Often Partisan

The R Word

Birmingham City were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 yesterday in what was their second defeat on the spin.

I don’t think I’m the only Blues fan who feels a bit disappointed with yesterday’s performance; there was no doubting Blues were a bit flat across the pitch and defensively we were poorer than I’ve come to expect. Is this the reality check some of the more optimistic fans needed that promotion isn’t going to happen?

As much as it hurts losing a local derby, I don’t think defeats to Wolves (and Hull previously) mean we’re going to slump into midtable mediocrity any more than the three wins on the spin beforehand mean we’re going to be promoted automatically. From looking at the table the Championship is going to be as tough as it was last year with no real runaway leader – which is good and bad for Blues.

It’s good because I really do think there isn’t a team in this division that we can’t get a result against – on our day, I really do think Blues can beat any of the other 23 teams in the division – which means the possibility of picking up points is always there.

It’s bad however because without a runaway leader I think the number of points to achieve a playoff place will be high again this year – maybe as high as last year’s 78 – which means if Blues are to go up then they will have to hope it’s their day more often than not. Blues do have the players to beat teams but as yesterday proved there are still times when the team cannot get going.

If anything, I hope the reality check that is given is one to Gary Rowett – that despite his hunger for a small and tight squad the team does still need fresh blood – especially in central defence. I think we lack a tall centre-back – someone who can dominate at corners in either box – and I’d love to see someone with a bit more pace there too.

I’ve been continually reassured that there is money to spend if needed on the team which means either a) I’m being lied to or b) Rowett doesn’t want to/feel he needs to spend money on the team – both of which I feel aren’t great scenarios. As much as I admire Rowett I cannot believe he doesn’t see the lack of height and cover in the defence as an issue; yes, we’ve signed Shane Lowry but he’s not even making the bench (which begs the question why we signed him in the first place).

Another option would be to call up Emmanuel Mbende to the bench. I’m not going to pass comment on the player cos I’ve never seen him play – and I’ll admit here and now calling upon a player as raw as Mbende is a bit scary – but from just looking at him (6’4 and a unit) he offers something else in defence to what we have – if we lack height and pace is it worth looking within the squad to see how it can be rectified?

Despite all this, I will admit I’m still more than happy with things as a Blues fan. Yes, we might have lost yesterday but this time last year it would have just been a weary acceptance – and the “R” word would have been relegation. Being angry and frustrated about defeats is a sign that the team has improved – an “R” for reality isn’t such a bad thing.

Tags: , , ,

64 Responses to “The R Word”

  • Lee says:

    Dan, had you been to the game yesterday you wouldn’t be pulling up the lack of height as a problem in defence, have you seen the goals? Both on a plate particularly the first, was a calamity of errors, wolves came and did a job, the new defender steadied the ship at the back and we couldn’t break them down, our first shot that the keeper had to save was in the 48th minute, we are a cheap side, we have ups and downs which is what we are going to have to get used too, against qpr we never looked like losing, yesterday we never looked like winning, until we have money to go out and spend on consistent performers across the entire squad your going to have days like yesterday

    • almajir says:

      I watched it on TV Lee – could have sworn the first came from a completely missed header cos the ball went over a defender (Robbo’s I think) head.

      But still… maybe I’m wrong?

      • oldburyblue says:

        The cause of the 1st goal was Robbo’s misjudgement of the bouncing ball…nothing to do with his height. He could have been 7ft tall and still would have missed it having made that initial mistake.

      • StaffsBlue says:

        If you watch it again, from the angle from behind the goal, you can see that Robbo came across to cut out the cross, but it took a wicked deflection off Davis, which changed the direction of the ball when it bounced. When you’ve already committed to the header, there’s not much you can do about it when it changes direction like that. I think the second goal was much worse, amateur defending.. and it’s not the first time we’ve been done like that this season (e.g. QPR)

  • chudlt says:

    I am worried that for the first time in a post match interview Gary stated that unlike Wolves we could not compete in the Loan Market. When the Premiership relegation contenders come knocking in January and offer him £30 million for transfer fees and a multi million pound contract, will we be able to retain his services?

