United 1 Carlisle 0 - report

[judge]

It might be a few years ago now, but I cannot recall him having a bad game in the premier league. In fact against Tottenham, he and Tonge controlled the midfield.

Lampard's opinion of him may or may not be a myth - I really don't know. But a year previously I'll bet Patrick Vierra found him pretty awkward in the FA Cup replay. Montgomery completely neutralised him.

in the game v spurs tonge was outstanding ,a fact not picked up by many blades who prefered to think of him as washed up and past it ,in fact he was largely responsible for our run of form that put us 11 points clear of relagation that year ,another fact blades fans seem to forget

as for mongy i cant even remember him playing in that spurs game

 

[Pinchy]

It might be a few years ago now, but I cannot recall him having a bad game in the premier league. In fact against Tottenham, he and Tonge controlled the midfield.

Lampard's opinion of him may or may not be a myth - I really don't know. But a year previously I'll bet Patrick Vierra found him pretty awkward in the FA Cup replay. Montgomery completely neutralised him.

....and the Arsenal youth team that used him as a training cone when beating us 6-0? The countless lower league non-entities who give him a football lesson week-in; week-out?

Judge is exactly right about the origins of the Lampard nonsense. Yet people will swear they heard it or saw it in print. I've been trying to tell you for years.

"...perhaps they'll listen now?"

 

[oldblade]

in the game v spurs tonge was outstanding ,a fact not picked up by many blades who prefered to think of him as washed up and past it ,in fact he was largely responsible for our run of form that put us 11 points clear of relagation that year ,another fact blades fans seem to forget

as for mongy i cant even remember him playing in that spurs game

He most definitely did play in that game and had an outstanding game. Tottenham came out of the blocks very quickly, scored within a couple of minutes and could have been two or three up after 10 or 15 minutes. But we gradually took control of the game - largely due to Montgomery and Tonge.

I agree with you about Tonge. A player that I was very sad to see go. Unfairly criticised for several seasons before he went, but I don't think anyone we've had in midfield since his departure (remember Howard and then Harper?) has been as good as him.

But I also feel Montgomery sometimes doesn't get the credit he deserves. Many felt that his shoulder injury towards the end of the premier league season (which meant he started against Wigan when clearly not fit) was a major factor in our relegation.

Tony Currie he is not, but never-the-less he has generally been an asset to the club.

 

[madeinsheffield]

To be fair Monty excels at man to man marking and always does a job. He needs someone close by to pass to though.

Speaking of passing, am I the only one who thinks when we are attacking the ball seems to go just behind where the receiving player needs it, slowing him down, we lack pace anyway but the player running onto the pass seems to have to slow down his run then get going again, rather than into the area where the player is heading. It happened time after time Saturday.

 

[oldblade]

I think the side has been short of pace pretty much since relegation from the premier league. And that lack of pace reduces the effectiveness of our more skilful players.

I think it was Bergen who once pointed out that one sure fire way to make Tonge look bad is to play him in central midfield and then put slow players in front of and to the side of him. And that's what we did!

 

[judge]

the main reason we beat spurs was due to their defence being under constant pressure from the midfileders ,i can remember several occasions where tonge won the ball when he shouldnt have and then used it intelligentley cant remember mongy doing that once in his entire career at the lane

 

[oldblade]

the main reason we beat spurs was due to their defence being under constant pressure from the midfileders ,i can remember several occasions where tonge won the ball when he shouldnt have and then used it intelligentley cant remember mongy doing that once in his entire career at the lane

Montgomery and Tonge were playing quite close together in that match. I do remember Tonge making good tackles (something his detractors claim he couldn't ever do!). But Montgomery also won some good tackles as well. And having won the ball he played simple short passes - to Tonge!

i remember being quite incredulous at the time that these two modest players were largely responsible for us dominating a multi-million pound side. And, mistakenly, after that game I thought we would be staying up. Even Len was quite positive!!

 

[alcoblade]

Ibut I won't devalue the views of others by professing some mystical insight that they lack. Please forgive me if I expect the same in return.

No, you'll devalue their opinion by claiming that because they argue that not EVERYTHING he does is all bad, they class him as "the maestro" and "love hoof". You can't have it both ways.



---------- Post added at 08:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------

You're not alone there.
I'd be happy for every player currently on the books to be replaced in January if we could get better ones in. I'll happily accept that Monty is not the greatest player in the world - sometimes he's not even the greatest player in his house - but he's not the imbecile you make him out to be. Pointing out that he's not the totally inept player you say he is doesn't mean I accept mediocrity. What it does mean is I don't accept your blinkered vision of a player you clearly hate. That's all.

^^^This^^^

UTB

 

[madeinsheffield]

Get Tonge back then, simples!

 

[super_pig]

so.. 'monty played brilliant against tottenham FIVE years ago'.. so he's brilliant then..hmm..

 

[stannyblade]

I dont get the hatred that so many have for Monty. Yes he is crap at passing. BUT week in week out he usually isnt the worse player in the team, Saturday was Doyle.

Even when he has a good game many just have a go at him.

 

[Eskimo]

Agree with all you say DB except that I tought Cresswell played quite well and was unlucky.

I think one of the key issues is that both full backs are not good enough at defending. They are good at supporting attacks and the team looks good at home when McDonald is playing and we are going forward. But when we are on the back foot it creates a problem, stretches midfield and we concede. Monty and Doyle do a decent job of patroling midfield and providing covering for the defence and McDonald does this less well. It sort of works at home as the Carlisle match showed. I'd like to see us have the option of bringing on an out and out defender in the Kozluk (a few years ago) mould. Lescinel does not seem to be the answer as his performance at Stevenage seemed to suggest and Parrino looked poor against Bradford a

 

[Pinchy]

...and this year the coveted 'Not usually the worst player in the team' award goes to...

Standing ovation follows.

As to bringing in a defender like Kozluk: We already have plenty of rubbish defenders who give away penalties, allow their immediate opponent the freedom of the park and deliver passes and crosses to the bloke in Row Z. It's difficult to see how even The Joke (no, I haven't missed an 'r' off) could add anything.

 

[oldblade]

so.. 'monty played brilliant against tottenham FIVE years ago'.. so he's brilliant then..hmm..

I don't think anyone has said Mlontgomery is brilliant at all, let alone 5 years ago.

However, some of us don't think he's as bad as others would haqve us believe, and the Tottenham game has been used as one example of how (against all expectations) he actually acquitted himself pretty well in the premier league. I think that's miles away from saying he's brilliant simply because he played well against Tottenham 5 years ago.

---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:53 PM ----------

I dont get the hatred that so many have for Monty. Yes he is crap at passing. BUT week in week out he usually isnt the worse player in the team, Saturday was Doyle.

Even when he has a good game many just have a go at him.

Tonge used to suffer a similar fate as well.

I even remember one poster (possibly Bergen?) having to resort to giving a minute by minute account of what he did in one particular game in order to prove that he had actually played quite well.

When someone dislikes a player it seems that they develop a blind spot for anything good that they do!

 

[stannyblade]

When someone dislikes a player it seems that they develop a blind spot for anything good that they do!

Thats spot on OB I was the same about Paul Ifill