Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book II

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 8th February, 2009.

I returned from my vacation on Friday and began preparations for our odd February schedule: every one of our four matches was on the road.

That started with bad news: Keith McCormack had strained his groin against Germany, and would need to visit a specialist for nearly a month before he'd be fit to return. Stewart Downing would also miss the next match, having strained his neck in a training incident, though he would be fine by next weekend's match against Bolton.

Our fellow Championship promotion sides did well over the weekend, with Ipswich shocking league leading Arsenal 2-0, dropping them out of first and handing that spot to Chelsea. Crystal Palace climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

17-year-old goalkeeper Stephen Cummins returned to Bramall Lane after completing his loan to Bradford City, where he'd played 14 matches, keeping a clean sheet only once.

The goals came from odd places as our youth squad beat Tranmere Under-18s. The visitors helped our lads out by giving away a red card early in the match, and Mark Allen and Andy Lee scored the goals in a 2-0 win. Gareth Davies earned Man of the Match honours.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 9th February, 2009. Premier League - Game 27, at Sunderland.

It was a trip north to Newcastle-on-Tyne, or more accurately, to the city just south of the Tyne, Sunderland, for our televised Monday night special from the Stadium of Light. Sunderland, who had finished 16th last year, were down to 18th this season. They needed a win to get back ahead of Crystal Palace and out of the relegation zone. That might be a challenge, as they'd had only four wins all season, and were missing leading scorer Nicola Ventola, who had strained his back against West Ham on the last day of January. They'd held us to a scoreless draw at Bramall lane in October, one of their Premier-League leading 11 draws.

Our first-choice lineup was in superb form after the 3-0 win over Tottenham followed by eight days of rest without a match. Allan McGregor had made only one save against Tottenham, but was looking much better in training. Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, and David Marek Rozenhal were joined by Danny Payne, at right back for the injured McCormack. Frenchman Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, one card away from a ban due to accumulated yellow cards. Jonathan Forte would roam the left sideline for the injured Downing, with Victor Sikora making his 20th start on the right side. The attacking midfield partnered Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Juan Carlos Valerón, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle returned to action as the lone striker.

Former Norwich manager Nigel Worthington came out in an aggressive 4-3-3, a fairly wide formation which left plenty of room in the midfield and especially up the center of the park. We were quick to exploit the space given, with Jonathan Forte's pass putting Marc Bridge-Wilkinson into the box on the left side. He reached the end line wide of goal, and tried to curl a shot on goal from that impossible angle. It would have worked, too, but for Julio Arca, who had stationed himself on the far post and managed to hack the ball off the line.

On the quarter hour, Bridge-Wilkinson pass up the center got Florent Sinama-Pongolle moving at speed into the box. It looked a great shooting chance, but he knocked it right for Bridge-Wilkinson, who seemed surprised by it. His momentary hesitation allowed Mart Poom sufficient time to recover and make the save. It was Poom again in the 20th minute, as Bridge-Wilkinson drilled an amazing banana shot from outside the area and left of goal, but the Estonian wonder leaped through the air to tip it away from the top corner with his fingertips.

Our defense looked extremely solid: there just wasn't any space at the back for the Sunderland attack, and by the half-hour mark, with the preponderance of traffic going one way, and 23,537 Black Cat supporters were getting restless. They were also displeased with referee Rob Styles, who was holding both teams to a strict standard - but my lads had been warned about his tendencies, so most of the yellow cards were going to Sunderland players. Julio Arca brought the crowd back into it just before halftime with a steal from Victor Sikora on the far sideline. He looked up and launched a ball for Scott McDonald, who had split our central defenders and looked clean on goal. Rozehnal showed just why I'd spent a club record transfer fee on a central defender, hustling back to take it off the 25-year-old Scotsman's feet.

Less than a minute later, the crowd were all on their feet. Kevin Kyle hauled in a loose ball about 45 yards from our net on the left, and played it to McDonald. With close attention from Mathieu Berson, the Scot moved it on for Stephen Elliot, then broke for the box. Elliot's long-range shot was blocked by Payne, but bounced in front of McDonald, who had a half step on Berson. He drove a powerful half volley from insde the eighteen, but an incredible diving save by Allan McGregor kept it scoreless as we went to halftime.

We were dominating proceedings, and I couldn't see how we'd failed to score despite the numerous chances we'd had, so I opted not to make any changes at the break. My faith paid off in the 52nd minute, as Sikora won the ball on the right, and played a low pass for Juan Carlos Valerón in the sparsely populated midfield. Sinama-Pongolle's dummy run in the box drew the central defenders out of his way, and Valerón spotted Sikora closing in from the right side. He sent a low roller into the wide open space ten yards from goal, and Sikora launched a wickedly curling shot to the far post. Our traveling support were right behind the net, but as he ran to celebrate with them, Styles spotted the linesman's flag and waved the goal off!!

Watching the replays after the match, it was almost impossible to tell - if Sikora was offsides at all during the play, it was for only the briefest of moments, and I thought he was even with Arca when the ball was struck. Be that as it may, it remained scoreless.

Three minutes later, Bridge-Wilkinson's low pass set up Sinama-Pongolle, who launched a brilliant shot from the eighteen, but was met with an even better save by Mart Poom. Just after the hour mark, Bridge-Wilkinson set up Sinama-Pongolle in the area again. The powerful Frenchman was tackled from behind by Martin Laursen, who nearly put it through his own net, forcing a fine save from Poom. It could have been a penalty, especially with the strict Styles officiating, but he waved play on. The same pair linked up again the 70th minute, taking advantage of the thin Sunderland center to put the striker into the box yet again. Poom continued his brilliance with a wonderful save from no more than 12 yards out to keep the clean sheet.

With only twenty minutes left, I made my last substitutions. Peter Weatherson replaced Sinama-Pongolle, as I hoped the fresh legs of my leading scorer might be able to make an impression despite Sinama-Pongolle's fine play. Joe Newell had earlier replaced Valerón, and Joe Keenan replaced Sean Dillon, who was carrying a yellow card. We'd let the match linger as a draw for too long, and were in serious danger of the home side nicking a victory against the run of play. They started throwing men forward looking for the victory from the 80th minute, and in the 82nd, substitute Danny Mitchell managed to round Hayden Foxe. There was no other defender who could help out, and Mitchell shot from the arc, but put it directly to McGregor: a fine chance wasted for the home side.

The ninety minute mark came and passed: Styles signaled three minutes of stoppage time. The first of those was nearly gone when Jonathan Forte broke up the left side. He drew the fullback to him, then sent a low pass right for Peter Weatherson, who dribbled diagonally into the area. Kevin McNaughton was between he and the end-line, but wide of goal, that was leaving Weatherson a clear shot on target, and he laced a blistering shot which skittered past the incorporable Poom to the bottom corner at the far post!

That dramatic strike proved to be the game-winner, and with Sunderland launching men forward we actually had a chance at a second before injury time elapsed.

Sunderland 0, Sheffield United 1

----; Weatherson 90

MoM: Poom (Sunderland GK)

What a way to win it!

Both 'keepers had played a great game, but Mart Poom earned the honours for the day despite supersub Peter Weatherson's late winner.

I was pleased to note Sinama-Pongolle congratulating Weatherson after the match: the two seemed on good terms, which, given I was asking them to share time together, seemed a very good thing.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 11th Februaray, 2009.

Gregory Tucker and Rupert Wormwood, of course, had different opinions on the matter.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">With the end of the season fast approaching, it looks as though the Blades have managed to avoid relegation this season. Many fancied the club for the drop this season, as the lowest-placed Championship side to earn promotion, but their recent performances have surely prevented that. The team has shown tremendous pose and character, to battle through their winter slump and stake a firm claim to their mid-table spot. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Victories over two relegation battlers have eased the pressure on beleaguered manager Ian Richards, but the dramatics required to beat Sunderland emphasized one simple fact: the Blades are only a slim step up from that level. More than one player will be looking toward the summer window and wondering who his manager will be bringing in to replace him. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

There was little for me to do now, with the transfer window closed, save read the paper, and prepare for our next match, but the lads seemed set in our routine of training, and honestly, my coaches could handle it. I was getting to spend a bit more time with my wife, and the atmosphere around the ground was fun, with laughter and joking between the players and coaches.

With few senior matches this month, it was primarily our 'B' squad, with a bunch of big names, that faced Manchester United Reserves at Old Trafford. A surprisingly hard-fought game saw our lot come out on top 1-0 thanks to Noel Hunt's goal. John Melligan was Man of the Match after a fine performance, and was unlucky to have struck the crossbar on his best chance. With eight matches remaining, that left our Reserves in second in Reserve Group 1, a mere two points back of Manchester City Reserves.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 14th February, 2009. Premier League - Game 28, at Bolton Wanderers.

Our February road trip schedule continued with a Valentine's Day trip to last-placed Bolton Wanderers. They'd nicked a 1-0 win from us at Bramall Lane in August which started a nasty four-game slid for us, and had the distinction of being their sole victory this season. Their inept offense had scored only fifteen times in 27 matches to date, while their defense had conceded 55, and they were in an awful slump, having suffered 10 straight defeats, and they were holding the Premier League record of 23 games without a win. I was hopeful we'd be able to even the season series even though we had to travel to the Reebok Stadium, north-west of Manchester.

Despite playing ninety minutes on Monday, I put out very much the same lineup as had beaten Sunderland. Allan McGregor was the keeper, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Danny Payne in defense. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, and in fact the only change in the lineup was the return of Stewart Downing on the left wing. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Juan Carlos Valerón were partnered in the attacking midfield, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle remained the striker despite Weatherson's late heroics.

Only 22,110 showed up on a rainy Saturday afternoon, but they missed an inspired performance from the home side that completely belied their inability to find a win. Manager Bobby Williamson came out in a 3-5-2 which created the best of the early chances, and they almost scored in the third minute. Left wing Juanfran chased a loose ball down the left side, and sent a cross in for striker Kevin Davies, whose header on net was barely tipped over the bar by Allan McGregor. Though the majority of the chances were in our half, Victor Sikora made one of our own, whipping a shot in from the right side which was blocked by Israeli defender Tal Ben-Haim.

It was still scoreless in the 28th minute when Pedro Mendes had a brilliant chance. He'd found a seam in our defense, and Philip Rowe launched a 45-yard ball over the top. He controlled it as he strode into the box, and before any defenders could close him down, he let fly.. golfing it well over.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was really enjoying his partnership with Florent Sinama-Pongolle, and in the 37th minute he set the Frenchman up with a gritty pass up the gut. Using his pace to stave off Ben-Haim, our newest striker shot to goalkeeper Craig Gordon's left, but the Scottish keeper made a superb save at the post. Shortly thereafter, at the 41st minute, Mathieu Berson earned the yellow card which would rule him out of our next match, an away tie against Chelsea.

Less than sixty seconds later, Sikora started a move along the right side, cutting his pass inside for Juan Carlos Valerón. The Spanish star strode forward in the rain, and spotted Sinama-Pongolle just outside the area with his back to goal. The 24-year-old took the veteran's pass, spun around Ben-Haim to his right, and shot back to the far post, burying it past Gordon to give us a 1-0 lead as halftime approached.

The lads were pleased over the intermission, and so was I, though I cautioned them not to let up. Bolton had beaten us once before, and I didn't want to let them back into this match. Unfortunately, that's just what happened in the 50th minute. Juanfran tried to send another cross in from the left, and Danny Payne blocked it out for a corner. Pedro Mendes floated the corner in, but didn't have much on it: it bounced well shy of the near post. David Marek Rozenhal and Michael Carrick were racing towards it, and their legs got tangled - many a ref might have ruled it incidental contact, but Matt Messias pointed to the spot! Penalty!

Mendes stepped confidently up, and buried it to McGregor's left to equalize, 1-1.

That seemed to breathe life into both the crowd and the Bolton players, and for a while they were getting the better of play. As the second half progressed, some of our players began to fatigue, and I sent Joe Newell and Jonathan Forte on for Valerón and Stewart Downing, respectively, shortly after the hour. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was making a case for Man of the Match honours, so I gave him until the 73rd minute when I put Peter Weatherson on for fresh legs.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Newell's long range shot drew another save from Craig Gordon, who was having a phenomenal game, and Bolton seemed to shift to a 4-2-4, pressing players forward to try and find a morale-boosting late winner. That immediately created some space at the back, and Sikora's cross found Bridge-Wilkinson in space ten yards out. He twisted his whole body to meet it with a half-volley, but got under it and lifted the shot well over, much to his disgust. With eleven minutes left, Weatherson blistered in a shot from wide left which had Gordon beat, but it struck the far post and bounced straight back into play, where the Scottish keeper pounced on it.

At the other end, Belgian winger Tom Soetaers made a play, whipping a low cross into the box. Kevin Davies had found the seam, slashing in with a great chance, but the veteran striker put it high into the stands. Soetaers almost scored himself a minute later, when his cross into the six began drifting goalward, but Sean Dillon was there to knock it wide and preserve the draw.

Finally, in the 89th minute, Berson played a free kick from the center circle to Sikora wide right. The Dutch winger sent a fine low pass to Newell with space to shoot from the 18. Instead, the youngster knocked a wonderful ball forward for Weatherson, who was held onside by Ben-Haim, who was giving Sikora too much respect at the sideline. Weatherson made one touch to round Gordon at the six, and then had an easy finish to the open net for his second heroic game-winner in as many games!

Newell nearly made it two in injury time, as he had shots saved from 25 yards not once but twice, but Bolton had one more chance of their own. Despite my maximum defense instructions, Eirik Bakke played a long ball over Hayden Foxe. 19-year-old Tony Dennis had fresher legs, and outran the captain to it, but he's naturally a defender, and his shot struck side netting to guarantee us the win.

Bolton 1, Sheffield United 2

Mendes pen 51; Sinama-Pongolle 42, Weatherson 89

MoM: Gordon (Bolton GK)

"I love what you're doing, lads," I told them, "But next time, do you mind not waiting for the last minute?"

With Chelsea due up, that drew a laugh from my jubilant clubhouse.

[aaberdeenn]

Yas, yas, yas. \o/ Peter Weatherson is my hero.

Back on the winning road.

[Amaroq]

[Amaroq]

Monday, 16th February, 2009.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Nobody predicted that, come the final third of the season, Sheffield United would be sitting in the top half of the table. Having been favourites for the drop, most pundits predicted a fight to avoid relegation, but their recent performances have been top class and a top half finish is now the least they deserve.

Next week's match against Chelsea will provide a true measuring stick of just how far they have come... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I couldn't believe it! We were up to ninth place!