  • Jaffa says:

    The first goal was a gift and we just could not get going but i am getting a bit fed up with one up front at home.Wolves could and should of been easily beaten yesterday.I’m not having a pop at Gary but we have to try something a bit different at home.

  • Tony E says:

    No we didn’t do enough to win this game, but I was very frustrated by the weak referee. The game never got started as a spectacle because after we presented them with the opening goal, they were allowed to break up any possible flow to the game. We had a throw in level with their penalty area and one of their players picked the ball up a lobbed it into the crowd, the referee just had a word with him. Consequently when we won a free kick, a player kicked the ball away, avoiding a quick free kick. Again the referee just had a word with the player. The goalkeeper ensured that every goal kick was delayed a much as possible. Had the referee taken any action to the incidents we just might have seen a better game.

  • sheldonman says:

    My biggest disappointment yesterday was the number of times we got into good wide positions and failed to get in a decent cross, Maghoma, Grey, Caddis and Cotterill were all guilty. Rowett mentioned in his interview that we did not get enough quality in the box, something to work on in training I hope.

  • Dave Mann says:

    I think giving Mbende a go would be a good shout , why not? .. We have to change something , do something different , change formation , rotation especially at home … Blackburn look to have found form along with Fulham so we’ve got to bounce back and four points from those two games would be just the medicine we need to heel this headache of two back to back 2-0 defeats .. We need more crosses in the box , more invention , more ideas and a bit more luck. Kro

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Absolutely agree with trying something different Dave. We look like a team that’s gone stale. Time to freshen things up. Maybe pull a surprise or two, we’ve become too predictable. We need someone feeding off Donaldson for a start, not necessarily another striker, but someone who can play a bit closer to him, stop him being isolated all the time. Donaldson wins a lot of the balls lumped up to him, but he can’t pass to himself and score too.

  • Tony says:

    At the start of the season I thought a finishing place of between 8th and 12th would be realistic I still think so.Guess yesterdays result and other recent results are a reality check for some people, but did we ever really expect ant better?.Other teams in this division have much better players than we do and it shows, if you look at the stats we have on average 35 per cent of the play in any match and rely on breakaways for our goals.
    Now you cant get away with that throughout a season , in many games the oppositions finishing has been woeful but it wont always be, our defence is not that good there will always be chances for the other team..
    If you look at the way we play with one up front, we are inviting pressure I can understand it away but not at home. Its difficult to remember a match where we totally dominated, where the opposition did not get a look in ,that is always likely to be the case because our defence is not good enough. GR Likes a small tight squad but ours is too small he needs to spend some money.If we cant compete with Wolves in the loan market that is worrying and not what has been said recently, just what is the situation do we have money to spend or not?.

    • chris says:

      In the niciest possible way Tony, you’ve had a reality check and i cannot understand fans who wonder why there’s no money.
      Yes financially things have improved but not to the point where we have loads to spend on loan players.
      The club has cut the debt to a near break even , but only because we drastically cut the wage bill to £5k a week players. Now there is slightly more money we have improved some players wages which in turn means less for loans / transfers.
      GR is imo saving his money each week to build a war chest for Jan to March transfers / loans for the run in wherever we are in the league.
      If he can get through the season without spending it, that means a summer transfer kitty, he’s looking long term as have been his signings of Brock, Mbende and Jones.
      The longer he can hold off using that money should mean better quality players coming in when needed, if at all.
      I would agree with this but there is a fine line between that and losing the returning fans if form dips too much and losing that new extra income which is building that war chest.
      We can’t compete with Wolves, who get higher attendances which so far have earned them about £750,000 more than us, that would pay for two or three loan siginings, even more if loans were over just a few months not a whole season..
      We are ninth this season in the attendance table and at a guess 14th or 15th in the spending table so between 9th and 15th should be about our finish position, any higher and that is a massive bonus.

