December 2011 - Anyone for a grudge match?

December sees us play 8 fixtures in what seems to be our toughest month so far, with only one week in which there is not a midweek match. There are 6 league fixtures, our final group match in the Champions Cup and the final match on New Years eve is our FA Cup tie against Sunderland. Ephraim is our only first team player currently suffering an injury, and will definitely not be ready to play before Christmas. The match before the FA Cup tie is at home against our fiercest rivals, Chelsea, which for the fans is the most vital fixture of the season.

Cardiff (H) Premier League

Our first match of the month sees struggling Cardiff, currently in the relegation zone, arrive at Loftus Road, with us clear favourites to win this match. Although they've struggled, they have only lost one of their last 5 matches, that being to Everton. I hope our team will not be complacent heading into this match.

We started the match going on the attack, and in the 5th minute Jimenez supplied a great throughball for Scocco to run onto outside the Cardiff area. He closed in on goal and placed the ball in the opposite corner of the goal to give us the lead. Cardiff tried to come at us, but they were struggling to find a way through. In the 18th minute Scocco really should have increased our lead when Fatih Yucel supplied him with a great throughball, but he scuffed it wide off his weaker foot. In the 28th minute a Cardiff long shot was only just kept out by Lung jr, with a slightly fumbled save, fortunately going safe allowing us to clear the ball. Although Cardiff started being able to get forward more, we were still looking much the more dangerous team. In the 45th minute we won a free kick just outside the Cardiff area. Fatih Yucel stepped up, and saw his kick deflect off the wall, and go just wide of the post. In the 2nd minute of added time, we had another free kick just outside the area, which Fatih Yucel got on target, but this was far too easy for the keeper to save. The first half came to an end with us holding a one goal lead.

I was happy what I'd seen so far, having done a pretty good job of restricting Cardiff. Our display going forward had been a pleasure, with us looking very efficient. I sent the players back out giving them encouragement. In the just the 2nd minute of the half Rowlands had an excellent opportunity to extend our lead, but sent the ball just wide. We continued with our display of precise passing, causing Cardiff problems everytime we moved forward, looking the most likely to score next. However the next goal was totally against the run of play, with Cardiff managing to break through, with their first attack in the 2nd half and level the match, with the goal going in off the inside of the post. I was livid, as all our good work had been undone by the only good piece of play Cardiff had managed in the 2nd half. I was delighted with how we reacted to this with Sunny supplying a superb throughball for Rowlands in the penalty area in the 76th minute. The keeper came out for the ball, totally missed his save giving Rowlands the easiest of shots to restore the lead and give him his first goal of the season. It has to be said it was a very marginal call as to whether this should have been callede offside. Cardiff unsurprisingly started to push forward chasing the game which was allowing us opportunities to mount counter attacks. In the 90th minute of the match Balanta produced one of the most awful shots you could ever see, with him making a terrible mess of a volley, with it actually going for a throw-in. In the 2nd minute of added time Balanta produced a brilliant cross trying to make amends, which Scocco got on the end of only to see his shot saved by the Cardiff keeper. We managed to see out the remaining time to come through with a 2-1 victory.

This was a deserved victory with us putting in a great display, with Rowlands putting in a man of the match performance, and grabbing us the winner with his first goal of the season in his first start as well. The fans were pleased with the number of shots we created as I was, with us creating 3 times the number of shots that Cardiff did.

Result: 2-1

Paris Saint-Germain (A) Champions Cup Group D

We travel at the Parc des Princes as marginal underdogs. It is hard to know exactly what to do with this match, as their is nothing to actually play for, except our current unbeaten record. There are also a number of players I would like to give a rest, due to the sheer number of fixtures we've had so far. I decide to make quite a few changes, and tell the players the pressure off.

