Granted, Rotherham United were as poor as they had been in feebly losing 3-0 at Cardiff City Stadium back in August, but, on a day when Lincoln showed they’re not going away by winning 4-1 at Plymouth despite going a goal down early on, City displayed the quality of Champions in strolling to another 3-0 beating of the Millers despite having to play more than three quarters of the game with ten men.
Today at the New York Stadium there was little of the vulnerability we saw at Burton last week. Indeed, I would say that we played better after Ryan Wintle’s dismissal than we were playing before it.
In professional football, it is very rare for a team with ten men for more than half of a game to win as conclusively as 3-0 against a side from the same division, especially when the score was still 0-0 when the dismissal occurred. Indeed, although I make no claims to be infallible in such things, I’m struggling to recall an occasion when I’ve seen it happen before today.
I’ll repeat that Rotherham were pretty woeful, but from now on, I’ll be giving City the praise they are due after what, in some ways, was their best performance of the season so far.
Gabriel Osho returned to the centre of our defence after missing out last week with injury and the other change from Burton saw Joel Colwill come in with Omari Kellyman occupying the striking role in place of Callum Robinson.
Kellyman was straight into the action from the kick off as Rotherham started by rolling the ball back to their keeper Cameron Dawson from the kick off and the Chelsea loanee was “taken out” off the ball by a defender as he chased forward to try and close Dawson down. In the tradition of refereeing ineptitude we’ve seen in League One this season, the man in black, Seb Stockbridge, ignored this blatant foul and so another afternoon of refereeing mediocrity was set in motion within five seconds of the start of the game!
Seconds later, Kellyman wasted a great chance as he misplaced his pass to Chris Willock who was completely unmarked outside him, but, like every one else in blue, this was to be a good day for Kellyman who again gave the impression that he is more effective operating in central areas than he is out wide.
The in form Willock was soon racing clear down the left, but another promising position fizzled out as Alex Robertson and Kellyman tried back heals within the six yard box and Rotherham were able to clear.
Kellyman’s first timer from the edge of the penalty area then flew about two foot wide as City turned the screw. Rotherham had offered little up until then, but when Wintle’s pass went astray close to the edge of our penalty area, the latest member of Leeds’ Gray dynasty, Harry,was set free with a run in on goal in the inside right channel.
The 17 year old forward on loan from Leeds fell to the floor dramatically as Wintle made slight contact with him, but it looked to me like one of those where the player makes out there’s no real collision, but our captain for the day knew what he was doing. As such, I reckon Mr Stockridge was right to award a foul and maybe to show the red card, but it could have been that Wintle was not clearly the “last man”.
I would not be too critical of the ref in this instance though because his decision kickstarted City’s ascent into cruise control as they took complete control with a combination of passing and movement when in possession and tremendous energy and organisation when they didn’t have the ball. – Gray was heading away from goal and towards the frantically covering back Osho and Will Fish might have been able to catch Gray if he had cut infield.
BBM sent out a signal when he didn’t make the sort of defensive substitution you would expect from a team that had been reduced to ten men in the game’s first quarter. Instead, we pressed forward relentlessly and it got to the stage where the local commentator on the stream I was watching was advocating that the home side should get one of their players to do a man to man marking job on Alex Robertson as he was running the show!
Perry Ng took over the captaincy from the departed Wintle and he stung Dawson’s hands with a spectacular effort from close to thirty yards as Joel Bagan’s free kick was half cleared to him.
I watched all of this waiting for normal service in an eleven v ten game to kick in, but it wasn’t happening and City took a thoroughly deserved lead in the forty third minute. Fish started it all off with a pass down the right to Ollie Tanner who managed to stay onside and then cut back a cross to the edge of the penalty area where Kellyman made scoring look easy with a nonchalant looking first time side footed effort past Dawson from the edge of the penalty area.
The goal finally prompted an attacking response from the home team as a neat flick by Emmanuel Adegboyega I think it was sent Gray clear in a one on one with Nathan Trott who was able to make a good save with his right foot from a chance you thought the home side could have made more of.
I was still in a defensive mind set at half time as I told myself we now had a lead to defend and a repeat of our first half performance may be enough to get us the three points.
