Seven decades of Cardiff City v Plymouth Argyle matches.

Posted on October 18, 2024 by The other Bob Wilson

Club football restarts tomorrow lunchtime when Cardiff City play the first of two consecutive home matches as they entertain Plymouth Argyle and is anyone really that surprised that we still haven’t made it clear how we intend to proceed more than a month after Erol Bulut was sacked?

I see Callum Robinson has backed caretaker manager Omer Riza to be given the job full time. Now, i could write stacks of stuff on here about what I think, but I’ll limit myself to saying that those of you familiar with Mel Brooks’ brilliant Western spoof Blazing Saddles may remember a scene where the townsfolk of Rock Ridge are holding a public meeting regarding how they best deal with the threat to the town’s existence they’re facing and the local preacher having first said he’s going to do a runner is persuaded to stay, but adds “I think your’e all making a terrible mistake”

Well, that’s how I feel about the inaction of Messrs Tan, Dalman and Choo as we go down the Morison/Hudson route with the one notable difference being that this time we’re bottom of the league – there’s nothing I can do to influence the decision makers, but I’m far from optimistic when it comes to how the situation will pan out.

Keep Omer Riza on in an attack coach role by all means because we’re doing better on that front lately, but, I’m sorry, I can’t just forget about how his substitutions turned what was looking like a very probable three points at Ashton Gate in our last fixture into just one (for a while it was looking it would become none).

So, I’ll leave it at that and move on to the usual quiz, the answers to which I’ll post on here on Sunday.

60s. This five times capped international had a somewhat unusual start to his career in that he started out on the books of one of the best teams in the country at the time, was released by them without playing a game and returned home to play for a team City would become familiar with before the end of the decade. He then did well enough for them to persuade what was a bigger team again to sign him up and become their first choice. for a while During his three years at his third club, he won a medal and his international caps before he was sold to Plymouth after his team paid what was a world record fee for someone in his position, He was the unquestioned first choice during his three years at Home Park before returning to his second club where he earned the dubious honour of being the first player in his home country’s professional football struture to be shown a red card. When he finished Roving, he was a player manager for a team that was based in an area that we were told was a long way away, before he was appointed player/manager of the Auld Reds, who is he?

70s. This Midlands born midfielder had a spell when he was a regular in a side that were realistic challengers for the League title at one time. Such a notion seemed a long way off when he began his career in the lower divisions representing the place that, by reputation, has the best version of a particular type of take away meal in the country. In 1969, his team faced a First Division opposition in a Cup tie in which they were beaten 6-0 in a replay, but our man had done enough to earn a move to the winning side and he stayed with that club, that, for a while, boasted the country’s only heated stand, for the next eight years. Initially, he struggled as much as his team were at the time, but, eventually, his educated left foot and excellent dead ball skills made him a first choice as his team were among a number of sides that fought for the league title in a season in the mid seventies which had the most open top flight Championship race of my football supporting life. Plymouth signed him as they, unsuccessfully, tried to avoid a relegation and he played for them against City, but he didn’t stay there long as he teamed up with a former manager at the other end of the country. His next move took him to a place he had probably been twenty four hours from before and then he returned to the UK to see out his career with a Lancashire team which is today trying to regain the EFL status it lost a few years ago – he was, briefly, their player/manager, but can you name him?

80s. Governor in India meets the first part of an Elvis Costello single title from a long time ago and turns up in the Plymouth defence!

90s. A five game Plymouth career (one of his appearances was against the City) seems quite appropriate for this super hero whose total number of games barely made it into double figures!

00s. Possibly desperate young bird?

10s. Stone curls in confusion, but at Home Park, not the Winter Olympics! (6,6).

20s. Which member of the current Plymouth squad made an international debut this week which lasted for less than ten minutes?

Answers

60s. Goalkeeper Pat Dunne began his career at Everton, but never played for the first team and in 1962 he returned to his native Republic of Ireland to play for Shamrock Rovers for the next two years. Dunne did so well though that Manchester United paid £10,000 for him and he played nearly fifty times for their first team over the next three seasons, during which he won a Leaguer Championship winner’s medal. However, the signing of Alex Stepney for what was a world record fee for a goalkeeper at that time saw Dunne move to Plymouth for the start of the 67/68 season. In 1970, Dunne returned to Shamrock Rovers and he became the first player in Irish professional football to be shown a red card in 1974. Three years later, Dunne was appointed player/manager of Thurles Town, a team based in County Tipperary, and he then had a season as player/manager of Shelbourne.

70s. Derbyshire born Doug Collins started his career with Grimsby and was signed by Burnley after impressing in a League Cup tie between the teams. Collins played just under two hundred league games for Burnley and was a regular in their team which led the First Division in 1974/75 for a while. Collins played twenty odd games for Plymouth in 76/77 before reuniting with Jimmy Adamson, his manager for much of his time at Burnley, at Sunderland. Again, his stay was a short one and he next turned up in Tulsa playing for the Roughnecks before ending his career with Rochdale.

