and so it was great. That’s what Neil and I like to feed off as strikers and that’s how we get our goals.

I got to the quarter finals last year with Coventry and we played Chelsea at the Ricoh and they brought their big guns, John Terry, Lampard and Drogba. It was a good experience and to go on a good Cup run would be a great experience, but first and foremost our aim is to get promotion.

Cup runs help to breed confidence. In terms of fan base and stature of the club this is a big one, but the reality is that we’re in League One and our aim has to be to get back into the Championship. I said to the lads after the game that we’ve just beaten a side that are flying in the Championship at the moment. They’ve just beaten Cardiff and drawn away at QPR and even though they’re on a high at the moment we’ve battered them in the second half. We can’t go backwards now. We’ve got to go back to League One and play teams there and play the same way. I think it will happen because the gaffer’s strengthening the squad which will put everyone on their toes and mean you’ve got to fight for your position.

I’ve scored eight goals now this season, but I’m looking to get nearer to twenty so hopefully I can keep going. I should’ve scored more to be fair. I’ve created a lot for others, but should’ve scored more. My New Year’s resolution is to be more greedy and not pass anymore. Neil’s just going to have to deal with it.

Brighton have got a ten point lead over us, but I guarantee we’ll catch them. They’re bound to have a little slip up and we can kick on and catch them.

The gaffer’s said that a team will go on a roll this season and get up there and win the league and hopefully that will be us.”

Wednesday manager Alan Irvine was delighted with his team’s performance and said:

“I told the players at half time that they were better than they were showing. We gave the ball away too much and did not show enough self belief. The second half performance was tremendous. Goals change games and by the end everyone wanted the ball and every player was showing composure on it.

The goals we got were terrific and we could have had some more. We were aware of the threats from Bristol City. The two wide players have been in very good form so we were conscious of the danger that they posed down the sides, but in actual fact we probably created more than they managed to do.

I was delighted with the clean sheets and delighted with the debuts. I thought the two lads did very well. A couple of things early on in the game where people were maybe unfamiliar with each other, but I thought that they grew into it.

We know Reda can head the ball and head it a long way – probably further than I can kick it now! He’s a real threat in the air in their box and defends well in the air in our box and we hardly lost a header today.

Clearly our priority is the league without any question and that’s what well be judged on at the end of the season.

I’ve been told that it’s ten years since we’ve been this far in the Cup which was a huge surprise to be honest. You expect a club like this to have been beyond this round and so

If anyone asks if it’s a distraction I’d say no, it’s a fantastic competition. I said to the lads before the game that this is one of the special days in the English football calendar and it was a day that was important to me important to our fans, important to Milan and the players showed it was important to them as well.”

As far as Wednesday were concerned the general mood seemed to be one of pleasure at a job well done and a good result against a decent side from the league above, but they know that the main aim is to gain promotion and so the Cup is of secondary importance.

The tie against either Wycombe or Hereford won’t change that attitude and should they get through to the 5th round it will be interesting to see how much of a help or a hindrance the Cup becomes.

City meanwhile need to look at this result as a huge kick up the backside. Losing to a club of Wednesday’s size isn’t a major Cup shock (ask the Newcastle and Sunderland fans about Cup upsets), but Millen was right in saying it has cost them financially and after seeing the 4th round draw they’ll see it as am wasted opportunity. It’s time for them to get back to basics in the league – once they’ve watched the video nasty Millen gave them!

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday - My Cup

City are still in the bottom half of the Championship table, but Wednesday should be wary. In my view it's a false position going on the performances I've seen and they are in the middle of a little purple patch at the moment.

Last weekend saw the Robins take a point from promotion favourites QPR in west London and in the previous fixture they trashed another hotly fancied club, in Cardiff, by three goals.

Manager Keith Millen is certainly up for the Cup and said: "It`s a massive game for us, I think it`s our biggest game of the season. We want a cup run because for the finances of the club it can be a massive boost, but the supporters deserve an exciting cup run too."

But the Christmas fixtures took their toll on Millen;'s squad with several players picking up injuries and knocks and he said: "I gave the players two days off because they needed it on the back of their recent exerts," said Millen. "A few have been feeling knocks and strains but hopefully the time off will see those ease. It's also important to maintain the momentum we have built up over the last couple of games. We have another home game against Middlesbrough next week and I don't want the lads to let things slip. We have back-to-back games at Ashton Gate and, if we can win both, then we will be heading in the right direction.