As The Star said, nobody, not even the team's most ardent supporters, had been predicting a top-ten finish for us at the start of the season. True, with four of our last ten matches coming against the top four teams in the Premiership, we might falter yet, but we'd reached my pre-season target of 38 points. That gave us a fifteen point cushion from the relegation zone, so I felt confident we'd achieved the board's stated goals for the season.

Our youngsters fell short in the Under-18s Cup again, this time eliminated in the Semi-Final by Sunderland U-18s in Durham. For a long time it looked like the home side would win on the virtue of Tom Collins's goal, which he'd scored when left unmarked in the box. However, borrowing a trick from our senior side, Martin Hunt provided an equalizer with 89:55 on the clock, knocking in the rebound after Tom Baker's shot was saved. Our lads had a man advantage throughout extra time when Dave Crouch was injured, but couldn't break the 1-1 tie and saw the match go to penalties. Sunderland held a 3-2 lead when Jamie Cooper stepped to the spot with a chance to keep us alive, but the 19-year-old defender struck it wide, and Sunderland were through to the Final.

Martin Hunt was rewarded for the dramatic equalizer with a longer-term place on the club, signing his first professional contract, a two year deal.

In other news, I'd chosen to loan Noel Hunt to Millwall for the next three months, and Gavin Atkinson and Paul Preston had both gone to Barrow. Preston was delighted, and shook my hand before he left, saying he felt the move was a good step up from reserve team football. Atkinson looked a bit more sullen - I'd decided that his pace was going to be a limiting factor in his career, and he rightly suspected that I was trying to place him in the shop window, so to speak.

Robert Cousins, meanwhile, returned from his loan to Colchester in League One, where he'd played 11 matches, with 0 goals, 2 assists, and a 6.64 average match rating. Unfortunately, he'd broken his collarbone and wouldn't be effective until the end of March.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 18th February, 2009.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">With a solid mid-table place assured, but a European spot clearly out of the question, the minds of Blades supporters are surely turning to next season. Though some of the squad have clearly distinguished themselves, there are a few places where the squad is still weak.

Though the defenders, each individually, are not world-beaters, they play very well together as a unit, and its hard to argue with the seventh-best unit in the Premier League.

The player that stands out the most is Juan Carlos Valerón. Clearly the once-flamboyant 33-year-old is past his best: he hasn't had the stamina to last ninety minutes in any game this season. Four years ago, he was setting the world alight for Chelsea, justifying their £18M investment in him with that magical 15-goal, 10-assist season in 2005/06. Last season, he merited only two appearances for the Blues, and its been three years since his last international appearance. He's scored only one goal and four assists in 21 matches this season, and its become clear that Ian Richards would be better served bringing in one of his younger players in his place. Joe Newell, for example, has six goals in only 15 starts, with 5 assists, and one has to wonder why Richards persists in playing Valerón. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rupert Wormwood was up to his usual tricks, though the tone of his articles had changed from doom-and-gloom to picking on individual players - or the manager.

It was hard to argue with his analysis, honestly - Valerón had not impressed, though I was hard-pressed to determine why that was. He seemed to have reasonable stamina in practice, and his ability to shoot from range seemed to match the youngster's.

Despite Wormwood's ire for one player, the rest of the squad had done quite well, and Victor Sikora and Florent Sinama-Pongolle were lauded with places in the Premier League Team of Week for their efforts.

On the training pitch, we had two players return. Canadian international Iain Hume was back in training after seeing a specialist in London for his pulled groin. For a £2.3M signing, he was certainly beginning to look like a bust, as he had played only 12 matches and seemed unable to stake a claim to a place in the first team.

The other returnee was Nicky Thomson, the 20-year-old left wing, who had been on loan with lowly Darlington in League Two. He'd been singularly unimpressive, playing 11 games, but failing to get a goal or assist, and compiling a miserable 5.91 average rating. He was close to playing his way off the team entirely.

As for myself, I was busy scouting Chelsea, watching them in the Champions League against Real Madrid on national T.V. like everyone else. They played the same aggressive 4-5-1 they'd faced us with, and David Beckham exploited the gap between their back four and their midfield for two long-range goals.

Simple - all I had to do was secure Beckham's services without anyone noticing that the transfer window was closed...

Chelsea did come back to score an equalizer through Mista in the 82nd minute, a desperation long ball which took a lucky bounce for him, but the 2-2 result might take some of the confidence out of Mourinho's men.

In the other matches, Arsenal conceded a vital away goal to A.C. Milan in a 1-1 draw, with Patrick Vieira scoring for the Gunners. Aston Villa seemed to have hit the end of their rope, losing 2-0 to Barcelona in Spain.

German giants Bayern Munich looked all but through to the next stage after a 3-1 away win against Bayern Leverkusen, while Inter Milan weren't troubled by Club Brugge, brushing them aside 2-0 in Belgium.

The other games were much closer, with FC do Porto outgunning Roma 3-2 in Italy. Benfica-Deportivo was a hardfought scoreless draw, and Sporting Club Portugal drew 1-1 with Swiss side Basel.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 22nd February, 2009.

Surprising news from Newcastle-on-Tyne in this morning's paper: manager Vicente Del Bosque was sacked last night by Newcastle United chairman Freddie Shepherd. Though Kevin Keegan was widely considered the front-runner, I found myself mentioned for the position along with former Spurse managers Jacques Santini and Jürgen Klinsmann.

Locally, former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock had been hired to lead Leeds United, a move which was met with disdain on the Sheffield forums. Even more ironic, his first match in charge at Elland Road would be to host his most recent club, Millwall, who were dead last in the Championship and all but assured of relegation.

As though taking out their frustrations at their Under-18 Cup exit, today Sheffield Under-18s pounded Nottingham Forest U-18s, 4-0. Gareth Davies was Man of the Match after scoring a brace - though in the official records, it was changed to a goal and an assist, as the first goal was ruled an 'own goal' - and Tim Mason and Michael Harrison also got on the net in a solid victory for the youngsters.

The result I cared about on Sunday was the battle between Liverpool and Chelsea, and I was disappointed to see the London side come out on top of a 4-2 goalfest, knowing what that would do for their confidence. I'd been debating whether to start my first-choice side for our mid-week match against them, weighing the chances of a demoralizing defeat against the opportunity to nick a point, or even three, from the unsuspecting front runners. Given their ebullient mood after the offensive fireworks, I was leaning towards sacrificing my 'B' team.

The League Cup Final was also Sunday afternoon, and Rob Styles made things interesting after Dean Ashton's early goal gave Middlesbrough a 1-0 lead over Arsenal. He waited until the 79th minute, and then sent off Jerko Leko and Thierry Henry in quick succession, reducing each side to ten men for the final ten minutes. Middlesbrough held on to lift the cup, which assured them of a European spot even if they stumbled dramatically in the final months of the Premier League season.

Sunday evening, Darren Wrack shook my hand on his way to the train station: we'd arranged a three-month loan to Cambridge down in League Two, which might give him his best chance of attracting some interest for next season. It looked very much like the veteran had played his last match at Bramall Lane: he'd been a fixture in the Reserves this season, with only seven senior appearances to his name, and I had no plans to renew his contract for next season. Still, in appreciation for his five seasons of service to the Sheffield fans, the least I could do was give him a way to showcase his talents.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 24th February, 2009.

"You're mad!"

"Look," I told Stuart, "I'd rather take three points at West Ham than shoot our bolt at Chelsea, come up short, and take no points from either match."

I'd drawn up basically a Reserve lineup, and my Assistant was - perhaps justifiably - concerned how well the "B" team could do against Chelsea tomorrow.

"You're going to get eviscerated in the press," he cautioned.

"Thanks, but look, avoiding a morale-crushing loss is my first objective."

"Ian .. you do hear what you just said, right?"

"I heard it," I grumbled. "Look, if you've had your laugh. Here's my theory. Are we seriously going to win at Stamford Bridge?"

"Well.. its not likely," Stuart admitted.

"Our first-teamers have just won three in a row, and I want to spare them the demoralizing loss."

"By letting the B-team take their lumps?"

"Well, that's why I've got this defensive formation drawn up." It was a variation of my 4-5-1, with one defensive midfielder behind a flat-four midfield.

Stuart still didn't approve.

"Its your head," he muttered.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 25th February, 2009. Premier League - Game 29, at Chelsea.

With ten games remaining in the Premier League season, Chelsea stood two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table. The two were locked in a title run for the ages, that had seen their positions change almost weekly depending who had the current game in hand. Both had lost two, and securing the full three points against a lightweight like Sheffield United had to be foremost on Jose Mourinho's mind.

Despite Stuart's reservations, I started a dubious lineup, starting with backup Steve Harper in goal. The back line reunited Hayden Foxe and Steve Foster, with Joe Keenan at left back. Ex-Celtic star Jackie McNamara made his Sheffield United debut at right back, and 19-year-old Steve Newton made his first appearance of the season at defensive midfield. In the defensive formation, he would be directly behind two central midfielders: Juan Carlos Valerón, facing his former club, and Welshman Mike Flynn. Jonathan Forte was on the left wing, while Graham Allen made his return from injury on the right. Last-minute hero Peter Weatherson had earned a start, though the odds of him adding to his team-leading total were very low.

This was the same strategy that had led to our 5-0 defeats against Southampton and Blackburn, it looked like more of the same when Chelsea got on the board after just 3:06. Fullback Anthony Réveillère took a throw-in deep along their right sideline, giving it to Aliaksandr Hleb, who had been an incredible asset since his £20M acquisition from VfB Stuttgart three years ago, netting 13 goals and 18 assists last season. Hleb fired a low cross in to the box, where French winger Olivier Kapo had a real height mismatch against Graham Allen. Nearly uncontested, he redirected it past Steve Harper with his head, gifting the Stamford Bridge crowd of 41,154 the early 1-0 lead they'd craved.

The lads looked entirely unmotivated, and when Réveillère added a wicked 22-yard left-footed shot in the 8th minute to make it 2-0, it was all but over as a contest. What was most impressive about that effort was the fact that the 29-year-old is naturally right footed! It was hist first goal for Chelsea, as he'd been an offseason acquisition for them from French club Lyon.

Stuart caught my eye and gave a dismal shake of his head. He didn't need to say it: I could hear his "I told you so" loud and clear.

Welsh midfielder Mike Flynn was carted off in the 19th minute, and I gave Danny Payne a look in the central midfield role. By the half-hour, it was 3-0, as Kapo left Jackie McNamara for dead on the right wing. The 35-year-old had been out of football for too long, and the pace of the Chelsea side seemed to be catching him by surprise, used as he was to the Scottish Premier League. The winger's cross found Frank Lampard about eight yards out, and he knocked a powerful header past Harper for his 51st goal in a Blues kit.

Mourinho sportingly changed to a much more defensive 4-5-1 at that point. I saw no reason to continue risking Peter Weatherson in a lost cause, and at halftime I brought him off to give 17-year-old forward Michael Harrison his professional debut. It hardly seemed likely to matter who was up front, however, as our midfield was unable to get the ball up that far.

In the 60th minute, I decided Graham Allen had done enough for his first match back from injury, and brought him off for Tim Vincken. That meant Valerón, whose lack of fitness had prevented him from finishing a match all season, would have to last ninety minutes. On the pitch, Michael Ballack scored a trademark piledriver from all of 30 yards to crush the last of Harper's morale, making it 4-0.

It should have finished that way, but Valerón was reduced to just about a walk from the 80th minute or thereabouts. In the 85th, the hosts earned a corner kick, and Tomas Rosicky floated it over for Ricardo Carvalho. The Portugese centre back was frustrated at losing his place after five seasons in the first-choice eleven, and had a burning determination to make an impression on Mourinho. Displaying more hustle than anyone else on the pitch, the substitute won the space to drive a header to the near post, finishing out the scoring at an embarrassing 5-0.

Chelsea 5, Sheffield United 0

Kapo 4, Réveillère 8, Lampard 29, Ballack 65, Carvalho 85; ----

MoM: Kapo (Chelsea MC)

I felt sick to my stomach: I'd doomed my players to that embarrassing scoreline when I'd selected the second team, and I knew it. In all honesty, with the form Chelsea were showing, I think our seven-game-unbeaten streak would have come to a close no matter who I'd started, and I tried to console myself with the thought that at least I'd protected most of my first choice from injury, either physical or psychological.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 26th February, 2009.

The scoreline was all too tempting for Rupert Wormwood to resits, and he laid it squarely at my feet.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Blades Embarassed

The most galling aspect of the Blades' most embarrassing League defeat in modern history was not the final scoreline, or how thoroughly outclassed they were by a team seeking its third consecutive Premier League title.

No, the thing which has provoked righteous fan outrage throughout Yorkshire is the way Blades manager Ian Richards gave up the match before the first touch, probably before the fans had even begun to enter the stadium.

Even the most rabid fan would admit that, even with their top lineup, the Blades would be hard-pressed to earn even a draw against the mighty squad Jose Mourinho has assembled at Stamford Bridge, but Richards didn't even give them a chance, naming a second-rate lineup of has-beens and never-wills.

He as much as said to the fans, 'We give up', and his players played as though they heard that message loud and clear. It was a disgrace to the game, and if the Football Association won't put an end to it, its up to the fans to do so in the only way possible to them: stay away. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

For all that the criticism was scathing, it hurt all the more because it felt utterly deserved: I had abandoned the match entirely, and the fans had every right to be outraged.

I did spot one piece of good news, in the miscellaneous section at the bottom of the match report. Jonathan Forte had declared himself "delighted that {I} had responded positively to his demands for first-team football."

He said, "I've noticed a far greater willingness from my manager to play me since I asked for a regular place in the starting line-up."

I was glad there was at least one positive we could take from the Chelsea debacle - and amused, as I didn't plan on starting him again until April.

That was balanced by the bad news, such as it was: Welsh attacking midfielder Mike Flynn's injury was a twisted ankle, which would keep him out of action until the end of March. It wasn't a rough blow: he hasn't been a key part of the team, and we'll have plenty of depth to deal with the sparse March schedule.

In Wednesday's other match, Sheffield United Reserves had earned a 1-1 tie against Everton Reserves when Chris Gray found a late equalizer, after our lads had trailed most of the match.

The senior side stayed in London the rest of the week, as we had another match coming up in the city on Saturday.

[aaberdeenn]

I'm not going to say anything at all in future.

[Amaroq]

But your posts always make me smile...

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 28th February, 2009. Premier League - Game 30, at West Ham United.