My concern was partly that the home side were being helped by an inconsistent refereeing performance which had, for example, seen Kellyman lectured and a Rotherham free kick given for a coming together which was not as blatant as the one in the opening seconds which had been ignored by the official. Similarly, Fish was rightly booked for a grab at an opponent, but a minute or two earlier, Mr Stockbridge saw fit not to show a card to the Rotherham player who pulled back Bagan for the sort of foul that is usually seen as an automatic yellow these days.
So, I was cautiously optimistic at the start of the second half, but, realistically, I was expecting forty five minutes of backs to the wall defending. However, I needn’t have worried – Rotherham had already had their one on target effort of the game (that shot by Gray).
Although City lost the substantial lead they had in the possession battle at the break and ended up losing out by 52/48 over the ninety minutes, the truth was that they were still controlling the game as a goal looked a lot more likely to come from one of our counter attacks than it did from the home team’s rather laboured efforts.
City doubled their lead on fifty eight minutes as Tanner picked out Willock with a fine pass and, although Dawson got a hand to the winger’s close range shot, it was the finish of a confident player which found the bottom corner from ten yards.
I think that’s six assists now for Tanner since his return from injury and like some of his others recently, I feel today’s two showed a subtlety and a vision which wasn’t there last season – another case of the benefits gained from having good quality coaching at the club I believe.
Ronan Kpakio, Calum Chambers, Cian Ashford, David Turnbull and Isaak Davies were all introduced without any decrease in our superiority and the last two named combined in added time as Turnbull freed Davies to run down the right from half way, cut in past an opponent and score with his left foot from ten yards.
I didn’t it, but it seems that Isaak was elbowed in the face in an off the ball incident by Rotherham’s Shaun McWilliams some ten minutes or so before he scored. He was treated for some minutes before continuing and he needed which further treatment on the pitch after the final whistle.
The Davies injury, or, to be more accurate, how it was caused, was a factor in prompting what was an out of character “rant” from our manager after the game about refereeing standards at this level – I have a feeling he might be getting a fine for what he said, but it needed saying.
https://tv.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/videos/02088dd5-fc2d-4a5f-a9b5-36433207e657
Apologies to those players i don’t mention here because they were all very good today, but there are three I want to pick out.
When we signed Osho, there were plenty of comments to the effect that we had signed someone who was too good for this level, but a couple of months later, I would have thought that many City fans must have been thinking that there were two Gabriel Osho’s out there and we’d got the one who had been playing for Gateshead reserves! However, since coming back from the toe injury he sustained in the Vertu Trophy game with Wimbledon, Osho has been excellent and today he looked like someone who is much too good for this level.
Those words of the home commentator about Alex Robertson said all that needs to be said about him today – he was handed a challenge today in Wintle’s absence that he passed with flying colours.
Today’s game gave Joel Colwill the chance to show his tremendous stamina to it’s best effect – he was going as strong in the last minute as he was in the first in what I feel was his best performance for us yet.
I’ve already mentioned Lincoln, but Bolton ensured that our lead over third position remains at eight points (although they have played a game more than us and we have a much better goal difference than them) by beating Barnsley 3-2 after having led by three at half time. Stockport were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Leyton Orient as they were also down to ten men, but only for the last ten minutes. Huddersfield came back from 2-0 down to draw with Blackpool, but it’s definitely two points dropped for them as they were at home and Bradford’s tough fixture list so far this year continues to see them drop down the table as they went down 2-1 at Luton.
The day started well for City although there was also a red card for our Under 18s as they beat Swansea 3-1 at Leckwith this lunchtime. All of the goals came in the first half as Mannie Barton (later to be sent off) and Robert Tankiewicz put us 2-0 up and then Harry Watts added a third after the jacks had reduced the deficit.
Locally, Treherbert Boys and Girls Club were beaten again as they went down 3-0 at home to Ynysygerwen.
Thanks Paul, as ever…
The thing that occurs to me a day after our easy win is this: how the dickens did the Millers win 4-0 at Exeter just 8 days ago?
Robertson had another good game… as if to show me up for the sometimes less-than-charitable observer I am of his game.