The match started with PSG having a lot of possession, but looking to have trouble getting through our defence. In the 7th minute we mounted our first attack of the match, which led to us winning a free kick just outside the PSG area. Fatih Yucel stepped up and cracked the ball into the top corner of the net to open the scoring. PSG really started to push forward hard, making things quite uncomfortable for us. In the 22nd minute Jason Steele who I decided to give a match, produced a superb diving save to push a superb long shot around the post. Our passing was looking rather inconsistent, with us giving possession away far too easily, so I decided to slow our tempo down a bit to see if our passing would improve. Despite the pressure being put on us, our defending was looking fairly solid. In the 30th minute PSG thought they'd scored the equaliser but this was ruled out for a foul by the player that had put the ball in the net. In the 35th minute we managed to go on another attack, with Routledge making a short pass to Fatih Yucel in the area, clear of his marker, and he thumped the ball into the back of the net in style. This looked to finally settle us down a bit, with us looking much more assured. In the 41st minute Steele produced another great save from close range, be unfortunately the ball bounced out right into the path of a PSG player who hammered the ball into the back of the net before he could recover properly. In the 45th minute I was angry when a PSG player hacked Fatih Yucel down, which took a big chunk out of his condition, with the player earning a booking, but I feel he got off lightly. In the 4th minute of added time, only a brilliantly timed tackle stopped Fatih Yucel completing his hat-trick. The match reached half time was us still leading 2-1.

In spite of us having less possession and only having 2 shots in the half, both of which were put away, I was pleased with our performance, and could only hope we'd be able to stop PSG from overrunning us in the second half. We started the half looking better, with PSG looking a bit ragged, with some players looking quite nervous. Despite this, they started to work themselve more into the match again, and in the 55th minute Steele was called upon making 2 quick saves, this time holding the shot that had come from his rebounded first save. Where PSG were struggling the most was with discipline with their foul count rising fast. In the 61st minute Steele was called upon again, making a wonderful diving save to parry the ball allowing the clearance to be made. 3 minutes later he spectacularly tipped the ball over the bar from a long shot from 40 yards out. Unfortunately from the resulting corner we conceded, which we really shouldn't have, and I so hate conceding from corners in particular. In the 68th minute Steele had to make another save, from a close range shot that really should have been given offside, with the player at least a yard beyond the last defender as the pass was made. What was happening now seemed to be every clearance or tackle we made was falling to a PSG player, which was getting very frustrating. It was no surprise therefore that PSG took the lead in the 76th minute. What annoys me most about that goal is that Steele was beaten at the near post, which is almost criminal. PSG seemed in no mood to let up on the pressure, in a period of play that is next to unbelievable. Nothing I did made any difference, they were just running rings around us. It's frustrating when this happens, because you're just left powerless. This was just awful with my players now unable to pass, first touch gone completely, in a totally unrealistic fashion. It wasn't until added time we even managed to get forward again, and the whistle blew just as Buzsaky was receiving a great pass in the clear with a great chance of snatching a late equaliser, just add to the ultimate frustration. I can't believe PSG are that much better than us to totally dominate the second half so much. I can believe they could find the 3 goals for the win, but the manner of it really annoys me.

I sympathise with the players, after being played off the park in the most unbelievable fashion. I'd even tried putting pass to feet as a touchline shout, and we were still trying to lob passes over the top. Even players with good first touch who were apparently playing with confidence, were unable to control the ball. This is the worst I've ever seen the game do this to me, where you seem to be left completely helpless, with your players seeming to forget how to play football. Fortunately it doesn't seem to have damaged the morale of the players, even though the fans are devestated about the loss. It's not the loss itself I hate so much, but the manner of it, especially after we'd managed to get 2 goals up, and then suddenly we could do nothing right until the last few seconds of the match. There is one pleasing aspect to this though, which is that Fatih Yucel is now looking something like his old self, and back in goalscoring form.

Result: 2-3

Aston Villa (H) Premier League

Aston Villa arrive at Loftus Road with us marginal favourites for this match. Aston Villa have been playing quite well this season, sitting in 6th place, but come here off the back of a midweek defeat to Everton in the League Cup. We have a good record against Villa, having secured a win and draw last season, but I feel they always have the potential to cause problems, especially when Agbonlahor is playing up front for them.