Our final match of the month was at Upton Park, also in London, against West Ham United. Alan Irvine's side were in eighth, well up from the 15th place they'd finished in last year when he took over halfway through. The London papers played up the idea that United were 'looking for revenge' after we'd hammered the Hammers 5-1 in October. If they had the motivation, I thought we had the edge, as they'd be missing Harry Kewell with a calf strain, Portugese midfielder Tiago, who had been suspended for one game due to accumulated cautions, and American defender Jonathan Spector, who had strained knee ligaments. They still had a dangerous offense, led by Iranian striker Vahid Hashemian, who had 21 goals in 35 matches this season, an incredible 0.6 per game, with 15 from 29 in the Premier League.

I returned my first-choice lineup to the pitch, with Allan McGregor in net. Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Danny Payne formed his defense, with Mathieu Berson just in front of them. Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora would roam the wings, with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the playmaker's role. Partnering him, Joe Newell was getting the start Rupert Wormwood had asked for, while Florent Sinama-Pongolle had been impressive up front with two goals from his first four games.

The lads were met by chants of "Quitters! Quitters!" as we came onto the pitch: apparently Wormwood's poisonous article had found a printer in London.

Sinama-Pongolle took the first shot, forcing a save from Hammers keeper Stuart Taylor only 35 seconds into the match. Unfortunately, it was West Ham that got the strong start. In the sixth minute, Kyle Reid and Blessing Kaku played a one-two up the Hammer's left wing, which let Reid send over a cross unmolested. Local legend Bobby Zamora climbed all over David Marek Rozehnal to drive a header back to the near post, and though Allan McGregor and I were both screaming for a foul, the goal was left to count. With an 0-1 lead, 31,794 London fans were going crazy at Upton Park!

Sinama-Pongolle had a great chance to equalize in the 12th minute thanks to the hard work of Stewart Downing and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. The latter knocked a beautiful through ball which put the French striker into the area with a golden opportunity only to see it saved from close range by Taylor.

As though that weren't heartbreak enough, Reid earned his second assist of the match when Nigel Reo-Coker drilled one past McGregor from 20 yards out. Rozehnal was clearly confused as to where he should be, as can sometimes happen when a player is adjusting to a new system, but it was particularly frustrating that he'd literally moved out of the way of the shooter once Reo-Coker had posession, leaving the 24-year-old a clear lane, with time and space to set up the shot. 0-2 down after fifteen minutes was not the start I'd had in mind: it was as though our first team were taking lessons from the 'B' side in how to give a game away before its truly started.

Zamora nearly got his second on the 20th minute, blasting a shot over from the 18, but after that it seemed we settled down, and were starting to build some chances of our own. I got frustrated with young Joe Newell, who was trying too many shots from extreme range, and after several minutes of yelling I finally got his attention, and got him to quit. Unfortunately, he'd wasted what would turn out to be our best chances of the half, and the final quarter hour went very quietly.

Halftime was a chance to regroup, and I told the lads I wanted to see our 'patient' offense, with more players moving forward, shorter passes and a slower tempo. That wasn't the style that gave us our chance in the 49th: that was due entirely to Downing switching sides with a pinpoint pass to the feet of Victor Sikora. The Dutchman had a golden chance, dribbling to within ten yards before anybody could close him down, but instead of shooting he opted to knock a low pass back to Bridge-Wilkinson in the center of the area. The attacking midfielder didn't get much on it, and failed to trouble the keeper. Marc nearly made amends just before the hour mark with a great pass to get Sinama-Pongolle behind the Hammers' line, but Noé Pamarot recovered to tackle him in the box.

That wasn't to say it was all us: Kaku had a great chance in the 58th minute when he was left unmarked on our eighteen, but he scuffed the shot badly, and it bounced three times on its way wide. I was growing quite conscious of time running out, and with twenty-five minutes left, opted to switch to a 3-5-2, making three substitutions as well. Peter Weatherson would get to partner Sinama-Pongolle for the first time, while Graham Allen replaced Downing and Iain Hume came on for Newell. Danny Payne was the defender who came off.

Sinama-Pongolle made the new combination look dangerous no more than three minutes after they'd all come on, seeming to break clear on Mathieu Berson's long pass, but Reo-Coker cleared it into touch at the last possible moment. We were really starting to push West Ham back, with several corner kicks following, and then Mathieu Berson blazing a half-volley over from 20 yards after a twenty-pass buildup. I was just growing hopeful when Peter Weatherson made an unwise backpass in the 83rd minute. It carried past our defense, and rolled out into touch, giving West Ham a throw-in deep on our right side. Pamarot sent the cross in from the edge of the area, and Vahid Hashemian rose above a forest of defenders in the six to head home past McGregor. In addition to padding his team-leading stats, it left us with an absolutely insurmountable 0-3 deficit.

We got one back less than four minutes later. Berson sprayed a ball out wide for Graham Allen, who sent a cross looking for Peter Weatherson at the back post. Hammers captain Hayden Mullins was there, and tried to knock it back for Stuart Taylor. Unluckily for both of them, Mullins put it back to the goalkeeper's left as Taylor was moving to his right, and they could only watch with horror as the ball rolled into the netting for an own goal. That gave us the slightest glimmer of hope at 1-3.

Bridge-Wilkinson found his way to another fantastic pass in injury time, breaking Weatherson past the offsides trap. Though Mullins atoned for his own goal by making an inch-perfect tackle in the box, Victor Sikora picked up the loose ball on the left wing. He'd switched to that side when I brought Downing off, and now he drifted the cross into the box. It floated goalward, and Taylor could only knock it away at the last instant. It dropped to Weatherson's feet, and he stabbed it forward, but Taylor made a point-blank save to deny him.

A minute later, Graham Allen skimmed the crossbar from long range, but then the whistle blew for full time, and defeat was ours.

West Ham United 3, Sheffield United 1

Zamora 6, Reo-Coker 14, Hashemian 83; Mullins o.g. 87

MoM: Taylor (West Ham GK)

There's nothing worse than the post-match press conferences when you're on a losing skid. "Your side seem to concede a lot of goals. What do you intend to do about it?"

The question came from a reporter for The Star whom I held in the greatest respect: it felt like we had a good working relationship.

I wanted to quibble with the assertion - 36 goals in 30 games is better than the Premier League average - but I could see her point: we had given up eight in the past two matches.

"I think we've just been unlucky," I answered. "Certainly, against Chelsea, that was hardly our first-choice lineup."

"Follow up! Do you intend to bring in more defenders, or a new goalkeeper?"

"No," I answered confidently, "I'm confident we'll pull out of it without any need to change personnel."

At very least the transfer window was closed, and it wouldn't do to start speculating about summer transfers while it was still February.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 1st March, 2009.

"Five-nil? Five? What were you thinking!?" Directory Derek Dooley was almost too mad to speak.

"This is a proud club," Terry Robinson filled in for him, "With a long tradition, and its been many years since we suffered a five-nil defeat - let alone THREE five-nils in the same season!"

Dooley cut him off. "Don't EVER let us get embarrassed like that again!"

"No, Mister Dooley," seemed the only response I could make - I'd never seen him so angry.

"Look," Terry Robinson said placatingly, "We're still delighted with your overall performance. You've done wonders, and Mister Dooley and I both know we wouldn't even be facing the likes of Chelsea if it weren't for you. All we're saying is, go out with your first team next time: it sends a very bad message to the players and to the fans if you think they've no chance against the best, and play what amounts to a Reserve lineup. Personally, I'm convinced that's what cost us the West Ham match, given how thoroughly we dominated them earlier in the year."

There was a part of me which was oh-so-tempted to point out that Tottenham and Newcastle would both love to have me, and that I required a free hand to run the club as I saw fit... but they are my bosses, and I was every bit as embarrassed by the two losses as they were, so I swallowed my pride and agreed.

"Relax, lad. Its not as though we're going to fire you," Dooley said, bringing a bit of a smile to his face now that his point was made. "After all, it would look very bad to fire you after you'd placed third in the Manager of the Month voting."

It was a bit too much of a whipsaw of emotion, and I think I could only stand there, slack-jawed, for a minute.

It turned out true: I'd come third, and Victor Sikora had been selected number two in the Player of the Month ballot. Embarrassingly, however, two of Chelsea's goals against us won first and second in the Goal of the Month honours.

Turning to the financial side, not having a single home game had placed a painful choke hold on our revenues, with the result that we'd lost £1.7M for the month, and that was a real warning towards what would happen to our balance during the coming summer. Still, we had a net profit of £7.5M for the season, with £15.0M in the bank.

The collapse at the end of the month had dropped us back to 12th in the table, but we were still 15 points clear of relegation. A mammoth gap had opened up between 13th and 14th, which made it unlikely we could fall below thirteenth at this stage. At the top, Chelsea had opened up a six-point lead over Liverpool, but the Merseysiders had two games in hand to make up the ground.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Chelsea 76 24 4 2 70 16 +54 (30)

2 Arsenal 70 22 4 2 68 14 +54 (28)

3 Liverpool 66 21 3 6 68 27 +41 (30)

4 Manchester Untied 58 17 7 5 50 20 +30 (29)

5 Middlesbrough 54 15 9 5 37 23 +14 (29)

6 Manchester City 47 12 11 7 37 32 + 5 (30)

7 Blackburn 46 12 10 6 41 30 +11 (28)

8 West Ham United 43 11 10 9 46 49 - 3 (30)

9 Newcastle United 41 10 11 9 34 36 - 2 (30)

10 Charlton Athletic 39 10 9 11 42 41 + 1 (30)

11 Portsmouth 38 10 8 12 43 49 - 6 (30)

12 Sheffield United 38 10 8 12 29 36 - 7 (30)

13 Fulham 36 11 3 15 40 50 -10 (29)

14 Crystal Palace 28 6 10 14 28 48 -20 (30)

15 Aston Villa 28 7 7 16 16 39 -23 (30)

16 Ipswich Town 27 7 6 17 22 47 -25 (30)

17 Southampton 26 7 5 16 35 56 -21 (28)

-----------------------------------------------------------

18 Sunderland 23 4 11 15 25 45 -20 (29)

19 Tottenham 18 4 6 20 29 61 -32 (30)

20 Bolton 9 1 6 21 16 57 -41 (28)</pre>

Our odd schedule would continue, as we had only two matches in all of March. There was one weekend free for F.A. Cup matches and another free for the international sides.

[aaberdeenn]

Well maybe I'll just be selective in what I say in future.

[Amaroq]

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 4th March, 2009.

With fifteen days until our next match, I dismissed most of the starting lineup for several days, telling them to rest and relax a bit. I was planning on spending a good few days with my wife, enjoying the breath of fresh spring sun that had blown in.

Our Under-18s got the month off to a good start with a 4-1 win over Rotherham U-18s, with Gareth Davies and Darren Gibson scoring a brace apiece. Davies won Man of the Match, and everyone on the side was glad to know that Gary Thomas's injury was only a strained wrist - it had looked worse when he'd gone off in the fifth minute. I for one had thought he'd broken it, and was glad the x-rays came back negative.

In other injury-related news, Keith McCormack returned to full training, and played 45 minutes in what turned out to be a dull 0-0 Reserve match against Derby County Reserves. Graham Allen earned Man of the Match honours.

In Tuesday night's Champions League match, Inter Milan finished off Club Brugge with a solid 3-0 win at the San Siro, a match that included Freddy Adu's third contental goal. The result made the final score a resounding 5-0 on aggregate.

On Wednesday, the majority of matches were played out. Aston Villa's European adventure came to a halt with a 0-0 draw to Barcelona at Villa Park which saw them out on a 2-0 aggregate scoreline. If there was a silver lining, it would let them concentrate on the relegation battle they found themselves in this year.

Arsenal, too, were out, falling victim to a Fernando Torres double in Italy which gave A.C. Milan a 2-0 win and a 3-1 aggregate over the Gunners.

That left Chelsea as the only English hope after they advanced with a dramatic 3-1 win over Real Madrid. The match had gone through 80 minutes level, but Madrid needed to find a goal thanks to the Blues' edge on away goals after a 2-2 match in the first leg. The openings that created at the back saw the Blues' Didier Drogba score twice in the final seven minutes to break open the match for a 5-3 aggregate win, with Michael Ballack also missing a penalty for the hosts in those frantic final minutes.

Swiss side Basel continued their Cinderella story with an 89th minute goal by Marco Meyer giving them 1-0 win at St. Jakobspark, and knocking Sporting Club Portugal out of the competition on a 2-1 aggregate. According to the BBC reports, the entire nation was celebrating their first trip to the Quarter Finals as though it were a national holiday!

Deportivo and Benfica played their second consecutive scoreless draw, and the Portugese side saw their Spanish hosts out with a 3-1 penalty shootout win.

Miroslav Klose, Roque Santa Cruz, and Owen Hargreaves scored for Bayern München as they continued their dominant form with a 3-1 win over Bayern Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena. Clearly nothing less than the European Championship would do for the side that had hoisted the Cup in 2006 and 2007, and the win gave them a 6-1 aggregate over their countrymen.

FC do Porto completed the upset of the first knockout round with a 2-1 win over Roma, giving them a 5-3 aggregate over the Italian giants, and yes, you're reading that correctly, it was two Portugese sides in the final eight, calling to mind memories of Porto's 2004 title.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 11th March, 2009.

I brought the lads back to Bramall Lane on Monday, only to see Marc Bridge-Wilkinson suffer a training ground injury that would rule him out of the Liverpool match. Fortunately it was only a strained wrist after a hard fall, but it was going to be tough to keep him match fit with a month layoff between matches.

His place would be taken by attacking midfielder Robert Cousins, who resumed full training this week after missing two months with his neck injury. The youngster was really coming along in development, and I hoped a few Reserve matches would get him back in match shape so that I could start working him into the senior side in April.

Phil Davidson I sent out on loan to Colchester, who were struggling near the bottom of League One and guaranteed me playing time. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder was still learning his trade and told the media that he felt the loan move would be a good step up from playing reserve team football. In fact, with the need to keep my second string in shape, he wasn't even likely to get that much in March had he stayed at Bramall Lane.

On Wednesday, Arsenal suffered a real set-back to their title aspirations, losing their third Premier League match of the season, 2-0, at Blackburn Rovers. Failing to pick up any points from one of their games in hand was not going to help them close the six point gap on Chelsea, and with the Blues' form this season that might be the death knell for what had been a fine title fight.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 14th March, 2009.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Wenger Respects Richards

Liverpool manager Arsene Wenger expressed his high regard for Sheffield United's Ian Richards in an interview this morning. 'Richards is a good manager,' he said, 'and he deserves every success with the Blades. He's one of the best young managers in the game, and as he learns his craft, we can expect great things from him.' </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

When asked to comment, I answered that "The high regard of such an esteemed manager is very important to me. Mister Wenger has been doing a very good job at Liverpool, and I'd say the Reds fans are lucky to have him."