I have been heartened today to consume the just dropped vodcast from Cornish Janner. We both possibly thought Plymouth might do us a favour yesterday: but that Imps manager of Polish parentage, is pleasing Lincoln City’s American owners, no end.
Living in Grimsby, our local TV news is Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire… so I get to be well informed on both Hull City and Lincoln City.
And believe it or not, the Americans at Sincil Bank are expecting promotion…
Anyway, back to the weaker of the two Plymouth vlogs I regularly consume… I watch it knowing that John the Cornish Janner, is a deeply flawed communicator, who repeats himself at least twice a minute, and here excels himself by turning the whole episode into a mega demo of Tourette’s… where if he had gone through his mantra just one more time of listing the vlogs of EPL clubs he’d like his to emulate, well there’s no knowing if I’d have gone bananas.
And you have to laugh at the boy’s opening statement that it is the end of the road for his vlog… only for us to eventually find out that it is nothing of the sort.
Indeed, he is off to Blackpool next weekend… and the Saturday following ‘tis our turn to be at Home Park…
But I watch the vlog because I like the boy… for all his faults.
https://tinyurl.com/yrebnc2z
Good to see him still topping and tailing his vlogs with The Janner Song… a song that seems to be anathema to Pieface and his vlog’s band of merry men. Quite why, I knowest not… for I love it and wish we had a song as good.
TTFN,
Dai.
Thanks Paul.
I’ve just checked and our record against Rotherham home and away through the ‘50s and ‘60s – my time! – was ?4 – 5 – 11. I thought I remembered it being pretty dismal and my memory didn’t let me down for once. Yesterday however was as good as it gets. Spoiled only by another dodgy ref. We really are getting the rough end of. Two red cards not shown to Stockport sinners, now one shown to us. All I’ll say is that if slight pulling back is a heinous offence, how many penalties should Salech have been given? Anyway, bugger that now, it just gave us the chance to show what we’re made of. I found it hard to pick a MOM, but it would have been out of Kellyman, Joel Colwill and the revelationary Osho.
O-gosh-O-no has become O-gosh-O-yes! The disastrously error-prone, irritating grinner has turned into the outstanding centre back too-good-for-this-league that we were told to expect. Every time before when he tried to advance into midfield with the ball, you covered your eyes because you just knew he was going to end up on his arse leaving a forward running in on our goal. Now he is majestic. Three or four times yesterday. Is he Franz Beckenbaur in disguise???
Joel Colwill was back to the player I rated so highly earlier in the season, positively revelling in the extra work load he had to bear, lots of twists and turns and neat passes in tight situations, covered every blade of grass and was really the engine of the team yesterday.
And then there was Omari Kellyman, born only 20 years ago in Derby to a Ghanaian father and Northern Irish mother, bless them both. The question now, that would have been inconceivable until very recently, is – are we more formidable without Salech? When Kellyman, deep lying, is on his game like this, he’s unique in this division. Defenders, left with no forward fixture to mark, are out of their comfort zone. At the very least it’s a great option for us to have. Unfortunately it’s a great result for Chelsea, too. (Yes, we would never have got him at all if he hadn’t been coming off a bad injury). And yet is he Chelsea standard? Maybe Chelsea, who have so many players, would accept a quick £5m? I’m starting to dream of us keeping this team together, and BB-M, and doing a Sunderland!
At my age! Still dreaming.
What a great post from RWC… so acutely insightful.
The ‘are we better without Salech’ question did occur to me too… and I have been struck by the way Kellyman seems to now resemble a young Dele
Ali in the way he positively GLIDES over the turf to maximum effect. (Let’s hope the resemblance to Dele Ali stops at his MKD and only his Pochettino Spurs days… for Omari’s sake!!)
I am relieved that when a couple of weeks back I picked my best 4-4-2 team based on current form, I did at least select Kellyman to partner Salech up front… so at least my face is not egg-stained as it might well be with my emphatic dismissal of Robertson and Joel C from my thoughts… but RWC’s thinking on Kellyman has got me saying to myself ‘why couldn’t I have said that?’
