October 2010 - A Display of Fighting Spirit

October starts with only one player suffering with an injury. Daeseleire, will be out for about 2 weeks, although we have adequate cover at his right back position.

Hull (H) Premier League

First match of the month sees bottom of the table Hull travelling to play us at Loftus Road. So far they have managed to only secure a solitary point. This makes us clear favourites for the match, but I'm sure it won't be as easy as their poor form and the odds predict. According to my backroom staff, Hull play well against a 4-4-2 formation, which we use, and have an advantage over us in just about every category you can think of. That isn't the best of news, but our good morale will hopefully prove the vital advantage over Hull who are severely lacking in confidence.

The first 10 minutes of the match were characterised by each team showing good ball retention but seeming to lack the ability to find a way to create a shot. However in the 10th minute this changed with Hull breaking the deadlock, when Geovanni got the ball just outside the area and fired in a screamer which despite a marvellous dive, Lung jr could not save. At this point my worst fears looked like they might come true, by going down to a defeat against a team we really should beat. However within 2 minutes a series of swift passing moves ended with Mahon threading a great pass through to Balanta in the middle of the penalty area to put us level with our first opportunity of the game. This at least steadied my nerves a bit. They were eased even further in the 25th minute when Geovanni scored for the second time in the match by slotting home an own goal from a cross by Balanta, to give us the lead. I felt a whole lot better as we completed the half still leading by a one goal margin.

I was a pleased with the display the team had put in. Even though we'd not created many chances, we were looking much the better team. The second half went on with both teams not really creating many opportunities, despite several corners won by each team. After an hour I removed Balanta up front due him taking a knock and put Slory in his place. I move Ephraim who'd been looking pretty good on the left wing to the right to replace Routledge who'd been looking poor this match, and brought on Lee Cook for his first appearance of the season. Moving Ephraim to the right wing proved to be an inspired move although I had to wait until the 80th minute for his delightful play to bear fruit, when he sprinted with the ball past the Hull left back and hit a superb cross for Fatih Yucel to nod home another goal. This seemed to destroy any spirit Hull had, and they were completely caught out when an attack failed just inside our half, with the ball falling to Slory, who gave a swift pass forward for Fatih Yucel. This allowed him to race forward with the ball and place the ball into the far corner of the net to score his second of the match, in the 86th minute, and bring his tally for the season to 10. In the last few minutes we came close to adding another goal with the ball pinging around in the Hull box, with about 4 shots taken in the space of 10 seconds, but somehow it was kept out.

This 4-1 win over Hull was a good display by the team, showing good determination after we'd conceded a goal. I'm really pleased with how well we're moving the ball around, and even though we're not creating a huge number of chances, we're showing a much better cutting edge in front of goal when we do. It's no surprise that Fatih Yucel claimed man of the match, but I thought Hogan Ephraim looked really sharp, causing the Hull full backs all sorts of problems, with his speed and dribbling. I wasn't sure how well he'd play at this level, but he's rewarding me for my faith in him, after a good set of performances. I'm also pleased to see that the knock that Balanta took has not caused any sustained injury, so he should be ready for the next match.

Aston Villa (A) Premier League

The two week international break now sees us injury free again, which is great news. Aston Villa are apparently marginal favourites for this match, though I don't hold much hope for our chances. I set us up for playing on the Counter to give us our best chance, but didn't want us to be playing too deep. Much to my surprise we started off looking the brighter team, though a pattern soon settled where possession was largely shared but Villa always looked more dangerous. It was to my great annoyance that they scored the first goal from a corner, with Stillian Petrov seeming to move an incredible distance to get his head on the ball in the 15th minute. I didn't have to wait long though before we equalised in the 21st minute, when Wayne Routledge broke down the right hand side, and provided the perfect pass for Fatih Yucel to thump away a good header having slipped his marker. This response delighted me, and the match again settled back to even possession with Villa always looking the more dangerous. We managed to make it to half time with the scores level.

In the second half things looked like they would remain much the same, until Petrov scored a stunning second with a volley from 30 yards. Sadly there's not a lot you can do about goals like that. We managed to respond okay creating a few more chances, and wasted a couple of excellent opportunities to level the score, and Buzsaky hit an absolute screamer which was tipped around the post, which had looked destined for the top corner. In the 89th minute with Villa playing a game of pass the ball, I was annoyed that Agbonlahor was able from the edge of the area, to somehow squeeze the ball through a tight gap to extend their lead. Up until that point we'd largely kept him quiet, but that one time, he gained too much space allowing him time to place his shot perfectly.

Overall Villa deserved their 3-1 victory over us, but with a little luck we might have stolen a point from this fixture. This was a game where we put in a good effort but came up just that bit short.