The match started off looking like this was going to be tough match, with Villa pushing forward, and also quite physical, with tackles flying in all over the place. In the 4th minute we won a free kick just outside the area, but sadly Buzsaky hit the shot wide of the post. Villa pressed hard early causing problems with their pace, and it took us a few minutes to adjust, and get our own passing working properly. In the 16th minute this all came together with Balanta receiving a pass on the right side of the area, and instead of going for goal, he squared the ball to Scocco in the middle of the area for him to thump home the first goal of the match. In the 18th minute Scocco took a heavy knock taking a big chunk out of his condition and just 3 minutes later Balanta was fouled also taking a heavy knock having his condition badly hit too. Although Villa were still pushing forward, we were forcing them to try long shots. In the 25th minute same great skill nearly saw Balanta get on the scoresheet, but he was denied by a good save. In the 28th minute Scocco took advantage of a defensive howler, with a Villa defender making a total mess of trying to deal with a cross into the middle of the area by Balanta. The defender failed to control the ball properly, making it easy for Scocco to steal the ball and power in his second goal of the match. Two minutes later Balanta was hacked down, with no foul given knocking yet more off his condition, meaning he'll probably have to be substituted soon. Villa are really targetting our fowards, and too often getting away with bad fouls. From the resulting throw-in which we'd conceded to put the ball out so Balanta could be looked at Villa went close with a header inside the six yard box which went just over the bar. If that had gone in, it would have a serious insult, and I hope SI fix this issue in the next patch, very soon. Villa were now pressing very hard, with Lung jr making a stunning save from a long range shot in the 35th minute, pushing it for a corner, and making another great save from a header at a corner 2 minute laters, tipping the ball over the bar. Again it took us a few minutes to start recovering our composure, with Villa pushing forward like mad, with long shots flying about everywhere, seeming to always go for corners. Somehow despite the insane pressure, we managed to reached half time leading 2-0.

I was pleased, as we were standing firm under some serious pressure and managed to score twice, the first coming from a superb series of passes down the right hand side of the pitch. I sent the players back out letting them know I was pleased with them. We started off going on the attack, which was good sign, but I knew that Villa would be trying everything to get back in the match, and in the 48th minute I was livid that Agbonlahor, was allowed to get his head to the ball at a corner, which deflected into the goal. However he apparently commited a foul in the process of heading the ball, so the goal was not allowed to stand, and I breathed a massive sigh of relief, although to be honest I can't actually see the foul. Villa were still trying to keep the pressure up, but the foul count was rising and not helping their cause. With the hour mark reached I substituted Balanta and Buzsaky for Fatih Yucel and Jimenez, and we started to push forward again, with the idea that while we're in the opposition half it's difficult for them to score. In the 72nd minute I was to get angry again, with a Fatih Yucel the victim of a vicious body check, which again was not given as a foul, and causing him a possible groin injury. At least he was able to play on, as I'd just commited to my last substitution. My forwards really are being savaged in this match. In the 77th minute Scocco should have completed his hat-trick, but was denied by the keeper who pushed the ball for a corner. In the 84th minute Scocco had another chance, this time he hit his shot, from just outside the area, under pressure from a defender, only just wide of the post. In the 89th minute some excellent defending was required to block a shot inside our 6 yard box. The ball was then cleared to the left quickly with ball moved inside to Fatih Yucel who'd come deep, then running forward, and passing it back out wide to Curri who raced down the touchline, and produced an excellent cross into the box. Fatih Yucel had made a superb run into the box to meet the cross, and smashed the ball into the back of the net in the 90th minute, which would surely put the match beyond a doubt. Despite Villa pushing forward again we managed to get bodies back behind the ball, and deny them an opportunity of scoring, to see the match out to give us a 3-0 victory.

I was pleased with this, because although we'd had less shots and less possession, we'd been so much more incisive when we'd gone forward. The movement and passing involved in our 3rd goal was a delight to watch. Our defending had been put under some serious examination, with Villa also seeming to target our forwards for some very heavy tackling. I can't say I thought too much of the referee, being very inconsistent, and apparently his decision to disallow the Villa goal was wrong. I'm pleased to say that the injury concerns over Fatih Yucel were for nothing, and he came through the match unscathed. Scocco is now being praised heavily in the press having scored 5 goals in his last 3 matches.

Result: 3-0

Blackburn (A) Premier League

We travel to Ewood Park as narrow favourites for this fixture. Blackburn are siting in the middle of the table, but have lost their last two home matches, which might be a good thing, but then again it might give them extra motivation in front their fans. This is a match I feel we should be able to take the points from, so fielding a very strong side, in spite of another tough match against Tottenham in 3 days time. I believe it's important to take as many points as possible if you can, especially when in the middle of a very busy period. Before the match all the talk from the Blackburn manager and the press is about the need to be able to stop Scocco, though with Fatih Yucel alongside him, we should be able to make it tough for the defence.

