Congratulations Cardiff City
Well if there was something to make me happy from the weekend besides alot of lower leagues teams beating pampered millionaires it was the fact one of the teams to do this beat Boro at Smogside. Oh how good that was and the fact that the Smogs probably played the worst an English Premier League side ever has in the FA Cup. They were so poor it was like there was one team on the pitch and it wasn’t a local team. You could see the Smoggies had turned up in force expecting to win the FA Cup with which would have been the easiest run in ever…
WHAT A SHAME!
March 11th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Ya know, its results like this that have the TeamTalk tossers running over to the Boro site taking the piss! And they wonder why everyone and their granny is having a pop at us?
Cracking result for Cardiff, and it did go a little way to lifting my spirits after the Liverpool result. For the first season in ages I’m actually genuinely interested in the FA Cup after we’ve gone out…
March 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am
The FA cup has been rubbish for years. I will be watching each of the final 3 games and enjoying it for a change!
March 11th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Ya know I’d love it, LOVE IT if Man U come away this season with feck all………. which is actually a real possibility
))
March 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
LOL
March 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I’d much prefer it if Liverpool finished (trophy-less) in 5th, behind Everton… I’ve had a thing against Liverpool ever since they snatched 4th place leaving us in 5th. It was the beginning of the end… Plus I don’t like the city as a whole after they got Capital of Culture when we’d effectively been promised it (the amount of money that Scouse sh*thole will get now is incredible… It could have been us!).
March 11th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Yeah I know what you mean about the capital of culture. We should have got it. They annoyed me as well as Liverpool is such a dump. Its more like the Capital of Shit. But I totally think Everton can do a job and get 4th. The whole of football needs a good shaking up and the cups have delivered hopefully in part the league can.
March 11th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Just not the league as in Newcastle go down
Not blowing sunshine but the EPL without Newcastle would be crap.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
True, but not as crap as we’d be without the EPL… Sigh… As I say, I’ve got an increasingly bad feeling about the Birmingham game… I’m afraid my gut is saying 2-1 to them…
March 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Don’t i’ll cry!
March 12th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Don’t feel too sour about the capital of culture. It’s not nothing to do with cultural growth and everything to do with fat cat developers and back handers. Destroying a perfectly good park in favour of a large debenhams/shopping area is not my idea of culture. Oh and Ringo Star got paid £50k+ just to sing two amazingly crap songs on St Georges hall. wtf is that all about? The big money is not being spent to benefit the people of Liverpool. Didn’t Glasgow council go bankrupt after they had it?
March 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Just written out a huge rant about crap architecture and how I’d still have fancied the investment here but I won’t post it! Liverpool got the investment because they need it (shithole), it’s just annoying Newcastle has pulled itself up so well by itself whilst those Scousers have got the money without having to work for it, although that’s hardly the first time…
Speaking of Debenhams, the one they’re building in Newcastle is going to look very cheap… That along with the Gate is going to date really badly! Although not as badly as that new Northumbria Uni campus… Right, I’m ranting now, change subject!
March 12th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Anyway gentlemen, teams for monday?
I’d fancy mixing it up a bit actually, and would suggest;
Harper
Beye
Taylor
Diatta/Cacapa (I know, I know…)
Enrique
Duff
N’Zogbia
Faye (holding midfield, I think he’d be better than Butt)
Milner
Owen
Martins
Downsides: Taking Faye out of defence might unsettle things further. Furthermore, he’s not an attacking player so it’d come down to N’Zogbia to make the attacking plays. If his heart isn’t in it he won’t, in which case we’re in trouble (and may simply be better to field Barton and give him a freer role?). As for Owen and Martins, can they play together..?
However I actually think Keegan will go with, unsuprisingly;
Harper
Beye
Taylor
Faye
Enrique/N’Zogbia
Duff
Butt
Barton
Milner
Smith
Owen
I think the key thing for the next few games is to make sure we’re fielding players who are worried about their futures. The big-name players we have know they’ll be able to simply move to another Premiership club. The players at Reading, Boro, Sunderland, Wigan, Bolton etc don’t have that comfort. They know if they go down they’ll still be at their current club getting their shins battered on a cold, wet windy tuesday night in Scunthorpe with less money for wages floating around. When people talk about fighting for survival, most assume the players are fighting for their club’s survival. They’re not, they’re fighting for their own career’s survival. As a result I think the team we have to field has to see themselves at the club next season, either through youth, necessity or loyalty…
March 12th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Maybe something like:
Harper
Beye
Taylor
Faye
Enrique
Duff
)
Barton (
Butt
Milner
N’Zogbia
Martins/Owen
March 12th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Playing as a 4-5-1 Wes?
