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Wonder if the usual early leavers are feeling stupid now? ;-)

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

Answers

I enjoyed the first half imensely. By my reckoning we should have been 4 up by half time. As well as the shots going wide, we hit the post twice and Flowers pulled off two tremendous saves.The team looked great with a left winger , I just don't know why Glass has been snubbed this season. He spread things well on the left and was well suported by Quinn behind.

On the right of midfield though things were sadly lacking. Bassedas was suposed to be the right winger, but never went wide and always cut in, passing back into the centre rather than taking on his man. In the centre of midfield Acuna in my opinion outshone Gary Speed, they both had reasonable games though, but again rarely tried to do abything to prize Leicesters defences. Always happy to play a safe ball sideways. Barton got forward on a few occasions, but has no pace, and isn't a decent crosser of the ball. Upfront Cort's control was at times embarrasing. The ball just bunces off him and for a big bloke he isn't too good at winning headers and even worse at directing them towards goal. Gallacher his partner again was OK, but I can't see why he's playing when he won't be with us next season. Leicester never threatened much in the first half and Given had nothing much to do.

As the second half went on, things became more and more frustrating. We were so much better than them up untill the final ball. The substitutions kept the momentum going. Both Shola and LuaLua looked very sharp. I would really consider starting the two on them upfront rather than Cort and Gallacher in the next game. Leicester did manage a couple of half chances late in the second half, but Dabizas (our best defender by far) was alert and Given was intent on keeping a clean sheet.

If we hadn't scored today it would have been an injustice, but it looked as if it was going to end 0 - 0 when Cort headed hopelessly wide late on. He made up for it well into the four minutes of injury time by scoring what seemed to be a lucky deflected goal.

We went home relieved, three points in the bag, with a real chance of getting an inter toto cup place. In the next game , I would keep Glass (get him to sign another contract)on the left, play Gavilan on the right,play Acuna and anne other in the centre and bring Griffin in for Barton. As I mentioned earlier, I would centainly start with LuaLua and Shola, what have we got to lose?

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

We were the better of two dreadful teams, and thoroughly deserved the win: but it should have been far more emphatic.

Leicester were truly awful, although they were missing several key players - Elliott, Taggart, Izzet and Heedless-Chicken (Savage). They looked a pale shadow of Martin O'Neill's team, and could be relegation candidates next season on this form.

Although we were pretty poor, it has to be said that Tim Flowers gave a magnificent performance to keep them in it - one save from a 6yd bullet header from Dabz was truly world-class - and we created enough chances to have won at least three matches.

Carl Cort continues to get into excellent positions, and if he was a more natural finisher could have had 3 or 4 today from the 300 or so crosses that went into their box, largely from Glass and Quinn - even though not particularly accurately much of the time. Nevertheless, CC is a gutsy player, he kept going right to the end, scored the winner, and I believe now has 6 goals in either 10 or 11 appearances - not too shabby at all. We need to stick by him; he seems a good kid, and I think he'll come good

I've given up trying to analyse our formation/tactics. We switched today from "lop-sided right" to "lop-sided left", with no one playing wide right. I'm almost convinced this has now actually become our preferred formation. Why Gallacher couldn't have played wide right today to give us some balance, I simply don't understand.

I thought the Dabz/O'Brien partnership did well again, and both of them pushed forward on occasion to add some weight to a weak midfield.
Given didn't have much to do but what he did he did very well, including a couple of crucial saves when we got a bit sloppy on occasion. Barton was .... well Barton: Quinn was the proverbial curate's egg: Speed and Acuna blew hot 'n cold, and I'm afraid Bassedas looked little boy lost again.

Glass did OK overall, without looking really confident enough to take on his man, and get to the by-line as he is capable of doing - which I suppose is hardly surprising given the way he's been handled. However, he still looks potentially a class act - and IMO every bit as good as Solano - and I simply don't understand why he has been starved of appearances in such a mediocre team.

Overall, a scrappy, one-sided game with little class football to get excited about, played in a funereal atmosphere. Far too many sloppy passes; far too much humping the ball forward and hitting diagonal crosses up to CC, due to the absence of guile and craft in midfield. But three well deserved points nevertheless.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

We had a full bbs turnout at the Strawberry today - Screacher, Jonno, Dougal, Steph, Softie, Dr. Bill, True, Pit Bill, Mungo, Mrs clarky, Gav, and making winning debuts - Greenspun's own; our very own - Galaxy and Yellie! Yeeeeeehhh.