  • Dave Mann says:

    I can’t argue with any of that Tony .. You look at Burnley , Hull, Middlesboro, Derby .. If we get anywhere near then in May we’re be in the playoffs no danger but there better teams and squads than us and even myself who’s always stuck up for our first eleven has to admit that .. If you gave me sixth place now where we are ide bite your hand off ( not litterally) .. That would be incredible and a great season for our standards … Money in January must be available and spent if we’re to have any chance of staying any where near the top six and that’s a fact , I accept that and am only now beginning to realise that .. Let’s see what the next few games bring us and re asses then . Kro

    • StaffsBlue says:

      You and I (and maybe others) said at the start of the season that, with decent investment in the team, we could make a push for the play-offs. But without that investment, a 10-12th place finish would be more likely. I still stick to that prediction.

  • theguvna says:

    Yes, the referee was pretty poor yesterday, but when all’s said and done, Wolves deserved the win. They were pretty ordinary, but we were awful. Too many players simply had an off day.

    Gleeson and Kieftenbeld in midfield both probably had their worst games, constantly wanting too much time and being caught in possession. The first goal seemed a bit of a cock up, but when you see the tv replay, the ball took a nasty deflection which took the ball spinning over Robbo. Even then, Edwards didn’t seem to get a clean strike on the ball to score. The second, we went to sleep at the short corner, and then Ojo drifted inside Gleeson far too easily, before scoring. Dire defending.

    Very few of the players had a remotely decent game, apart from Donaldson, Davis and in flashes, Maghoma. Caddis’s distribution was awful, but then so was almost everybody else. Pass after pass to a gold shirt, crosses falling short, or going too far.

    Cotterill was awful when he came on, and we were worse with him on the Maghoma. IMO, I felt that he should have swapped Gray instead of Maghoma. Maybe bringing on Solomon-Otabor instead of Cotterill. I did think that Toral made a bit of a difference, and maybe he should start on Tuesday.

    As we all know, we are set up to play like an away side, be it home or away. If we fall behind, we seem to lack the guile and graft to open sides up who sit and defend a lead. If we are to continue with this style, then all our players need to be at the top of their game, otherwise we can struggle to break teams down. We do lack the craft of people like Robert Tesche and Fabrini to open sides up who sit deep.

    Still, in spite of the gloom that I felt leaving the game yesterday, we are still in a healthy position. At the start of the season, we would have ripped your arm off to be 6th at this stage!

    KRO

  • Swedish Bluenose says:

    I think we lost the match because of poor deliveries on corners and free kicks. Dimmi Gray’s corners weren’t that good and we didn’t have any good free kick taker. We created a lot of those opportunities but they never materialised.
    We also didn’t really have a playmaker.
    What I would want for Christmas, or the January window to be more exact, are two loan players, or perhaps they could be combined into one. Someone like Robert Tesche and someone like Sebastian Larsson.

  • ChrisG says:

    Our main problem yesterday was that we started really well but as soon as dingles scored we seemed to fall apart, if we’d stuck to our game plan & played our way & passed the ball around rather than trying to chase the game & play hoof ball we could possibly have got a result. The only player that tried to bring the ball down was Donaldson but as usual he was getting kicked all over the place & had no protection from the ref, I don’t know why but so many of our players treated the ball like a hot potato & got rid of it as quick as poss, mostly to the opposition. I think we should try 4-1-4-1 against Blackburn with Kieftenbeld in front of the defence & Shins & Torrel in behind the Don, drop Gleeson to the bench & Davis could well be out for a while injured, even try starting with Brock Madsen & bring Don on for the last 20 mins half hour.

  • Texas Pete says:

    The game yesterday was a clear confirmation that we have only one strategy. Aleit the fairly successful one of playing counterattack with one upfront. When we the opponents are playng the same strategy, we are stuck with a crowded middle and losing the ball more often. Then if the oppnents score we dont have the gameplan to get equal. I still think we dont have goal power yet. The efforts on goal were really weak and maybe it still needs one player to click. For defence we do need that that tall centerback in place of Robbo. GR is waitng for the right time change the line up. Who am I to say but I would like to see two wingers and Demi inside forward with more swapping of the Don for Brock for more power in the air.
    It has only been a week since we were on a high fron 4 wins and so next game may be the same line up or a tweak. We have to keep the faith.
    Roll on Tiesday.

