The time has come to make an important change. This will be the very last post I make on the blogger website. However, before you despair, thinking that I'm about to vanish again into the ether; keep reading.
The entire blog is now moving to a completely new home, on a domain over which I have full control. All posts and comments, except for this particular one, have been copied across.
The new home from now on will be, Yet Another Football Manager Blog. I will leave this blog as is, for a while, but I will at some point in the future set the redirection up, so that people are automatically moved to the new home.
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Saturday 8 October 2011
Resurrection of the blog
After an absence of over a year, I have decided to bring this blog back to life. Sadly I had a failure of my machine, which brought a premature end to the story as it resulted in me losing the saved game. This also coincided with a very busy period, and thus this blog got largely forgotten about, although it was still there in the back of my mind.
With the release of the Football Manager 2012 imminent, it seemed like a good time to bring about a long awaited resurrection. I already have new team in mind, which will be revealed nearer to the actual release date.
I have already had a look at the demo release, which was made available recently. There are some interesting additions, although a few changes to the layout which seem rather unnecessary. As appears to be the recent trend with many websites and software, the thinking seems to be presenting as much information as possible at one time, with no consideration of how cluttered everything is.
Over the next couple of weeks I will use the demo to experiment with the new features, such as the new team talks.
With the release of the Football Manager 2012 imminent, it seemed like a good time to bring about a long awaited resurrection. I already have new team in mind, which will be revealed nearer to the actual release date.
I have already had a look at the demo release, which was made available recently. There are some interesting additions, although a few changes to the layout which seem rather unnecessary. As appears to be the recent trend with many websites and software, the thinking seems to be presenting as much information as possible at one time, with no consideration of how cluttered everything is.
Over the next couple of weeks I will use the demo to experiment with the new features, such as the new team talks.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
January 2013 - Beating The Blues In The Deep Mid Winter
This month sees us scheduled for 7 fixtures, 4 being Premier League matches, at home to Cardiff and Sheffield United, and away to Leeds and Birmingham. We have the two legs of our League Cup semi final against Chelsea, and the FA Cup 3rd round match again Stoke. If we beat Stoke I believe we will play another fixture near the end of the month. Even worse would be to draw with Stoke, and have a replay as well.
Cardiff (H) Premier League
Cardiff arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites, not having won in there last 5 matches. They have however held Chelsea and most recently Arsenal to a draw, but sit in 19th place in the table. The hectic schedule over the Christmas and New Year period is taking its toll on the condition of players, but we still look in much better shape than Cardiff.
The match started off as a battle, and even though after 15 minutes we'd had 6 shots and Cardiff 1, there was nothing worthy of note. In the 17th minute Curri managed to get clear into the area, and hammered a shot, which thundered into the woodwork, going safe. The clearance was poor though allowing Rafa to feed the ball through for Sanchez to run onto and give us the lead. In the 22nd minute a run into the area from Jimenez created panic, with him brought down to give us a penalty. Cardozo stepped up and thumped the ball into the back of the net to double our lead. The match then became rather scrappy with the next incident of note coming in the 37th minute with Gary Cahill, who'd conceded the penalty committing an atrocious foul on Cardozo, causing him a shin injury in the process, but not enough to enforce his substitution, but a worry still. Cahill was shown a straight red card for his assault on Cardozo. In the 44th minute Fatih Yucel got his head to a cross, and only an outstanding save from the keeper managed to push the ball for a corner. Jimenez drilled the ball just wide of the post in the 45th minute as we started to try and take advantage of Cardiff being down to 10 men. The half came to an end with us leading 2-0.
I was pleased with how we'd played going forward, but very concerned about the state of Cardozo after a very scary challenge on him. Cardiff had seen plenty of the ball, but most of that time they were just boring the crowd to death, going nowhere with it. I sent the players back out pleased with them, and hoped they would continue to play well. We were laying seige to the Cardiff goal from the start of the half, but finding it almost impossible to work a way through. I thought we'd scored in the 58th minute with Balanta putting the ball in the net, but he had been offside, so it didn't stand. We continued to press, with Cardiff managing brief spells of trying to bore us into a mistake. Jimenez put Balanta through on goal again in the 65th minute with him hitting the back of the net, and this time it would stand. We now seemed determined to extend the scoreline, with Gilardino putting a header over the bar in the 70th minute. We were now in total control of the match, firmly camped at the Cardiff end of the pitch. In the 87th minute Gilardino got his head to a cross, and only another amazing save from the keeper managed to put it out for a corner. Sanchez fired just wide in the following minute. In the first minute of added time Scocco headed just over the bar. The Cardiff players were looking dead on their feet, and in the 2nd minute of added time Gilardino slotted a pass through to Sanchez, who dribbled in behind the defenders, and slotted home his second of the match. The final whistle blew shortly after the restart with us comfortable 4-0 winners.
I was very pleased with our performance in the second half, looking totally dominant, and didn't allow Cardiff to create even a single shot during the half. Ochoa had a very lonely time at the back, with hardly anything to do in the match, making one save early in the match, which was a very easy catch. It was a huge relief to me to find out that Cardozo was fine, and would be ready for action straight away. There was even greater delight when news came in from other grounds, with Arsenal held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds at the Emirates, and Aston Villa lost 1-0 at Villa Park to Everton.
Result: 4-0
Stoke (H) FA Cup 3rd Round
We welcome the Potters to Loftus Road with us favourites to win. Stoke have been doing fairly well this season, sitting in 5th place in the Championship, but arrive off the back of a loss to Charlton. Complacency could be my biggest issue going into this match.
The match started with both teams looking lively, but it was clear that Stoke were going to have troubles keeping Sanchez quiet on the right wing, with him producing a couple of early crosses with ease, the second finding the head of Cardozo, with the shot bouncing behind off the top of the crossbar in the 4th minute. Stoke were defending in numbers having trouble when they came forward, although it became clear that for some odd reason my fullbacks were not managing to stop the very slow wingers of Stoke going by them, which is frustrating, as they should be able to stop them almost every time. In the 14th minute one of them got a cross into the box, with a header going just over our crossbar. In the 16th minute Gilardino was played through on goal, but shot straight at the keeper. We then seemed to struggle for a while to make any progress forward, until the 25th minute when Curri delivered a cross into the area, with Sanchez running through the area, and glancing a header just past the keeper to open the scoring. In the 41st minute Gilardino hit the crossbar from a shot in the right side of the area, with Cardozo unable to get enough power into his header from the rebound to beat the keeper. The half ended with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased we had the lead, having looked the more creative side, but I was a bit concerned that we were still letting the wingers get by our fullbacks too often, although we only allowed Stoke to create a couple of off target shots, so we'd not suffered because of it. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to show a bit more and not let Stoke back into the match. The second half continued where we'd left off, with us allowing Stoke to pressure us at times, even though they weren't really creating anything. In the 52nd minute Sunny put a ball through to Jimenez to run into the area in space, and he slotted the ball home in off the inside of the post to double our lead. In the 55th minute Gilardino put a header just over the bar, as we started to look a lot more confident, and he hooked the ball wide from a tight angle in the following minute. In the 58th Ochoa was given a save to make, his first of the match, an easy one, and only Stoke's 3rd shot of the match. Much as Cardiff had done in the previous match, Stoke were having a share of possession but boring everyone with football that just wasn't going anywhere, giving Ochoa a second easy save in the 72nd minute. We never gave up trying to add another goal, and created a few more shots, but just couldn't find the target again. The match finished with us winning 2-0.
I was pleased with the lads, as we'd played better, in the 2nd half, with Stoke managing just 2 long shots that were easy for Ochoa to save, making just 4 in the match. The fullbacks had done a lot better as well, and Jimenez adding the second goal make the match a lot less tense. Sanchez was the man of the match for the 2nd time in a row, having worked tirelessly, making an astonishing 17 runs past opponents. I would gladly take this referee everywhere with me, because this match Sunny committed 6 fouls without receiving a booking, with no cards shown at all, which was a refreshing change.
Result: 2-0
The draw for the 4th round of the FA Cup was made just before the next match, and will see us travel away to take on Burnley. The loan signing of Breno has been confirmed, and given he'd made quite a few appearances for AC Milan is match fit, but I have to admit I'm a bit astonished that they have sent him on loan. One of the AC Milan players thinks it is a big mistake by their manager, but it's our gain.
Chelsea (H) League Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
Chelsea arrive at Loftus Road with us marginal favourites to win the first leg. Their season has improved a fair bit since we played them earlier in the season, now in 5th place in the league table. I'm fielding a very strong team, and decided to give Breno a debut in the centre of defence alongside Kjær.
The match started with Chelsea pushing forward, but it was us who managed the first shot in the 4th minute with Jimenez firing over the bar. Chelsea pushed forward, with the attack breaking down, allowing the ball to be cleared to Sanchez on the right, and he sprinted forward, producing a wonderful looping cross into the area, for Jimenez, who controlled the ball and pretty much dribbled his way into the goal to give us the lead. Our lead didn't last long with Chelsea managing to break through for their first shot in the 7th minute. We were then playing utter garbage, allowing Chelsea to pin us back, giving the ball away, and starting to commit fouls. I was getting really upset with how poor we looked trying to go forward, being quite pathetic. Chelsea were also getting regular shots off. The next incident of real note was Ochoa having to make a good save in the 26th minute with us split open again. In the 34th minute Gilardino thumped a header goalward at a corner, only to see the keeper make an almost unbelievably lucky save, pushing it onto the defender marking the post, with the ball bouncing out to be cleared. In the 44th Chelsea hammered a header from a corner just over the bar. In added time Dzsudzsak fired just wide of the post. The half came to end with the scores level at 1-1.
I was very disappointed with our performance, with us rarely looking dangerous going forward, and wide open far too often at the back. We'd managed 4 shots with Chelsea having 14. I ripped into my players for their dismal performance before sending them back out. In the 47th minute Scocco was put through clear on goal, only to see the keeper make an outstanding save to deny him. In the 50th minute Laure managed to suffer an upper body injury with absolutely no visible signs of how this could have happened. In the 58th minute the Chelsea keeper managed another amazing save to deny Gilardino a clear chance. In the 62nd minute Scocco put Gilardino through again on goal, and this time he slotted the ball home to give us the lead again. We were looking much more in control now, and in the 75th minute only another great save from the Chelsea keeper stopped Scocco adding to the scoreline. In the 86th minute Chelsea put a header just over our bar to give us a scare. We then controlled the ball until into added time when Ochoa had to make a good save from a long shot. We managed to see out the remaining time to win 2-1.
I was pleased we managed to get the win, although we'd not really played our best, but I thought we'd deserved it even though we'd had less shots, due to creating more clear chances. The match report unsurprisingly reckoned we were lucky to get the win, because it can't take into account that most of Chelsea's shots were never in danger of going into the net. Apparently Laure suffered a bruised rib in an accidental collision, and will be out for about 5 days, but appears he clashed with the invisible man.
Result: 2-1
Leeds (A) Premier League
We travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds, as clear favourites to win this match. Leeds have struggled this season, finding themselves in 17th place, fighting to stave off relegation, without a win for month, having lost their last match in the FA Cup to West Bromich Albion, a Championship team. During that last month, they have however managed to hold both Arsenal and Man City to draws, so we shouldn't take this match for granted. The time between fixtures has been kind to us, allowing me to name an almost unchanged team from that which played against Chelsea.
The match started with Leeds looking to attack, hitting the woodwork in the first minute from a cracking long shot. We were totally shocking, with Leeds passing the ball around like we weren't even there, and in the 7th minute Ochoa had to make a good save to deny Leeds. In the 11th minute we finally managed to put more than one pass together, with Cardozo trying to chip the keeper who'd come off his, line, but hit the crossbar, with the ball going safe. This seemed to settle us a bit, with Sanchez heading just over in the 16th minute, and again in the 22nd. In the 25th minute Jimenez scored from close range after a cross from Cardozo caused a mix-up between the keeper and a defender, with neither claiming the ball. The match became very scrappy after that, with chances few before the whistle brought the half to an end with us leading 1-0.
Although we'd taken the lead, I was quite disappointed with our performance, allowing Leeds far too much room and also committing too many fouls. I tried to give the players encouragement before sending him back out again. The second half started in the same frustrating fashion. In the 54th minute Breno hit the crossbar with a thunderous header from a free kick. In the 57th Jimenez had a shot saved by the keeper from just outside the area. In the following minute Daeseleire fired a ball through into the area for Fatih Yucel to run onto and he made no mistake firing the ball into the net to double our lead, scoring his fiftieth league goal for the club. We were playing much better now, but the match was still fairly scrappy. In the 79th minute Cardozo fired another header just over the bar. The match came to an end with us running out 2-0 victors.
I was pleased we'd managed to see out the victory and had performed a lot better defensively in the second half, restricting Leeds very well. Breno was named the name of the match, having put in a very solid display in the centre of defence. This had been a deserved victory, even if the match had not been of the highest quality.
Result: 2-0
Birmingham (A) Premier League
We travel to St. Andrews as favourites to win this match. Birmingham have had an average season, sitting in 14th in the league, but lost most recently to Liverpool at home. We have won all our previous 5 matches against them, so feel confident that we can add another victory. We have the second leg of our league cup semi final 3 days after this match, so giving some key players a rest, but feel we have more than enough quality to still pull off a win.
The match started with Birmingham looking lively, and it wasn't until the 4th minute we gained any possession. Even when we did get possesion we seemed to lack imagination, as both teams seemed to be cancelling each other out. The deadlock was finally broken with Scocco slotting a superb pass through for Gilardino to race free into the area, and he made no mistake to put away the very first shot of the match, and give us the lead in the 13th minute. This seemed to calm our players a lot, and we were playing with more confidence, but there seemed to be little space still for either team to work chances. After 27 minutes, Birmingham suddenly started to push harder, with us lucky at a corner not to concede an equaliser, with them hitting the crossbar, and Ochoa having to make a great save to deny them from the rebound. The following minute they hit the post with a header, with us looking a total shambles at the back. I was rather frustrated when Varrault went down with a foot injury in the 39th minute, just hoping this wasn't going to be anything serious. We were also giving away far too many unnecessary fouls, allowing Birmingham to put more pressure on us. Birmingham pressured us in the last few minutes, with some good defending getting in a couple of blocks stopped them from finding an equaliser. We managed to see out the first half and retain our 1-0 lead.