Not sure I quite have the same sort of damascene conversion though when it comes to his assessment of our Grinning ‘pass back to the keeper’ Assassin… though I will happily concede he had a good day at the New York Stadium. I will reserve judgment till I see him perform at least as imperiously at Home Park in 12 days from now…
Changing the subject… I think I have asked you this before Paul… ‘how come mine is the only avatar out of all your many MAYA contributors that contains an actual photo…? Albeit one that is about 17 years old taken when I was about 61. Could we not have pics of us all? (Oh and nobody should ask me how I got it there… I genuinely have not a clue, what with babies being pulled away from the breast knowing more about computers than I do.)
DW
Thanks for the report Paul – and for confirming my memory of Cardiff v Blackpool all those years ago. What a great result! I was following the BBC texts and hoped that it might be a good omen for the rugby later. Nuff said. Would be happy to please Dai by submitting a photo but haven’t the technical ability ?
With Mike mentioning photos, I just took this one from my telly in tonight’s fabulous blood and thunder (with lots of quick forward passes and great movement) game at Bramall Lane.
The Blades keeper has come up to mirror his Boro counterpart for a corner in the 4th minute of injury time. How freakish that they should both not just be in yellow head to toe, but the same uncanny SHADE of yellow?
https://tinyurl.com/42vusy2a
Thanks all for the replies. Dai, everyone talks about little old Lincoln which is understandable up to a point, but my understanding is that they’re a relatively well off club by the standards of League One these days. As for the other Plymouth vlog is concerned, in initially I preferred it to your favourite because the first one I saw was the about Plymouth’s 5-0 defeat here last season and such was his despair after that, he was almost literally howling at the moon by the end of it as he wandered about what I think was the Cornish countryside ranting away about what he had just watched. I thought it was compulsive viewing at the time, but, gradually, I came to realise that he is a bit of a one trick pony and I don’t bother with his vlog as much these days.
Royale, I don’t think we were ever that poor at home against Rotherham, but it seemed to me that we took some fearful pastings at Millmoor in much the same way we have done at Deepdale, but, apart from the shocking 5-2 there under Bulut, our record at their new ground is good. I agree with you about Osho and also concur that if ever a game was made for Joel Colwill to shine, that was it.As for Kellyman, I can’t see him establishing himself at Chelsea even though I’d say he has the potential to be a Premier League player. I’ve seen a few people saying we should try to sign him, but, for me, a few thing shave to happen before that becomes something which is more than just a pipe dream. The obvious one is that we have to get promoted and then, if and when that happens, that may clear the way for a sale of the club to new owners who might want to make a “statement signing” because the only way I could see us being in contention to sign Kellyman permanently this summer is if we cashed in om someone like Lawlor and used some of the money received to try and make a signing which would placate City fans. Even with a tidy sum in the club coffers from player sale(s), Kellyman would probably be out of our price range under this ownership. What I wouldn’t rule out is another loan move for Kellyman if we’re in the Championship, but a possible fly in the ointment there may be that BBM’s mate is no longer in charge at Stamford Bridge.
As to whether we’re better off without Salech, we weren’t against Burton, but in the two games we played with Kellyman as a false number nine, I reckon we saw Willock become more of a goal threat and Tanner seems to have a good understanding with him – with Rubin Colwill approaching full fitness again, we could have a forward line playing with a false number nine which may be devastating at this level, but whether it would be as effective in the Championship is a moot point as far as I’m concerned and I’d also say that before his injury, Salech’s all round game had improved over the course of the season.
Mind you, our prolific goalscoring in two of our last three games could just be down to the fact that we were playing sides from Yorkshire. Apparently, that’s six straight wins now against teams from the biggest county and that’s a club record. I must admit that I take a lot of pleasure from that stat for no other reason that I heard a lot of crap about how sides like Bradford, Barnsley, Huddersfield and Doncaster were playing “Northern football” when they were all up there in the top six in the early weeks of the season – I never quite figured out what Northern football meant in the context of the first couple of months of the 25/26 season, but it probably had something to do with southern softies not fancying a confrontation with “northern folk”!
Finally, although I managed to insert an avatar in my profile on the messageboard I use, just like Mike,I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it on here. Dai’s clearly mastered it, but it’s beyond me!