So, there should be lerds of eye-witness reports posted tonight/tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

We should have had about 7, Cort on at least a hat-trick but Tim Flowers played an absolute blinder - stayed behind at the end to applaud him off the pitch. Gary Speed got MOTM - huh!?! Glass had a good game - why the f**k don't we play him more?? Crowd were deathly quiet until we scored - way into extra time. Ref was crap as usual. Where are these 'homer' refs, we never seem to get one! Lovely to see Galaxy and Yelli in the Starbeery, drank too much as usual so excuse this posting! Funny moment just before the start when the team came out and were kicking around. Steve Harper got the numbers board and set it for no 1 off and no 13 on!

We were settling for a 0-0 and a clean sheet when we scored! Lots of people had left by then so missed it - tee hee, serve them right. Roll on Tueasday and another 3 points - up to 10th wow!!

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

PS Lovely to also meet True and Mrs Clarky in the Strawbeery.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

Leicester were hopeless. I know we've seen some poor poor sides this year but they were probably the worst. Martin O'Neill must be very saddened if he looks back at them. They have always had big players, and hard tackling midfield runners. All gone now, and nothing in their place. If they'd had a goalie having an off day they could have lost by 6 or 7 easily.

It was difficult to tell whether we played well or they let us. Others have already commented fairly on individual performances. Glass made such a difference to the left, both in what he did himself and the confidence he gave Quinn as a covering left sided player. Unless Robosn has a star lined up for the position I don't see why Glass isn't being kept, or played more. As Clarky said Glass produced a lot more today than we could have expected from Solano on recent performances.

I don't want to talk about Barton or Speed as it just upsets me, but I will mention two things. Barton coming over the half way line with Dabizas and a Leicester player in the centre behind him, every one else ahead, so effectively last man. He takes his man on, loses the ball and they have two on to one. In injury time and we're chucking everything forward for a goal, two centre forwards, two wingers. Speed plays the ball back to Barton who plays it back to Shay. Unbelievable, nearly.

Don't think we learned anything particularly new, just that if you have a left winger you'll get more crosses from the left than if he isn't there. Similarly when Lua Lua came on on the rigth we started to get some action there too. It's a difficult game to understand sometimes.

Filled up the car next to Shay on the way home. His dolly bird blonde paying !! His new BMW is registered as Y I 5HAY.

A68 has a new attraction of kamikaze lambs unwilling to wait for foot and mouth and looking for a car over leg end to it all.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

The worst team to leave SJP without the points.

For God's sake sign Tim Flowers - 48 corners and free kicks and we ended up scoring from open play. Sell Given to Celtic and give Harper another run.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

The Sunday Sun this morning reckons that Tim Flowers is suffering from a serious arthritic hip problem - which may account for why it took him 2 minutes to take very GK.
Real shame for a decent blerk - best goalkeeping performance we've seen at SJP for a long time. Felt genuinely sorry for him at the end.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Tim Flowers' performance was the best I've seen at St James' since Peter Shiltons, donkeys years ago when I think he was playing for Derby(?). That save Flowers made from Dabz was stunning, even from my seat in the North West corner.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

nearly forgot...my opinion on yesterdays game was....2 poor sides and a game we would have won more comfortably had it been any other goalkeeper up against us. Thought Luax2 looked alreet when he came on.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

I forgot to mention Luax2 in my report. He was only on for about 20 minutes, but I thought it was the best he's played for us yet.

I recall mentioning some time ago that he looks more comfortable playing our wide than in the middle, and playing wide right yesterday confirmed that for me.
Playing in the middle where it is really frantic, he seems to have diffuculty lifting his head to pick out pass, and just runs and runs and tries to beat people - usually until he loses possession. However, playing wide the game is more in front of him, and he has a little more time to look up and assess what to do. He passed and crossed the ball better yesterday than we've seen from him so far.

I only hope the powers-that-be have noticed the same, and play him out wide until he matures as a PL player. Certainly, with him on the right and Glass on the left we started to look a lot more dangerous yesterday

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

>>> Playing in the middle where it is really frantic, he seems to have diffuculty lifting his head to pick out pass, and just runs and runs and tries to beat people - usually until he loses possession. However, playing wide the game is more in front of him, and he has a little more time to look up and assess what to do. He passed and crossed the ball better yesterday than we've seen from him so far. <<<

Hey Clarky. Didn't you realise Ketsbaia (My Lord) was transferred to Wolves? Got to agree th. Lua x2 looked very good wide on the right. He'll be in my starting lineup for Tuesday's teampick ;-)

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Well, that was my slant on the game

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

.........is that a promise? Let's see it then!

