Swinton, Everton and Wolves
Andy Morrison was at the Swinton Branch on Wednesday, and as you’d expect he was very entertaining. We’re on with the fanzine at the mo and it looks like being a bumper issue and includes the Dennis Tueart interview we did with him on his book and all things City
Today’s results saw Blackburn win, Wigan lose, QPR win, Newcastle win – all of which could affect the teams we’ve yet to play.
Tomorrow the rags are at home to Everton with Fergie’s surrogate son Moyes in charge of a host of ex rag players. They haven’t won at the swamp for twenty years but want to finish above Liverpool and get into Europe so we can but hope. Due to todays results Wolves are in a perilous position. Lescott had nice words to say about Everton and his time there plus Wolves under Terry Connor. By the time we kick off we could be 8 points behind the rags again who are surely due to play a team with 11 men, have a strong referee and don’t get any more dubious decisions. We#’ll see.
So it’s off to Wolves, here’s the it’s A Fix extract/update from KK196 :
GAME 35) SUNDAY APRIL 22ND WOLVES (AWAY) KO
Third season this time in the Prem, most recent connections are Keith Curle, Mark Kennedy, Joleon Lescott. Last pot was the Lg Cup in 1980. 112th Lg meeting
This season so far : At Molineux in October it was a 5-2 win for the Blues in the Carling Cup 4th round, a few days after the 6-1, with our million pound team! They went ahead through Milijas(18) – we chanted we’re gonna win 6-1 – as we could score when we wanted that month and goals from Johnson (37) Nasri (39), Dzeko (40, 64) Vries 0g (50) made it 5-1, O’Hara pulled another one back (65) but that was the end of the scoring. Crowd was 12,436 with 2364 Blues. Prior to that they’d beaten Millwall 5-0 at home and Northampton
A few days later we played our multi million pound team (according to Mick McCarthy) and won 3-1 at The Etihad with goals from Dzeko (52), Kolarov (67), Hunt made it 2-1 (75pen) when Vinny was sent off and Johnson (90) made the points safe. Crowd was 47,142 with 1587 Wolves.
Currently they’re in 20th place with 23 points from 34 games, 11 points from safety, and 3 wins 2 draws and 12 losses at home
In the FA Cup they drew 0-0 at Birmingham
Our form at Molineux : Last season in October it was a 2-1 loss, City opening through Adebayor (23 penalty – the last away penalty we’ve had!!)), with Wolves equalising through Milljas (30) and going ahead through Edwards (57) Crowd was 25,971 with 2505 Blues. It was a massively disappointing performance, with strange substitutions, and on the field spats between City players which gave the press a field day, another one.
Since the 1-4 in 1999/2000 it’s been 2 wins (2-0 in 2001/02; 3-0 in 2009/10) and 2 losses (0-1 in 2003/04; and 1-2 last season – when they told us they’d prefer their team spirit to our wealth – yawn).
Comment - after staying up by the skin of their teeth last season they had a flying start but then hit the skids. Mick McCarthy was sacked after the 5-1 home loss to West Brom where they hit the bar at 2-1 and were unlucky to concede another 3 goals. Steven Fletcher’s bagged 10 goals so far. Chairman Steve Morgan made a pigs ear of things and they finished up with Terry Connor as temp manager, with little success so far. Surely rnow elegated and it’s up to City to, sadly, put the final nail in their coffin.
Molineux Capacity : 30,000 ( 2,700 for City)
Groundwise : The ground was completely re-developed by 1993, but ambitious plans are in place to increase the capacity to 50,000, surely now on hold. First phase is the replacement of the Stan Cullis stand with a new two tier 7,700 job which we’ll get another chance to view today.
City fans will be in the lower tier of the Steve Bull stand. Tickets are £38.
There’s some handy car parks nearby and you can grab a bite at the local supermarket if you don’t fancy a pint at The Goalpost on RHS just before Wolves ground.
WWTWTWShite? Crowds averaged 4,020 in 1985/86, 25,793 this season whilst the new stand goes up.
Away day zine A Load Of Bull, who swapped with KK, was read by Robert Plant, has now disappeared which is a shame.
Sat Nav is : WV1 4QR
Something that's had very little fanfare following Arsenal's loss to Wigan, is that City were then guaranteed at least to finish 2nd, first time this high a position since 1977. OK, we should really have nailed down the title, but there's always next year with a better idea of what's required in terms of strengthening the squad, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat has pissed me off is the number of teams that have played out of there skin against us, but then been pretty crap thereafter, eg Arsenal, Sunderland, Stoke and Swansea. This combined with those who give up against united before kick off has been painful and cost us dear. Will Everton be added to the latter today? Probably, but one lives in hope. However, even if Everton avoid defeat allowing us to see of the rags in the derby (assuming we give Wolves the expected spanking), we still have to go to Newcastle.
Be useful for Newcastle to finish 3rd for CL seeding next season, but surely Chelsea won't win the competition which would see us in 4th seeding place if Arsenal finish 3rd.
Did I just imagine today?
ReplyDeleteTotally gobsmacked by Everton's performance and to see Phil B
ReplyDeleteNeville willing his team on was nothing short of surreal. Have to compliment them, which is more than Ferguson could manage. It was wonderful to see his face after seeing him laughing & joking at 4-2 and how he could describe the result as a travesty I just don't know.
I know there's a lot to do still but if we do manage to win this league, I wonder if Ferguson will get the same mauling Mancini got for blowing such a lead. Speaking of which, what treatment would Mancini have received had he had Redknapp's record over the last few weeks?
Turning to the Wolves match, I had to agree with Mancini's "so so" description. I couldn't understand the Sky pundits criticism of Silva's substitution as I thought he was having another off-day. Ya Ya too until he was released to move forward. The number of spurned chances was annoying at the time but I'm maybe just too hard to please. Overall it's been a great reaction to the Arsenal defeat and I have to praise Clichy, who has been magnificent.
As Dave B says, it's amazing how we've met teams at the top of their game and Newcastle certainly fall into this category. However, I do have this romantic feeling that as in 68, Newcastle and Sunderland could play a crucial role in City being crowned CHAMPIONS!
Typical City, just as one accepts that the title has gone, they find the form to it take to, at least, the last game but one. At least the rags can't clinch at the Ethiad, but in reality they still have to be favorites even if we beat them. Both the Newcastle and QPR games will be tough, but I pray that we don't blow it against QPR having beaten the rags and Newcastle. My prefered option is for the rags to lose all 3 of their games!
ReplyDeleteThere was a look on the face of every City fan outside Molineux yesterday. A look that screamed: OH SHIT!
ReplyDeleteMark Hughes is on record as saying he would "love to stop City winning the league" I'd like to think that most QPR fans don't agree with him after the way they were recently shafted at O/T. Glyn, I have been aware of the 1968 connection of games for some time now, even the United game is in the mix as the 3-1 win in 1968 at O/T set us on our way and was the start of ten years of dominance over them. I honestly believe if we beat them next Monday, they will drop further points. I have said for a month now that there is definate evidence that teams are beginning to wise up that this United side is not same one of five years ago, only the name remains. They are not a bad side but they have a soft underbelly, attack them and they are not as defensively good as they were. Sit back and allow them to attack you and understandably playing two wingers, they will create chances.
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Tony. I can actually see Swansea being more a problem for them than Sunderland.
ReplyDeletePS I know we're accused of being paranoid but the footballer of the year top four is an absolute insult - RVP aside.