Blackburn (H) Premier League

Blackburn Rovers arrive at Loftus Road off the back of two defeats to Tottenham and Liverpool, meaning their morale is fairly low. Despite our loss to Aston Villa our morale is still fairly good. We also head into this match as favourites, and this is the kind of club we should get a result against when playing at home.

The match started brilliantly for us, holding possession easilly and in the fourth minute, Fatih Yucel provided a brilliant cross from the left edge of the penalty area which Balanta was able to head home to give us an early lead. This was a match of fairly even possession, but we looked more dangerous when we were on the ball than Blackburn. In the 40th minute a Blackburn attack broke down just outside our box with possession being taken by Hogan Ephraim on the left, who spotted Balanta running through the centre, and gave him an inch perfect ball for him to run onto just outside the area. His pace had taken him clear of the defenders, and he showed great composure in placing the ball into the bottom corner of the net, for his second of the game, and taking his season tally to 10 goals.

We went into the second half with our 2-0 lead intact, and the pattern of end to end football carried on. In the 64th minute though, we conceded a goal when a long flat throw was nodded home by a Blackburn player at the far post. The ability to get a throw to carry some 40 yards at least, with pace like that somehow doesn't quite seem realistic. It will interesting to see if the long flat throw is changed slightly. My annoyance at conceding, what I consider to be a bizarre goal, was short lived as Balanta completed his hat-trick, due to a poor back pass which he managed to steal from the feet of the opposing keeper and was able to stroke the ball home for our 3rd goal. Blackburn pushed up in search of a way back into the match again, and both sides had some marvellous opportunities to extend the scoring, none more so than Blackburn striker Roberts, who had got through clear on goal only for Lung jr to close him down and make a stunning save. This was the 2nd or 3rd time he'd denied Roberts with great saves, to stop the scoreline increasing. Without Balanta's stunning hat-trick, Lung jr would have been man of the match, with both players putting in superb performances to keep our 100 percent home record going. Balanta totally terrorised the Blackburn defence, and came close to adding further goals a couple of times. This was a good display of our best fighting qualities, showing how well we can defend, and just how lethal we can be going forward.

Hull (H) League Cup Fourth Round

The Tigers visit Loftus Road for the second time this month, and I'm sure they'll be looking to avenge the defeat we inflicted upon them the first time. Hull are still firmly rooted to the bottom of the Premiership, although they have managed to pick up a win since we played them earlier in the month, so they may feel slightly more confident this time. I decided we'd play a little bit more adventurous and picked Control as our strategy, pushing up the field slightly, and trust that my defence would be able to deal with anything being hit through. The result of this seemed to be a midfield battle, with neither side finding it easy to create any chances. I was happy however that we were dominating this battle, even if were having trouble finding a route through, as we did look a bit more dangerous when we were on the ball. The highlights for the first half would be limited to a handful of incidents, such was the difficulty both sides were having in creating chances. Early on Hull hit the woodwork from a free kick. In the 28th minute we broke forward after a Hull free kick in our half, with Routledge racing down the right hand side, and providing a perfect cross for Fatih Yucel to nod home an easy close range header. The match went back being a dreary midfield battle until the 45th minute, when Routledge was again allowed space and time on the ball, and provided a beautiful throughball for Balanta, who had no trouble in leaving his marker for dead, and rounded the Hull keeper to increase our lead to two goals as the first half ended.

Although the match to this point had largely been pretty dreary, apart from our two goals, I was thrilled with our performance, as Hull had managed just 4 shots, only the one off the woodwork causing any concern. We started the second half looking much better, creating a few early chances before the match again settled to being a midfield battle again. I began to feel we were just slowly grinding Hull into submission. This seemed to work because in the 67th minute Rafa passed the ball to Balanta in space just outside and the box, and he took a first time shot which screamed by the keeper into the back of the net. Hull then won a few corners, but failed to make any chances. In the 77th minute we had finally ground down Hull such that they could hardly get any time on the ball for the remainder of the match. We created several half chances over the next 10 minutes, with Balanta desperately looking to complete his second hat-trick in a row. In the 90th minute Ephraim received a pass at the edge of the box, and curled a lovely shot into the net just outside the reach of the keeper, to score his first goal of the season.

I can only think a little lapse in concentration following. In the second minute of added time, Hull won a corner. The kick itself wasn't great with Puygrenier taking possession, only to be tackled in the middle of the area to give Hull their only shot of the half, and the latest of consolation goals. That lapse is a touch annoying, but overall the team put in a high quality performance. Balanta's performance during this 4-1 victory saw Balanta come away as man of the match again. He is playing way beyond the level I thought he could acheive, and quite rightly is being adored by our fans, along with Fatih Yucel.