With that, I turned my attentions to our Under-18 match at Saltergate. Gareth Davies played another fantastic game, earning Man of the Match honors with a brace as Sheffield United U-18s beat Derby U-18s, 3-1, on Saturday. Keith McCormack played sixty minutes as he tried to work back up to match fitness, and was credited with one of the assists.

Tim Barnes, who replaced him at right back, scored the third goal on a free kick. He celebrated his goal by signing a long-term contract that ought to keep him a Blade through 2012.

On the Premier League pitches, Middlesbrough added to Arsenal's troubles with a 2-1 win over the Gunners - this stage of the season was an awful time to lose their form, and Arsenal had lost three straight, counting their elimination from the Champions League plus the two Premier League matches. Though I felt sorry for David O'Leary, part of me wished I could face them now: there's no way this slump will continue through May, when we're scheduled to tackle them.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 15th March, 2009. Premier League - Game 31, vs Liverpool.

Instead, our first home game since January was against Liverpool. It had been nineteen long years since the Reds won top honours in the English league, and this year looked no better for them. They were down in third, ten points back of Chelsea with eight to play, and no apparent hope of catching the Blues' form. Arsenal's bad luck gave them a chance of catching up for second, but for the most part the Reds were looking at one of the Champions League places. We'd met them three times already this season. The first match was a scoreless friendly. In the second, we'd eliminated their 'B' team from the League Cup with a 1-0 win, while the last, at the end of December, was a 2-0 defeat to their 'A' team at New Anfield.

This would be the rubber match. Allan McGregor anchored our lineup from goal, with his usual defense of Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Danny Payne. Mathieu Berson would run the midfield, with Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. With Bridge-Wilkinson injured, Juan Carlos Valerón was the playmaker, and Joe Newell got another start as his partner. Florent Sinama-Pongolle remained my first-choice striker.

Liverpool came out with an uncomplicated 4-4-2, something we've seen plenty of times, and our lads came out fired up. A near-sellout crowd of 32,963 crowded into Bramall Lane, on their feet from kickoff. Peter Weatherson laid Junior Khanye low, catching his arm with a cleat while the South African was on the ground, and that forced a Liverpool substitution at the third minute.

Juan Carlos Valerón was giving a spirited performance, and in the 7th minute his hard work paid off as he managed to steal possession from Diego. The Brazilian midfielder lay on the ground as though injured, hoping to draw a foul, and that left a gaping hole in the Liverpool midfield. Valerón took it out to the right wing, then sent a low pass to Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who had drifted out right behind him. The striker received the pass wide of the box, then dribbled a few yards in from the edge. He looked to be thinking of a cross, and Stewart Downing sprinting into the box drew both the defensive coverage and the momentary attention of goalkeeper Paul Robinson. Sinama-Pongolle instead shot, an incredible strike that was still rising when it reached the net, catching the underside of the roofing to put us up 1-0. The roar of sound from the sell-out crowd was nigh on to deafening, and I felt he was worth every penny of the record transfer fee we'd paid for him.

Liverpool fashioned a quick reply, and it was particularly painful that Jason Koumas, whom Wenger had outbid me for this August, was the visionary. He had the ball in the middle of the park, and feinted a dribble up the gut, drawing our defense in, only to spray a great ball for Andy van der Meyde all alone on the right wing. He'd slipped in behind Sean Dillon, but even worse was the fact that Jérémie Alidadière was unmarked in the box. David Marek Rozehnal, who should have been responsible for him, had been sucked central by Koumas' feint, and was casting about desperately, looking for his man, and not marking anyone. It was the second mental error by the Czech in as many games, and this one cost us a goal. Van der Meyde lobbed a soft ball in for the French striker, who had time to bury a furious shot past Allan McGregor. From eight yards out, there was no chance for the keeper, and it was all even at 1-1, with only 11 minutes played.

The game was being played at a torrid pace, with chances at both ends, and we came ever-so-close in the 16th minute. Downing picked out Victor Sikora with a width-of-the-pitch cross, which was fast becoming a trademark move for the pair of them. The 30-year-old Dutchman was wide open on the right wing, and fired a low ball in from an angle. I never was sure if it was cross or shot, but it struck Joseph Yobo, then hit the bottom of the near post, but stayed in play.

We were definitely beginning to look the most dangerous side, and that started a long series of action down at the Liverpool end. We couldn't seem to find the telling through ball, but in the 23rd minute Sinama-Pongolle demonstrated that he didn't need one. He pressured one of the Liverpool back four into a mistake, and took off on a straight line towards the Liverpool goal, simply outrunning anybody who might have wanted to challenge him. Paul Robinson made a fine save one-on-one to keep the scores level.

Four minutes later, and I won't say it was intentional, but it was a hard challenge, Sinama-Pongolle had picked up a limp. Not wanting to risk further injury, I brought him off for Peter Weatherson, and had to endure a verbal tirade from the French striker as he insisted he was fine to continue playing. I glanced up from that just in time to see Rozehnal give the ball away to Alidadière, who raced the length of our half with nobody near him. Allan McGregor stayed in the six, and Alidadière shot from just inside the eighteen. The Scottish keeper came up with a great save, and though the ball rolled across the goalmouth, there was no Liverpool support, with Diego arriving far too late.

On the half-hour mark, Newell and Valerón combined for a great move through the center of the Liverpool defense. Valerón spotted Weatherson ahead of them with a perfectly weighted pass that left the striker only Robinson to beat. For a moment, the entire crowd thought he'd dribbled around the keeper, but somehow the England number one scrambled back to punch it off his feet with an outstretched hand. A goalmouth scramble could have put us up just before half, but three times we saw shots blocked by Liverpool defenders. Still, we were playing flowing, attacking football, and looked much more like the top-five team going to the break.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Joe Newell was fouled by Koumas before leaving centre circle. Hayden Foxe lined up to take it, and spotted Robinson off his line. He launched a shot from fifty yards, which floated above the England international, and looked to be dipping goalward, but only earned an 'ohhhhh' of dismay from the crowd when it came back off the crossbar. I must confess that, given his earlier histrionics, I felt it was ironic when Diego was forced off with some form of knee injury on the hour.

Wenger had made a few adjustments at the break, and as we began to tire, Liverpool became more and more in control. Only two great stops by Foxe and Rozenhal kept them off the board through the seventieth minute. In the 74th, Josemi launched a long throw-in into our six, and Milan Baros played it past Sikora. McGregor pushed it away, but unfortunately he directed it right to Luis García, who buried the rebound to put the visitors ahead 1-2.

I brought John Melligan on for Dillon, switching to a 3-5-2, but that just seemed to open it up for Liverpool, not for us. There was too much space at the back, and they just have too much pace to exploit it with. As quickly as I came to that realization, they managed to capitalize, and this time it was Yobo whose long pass put Alidadière through. I'd given Rozehnal a thorough chewing-out at the intermission, and he seemed to be responding well to it; this time he came in with a sliding tackle to dispossess the striker just inside the box. Unluckily for us, the loose ball was perfectly teed up for Baros, who hammered it home from the eighteen.

We were trailing 1-3, and I decided not to continue with the 3-5-2, reverting instead to our 4-5-1 for the closing moments. Joe Newell had a bit of a knock, so he was the one to come out, with Joe Keenan coming on at left back. Weatherson nearly made it interesting with five minutes to go, finding a crease in the Liverpool defense, and Sikora picked him out. Unmarked from 15 yards out, he should have made it a one goal game, but blazed it over.

Robinson's shouted orders tightened up the Liverpool defense, and that was our last chance.

Sheffield United 1, Liverpool 3

Sinama-Pongolle 7; Aliadiere 11, Garcia 74, Baros 77

MoM: Josemi (Liverpool DR)

That was one of the most frustrating games I'd been in charge of: for the first time, it felt like we could have beaten one of the top teams in England on merit, but we'd missed so many chances, especially in the first half. It could have been 3-1 for us, going to the seventieth minute if we'd only capitalized on half of them.

If Rozehnal's performance in the back four was particularly worrying, I was pleased to note that Juan Carlos Valerón had reacted well to being placed in the playmaker role. It seemed to suit him better to be the creative midfielder rather than partnered opposite one.

[aaberdeenn]

Unlucky.

[Amaroq]

Its been that kind of season...

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 18th March, 2009.

Despite some newspaper reports that morale was poor at Bramall Lane, I thought the lads were in pretty good shape. There had been good news from the physio's room: both Sinama-Pongolle and Newell were relatively unhurt, bruised perhaps but certainly nothing that would keep them out of our next match two weeks down the line. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson had returned as well, and the lads were in decent form, if a bit disappointed that I didn't offer them time off again - I told them they hadn't earned it with their last three performances.

We did suffer a minor loss on Tuesday when Gary Thomas pulled a groin muscle in training. He was off to physiotherapist for at least a month, as the promising 17-year-old couldn't afford a potentially recurring injury.

Playing Sinama-Pongolle, Bridge-Wilkinson, Hume, Forte, and Graham Allen in a Reserve match today seemed a bit overkill, but given the paucity of senior fixtures in the month, it was the only way to keep them all match fit. Allen opened the scoring against Newcastle Reserves with a fine strike from the top of the arc, but the opposition played well, holding us to that single goal through most of the match. It wasn't until I'd brought Victor Sikora on as a second-half substitute that we broke through to score another and secure a 2-0 win. It was Sikora who did it all himself, streaking through the tiring defense to score a magical goal,

In another game of interest, Manchester United defeated Manchester City, 1-0, in a mouth-watering F.A. Cup sixth round tie on Wednesday. 32-year-old Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the only goal, the 164th of his career for the Red Devils. He still looked as dangerous as ever, and in fact was having his best season since the 2004/05 campaign.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 20th March, 2009.

The window-shopping of some of our veteran players from the Championship days continued, as John Melligan was the next to go out on loan. The 27-year-old's contract is expiring at the end of the season, and as he's unhappy with the backup role he's been playing, I'd seen fit to send him off to Luton Town for the final three months of the season. They're 8th in League One, and are hoping he'll be able to help as they make a push for the playoff spots. He thanked me for the opportunity to show he can still contribute.

On Friday night, Keith McCormack returned to the Ireland Under-21s for their 2-0 win over Sweden. He played all ninety minutes, and was in magnificent form, which was very pleasing to his fans and manager alike. I was particularly happy to see him getting competitive matches - it was perfect timing to bring him back to match fitness.

Also coming back to match fitness were Robert Cousins and Chris Gray, who started for our Under-18s against Stoke City. Cousins was in fine form, scoring the first goal and lasting 65 minutes, but Gray struggled to find the target. Andy Lee made the final score 2-0 with a spectacular 25-yard first-touch strike, and Simon Blake was named Man of the Match for his work on the left wing.

Vastly overshadowing the match was the injury to Gareth Davies, however. The promising 19-year-old had suffered a fractured hip, which would require season-ending surgery. He'd had a great season to date, and I was developing high hopes for him, considering his development, so it was a major setback for the youngster.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 21st March, 2009.

Saturday afternoon included some serious World Cup Qualifying action, with the fourth match of group play.

England suffered the first blemish on their qualifying record, failing to secure the full points in Vienna. In the eyes of the national media, Gary Megson's conservative 3-5-2 was surely to blame for the nil-nil draw with Austria. Little-used Jonathan Stead was uninspiring alongside Wayne Rooney in up front, failing to make any case for future consideration. The defense was solid, as Paul Robinson never faced a shot on goal, but the inability to find a telling shot cost the side the full points despite a dominant performance.

Serbia & Montenegro emerged as the second-placed side with a 3-2 away win over Switzerland, while Cyprus beat the Faroe Islands, 2-1, to further muddy the waters at the back.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 England 10 3 1 0 9 0 + 9

2 Serbia & Montenegro 7 2 1 1 7 6 + 1

3 Cyprus 4 1 1 2 4 6 - 2

4 Austria 4 1 1 2 3 5 - 2

5 Switzerland 4 1 1 2 5 8 - 3

6 Faroe Islands 4 1 1 2 4 7 - 3</pre>

The Tartan Army suffered a painful disappointment in Kiev, as Scotland lost to Ukraine 2-0, a result which catapulted the Ukranians into the Group 9 lead. The Scots fell to third, putting them in real trouble despite a game in hand. Turkey drew with Kazakhstan 2-2, sitting second.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD GP

1 Ukraine 7 2 1 1 5 4 + 1 (4)

2 Turkey 5 1 2 0 6 4 + 2 (3)

3 Scotland 4 1 1 1 3 3 0 (3)

4 Belgium 4 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 (3)

5 Kazakhstan 1 0 1 2 3 5 - 2 (3)</pre>

In Group 5, Ireland had a tough match in Stockholm against group leaders Sweden, but Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic made their life easier by drawing a red card for arguing a call in the sixth minute. Given the advantage, the Irish tried to press for victory. Though they outshot the Swedes two to one, they couldn't capitalize, and a scoreless draw was the result.

Holland took over second with a solid 3-0 win in Andorra, while Georgia and Albania drew 2-2.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Sweden 10 3 1 0 7 1 + 6

2 Holland 9 3 0 1 7 1 + 6

3 Ireland 7 2 1 1 5 2 + 3

4 Albania 2 0 2 2 4 7 - 3

5 Georgia 2 0 2 2 2 8 - 6

6 Andorra 2 0 2 2 1 7 - 6</pre>

The Czech Republic maintained their lead over Group 7 with a rampant 5-0 victory over Moldova. Maerk Heinz scored a hat trick, while Milan Baros added one of his own. Our central defender David Marek Rozehnal saw 25 minutes of action after the result was beyond doubt, and was instrumental in retaining the shutout as the Czechs played the final ten minutes with ten men.

John Hartson salvaged a 1-1 draw for Wales with an 82nd minute goal against Romania at The Millennium Stadium, a result which let Israel sneak into second place on the back of their 3-1 win over Azerbaijan.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Czech Republic 10 3 1 0 10 0 +10

2 Israel 8 2 2 0 5 1 + 4

3 Wales 7 2 1 1 9 4 + 5

4 Romania 7 2 1 1 6 5 + 1

5 Moldova 1 0 1 3 2 11 - 9

6 Azerbaijan 0 0 0 4 2 13 -11</pre>

Northern Ireland's pretensions to being a top club in Group 3 were brought to a close by Germany's Miroslave Klose and Kevin Kuranyi, who scored first-half goals merely five minutes apart in a 2-0 win over the small British nation. The match was the first international cap for my former goalkeeper Alan Blayney, who had made a £1.1M move from York to Barnsley last season.