A few points re your usual very fair summing up…
Cornish Janner’s vlog has a couple of thousand subscribers… Pieface has just received a YouTube plaque that they send out to podcasts that have notched up a HUNDRED THOUSAND subscribers… in his case all across the country incidentally, whereas methinks that Cornish Janner’s subscribers are largely contained in Devon and Cornwall.
And so for its geographical reach alone, that plaque is a so well-merited reward for ‘The Pie’. So I guess that says it all… you were right to quit the CJ vlog… I only hang on because I am fascinated by watching him implode psychologically in front of me… and in increasingly bizarre instalments. And if I am honest, I cannot see how a boy who was seemingly was brought up in Penzance, but who now seems to have some sort of pied à terre in Plymouth (and Bodmin too?) can afford to not drive but travel by train everywhere when his friend Liam does not give him a lift. And travel to the likes of the far Northern towns to watch not just his ‘Green Army’ games, but also incredibly his beloved ‘Tinners’ from Truro. I reckon his dad must be a retired railwayman, and the extraordinary ticket deal that the railway unions long ago negotiated for offspring of its members, might well be a factor here… because all the split-ticketing in the world, would not make his travel expenditure anything like economically palatable to most of us.
Nice to see you sharing RWC’s optimistic view of Osho… I hope to join you both within a month or two. And I so appreciated your astute point that a renewed loan attempt to sign Omari Kellyman might not now be so easy now Chelsea have changed manager. That said, Liam Rosenior is a fellow diner at the Guardiola table… so the only serious obstacle in the road is some Bluebirds fans taking it as a given that we will be promoted.
As for the American money behind Lincoln City: it is indeed considerable… though they are cute in not allowing their manager to use a chunk of it on lavish transfers.
And finally, that photo I took of the dénouement of the game last night, leads me to this thought: pity Middlesbrough did not have at least 8 defenders in their 6 yard box, like is customary with us. Imagine if they had, and there was the father and mother of a goalmouth scramble and a yellow shirted arm was seen in the stramash pushing the ball into the net. It being the Championship and thus being minus VAR, I can imagine the nightmare decision suddenly landing on the shoulders of the referee…!!
DW
Ta, Paul, for your considered report on the Rotherham (a) game. I’d agree that Osho is showing the form Luton fans spoke of last summer when we signed him. Kellyman has ability far above the 3rd Tier and the hosts didn’t know how to handle him. Due to being a player less, everyone of the ten gave an 8+/10 performance.
I’ll start my response with the GOOD. City were excellent and, for me, it was so unexpected. Having no stream to watch it was Sky Sports tv and mobile app texts that kept me informed. After learning of the s/o I thought, “Oh, no!” and waited to half-time to go back to find out the score. Learning we were 1-0 up was a shock. And what a lovely goal it was, too. However, thinking the score was possibly going to be a 3-1 defeat at the end, I read a book until full time. But how time dragged. How can you read when your thoughts are elsewhere?
At 5pm, to see the convincing 0-3 scoreline was equally unexpected but blissful. Having seen the full game on Sunday afternoon this was not a gutsy, backs to the wall, afternoon’s work but as composed and clinical a 90 mins as you could ever wish to see. Further goals by Willock and a fine solo effort by Davies capped a magnificent game for the Bluebirds.
Much has been written about the standard of refereeing this season. It is BAD!
Some years ago I started writing to the PGMOL. Replies were, well you can imagine. I’m not surprised, in the least, by BB-M’s public words on the matter. Today it seems another elbow, this time on Davies, was missed. Permit me from rewriting what I posted on a City message board:
“If the Wintle, ‘foul,’ is the threshold for a foul it is staggering, therefore, that nothing worse than that has, for example, happened in the penalty area against us this season. With some 65% of the season gone we have still only had ONE PENALTY. Moreover, in the last four games, there have now been four elbows, numerous double footed challenges, where the player was not in control of himself, in addition to that awful lunge on Ashford on the halfway line at Bradford. And yet the worst thing that has happened in these 360 minutes of football is Wintle’s red?