The match started in astonishing fashion, with Sunny lobbing the ball over the Blackburn defence with only a minute on the clock, with Scocco making a well timed run onto the ball, though still some 40 yards from the goal. He made a neat little move to the side as he got into the area which gave him the space to plant the ball into the bottom corner of the net. In the 3rd minute Curri produced a throughball for Scocco to run onto again, clear of the defence just inside the Blackburn half, and again made no mistake with his finish as he got into the area. Looking at the replay, this probably should have been disallowed, as it appears Scocco was offside this time. It's rare to see us get the luck with a poor offside decision, so I'm very happy to take this. Oddly the Blackburn players are not disputing this, with the goal looking even further offside in the 2D view. Blackburn to their credit started to try and find their way back into the match, but looked to be struggling with an inexperienced frontline. In the 12th minute they nearly got a goal back, but despite breaking through our back four, Lung jr was more than equal to the shot. With Blackburn trying to push we were getting plenty of opportunities to counter attack, and in the 33rd minute it's almost unbelievable that we didn't extend our lead, with the ball cleared to Curri on the left. He made an excellent run down the touchline, skipping a tackle from the right back, and crossing to Fatih Yucel at the edge of the box. Somehow the keeper managed to dive and save the ball, with the rebound coming out to Jimenez, with his shot tipped over the bar by the keeper. Only 3 minutes Fatih Yucel had another excellent chance running onto a throughball but was denied by a stunning diving save to push the ball around the post. At this point Blackburn were struggling to cope with us, and on the odd ocassion they got forward, it was easy for us to clear and put the pressure back on them. We reached half time with us leading 2-0.

I was delighted with what I'd seen in the first half, and amazed that given our number of chances, we'd not scored more goals. I sent the players back thrilled with them, hoping they would continue to show the same level of confidence on the ball and complete the job properly. In the 47th minute though things nearly went wrong with Blackburn getting through us, but one of their inexperienced strikers seemed a bit lost in front of goal, making it easy for Lung jr to stop his shot. It was no surprise really that the team were looking a little complacent, but they soon started to get back in their stride, with Rowlands having a good chance from the edge of the area tipped around the post in the 51st minute. A minute later Fatih Yucel went very close with a free kick from just outside the area, only just clearing the bar. In the 55th minute Lung jr had to make another good save, with us not looking quite as dominant as we had. In the 61st minute the seemingly inevitable happened and Blackburn got a goal back. Blackburn now seemed to have belief, and where coming at us hard, looking like a totally different team, and now we were struggling to to create anything going forward. Fortunately we managed to keep Blackburn out and saw the match out to give us a 2-1 victory, but after our first half performance, it really shouldn't have been such a struggle to keep our lead.

I was pleased that we'd managed to get the result, with our first half performance being one of the best we've played, however the 2nd half display was nowhere near this standard, with our defence having to work very hard. I'm delighted with the form that Scocco has shown, scoring another 2 goals in this match, making that 7 goals in his last 4 matches.

Result: 2-1

In the run up to the next match, the draw for the first knockout round of the Champions Cup has been made, with us drawing Valencia. All the teams in the draw are tough, but I know we could have got a much tougher team than this, but still expect a couple of tough matches.

Tottenham (A) Premier League

We arrive at White Hart Lane, just 3 days after our last match, as slight underdogs, in a tough match, which won't be helped by Tottenham having had a full week to recover after their previous match. We do however get a full 8 days of rest before our next match, which will be very welcome after another hard run of matches. From the last 5 matches between the two teams, our return has been 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw, so I expect this to be a tough match. Like us, Tottenham are on a run of 4 straight league wins, so something has to give.

The match started with us looking incredibly poor with Tottenham pinging the ball about with ease, after 4 minute, we'd hardly seen the ball, and not completed a single pass on the rare ocassion we'd seen the ball. In the 5th minute Daeseleire brought down Bentley in our area to give Tottenham a penalty; a nightmare start. Pavlyuchenko stepped up and cracked the ball straight onto the crossbar to my delight. This close call seemed to finally wake the team up, with us at last managing to string a few passes together, and starting to enjoy themselves. In the 8th minute we got our first shot of the game, a cracking left front drive from Fatih Yucel at the edge of the area, but the Spurs keeper was able to just push it around the post for a corner. In the 12th minute Buzsaky was denied by another great save after hitting a powerful shot from just outside the area. The match then settled more into an even contest with both sides creating chances, and after 30 minutes Spurs had so far given Lung jr nothing to do, which was pleasing. In the 33rd minute Fatih Yucel again tested the Spurs keeper only to be denied for a 2nd time. Spurs continued to create more chances than us, but by the end of the first half with saw the match goalless, Lung jr's only action had been to take kicks and deal with back passes, and overhit throughballs.