Results went Northern Ireland's way in all of the other matches, though, as Luxembourg stunned Denmark 1-0, and Slovakia and Poland fought out a scoreless draw that helped neither side.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Germany 10 3 1 0 8 3 + 5

2 Northern Ireland 6 2 0 2 6 5 + 1

3 Poland 5 1 2 1 5 5 0

4 Slovakia 5 1 2 1 2 2 0

5 Denmark 4 1 1 2 4 5 - 1

6 Luxembourg 3 1 0 3 4 9 - 5</pre>

Italy knocked off Russia 1-0 in Moscow thanks to Roma forward Antonio Cassano, to secure a four-point lead in Group 1. They looked all but assured of progressing with the group less than halfway complete. Iceland surprised a few people with a 2-1 away win in Belarus to knot three teams for second place. Finland sent Armenia tumbling to last in the group with a 2-1 win in Helsinki.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Italy 10 3 1 0 6 0 + 6

2 Belarus 6 2 0 2 7 4 + 3

3 Iceland 6 2 0 2 6 5 + 1

4 Russia 6 2 0 2 3 5 - 2

5 Finland 4 1 1 2 2 6 - 4

6 Armenia 3 1 0 3 3 7 - 4</pre>

Group 2 saw easy away matches for leaders France and Norway. The 1998 champions won 3-0 against Liechtenstein, while the Norwegians beat Macedonia 3-1. Estonia picked up their first point with a scoreless draw against Hungary that dropped Sándor Torghelle's side out of serious contention. Torghelle played all ninety minutes, but failed to offer even a single shot.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 France 10 3 1 0 12 0 +12

2 Norway 10 3 1 0 7 3 + 4

3 Hungary 7 2 1 1 6 4 + 2

4 FYR Macedonia 6 2 0 2 6 6 0

5 Estonia 1 0 1 3 1 10 - 9

6 Liechtenstein 0 0 0 4 2 11 - 9</pre>

San Marino continued their best ever World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Group 6 leaders Croatia. Its hard to believe, but they're in third place - on merit! Spain continued their recovery from an early setback with a 2-1 win over Slovenia, while Bosnia beat Lithuania by the same score.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Croatia 10 3 1 0 10 3 + 7

2 Spain 9 3 0 1 9 4 + 5

3 San Marino 7 2 1 1 6 7 - 1

4 Slovenia 4 1 1 2 5 6 - 1

5 Bosnia 4 1 1 2 4 8 - 4

6 Lithuania 0 0 0 4 4 10 - 6</pre>

In Group 8, Latvia continued their miraculous run atop the group when Janis Sergeev salvaged a 2-2 draw against Portugal by converting an injury-time penalty which would prove highly controversial - at least in Portugal! Bulgaria beat Malta 2-0 to close within a point of the two leaders.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD GP

1 Latvia 7 2 1 0 7 4 + 3 (3)

2 Portugal 7 2 1 1 8 4 + 4 (4)

3 Bulgaria 6 2 0 1 4 2 + 2 (3)

4 Greece 3 1 0 2 2 5 - 3 (3)

5 Malta 0 0 0 3 2 8 - 6 (3)</pre>

CONCACAF qualifying followed in the evening, where the U.S.A. took over a solid first place in the final group with a resounding 4-0 win over Canada. My countrymen jumped out to a three-goal halftime lead, putting the result securely in hand by the break. Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu each netted a brace, while Sheffield player Iain Hume lasted 70 minutes for Canada before being substituted off.

There were a pair of upsets in the other games, with Trinidad & Tobago stunning Mexico 3-0, and the Honduras triumphing over Jamaica 2-1, which saw the group sit:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 U.S.A. 6 2 0 0 + 6

2 Trinidad & Tobago 3 1 0 1 + 1

3 Honduras 3 1 0 1 - 1

---------------------------------------

4 Canada 3 1 0 1 - 2

---------------------------------------

5 Jamaica 1 0 1 1 - 1

6 Mexico 1 0 1 1 - 3</pre>

Yes, that's right, Los Tricolores were dead last, and I took some vindictive glee in seeing it: the U.S.A.-Mexico rivalry is the one surviving rivalry I feel any connection to beyond my Blades.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 25th March, 2009.

In transfer news, central defender Jamie Cooper joined Crewe Alexandra on loan for 3 months. The 19-year-old moved straight into the starting lineup in Monday's 2-1 defeat to MK Dons. Crewe were currently 16th in League One, and could really use some stability in the back line over the last months of the season.

On Tuesday, Ireland Under-21s beat Singapore, 3-0, in a friendly match. Keith McCormack played only 45 minutes, per my instructions, but seemed content with that. I'd requested the limited appearance as I was planning to start him against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Senior internationals followed on Wednesday, with a full slate of friendlies.

England silenced some of Gary Megson's critics, riding goals by Wayne Rooney and David Beckham to a 2-0 victory over Switzerland at Wembley.

Noel Hunt made his fourth appearance of the season for Ireland, coming on as a substitute in their 2-1 away win against Singapore. He was in fine form, having scored three in just five matches since joining Millwall on loan, and clearly that was earning him a bit more attention in the Irish national side. Still, he didn't have much chance to impress in the twenty-minute appearance, as the Irish were mostly holding on to their lead against a determined attack.

Scotland took slight solace in a 2-0 victory over Estonia. Wales beat Belgium, 3-2, on a goal by Jason Koumas and a Robert Earnshaw double, and Northern Ireland rounded out a pretty good day for the Home Islands with a 2-0 triumph over Brunei.

The Czech Republic played a scoreless draw against Bulgaria. David Marek Rozenhal again made another appearance as a second-half substitute, but failed to impress particularly.

Though he wasn't able to get on the scoresheet, striker Sándor Torghelle was in excellent form in Hungary as his side beat the United Arab Emirates, 2-1.

Australia central defender Hayden Foxe played with great authority in a 3-0 win over Yemen, made easier when the hosts had two players sent off in the early part of the second half. Hearts forward Danny Invincible scored a brace to lead the side from down under.

Canada, playing without Iain Hume, lost a shocker to Hondras, 3-2. Mexico scraped out a 1-1 draw against the U.S.A. on Rodrigo De La Vega's 86th-minute equalizer, while Trinidad & Tobago drew with Jamaica by the same score.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 U.S.A. 7 2 1 0 + 6

3 Honduras 6 2 0 1 0

2 Trinidad & Tobago 4 1 1 1 + 1

---------------------------------------

4 Canada 3 1 0 2 - 3

---------------------------------------

5 Jamaica 2 0 2 1 - 1

6 Mexico 2 0 2 1 - 3</pre>

Those players not in international teams got their chances Wednesday night against Middlesbrough Reserves. Juan Carlos Valerón was the Man of the Match on a cold, boring evening in Billingham. Chris Morgan bruised his shoulder, which would see him out of training for about a week, but the aging defender hadn't been part of my plans for months at this point.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 28th March, 2009. Premier League - Game 32, at Portsmouth.

A trip south to Portsmouth to face a side even with us on 38 points would restart the season, as the seven-game run to the final positions began. Portsmouth had beaten us 1-0 in our first game, back in October, a result they'd achieved in part by knocking two of our players out of the lineup. Nigerian striker Yakubu had been the heart and soul of the offense, scoring 17 from 31 matches so far, but he'd strained knee ligaments in February, and would miss the match.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp tried to fire his team up for the match, telling the press that after three straight defeats, the pressure was on me to get results for my "troubled team and their fans". I answered that I thought the pressure was on him, honestly, despite the fact that they'd beaten us at Bramall Lane in the first encounter, due to the absence of their prolific scorer.

Despite two straight poor performances, Allan McGregor was again in goal, and I could only hope he'd pull out of his slump in form. The defense was back to full strength, with Keith McCormack returning to join Sean Dillon, David Marek Rozehnal, and captain Hayden Foxe; all three players who had seen international action over the preceding week were in a great mood. Mathieu Berson was the central defensive midfielder, with Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Joe Newell had accounted for thirteen goals between them from the attacking midfield, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle was always a threat to score as the striker.

The hosts nearly got off to a great start when Scott Brown danced around Hayden Foxe with a beautiful move, and the Scot seemed to have Allan McGregor beaten, but shot wide at the end. Redknapp's side were putting plenty of pressure on us - they'd come out the gate in a 3-5-2 which featured an attacking midfielder in front of a flat four midfield. They looked quite aggressive in attack, but it also left some real spaces at the back, as we sometimes countered with 5-on-3 breaks. In the 12th minute, Joe Newell started the first of those, intercepting a corner, then playing it long for Florent Sinama-Pongolle. He spotted Victor Sikora on the right, and knocked a beautiful ball ahead of the Dutchman. Josh Simpson barely got back to knock it away. Portsmouth had their best chance just a moment later, as Paul Walsh came close from a tight angle on the left side.

Sinama-Pongolle continued to be our most dangerous player, and just about the twentieth minute Marc Bridge-Wilkinson sent an excellent ball that sprang the French striker down the left side. He cut into the box to shoot from an angle, but Gábor Király made the save. The rebound fell to Sikora at the far post, and it looked a great chance from eight yards, but Michael Svensson blocked the shot. We kept the pressure on three minutes later with Joe Newell playing the ball into space for Sinama-Pongolle, this time up the right side. He reached the end line, then cut it back for Sikora, who had overlapped to the inside. The Dutchman had a simple finish from six yards, but Király made a brilliant stop. The rebound fell to Stewart Downing, just wide of the post, but Király dove into his feet, wrapping around the ball as the 24-year-old fell over him.

After such exciting moments, the goal finally came from a very quiet buildup. Portsmouth had had a throw-in in their own half, which Mathieu Berson won with a header right on the left sideline. Downing controlled it with his chest, then played a low pass to Bridge-Wilkinson, with his back to goal and Matthew Kilgallon in close attendance some 30 yards out. The attacking midfielder turned around Kilgallon's tackle, and launched one of his trademark piledrivers, and incredible shot which beat Király to the top corner, and we'd stunned the crowd of 21,442 with an early 1-0 lead!

Sinama-Pongolle nearly made it two in the 33rd minute, firing a wicked shot from 12 yards only to see Svensson make another crucial block. Keith McCormack nearly got on the board from the resulting corner kick, winning the header in the six but putting it narrowly over. Protecting a one-goal lead brought out the best in captain Hayden Foxe, who started making good plays late in the first half, and continued in the second, shutting down first Walsh, and then Brown in various situations, and adding a header to clear away a corner kick in the middle. Its not often a defender makes a strong case for Man of the Match, but he'd have certainly gotten my vote based on that performance.

Stewart Downing was making a case of his own, as Portsmouth committed more to the attack and saw the corresponding gaps open up at the back. It was 5-on-3 again in the 58th minute, and Sinama-Pongolle spotted Downing as the open man. He had acres of space as he raced diagonally into the box, finally firing from the corner of the six, but Király showed why he's Hungary's top choice as keeper with a world class save.

A minute later, Downing had another great chance, as Victor Sikora took it to the right-side corner. His cross carried over all of the players clogging the near post area, picking out Downing unmarked at the back post. The 24-year-old really should have made it a two goal lead, but couldn't get much on the shot, allowing Király an easy save. With 65 minutes gone, I brought in Peter Weatherson for the tiring Sinama-Pongolle, and Iain Hume for Newell, who had a yellow card. Weatherson had been on the pitch less than five minutes when Downing picked him out in the box with a pin-point cross. He launched a powerful header from 10 yards that flew just over the bar.

With ten minutes remaining, I shifted to a more defensive formation, pulling my attacking midfielders back, and bringing Downing off for the fresh legs of Graham Allen. I just wanted the lads to hold the one-goal lead. In the 86th minute, McCormack headed a cross clear, and Foxe capped off his first-class performance with a crucial tackle in the arc. It looked like we had things under control as they went to injury time, and with all eleven back to defend we should have.

In injury time, somebody made a mental error that left Brown unmarked on the right side, and he nodded a header to Stuart Banks, 12 yards out. The 17-year-old managed to strike a wicked left-footed volley despite the close attentions of Sean Dillon. It had McGregor beaten... but struck the post and came back into play!

McCormack scrambled it away, the final whistle blew, and the Fratton Park faithful were sent home disgruntled - we'd won!

Portsmouth 0, Sheffield United 1

----; Bridge-Wilkinson 28

MoM: Bridge-Wilkinson

It had been forty-nine days since our last victory, and the relief in the changing room was almost palpable. I still had concerns - as we had mid-month against Liverpool, we'd seemed to generate the better chances but simply couldn't find the net to put the game away before the final twenty minutes. Fortunately, Portsmouth had rued the absence of their leading scorer, but even so the 17-year-old Banks had come ever-so-close to an equalizer.

Though a strong argument could be made that Foxe or Downing deserved the Man of the Match award, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson won it for the spectacular long shot that had provided the match's only goal.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 1st April, 2009.

"Congratulations, lad," Terry Robinson told me as I sat before the board for the monthly meeting. "I'd have to say you've assured the club of staying up at this point: there's no way Palace, Ipswich, and Sunderland will all get the fifteen points they'd need to overcome us even if we completely collapse at the end of the season, here. You've kept us up!"

"Thank you," I said, though privately I thought to myself that I'd known that back in February, when we'd reached the 38-point plateau.

They were, of course, still delighted with our performance: we remained in 12th, with a finish anywhere between ninth and thirteenth in the realm of 'likely', with an outside chance of getting as high as seventh or as low as fifteenth:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Chelsea 80 25 5 2 72 17 +55 (32)

2 Arsenal 73 23 4 4 73 18 +55 (31)

3 Liverpool 69 22 3 7 71 30 +41 (32)

4 Middlesbrough 63 18 9 5 42 25 +17 (32)

5 Manchester United 58 17 7 6 50 21 +29 (30)

6 Blackburn 56 15 11 6 38 31 +17 (32)

7 Manchester City 47 12 11 8 37 33 + 4 (31)

8 West Ham United 46 12 10 10 50 52 - 2 (32)

9 Charlton Athletic 43 11 10 11 46 43 + 3 (32)

10 Newcastle United 42 10 12 10 35 38 - 3 (32)

11 Fulham 42 13 3 16 44 52 - 8 (32)

12 Sheffield United 41 11 8 13 31 39 - 8 (32)

13 Portsmouth 38 10 8 14 44 53 - 9 (32)

14 Southampton 33 9 6 17 39 58 -19 (32)

15 Aston Villa 32 8 8 16 19 40 -21 (32)

16 Crystal Palace 28 6 10 16 29 53 -24 (32)

17 Ipswich Town 27 7 6 19 23 50 -27 (32)

-----------------------------------------------------------

18 Sunderland 26 5 11 16 28 48 -20 (32)

19 Tottenham 19 4 7 20 30 62 -32 (31)

20 Bolton 10 1 7 23 17 65 -48 (31)</pre>

Financially, we'd posted another loss, this time losing £1.4M over the month of March. We still had a profit of £6.4M for the season, and a healthy balance at £13.9M, but we'd been hemorrhaging money over the last few months.