In the Liverpool v Man City game a visiting defender was attempting to wrestle Salah as he burst into the penalty area. Both hands were on him for about three or four seconds but nothing was given. According to VAR the contact didn’t last long enough to warrant it being given as a foul. Yet Wintle’s momentary contact was long enough. Yeah!
Whether these refs are incompetent or partial is for the individual to decide. I know what I think.”
I rest my case with BB-M’s comment: “Our staff put a lot of effort into putting in those reports, but from now on there’s no point. We’re the only Welsh team in this league, and at some stage our players need to start getting protected, and they’re not being protected.”
That is clear and I expect retribution winging its way to CF11 before too long. Is honesty a crime?
Now for the UGLY. It is a repeated plan of action by some teams to pressurise refs by surrounding him. Rotherham deemed half a dozen players was sufficient for this after Wintle’s indiscretion. One view even showed their goalkeeper, some 60 yds away, starting off in the direction of the official.
There will be those who say that City’s GOOD outweighed the BAD and the UGLY. True. It did not prevent City’s good shining through but that is no reason to minimise the BAD and the UGLY and to seek to improve matters both on and off the pitch.
Good piece, Steve…
But let me gently wonder if you have temporarily borrowed Emmanuel Macron’s blue tinted specs.
You rightly condemn players surrounding the ref trying to get an opposition player sent off, but do we never do it? To answer my own question, ‘yes… but very seldom’. But we are not totally immune from exhibiting this sick intimidation of referees*… I seem to recall we raced to surround the ref and Norwood after his two footed lunge recently… and were only stopped in our tracks by the otherwise incompetent ref’s clearly stated intent that he would not be intimidated.
As for Wintle’s red: I love the boy and he is my first choice midfielder. But the red card was deserved.
As Paul recently said, how sad it is to hear retired professional footballers doing co-comms in various games opine ‘that was a good foul’ when players are unfairly pulled back to stop a shot or a breakaway. But Guardiola approves… and thus BBM and ‘Rosie’ Rosenior do too.
But the great Brian Clough might have fined Wintle a week’s wages.
*who can forget that it was Fergie’s secret weapon at Old Trafford when things were not going to plan… he would get Roy Keane to lead his teammates in surrounding the ref like a pack of wolves, forcing him to quickly backpedal. I wonder just how many Sunday League teams emulated this… forcing trainee and even dedicated amateur refs to retire?
DW
Ta Dai for your excellent contribution.
If have no problem with Wintle’s red card being a red if similar and worse challenges are also so sanctioned. How can the 3 Stockport elbows and Rotherham elbow on Davies not be? That’s what gripes me and I will always be for impartiality by officials.
Regarding surrounding the ref, it should never happen, whatever team does it. I can understand when a really bad challenge is made that endangers the safety of a player an instant reaction from players follows. However what galls me on this issue is the orchestrated surrounding refs for challenges that a granny in the Mothercare January Sales* would brush off and still keep her place in the queue. On a related issue didn’t the PL & EFL issue a directive that only the captain could approach a ref and other miscreants would be booked.
I trust the chill easterlies over the Humber are not too cold for ye bones, young man.
* Used for effect dear non-UK residents. Readers in the UK will readily know that Mothercare, a store for all things for the under 5’s, is no more.
“I can’t see (Kellyman) establishing himself even though I’d say he has the potential to be a Premier League player”. Bit of double Dutch there, Bob?
And I’m not sure the Burton game is relevant to the Salech v Kellyman debate. Wasn’t Robinson the false number 9 in that game?
My “dream” was for us to keep the whole team together, not start horse trading. I was assuming of course that we go up. Otherwise I fear there might be quite a bit of asset stripping this summer, including our manager who is probably irreplaceable.
I agree with you that an extended loan is our best hope for keeping Kellyman next season. As Dai says, Rosenior might not be that averse.
I seem to recall Sunderland didn’t open the purse strings till they got that second playoff promotion, which was as much of a surprise to their supporters as anyone else. I know, that kind of miracle doesn’t happen often, but, the way we’re playing and the parts we have in place now, you can see how we could possibly emulate them. Deep pockets would surely be fighting over us then.
I shouldn’t be thinking like this. One match, let alone season, at a time, Chris!