  • Bluey says:

    Yesterday`s poor performance and defeat is not a reality check for those of us who know we`re simply not good enough for promotion. Some fans have got carried away with our good start but it was never going to be sustained and personally i still look for the results of the teams near the bottom rather than the top. Anyone who still thinks this squad is anywhere near play-off quality is (imho) a long way off the mark.Let`s get realistic and be happy if we finish comfortably away from the bottom 3.

    • Dave Mann says:

      Thanks for your confidence Clarity ! Kro

    • ChrisG says:

      Bluey, we had a bad day at the office yesterday & last week against Hull we were beaten away by the team most likely to win this league. Before that we beat Bolton, Leeds & Brentford away without conceding a goal & then came back from 1-0 down to beat QPR 2-1 at home. The time for panic & looking over your shoulder is if we lose the next 5 or 6 games. We’ve lost games already this season & come back & have no doubt we will again.

      • Shirley Blue says:

        Exactly what I said after the game yesterday. All this nonsense about needing to change everything after a couple of defeats is just ridiculous. They scored a lucky, crappy goal which was crucial. There have been a lot of away wins in this division because a lot of teams play very well on the counter-attack not just us. It can be very difficult to score against a packed, well organised defence as we have proved. As well as being 6th we are one of the highest scoring teams this season. Beat Blackburn and just forget about yesterday.

  • steve says:

    Can we bring Denny Johnstone back off loan? He’s scoring regularly.

  • nobby says:

    We just need to start home games playing 2 up front. We can always revert to type after we’ve taken the lead. Otherwise, we just give the initiative to our opponents and wait for them to score.

    I do’t know if we have another striker to play alongside Clayton though.

  • Mineheadblue says:

    I thought we were very poor yesterday and didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game. I was both disappointed and frustrated with key players, lack of quality all round and lack of a realistic plan B. We just don’t seem to be able to play with system involving two strikers even if we had another that could step up to the plate (Wes Thomas would have been ideal to bring on yesterday). We still aim for Donaldson at every opportunity and teams have worked us out….Williams was al over him and as a result, our goal threat was minimal.
    I’m also disappointed with Gray (probably not a popular view). We keep hearing that he is a prodigious talent and that big clubs are queuing up for him but to me he isn’t performing consistently and isn’t showing the talent that he may well have…….He’s fantastic running with the ball and taking players on but that seems to be where it ends. Yesterday, he couldn’t cross a ball or take a corner and his decision making it the final third was poor. Personally, I would take the money and strengthen the squad, although I realise he wasn’t the only one yesterday!!!! Sorry if that sounds unduly negative.

  • Dave Mann says:

    Mineheadblue, Gray is overrated and I think most of us now that ..those of us who go to most games ofcourse … We’re sixth in the division .. Try telling clarity that , looking at the bottom of the league.. Rediculous and just trying to grab everyone’s entention .. Realistic or just plain pesemistic , I think we all know where he’s coming from .. xxx kro

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Well the people who run the England u20 team must be wrong too because he is gets a start every game for them. You lot who want to nail Gray every time we lose a game must be right and me, GR and they are obviously wrong.

      • kford bluenose says:

        Minehead Blue is bang on perhaps too polite though. There were no positives and Gray once again proves how overrated he is. Lets sell him and give GR some cash to strengthen. Shirley Blue you have got to start being realistic, it is not a sign of weakness to criticise Gray when he plays crap, all players are there to be shot at when they don’t put a shift in we won’t think you are a hypocritical if you occasionally admit that Gray aint all that!!

      • StaffsBlue says:

        Other than slightly better defensive work,Gray has not improved at all in the last year. Yes, he can run and dribble, but there is zero end product. Zero! His passing is poor, his crossing is poor, his free kicks are poor and his shooting is poor. I truly cannot see why he deserves to be a first choice. For me, he’s an impact player, no more.