I was all too aware of it: since taking over the club, I'd ballooned the clubs costs in wages from a mere £3.0M per-annum to its current record high of £14.0M p/a, and though the directors assured me that I could go up to £20M - as long as we were still drawing Premier League television revenue - I knew that the skyrocketing wage bill was as much to blame as our lack of home matches for the last two month's losses.

With the monthly routine administrivia out of the way, Terry Robinson broached a new subject. "We're beginning to think about what we'll need to do for next season, and what our targets should be. What do you think?"

"Well, I'd have to say a solid mid-table position seems like the obvious target for the squad, consolidating what we've built on this season, and looking forward to pursuing a European place by the end of 2011."

Derek Dooley nodded, with a glint of ambition in his eye. "That accords well with what we're thinking. What will you need to achieve those goals?"

"The squad we have is imminently capable of the mid-table finish, I'd say, but if we're going to push for Europe there are a number of areas that need strengthening, or where we having aging players.

"The back line, especially, sticks to mind. I think Keith McCormack has all the potential in the world, but I'd like to bring somebody faster in on the left side; Sean Dillon has looked a bit overmatched at times this season, and Joe Keenan belongs down in the Championship, much as I hate to say it. Hayden Foxe is getting older, and I'm not sure if Ben Hammond is going to be able to step it up. Ideally, I'd like to bring in a player who has the potential to be the next Rio Ferdinand, maybe somebody like Steven Taylor from Newcastle. He's just 23, but he's been fantastic for them this year, and he'd really be a step up for us, if we could convince them to part with him.

"Mathieu Berson needs help at the defensive midfield; we don't really have a partner for him when we're faced with two consecutive matches, and I ask him to do far too much work to play consecutively. Victor Sikora has been fine on the right wing, but he's aging, and I'd love to bring in somebody who can grow into taking over that position when he begins to fade. Up front, I think Joe Newell is the real deal, but Iain Hume hasn't worked out, and I'd love to have another superb playmaker like Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

"World class attacking players aren't cheap, and Taylor would cost upwards of £7M, so I think we'll need to lay out about another £20M over the next two years, if we're going to push for the bottom European spots. If we want to push for a Champions League berth, I think we'd have to add a world-class goalkeeper to the list, so perhaps £30M."

"That's a lot of money you're asking for," Terry Robinson said.

"I know. But you asked what it would take to push for the next level, and that's what I think it'll cost. Worse, I haven't had much luck selling our fringe players this season; we haven't been getting nibbles anywhere near the sorts of prices you've asked me to ask for. I'd love to convert some of our existing assets into the cash we'll need, so I'll keep working at that over the summer."

"We'll think it over," Mister Dooley informed me.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 2nd April, 2009.

It was a long way to the Champions League, yet, and I was reminded of that fact after leaving the board last night: the first leg of the Quarter Finals began.

Chelsea were the only surviving English club, and Michael Ballack gave them a lead in Barcelona shortly after the break, getting the final touch on a ball that had pinged around the six-yard-box for several agonizing seconds. Carlos Iglesias equalized for Barcelona in the 59th minute, and the 1-1 result meant it would be all to play for when the clubs met at Stamford Bridge.

Swiss side Basel held A.C. Milan to a scoreless draw at St. Jakobspark, a sell-out crowd of 33,302 cheering on their heroes as a stout defense limited the Italian giants to just four shots on goal. The away-goal rule meant that even a 1-1 draw at the San Siro would see the Swiss cinderella story through to the Semi's.

Perhaps more impressive was what FC do Porto did to Inter at the Estádio do Dragão. Fresh off an exhilirating upset over Roma, they repeated the process over Inter. Hélder Postiga, Carlos Alberto, and Ricardo Quaresma scored in the first half to give them a 3-2 lead at the break, and with Inter trying perhaps too hard for the equalizer, Derlei and Hugo Leal added goals in the final ten minutes to give them a resounding 5-2 triumph!

There was no such miracle in Lisbon, as Benfica were handily dispatched by the Bayern München machine. Bastian Schweinsteiger scored first, and Miroslav Klose broke open a 1-1 draw with a brace that made it 3-1 by halftime. That was how the match stayed through full time. Three away goals and a two-goal deficit would be all but impossible to overcome at the Allianz-Arena, where the German side had lost only once in the past two seasons, that 1-0 defeat to eventual champions Juventus in last year's Semi-Final.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 3rd April, 2009.

The news splashed across today's national front pages was that Newcastle United had announced their new manager, and, no, it wasn't yours truly. Kevin Keegan, who had managed Liverpool for three seasons after his tenure at Manchester City, commands the deepest respect throughout the footballing world, and would be expected to inject some immediate life into a side that had fallen from a consistent top-five finisher and European qualifier to tenth this season.

It wasn't the case locally: the Sheffield papers were dominated by the news from Hillsborough. Sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday had named their new manager, Ian Holloway. That gave me a one-day respite from Rupert Wormwood's usual ire:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Ian Holloway has real work to do. The former Queen's Park Rangers manager inherits a side for whom nothing less than promotion back to the Championship will be acceptable, after six years in the League One.

Fans and management have been comparing the side to rivals Sheffield United, who have climbed from the same depths up to a respectable mid-table position under the guiding eye of Ian Richards, and the departure of former United manager John Gregory in late February has seen the team secure only five points from their last five matches, stumbling from a secure second place down to fifth.

Promotion via the Playoffs would be acceptable, but that route is always chancy. Holloway's first target has to be making up the two-point gap to leap over Brentford, Oxford, and York to achieve guaranteed promotion via a second-place finish. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's right, York City were looking very well - up to second place, and looking every bit a contender. Chris Kinnear has been a genius, really building on the foundations I'd left him: could promotion to the Championship be on the cards next year?

Hidden on the back page was a note that meant little, perhaps, to any sports fan save myself: Lancaster manager Micky Engwell had left the club, still in the Conference North, to take over Aldershot Town, trying to save the Conference side from relegation, or to build them back up to the Conference if they did go down. He'd been my replacement, starting his tenure at the Giant Axe back in March of 2005, and had amassed a record of 71 wins, 60 draws, and 64 losses over four full seasons.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 4th April, 2009. Premier League - Game 33, at Aston Villa.

Aston Villa, as documented elsewhere, had had an absolutely torrid time of it this year, and it wasn't immediately obvious why. An offense which had scored 66 en route to 3rd place last year had managed only 19 this season despite returning the entire lineup, and the team languished a dismal 15th as a result. Champions League play had clearly been a distraction, and they'd been unlucky with injuries - starters Leon Osman, Zdenek Grygera, Adam Drury, and Collin Benjamin would be absent for our match - but there was something else going on. The supporters blamed Javier Clemente, who had taken over the reigns midway through last season. His preferred 5-3-2 was not getting the most out of the players the way that David O'Leary had, and the forums were baying for Clemente to return to the 4-4-2, or be shown the door. We'd beaten them 3-0 earlier at Villa Park, and I hoped we could repeat that at home.

For this stage of the season, I was amazed that I had not only my entire starting lineup available, but every second-string player as well: we were incredibly healthy, which I was very thankful for. That meant the lineup was indicative of who was in favour with the manager: Allan McGregor making his 35th start of the season in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe wearing the captain's armband, David Marek Rozehnal and Keith McCormack in defense. Mathieu Berson remained the defensive midfielder, with Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the playmaker, and Ian Hume partnered him to give Newell, who was beginning to feel the pressure of public expectations, a brief respite. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the striker.

As they had all season under Clemente, Villa started in a very defensive 5-3-2. They were so ridiculously defensive that in an attack during the ninth minute, they had three players forward facing ten defenders! When we had possession, they dropped at least nine back, and often ten. Needless to say, it was a boring first half hour for the Bramall Lane fans, punctuated only by a long cross from Victor Sikora to Florent Sinama-Pongolle, but it was knocked away by Olof Mellberg. Villa goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis had picked up an early knock, but though visably grimacing when called upon to make a play, he answered Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's challenge from 30 yards. Beyond that, neither side could get a telling shot off, and spiders could have spun their webs safely between the goalposts.

I was livid when Luke Moore brought down Stewart Downing with a hard tackle in the 35th minute, and the fact that the young striker was limping the rest of the afternoon did little to assuage my anger, as Downing was forced off entirely. As I sent Graham Allen on, moving Sikora to the left wing, I also shouted instructions to the players to get more adventurous, with Berson, the fullbacks, and the wingers all pushing further up field. In the 40th minute, Bridge-Wilkinson drilled a wicked curler from beyond the eighteen, which had De Sanctis unsighted for most of its flight. Had it aimed to either post, the stellar midfielder would have had a sure goal, but it was almost straight down the center, allowing De Sanctis to get his right hand on it with a last-minute step to his right. Allen played the resulting corner kick to Sinama-Pongolle in the six, and he looked to have De Sanctis beat, but Nyron Nosworthy got between the ball and the net, keeping the game scoreless through halftime.

We were definitely getting the better of the chances now, and I left the same lineup and tactic to start the second half. The lads kept up the pressure, and in the 48th minute, Bridge-Wilkinson's shot was blocked by Mellberg. The rebound caromed out wide to Sikora, and only a top-drawer save by De Sanctis denied him from 12 yards. A minute later, Sikora bent one in from range, but De Sanctis was playing out of his mind, and made a diving stop to push it wide of the far post. The 30-year-old winger looked determined to get on the scoreboard, and not five minutes more had passed before he was at it again. This time he took a fine square pass from Keith McCormack, who had overlapped along the right wing, and switched sides to the unmarked Dutchman. He dribbled to the corner of the six without a challenge, but De Sanctis made a fine reflex save when he shot, falling to his right to knock it away. The rebound came straight back to Sikora, but he put it wide of the far post when everybody in the stadium had thought he would score.

When we still hadn't found the net with twenty-five minutes left, I decided it was time to throw caution to the wind, and abandon the 4-5-1 in favor of a 3-5-2. Peter Weatherson came on for McCormack, and the lads began to really fly forward with vigor. Of course that opened holes for Villa to counter, and in the 76th minute they almost got the winning goal. 19-year-old Paul Stott chased a long ball up the right side, then sent a cross in for Dagoberto. The Brazilian let loose from the eighteen with his first touch, but McGregor kept to his feet, catching it against his stomach. Villa were getting a bit more adventurous themselves, trying to nick a late goal to steal away with all the points, and with ten minutes left it nearly cost them. Bridge-Wilkinson sent a phenomenal long pass for Weatherson on the left. He had the last man beaten, and dodged around De Sanctis, but that briefest of hesitations allowed Mellberg to catch him and tackle it away.

Joe Newell came on for Iain Hume for the final minutes, but it was Villa who had the next good chance, a 3-on-3 breakaway in the 86th minute. Stott whipped in the cross from the right, but Hayden Foxe was there to show why he's the one wearing the captain's armband, coolly heading it clear to avert the danger. In the waning moments, Bridge-Wilkinson fed Sikora overlapping inside of him. Sikora took it to the eighteen, with Bridge-Wilkinson unmarked trailing him. When Sikora played it back to Mathieu Berson, he laid a first-touch ball to Bridge-Wilkinson in the eighteen without a marker. It was a golden opportunity: he let fly with his first touch and the crowd of 32,988 came to their feet as one...

.. only to see De Sanctis catch it against his shoulder at the far post for his ninth save of the game.

Sheffield United 0, Aston Villa 0

----; ----

MoM: De Sanctis (Villa GK)

Playing as he had with a strained neck, Morgan De Sanctis deserved the Man of the Match honors. Villa had managed only two shots, but we'd been unable to break down their defense. Still, it was easy to see why their offense was legendarily bad, given how few men they'd sent forward, and I was disappointed that we hadn't found a way to win.

Not, mind you, as disappointed as I would be when I heard from physio Tom Mitchell.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 6th April, 2009.

"With dynamic winger Stewart Downing out for the season, how do you plan on covering for him?"

Its the question every manager dreads having to answer, and if I'd been marveling at our lack of injury in March, this one certainly made up for it.

"Well, its certainly a blow to lose a player of Stewart's calibre, but I think we have players capable of covering."

"He's leading the team with eleven assists, more than twice as many as the next man. Is that really going to be easy to cover?"

"I'd been wanting to get young Jonathan Forte some playing time. Victor Sikora can cover the left side as well, and of course we have veteran Laurent Robert on the bench. I think that should be sufficient. ... Yes, you in the back."

"Can you tell us about the injury?"

"Certainly. According to our physio, Tom Mitchell, Stewart's suffered a high ankle sprain. Its painful for him even to walk on at the moment, but with rest we're not expecting any long-term effects. Saying he's 'out for the season' is probably a bit dramatic, honestly - we think he might be able to play in the May matches, but since it looks like there won't be any playoffs..." I paused for laughter "... and we're not in a relegation fight or a battle for the last European berths, I think we're more likely to just let him work out with the training staff, and plan on making his return to the pitch in July when we're back from the summer holiday."

Dealing with the injury would be made just a little bit harder by the departure of Tim Vincken, whose three month loan from Feyenoord was over.

Tim Vincken, AMR, 22: Jaunary 2009-April 2009: 1 seasons, 7 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 MoM, 6.86

In other news, young striker Chris Gray emphatically declared himself fully match fit, lasting ninety minutes and scoring a hat trick as our Under-18s beat Stockport County U-18s, 3-0. Gray was of course the Man of the Match, while Stephen Cummins was aided to the clean sheet when Stockport had a goal taken back off the board due to a late foul call.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 8th April, 2009.

The second leg of the Champions League Quarter-Finals provided unrivalled drama.

Tuesday's match started it off, as F.C. do Porto traveled to the San Siro with a 5-2 lead over Internazionale. It was scoreless through the first half, but two goals in injury time, just before intermission, got Inter Milan and the huge crowd into it. Hugo Leal pegged one back for the visitors, restoring the lead to two goals, but Diomansy Kamara got one on the hour mark. It looked like it was all over when Inter center back Andrés Felipe González was sent off in the 67th - a dubious decision which led to his second yellow and was called into much question in the Italian press afterwards. It just made the final ten minutes all the more classic, as shorthanded goals by Kamara and Freddy Adu gave Inter Milan a famous 5-1 victory and a 7-6 aggregate!