It is double Dutch Royale because I missed out a couple of words I thought I had typed – I’ve now corrected it to read as intended. Robinson started up front at Burton as you say, but Kellyman started as well and what I’d say is that we now have enough proof to say he is more effective through the middle than out wide which will make selection a bit tricky for BBM if and when Salech and Rubin Colwill are available. However, on the face of it, two games won out of two (one of them with only ten men for three quarters of it) with a combined score of 7-0 is compelling evidence suggesting Kellyman in a false nine position is our most effective attacking system. My reservation is that it’s a very small sample size and I find myself asking whether the big wins over Barnsley and Rotherham were down to our attacking brilliance or both of those sides being pretty awful (Wigan down here are the worst team I’ve seen us play this season, but Rotherham are the worst team we’ve played over two games for me)? You’d think that we’d start with Kellyman as a false nine again on Saturday and if we can end up winning that game as handsomely as we did in our last two victories, then it becomes very hard to argue against us playing with Kellyman as a false number nine.
As for us going up and “doing an Ipswich”, my natural caution precludes me from talking about something like that at least until the first of the promotions have been confimred. What I will say though is that you look at the top of the Championship this season and think that it’s ripe for a Birmingham or Wrexham to exploit and it can’t be ruled out yet that one or both of them might do that. You look at the three sides that came down last season and Leicester (3-1 up after eighty one minutes last night and they still lost) look like a basket case, Southampton are streaky, but their losing streaks tend to be longer than their winning ones and even Ipswich, who could still end up being Champions, have a vulnerability about them which wasn’t there two seasons ago. So, what I will say is that it would have been very interesting to see how this City team would have fared under this manager if they were in the Championship this season? i reckon they’d have been nearer the top than the bottom.
Steve, I’m with Dai about surrounding the ref and would say that there would have been plenty of City players in the ref’s face on Saturday if the roles had been reversed and it had been a Rotherham player that did a Wintle. I accept that Wintle must feel hard done by after what happened to him against Stockport because the foul on him was a lot moire dangerous than what he did on Saturday. In saying that, I still feel that given the way professional fouls committed close to your own goal are refereed these days, he must have had a fair idea of what was coming. Treatment of players deemed to have been “the last man” when committing a foul is very harsh by the standards of modern day interpretations of foul play, but so it should be as far as I’m concerned.
Unfortunately, I think there’s enough evidence out there to suggest that with players and managers of all clubs if you give them an inch, they take a mile. For example, the correct policy currently in place for treatment of head injuries sees defenders of under pressure teams going down with a so called head injury which forces a cessation in play and the loss of any momentum the attacking team has built up. To be fair, this is a tough one when it comes to stopping the cheating because it’ll always be in the ref’s mind that the one time he allows play to continue because he suspects someone is play acting will be the time when the player concerned actually has a Salech type injury.
On the other hand, it is nothing but weak officiating (including by VAR) which has led to the embarrassing grappling we get at free kicks and corners these days – it is an instance of players being given a mile and they take a parsec (I had to ask Google what the largest measurement of distance was!)!
I think after last season we needed a 2-year learning curve to be anywhere near ready for the Premiership. As for Saturday, what’s the betting BB-M starts Robinson!
Joe Ralls
STOP PRESS…!!
I have just learned that Joe Ralls will play no more this season, having elected to go under the surgeon’s knife.
Pity. Plymouth fans had really taken to him, and I was looking forward to him coming off the bench to play against us in 9 days from now… as Tom Cleverley had suggested that was when it was hoped Joe would have recovered from his slight tendon tear.
But the scans proved too devastating.
Still, I can read again this piece (link below) on the Plymouth fans’ website that heralded his arrival. Gee, don’t you too marvel at the depth of research here from its writer? He seems to do similar for every new arrival.
Note however that he cannot resist having a right and proper dig at Perry NG… and the shameful way he rolled about holding his (untouched) face last season at the CCS, and thus getting Cissoko sent off… in an incident NG totally provoked by his snide little foul on the man in green.
Memories live long… expect some booing of NG at Home Park.
https://tinyurl.com/mvm6kvnz
TTFN,
Dai.