I was pleased to have the lead, but was a bit disappointed with how we'd played after taking the lead, especially with the number of fouls we'd committed. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to defend in a much more confident manner in the second half. The start wasn't the most encouraging, with Nasuti allowing himself to be tackled with the ball, fortunately the long range effort was off target, but it was disappointing to see. In the 52nd minute Gilardino put a header from a corner just over the bar. In the 57th minute Laure tried a shot from 25 yards out, only denied by a great diving save from the keeper, pushing it for a corner. The players were now looking more confident, and dominating at the moment. From the corner Breno headed just over the bar. In the 66th Ochoa had to make a save from a bullet header, but easy enough for him to catch. In the 83rd minute Nasuti received a very dodgy booking for a very soft foul just outside our area, with Ochoa just pushing the free kick around the post. I was not happy, because I didn't think it should have even been given as a foul. The team were now playing utter garbage, making stupid passes, and just allowing Birmingham to put us under pressure in a way we shouldn't be. Fortunately the only thing we did get right in the last few minutes was our last ditch tackling, as we managed to somehow hold on for a 1-0 win.
Other than a few times when we went forward, we'd been terrible in the second half. Our only saving grace was that Birmingham had been poor too. This was such an ugly match, with Sunny also picking up an almost obiligatory yellow card, although he fully deserved this one, for a most ugly challenge which wasn't even necessary. I actually clicked the continue button by mistake at the team talk page before selecting anything, although not saying anything was probably a fair reflection of what I felt. There was only 4 players on the pitch rated 7.0 or above, with Gilardino getting the man of the match with 7.3 in what had been a pretty dire match to watch. The positive from the match is that we managed to come away with a win, but Varrault had twisted his ankle putting him out for about 3 weeks.
Result: 1-0
Chelsea (A) League Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
We travel the short distance to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, who are marginal favourites for the 2nd leg. I'm fielding my strongest team in order to try and make sure we don't throw away the semi final. We hold a one goal lead after the first leg, so a draw would be enough, but I would like to see us win the match as they are our fiercest rivals.
Chelsea came out looking motivated, with us not really looking overly interested, and under pressure. In the first 10 minutes we hardly even managed to get into the final third of the pitch. Chelsea had been busy firing off long shots. It was therefore completely against the run of play when Rafa headed the ball forward for Cardozo to take control of the ball at the edge of the area with his back to the goal in the 14th minute. He turned his marker and beat a second defender before placing his shot into the bottom corner of the net to score and give us a 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was upset with our defence when they allowed themselves to be split wide open to allow Chelsea to equalise and draw back to just 1 goal behind on aggregate in the 18th minute. We continued to be rather pathetic with Chelsea putting us under almost constant pressure. We were still giving the ball away too often. I was stunned by how awful we were, just allowing Chelsea to dominate. It wasn't until the 41st we managed to get another shot, with Cardozo putting a header just over the bar. We managed to get to half with the match score at 1-1.
I was pleased that we still held the lead on aggregate, but seriously disappointed by our performance. This was by far the worst we'd played at any point during the season, even if the score didn't completely reflect that. I ripped into the players telling them they'd been disappointing, and then sent them back out. The players came out looking much more motivated, but still struggling to stop Chelsea going on the attack. In the 50th minute Dzsudzsak fired a diagonal ball into space behind the Chelsea defence for Cardozo to chase onto, which he did and when he reached the edge of the area, he placed his shot into the back of the net, to restore our 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was furious when Rafa was chopped down and took a knock in the 53rd minute, with no foul given. While he was off the field, Chelsea made the most of him being treated, with Ochoa having to make a good save, with us ripped wide open, showing how important the DMC is to our formation. We seemed a bit more composed after this, but still having to withstand a lot of pressure from Chelsea. In the 61st minute Cardozo put a header just over the bar. In the 69th minute Fatih Yucel cracked a long shot from 30 yards out, but was unlucky in hitting the post. In the 72nd he put a header just over the bar. The following minute Chelsea put a header just over the bar, as they started to push. In the 84th minute Ochoa had to make a good save with us struggling to withstand the pressure. Just into added time, the Chelsea keeper made an amazing save to deny Jimenez, after Gilardino squared the ball to him free in the area. We managed to see the match out to complete a 2-1 victory.
I was pleased that we'd come away with a victory to seal our place in the League Cup final. We'd performed better in the second half, but it still hadn't been pretty. Fortunately, although we'd not been particularly good, we'd been better at putting away our chances. I guess this is a good sign, that although we were outplayed for large parts of the match, we managed to still grab a victory. Cardozo had earned his man of the match award with his display. I congratulated the team on reaching the final. The other semi final was also played the same evening with Man City seeing off Aston Villa, and will therefore play us in the final.
Result: 2-1 (4-2 aggregate)
Burnley (A) FA Cup 4th Round
We travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley, with us favourites for this match. Burnley currently sit in 3rd place in the Championship, so we must not be complacent.
The match started as really scrappy affair. The first shot worth mentioning was in the 8th minute, with Ephraim firing wide, having got free in the area. Burnley fired just over from a long shot the following minute. In the 17th minute we were given a rather soft penalty with Ephraim apparently pushed in the area. Curri stepped up to take responsibility, and hammered into the top right hand corner of the net to give us the lead, and his first goal of the season. Burnley started to push, and for some odd reason Ephraim seemed to keep dribbling the ball out of play when we did head forward. We were having more of the possession, but Burnley were still firing off long shots with regularity, and in the 33rd minute Ochoa had to push a stunning shot from 20 yards out over the bar. In the 35th minute Scocco produced a superb cross from the right, finding the head of Gilardino who'd got free in the area, putting the ball in the back of the net to extend our lead. That second goal really seemed to settle the team down, and we began to move the ball about with confidence. Burnley were still getting in the odd long shot, either crazy blocked shots, some of which irritate me that they count as shots, and others off target. The match reached half time with us leading 2-0.
I was pleased that we held the lead, showing our quality when when it came to attacking. The only worry was how many long shots Burnley were letting fly, but so far we'd held out. I sent the players back out trying to make sure they were fired up enough to not let Burnley back into the match, who would surely come out looking very motivated. The match restarted looking very scrappy indeed, and soon decided to substitute Sunny after he got booked and seemed intent on getting an early bath. In the 62nd minute Ochoa had to make a great save from a free kick taken from 30+ yards out. We started to take control of the match, but Burnley now seemed almost impossible to break down again, with us forcing them to defend in numbers. In the 82nd minute some awful defending allowed Burnley to score, with our defence seeming to fall asleep. I also felt that Ochoa should have done better with the attempted save as well. This was the first time Burnley had even threatened to break us down in the second half That was frustrating at it seemed to encourage Burnley, but was pleased see us using up time building attacks up slowly, with Gilardino heading just over the bar in the 87th minute, with our only decent chance of the half. In the 90th minute Scocco should have put the result beyond doubt, but the keeper managed an amazing reflex save to deny him having got free of the defence into the area. In the first minute of added time, Gilardino was gifted a superb chance by the keeper to score, heading the ball straight to him, but his shot hit the crossbar. One of the Burnley players tried to head clear, but only succeeded in finding Balanta in the area, and he slammed the ball home to put the result beyond doubt at 3-1. The match finished soon after the restart with us running out as 3-1 winners.
Overall I was pleased with our performance, even though we'd had a small lapse of concentration near the end. We'd deserved to come away with the victory, but Burnley had shown how tough they are to break down. The second half had been very boring until the last 10 minutes, when there was a flurry of action. I took immense joy when the results from other matches came through, with Chelsea being beaten by West Ham.
Result: 3-1
In the run up to the next match, the FA 5th round draw has seen us gain a home tie against either Birmingham or Fulham.
Sheffield United (H) Premier League
The Blades arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites. Sheffield United have however performed a little above expectations, sitting in 13th place, but have failed to secure a win in their last 6 matches. Our previous meeting at Bramall Lane saw us come away with a 3-1 victory, so I expect us to win this match, but I have concerns about the team showing signs of complacency.
The match started by boring everyone to death early on. The Blades were enjoying more possession, but failing to do anything with it, and we were also not showing much better signs of working an opening either. Just as a I thought I would fall asleep Curri hooked a cross into the area in the 25th minute, with Fatih Yucel getting his head to the ball and directed it into the net to give us the lead. The Blades went straight on the attack, putting a long shot just over the bar. In the 34th minute Cardozo fired the ball into the area from a free kick, with Kjær getting his head to the ball, with the keeper only just tipping the ball over the bar. A very unexciting first half came to an end with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased with our performance, even though it had been a really quite poor match. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to press and see this out properly, and hopefully make the match a bit more interesting. The Blades came out looking determined, but were boring us into making fouls, causing great frustration. In the 52nd minute Daeseliere tried a shot from just outside the area, forcing a great diving save from the keeper to deny him. In the 57th minute we won a free kick to the right of the area, with Cardozo firing the kick into the area, where Breno got his head to the ball forcing it over the line to double our lead, and score his first goal since coming on loan to the club. In the 60th minute Cardozo managed to get a chance under pressure in the area, but could only fire the ball at the advancing keeper. In the 70th minute the best series of passes in the match saw Cardozo play a 1-2 with Jimenez, receiving the ball back in the area, having lost his marker, to give himself an easy shot to give us a 3 goal lead. In the 81st minute one of the Blades strikers went on a amazing run, completely doing a couple of our players in a way that shocked me. Fortunately once he got through on goal, he fired straight at Ochoa, giving him an easy save. Just into added time we allowed a Blades striker to run onto a ball with them starting to play route one football, but his header gave Ochoa a very easy save. The match finished soon afterwards, with us running out 3-0 winners.
I was pleased with our performance in the second half, with us having much more control of the match, and restricting the Blades very well. I was a little worried that the use of route one football had nearly undone us at the back. Breno was named the man of the match, having scored and put in a very solid performance at the back to help deny the opposition.
Result: 3-0
Monthly Roundup
This has been a fantastic month, winning all 8 matches, and only conceding 3 goals during, each in cup matches. The highlight was beating Chelsea in both legs of the League Cup semi final. To beat Chelsea, otherwise known as the Blues, or Blue Scum as I call them, is so sweet. We even managed to win the couple of matches in which we didn't play well.
We have extended our lead at the top of the league, now sitting 11 points ahead of Aston Villa with 2 games in hand, and 12 points clear of Everton, who we have 1 game in hand over.
Breno won the Premiership player of the month for January, with Jimenez named as the runner up. I was named the Premiership manager of the month again, having won all 4 matches. My player of the month goes to Jimenez, who scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists. The month finishes with just one injury, that being to Varrault who will be out for up to week.
The next month sees us scheduled for 7 matches, although we will also have our 5th round FA Cup match, but our opponents have not been verified yet. We have 6 league matches, with some tricky opponents, with home matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. The 4 away matches will see us play Everton, Man City, Arsenal and Wolves, so this looks to be a very tough month. We also have the 1st leg of our Champions League knockout match away to Sevilla.
Cardiff (H) Premier League
Cardiff arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites, not having won in there last 5 matches. They have however held Chelsea and most recently Arsenal to a draw, but sit in 19th place in the table. The hectic schedule over the Christmas and New Year period is taking its toll on the condition of players, but we still look in much better shape than Cardiff.
The match started off as a battle, and even though after 15 minutes we'd had 6 shots and Cardiff 1, there was nothing worthy of note. In the 17th minute Curri managed to get clear into the area, and hammered a shot, which thundered into the woodwork, going safe. The clearance was poor though allowing Rafa to feed the ball through for Sanchez to run onto and give us the lead. In the 22nd minute a run into the area from Jimenez created panic, with him brought down to give us a penalty. Cardozo stepped up and thumped the ball into the back of the net to double our lead. The match then became rather scrappy with the next incident of note coming in the 37th minute with Gary Cahill, who'd conceded the penalty committing an atrocious foul on Cardozo, causing him a shin injury in the process, but not enough to enforce his substitution, but a worry still. Cahill was shown a straight red card for his assault on Cardozo. In the 44th minute Fatih Yucel got his head to a cross, and only an outstanding save from the keeper managed to push the ball for a corner. Jimenez drilled the ball just wide of the post in the 45th minute as we started to try and take advantage of Cardiff being down to 10 men. The half came to an end with us leading 2-0.
I was pleased with how we'd played going forward, but very concerned about the state of Cardozo after a very scary challenge on him. Cardiff had seen plenty of the ball, but most of that time they were just boring the crowd to death, going nowhere with it. I sent the players back out pleased with them, and hoped they would continue to play well. We were laying seige to the Cardiff goal from the start of the half, but finding it almost impossible to work a way through. I thought we'd scored in the 58th minute with Balanta putting the ball in the net, but he had been offside, so it didn't stand. We continued to press, with Cardiff managing brief spells of trying to bore us into a mistake. Jimenez put Balanta through on goal again in the 65th minute with him hitting the back of the net, and this time it would stand. We now seemed determined to extend the scoreline, with Gilardino putting a header over the bar in the 70th minute. We were now in total control of the match, firmly camped at the Cardiff end of the pitch. In the 87th minute Gilardino got his head to a cross, and only another amazing save from the keeper managed to put it out for a corner. Sanchez fired just wide in the following minute. In the first minute of added time Scocco headed just over the bar. The Cardiff players were looking dead on their feet, and in the 2nd minute of added time Gilardino slotted a pass through to Sanchez, who dribbled in behind the defenders, and slotted home his second of the match. The final whistle blew shortly after the restart with us comfortable 4-0 winners.
I was very pleased with our performance in the second half, looking totally dominant, and didn't allow Cardiff to create even a single shot during the half. Ochoa had a very lonely time at the back, with hardly anything to do in the match, making one save early in the match, which was a very easy catch. It was a huge relief to me to find out that Cardozo was fine, and would be ready for action straight away. There was even greater delight when news came in from other grounds, with Arsenal held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds at the Emirates, and Aston Villa lost 1-0 at Villa Park to Everton.
Result: 4-0
Stoke (H) FA Cup 3rd Round
We welcome the Potters to Loftus Road with us favourites to win. Stoke have been doing fairly well this season, sitting in 5th place in the Championship, but arrive off the back of a loss to Charlton. Complacency could be my biggest issue going into this match.