Wednesday's matchup between Chelsea and Barcelona was eagerly anticipated, especially after the first leg had seen a 1-1 draw, but Mourinho's men demolished the Catalan side with precision at Stamford Bridge. It was an utterly one-sided match that saw Frank Lampard score a hat trick, with second half goals added by Landon Donovan and Mateja Kezman to make a 5-0 final score, and a 6-1 aggregate.

After winning the first leg easily, Bayern München looked content to play for a scoreless draw against Benfica in Munich. The Portugese side needed three goals to overcome the 3-1 lead their hosts had, but they were unable to find gaps in the efficient German defense. In injury time, the hosts earned a corner, and Benfica left four players forward hoping for a quick break, but that just left Bastian Scweinsteiger the space to score a last-minute winner, giving the German juggernaut a 1-0 win and a 4-1 aggregate.

Basel's brave European adventure came to a close in Italy, as Andriy Schevchenko scored twice late in the first half to put the Swiss side on the ropes, and Jon Dahl Tomasson put it beyond a doubt with two more in the final four minutes of the match to give A.C. Milan a 4-0 win over the visitors.

After all the drama of the final eight, the favourites - two Italian giants, the German champion, and the richest team in the world - were all that remained.

In a match of infinitely less interest, youngsters Joe Newell and Darren Gibson scored the goals as our Reserves knocked off Liverpool Reserves 2-0. Newell was the Man of Match, while Liverpool finished with ten men after receiving a red card.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 11th April, 2009.

Thursday evening's UEFA Cup tie provided similar drama, as Manchester United knocked Liverpool out with Wayne Rooney's 87th-minute goal salvaging a dramatic 3-2 aggregate for the Red Devils at New Anfield. Parma knocked off European Champions Juventus, who were already out of the Coppa Italia and struggling at third in the league. HSV and Valencia rounded out the final four, which made Man U the favorite - at least according to the British press.

The match postponed today's scheduled trip to Old Trafford, thanks to the Red Devils' full Cup schedule. Though I'd asked for the game to be moved to Sunday, United manager Peter Taylor protested that that would conflict with their mid-week F.A. Cup tie against Arsenal. That saw the match rescheduled for the 11th of May, and I fail to see how that's any better for them, as they have matches on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th, so it will be the fifth match in ten days. Surely there was a better solution, but the F.A. weren't seeing it.

There was a full slate of Premiership matches. A 2-0 loss to Ipswich saw Bolton's relegation to the Championship made official. Manager Bobby Williamson was already rumoured to be on the way out, as he hadn't yet won a single match, even losing Bolton's only F.A. Cup match. Taking their place would be Liverpool side Everton, who were leading the Championship and had clinched at least a promotion berth with four games remaining.

I took advantage of the free weekend to watch our upcoming opponents, Charlton Athletic, who played a straight 4-4-2 at home against 18th-placed Sunderland. The Addicks and looked to be in complete control even before the visitors saw Paul Hartley sent off, and former Blades player Michael Tonge injured after their final substitution. For facing a side with nine men, I wasn't too impressed with the 2-0 scoreline, but Athletic captain Danny Murphy looked good, netting twice.

In other news, Gary Thomas came back to full training for us - he'd been out since suffering a pulled groin in mid-March. I had more attacking midfielders than I knew what to do with, and was having trouble working all of them into the rotation.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 15th April, 2009.

To an American, the 15th of April means one thing: Tax Day. A third of my annual income paid to the Internal Revenue Service. I'd had no idea, until that first season at York, about Hillsborough.

Working for a man like Derek Dooley, such isolationism was impossible.

If you're British, you'll know all the tragic details, I'm sure, but for those who don't know what I'm speaking of, I'm talking about the F.A. Cup Semi-Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Saturday, 15th of April, 1989.

It was the twentieth anniversary of the disaster today.

The match was to have been played at Hillsborough, in Sheffield, but a larger-than-anticipated crowd and some poor choices led to an influx of fans surging into an already-full standing-room-only terrace, from which there was no escape for those already within. I can't even try to describe it - if you don't know the details, let the BBC and Liverpool's own website provide them.

liverpool-mad.co.uk: The Hillsborough Tragedy

bbc.co.uk: Hillsborough 10 years on

As an American, 15 when it happened. I'd had no idea. My parents didn't subscribe to The Economist, and the American media would have given it scant column inches as 'a soccer riot', missing the tragic inevitability of it. If it was categorized under News, or more likely World, I missed it, as the only thing I was reading at that age was Sports.

Mister Dooley related the tale, and his story contained a measure of self-blame, or a feeling of responsibility, which I gathered is felt by all those associated with the Sheffield clubs, the stadium, and most of all the Sheffield Police.

The accident, of course, is what has given rise to the 'All Premier League stadiums must be all-seater' regulations, the wave of new stadium construction since, the demise of the standing-room-only terrace, the elevated ticket prices which fans gripe about habitually now: it changed the face of the game as it was played in England.

Mister Dooley, with his strong ties to both clubs, and being in the city which had hosted the tragedy, had been instrumental in planning a cross-club memorial, at Hillsborough, and as manager of one of Sheffield's clubs, I was a required attendee.

It was a somber affair, the names of the dead read aloud at a slow pace, and silence to remember each by. The field was strewn with flowers and remembrances, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end of the eulogy.

All in all, the day was a sobering reminder that it IS just a game, and that there are far more important things than sport; that each day here just might be our last ... and in a strange way, just how important football is to the English.

I went home and spent the evening with my wife, making sure she knows how much I love her.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 16th April, 2009.

While I'd been visiting Hillsborough, Stuart McCall had been running training yesterday, and Sylvain Legwinski twisted his knee, bringing his season, and perhaps his career, to a close. He never would make a senior appearance for us. Well, it had only cost us £100,000, and I'd consider it a lesson in why players who aren't seeing action for their Championship sides don't get loaned out to Premier League sides.

I released him from the remainder of the loan, and he would return to the care of Nottingham Forest's physios.

Sylvain Legwinski, DMC, 35: Jaunary 2009-April 2009: 1 season, 0 games.

I'd planned on playing him against Sunderland Reserves at Saltergate that afternoon, but it turned out we didn't need him. Robert Cousins, Peter Weatherson, and Darren Gibson each scored in a rollicking 3-0 win - its clear that my 'B' lineup is better than anybody's Reserve team, and if I had a few more senior matches I wouldn't need to be playing them like this to keep them match fit. Cousins was named the Man of the Match, but suffered a thigh strain late in the match. It would see him in physiotherapy for at least 2 weeks, which, though it did help free up the attacking midfield situation, was a bad break for him as I'd been hoping to get the youngster some starts with the senior side.

We got more bad news on the injury front on Thursday, as David Marek Rozehnal collided with Sinama-Pongolle in training. The French striker was okay, but the Czech central defender had bruised his ribs, and would miss Saturday's match.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 18th April, 2009. Premier League - Game 34, vs Charlton Athletic

Given all the upheaval at the top teams, Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley was one of the longest-tenured managers in the Premier League. He'd seen them as high as 5th in the 2005/06 season, but as seems to happen so frequently, the European run the following season troubled the team's League form, and they'd placed 13th the last two years. This year was better: they were five points ahead of us, in ninth place, one of the solid gaggle of mid-table teams. We'd played them twice this year, a 0-0 friendly draw at Bramall Lane, and a 1-1 Premier League draw at The Valley, a match in which we had played well defensively, but missed the creative touch of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson up front, generating only four shots.

He would get his chance today, along with the rest of our first-choice lineup. Allan McGregor was in goal. Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, and Keith McCormack were joined in the back four by Steve Foster, making his 20th start but only his second since January, in place of the injured Rozehnal. Mathieu Berson filled his usual role just in front of the defensive line, but the injury to Downing caused some shuffling on the wings. Victor Sikora would start on the left side, with Graham Allen on the right for just his eighth start of the season. Up front, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Iain Hume were both one yellow card away from a match ban. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the striker, and was already fourth on the team in goals scored despite playing just eight matches so far.

As in the Villa match, both sides came out slowly, feeling the other out, we with the conservative 4-5-1 which had seen us through most of the season, while Charlton were utilising a fairly defensive-minded 4-4-2. They were getting enough players forward that we could sometimes catch them 5-on-4 in our counter attack.

Former Sheffield United right back Rory Beanes started for Charlton - I'd let him go for lack of pace, and it was that which victimized him in the 22nd minute. We had a fantastic buildup through the left side, with Beanes seemingly alone on the sideline trying to prevent Victor Sikora and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson from making progress. His winger was shamefully absent, and though Beanes got help from Igor Biscan when Bridge-Wilkinson passed off to Iain Hume, he still had to cover two players as the Canadian led Bridge-Wilkinson into the box. It looked like a brilliant shooting opportunity, and Beanes threw himself in the way, leaving space for a low ball to Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who had drifted unnoticed into his zone. The Frenchman struck a wicked blast into the roof of the goal at the near corner, and from a mere eight yards out there was nothing Charlton keeper Tim Wiese could do to prevent us from taking a 1-0 lead.

The crowd of 32,580 were in full voice as Bridge-Wilkinson's looping pass found Sinama-Pongolle into the box again, this time on the right-hand corner of the six, but Wiese made a fine save to deny him. The rest of the first half was dominated by the two goalkeepers: Allan McGregor dealt competently with a header by Matt Holland, while Wiese saved Bridge-Wilkinson's 30-yard effort. A wicked rocket by Latvian winger Andrejs Rubins in the 43rd minute didn't trouble McGregor, and it was still 1-0 at the intermission. The crowd were pleased, and so was I: it looked like we were having far and away the better of the match, and that a second goal was inevitable.

At halftime, I had a tough choice to make: captain Hayden Foxe was limping, and with Rozehnal already out he was the only regular central defender on the pitch. I didn't want to risk further injury, but decided to leave him in hoping we could find another goal, allowing me to bring him off. We had a few chances, the best of which was another long shot by Bridge-Wilkinson, but couldn't seem to penetrate Wiese's net a second time. The German was playing a fine game, and seemed only to be getting better as the match progressed. Finally, on the 65th minute, I relented, bringing Foxe off for veteran Jamie McNamara. He doesn't really have the pace left to cope with Nicholas Anelka, but Steve Foster had been doing a great job shutting the French striker down. I also brought Jonathan Forte on at the left wing, shifting Sikora to the right side and bringing Graham Allen off.

This seemed to bring out the best in our lads, and it was Forte who provided the key low pass that set Bridge-Wilkinson up 20 yards from goal, but he again saw his best effort saved by the German keeper. The frustration was clearly starting to get to him, and a minute later he tripped Matt Holland along our left sideline. That earned him the yellow card that will ban him from our next match, at Fulham.

We were still a goal to the good as the eightieth minute arrived, and Alan Curbishley was urging his men forward in a big way. Foster and McNamara were showing what veteran defenders can do, and dealt admirably with every incursion. In the 80th minute, substitute striker Massimo Maccarone looked to have a brilliant chance, as Mark Fish's wicked through ball found a gap. The whistle blew before the Italian could shoot: he'd moved a fraction too early, and was offsides.

I made my final change, bringing on Joe Newell for Iain Hume. With the desperate attack opening chances at the back, the home crowd had an exciting moment in the 84th minute as Sinama-Pongolle raced upfield onto Forte's lovely ball. He may have overrun the goal, shooting from a narrow angle to the right, but the rebound fell to Forte in the six, and Maccarone made a cruicial block tackle to push it wide, and drew a foul from Bridge-Wilkinson, who was warned by the referee. The crowd didn't like that!

In the 88th minute, Newell and Sinama-Pongolle took off upfield on what I can only describe as a 2-on-3 breakaway. The striker was double-teamed at the eighteen, but the ball squirted out to Newell. It was a lucky thing, as he seemed to have rounded the keeper, but Wiese made the save of the match to recover: Newell had tapped it rather than putting full power on the shot, thinking he had an open net. It was the sort of mistake a veteran wouldn't have made, but the lad has to learn, and this time it did no harm.

The final whistle drew a roar from the crowd, and we found ourselves with a real chance to move into the top ten with four matches to play.

Sheffield United 1, Charlton Athletic 0

Sinama-Pongolle 22; ----

MoM: Wiese (Charlton GK)

We'd peppered Tim Wiese with shots, most of them from long range, but he'd been up to the task for all of them, and earned his Man of the Match award for keeping Athletic in a game which we should have won by more than a single goal.

I was particularly proud of Steve Foster, who'd showed real professionalism by coming in cold due to the injury and absolutely shutting down Athletic star Nicolas Anelka.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 19th April, 2009.

"Can you comment on your interest in..."

"Have you applied for..."

"You're widely touted as the next..."

"What can you tell us..."

The media were baying at me as I arrived on the ground this morning, several deep from all of the major publications, and Sky Sports, BBC, and Fox Sports all had news trucks in front of Bramall Lane.

As expected, Bobby Williamson was fired from relegation-bound Bolton this morning. He'd had a mere 199 days at the club, but had not a single victory to his credit.

That wasn't why they were crowding around the ground, however. Citing "overwhelming supporter pressure," Manchester City chairman John Wardle had given Steve Bruce his marching orders. He'd guided them to 7th place three seasons in a row, and had them in eighth now, albeit four points back of West Ham for seventh, with a game in hand. Still, he was being widely regarded a 'failure' at Manchester Stadium for not improving the team, and for not parlaying any of the three Inter-Toto Cup appearances into even a single UEFA Cup berth.

Personally, I wasn't sure I wanted the pressure, and I felt I'd done enough switching of teams recently - but I wasn't about to announce that to the world.

"No comment," was all I would give the press.

In other news from the week's action, Everton had clinched the Championship title, and Leicester will be joining us in the Premier League as well, having secured second with two games yet to play.

[Jammer86]

"The news splashed across today's national front pages was that Newcastle United had announced their new manager, and, no, it wasn't yours truly. Kevin Keegan".

Spooky! Some good results though, read every day

[Amaroq]

That's twice Blade has done that: I posted Neil Warnock's sacking from Sheffield United about eight hours before his RL sacking was announced, back in Book I.

Cue Twilight Zone music.

[Amaroq]

ps, thanks for the support!

[Amaroq]

Monday, 20th April, 2009.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Richards to Stay a Blade?

A source close to the Sheffield United board has suggested that the club's directors are pleased at manager Ian Richards's decision not to comment on speculation linking him with the managerial vacancy at Manchester City. The question is, do they realize how lucky they got?

The 35-year-old is widely touted as one of the rising stars of international management, and after raising Sheffield United from League One to the Premiership in just fourteen months, he's guided them to a respectable mid-table finish this season, with only one fewer victories than defeats.

Given a few key upgrades in the squad this offseason, this is a side that might reasonably challenge for a top-ten berth next year, and its understandable that speculation in the media has been hotting up. The youngster seems to have played his cards right by keeping them close to his chest.