We'll make sure the players are all fully focussed and I'll put out the strongest possible team available to me. We'll have to wait and see who those players are but, hopefully, we'll have a few more available than over the last couple of weeks."

Wednesday currently occupy the final play off spot in League One, but are only four points off the second automatic promotion place. However they have lost three of their last four games and shipped ten goals in the last four. The only positive result they have had in this time was a 6-2 drubbing of Bristol Rovers.

I watched the Owls once this season in their away defeat at the County Ground where goals from Charlie Austin and former player Jon-Paul McGovern settled things and have to say that they were unlucky to head back to Yorkshire with nothing to show for their efforts.

Wednesday today signed defender Michael Morrison, 22,  from Leicester for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half year deal and he is the second player to arrive during the transfer window after Reda Johnson.

Morrison will go straight into the Owls' squad for their FA Cup clash at Bristol City - as will Johnson - and manager Alan Irvine said: "He's a player I've known for a long time. He's a good age at 22 and has a lot of experience for a young player. Michael has played mainly as a centre-back but also at right-back. He's a good defender, who attacks the ball well, he's aggressive and mobile and a player who has excellent all-round potential."

Irvine seems to be doing a decent job at Hillsborough and I suspect that - while they would love a money spinning Cup run - promotion back to the Championship is all that really matters.

Irvine is highly respected within the game and a thoroughly decent guy as well and I'm sure that he will be bringing Wednesday back to Ashton Gate again next seasn fo a league tussle.

On this occasion though I think that the Robins will see the Owls off and progress into the next round. The feelgood factor is growing in the red half of Bristol and, while it would be unfair on the Yorkshire boys to say City want it more, they have a chance take a little glory from the season (promotion to the Premier League being unlikely) with a decent Cup run and some luctrative draws in future rounds. It'll be tight though and if I'm wrong (as I often am) it won't be viewed as a giant killing.

Over paid and pampered footballers? – No Money

As a fan I’m as prone as anyone else to getting on my high horse in the local boozer and moaning about the extortionate wages being paid to footballers, but I was reminded at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night that the majority of professional players aren’t actually paid a great deal … and in Plymouth Argyle’s case, nowt!

The Argyle lads haven’t been paid what they are entitled to for two months now and the PFA have even stepped in to help them out.

Most of these players will never reach the dizzy heights of the Premier League and – with a career likely to be over by the time they reach their mid-thirties if they’re lucky – any money they pick up now is very important.

I wonder how many of us would show the same loyalty to our companies as the Argyle boys showed in a spirited display against Rovers.

Two goals down at half time, two key players sold already in the transfer window to pay club debts, six other decent players out on loan to cut costs, a Football League transfer embargo in place, hovering just above the relegation zone in League One – these fellas could have been forgiven for texting their agents (if they could afford one) from the dressing room or feigning injury in order to protect themselves while sorting out a move to a financially secure Conference club, but they didn’t.

In a display that had manager Peter Reid rightly singing their praises after the game, they came out fighting and showed a great deal of professional pride to score three goals and win it.

True, Rovers imploded to a certain extent, but credit where it is due, the Argyle lads were a real credit to their club and their profession.

Anyone who has ever visited Home Park knows that Plymouth is a real sleeping giant of a club and the fact that they made the short list for proposed venues in England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid is no accident. The passion of the football fans on the south coast is up there with the best of them and their team is doing them proud in difficult circumstances.

Of course it’s not just Argyle who are teetering on the brink at the moment, but their players deserve every plaudit going for doing their bit to ensure the situation doesn’t get any worse.

Reid should also be applauded as he has walked into a fiscal nightmare, but is standing shoulder to shoulder with his players to turn things around when he could probably afford to walk away.

It should also be noted that the backroom and office staff at Plymouth aren’t getting their full whack either and so also spare a thought for them if they can’t find your pre-paid ticket or don’t put onions on your burger down at Home Park.

Bristol Rovers 2 Plymouth Argyle 3 - Stunned and Amazed

I was sitting next to a local Plymouth reporter for last night’s encounter at the Memorial Ground and at the break he was bemoaning the fact that Mikkel Andersen had made a superb save low to his left to ensure Rovers went in for their half time oranges two Will Hoskins’s goals to the good.

Even though the home side were head and shoulders above Argyle for most of the first 45 minutes I told the journo that if they scored before Rovers got a third, panic would set in and that’s exactly what happened.