        I’m not slagging the lad off. I hope he goes on to become a top player, I really do.. but at this moment in time, I just can’t see it.

        • kford bluenose says:

          Be careful Staffs you’ll upset Shirley Blue who thinks Gray can do no wrong. Totally agree with your comments, we have seen Gray fail to deliver time after time and his form is not good enough to warrant a guaranteed start. Maybe he needs to come off the bench for the last half hour in games to regain some confidence. Bringing him off the bench, especially at home, may give us that option to shake things up when things look flat like yesterday.

          • Shirley Blue says:

            KB – Gray wasn’t our worst player on the pitch but he is always the first some of you lot go for as soon as we have a defeat. I refuse to go on the attack on any of the group of players who have got us from relegation certainties to play off contenders in the space of a year especially our youngest, least experienced player. I guess we could always get rid of him and see if Lee Novak fancies a return and then you will be happy with watching real mediocrity week in week out.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            It’s not personal against Gray, no more than it is against any other player. But, he’s not immune to criticism any more than any other player.. or the manager. When they all do well, the get the credit in spades.. but by the same token, they have to take the brickbats when deserved. True, Gray wasn’t the worst player on the pitch, but he was in the top 11.

            No one is panicking anyway, we’re still in 6th place, so it’s not doom and gloom. But, there are certain issues, system and selection-wise, that need to be addressed. It’s completely down to the manager to address those issues of course, but that shouldn’t stop fans discussing them.

  • Jonathan Garrett says:

    I’m usually pissed off and upset when Blues lose,but I met yesterday’s defeat with an uncharacteristic calmness,why you might well ask ? Because we are punching well above our weight, Gary has done a wonderful job with very limited resources, I was half expecting blues to lose,I think Gary is fully aware of the limited ability the side has,but,what a tremendous job Gary is doing,let’s hope there is money available to strengthen the squad in January,keep the faith,up the blue boys KRO

  • DaveP says:

    If you looked at the Wolves team yesterday, they were all six-footers there or thereabouts. What we struggled with is support for Donaldson. There was no one willing to join up to give him any help, Davis and Maghoma tried occasionally, but I think we need to ditch 4-5-1 and try something else. Of course it doesn’t help that Brock-Madsen is the only other recognised striker on the books at the minute. Hopefully we’ll bounce back against Blackburn tomorrow and give HUddersfield a pasting next week, otherwise the Christmas fixture logjam might be a problem.

  • Mitchell says:

    Victory on Tuesday will put us back on track. Getting posional formation is key. I would go for the team that played at Burnley with Toral alongside Don. and Spector replacing Robbo. Attack from the wings throughout and ignore big punts to Donaldson. Let him free and see what centres he gets.

  • Little Al says:

    A lot of fans were perhaps getting carried away, Blues have been punching above their weight for some time. We have a small squad , cannot do much about it costs had to be cut. Players get tired and jaded, so there will be bad performances, at least losses on the financial front have been eased. The club will hopefully find new owners sometime in the future. Promotion is a dream it could happen but only through the play offs, and only if additional players come in. I like Daniel am wondering whether there are funds available to facilitate player purchases. Although we are told funds exist we cannot know for certain, we will see come January if we maintain our current position in the league. A mid table finish would still be a great position considering where we were , and our current limited resources.
    My worry is that Rowett may get poached or walk away if he does not receive backing with funds either in Jan or next season. I have been supporting Blues since I was six 59 years ago, so I have seen a lot of highs and lows which every supporter of a football club has to deal with. We will have to see what happens frustrating as it is.

  • andy says:

    I agree with the call to bring in the big guy Mbende, I was only thinking that last night along with the thought of bringing Reece Brown into the midfield to give some quality. We are not managers though are we?