I was pleased with what I'd seen in the first half, and if Spurs continue with their poor shooting, we have a great chance. Spurs came out for the 2nd half really looking up for this, pushing us very hard, with our defence having to work hard. It took us a quite a while before we managed to settle again. In the 71st minute Spurs finally had their first shot of the match on target, with Defoe hitting the ball at Lung jr, and it bouncing up over him goalwards. I breathed a sigh of relief as Curri was on hand to clear the ball off the goal line. Throughout the half Spurs largely maintained the pressure with us rarely getting forward. Somehow Spurs were still not finding the target, and with the match finishing goalless.

I'm pleased to come away with a draw, but not entirely happy with the performance, especially in the 2nd half, where were rarely looked like causing Spurs any problems. Spurs will definitely be wondering how they didn't win this game, because they were so much better than us on the day. Thankfully for us, with the one exception, which was cleared off the line, they never managed to get the ball on target. The missed penalty was astonishing, as I never expected to get lucky like that. I think this performance was partly due to the intensive run of matches we've had over the last few weeks. It is now 9 days to the next match, which will be a welcome break for our players.

Result: 0-0

Manchester United (H) Premier League

The Red Devils arrive at Loftus Road on a freezing cold Boxing Day, with sleet falling for what will be a tough match. We are marginal favourites for this match due to having home advantage, but I expect United to come at us from the off. One thing in our favour is that United have been inconsistent this season having lost 5 league matches, most notably against Leeds and Man City, both at Old Trafford, and find themselves sitting in 5th place.

The match started as a big battle in midfield with both sides really cancelling each other out in the early stages, such that the first shot which came from United was in the 12th minute. In the 17th minute Lung jr had to make a good save to deny United from taking the lead. United were now looking quite dominant, with us so far totally failing to create any shots at all, which I was disappointed with. Our first shot of the match, a long shot way off target finally came in the 25th minute. In the 28th minute the pressure took its toll when Nani, of all players, (I believe massively overrated in the game) hammered in a screamer from 30 yards out on the left. This seemed to finally wake us up with some great passing from the restart, and in the 30th minute Sunny produced a superb throughball for Fatih Yucel to run onto in the area making no mistake in the hammering the ball home to bring us level almost immediately. This really seemed to settle us down, and now we were competing on much more evens terms, with a Scocco shot from the edge of the area 4 minutes later, requiring a great save from the United keeper. In the 38th minute I was disappointed when Rooney got free to put United ahead again. The match reached half time was us trailing 1-2.

This was a hugely disappointing performance with us giving United too much of the ball, and seemingly unable to cope properly with their pace. I sent the players back out telling them I was disappointed with them, and expecting to see more from them. In the 49th minute Fatih Yucel had an excellent chance of levelling the scores again, but his shot was a big disappointment with it being straight at the keeper. I have to say we were now looking up for the match, and disappointed again in the 54th with Fatih Yucel denied yet again. In the 63rd he was denied yet again by a stunning diving save. United then pushed for a while, with Lung jr having to make a couple more saves from astonishing long shots. In the 81st minute Grenier got through on goal from the right side, but scuffed his shot wide, which was disheartening, and then Fatih Yucel denied again just a minute later. In the 85th minute there was a big melee in the United area, with the ball bouncing around, and quite how we couldn't manage to find the shot to score with I don't know. In the first minute of added time Scocco had a shot saved with the rebound dropping to Fatih Yucel, but again the United keeper saved his shot. In the 4th minute of added time Berbatov hit a long shot which Lung jr managed to push around the post. The match came to an end with us losing 1-2.

I'm hugely disappointed at losing this match, because our 2nd half performance more than deserved us at least getting a draw. I honestly do not know how the United keeper Foster managed to make all those saves, for which he received the man of the match award. His very last one was next to unbelievable. Not only does this end our unbeaten run, but brings to an end our 100% home record. Arsenal are now the only team unbeaten at home, while we are the only team unbeaten away.