The match started with both teams looking lively, but it was clear that Stoke were going to have troubles keeping Sanchez quiet on the right wing, with him producing a couple of early crosses with ease, the second finding the head of Cardozo, with the shot bouncing behind off the top of the crossbar in the 4th minute. Stoke were defending in numbers having trouble when they came forward, although it became clear that for some odd reason my fullbacks were not managing to stop the very slow wingers of Stoke going by them, which is frustrating, as they should be able to stop them almost every time. In the 14th minute one of them got a cross into the box, with a header going just over our crossbar. In the 16th minute Gilardino was played through on goal, but shot straight at the keeper. We then seemed to struggle for a while to make any progress forward, until the 25th minute when Curri delivered a cross into the area, with Sanchez running through the area, and glancing a header just past the keeper to open the scoring. In the 41st minute Gilardino hit the crossbar from a shot in the right side of the area, with Cardozo unable to get enough power into his header from the rebound to beat the keeper. The half ended with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased we had the lead, having looked the more creative side, but I was a bit concerned that we were still letting the wingers get by our fullbacks too often, although we only allowed Stoke to create a couple of off target shots, so we'd not suffered because of it. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to show a bit more and not let Stoke back into the match. The second half continued where we'd left off, with us allowing Stoke to pressure us at times, even though they weren't really creating anything. In the 52nd minute Sunny put a ball through to Jimenez to run into the area in space, and he slotted the ball home in off the inside of the post to double our lead. In the 55th minute Gilardino put a header just over the bar, as we started to look a lot more confident, and he hooked the ball wide from a tight angle in the following minute. In the 58th Ochoa was given a save to make, his first of the match, an easy one, and only Stoke's 3rd shot of the match. Much as Cardiff had done in the previous match, Stoke were having a share of possession but boring everyone with football that just wasn't going anywhere, giving Ochoa a second easy save in the 72nd minute. We never gave up trying to add another goal, and created a few more shots, but just couldn't find the target again. The match finished with us winning 2-0.
I was pleased with the lads, as we'd played better, in the 2nd half, with Stoke managing just 2 long shots that were easy for Ochoa to save, making just 4 in the match. The fullbacks had done a lot better as well, and Jimenez adding the second goal make the match a lot less tense. Sanchez was the man of the match for the 2nd time in a row, having worked tirelessly, making an astonishing 17 runs past opponents. I would gladly take this referee everywhere with me, because this match Sunny committed 6 fouls without receiving a booking, with no cards shown at all, which was a refreshing change.
Result: 2-0
The draw for the 4th round of the FA Cup was made just before the next match, and will see us travel away to take on Burnley. The loan signing of Breno has been confirmed, and given he'd made quite a few appearances for AC Milan is match fit, but I have to admit I'm a bit astonished that they have sent him on loan. One of the AC Milan players thinks it is a big mistake by their manager, but it's our gain.
Chelsea (H) League Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
Chelsea arrive at Loftus Road with us marginal favourites to win the first leg. Their season has improved a fair bit since we played them earlier in the season, now in 5th place in the league table. I'm fielding a very strong team, and decided to give Breno a debut in the centre of defence alongside Kjær.
The match started with Chelsea pushing forward, but it was us who managed the first shot in the 4th minute with Jimenez firing over the bar. Chelsea pushed forward, with the attack breaking down, allowing the ball to be cleared to Sanchez on the right, and he sprinted forward, producing a wonderful looping cross into the area, for Jimenez, who controlled the ball and pretty much dribbled his way into the goal to give us the lead. Our lead didn't last long with Chelsea managing to break through for their first shot in the 7th minute. We were then playing utter garbage, allowing Chelsea to pin us back, giving the ball away, and starting to commit fouls. I was getting really upset with how poor we looked trying to go forward, being quite pathetic. Chelsea were also getting regular shots off. The next incident of real note was Ochoa having to make a good save in the 26th minute with us split open again. In the 34th minute Gilardino thumped a header goalward at a corner, only to see the keeper make an almost unbelievably lucky save, pushing it onto the defender marking the post, with the ball bouncing out to be cleared. In the 44th Chelsea hammered a header from a corner just over the bar. In added time Dzsudzsak fired just wide of the post. The half came to end with the scores level at 1-1.
I was very disappointed with our performance, with us rarely looking dangerous going forward, and wide open far too often at the back. We'd managed 4 shots with Chelsea having 14. I ripped into my players for their dismal performance before sending them back out. In the 47th minute Scocco was put through clear on goal, only to see the keeper make an outstanding save to deny him. In the 50th minute Laure managed to suffer an upper body injury with absolutely no visible signs of how this could have happened. In the 58th minute the Chelsea keeper managed another amazing save to deny Gilardino a clear chance. In the 62nd minute Scocco put Gilardino through again on goal, and this time he slotted the ball home to give us the lead again. We were looking much more in control now, and in the 75th minute only another great save from the Chelsea keeper stopped Scocco adding to the scoreline. In the 86th minute Chelsea put a header just over our bar to give us a scare. We then controlled the ball until into added time when Ochoa had to make a good save from a long shot. We managed to see out the remaining time to win 2-1.
I was pleased we managed to get the win, although we'd not really played our best, but I thought we'd deserved it even though we'd had less shots, due to creating more clear chances. The match report unsurprisingly reckoned we were lucky to get the win, because it can't take into account that most of Chelsea's shots were never in danger of going into the net. Apparently Laure suffered a bruised rib in an accidental collision, and will be out for about 5 days, but appears he clashed with the invisible man.
Result: 2-1
Leeds (A) Premier League
We travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds, as clear favourites to win this match. Leeds have struggled this season, finding themselves in 17th place, fighting to stave off relegation, without a win for month, having lost their last match in the FA Cup to West Bromich Albion, a Championship team. During that last month, they have however managed to hold both Arsenal and Man City to draws, so we shouldn't take this match for granted. The time between fixtures has been kind to us, allowing me to name an almost unchanged team from that which played against Chelsea.
The match started with Leeds looking to attack, hitting the woodwork in the first minute from a cracking long shot. We were totally shocking, with Leeds passing the ball around like we weren't even there, and in the 7th minute Ochoa had to make a good save to deny Leeds. In the 11th minute we finally managed to put more than one pass together, with Cardozo trying to chip the keeper who'd come off his, line, but hit the crossbar, with the ball going safe. This seemed to settle us a bit, with Sanchez heading just over in the 16th minute, and again in the 22nd. In the 25th minute Jimenez scored from close range after a cross from Cardozo caused a mix-up between the keeper and a defender, with neither claiming the ball. The match became very scrappy after that, with chances few before the whistle brought the half to an end with us leading 1-0.
Although we'd taken the lead, I was quite disappointed with our performance, allowing Leeds far too much room and also committing too many fouls. I tried to give the players encouragement before sending him back out again. The second half started in the same frustrating fashion. In the 54th minute Breno hit the crossbar with a thunderous header from a free kick. In the 57th Jimenez had a shot saved by the keeper from just outside the area. In the following minute Daeseleire fired a ball through into the area for Fatih Yucel to run onto and he made no mistake firing the ball into the net to double our lead, scoring his fiftieth league goal for the club. We were playing much better now, but the match was still fairly scrappy. In the 79th minute Cardozo fired another header just over the bar. The match came to an end with us running out 2-0 victors.
I was pleased we'd managed to see out the victory and had performed a lot better defensively in the second half, restricting Leeds very well. Breno was named the name of the match, having put in a very solid display in the centre of defence. This had been a deserved victory, even if the match had not been of the highest quality.
Result: 2-0
Birmingham (A) Premier League
We travel to St. Andrews as favourites to win this match. Birmingham have had an average season, sitting in 14th in the league, but lost most recently to Liverpool at home. We have won all our previous 5 matches against them, so feel confident that we can add another victory. We have the second leg of our league cup semi final 3 days after this match, so giving some key players a rest, but feel we have more than enough quality to still pull off a win.
The match started with Birmingham looking lively, and it wasn't until the 4th minute we gained any possession. Even when we did get possesion we seemed to lack imagination, as both teams seemed to be cancelling each other out. The deadlock was finally broken with Scocco slotting a superb pass through for Gilardino to race free into the area, and he made no mistake to put away the very first shot of the match, and give us the lead in the 13th minute. This seemed to calm our players a lot, and we were playing with more confidence, but there seemed to be little space still for either team to work chances. After 27 minutes, Birmingham suddenly started to push harder, with us lucky at a corner not to concede an equaliser, with them hitting the crossbar, and Ochoa having to make a great save to deny them from the rebound. The following minute they hit the post with a header, with us looking a total shambles at the back. I was rather frustrated when Varrault went down with a foot injury in the 39th minute, just hoping this wasn't going to be anything serious. We were also giving away far too many unnecessary fouls, allowing Birmingham to put more pressure on us. Birmingham pressured us in the last few minutes, with some good defending getting in a couple of blocks stopped them from finding an equaliser. We managed to see out the first half and retain our 1-0 lead.
I was pleased to have the lead, but was a bit disappointed with how we'd played after taking the lead, especially with the number of fouls we'd committed. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to defend in a much more confident manner in the second half. The start wasn't the most encouraging, with Nasuti allowing himself to be tackled with the ball, fortunately the long range effort was off target, but it was disappointing to see. In the 52nd minute Gilardino put a header from a corner just over the bar. In the 57th minute Laure tried a shot from 25 yards out, only denied by a great diving save from the keeper, pushing it for a corner. The players were now looking more confident, and dominating at the moment. From the corner Breno headed just over the bar. In the 66th Ochoa had to make a save from a bullet header, but easy enough for him to catch. In the 83rd minute Nasuti received a very dodgy booking for a very soft foul just outside our area, with Ochoa just pushing the free kick around the post. I was not happy, because I didn't think it should have even been given as a foul. The team were now playing utter garbage, making stupid passes, and just allowing Birmingham to put us under pressure in a way we shouldn't be. Fortunately the only thing we did get right in the last few minutes was our last ditch tackling, as we managed to somehow hold on for a 1-0 win.
Other than a few times when we went forward, we'd been terrible in the second half. Our only saving grace was that Birmingham had been poor too. This was such an ugly match, with Sunny also picking up an almost obiligatory yellow card, although he fully deserved this one, for a most ugly challenge which wasn't even necessary. I actually clicked the continue button by mistake at the team talk page before selecting anything, although not saying anything was probably a fair reflection of what I felt. There was only 4 players on the pitch rated 7.0 or above, with Gilardino getting the man of the match with 7.3 in what had been a pretty dire match to watch. The positive from the match is that we managed to come away with a win, but Varrault had twisted his ankle putting him out for about 3 weeks.
Result: 1-0
Chelsea (A) League Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
We travel the short distance to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, who are marginal favourites for the 2nd leg. I'm fielding my strongest team in order to try and make sure we don't throw away the semi final. We hold a one goal lead after the first leg, so a draw would be enough, but I would like to see us win the match as they are our fiercest rivals.
Chelsea came out looking motivated, with us not really looking overly interested, and under pressure. In the first 10 minutes we hardly even managed to get into the final third of the pitch. Chelsea had been busy firing off long shots. It was therefore completely against the run of play when Rafa headed the ball forward for Cardozo to take control of the ball at the edge of the area with his back to the goal in the 14th minute. He turned his marker and beat a second defender before placing his shot into the bottom corner of the net to score and give us a 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was upset with our defence when they allowed themselves to be split wide open to allow Chelsea to equalise and draw back to just 1 goal behind on aggregate in the 18th minute. We continued to be rather pathetic with Chelsea putting us under almost constant pressure. We were still giving the ball away too often. I was stunned by how awful we were, just allowing Chelsea to dominate. It wasn't until the 41st we managed to get another shot, with Cardozo putting a header just over the bar. We managed to get to half with the match score at 1-1.
I was pleased that we still held the lead on aggregate, but seriously disappointed by our performance. This was by far the worst we'd played at any point during the season, even if the score didn't completely reflect that. I ripped into the players telling them they'd been disappointing, and then sent them back out. The players came out looking much more motivated, but still struggling to stop Chelsea going on the attack. In the 50th minute Dzsudzsak fired a diagonal ball into space behind the Chelsea defence for Cardozo to chase onto, which he did and when he reached the edge of the area, he placed his shot into the back of the net, to restore our 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was furious when Rafa was chopped down and took a knock in the 53rd minute, with no foul given. While he was off the field, Chelsea made the most of him being treated, with Ochoa having to make a good save, with us ripped wide open, showing how important the DMC is to our formation. We seemed a bit more composed after this, but still having to withstand a lot of pressure from Chelsea. In the 61st minute Cardozo put a header just over the bar. In the 69th minute Fatih Yucel cracked a long shot from 30 yards out, but was unlucky in hitting the post. In the 72nd he put a header just over the bar. The following minute Chelsea put a header just over the bar, as they started to push. In the 84th minute Ochoa had to make a good save with us struggling to withstand the pressure. Just into added time, the Chelsea keeper made an amazing save to deny Jimenez, after Gilardino squared the ball to him free in the area. We managed to see the match out to complete a 2-1 victory.
I was pleased that we'd come away with a victory to seal our place in the League Cup final. We'd performed better in the second half, but it still hadn't been pretty. Fortunately, although we'd not been particularly good, we'd been better at putting away our chances. I guess this is a good sign, that although we were outplayed for large parts of the match, we managed to still grab a victory. Cardozo had earned his man of the match award with his display. I congratulated the team on reaching the final. The other semi final was also played the same evening with Man City seeing off Aston Villa, and will therefore play us in the final.
Result: 2-1 (4-2 aggregate)
Burnley (A) FA Cup 4th Round
We travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley, with us favourites for this match. Burnley currently sit in 3rd place in the Championship, so we must not be complacent.
The match started as really scrappy affair. The first shot worth mentioning was in the 8th minute, with Ephraim firing wide, having got free in the area. Burnley fired just over from a long shot the following minute. In the 17th minute we were given a rather soft penalty with Ephraim apparently pushed in the area. Curri stepped up to take responsibility, and hammered into the top right hand corner of the net to give us the lead, and his first goal of the season. Burnley started to push, and for some odd reason Ephraim seemed to keep dribbling the ball out of play when we did head forward. We were having more of the possession, but Burnley were still firing off long shots with regularity, and in the 33rd minute Ochoa had to push a stunning shot from 20 yards out over the bar. In the 35th minute Scocco produced a superb cross from the right, finding the head of Gilardino who'd got free in the area, putting the ball in the back of the net to extend our lead. That second goal really seemed to settle the team down, and we began to move the ball about with confidence. Burnley were still getting in the odd long shot, either crazy blocked shots, some of which irritate me that they count as shots, and others off target. The match reached half time with us leading 2-0.