This also allows us to advance through to the quarter final stage of the competition. There were no shocks in the other cup matches, although Man United thrashing Chelsea 5-2 at Stamford Bridge in such an easy manner would not have been expected. This does not bode well for our next match which is a visit to Old Trafford. Newcastle are struggling right near the bottom of the table, and are not being held by Fabricio Coloccini, who has now played 5 league matches and been sent off in 4 of them. At this rate he's going to be banned for most of the season, and set an almost unbelievably embarrassing discipline record.

Manchester United (A) Premier League

A visit to the cauldron of Old Trafford is a fixture we go into as clear underdogs, and expected to be given a sound thrashing. The main aim for this match is to be tight at the back, and hope to create something on the counter attack. There is no getting away from the fact that United are a much superior team, but if we get some space to put some passes together we have the ability to hurt them. Fergie has acknowledged the danger of Balanta, and when the teamsheets are announced, can see he is taking us seriously by fielding a strong squad. I decided to go with a defensive attitide, but keep the tempo fairly normal, as United are likely to give us a reasonable amount of time on the ball.

The match started with both sides sharing the possession, with United creating a few more chances, though largely long range efforts. We managed a couple of speculative shots, but nothing that was going to worry the keeper. Unfortunately in the 26th minute a throughball, just floated by the head of Puygrenier, providing Rooney with a perfect opportunity to open the scoring, with a thunderous shot from the edge of the area, giving the keeper no chance. With United now leading I feared the flood gates would open, but for the remainder of the first half they seemed to back off, giving us a lot of time on the ball, but our penetration in the last third of the pitch was just lacking. Apart from the goal we conceded, our defending had been top class, and we'd looked good on the ball. However we seemed to be lacking in ideas when it came to final third of the pitch.

The second half started with United deciding that a 1 goal lead wasn't really enough, and they started to push us back. Again we were able to restrict them to long range efforts, none of which were even on target. This pressure nearly played into our hands, as we were able to mount more counter attacks, with spaces opening up. A couple of times I thought we were going to get an equaliser, but everytime resulted in either in a brilliant save, herioc defending, or a slightly misjudged pass to end the attacking move. Although we failed to score, I was pleased that we had done so well at restricting United's opportunities. The flow of the match was not helped by the referee throwing yellow cards around like crazy, and was no surprise that eventually a player was sent off for a second yellow. Sadly this was our right back, Daeseleire, who will now serve a one match ban. This is the first time we've failed to scored in a competitive match this season. Although I hate losing, the most annoying thing was the sending off, especially as it was in the 88th minute, and needless although in balance he probably did deserve the second yellow. This is our first player to be given a red card, and we've still only received 10 yellow cards in the league, which places us nicely as one of the more disciplined clubs. As it's the first time he's been sent off, I have given him a warning, hoping he will not make a habit of it.

I was pleased with how we battled, and with a slice of luck might have sneaked a draw. In the second half, the United keeper made a poor clearance for the left edge of the 6 yard box, with the ball being passed straight to Balanta, who attempted a first time strike with his weaker foot, which went just past the outside of the post. If he'd tried to settle the ball for his stronger foot he'd have been closed down and lost the opportunity, so happy he tried the first time shot. The effort shown was excellent, and this was another case of coming up a bit short against a superior side, therefore going down 1-0 is no disgrace.

Monthly Roundup

A month of highs and lows, but even in the defeats we were putting in good battling performances. The highlights are the two matches against Hull, especially their second visit, where we outplayed them with a classy performance. The Blackburn match was a big high with Balanta picking up a marvellous hat-trick, and a brilliant performance by Lung jr in goal to stop them from fighting their way back into the match. The following picture shows the lead up to the most important save, in which I thought Roberts was almost certain to score. Most important, I feel, is that Nasuti's position is making sure that the options Roberts has are limited. This allowed Lung jr to close Roberts down and make a superb save.

The lows were of course, losing away to Aston Villa and Manchester United. Before the start of the month, I'd have happily taken this set of results, as being the most realistic possibility if we played well. Anything more than this would have taken something special. To move through to the quarter final of the League Cup is excellent, and is beyond the expectations set at the start of the year for this tournament. These results see us slip to 5th in the league table, which I'd say moves us towards our realistic target of finishing mid-table. This month leads me to believe this should be our target, given our current position and run of form.

Angelo Balanta's perfomance this month has seen him become our second player in a row to pick up the Young Player of the Month award. He was managed a brilliant 6 goals in 5 games, with Fatih Yucel hitting 4 goals during the month. Hogan Ephraim has also delighted our fans with 1 goal and 2 assists during the month, and is another player that is continuing to surprise me. His training has been going well, which has given him a good turn of speed and dribbling skills that have seen him dazzle at times.