Result: 1-2

Chelsea (H) Premier League

This is the most important fixture of our season, the visit of Chelsea to Loftus Road, or as I prefer to call them, the Blue Scum. Chelsea have been struggling a bit this season, with Javier Aguirre being sacked, and Avram Grant taking over in the last few weeks. They find themselves in 8th place, which by their standards is a very poor showing, which makes us marginal favourites for this match. The day before the match Grant is trying some mind games, saying that his side will get victory over us to make sure it's hard for us to win the league title. Some of my players are determined to prove him wrong, although a couple of players are not sure that we can win the title. I've selected the team to try and take the best advantage of this, with Ephraim also returning from his injury, and one player I know will be fully motivated for this match.

We started the match looking highly motivated for this contest, looking to get forward often. We really should have taken the lead in the 7th minute, but Balanta put his shot just wide. It was a fairly even half, with both sides creating chances, although we were creating the better chances. Most of the shots that Chelsea took were long range efforts. The match reached half time with the goalless, with no further incidents of real note.

I was fairly pleased with what I'd seen in the first half, as we'd been the better team. Balanta's performance had been very poor, so I brought Fatih Yucel on, having started on the bench due to still being a bit tired after our last match. In the first minute of the second half I thought we'd taken the lead with Fatih Yucel putting the ball in the back off the net, only to see it disallowed for being offside. In the 50th minute Kjær was denied by a stunning save from the keeper to push his header from a free kick away from the goal. In the 53rd minute Buzsaky was denied from a close range chance. In the 56th minute we were able to take advantage of a poor backpass which saw Fatih Yucel steal the ball from Chelsea's Ivanovic, slip the ball to Scocco who advanced a bit, drawing the keeper foward, before squaring the ball back for Fatih Yucel to stroke the ball home to give us a well deserved lead. This definitely provoked a reaction out of Chelsea, although we were doing a good job of standing firm and getting forward quite often ourselves. In the 70th minute Lung jr had to make a save from at a corner, as Chelsea won a series of corners, with us struggling to clear the ball. I was a bit disappointed soon after to have to substitute Ephraim, due to taking a knock during a heavy tackle, as he'd been very lively and causing the Chelsea defenders a lot of problems with pace and dribbling. I was soon delighted though in the 84th minute when the ball was cleared, after another Chelesea attack, to the left for Curri (Ephraim's replacement) to run onto and he dribbled down the touchline, producing an excellent cross as he reached the byeline. Sunny another substitute in this match had made a brilliant run through the middle, and was there to meet the cross and hammer home a sweet volley for our second goal, to the absolute delight of our fans. I was pleased that we managed to avoid immediately letting Chelsea claim a goal back, and we went on the attack, which most importantly was using up valuable time on the clock. In the 90th though Chelsea managed to break through with Lung jr called on to produce a great save to deny Drogba at the near post. I was annoyed though when the match just entered the 4th minute of added time, out of 3, when Lampard somehow managed to get through and score a goal getting the ball through at the near post. It's hard to credit how Lung jr did not save that goal. Fortunately there was not enough time for Chelsea to conjure and equaliser, so we saw out the match to win our most important fixture of the season 2-1.

I'm delighted that we've managed to claim victory over our fiercest rivals, and also shut Avram Grant up for a bit. I was delighted with how my substitutions had worked out, with 2 of them claiming goals and one of them providing an assist. Our performance had been excellent, with most of the team having worked very hard throughout the match. Scocco received the man of the match award, having worked hard throughout the match, providing the assist for the first goal. As might be expected the fans went home in jubilant mood after securing this victory.

Result: 2-1

Sunderland (H) FA Cup 3rd round

The last match of 2011 sees Sunderland travel to Loftus Road on New Years Eve for the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and the 1st of 4 fixtures between the two clubs over the next 18 days. We are slight favourites for this match. We will be trying for the victory, but the main thing to achieve in this match is for it not to end as a draw and go to replay; as bad as it sounds, a defeat would be preferable to an extra fixture.

The match started with Sunderland going on the attack forcing Lung jr to make a great save in the just the 1st minute. Both teams were looking very good on the ball, making some great moves, and in the 6th minute Scocco had an excellent chance after Jimenez put a great throughball in the area for him, but the Sunderland keeper managed to charge out to make a good save from his shot. In the 9th minute another move resulted in Sunny putting a great ball through for Balanta to run onto in the area, and hit the shot first time to bury the ball in the top corner of the net to give us the lead. In spite of Sunderland now pressing hard, we were doing a good of keeping them at bay, until the 25th minute when Lung jr made bad mistake going for the ball at a free kick, allowing Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones to head the ball in the net, which was awfully disappointing and a very poor goal to concede. In the 39th minute Scocco was denied again by another great save. In the 45th minute Lung jr had to make a great save to keep the scores level, at least making up a bit for his earlier mistake. The match reached half time with the scores level at 1-1.