80s. Clive (of India) Goodyear (for the Roses).

90s. Richard Flash was with Manchester United as a youth player, but only ever played one match for Watford, five for Lincoln and five for Plymouth (which included a 1-0 loss at Ninian Park in 98/99) in his whole career.

00s. Dan Gosling.

10s. Curtis Nelson.

20s. Kornel Szucs came on for his first international appearance in the 87th minute of Hungary’s 2-0 win over Bosnia on Monday.

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Record breaker Bellamy shuffles his pack and stretches his unbeaten run to four.

Posted on October 15, 2024 by The other Bob Wilson

 It’s a bit of a nod to the sort of team Wales have been down the years that Craig Bellamy’s three game unbeaten introduction to the Wales manager’s job is the most successful start in the post in our history.

Well, now he’s stretched it to four with a hard fought, but deserved, win over Montenegro at Cardiff City Stadium tonight in their latest Nations League game. In many ways, it was like Bellamy’s first three matches in charge as a generally impressive first half was followed by a second period that was more of a struggle, but the most encouraging part of the night for me was that this was a long way short of the best team Wales can field and yet they were definitely the better of the two sides because for all of the increased share in the game that Montenegro enjoyed after the break, I can’t remember Karl Darlow in the  Welsh goal having a save to make.

Darlow for Danny Ward was one of a slew of changes Bellamy made, some were forced, but most weren’t as the motivation in these early fixtures almost seems to as much about seeing as many of his squad in action as he can as it does about getting enough points to see us restored to the top tier of the Nations League with all of the benefits that can bring.

In defence, Ben Davies moved to left back with Ben Cabango coming in, while in a very makeshift midfield as Jordan James missed out with suspension, Josh Sheehan came into the team as its only specialist central midfielder. Only Harry Wilson survived out of the forward players from the draw in Iceland as David Brooks, Liam Cullen, Wes Burns and Mark Harris were all introduced with the last named being the lone striker.

It looked a strange mix on paper, but it provided a bit more evidence for those who argue that formations are, if not a thing of the past, a little outmoded today as it’s all about rotations and movement these days.

If you asked me to name the system we played, I’d say it was a kind of 4-1-4-1 with Sheehan the defensive midfielder and Brooks and Burns wide on the flanks, but captain Ben Davies often played a bit further forward to take him out of a flat back four and the nominal right back Neco Williams was often further forward than the dictates of orthodox full back play allow.

Although there were plenty in tonight’s starting line up who wouldn’t be there if Bellamy was selecting what he recognises as our strongest team, one advantage was that the likes of Sheehan, Cullen, Harris and Cabango have been playing most weeks this season for their clubs, so, although the second half decline was there tonight to a degree, it was not as pronounced as it had been in our two away games we’ve played so far.

Although I agreed with the nomination of Sheehan as Man of the Match on S4C, Wales’ best moments of the first half tended to come when Brooks and Wilson combined down the right with the latter being the most influential attacking player on the pitch. 

Wilson’s driven cross was just missed by Harris and Burns arriving on the far post couldn’t direct his header on target. The Fulham man then sent Cullen in on goal with a delightful through ball in the inside right channel only for the Swansea player, who always scores against City, to lob just over.

Brooks tested Montenegro goalkeeper Igor Nikic with a couple of long range efforts that he was equal to, but he wasn’t reaching Wilson’s low shot from twenty yards if it had been about a yard to the left. 

It was no real surprise that a penalty turned out be the way the deadlock was broken given Wales’ inability to cash in on the number of opportunities they had in the first half in particular. 

The goal arrived around the thirty five minute mark after Wilson was brought down by Vladimir Jovovic. I say brought down, there was the lightest of contacts, but that’s all a forward needs to fall over these days and it was enough to persuade the ref Filip Glova to point to the spot.

Wilson himself took the penalty which easily found the net with a he aimed right and Nikic dived left and Montenegro were on their way to their sixth straight defeat.

The only time Wales looked in serious danger after that of losing their lead was when sub Andrija Radulovic cut in and hit a shot from twenty yards that flew back off the crossbar.

However, Montenegro didn’t build on this and, although they were able to have more possession and territory in the second period, it was still Wales who were having, and missing, the better chances.

Hopes had risen through the first half with news that Turkey had fallen a goal behind in Iceland, but, they were to fight back in impressive style to record a 4-2 win. Wales therefore look long shots to win the group, but they will go to Turkey next month knowing that if they could win their last two matches they would finish first.

At age group level, pride of place over the week of international fixtures has to go to the under 19s who followed up a 3-3 draw with Italy  with a 4-3 victory in the second match between the teams – City’s Luey Giles captained the  side and Ewan Griffiths started in goal, while Roman Kpakio, Dakari Mafico and Trey George all were on the subs bench.

At under 16 level, Wales ended as runners up to the Republic of Ireland in the Victory Shield after a lone goal (again coming from the penalty spot) proved enough to beat hosts Scotland.

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