I was pleased that we held the lead, showing our quality when when it came to attacking. The only worry was how many long shots Burnley were letting fly, but so far we'd held out. I sent the players back out trying to make sure they were fired up enough to not let Burnley back into the match, who would surely come out looking very motivated. The match restarted looking very scrappy indeed, and soon decided to substitute Sunny after he got booked and seemed intent on getting an early bath. In the 62nd minute Ochoa had to make a great save from a free kick taken from 30+ yards out. We started to take control of the match, but Burnley now seemed almost impossible to break down again, with us forcing them to defend in numbers. In the 82nd minute some awful defending allowed Burnley to score, with our defence seeming to fall asleep. I also felt that Ochoa should have done better with the attempted save as well. This was the first time Burnley had even threatened to break us down in the second half That was frustrating at it seemed to encourage Burnley, but was pleased see us using up time building attacks up slowly, with Gilardino heading just over the bar in the 87th minute, with our only decent chance of the half. In the 90th minute Scocco should have put the result beyond doubt, but the keeper managed an amazing reflex save to deny him having got free of the defence into the area. In the first minute of added time, Gilardino was gifted a superb chance by the keeper to score, heading the ball straight to him, but his shot hit the crossbar. One of the Burnley players tried to head clear, but only succeeded in finding Balanta in the area, and he slammed the ball home to put the result beyond doubt at 3-1. The match finished soon after the restart with us running out as 3-1 winners.
Overall I was pleased with our performance, even though we'd had a small lapse of concentration near the end. We'd deserved to come away with the victory, but Burnley had shown how tough they are to break down. The second half had been very boring until the last 10 minutes, when there was a flurry of action. I took immense joy when the results from other matches came through, with Chelsea being beaten by West Ham.
Result: 3-1
In the run up to the next match, the FA 5th round draw has seen us gain a home tie against either Birmingham or Fulham.
Sheffield United (H) Premier League
The Blades arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites. Sheffield United have however performed a little above expectations, sitting in 13th place, but have failed to secure a win in their last 6 matches. Our previous meeting at Bramall Lane saw us come away with a 3-1 victory, so I expect us to win this match, but I have concerns about the team showing signs of complacency.
The match started by boring everyone to death early on. The Blades were enjoying more possession, but failing to do anything with it, and we were also not showing much better signs of working an opening either. Just as a I thought I would fall asleep Curri hooked a cross into the area in the 25th minute, with Fatih Yucel getting his head to the ball and directed it into the net to give us the lead. The Blades went straight on the attack, putting a long shot just over the bar. In the 34th minute Cardozo fired the ball into the area from a free kick, with Kjær getting his head to the ball, with the keeper only just tipping the ball over the bar. A very unexciting first half came to an end with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased with our performance, even though it had been a really quite poor match. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to press and see this out properly, and hopefully make the match a bit more interesting. The Blades came out looking determined, but were boring us into making fouls, causing great frustration. In the 52nd minute Daeseliere tried a shot from just outside the area, forcing a great diving save from the keeper to deny him. In the 57th minute we won a free kick to the right of the area, with Cardozo firing the kick into the area, where Breno got his head to the ball forcing it over the line to double our lead, and score his first goal since coming on loan to the club. In the 60th minute Cardozo managed to get a chance under pressure in the area, but could only fire the ball at the advancing keeper. In the 70th minute the best series of passes in the match saw Cardozo play a 1-2 with Jimenez, receiving the ball back in the area, having lost his marker, to give himself an easy shot to give us a 3 goal lead. In the 81st minute one of the Blades strikers went on a amazing run, completely doing a couple of our players in a way that shocked me. Fortunately once he got through on goal, he fired straight at Ochoa, giving him an easy save. Just into added time we allowed a Blades striker to run onto a ball with them starting to play route one football, but his header gave Ochoa a very easy save. The match finished soon afterwards, with us running out 3-0 winners.
I was pleased with our performance in the second half, with us having much more control of the match, and restricting the Blades very well. I was a little worried that the use of route one football had nearly undone us at the back. Breno was named the man of the match, having scored and put in a very solid performance at the back to help deny the opposition.
Result: 3-0
Monthly Roundup
Breno won the Premiership player of the month for January, with Jimenez named as the runner up. I was named the Premiership manager of the month again, having won all 4 matches. My player of the month goes to Jimenez, who scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists. The month finishes with just one injury, that being to Varrault who will be out for up to week.
The next month sees us scheduled for 7 matches, although we will also have our 5th round FA Cup match, but our opponents have not been verified yet. We have 6 league matches, with some tricky opponents, with home matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. The 4 away matches will see us play Everton, Man City, Arsenal and Wolves, so this looks to be a very tough month. We also have the 1st leg of our Champions League knockout match away to Sevilla.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
December 2012 - Gilardino Gets New Boots, No Panties, But Plenty Of Sushi
December begins with the fixture list showing 7 matches during the month, but it does not include the 2 matches we will play in the Club World Cup, so I'm unsure if we will play 9 matches, or whether one of the current fixtures will be moved. We have 5 Premier League matches, with 3 potentially tricky home matches against Aston Villa, Man United and West Ham. We will also be playing away to Fulham and Portsmouth, who are both difficult teams to break down when they have home advantage. We have our League Cup quarter final match against Peterborough and our final group match in the Champions League against Lyon.
We have had to now submit our squad ready for the Club World Championship, and our board expect us to win. Looking at the teams we could face, I can understand this, and would be very disappointed if we didn't. The only side that looks like it could mount a challenge is the Brazilian team Palmeiras, but I feel we are a much stronger team than they are.
Aston Villa (H) Premier League
Villa travel to Loftus Road with us favourites for the match. So far this season Villa have remained unbeaten, so will probably put up a good fight. I'm quite happy to find that Agbonlahor is injured, but they still possess a lot of pace which could potentially cause problems.
We started the match looking lively, pushing forward, but unable to create anything, until the 4th minute when Curri fired a long ball upfield for Cardozo to run onto and he buried it into the back of the net from the edge of the area. For some reason it them took 4 minutes before Villa finally restarted the match, which is a bug I've seen a couple of times before, but what sets it off I have no idea. We quickly recovered the ball from Villa and in the 10th minute Daeseliere, who'd obviouly enjoyed scoring his first goal for the club last month, struck an absolute beauty from distance into the top corner of the net to double our lead. Villa suddenly woke up, but we restricted them to 4 long shots over the next 10 minutes. In the 23rd minute Ochoa had his first save to make from a shot just outside the area, which was hard to believe could have been struck so well. Villa were now really annoying me by making some really hard challenges, giving Cardozo and Jimenez hard knocks, and no free kicks given, with the Cardozo challenge looking an obvious foul. Cardozo was brought down in the 32nd minute just outside the area, but disappointingly his free kick gave the keeper a fairly comfortable save. In the 34th minute Ochoa had to make another good save from a long shot, to push it behind for a corner off the outside of the post. It was getting frustrating now, because Villa were firing off long shots at will. In the 43rd minute I felt Kjær had been fouled in a challenge, but the ball went loose allowing Villa to score with a stunning 30 yard shot. This stung our players into action with good work by Cardozo in the area, winning the ball and putting it back to Jimenez, who struck a shot from inside the area, which hit the post, and rebounded out onto the back of the keeper and then into the net to restore our 2 goal lead in the 45th minute. The first half came to an end with us leading 3-1.
I was pleased we were leading, but a bit worried by how many long shots Villa had been striking. I sent the players back out trying to make sure they didn't become complacent, because it seems to be an issue for us when we take the lead. I couldn't have imagined a worst start to the 2nd half, with us conceding a really poor goal with just 35 seconds gone, with a header from a cross trickling into the net, wondering how we didn't keep it out of the net. This seemed to rattle the team and they were looking shocking, giving the ball away with lots of really silly passes. We finally started to settle again, with Gilardino putting the ball just over the bar in the 58th minute. In the 65th minute Ochoa had to make a good save with our defence split wide open. In the 69th minute he had to make another, with us now looking the worst I can remember for a long time, with us seeming to forget how to defend. The inevitable happened with us playing so utterly crap with the equaliser being headed in after 70 minutes. I was livid with the way the team had completely lost the plot, not looking anything like the team I know they can be. In the 74th minute Faith Yucel got free of the defence but shot straight at the keeper. Ochoa then had to make another good save in the 75th minute. In the 80th minute I was furious when Kjær looked to be chopped down in the Villa area at a free kick, but the referee wasn't interested, even though he'd suffered a neck injury in the challenge as well. In the 87th minute Grenier got clear inside the area, but fired straight at the keeper. In the first minute of added time Daeseliere had to be substituted with a head injury. Right near the end of added time we won a free kick just outside the area, which Dzsudzsak put only just wide of the post. The match came to an end with the scores level at 3-3.
I was not happy with the players after allowing our lead to slip, with us playing utter garbage once we'd taken our 2 goal lead. I told the players it was not good enough, with this being the first time we'd conceded more than one goal in a match this season. I'm also upset that Daeseleire suffered a fractured jaw, and will be sidelined for 3 to 4 weeks. My mood was lightened a bit when we found out that Arsenal had been held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at the Emirates.
Result: 3-3
In the days following this match, Simon Kjær rather stunned me by saying he needed to move to a bigger club to win major trophies. Given what we've won since he's been at the club, and our progress so far this season, I find that illogical. I responded by telling him that I want the club to progress, so he can see his ambitions realised. Fortunately he backed down, and seems now to be happy to stay with us, but this was all kicked off by Barcelona showing interest in signing him.
The draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup took place the day before the next match, which gives us a home tie against Championship team Stoke, which I certainly can't complain about.
Peterborough (H) League Cup Quarter Final
The Posh arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites. However on their way to this stage of the competition they managed to beat Sunderland, so have shown they can pose a danger if they play well. The Posh have struggled a bit this season, sitting in 16th in League One, but have done well in cup competitions, so shouldn't be taken lightly. I am starting Gilardino up front hoping he can find his scoring touch again in this match.
The match started with us pushing forward, really looking to take an early lead. In the 4th minute the Peterborough keeper rushed out, made a big mistake passing straight to Gilardino, who tried to take a shot from 30 yards out to score into an empty net, but his confidence is so poor he fired over the bar. In the 6th minute Scocco took a crack from 30 yards out, which the keeper pushed onto the bar to deny him, bouncing safe. Later in the minute Scocco had another try from 20 yards out, but the keeper managed to make a stunning save to push the ball for a corner. In the 19th minute our pressure finally got us the reward we deserved, with Ephraim putting a ball into a crowded area where Balanta was waiting and thumped the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring, and his first of the season. In the 22nd Scocco forced the keeper into another good save from just outside the area, as we continued to pile more pressure on. In the 24th Grenier fired a corner kick into the area, and Kjær managed bundle the ball over the line to double our lead. In the 29th minute Peterborough managed their first shot of the match a long range effort both high and wide of the goal. In the 35th minute Balanta produced an amazing solo run, from just inside our own half on the left touchline, running forward until level with the edge of the area, and then cut inisde, and I kept expecting him to pass, as he moved in closer and closer to goal, before firing his shot into the net at the near post. I could see Gilardino and Scocco lining up in the centre, waiting for him to pass, which is probably why the keeper left the gap at the near post. In the 37th Gilardino tried another shot from just outside the area, which the keeper managed to push over the bar. In the 38th I thought he was going to finally score, but the keeper managed to close him quick enough to stop his shot. Balanta tried to score from the rebound, trying to complete his hat-trick, but saw it deflected for a corner. In the 39th minute Gilardino missed a superb opportunity to score from a header a yard out, but managed to put it both high and wide, and I began to wonder if he'd ever score again for us. The half came to an end with us leading 3-0.
I was pleased with our performance, but could not believe Gilardino had somehow missed every single chance he'd had, in the particular the close range header late in the half. I was really hoping he would finally score again in this match, but right now it's looking like being another blank, which is getting very frustrating. I sent the players back out pleased with them, hoping that they could fashion more chances for Gilardino, which he will hopefully score from. We continued to push forward from the restart, with Kjær putting a header wide from a corner in the 48th minute. I was unhappy when Laure conceded a completely stupid and needless penalty in the 62nd minute which was put away to get Peterborough on the scoreboard. In the 74th minute it finally happened, with Kjær heading the ball forward beyond the Peterborough backline, which Gilardino ran clear of the defence onto and this time he buried the ball into the back of the net to finally get on the scoreboard for the first time in what had seemed an eternity, leading to one hell of a celebration in relief. In the 82nd minute Grenier was set clear of the defence, but saw his shot saved by the keeper, with the rebound bouncing out to Gilardino who slotted it home to grab his 2nd of the match. In the 85th minute Scocco hammered a shot from just outside the area into the top corner of the net, obviously feeling a little left out of the goal scoring bonanza to give us a 6th goal in the match. The match finished with us winning 6-1.
I was very pleased with our performance today, never letting up the pressure on Peterborough throughout the match. The only negative was the penalty we stupidly gave away. Gilardino getting on the scoreboard again was particularly pleasing, because his confidence will hopefully be back up again, and looks like his shiny new boots are finally doing the trick. The manner of Balanta's second goal was superb, fully justifying his man of the match award. Immediately following the match Peterborough sacked their manager, which I feel is rather harsh.
Result: 6-1
The draw for the semi final of the League Cup sees us draw our fiercest rivals, Chelsea, who we hold a good record against, so I have no complaints.
Fulham (A) Premier League
We travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham with us favourites to win the match. Fulham have performed above expectations this season, finding themselves in 8th place in the league. They have proved difficult to beat, with them holding Liverpool and Arsenal to draws in their last two matches.
Fulham started the match pushing us like crazy, making it hard work for us, with several shots in the first few minutes, and I feared we'd be overrun. In the 8th minute Fatih Yucel was set free, but his shot was deflected wide of the post by the keeper. In the 16th minute Kjær got his head to the ball from a free kick, but somehow the keeper managed a miraculous save to stop the ball going into the net. The match then turned into a really dismal affair, with both sides largely cancelling each other out, with a few long shots of no consequence, until the 37th minute when Cardozo put a header just over the bar. In the 40th Ochoa had to save a header from a corner kick. The half came to an end with the match goalless.