Though terms of his contract with the club have not been publicly released, our source indicated that he originally signed a 3-year contract, which would expire in June of 2010. Though it reportedly included a generous escalation clause triggered when the club reached the Premiership, the American is surely underpaid relative to his colleagues. Are the board too parsimonious to reward him? And could the Blades survive in the Premiership without him? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rupert Wormwood... on my side?

The world felt .. tilted .. somehow.

However, I'm not the only brilliant manager in Sheffield any longer! Ian Holloway has won his first four matches for Wednesday, turning the Owls from a playoff battler to a genuine rival of York City for second place in League One.

Only two teams can earn guaranteed promotion - and either could yet catch Wigan for the top, if the Latics should stumble.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 21st April, 2009.

"Hello, Mister Richards?"

"Speaking."

"John Wardle, here, Manchester City Football Club."

"Hello, Mister Wardle."

"I've called to offer you the managerial position here at Manchester Stadium."

I could meet that only with stunned silence; I doubt I even articulated an "Umm."

Wardle filled the gap. "We're prepared to commit you transfer funds of £7.5M, and a wage bill of about £28M, which should leave you room to make perhaps one big-name acquisition. Are you interested?"

"I'm... intrigued... but I have to tell you, I'm quite happy with the situation here. And.. well, I'm very concerned about working for a board which is willing to fire a manager, who, frankly, has done the best any manager has for you in at least fifteen years."

"That, well, yes, Steve was quite good on the pitch. I'm afraid its the business aspect that was lacking: we've been losing money every year under his reign, and we either need to qualify for Europe next year, or sell off some assets. I've been speaking with Steve Beck, down at York City, and he said you've got a very good grasp of the business side of things, and had turned things around at Bootham Crescent, turning the company into a profitable enterprise.

"Frankly, that's what we want you to do here. Its not so much about results on the pitch: we want you to secure the club's long-term financial security."

What an opportunity! I was torn, and Stacy and I discussed it long into the evening.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 22nd April, 2009.

"I'm afraid my answer is no, Mister Wardle."

"We haven't even spoken about a contract! I'm prepared to offer you double what you're currently getting."

"This isn't about the money; I just feel I have more to do here. I appreciate the honor you've shown by asking me, and I wish you the best of luck - except when your lads come to Bramall Lane, of course."

My wife is a wise woman, and she'd asked some very telling questions last night.

What she helped me realize was that I'm happy here in Sheffield, and she's happy here in Sheffield; the players like me, the board and fans love me, and I don't feel that 'getting here' was the only challenge.

I'd really like to turn the Blades into a winner, if I can - or at least feel as though I've taken them as far as I can.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 23rd April, 2009.

Defense reigned supreme in the first leg of the Champions League Semi-Finals. The draw had pitted Inter Milan against Chelsea, and A.C. Milan against Bayern München, which had fueled anticipation in Italy of a grand meeting between the two rivals meeting in the final.

Internazionale did their part, with Argentinian midfielder Esteban Cambiasso scoring from range in the 29th minute. Solid defending limited Chelsea to just half chances at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues would head to Italy with a 0-1 deficit.

UEFA had sensibly scheduled the Milan home matches opposite each other, so A.C. Milan hosted Bayern München in the other match. Munich keeper Oliver Kahn, now 40 years of age, made a case that he might still be one of the best in the world, facing 21 shots, 9 of them on target, and saving all nine to earn a clean sheet in a scoreless draw.

The veteran keeper was clearly Man of the Match, who has been the inspirational leader for Bayern after announcing his retirement at the season's end. The squad are well aware that this will be the last competitive football of his career. That thought has already driven them to hoist the Bundesliga trophy, where they haven't been headed in recent years, but earning one more European Cup would add the final jewel to his glittering trophy case.

In the UEFA Cup Semi-Finals, the home teams did their part in the first leg, with Manchester United dispatching Valencia 2-0 at Old Trafford, and Parma putting paid to German club HSV, 3-1.

On our training pitch, Victor Sikora bruised his shoulder, an injury that would rule him out of Monday's match against Fulham, while 19-year-old Joe Newell had caught a ball solidly in the chest, and would also be unavailable. Also, Under-18 fullback Chris Holland twisted his knee in training, and winger Simon Blake pulled a muscle in the weight room. None of the injuries looked too serious, but they did serve as a reminder just how tired my players' bodies are becoming at the end of a long season.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 26th April, 2009.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Wednesday Promoted! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

screamed The Star's headline on Sunday morning.

A 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers, their sixth consecutive victory, saw Sheffield Wednesday go level with Wigan atop League One with one match left. A five-point lead over third-placed York guaranteed that both the Owls and the Latics would be playing in the Championship next year.

My former club, however, were guaranteed a playoff spot and seemed the clear favourites going into the promotion tournament.

Darren Gibson scored twice in the first eight minutes as Sheffield United Under-18s beat Crewe 2-0 to overtake Sheffield Wednesday and go top of the table in Under-18s Group 4 for the first time all season. Captain Gary Thomas had a magical day, getting the assists on both goals, and was honestly let down by some of the other players in the second half, or he could have finished with more. Injury-prone Chris Gray, on as a substitute, hurt his shoulder after a push to the turf late in the match; he would miss about a week's worth of training.

On the back page, I noticed that Fulham manager Micky Adams told reporters that he thought I was a good manager, and deserved every success with the Blades. He said he truly hopes the best team wins tomorrow. That's not throwing much fuel on the fire, but it should be a good game, as the winner will be in eleventh, with the loser in twelfth afterwards.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 27th April, 2009. Premier League - Game 35, at Fulham.

I've always liked Fulham, ever since hearing the story of how millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed had bought a club just promoted from League Two, and with heavy investment saw them raised to the Premiership in four short seasons. Though the predicted assault on the upper echelon of the league has never quite materialized, they did equal their best-ever League position with a ninth-place finish last year, and were a point ahead of us, in eleventh, this season. I'd never been to the beautiful, riverfront stadium Craven Cottage, and I must say I was greatly impressed. Its in West London, right up against the River Thames, and though its one of the smallest grounds in the Premiership, it has a beauty and charm that - well, had it been Fulham instead of Manchester City calling, I might have been tempted. We'd beaten them 3-2 in the first match, despite two goals by Collins John, so I was hopeful of a result even on the road.

To face the Cottagers, I had Allan McGregor in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, and David Marek Rozehnal in defense. Young Keith McCormack had been feeling the pressure of public expectations with all I'd asked him to do, so Danny Payne spelled him at right back. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, while the wings saw last year's pairing, Jonathan Forte and Graham Allen, subbing in for the injured Sikora and Downing. I'd expected Marc Bridge-Wilkinson to be suspended for the match, but he wasn't listed on the sheet the F.A. sent me indicating who was suspended for the match, so I named him to the starting lineup alongside Iain Hume. Peter Weatherson made a rare start up front, giving Sinama-Pongolle a night off the bench.

The London side came out with a fast-paced attack, pressing us back all over the pitch, and we were lucky in the 5th minute to see Jonatahn Stead's header go over. Their attack, and our countering 4-5-1, were generating real end-to-end football that had to be pleasing to watch: in the 8th minute, Iain Hume's laser-accurate pass picked out Bridge-Wilkinson in traffic in the box, and only a reflex save by Chris Kirkland from 16 yards kept us from notching an early lead.

Claus Jensen's free kick from just beyond the 18 led to a fingertip save by Allan McGregor, and the Scot kept us alive in the 12th minute as well when Gian Diago Tipaldi rifled a dipping shot at goal. Our keeper made a fantastic save to divert it, and was shouting at his defense to give him more protection.

On the quarter-hour, we came close on the counter, but Peter Weatherson shot from 20 yards rather than closing, and Kirkland made the save. It was the last sniff of goal we would get for quite some while, as the Cottagers asserted complete control, clamping down in midfield. After ten minutes of this, the goal was looking inevitable, and Mathieu Flamini came close from outside the eighteen.

Just past the half-hour mark, Flamini played it to Stead 25 yards out, with his back to goal. The 26-year-old laid it right for Collins John, who had so tormented us in the first match. He played a soft shot to McGregor's left, beyond the reach of the keeper, and it caromed in off the post for his 50th Fulham goal and an 0-1 lead.

The Dutchman, only 23 but playing like a veteran, nearly had another ten minutes later, thanks to a gorgeous cross by Korean star Park Ji-Sung, but his header was straight to McGregor. We finally broke our drought of chances just before the half when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson jinked past Ji-Sung, and knocked a lovely ball for Weatherson. Stephen Carr made a fine tackle just inside the area, knocking it towards the sideline, but Jonathan Forte kept it in play and whipped in a low hard cross from the left. Weatherson looked to have perfect positioning, but Carr leapt in front of him to head clear, keeping the 0-1 scoreline at the break.

At halftime, it was clear we were being vastly outplayed, and some form of change was needed. Stuart wanted to tinker with the shape of our midfield, but I had a different plan in mind. I've rarely tried the aggressive counter-attack this season, pushing players forward all over the pitch but keeping a high tempo, but that was what I instituted. Right from the restart, that was putting more pressure on both defenses, and ours nearly gave first, on 54 minutes, when John played a long pass that found winger John Kennedy free of the back line. The youngster showed why he was on my shortlist, staying clear of the defense as he raced towards goal, but an incredible one-on-one save by McGregor kept the deficit at one.

The hour mark came and went, with the incredible pace of the match continuing, to the delight of the 21,282 and the exhaustion of the players. In the 64th minute, I brought off Weatherson and Graham Allen for Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Jon Paul McGovern, hoping that fresh legs would help. It proved to be a mistake, as American DaMarcus Beasley, on replacing Kennedy, slipped past McGovern, and played it to John at a high pace. The striker played a low ball across in front of Stead, who had not one but two steps on Hayden Foxe, and the £10M signing from Blackburn slotted it home past McGregor to give the home side an 0-2 advantage.

With twenty minutes left and a two goal advantage, the Cottagers shut up shop to defend, and the play was entirely in their area. I brought on Juan Carlos Valerón for Bridge-Wilkinson - the Spaniard's only appearance of the month - with 15 minutes to go, hoping his creative genius could spark the players around him. In the 79th minute, McGovern nearly got his first Premier League assist, sending a cross into the six for Sinama-Pongolle. The striker barely got a touch on it, and Kirkland was able to cover - a harder shot could have clawed one back for us.

That lack would really hurt in the 86th minute. We'd had possession in the area, partially cleared, and Forte held it in - he'd drifted to the right of every player on the pitch, despite a position nominally on the left wing. He picked out Sinama-Pongolle with a beautiful through ball, which the Frenchman drilled into the net from ten yards! 1-2!

Or.. not. Unfortunately, the goal wouldn't count, as the mid-season signing was ruled offsides by the narrowest of margins.

The punch in the gut of having the goal taken back off the board finished off any real hope we had of getting back into it, though in injury time a long pass by Valerón gave Hume one last chance. His left-footed half-volley from twenty yards carried well over the net, and seemed somehow symbolic of our futility for the match.

Fulham 2, Sheffield United 0

John 33, Stead 70; ----

MoM: Kirkland (Fulham GK)

It wasn't a pleasant locker room afterwards, and though I was tempted to give the lads a piece of my mind for being so outplayed in the first half, I had to admit that they'd done well in the second. Central defenders Hayden Foxe and David Marek Rozehnal had had particularly good games, though you couldn't tell that from the scoresheet, and Allan McGregor had made fully ten saves.

It seemed unfair that Fulham keeper Chris Kirkland earned Man of the Match honours for only five, but a clean sheet and a victory surely influenced the media's decision.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 29th April, 2009.

With three matches left - and only two for most clubs - the defeat had all but secured 12th place for us. We were six points clear of 13th-placed Portsmouth and Southampton, but frankly they were just happy not to be involved in the relegation battle beneath us, and we were now four points back of Fulham for 11th. It was mathematically possible for us to climb up to 8th - assuming we beat Arsenal, Newcastle, and United to close the season! Realistically, we would be finishing 12th, and I knew I could use the last three matches to get valuable senior experience for some of our fringe players.

An awful tempest battered Manchester for our Reserve match Wednesday night: it did wonders for the television ratings of the televised matches, but I felt almost sorry for the poor lads I sent out into the cold, wind, and rain to face Manchester City Reserves. Both sides battled manfully - the Reserve Group 1 title was on the line - but it was impossible to string two passes together, as even if the first found its man, the second was blown miles off target.

Worse, by halftime the sides were indistinguishable: players who had started in red and blue kits had found a common ground in brown. It was forgotten man Mike Flynn, playing a match of any type for the first time in over a month, who found a way to break the stalemate, poking home a goal-mouth scramble in the 68th minute. That put our lads even with the City Reserves on 49 points with one match to play, but as they'd each beaten the other 1-0, it was coming down to goal difference, where our Reserves had a three-goal advantage on City.

When I got home, I had Tivo'd Champions League matches to watch. In Munich, A.C. Milan had scored in the third minute through Jon Dahl Tomasson, giving them a crucial away goal. Bayern München threw caution to the wind in all-out attack, but though Bastian Schweinsteiger found an equalizer before halftime, my hero, Roque Santa Cruz, was unable to find the winner as the Milan defense put on a great performance. Center half Tomas Ujfalusi was named Man of the Match, and you know how rarely that happens! He's international teammates with David Marek Rozehnal, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat the next day. Apparently there's a friendship there beyond the confines of the pitch!

The result, a 1-1 draw, saw Bayern knocked out in the Semi-Finals for the second straight year, and provided a down note for Oliver Kahn's retirement. Still, in the past five years they'd gotten to the semi's five times, to the final three times, and won two titles, so it was hard to feel too sorry for them!

The English hopes rested on Chelsea, who had to travel to the San Siro a goal down. José Mourinho came out in the very attacking 4-5-1, with no defensive midfielder and all six front players getting involved in the attack. Though it has worked brilliantly these past three years in the Premier League, against a side the quality of Inter Milan, it was a blunder of the highest order. Obefami Martins sliced through the Blues' defense in the 2nd minute on a length-of-the-field counterattack, then did it again in the 12th and 26th minutes to secure a hat trick and a standing ovation from the delighted crowd of 85,579 at the legendary stadium.

It mattered little that Andrea Lazzari fouled Mateja Kezman, giving the visitors a penalty in the 88th minute: even when Anthony Le Tallec converted, it only meant a little respect for Chelsea's pride: the 3-1 final meant a 4-1 aggregate...

.. and the much-anticipated showdown of Milan's epic rivals with the European Cup on the line!