It's good to be going into the international break with a win over a club expected to beat us. It puts us in a lower mid-table position which is where we may well end up. Indeed, I would take it now.
Unfortunately I was unable to make the game on Saturday because of family issues and that may have helped us. Indeed, I also plan to stay away from the Millwall game, given the early kick off and all the hassle last year, so we may secure a rare victory over the Spanners.
My Foxes supporting friend has said nothing since Saturday. If I had one piece of advice for Leicester City fans, it would be 'get over Yann Kermorgant' and I am pleased to see that at least one football writer agrees: Kermorgant
Nigel Pearson has got out his book of excuses and blamed the referee. I must admit that I think Deadman is a poor referee, as shown by the number of cards he waved on Saturday. However, his zombie like performances have handicapped us in the past, so it was time we got the rub of the green. As far as I could make out from Emma's slow motion report from the 'field of play', James thought he deserved a penalty and when he didn't get one told the referee to get back in his shroud. This was not a sensible thing to do when you are on a yellow.
It also looks as if there are not going to be any last minute transfer shocks in terms of players departing which is a relief. I wouldn't expect any last minute acquisitions either (leaving aside Acworthian rumours of the 'Bale to Charlton' kind). I think that the Dale Stephens to Wolves rumour is just that, apart from anything else it's the Black Country not the North (One wag suggested that the fee would be £69m). Chris Powell has rightly rubbished reports of Yann Kermorgant going to table topping Blackpool. Transfer deadline day: don't you love it?
Of course, there can always be surprises. It would have been good to strengthen the squad and try for the play offs, but at least the Capital One Cup match suggested a new formation which seemed to work. Players who lost their form seem to have recovered it, so all credit to Sir Chris Powell. If we get a bad result, the 'Powell out' brigade are out in force, but if we get a win, they stay quiet.
The one blot on the weekend was the win for Crystal Palace, admittedly against a side managed by the eccentric Paolo di Canio whose main idea seems to be to make his players dislike him and undermine their morale. What is worse, I have to be in Croydon over the next day or two. Hopefully, I won't see any of the stripey ones.
Croydon is an odd place. North Croydon is, to be frank, a bit of a dump. The glazier of Cantona fame came from North Croydon, in the road where my wife originally lived. No surprise that trouble emanated from there in the riots. South Croydon is very up market. I remember dropping a girl friend at university when she said that her ambition in life was to live in Purley. I think that most of the Nigels and Nigellas do not actually live in Croydon. My brother-in-law lives in Crawley and, although he claims to follow Palace, he also says he has no interest in football, two statements that are logically compatible.
Living in Thornton Heath, my wife's father was a keen Palace fan, but fortunately refused to take my future wife on the grounds that girls do not go to football. She then had the good sense to get her first job in Woolwich.
I think the last time I was in Croydon was in the 1990s for a reunion held by some very old friends of my parents. It was fascinating to meet an elderly lady who had gone to support Charlton with her father in the 1920s (which rather hits on the head the 'girls and football' nonsense). She confirmed that they were then known as the Addicks as a corruption of 'Addocks.
3 comments:
Wyn, I don't see how you can make a sweeping statement about a referee when you have not been to the game. In fact, Dedman refereed the game very well - any cynical foul was dealt with firmly and a card given. The players new exactly where they were or should have done.
Leicester's James demonstrated how stupid some footballers can be in abusing the referee when on a yellow card and getting sent off. I saw nothing in the particular incident to justify a penalty claim from my West stand seat.
This was a really enjoyable and entertaining match. It was good to see all of the officials doing their jobs well.
Then why did he give so many cards? If referees gave a card for every cynical foul, the total would be very high. I don't think the penalty claim was justified and I think James was clearly foolish.
I was a bit dissappionted in LCFC, they didn't turn up in the first half and looked consistently suspect at set pieces, eventually paying the price. CAFC played a very measured and controlled game, until after the sending off which seemed to finally set LCFC off. Our midfield did seem to tire, Pritchard having run his socks off. As to the ref it was clear from the off he was going to whip out his card more readily than otehr refs - and so to get a second for dissent was not unexpected, I think schmiechel may have got one for dissent as well. But what a fantastic one handed save he made, world class. Well deserved win for the addicks
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