Although both teams had taken quite a few shots, this really was a quite poor match, with Fulham packing the midfield, making it very hard to find space. The players had looked quite motivated, so I sent them back out telling them to do it for the fans. The second half continued in much the same way as the first half had been, which was leading to an awful match, with the added annoyance that Fulham now seemed to be trying to hack lumps out of us. In the 65th minute Fatih Yucel struck a stinging shot from just outside the area, which the keeper couldn't hold. I was delighted to see the rebound come out to Dzsudzsak who moved forward and hammered the ball into the top of the net to give us the lead. In the 79th minute Ochoa had to make a save from a shot at a tight angle. Fulham were now pushing forward like crazy searching for an equaliser. This was allowing us to mount some counter attacks, and in the 84th minute Cardozo looked like he was getting clear of the defence, but was brought down just outside the box, and with the player quite lucky only to see a yellow card. We seemed to calm down and start passing the ball about with assurance, and in the 89th minute Cardozo got free in the area, and hammered a shot which hit the outside of the post, going for a goal kick. In the 90th minute Fulham fired a shot from inside the area just wide of the post to give us a late scare. The came to an end with running out 1-0 victors.
I was pleased to get a win, because Fulham always seem to be horrible team to play against. Unusually there were a lot of shots created for a match against them, but until we scored the goal, the match hadn't exactly been of the greatest quality. The nuimber of fouls that Fulham committed had stopped a lot our attacks, allowing them time to get players behind the ball again. When news from the around the grounds filtered in I was pleased to find that Arsenal had played out a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford, but Aston Villa managed to beat Sunderland 3-2 at home, so now move to 2nd in the table.
Result: 1-0
Lyon (H) Champions League Group E
Lyon arrive at Loftus Road with us favourites to win this match. As we will be playing Man United in our next match I've put a few key players on the bench, to make sure they're fit and ready for that match.
The match started with Lyon looking more confident on the ball, but it was us that created the first chance with Grenier getting clear into the area, but fired straight at the keeper, with the ball going safe. We managed a long shot not long after, but Lyon then started to look more in control. However in the 14th minute Balanta curled a long free kick into the area, where Ephraim managed to race clear and get his head to ball and glance it by the keeper to put us into the lead, and score his first goal of the season. Right from the restart Ochoa was tested with a thunderous long shot, which he managed to save. We seemed to be giving the ball away far too often, allowing Lyon to try a few more shots, which we were able to block. In the 26th minute Gilardino was set free in the area, but his shot was deflected for a corner. In the 28th minute I was very unhappy when we got caught at the back, looking rather static allowing Lyon to score an equaliser. We advanced forward from the restart, with Ephraim having a close range shot saved by the keeper. In the 31st minute the keeper made an amazing save to deny Gilardino. In the 34th Gildardino forced an even better save from the keeper, pushing it for a corner. I was furious when the referee booked Sunny, with it obvious he is being targetted. In the 37th minute Ochoa came forward to clear a ball, and headed it straight to a Lyon player, who fortunately didn't get his shot on target, with the goal at his mercy. In the 43rd minute Gilardino was denied again by a spectacular save. The half finished with the scores level at 1-1.
I was fairly pleased with our performance in the first half, apart from when we allowed Lyon to score. Although Lyon had more possession, we'd created more chances, with only the Lyon keeper stopping us from having a substantial lead. I sent the players back out trying to get them more fired up to go on and win the match. We came out looking like a totally different team, and in a bad way, with us looking slow on the ball allowing ourselves to be tackled with ease. The match then become more frustrating with us being caught offside a lot, and allowing Lyon to put us under lots of pressure. After the hour mark we finally began to play properly again pushing forward. In the 70th minute Gilardino was quite cynically brought down outside the area, to stop him getting through for a clear chance on goal. Lyon then started to take control again, with us under pressure. When we did try to go forward after this were either giving the ball away, dwelling on it too long and being tackled, or being given offside. Lyon managed a few more shots with Ochoa having to make a couple more good saves. The match finish with the scores level at 1-1.
I was pleased with our first half display, but thought our second half was utter garbage. I was really annoyed with the players for seeming to become complacent in the second half, which nearly cost us the match. I know it's not an important match, but it's very frustrating. In the other match in the group, Porto won, which sees them qualify by a marginally better record over Lyon on goal difference.
Result: 1-1
Manchester United (H) Premier League
The Red Devils travel to Loftus Road with us clear favourites to win the match. United have really struggled this season, sitting in 8th in the league, and without a win for over a month. Hopefully we can take advantage of the problems they have suffered, but they still pose a huge threat. This is my first match after applying the 3rd patch, so no idea exactly how the changes will affect our gameplay.
The first half started with United pushing forward for the first 5 minutes, and then we pushed forward, with the first shot of the match coming in the 11th minute with Fatih Yucel firing a long shot well wide of the post. From the goal kick Nasuti apparently managed to back into and foul Rooney, while actually behind him, which is a neat trick. This allowed Nani to try a free kick, which was fortunately blocked, but seemed to encourage United. In the 15th minute Fatih Yucel tried another long shot, this time on target, but very lacking in power, so no problem for the keeper. Later in the minute I can confirm that miracle long shots are still happening when Anderson, long shots at 4, hit a pile driver from 30 yards out forcing Ochoa to make a brilliant save. United put a header from a corner just over the bar in the 21st minute. We were now under a lot of pressure. Our passing had been looking utterly abysmal, allowing United to keep putting us under more pressure, although we were largely managing to stop them creating a lot. In the 32nd minute we finally managed a good move with Dzsudzsak getting a shot from within the area, that forced the keeper to push the ball for a corner. Cardozo put a header wide from a corner in the 34th minute. In the 36th minute Fatih Yucel put a shot from 30 yards out just wide of the post. In the remainder of the half United managed a couple more shots, one a rather limp shot giving Ochoa an easy catch, and the other a header just over the bar. The half came to an end with the match goalless.
I was fairly pleased with our defensive display but thought in attack we were shocking. In fact for the first 30 minutes our passing had been appalling. Not sure if it's to do with the patch or not, but Cardozo seems oddly poor with his headers, and so far not even managed a shot with his foot. I sent the players back out trying to get them into a better frame of mind to take this match. I was livid almost immediately the half started with Johnny Evans hacking Sanchez down to win the ball, which looked like a foul, from which Rooney was able to take a shot, which was fortunately wide of the target. In the 59th minute Fatih Yucel tried another curling long shot, but the keeper was equal to the challenge. In the 62nd minute Fatih Yucel forced the keeper to tip another long shot over the bar. In the 66th minute Ochoa had a comfortable save from a header to make. In the 68th the United keeper had to make an astonishing save to keep a Cardozo shot out and deflect it for a corner. In the 76th minute Cardozo fired a free kick into the area, where the ball fell to the feet of Nasuti, but was unable to beat the keeper from point blank range. From the resulting corner Grenier fired the ball into the area, where Kjær made a run to meet the ball with his head and hammered it home to give us the lead. In the 81st minute Cardozo fired another header over the bar. Later in the minute Rooney fired over the bar much to our fans delight. In the 83rd minute United equalised with a goal that looked suspiciously offside. In the 86th some swift passing saw Sanchez free in the area, but the keeper made another spectacular save to push his shot for a corner. The ball was going end to end quite fast now, and in the 88th minute Rafa tried a shot from just outside the area, but it was fairly easy for the keeper to save. Just into added time United went just over with a header from a corner. We dominated after that, but just couldn't find the final pass. The match came to end with the scores level at 1-1.
I was a bit disappointed that we'd allowed United to equalise, because I felt we'd down enough to justify taking all 3 points, with us getting a lot more shots on target. Given we lost this corresponding fixture last season, I should be happy though. Once we'd settled, we were the better team, but apart from Kjær's goal, all our other headers went over the bar, which is bit odd. I was cheered up a bit when we found out that Arsenal had been held to a 2-2 draw by Everton, but not happy that Aston Villa had managed to come from behind to beat Ipswich 3-2 with a couple of late penalties, the second one deep into added time. In spite of allowing Man United to equalise the fans are still quite happy with the result.
Result: 1-1
Okayama FC (N) Club World Cup Semi Final
Everyone is excited by our trip to Japan, where we are favourites to win the tournament. We arrive in at the Yokohama Stadium to take on Okayama with us clear favourites to win the match. We need to guard against complacency. This looks to be an ideal opportunity to allow Gilardino go have some fun, and hopefully gain even more confidence.
We started the match looking to take the attack to Okayama, with Gilardino getting through on goal in the 1st minute, but his shot was stopped by the keeper rushing out as he struck it. In the 3rd minute Grenier went on a great run into the box, but shot just wide of the post. In the 4th minute Scocco scored a wonderful chipped shot from just outside the area, which just beat the keeper to put us in the lead. I don't think it would have beaten an average Premiership keeper, but it was a delight to see. In the 16th minute Scocco played a cross into the area, where Gilardino managed to get his head to the ball and direct into the corner of the net to double our lead. Okayama mounted an attack, but our defending stood solid. In the 20th minute Scocco hit an early cross into the area, where Gilardino glanced a header into goal for his second of the match. In the 24th Kjær put a header from a corner just over the bar. In the 26th minute Okayama managed their first shot of the match, a long shot a long way off target. In the 28th Fatih Yucel put a header just over the bar. Gilardino was looking for his hat-trick and fired a shot from the edge of the area just wide of the post. In the 43nd minute we won a free kick just outside the area. Dzsudzsak stepped up and hammered it only just wide of the post. The first half came to an end with us leading 3-0.
I was pleased with our performance, but had one worry, that Sunny had picked up a yellow card near the end of the first half. We'd looked solid defence, and Scocco had been amazing on the right wing, scoring a goal and providing 2 assists. I sent the players back out pleased with them, hoping they would go on and keep looking for more goals. The half started as more of a batle, with Okayama showing some signs of resistance. It took until the 60th minute for our first shot of the half with Fatih Yucel trying a shot from just outside the area, which the keeper made an outstanding save to push for a corner. We continued to press forward, but chances were few until the 70th minute when Gilardino completed his hat-trick with another header, this time the cross supplied by Dzsudzsak. Gilardino seemed intent on scoring more, putting another header in the 74th minute just over the bar. Okayama then managed a consolation on the break, with their striker managing to get clear with route one football, but I was shocked at the indecision shown by Steele in goal, who allowed the shot to be a lot easier than it should have been. Also Kjær had allowed a player shorter than him, with heading of 3 and jumping of 4, to actually nod the ball on, which had allowed the striker to get free, which was even more disappointing. A really pathetic piece of defending all round. It looked like we'd completely switched off, and the referee annoyed me by not booking a couple of the Japanese players, who'd reached 3 fouls, as he'd done to Sunny. I love consistent refereeing, but this wasn't getting my vote. In the last moments of the match, Gilardino turned provider giving Grenier a shot from the edge of area, allowing him to smash the ball home for a goal his performance had deserved. The match finished seconds after the restart with us running out 5-1 winners.
I was pleased with our victory and most of the performance, but a little perturbed by the huge defensive error that had allowed the consolation goal to be scored. I'm also a little concerned with how Sunny and Rafa seemed to be picked on by the referee in most matches we play now. I was delighted to see Gilardino score a hat-trick, looking much more like he had at the start of the season. He was named the man of the match, with an astounding rating of 9.7, with scocco not far behind at 9.3. I'm beginning to see that Gilardino plays better when Scocco is on the pitch, so this could be an important thing to consider from now on. Our victory means we will now play in the final against the New York Red Bulls, who we should be very confident of beating. The intrepid fans who made the trip were jubilant about our victory.
Result: 5-1
The draw for the 1st knockout stage of the Champions League took place following the match, with us pulling out Sevilla, which I feel is a decent draw, given Man United pulled out Juventus, and Arsenal take on Barcelona. There are no easy matches at this point, but it's always nice to avoid some of the biggest clubs early on in the knockout stages.
Due to our advance in the Champions League and that of Tottenham in the EURO Cup, our first league match against them is getting pushed further back, now into March, with our final match of the league campaign also being against them. I've never seen a fixture delayed so much.
New York (N) Club World Cup Final
We stay at the Yokohama Stadium to take on New York, with us favourites to win the match. New York managed to surprise Brazilian team Palmeiras to reach the final, so on paper the final looks easier than I thought it would be, but again nothing can be taken for granted.
The match started with us looking to go on the attack, with our first shot coming in the 5th minute with Rafa blasting the ball over the bar from inside the area. In the 7th minute we won a free kick in a central area about 30 yards out. Cardozo stepped up and curled a beauty into the goal to give us the lead. New York went on the attack from the restart, firing just wide in the 9th minute from within the area. In the 10th Gilardino hit a shot from the edge of the area straight at the keeper. Later in the minute New York fired wide of the post again, from within the area, having just carved us open in worrying fashion. New York were showing they didn't want to give up, but it was Cardozo with the next shot, shooting just wide of the post in the 13th minute. In the 15th he tried another shot, which looked good until it took a deflection off a New York player which redirected it for a corner. In the 20th minute we won a free kick right on the edge of the area. Cardozo stepped up again, and drilled the ball into the back of the net, with the keeper helpless. We then started to look like we would dominate. In the 24th minute Rafa drilled a long shot goalwards, forcing a great save from him, with it falling safe for a clearance to be made. In the 25th Sanchez headed just over the bar from a cross. In the 26th Gilardino set Jimenez up with a shot from just outside the area, going just inside the post with a superb finish. We laid seige to the New York goal for the next 5 minutes, but failed to score again. New York then started to get their passing together, moving the ball about really well. We finally got the ball back with Dzsudzsak producing a superb cross in the 39th minute straight onto the head of Gilardino from which he buried the ball into the back of the net. In the 42nd Sanchez then produced a superb cross, which Dzsudzsak met with his head, hitting the crossbar, with the ball then cleared for a throw-in. We controlled things until the half time whistle, which brought the interval with us leading 4-0.