    • Mitchell says:

      Andy. You have a right to pick your team and your suggestion is valid. Never feel that because you are not a manager your view is not important. Mbende is a good shout-as Dave Mann commented.Robbo is suspect and Spector can be dodgy at times. We have Mbende and the forgotten Wes Harding. Perfect time to blood someone- even Lowry.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I know it might seem old fashioned, but way back when, one centre back used to attack the ball (headers etc) and the other centre back covered and swept up any loose balls. Even with today’s modern football, I can think of no earthly reason why that shouldn’t still be the case… i.e. Mbende to attack everything that comes into the box, Morrison to sweep up. It would also help, of course, if our full backs stopped the odd cross coming in.

  • DoctorD says:

    It was disappointing to lose yesterday, but if you look at Rowett’s performance over the year since he came in, it’s been pretty strong overall. The problem is that’s three poor defeats at home in front of big crowds. It’s just marvellous to feel we have an intelligent, thoughtful mananger in charge.

  • Hillfield Blues says:

    We are 6th and getting some perspective on the situation,that’s above expectations.However as a fan you can’t help but get wound up with a performances like that yesterday.OK teams have off days but exactly the same happened against Rotherham and Forest and a pattern is starting to form with a complete inability to break very average sides down at home.its frustrating because we’re better than that and we all know it.

  • edd77 says:

    I keep reading from Gary and now some of the players how massive the 1st goal is ,it’s as if we saying we can’t win if the opposition score 1st which in itself stinks of not having a plan B ,yet we did come bk against QPR ,Gary talks about how flattering it is teams coming and playing defensively at st Andrews ,hate to break the news Gary but so do we,I mean playing Gleeson Davis and kieftenbeld against a team that had lost 3 on the trot ,I’m in total respect for the guy and what he’s done over 12 months but I see the 1st little crack appearing at home ,and with Blackburn up nxt I don’t see it changing as for me they are in a false position at the mo

    • swissjonny says:

      I agree.We have had a lot of luck and have ridden it.Our league position at present is deceiving.Without investment and some real support for GR two things will happen.First GR will get poached and secondly we will revert to a fairer mid table ranking.Its time for some boardroom action-delay and we will all regret it.

  • Bluenosesol says:

    We are in sixth place and only 6 points off the top. This is an incredible achievement if you compare our league position to our position in the championship spending league. If we exclude Brocken our spending is £200k about the same or less than some non league clubs!!
    On Saturday we played a poor Wolves side whose best players were their loanees. The performance of our defence alarmed me and I believe that given appropriate funding that Grounds, Caddis and Robinson would have been shifted by now. I am also concerned by Donaldson, he runs a lot and puts in the effort, also holds the ball up well, however our first shot on target was 48 minutes and I am concerned that Donaldson spends too much time looking for the referee, rather than doing what a big man should do and out jump the opposition.
    Just a few observations but overall I am still delighted with GR and the position he has got us in. Bring on Blackburn!! KRO!!

    • Shirley Blue says:

      One of the fundamental problems with the 4-3-3 is that even when we get the ball into good wide attacking positions more often than not Donaldson is the only player in the box to cross to. Making well timed runs into the penalty area is not something that comes natural to either Davis, Kelftenbeld or Gleeson. Donaldson is marked up by two or three players and therefore its very easy to defend against. Similarly nobody is making runs beyond Donaldson from midfield.

      • Hillfield Blues says:

        Nail on the head SB. Recognising our strengths and playing to them is what GR has done very well.Playing a defensive midfielder in Davis in the number 10 role ahead of the more naturally suited Shinnie or Toral just didn’t work.Wrong player and wrong formation for me.

        • StaffsBlue says:

          To be honest, I would play Cotterill and Maghoma on the wings and, if he has to be a fixture in the side, play Gray in the hole behind Donaldson. He’s of no real value out on the wings, at least he could run at people down the middle and maybe cause a bit of panic in the opposition.

          • Shirley Blue says:

            Exactly what I would do at home too. I have got no problem with the 4-5-1 cum 4-3-3 away but at home we need a bit more going forward.

