LoughboroBlade
Well-Known Member
A month ago I headed off on holiday. We had just lost the Cardiff match, were 6 points off 6th place, and I feared what state our season would be in when I returned.
Whilst I've seen the goal highlights (and was fortunate to watch a replay of the Newcastle game on an internal flight in Australia), I haven't got a clue whether the level of football has improved. I was delighted to see Geary returned to action, so too Williamson, and from the Barnsley highlights it looked like Benno had a blinder till his injury. I gather that the Peterbororugh game was a bit nervy.
The first thing when I got into Heathrow was check to see how we got on, and given Bristol City's home record, wasn't hopeful. That result surely gives us a major lift. We are now 5 points off 4th, which given how we'd been playing when I left is a much better situation than I expected.
I was annoyed, however, by the news of the departure of Cotts. It looks like a fraction of what we paid for him, despite the fact that he's still only 21, and could still offer us a lot. This also comes during the worst injury crisis in the history of football (is that still the line?), and presumably means that we'll be continuing to play our most dangerous striker at right wing for the rest of the season. I don't like the deal. That said, it is clear Blackwell had a problem with him, and there is precious little point keeping a player he doesn't want to play, but I do feel that under another manager he'll do well. I caught the Swansea-Cardiff match, and the way they play will probably bring the best out of him. At least in Hendo we have a ready-made replacement for his penalty-taking duties.
That apart, I have to say I've recovered a bit of optimism on our prospects for this season. A few things that it would be handy to know to save me ready a month's worth of posts:
- how have we been playing?
- what's with the new member of the board that I read about - is it good or bad news?
- is Killa still likely to be off in January?
I managed to catch a few A-League games in Australia. First off, the quality is generally appalling. This was summed up by the Newcastle Jets boss recently saying “We’re only a finals team because all the teams around us are pretty shit as well”. It comes as no surprise that Carney looked great there, and was woeful for us, based on the lack of quality in most of the teams. I caught a Mariners match - they appear to be doing pretty well at the minute. Our ex academy midfielder Nicky Travis looked quite classy compared to those around him. Also, Wellington Phoenix have been on a great run lately. The star of the team - Paul Ifill. Looks a different class in that league - really pleased to see him doing so well. Also pleasing to see that Kevin Muscat is just as unpopular in the A-League as he was over here...
Whilst I've seen the goal highlights (and was fortunate to watch a replay of the Newcastle game on an internal flight in Australia), I haven't got a clue whether the level of football has improved. I was delighted to see Geary returned to action, so too Williamson, and from the Barnsley highlights it looked like Benno had a blinder till his injury. I gather that the Peterbororugh game was a bit nervy.
The first thing when I got into Heathrow was check to see how we got on, and given Bristol City's home record, wasn't hopeful. That result surely gives us a major lift. We are now 5 points off 4th, which given how we'd been playing when I left is a much better situation than I expected.
I was annoyed, however, by the news of the departure of Cotts. It looks like a fraction of what we paid for him, despite the fact that he's still only 21, and could still offer us a lot. This also comes during the worst injury crisis in the history of football (is that still the line?), and presumably means that we'll be continuing to play our most dangerous striker at right wing for the rest of the season. I don't like the deal. That said, it is clear Blackwell had a problem with him, and there is precious little point keeping a player he doesn't want to play, but I do feel that under another manager he'll do well. I caught the Swansea-Cardiff match, and the way they play will probably bring the best out of him. At least in Hendo we have a ready-made replacement for his penalty-taking duties.
That apart, I have to say I've recovered a bit of optimism on our prospects for this season. A few things that it would be handy to know to save me ready a month's worth of posts:
- how have we been playing?
- what's with the new member of the board that I read about - is it good or bad news?
- is Killa still likely to be off in January?
I managed to catch a few A-League games in Australia. First off, the quality is generally appalling. This was summed up by the Newcastle Jets boss recently saying “We’re only a finals team because all the teams around us are pretty shit as well”. It comes as no surprise that Carney looked great there, and was woeful for us, based on the lack of quality in most of the teams. I caught a Mariners match - they appear to be doing pretty well at the minute. Our ex academy midfielder Nicky Travis looked quite classy compared to those around him. Also, Wellington Phoenix have been on a great run lately. The star of the team - Paul Ifill. Looks a different class in that league - really pleased to see him doing so well. Also pleasing to see that Kevin Muscat is just as unpopular in the A-League as he was over here...