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

....training ground mishaps permitting!

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Best goalkeeping display for donkeys? You're forgetting the nutter Les Sealy playing for Wham, he received ten out of ten in all the papers, one of the few oppo players to win the M of M yet we won 3-0 on a day we ere breathtaking.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Vincent Jones wasn't bad despite the scoreline.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Lack of invention in midfield coupled with Flowers outstanding performance left us with only one goal.(I had predicted 5)Gallacher deserved a goal. We suffered from having too much possession, if thats possible. It put a different slant on things to see us strong on the left and woeful on the right. I don't blame Badass as its not his position. Speed was poor or poorly. Luax2 should have been on earlier and looked good on the right. 3 points will do nicely.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

The North West corner seems a pretty popular area for bbsers, anyone go through turnstile 9 (about the width of a breeze block).

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

This was a poor game between two poor sides. It's not hard to see why Leicester have now suffered 8 defeats on the trot. They are a side lacking in depth and all their injuries/suspensions have come at once - something Peyter Heed must thank his lucky stars hasn't happened at the SoS in quite the same degree.

Our finishing was appalling, and had it not been for the combination of that and a world-class performance from Tim Flowers, we would certainly have pushed the 8 we scored against an equally poor Sheffield Wednesday last season. If Shearer and Dyer had been fit and available, it would certainly have been a different game. But of course, they weren't, and this also just goes to show how lacking in depth (in quality) we are too.

The defence weren't troubled, so it;s not fair to comment on them, other than to say they did all that was asked of them - allbeit not a lot. Barton took some criticism elsewhere, but lok atit context - he's a fullback with Steve Guppy up against him. The fact that Guppy did nowt must say something for Wozza. Dabizas had another good game and it makes you wonder what might have happened against the likes of Charlton, Man City and Everton had he been available. Keep up the good work Nik. O'Brien did OK, but with only Akinbyi and Sturridge to contend with, he'd have had a harder job getting a round in at the Straabeery. I thought Quinn did well in the first half, but whether by design or what, he faded in the second when we tried to get Bassedas more into the game down the right.

So, how did the Steering Wheel do? I refer you to the Friday joke. He drove me nuts. He's been tried wide left, centre left and now wide right. All to no avail. Contrast his erformance yesterday with taht of Stephen Glass, that Scotish outcast. Despite what must be a lack of confidence due to being left out more times than not and not being offered a new contract, he did well. OK, so he probably has something to prove, but for me, I would rather see him on the books of NUFC next season than Bassedas. I hope Bassedas comes good (assuming he stays) but seeing as we are so bereft of ideas doon the left, there's an answer staring YBR in the face if he can come to terms with it. Others have said that Gary Speed had one of his better games. Well, I'll admit that he was more visible than on other occasions, and he didn't do a lot wrong, so I guess he must have been good - but goals apart, he hasn't looked like a £5.5M player since he came. But he should have scored when he allowed Flowers to get up off his @rse to make a save instead of having to pick the ball out the back of the net. Clarence had a decent game, but neither he nor Speed are creative central players. One or other, but not both.

Up front, Cort did his usual. His first touch is very often awful, but his name keeps popping up on the list of scorers. He had some really good touches, but that header. Arghh! There was a discussion in the Straabeery afterwards, and we reckonned most of the BBS posse would have put it away - especially after a few beers. I wasn't at the Smoggies game, but I recall he missed from a similar distance. Confidence or ability?? His "strike" partner Gallacher did a typical Gallacher job. He ran his little legs off, and kept Leicester busy. If he'll accept a bit part next season, I'd offer him a one year extension.

Subs - Shola looked OK, and possibly more controlled than Cort, but he needs another goal or two to settle him down a bit. But certainly worth nurturing for the future. Lua x2 came on and played wide right - probably the only other time I've seen him out there was in his first few appearances a when he looked at his best. I don't think he's a strker but running at a defence from the right looks pretty useful. I'd play him instead of Bassedas on Tuesday.

Highlights? Few and far between. I thought Glass and Quinn linked well in the first half, and is the sort of combination we chould be looking for in the future, whether it be Glass or AN Other out wide. Dabizas had a solid game and was unlucky not to score. Otherwise, not a lot to shout about - which probably explains the crowd's silence for long periods.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Great to see so many lovely BBSers out and about but the match is best summarised as bloody awful (I was wailing when 4 mins of stoppage was awarded as I couldn't believe we deserved more boredom).

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001