          • Hillfield Blues says:

            Agree but I would suggest giving Gray a break and give Shinnie a chance to recapture a bit of that form of last season when GR first arrived.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            I think it’s pretty clear now that the manager has little or no intention of playing two strikers, so it’s a case of who plays in the hole? Shinnie? Toral? Gray? A.N. Other? Could Brown play there?

            It’s becoming a bit of a problem position, because it’s kind of integral to our system. But Toral has scored 2 and Gray 1. With Donaldson only scoring 4, it’s not a great total after 14 games, so we need someone to step up and help out in that department.

  • Dave Mann says:

    If and its s big IF we are in sixth place come the 1st January then investment and players brought in will be a certainty I would have thought .. It will happen but we must get results asap and get back on track starting against Blackburn tomorrow… Surely the new owners will see there’s a sniff if we’re still in touch come January and even if we fail the playoffs investment in players will put us in good nick for next seaso. Kro

  • ChrisG says:

    Can I just remind everybody that in the last 6 games we have conceded just 5 goals, 3 goals from 2 teams that were in the prem last season including 2 goals by Hull away who imo will win this league, the other QPR who as it happened scored 1st but we still won the game 2-1. PERSPECTIVE PEOPLE, why are you having a go at Robbo? He’s steadied the ship & scored 2 vital goals 1 of which was the winner at Bolton, oh of course it makes sense to replace him with a young rookie so you can all moan some more. I think the majority of posters on here are supporting the wrong team & Dan may I suggest you change your web site from OP to yippee aye eh?, moving to Poland has clouded your judgement!!

  • Dave Mann says:

    I sometimes think Chris that some fans get a kick out of slating the team after two defeats and tend to forget the previous four victories .. A win against Blackburn tomorrow and some will still bring us all back down to “Reality” a defeat and it’s a downward spiral and mid table mediocrity at best … We’re a miserable lot sometimes and even when we’re 6th we’re still not happy , picking here and there for excuses to moan , let’s enjoy it and try not to look for the worse scenario all the time .. Reality is a good thing but sometimes dreams are much better , just a thought! Kro

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Hi guys, lets keep up the debate and if you have an observation on the game, then I am sure Dan will be happy for you to express it. If a player has a poor game or 2 please feel free to observe it. We did have a regular on here who would berate anyone who made a negative observation as disloyal or Vile supporters etc, All very boring and certainly undemocratic. So as I say, delighted with GR and our current position, bring on Blackburn, KRO and keep on making your contributions.

  • Dave Mann says:

    That’s ok Bluenosesol but Remi Garde is the new vile manager and will certainly take them down so let’s all cheer up on this misty Monday morning :-) kro

    • Bluenosesol says:

      Dave I am with you!! I am a bit pi**ed off to see that the Vile are still 1/2 to go down. I was going to have a few bob on them as I thought the price might go out due to the new manager. Still consolation is that the bookies are usually good judges and they see values chances of staying up as pretty hopeless, I’ll put the money on Blues to reach the play offs instead :-)

  • KC says:

    GR has created miracles to get so much out of so many players of limited ability. However as we have seen they are not capable of maintaining that level every game. Saturday was dreadful and exposed our shaky defence where we have been lucky not to concede far more goals, our pedestrian uncreative midfield and our very predictable and limited attacking force. However on other occasions we have looked a polished well organised unit where counter attacking has worked for us. Would love to see us have more possession and up the tempo more . GR has to juggle a limited and small squad and it is a big risk to bring in to the squad the likes of B-M , at a transfer fee that is currently quite high for us.Would like to see a different option in attack and a bit of creative inpiration like Tesche and Fabbrini but that was not to be. And a big centre half. But all cost money. In the meantime reality is we are 6th which is an amazing acheivement

    • ChrisG says:

      Personally KC I don’t think we have a shakey defence, in fact it’s pretty stable, if you have to point fingers as to where we lost it on saturday then look no further than the midfield who constantly gave the ball away & created absolutely nothing.


Leave a Reply

Personalised Gifts for a Bluenose
Haircuts and League Cups
Open Tax Services
Corporate Solutions UK
PJ Planning
Rodal Heating

Archives