To be honest I was rather disappointed as we really have been leading this match, with the soft goal we conceded really annoying me. I gave the players a bit of ear bashing and sent them back out, hoping they would buck their ideas up. The players looked a lot more motivated at the start of the half, hassling Sunderland well when they had the ball, and really starting to put some great passing together. In the 56th minute this paid off with Jimenez providing another throughball for Balanta, this time just outside the area, which he collected with a great first touch shrugging off his marker, and placed the ball with ease into the bottom corner of the net to give us the lead again. Just 3 minute later Slory had a difficult chance to extend our lead, but couldn't get the ball past the keeper. From that save followed a couple of attacking corners, from which we were only denied through another couple of fantastic saves to keep the ball out. In the 62nd minute Sunderland got through with Lung jr having to make another great save to keep out their first shot of the half. That seemed to spur Sunderland on a bit with them having a few shots, mostly long range efforts, but we were still causing them a lot of problems, and in the 76th minute Fatih Yucel really should have scored our 3rd goal, but somehow the keeper managed to make an outstanding reflex save low to his right to keep the ball out. In the 85th minute Kjær made a superb clearance off the line from Sunderland's first corner of the match. In the 2nd minute of added time Kjær had a chance to score with a header from a free kick, but the keeper was in the right place to catch the ball. Shortly after the whistle blew to the bring the match to an end with us running out the victors 2-1.

The team talk at half time seemed to do the trick and we outplayed Sunderland in the 2nd half, fully deserving to claim our victory, which really should have been more comfortable. I am delighted that we managed to secure the this result and move through to the next round, but this was another hard fought battle in the pouring rain. This also means we avoid playing a replay, which would have been a nightmare, avoidng making our already congested fixture list worse. Balanta's man of the match performance was excellent, given how poor he'd played during the first half of the Chelsea match, very much aided by the great passing skills of Sunny and Jimenez.

Elsewhere there was a bit of a surprise with Birmingham putting Man United out at this stage, and Everton and Arsenal both being held to draws by League 2 opposition, the Toffee's being the more surprising, as they were playing at home.

Result: 2-1

Monthly Roundup

Although we lost a couple of the matches, I think it's been another great month for us, especially as we defeated our fiercest rivals, Chelsea in the biggest grudge match for us in the season. Fortunately the match against Paris Saint-Germain was a dead tie, and seemed not to dent our players morale. The defeat to Man United was more frustrating as we had the chances to not only claim the draw but even snatch all the points. However to balance that out, we were lucky to gain the draw with Tottenham, who have the best away form of any team in the league so far.

Fortunately for us, Liverpool and Arsenal were unable to take advantage of us dropping points, with the former actually dropping further behind. Man City put in an outstanding run during December to move to within 5 points, with a game in hand and also nudge ahead of their main rivals Man United.

In the Champions Cup we are confirmed as the winners of the group, having already confirmed our qualification through to the first knockout round of the tournament, where we will face Valencia, with the matches not taking place until February and March.

Throughout the 8 matches there has been quite a lot good performances from our players, but I think Ignacio Scocco. our £8 million striker. edged it this month, having scored 5 goals during the 7 matches he played in. Fatih Yucel has also scored 5 goals during this month, starting to show a return to form, which is very welcome after his dismal display earlier in the season. Lung jr was on the whole very consistent, but made a couple of mistakes in the last 2 matches, which fortunately did not cost us the victories we deserved.

In the draw for the FA Cup 4th round we will entertain the Championship side, Huddersfield at Loftus Road. It is also possible that AC Milan will be sending Gianmarco Zigoni, a striker, on loan to us. If Zigoni is of high enough quality, he may well get to play in a number of matches, which will ease the workload on our 3 current best strikers, Fatih Yucel, Scocco and Balanta. It is also pleasing to note that we have the completed the month with no first team players injured.

January sees us scheduled to play another 8 fixtures, comprising 5 league fixtures, an FA Cup tie and the two legs of the League Cup semi final. Three of the fixtures are against our most recent opponent Sunderland,  for the two legs of the League Cup semi final and a league fixture.