My clipping from today's paper

Bradley Wright-Phillips pulled one back in the 58th minute and then co-striker Joe Mason prodded home an equaliser eleven minutes later as the Gas deflated and imploded.

Midfielder Stephane Zubar stole all three points in the 81st minute poking home from about four yards after team mate had pumped a 45 yard free kick forward to the unmarked Frenchman.

The ‘oles’ that greeted Rovers passing game in the first half we replaced with jeers of derision as the game wore on and the only round of applause was saved for keeper Mikkel Andersen who appeared to be saying goodbye before returning to parent club Reading as his loan deal has now expired.

I left the ground with Mikkel and while he wouldn’t be drawn as to what his plans were, he did say:

“I want to be playing regularly and will be hoping to start against West Brom in the Cup on Saturday.”

It appears he now has is eyes focused on making a claim for involvement at Reading, but he did see some positives for Rovers.

“There are some very good younger players here,” he said “And I thought Elliot Richards was great tonight. In fact a lot quicker than I thought.”

Rovers caretaker boss Darren Patterson saw his own career path fade before his eyes in the second half and groaned:

“We are obviously very disappointed. From probably playing the best football we have done all season we gifted the game away. That’s what we did, absolutely gift it away.

We had to work pretty hard for our goals, but we simply don’t do the ugly side of the game very well and it’s simply killing us.

We have lots of technically gifted players at the club, but maybe we need people who can do the horrible things when we need to protect a two goal lead.”

Patterson understandably refused to even discuss the vacant manager’s position given the result and - after the first question on the subject – made a point of telling the rest of the assembled reporters not to ask it again.

If the players did want him to take on the job full time I’m afraid that they really didn’t do him any favours at all with their second half collapse and with 81% of readers in a local paper stating that they do NOT want him as manager, any interview the board grant him now will be given as a mere courtesy.

Why the board sacked Paul Trollope with no fallback position though remains a key question. With no game this weekend, the board better sort out an acceptable replacement in the next few days before the Gas faithful turn their frustration on them.

Argyle’s players haven’t received their wages from the club now for two months, the club is under a football league transfer embargo and it is selling key squad members to clear debts and so manager Peter Reid praised their fighting spirit after the game.

"The players deserve every bit of credit," said the Argyle boss. "Away from home, 2-0 down and then to get a result speaks for itself. We started slowly. They dominated us early on and we could not get out of our half. But towards the end of the first half we were threatening and I felt if we could get one goal, a foothold, we would be back in it and I was right. It was fantastic. The second half was so exciting.

It’s a balancing act at the moment. We have to sell players to pay off our debts so that we can get the transfer embargo lifted and then try and bring in loan players, but it is what it is and we just have to get on with it and the players have shown a great spirit after what they’ve been through.”

Chris Hutchings - Sacked

Walsall Chairman Jeff Bonser has removed manager Chris Hutchings and assistant Martin O'Connor from the club told the website: "Their preparation and professionalism has been second to none but we are in a results business."

He added: "Chris and Martin have both worked extremely hard during their time at the club.

"They have both been professional throughout and conducted themselves with great dignity in what have been difficult times.

The duo have been relieved of their duties with immediate effect and Head of Youth, Dean Smith, will take temporary charge of first-team affairs as The Saddlers begin the search for a new manager."

The only time I have seen Walsall this season was in the 'lucky' FA Cup win over Fleetwood Town and I must be honest and say that Hutchings was just as lucky to have survived this long going on that performance ... and given the hostile abuse aimed at the directors that evening.

Goalkeeper Jimmy Walker as his replacement anyone? Wacker is a firm favourite at the Bescot and I suspect would be thinking about moving into management.

Having said that, there are now quite a few experienced lower league heads on the market and Phil Parkinson's name has just been added to that list following his dismissal from Charlton.

Bristol Rovers v Plymouth Argyle - At Last

I can’t remember the last time I covered three games on consecutive days, but this is what will happen when I visit the Memorial Ground this evening … assuming it isn’t postponed of course!

I have missed out on several trips to see Rovers play in the last month due to the weather and so it will be good to see how – or if – they are reacting to caretaker boss Darren Patterson.

I have seen quotes from Patterson stating that the club need to bring in three players as soon as possible and should have done so three months ago. A little barbed comment aimed at the board from someone who knows he’s on borrowed time I wonder?

Or an attack on former boss Paul Trollope. I strongly doubt it.

As football directors at this level hate forking out for new players, I suspect that a new appointment is imminent.