March 12th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Was picturing Zogs sitting a little deeper linking up there yeah. Last thing we need mentally is to concede (especially early on) but do need to be able to hit hard on the break. Just don’t fancy seeing Smith on the sheet really.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I agree about Smith, although at the moment I’d bet my right arm he’ll start… N’Zogbia could do well pushing up the field but I’d rather he was linking up with two forwards – if we take the pressure off Birmingham and let them attack us we might be too shakey at the back to resist them… If we do play counter-attacking football though we’ll need to use Martins, Owen is simply lacking the pace for it now sadly
March 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Could work. I would though really like to see the changes that Simo has made. Id prefer us to send a message we are going for it. I do see Martins/Owen working if the midfield is right. The midfield can create for Owen which he needs. Martins is capable of scoring out of nothing on his own… something Owen can’t do. As long as service they can work together. Worry is Milner is looking doubtful as the 2nd scan has showed something up unfortunately… Just our luck. But its always a chance for someone else. I really dont want to see Smith on the teamsheet. Hes offered us nothing apart from 100%. Somestimes that isnt enough. Smith would be alright in a functioning team. We arent. What uni u at Simo? Newcastle do architecture design?
March 12th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Harper
Beye Taylor Faye Enrique
Milner Butt Barton Zoggy
Carroll Martins
Chancey playing Carroll, but the lad is hungry. Might give Owen the kick up the arse he needs?
March 12th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Yup, doing architecture at Newcastle. Presenting first draft of my final design tomorrow… Going to be another all-nighter I reckon!
Bad news regarding Milner, if he’s out we’ll end up with someone like Geremi on the right – who doesn’t appear to give a monkey’s about the team… If the worst comes to the worst could we put Martins on a wing and have him cutting in? Then again it’s not a position he’d be used to… We really are short on quality.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I don’t see him chucking him in at the deep end though the murmurings are that Viduka is going to show his face! So it could well be Viduka Owen up top. If milner is crocked could see Martins on the wing or Duff being switched and Zog playing the left. I must admit like alot of the players Milner hasnt really produced anything? I wouldnt knock Owen. I think he takes alot of flak. Hes done well for us lately even though hes not been getting the service. It was a shame what happened at Blackburn but we came up against Friedel who was bang on for the day. Owen is by far and away our best quality player in a black and white shirt. Yes Zog has potential but he is huffy and still has alot to learn. Hes quite selfish in his play sometimes as well.
So Newcastle Uni? Did you know someone by the name of Matthew Queenan?
March 12th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I know a few Matts but couldn’t say I’ve heard of a Matthew Queenan, does he do architecture? If so what year?
I agree about Owen, he has bags of ability, although only the next couple of games will show whether he’s willing to put in the effort. From what little I’ve heard and seen he does seem to be picking up under Keegan. The main thing though is goals – whoever is going to score them should play, that simple.
Anyway, just looking at the Portsmouth-Birmingham game. 2-2 at half time. Brum seem to be giving easily as good as they get from the sky text commentary. Seriously, I’m worried – I want to be confident about monday, but I’m really really not… I won’t even see the game on Setanta, I’m away with the girlfriend
March 12th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Phew… 4-2 to Pompey. Sounded as if Brum gave them a very good game though… Still, they’ve got no points tonight so at least we’re not 18th. Boro got a point against Villa though – again, it’s worrying that they can grind out a draw against a team that took us apart. Anyway, it could be worse, we could be Derby…
March 13th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Pompey can be a bit eratic at times. Hopefully Birmingham have had a kick in the teeth now. But problem is they can score… can we? Yeah I was hoping Villa would take Boro apart. Still if they lose at the weekend and we win we leapfrog them which would be very nice. We just have to dig deep against a hard fighting Brum team. Howay the lads!
March 13th, 2008 at 8:34 am
BTW Simo he will have been late on in course now if not finished in the past year. I did know he went to Oz for a year though.