I was pleased with how we'd gone about things, with Cardozo having found the direction again on his free kicks. I sent the players back trying to make sure they didn't become complacent. New York came back out with a more defensive formation with 5 at the back, and we laid seige on their goal from the restart. Gildardino headed over in the 50th minute with the first shot of the half. The increase in defensive numbers was making it harder for us to work chances, but in the 57th minute Sanchez fired a cross into the area, where Cardozo headed the ball, probably looking to flick the ball on for Jimenez, but it looped over and went out of reach of the keeper and into the net to complete his hat-trick.We were then controlling the match, I decided to bring Sanchez and Dzsudzsak off so they'd be ready for our next match. It was frustrating when Gilardino went down in the area, in the 75th minute after trying to flick a header on at a corner, with a potential upper body injury, with no sign of how that could be possible. In the 77th the referee booked Rafa, yet again showing complete inconsistency. We continued to push with Cardozo still causing the defence problems getting his head to another couple of crosses, as we still looked to add to our goal tally. New York were powerless to stop us keeping their goal under seige for the rest of the match, allowing us to play out for a 5-0 victory.
I was very pleased with our performance, especially in the 2nd half, where the opposition didn't create a single shot. We had 4 players with a rating of 9.0 or higher, with Sanchez an Dzsudzsak at 9.0, Gilardino on 9.1 and the hat-trick hero Cardozo claiming the man of the match award with 9.6. This had been a thoroughly professional display. This was one of the easiest clean sheet bonuses that Ochoa will ever earn, as he had no saves to make, few crosses to catch, and not even many back passes to deal with. Gilardino suffered a bruised rib, apparently from a late tackle, which begs the question why we didn't get a penalty, but will only be out for 4 to 5 days, so shouldn't be a big problem. What is becoming an issue now, is that Fatih Yucel hast not scored since early the previous month, but I'm sure he will start scoring again soon, although in match time his drought is not close to the epic proportions that Gilardino had built up.
Back at home Aston Villa cut our lead to just 3 points after a good win, but we do have 2 games in hand over them.
Result: 5-0
West Ham (H) Premier League
We return from the land of the rising sun, and sushi to play the Hammers at Loftus Road, with us favourites to win the match. West Ham have struggled this season, sitting in 16th in the league, and arrive off the back of losing to Liverpool and Arsenal, although before that they beat Man City away, so we mustn't get complacent as they have the ability to punish us.
Although we started brightly, with more possession it was West Ham creating the shots, hitting the target with their 3rd shot in the 8th minute, which was fortunately an easy catch for Ochoa. In the 15th minute Dzsudzsak fired a corner into the area, with Cardozo hammering a header goalward, but the Hammers keeper, pushed it over the bar for another corner. Later in the minute Fatih Yucel hit a header goalward, but somehow the keeper managed an outstanding save to tip it over the bar. Dzsudzsak fired the corner into the area, and this time Fatih Yucel's header found the back of the net to give us the lead in the 16th minute, and bring his goal drought to an end. In the 23rd minute I was a little nervous when we allowed Michael Owen space in the area, but his kick went clear over the bar, much to my relief. The match became rather scrappy after that, and in predictable fashion, Sunny was booked in the 39th minute. The match reached half time with us leading 1-0.
I was happy enough that we were leading, with more possession and the lead, but we seemed to be allowing West Ham to come onto us far too much, not helped by Sunny seeming intent on getting a red card. I decided to bring Rafa on to make sure that wouldn't happen. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to finish this off properly, and not let the Hammers get something from this match. In the 48th minute Dzsudzsak hit a shot from 30 yards out, which went behind for a goal kick off the outside of the post. We then laid seige to the Hammers goal for a couple of minutes, with Cardozo firing a header from a corner over the bar in the 50th minute. In the 52nd minute Ochoa made a great save, but from a shot that seemed to be well wide of the post, to concede a corner. In the 54th minute Rafa passed the ball forward to Grenier outside the box, and what happened next was pure brilliance, with him dribbling through a gap in the Hammers defence, shrugging off a player and then placing his shot as he reached the edge of the 6 yard box to double our lead. The Hammers went on the attack from the restart, but as they'd done several times, fired a long shot very wide of the goal. In the 57th minute Fatih Yucel got his head to a cross, which the keeper fumbled, but somehow they managed to clear the ball for a throw-in. In the 62nd minute only a fantastic save from the Hammers keeper denied Fatih Yucel when he hammered a shot from a cross. In the 64th minute the Hammers went close with our defence breached, but fortunately the shot went just the right side of the post from our perspective. We now seemed to settle into controlling the match, patiently building up attacks. In the 72nd minute Ephraim tested the keeper with a screamer from just outside the area, which he could hold but the ball went to a Hammers player. Everytime Grenier got the ball, there seemed to be panic in the Hammers defence. In the 77th minute he hammered a shot from just outside the area, which the keeper did really well to turn over the bar for a corner. In the 79th minute Cardozo hammered a free kick from 30 yards out just wide of the post. In the 83rd minute Ephraim had a tricky chance to add to the score, when the Hammers keeper came rushing out as he beat the defender, but unfortunately his left foot is weak, and he put the ball into the side netting. West Ham then started to press forward, and we began conceding far too many silly fouls. When we did get the ball we were passing it with great control, using up valuable time on the clock. The match came to an end with us winning 2-0.
I was pleased with this win, because West Ham are always a tricky team to play. I thought Grenier was fantastic, but for some reason his rating was only 7.3, with his stunning goal not seeming to count very high, even though I think it's one of the best individual pieces of skill we've seen this season. We did seem a little open at the back at times, but it rarely looked panicked. Dzsudzsak was named man of the match, which was quite fair, as he caused the Hammers defence a lot of problems, and provided an assist.
Result: 2-0
Portsmouth (A) Premier League
The last match of the year sees us travel to the south coast to take on Pompey at Fratton Park. Earlier in the season we have beaten them twice, in the league and the league cup, both times with 1-0 results, so despite being clear favourites, I fully expect this to be tight match. Portsmouth come into match having been unable to score or win in their last 8 matches, securing only a single point during that time, and sit in 18th position in the table, looking quite likely to be relegated on their current form.
The match started with us pushing forward for the first few minutes, but getting nowhere. The first shot of the match came in the 5th minute from a Pompey player firing just wide from the edge of the area. From a free kick near the left touchline, Cardozo hit the ball to Nasuti in the centre, and he passed it forward to Scocco in the area, and he hammered the ball home to give us the lead. Portsmouth then started to push forward, with Ochoa having to make a save in the 9th minute. In the 10th Scocco tried to lobbed the keeper, which nearly succeeded, but went just over the bar. Cardozo then tried the same in the 12th minute. In the 20th minute Grenier received the ball in the area, but he pulled his shot wide. In the 25th Ephraim managed to get through, but a great save deflected his shot for a corner. In the 29th minute Grenier was sent flying right on the edge of the of the area, earning the player a yellow card. Cardozo fired the free kick way over the bar, as his accuracy at free kicks had deserted him again. The following minute a defensive error allowed a Pompey player to get in on goal, with Ochoa saving the blushes to keep the ball out. The match then became very scrappy, with lots of fouls and stupid passes. The match reached half time with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased we had gone into the lead, but I felt we hadn't defended particularly well. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to perform a little bit better and see out the victory. The second half carried on much the same as the first half ended. Pompey fired a header over from a corner in the 50th minute. We really weren't playing well at all, with far too many passes putting our players under pressure. In the 64th Pompey fired another shot over the bar. In the following minute Cardozo fired just wide of the post. In the 66th minute Portsmouth had Aaron Mokoena sent off for a second bookable offence. If anything Portsmouth seemed even more motivated, and it was hard to believe they were a man short, with us still finding it hard to work space. In the 80th minute Sunny was predictably booked, but given how the referee had treated the Portsmouth players this was inconsistent, showing that Sunny was being singled out. I was really annoyed when Grenier was hacked down, causing a potential shin injury in the 84th minute, causing his enforced substitution. The match continued in much the same fashion, but we managed to hold out to finish as 1-0 winners.
The scoreline was predictable, and I was pleased that we had managed to grab the victory, which we had deserved. Nasuti was named as the man of the match, after putting in a very solid defensive display, and also getting the assist for the goal. Grenier's injury was not as bad as I feared, with him sidelined after suffering a gashed leg for about 7 to 10 days, but I was still not very happy about it, as he'd been starting to play really well for us. I was cheered by other results that came through as the match finished, with Aston Villa held to a 2-2 draw with Man United, and Arsenal more surprisngly held to a 2-2 draw by Cardiff.
Result: 1-0
Monthly Roundup
This has been a fantastic month, given that we had to play 9 fixtures. I can overlook the disappointment of the way we allowed Aston Villa to come back and claim a draw. I was delighted with the manner of our wins over Peterborough and the teams at the Club World Cup.
Our lead has been cut to just 5 points by Aston Villa, although we do have 2 games in hand over the them, due to our trip to Japan, so we potentially have a much bigger lead if we can win those matches.
Our draw with Lyon was of no importance to us, but it did have a major effect on Lyon, as they dropped behind Porto in the group, and therefore failed to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.
There were no awards at all for anyone at the club, and even Grenier's wonderful goal was not included in the goal of the month list, but I still think it was a stunning piece of football skill. His unfortunate injury sees him as our only player on the injury list at the end of the month, but he should be back playing in a couple of weeks. I've had to think very hard about who was our player of the month, with so many excellent performances on show. I decided to go with Balazs Dzsudzsak who scored one goal and provided 3 assists during the month, being our most consistent performer. Oddly he is struggling to settle in London, but continues to perform wonders on the pitch.
I'm sure there will some wondering at the bizarre title of this post. It is a reference that came to mind from an album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads from way back in 1977, called New Boots and Panties. It appealed to my rather twisted sense of humour to make a play on words from that title.
Our next month sees us scheduled for 7 fixtures, 4 being Premier League matches, at home to Cardiff and Sheffield United, and away to Leeds and Birmingham. We have the two legs of our League Cup semi final against Chelsea, and the FA Cup 3rd round match again Stoke. If we beat Stoke I believe we will play another fixture near the end of the month. Even worse would be to draw with Stoke, and have a replay as well.
Right at the end of the month AC Milan have just announced that they are looking to send the Brazilian defender Breno to us on loan, which would be astounding, as he looks to be at a very similar level to Kjær, which would make our defence even more solid.
We have had to now submit our squad ready for the Club World Championship, and our board expect us to win. Looking at the teams we could face, I can understand this, and would be very disappointed if we didn't. The only side that looks like it could mount a challenge is the Brazilian team Palmeiras, but I feel we are a much stronger team than they are.
Aston Villa (H) Premier League
Villa travel to Loftus Road with us favourites for the match. So far this season Villa have remained unbeaten, so will probably put up a good fight. I'm quite happy to find that Agbonlahor is injured, but they still possess a lot of pace which could potentially cause problems.
We started the match looking lively, pushing forward, but unable to create anything, until the 4th minute when Curri fired a long ball upfield for Cardozo to run onto and he buried it into the back of the net from the edge of the area. For some reason it them took 4 minutes before Villa finally restarted the match, which is a bug I've seen a couple of times before, but what sets it off I have no idea. We quickly recovered the ball from Villa and in the 10th minute Daeseliere, who'd obviouly enjoyed scoring his first goal for the club last month, struck an absolute beauty from distance into the top corner of the net to double our lead. Villa suddenly woke up, but we restricted them to 4 long shots over the next 10 minutes. In the 23rd minute Ochoa had his first save to make from a shot just outside the area, which was hard to believe could have been struck so well. Villa were now really annoying me by making some really hard challenges, giving Cardozo and Jimenez hard knocks, and no free kicks given, with the Cardozo challenge looking an obvious foul. Cardozo was brought down in the 32nd minute just outside the area, but disappointingly his free kick gave the keeper a fairly comfortable save. In the 34th minute Ochoa had to make another good save from a long shot, to push it behind for a corner off the outside of the post. It was getting frustrating now, because Villa were firing off long shots at will. In the 43rd minute I felt Kjær had been fouled in a challenge, but the ball went loose allowing Villa to score with a stunning 30 yard shot. This stung our players into action with good work by Cardozo in the area, winning the ball and putting it back to Jimenez, who struck a shot from inside the area, which hit the post, and rebounded out onto the back of the keeper and then into the net to restore our 2 goal lead in the 45th minute. The first half came to an end with us leading 3-1.
I was pleased we were leading, but a bit worried by how many long shots Villa had been striking. I sent the players back out trying to make sure they didn't become complacent, because it seems to be an issue for us when we take the lead. I couldn't have imagined a worst start to the 2nd half, with us conceding a really poor goal with just 35 seconds gone, with a header from a cross trickling into the net, wondering how we didn't keep it out of the net. This seemed to rattle the team and they were looking shocking, giving the ball away with lots of really silly passes. We finally started to settle again, with Gilardino putting the ball just over the bar in the 58th minute. In the 65th minute Ochoa had to make a good save with our defence split wide open. In the 69th minute he had to make another, with us now looking the worst I can remember for a long time, with us seeming to forget how to defend. The inevitable happened with us playing so utterly crap with the equaliser being headed in after 70 minutes. I was livid with the way the team had completely lost the plot, not looking anything like the team I know they can be. In the 74th minute Faith Yucel got free of the defence but shot straight at the keeper. Ochoa then had to make another good save in the 75th minute. In the 80th minute I was furious when Kjær looked to be chopped down in the Villa area at a free kick, but the referee wasn't interested, even though he'd suffered a neck injury in the challenge as well. In the 87th minute Grenier got clear inside the area, but fired straight at the keeper. In the first minute of added time Daeseliere had to be substituted with a head injury. Right near the end of added time we won a free kick just outside the area, which Dzsudzsak put only just wide of the post. The match came to an end with the scores level at 3-3.
I was not happy with the players after allowing our lead to slip, with us playing utter garbage once we'd taken our 2 goal lead. I told the players it was not good enough, with this being the first time we'd conceded more than one goal in a match this season. I'm also upset that Daeseleire suffered a fractured jaw, and will be sidelined for 3 to 4 weeks. My mood was lightened a bit when we found out that Arsenal had been held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at the Emirates.
Result: 3-3
In the days following this match, Simon Kjær rather stunned me by saying he needed to move to a bigger club to win major trophies. Given what we've won since he's been at the club, and our progress so far this season, I find that illogical. I responded by telling him that I want the club to progress, so he can see his ambitions realised. Fortunately he backed down, and seems now to be happy to stay with us, but this was all kicked off by Barcelona showing interest in signing him.
The draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup took place the day before the next match, which gives us a home tie against Championship team Stoke, which I certainly can't complain about.
Peterborough (H) League Cup Quarter Final
The Posh arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites. However on their way to this stage of the competition they managed to beat Sunderland, so have shown they can pose a danger if they play well. The Posh have struggled a bit this season, sitting in 16th in League One, but have done well in cup competitions, so shouldn't be taken lightly. I am starting Gilardino up front hoping he can find his scoring touch again in this match.
The match started with us pushing forward, really looking to take an early lead. In the 4th minute the Peterborough keeper rushed out, made a big mistake passing straight to Gilardino, who tried to take a shot from 30 yards out to score into an empty net, but his confidence is so poor he fired over the bar. In the 6th minute Scocco took a crack from 30 yards out, which the keeper pushed onto the bar to deny him, bouncing safe. Later in the minute Scocco had another try from 20 yards out, but the keeper managed to make a stunning save to push the ball for a corner. In the 19th minute our pressure finally got us the reward we deserved, with Ephraim putting a ball into a crowded area where Balanta was waiting and thumped the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring, and his first of the season. In the 22nd Scocco forced the keeper into another good save from just outside the area, as we continued to pile more pressure on. In the 24th Grenier fired a corner kick into the area, and Kjær managed bundle the ball over the line to double our lead. In the 29th minute Peterborough managed their first shot of the match a long range effort both high and wide of the goal. In the 35th minute Balanta produced an amazing solo run, from just inside our own half on the left touchline, running forward until level with the edge of the area, and then cut inisde, and I kept expecting him to pass, as he moved in closer and closer to goal, before firing his shot into the net at the near post. I could see Gilardino and Scocco lining up in the centre, waiting for him to pass, which is probably why the keeper left the gap at the near post. In the 37th Gilardino tried another shot from just outside the area, which the keeper managed to push over the bar. In the 38th I thought he was going to finally score, but the keeper managed to close him quick enough to stop his shot. Balanta tried to score from the rebound, trying to complete his hat-trick, but saw it deflected for a corner. In the 39th minute Gilardino missed a superb opportunity to score from a header a yard out, but managed to put it both high and wide, and I began to wonder if he'd ever score again for us. The half came to an end with us leading 3-0.
I was pleased with our performance, but could not believe Gilardino had somehow missed every single chance he'd had, in the particular the close range header late in the half. I was really hoping he would finally score again in this match, but right now it's looking like being another blank, which is getting very frustrating. I sent the players back out pleased with them, hoping that they could fashion more chances for Gilardino, which he will hopefully score from. We continued to push forward from the restart, with Kjær putting a header wide from a corner in the 48th minute. I was unhappy when Laure conceded a completely stupid and needless penalty in the 62nd minute which was put away to get Peterborough on the scoreboard. In the 74th minute it finally happened, with Kjær heading the ball forward beyond the Peterborough backline, which Gilardino ran clear of the defence onto and this time he buried the ball into the back of the net to finally get on the scoreboard for the first time in what had seemed an eternity, leading to one hell of a celebration in relief. In the 82nd minute Grenier was set clear of the defence, but saw his shot saved by the keeper, with the rebound bouncing out to Gilardino who slotted it home to grab his 2nd of the match. In the 85th minute Scocco hammered a shot from just outside the area into the top corner of the net, obviously feeling a little left out of the goal scoring bonanza to give us a 6th goal in the match. The match finished with us winning 6-1.
I was very pleased with our performance today, never letting up the pressure on Peterborough throughout the match. The only negative was the penalty we stupidly gave away. Gilardino getting on the scoreboard again was particularly pleasing, because his confidence will hopefully be back up again, and looks like his shiny new boots are finally doing the trick. The manner of Balanta's second goal was superb, fully justifying his man of the match award. Immediately following the match Peterborough sacked their manager, which I feel is rather harsh.
Result: 6-1
The draw for the semi final of the League Cup sees us draw our fiercest rivals, Chelsea, who we hold a good record against, so I have no complaints.
Fulham (A) Premier League
We travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham with us favourites to win the match. Fulham have performed above expectations this season, finding themselves in 8th place in the league. They have proved difficult to beat, with them holding Liverpool and Arsenal to draws in their last two matches.
Fulham started the match pushing us like crazy, making it hard work for us, with several shots in the first few minutes, and I feared we'd be overrun. In the 8th minute Fatih Yucel was set free, but his shot was deflected wide of the post by the keeper. In the 16th minute Kjær got his head to the ball from a free kick, but somehow the keeper managed a miraculous save to stop the ball going into the net. The match then turned into a really dismal affair, with both sides largely cancelling each other out, with a few long shots of no consequence, until the 37th minute when Cardozo put a header just over the bar. In the 40th Ochoa had to save a header from a corner kick. The half came to an end with the match goalless.
Although both teams had taken quite a few shots, this really was a quite poor match, with Fulham packing the midfield, making it very hard to find space. The players had looked quite motivated, so I sent them back out telling them to do it for the fans. The second half continued in much the same way as the first half had been, which was leading to an awful match, with the added annoyance that Fulham now seemed to be trying to hack lumps out of us. In the 65th minute Fatih Yucel struck a stinging shot from just outside the area, which the keeper couldn't hold. I was delighted to see the rebound come out to Dzsudzsak who moved forward and hammered the ball into the top of the net to give us the lead. In the 79th minute Ochoa had to make a save from a shot at a tight angle. Fulham were now pushing forward like crazy searching for an equaliser. This was allowing us to mount some counter attacks, and in the 84th minute Cardozo looked like he was getting clear of the defence, but was brought down just outside the box, and with the player quite lucky only to see a yellow card. We seemed to calm down and start passing the ball about with assurance, and in the 89th minute Cardozo got free in the area, and hammered a shot which hit the outside of the post, going for a goal kick. In the 90th minute Fulham fired a shot from inside the area just wide of the post to give us a late scare. The came to an end with running out 1-0 victors.
I was pleased to get a win, because Fulham always seem to be horrible team to play against. Unusually there were a lot of shots created for a match against them, but until we scored the goal, the match hadn't exactly been of the greatest quality. The nuimber of fouls that Fulham committed had stopped a lot our attacks, allowing them time to get players behind the ball again. When news from the around the grounds filtered in I was pleased to find that Arsenal had played out a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford, but Aston Villa managed to beat Sunderland 3-2 at home, so now move to 2nd in the table.
Result: 1-0
Lyon (H) Champions League Group E
Lyon arrive at Loftus Road with us favourites to win this match. As we will be playing Man United in our next match I've put a few key players on the bench, to make sure they're fit and ready for that match.
The match started with Lyon looking more confident on the ball, but it was us that created the first chance with Grenier getting clear into the area, but fired straight at the keeper, with the ball going safe. We managed a long shot not long after, but Lyon then started to look more in control. However in the 14th minute Balanta curled a long free kick into the area, where Ephraim managed to race clear and get his head to ball and glance it by the keeper to put us into the lead, and score his first goal of the season. Right from the restart Ochoa was tested with a thunderous long shot, which he managed to save. We seemed to be giving the ball away far too often, allowing Lyon to try a few more shots, which we were able to block. In the 26th minute Gilardino was set free in the area, but his shot was deflected for a corner. In the 28th minute I was very unhappy when we got caught at the back, looking rather static allowing Lyon to score an equaliser. We advanced forward from the restart, with Ephraim having a close range shot saved by the keeper. In the 31st minute the keeper made an amazing save to deny Gilardino. In the 34th Gildardino forced an even better save from the keeper, pushing it for a corner. I was furious when the referee booked Sunny, with it obvious he is being targetted. In the 37th minute Ochoa came forward to clear a ball, and headed it straight to a Lyon player, who fortunately didn't get his shot on target, with the goal at his mercy. In the 43rd minute Gilardino was denied again by a spectacular save. The half finished with the scores level at 1-1.
I was fairly pleased with our performance in the first half, apart from when we allowed Lyon to score. Although Lyon had more possession, we'd created more chances, with only the Lyon keeper stopping us from having a substantial lead. I sent the players back out trying to get them more fired up to go on and win the match. We came out looking like a totally different team, and in a bad way, with us looking slow on the ball allowing ourselves to be tackled with ease. The match then become more frustrating with us being caught offside a lot, and allowing Lyon to put us under lots of pressure. After the hour mark we finally began to play properly again pushing forward. In the 70th minute Gilardino was quite cynically brought down outside the area, to stop him getting through for a clear chance on goal. Lyon then started to take control again, with us under pressure. When we did try to go forward after this were either giving the ball away, dwelling on it too long and being tackled, or being given offside. Lyon managed a few more shots with Ochoa having to make a couple more good saves. The match finish with the scores level at 1-1.
I was pleased with our first half display, but thought our second half was utter garbage. I was really annoyed with the players for seeming to become complacent in the second half, which nearly cost us the match. I know it's not an important match, but it's very frustrating. In the other match in the group, Porto won, which sees them qualify by a marginally better record over Lyon on goal difference.
Result: 1-1
Manchester United (H) Premier League
The Red Devils travel to Loftus Road with us clear favourites to win the match. United have really struggled this season, sitting in 8th in the league, and without a win for over a month. Hopefully we can take advantage of the problems they have suffered, but they still pose a huge threat. This is my first match after applying the 3rd patch, so no idea exactly how the changes will affect our gameplay.
The first half started with United pushing forward for the first 5 minutes, and then we pushed forward, with the first shot of the match coming in the 11th minute with Fatih Yucel firing a long shot well wide of the post. From the goal kick Nasuti apparently managed to back into and foul Rooney, while actually behind him, which is a neat trick. This allowed Nani to try a free kick, which was fortunately blocked, but seemed to encourage United. In the 15th minute Fatih Yucel tried another long shot, this time on target, but very lacking in power, so no problem for the keeper. Later in the minute I can confirm that miracle long shots are still happening when Anderson, long shots at 4, hit a pile driver from 30 yards out forcing Ochoa to make a brilliant save. United put a header from a corner just over the bar in the 21st minute. We were now under a lot of pressure. Our passing had been looking utterly abysmal, allowing United to keep putting us under more pressure, although we were largely managing to stop them creating a lot. In the 32nd minute we finally managed a good move with Dzsudzsak getting a shot from within the area, that forced the keeper to push the ball for a corner. Cardozo put a header wide from a corner in the 34th minute. In the 36th minute Fatih Yucel put a shot from 30 yards out just wide of the post. In the remainder of the half United managed a couple more shots, one a rather limp shot giving Ochoa an easy catch, and the other a header just over the bar. The half came to an end with the match goalless.
I was fairly pleased with our defensive display but thought in attack we were shocking. In fact for the first 30 minutes our passing had been appalling. Not sure if it's to do with the patch or not, but Cardozo seems oddly poor with his headers, and so far not even managed a shot with his foot. I sent the players back out trying to get them into a better frame of mind to take this match. I was livid almost immediately the half started with Johnny Evans hacking Sanchez down to win the ball, which looked like a foul, from which Rooney was able to take a shot, which was fortunately wide of the target. In the 59th minute Fatih Yucel tried another curling long shot, but the keeper was equal to the challenge. In the 62nd minute Fatih Yucel forced the keeper to tip another long shot over the bar. In the 66th minute Ochoa had a comfortable save from a header to make. In the 68th the United keeper had to make an astonishing save to keep a Cardozo shot out and deflect it for a corner. In the 76th minute Cardozo fired a free kick into the area, where the ball fell to the feet of Nasuti, but was unable to beat the keeper from point blank range. From the resulting corner Grenier fired the ball into the area, where Kjær made a run to meet the ball with his head and hammered it home to give us the lead. In the 81st minute Cardozo fired another header over the bar. Later in the minute Rooney fired over the bar much to our fans delight. In the 83rd minute United equalised with a goal that looked suspiciously offside. In the 86th some swift passing saw Sanchez free in the area, but the keeper made another spectacular save to push his shot for a corner. The ball was going end to end quite fast now, and in the 88th minute Rafa tried a shot from just outside the area, but it was fairly easy for the keeper to save. Just into added time United went just over with a header from a corner. We dominated after that, but just couldn't find the final pass. The match came to end with the scores level at 1-1.
I was a bit disappointed that we'd allowed United to equalise, because I felt we'd down enough to justify taking all 3 points, with us getting a lot more shots on target. Given we lost this corresponding fixture last season, I should be happy though. Once we'd settled, we were the better team, but apart from Kjær's goal, all our other headers went over the bar, which is bit odd. I was cheered up a bit when we found out that Arsenal had been held to a 2-2 draw by Everton, but not happy that Aston Villa had managed to come from behind to beat Ipswich 3-2 with a couple of late penalties, the second one deep into added time. In spite of allowing Man United to equalise the fans are still quite happy with the result.
Result: 1-1
Okayama FC (N) Club World Cup Semi Final
Everyone is excited by our trip to Japan, where we are favourites to win the tournament. We arrive in at the Yokohama Stadium to take on Okayama with us clear favourites to win the match. We need to guard against complacency. This looks to be an ideal opportunity to allow Gilardino go have some fun, and hopefully gain even more confidence.
We started the match looking to take the attack to Okayama, with Gilardino getting through on goal in the 1st minute, but his shot was stopped by the keeper rushing out as he struck it. In the 3rd minute Grenier went on a great run into the box, but shot just wide of the post. In the 4th minute Scocco scored a wonderful chipped shot from just outside the area, which just beat the keeper to put us in the lead. I don't think it would have beaten an average Premiership keeper, but it was a delight to see. In the 16th minute Scocco played a cross into the area, where Gilardino managed to get his head to the ball and direct into the corner of the net to double our lead. Okayama mounted an attack, but our defending stood solid. In the 20th minute Scocco hit an early cross into the area, where Gilardino glanced a header into goal for his second of the match. In the 24th Kjær put a header from a corner just over the bar. In the 26th minute Okayama managed their first shot of the match, a long shot a long way off target. In the 28th Fatih Yucel put a header just over the bar. Gilardino was looking for his hat-trick and fired a shot from the edge of the area just wide of the post. In the 43nd minute we won a free kick just outside the area. Dzsudzsak stepped up and hammered it only just wide of the post. The first half came to an end with us leading 3-0.