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Gillingham 0 - Catch Up

This game was a real war of attrition between two form sides of League Two and the fact that it was settled by Dave Winfield’s goal was no real surprise.

The groundsmen were working until two in the morning to ensure the surface was acceptable following Wasps rugby fixture the day before, but the lack of goal mouth action had little to do with the pitch and everything to do with the fact that the two teams were so evenly matched.

My clipping from today's paper

Wycombe boss Gary Waddock rested his veteran skipper and talisman Gareth Ainsworth and resisted the temptation to bring him off the bench to shake things up and he was rewarded for the faith he showed in midfielders Matt Bloomfield and Stuart Lewis. Both midfielders worked tirelessly for the cause without ever inspiring in the same way that 37 year old Ainsworth does, but they got their reward when Winfield nodded home the winner.

Swindon Town 1 Bournemouth 2 - Catch Up

Charlie Austin cut quite a forlorn figure in the tunnel after the game and he was obviously as frustrated at the way things are going at the County Ground.

My clipping from the paper

Equally, Danny Wilson alluded to the fact that maybe the pressure would ease away from home as the Robins fans become increasingly annoyed. He looked to be proved right by yesterday’s amazing 4-1 win at Charlton and watching Austin score two goals against the Addicks, you could tell that he hadn’t let the Bournemouth defeat eat away at him for too long.

To Bournemouth’s credit though they are a decent side and might well surprise a few people this season and take one of the promotion spots. If that happens, they will find it difficult to hold on to 33 year old manager Eddie Howe in the summer … assuming he doesn’t leave in the next couple of weeks for Burnley, Bristol Rovers or one of the many other vacancies available.

Both of the Cherries goalscorers – skipper Jason Pearce and winger Marc Pugh – told me after the game that they were desperate for Howe to stay and you could feel the camaraderie in the squad – a major asset for a club of this size and with so few resources.

I would bet that Howe will see the campaign through to the end of the season on the south coast and then make his next career move.

Then again, after this performance I would have put money on Swindon slipping towards the trap door at a rate of knots and – as the win against Charlton showed – they have no intention of letting that happen.

Mind you, to ensure League One football next season they are going to have to hold on to Austin as without him it is difficult to see who can weigh in with twenty-plus goals.

Matt Ritchie pulled one back for Swindon before Pearce’s 80th minute overhead winner and even though he also found the net against Charlton – he’s no Charlie Austin.

Austin suffered a very bad injury before his career had even started belatedly fifteen months ago and so knows how fickle this game can be. Would he turn down a move this month to a Championship club? I doubt it and wouldn’t blame him. Could the club turn down an offer of £1 million plus having invested peanuts in acquiring him last year? I doubt that either.

I also doubt that Danny Wilson would be happy with the decision or that he’d survive until the end of the season if the board sold his star striker.

And the News of the World clipping

Bristol City 1 Crystal Palace 1 - Catch Up

Following a couple of weeks of bad weather, man-flu, Christmas celebrations and not a little alcohol abuse, I will attempt to catch up on the couple of games I managed to attend over the festive season.

First up was the Championship clash between the Robins and Palace.

My clipping from the paper

I saw the same game last season when Palace had a perfectly good goal ruled out after the referee failed to spot the ball hit the frame in the back of the net and bounce back into play – assuming it had hit an advertising hoarding behind the goal.

In this game Palace had the right to feel aggrieved as well after Brett Pitman equalized from the spot in the 94th minute.

Neil Danns had opened the scoring in the 2nd minute and was a class apart in midfield as Lee Johnson and Marvin Elliott failed to cope with him.

On wag in the press box wondered aloud whether there was any chance of Palace swapping number eights during the transfer window and while this might have been a little harsh on Johnson, the fact that Danns is out of contract in the summer must see him packing his bags for a final career move at some point soon.

Keith Millen’s side rode their luck in this one, but to their credit, they never gave up and so for guts and determination alone, they probably deserved something out of it, although Palace will beg to differ.

To their credit, Palace played with a passion that belied their position in the relegation zone and they certainly didn’t look as though they were a team who wanted rid of their manager. Surprising then that George Burley found himself out of a job only a few days later when Millwall stuffed them by three goals.

Talking of Millwall; one of the south London press lads took a call from a colleague in the first half and was in stitches after ending it. It turns out his colleague was down for the Millwall game that afternoon, but had been told the game kicked off at five o’clock and so was desperately trying to get to the New Den before the final whistle!