I was pleased with our performance, but had one worry, that Sunny had picked up a yellow card near the end of the first half. We'd looked solid defence, and Scocco had been amazing on the right wing, scoring a goal and providing 2 assists. I sent the players back out pleased with them, hoping they would go on and keep looking for more goals. The half started as more of a batle, with Okayama showing some signs of resistance. It took until the 60th minute for our first shot of the half with Fatih Yucel trying a shot from just outside the area, which the keeper made an outstanding save to push for a corner. We continued to press forward, but chances were few until the 70th minute when Gilardino completed his hat-trick with another header, this time the cross supplied by Dzsudzsak. Gilardino seemed intent on scoring more, putting another header in the 74th minute just over the bar. Okayama then managed a consolation on the break, with their striker managing to get clear with route one football, but I was shocked at the indecision shown by Steele in goal, who allowed the shot to be a lot easier than it should have been. Also Kjær had allowed a player shorter than him, with heading of 3 and jumping of 4, to actually nod the ball on, which had allowed the striker to get free, which was even more disappointing. A really pathetic piece of defending all round. It looked like we'd completely switched off, and the referee annoyed me by not booking a couple of the Japanese players, who'd reached 3 fouls, as he'd done to Sunny. I love consistent refereeing, but this wasn't getting my vote. In the last moments of the match, Gilardino turned provider giving Grenier a shot from the edge of area, allowing him to smash the ball home for a goal his performance had deserved. The match finished seconds after the restart with us running out 5-1 winners.
I was pleased with our victory and most of the performance, but a little perturbed by the huge defensive error that had allowed the consolation goal to be scored. I'm also a little concerned with how Sunny and Rafa seemed to be picked on by the referee in most matches we play now. I was delighted to see Gilardino score a hat-trick, looking much more like he had at the start of the season. He was named the man of the match, with an astounding rating of 9.7, with scocco not far behind at 9.3. I'm beginning to see that Gilardino plays better when Scocco is on the pitch, so this could be an important thing to consider from now on. Our victory means we will now play in the final against the New York Red Bulls, who we should be very confident of beating. The intrepid fans who made the trip were jubilant about our victory.
Result: 5-1
The draw for the 1st knockout stage of the Champions League took place following the match, with us pulling out Sevilla, which I feel is a decent draw, given Man United pulled out Juventus, and Arsenal take on Barcelona. There are no easy matches at this point, but it's always nice to avoid some of the biggest clubs early on in the knockout stages.
Due to our advance in the Champions League and that of Tottenham in the EURO Cup, our first league match against them is getting pushed further back, now into March, with our final match of the league campaign also being against them. I've never seen a fixture delayed so much.
New York (N) Club World Cup Final
We stay at the Yokohama Stadium to take on New York, with us favourites to win the match. New York managed to surprise Brazilian team Palmeiras to reach the final, so on paper the final looks easier than I thought it would be, but again nothing can be taken for granted.
The match started with us looking to go on the attack, with our first shot coming in the 5th minute with Rafa blasting the ball over the bar from inside the area. In the 7th minute we won a free kick in a central area about 30 yards out. Cardozo stepped up and curled a beauty into the goal to give us the lead. New York went on the attack from the restart, firing just wide in the 9th minute from within the area. In the 10th Gilardino hit a shot from the edge of the area straight at the keeper. Later in the minute New York fired wide of the post again, from within the area, having just carved us open in worrying fashion. New York were showing they didn't want to give up, but it was Cardozo with the next shot, shooting just wide of the post in the 13th minute. In the 15th he tried another shot, which looked good until it took a deflection off a New York player which redirected it for a corner. In the 20th minute we won a free kick right on the edge of the area. Cardozo stepped up again, and drilled the ball into the back of the net, with the keeper helpless. We then started to look like we would dominate. In the 24th minute Rafa drilled a long shot goalwards, forcing a great save from him, with it falling safe for a clearance to be made. In the 25th Sanchez headed just over the bar from a cross. In the 26th Gilardino set Jimenez up with a shot from just outside the area, going just inside the post with a superb finish. We laid seige to the New York goal for the next 5 minutes, but failed to score again. New York then started to get their passing together, moving the ball about really well. We finally got the ball back with Dzsudzsak producing a superb cross in the 39th minute straight onto the head of Gilardino from which he buried the ball into the back of the net. In the 42nd Sanchez then produced a superb cross, which Dzsudzsak met with his head, hitting the crossbar, with the ball then cleared for a throw-in. We controlled things until the half time whistle, which brought the interval with us leading 4-0.
I was pleased with how we'd gone about things, with Cardozo having found the direction again on his free kicks. I sent the players back trying to make sure they didn't become complacent. New York came back out with a more defensive formation with 5 at the back, and we laid seige on their goal from the restart. Gildardino headed over in the 50th minute with the first shot of the half. The increase in defensive numbers was making it harder for us to work chances, but in the 57th minute Sanchez fired a cross into the area, where Cardozo headed the ball, probably looking to flick the ball on for Jimenez, but it looped over and went out of reach of the keeper and into the net to complete his hat-trick.We were then controlling the match, I decided to bring Sanchez and Dzsudzsak off so they'd be ready for our next match. It was frustrating when Gilardino went down in the area, in the 75th minute after trying to flick a header on at a corner, with a potential upper body injury, with no sign of how that could be possible. In the 77th the referee booked Rafa, yet again showing complete inconsistency. We continued to push with Cardozo still causing the defence problems getting his head to another couple of crosses, as we still looked to add to our goal tally. New York were powerless to stop us keeping their goal under seige for the rest of the match, allowing us to play out for a 5-0 victory.
I was very pleased with our performance, especially in the 2nd half, where the opposition didn't create a single shot. We had 4 players with a rating of 9.0 or higher, with Sanchez an Dzsudzsak at 9.0, Gilardino on 9.1 and the hat-trick hero Cardozo claiming the man of the match award with 9.6. This had been a thoroughly professional display. This was one of the easiest clean sheet bonuses that Ochoa will ever earn, as he had no saves to make, few crosses to catch, and not even many back passes to deal with. Gilardino suffered a bruised rib, apparently from a late tackle, which begs the question why we didn't get a penalty, but will only be out for 4 to 5 days, so shouldn't be a big problem. What is becoming an issue now, is that Fatih Yucel hast not scored since early the previous month, but I'm sure he will start scoring again soon, although in match time his drought is not close to the epic proportions that Gilardino had built up.
Back at home Aston Villa cut our lead to just 3 points after a good win, but we do have 2 games in hand over them.
Result: 5-0
West Ham (H) Premier League
We return from the land of the rising sun, and sushi to play the Hammers at Loftus Road, with us favourites to win the match. West Ham have struggled this season, sitting in 16th in the league, and arrive off the back of losing to Liverpool and Arsenal, although before that they beat Man City away, so we mustn't get complacent as they have the ability to punish us.
Although we started brightly, with more possession it was West Ham creating the shots, hitting the target with their 3rd shot in the 8th minute, which was fortunately an easy catch for Ochoa. In the 15th minute Dzsudzsak fired a corner into the area, with Cardozo hammering a header goalward, but the Hammers keeper, pushed it over the bar for another corner. Later in the minute Fatih Yucel hit a header goalward, but somehow the keeper managed an outstanding save to tip it over the bar. Dzsudzsak fired the corner into the area, and this time Fatih Yucel's header found the back of the net to give us the lead in the 16th minute, and bring his goal drought to an end. In the 23rd minute I was a little nervous when we allowed Michael Owen space in the area, but his kick went clear over the bar, much to my relief. The match became rather scrappy after that, and in predictable fashion, Sunny was booked in the 39th minute. The match reached half time with us leading 1-0.
I was happy enough that we were leading, with more possession and the lead, but we seemed to be allowing West Ham to come onto us far too much, not helped by Sunny seeming intent on getting a red card. I decided to bring Rafa on to make sure that wouldn't happen. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to finish this off properly, and not let the Hammers get something from this match. In the 48th minute Dzsudzsak hit a shot from 30 yards out, which went behind for a goal kick off the outside of the post. We then laid seige to the Hammers goal for a couple of minutes, with Cardozo firing a header from a corner over the bar in the 50th minute. In the 52nd minute Ochoa made a great save, but from a shot that seemed to be well wide of the post, to concede a corner. In the 54th minute Rafa passed the ball forward to Grenier outside the box, and what happened next was pure brilliance, with him dribbling through a gap in the Hammers defence, shrugging off a player and then placing his shot as he reached the edge of the 6 yard box to double our lead. The Hammers went on the attack from the restart, but as they'd done several times, fired a long shot very wide of the goal. In the 57th minute Fatih Yucel got his head to a cross, which the keeper fumbled, but somehow they managed to clear the ball for a throw-in. In the 62nd minute only a fantastic save from the Hammers keeper denied Fatih Yucel when he hammered a shot from a cross. In the 64th minute the Hammers went close with our defence breached, but fortunately the shot went just the right side of the post from our perspective. We now seemed to settle into controlling the match, patiently building up attacks. In the 72nd minute Ephraim tested the keeper with a screamer from just outside the area, which he could hold but the ball went to a Hammers player. Everytime Grenier got the ball, there seemed to be panic in the Hammers defence. In the 77th minute he hammered a shot from just outside the area, which the keeper did really well to turn over the bar for a corner. In the 79th minute Cardozo hammered a free kick from 30 yards out just wide of the post. In the 83rd minute Ephraim had a tricky chance to add to the score, when the Hammers keeper came rushing out as he beat the defender, but unfortunately his left foot is weak, and he put the ball into the side netting. West Ham then started to press forward, and we began conceding far too many silly fouls. When we did get the ball we were passing it with great control, using up valuable time on the clock. The match came to an end with us winning 2-0.
I was pleased with this win, because West Ham are always a tricky team to play. I thought Grenier was fantastic, but for some reason his rating was only 7.3, with his stunning goal not seeming to count very high, even though I think it's one of the best individual pieces of skill we've seen this season. We did seem a little open at the back at times, but it rarely looked panicked. Dzsudzsak was named man of the match, which was quite fair, as he caused the Hammers defence a lot of problems, and provided an assist.
Result: 2-0
Portsmouth (A) Premier League
The last match of the year sees us travel to the south coast to take on Pompey at Fratton Park. Earlier in the season we have beaten them twice, in the league and the league cup, both times with 1-0 results, so despite being clear favourites, I fully expect this to be tight match. Portsmouth come into match having been unable to score or win in their last 8 matches, securing only a single point during that time, and sit in 18th position in the table, looking quite likely to be relegated on their current form.
The match started with us pushing forward for the first few minutes, but getting nowhere. The first shot of the match came in the 5th minute from a Pompey player firing just wide from the edge of the area. From a free kick near the left touchline, Cardozo hit the ball to Nasuti in the centre, and he passed it forward to Scocco in the area, and he hammered the ball home to give us the lead. Portsmouth then started to push forward, with Ochoa having to make a save in the 9th minute. In the 10th Scocco tried to lobbed the keeper, which nearly succeeded, but went just over the bar. Cardozo then tried the same in the 12th minute. In the 20th minute Grenier received the ball in the area, but he pulled his shot wide. In the 25th Ephraim managed to get through, but a great save deflected his shot for a corner. In the 29th minute Grenier was sent flying right on the edge of the of the area, earning the player a yellow card. Cardozo fired the free kick way over the bar, as his accuracy at free kicks had deserted him again. The following minute a defensive error allowed a Pompey player to get in on goal, with Ochoa saving the blushes to keep the ball out. The match then became very scrappy, with lots of fouls and stupid passes. The match reached half time with us leading 1-0.
I was pleased we had gone into the lead, but I felt we hadn't defended particularly well. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to perform a little bit better and see out the victory. The second half carried on much the same as the first half ended. Pompey fired a header over from a corner in the 50th minute. We really weren't playing well at all, with far too many passes putting our players under pressure. In the 64th Pompey fired another shot over the bar. In the following minute Cardozo fired just wide of the post. In the 66th minute Portsmouth had Aaron Mokoena sent off for a second bookable offence. If anything Portsmouth seemed even more motivated, and it was hard to believe they were a man short, with us still finding it hard to work space. In the 80th minute Sunny was predictably booked, but given how the referee had treated the Portsmouth players this was inconsistent, showing that Sunny was being singled out. I was really annoyed when Grenier was hacked down, causing a potential shin injury in the 84th minute, causing his enforced substitution. The match continued in much the same fashion, but we managed to hold out to finish as 1-0 winners.
The scoreline was predictable, and I was pleased that we had managed to grab the victory, which we had deserved. Nasuti was named as the man of the match, after putting in a very solid defensive display, and also getting the assist for the goal. Grenier's injury was not as bad as I feared, with him sidelined after suffering a gashed leg for about 7 to 10 days, but I was still not very happy about it, as he'd been starting to play really well for us. I was cheered by other results that came through as the match finished, with Aston Villa held to a 2-2 draw with Man United, and Arsenal more surprisngly held to a 2-2 draw by Cardiff.
Result: 1-0
Monthly Roundup
There were no awards at all for anyone at the club, and even Grenier's wonderful goal was not included in the goal of the month list, but I still think it was a stunning piece of football skill. His unfortunate injury sees him as our only player on the injury list at the end of the month, but he should be back playing in a couple of weeks. I've had to think very hard about who was our player of the month, with so many excellent performances on show. I decided to go with Balazs Dzsudzsak who scored one goal and provided 3 assists during the month, being our most consistent performer. Oddly he is struggling to settle in London, but continues to perform wonders on the pitch.
I'm sure there will some wondering at the bizarre title of this post. It is a reference that came to mind from an album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads from way back in 1977, called New Boots and Panties. It appealed to my rather twisted sense of humour to make a play on words from that title.
Our next month sees us scheduled for 7 fixtures, 4 being Premier League matches, at home to Cardiff and Sheffield United, and away to Leeds and Birmingham. We have the two legs of our League Cup semi final against Chelsea, and the FA Cup 3rd round match again Stoke. If we beat Stoke I believe we will play another fixture near the end of the month. Even worse would be to draw with Stoke, and have a replay as well.
Right at the end of the month AC Milan have just announced that they are looking to send the Brazilian defender Breno to us on loan, which would be astounding, as he looks to be at a very similar level to Kjær, which would make our defence even more solid.
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