Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book III

[Amaroq]

Thank you for the correction - submitted a request in Mods Request Thread for that to be fixed.

Thanks also for the support - its the regular readers like yourself that I strive to hit my "once a day" update for!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 11th October, 2009.

Hat Trick Hero Leads League

Sheffield United fans are delighted with Florent Sinama-Pongolle, whose recent performances have been absolutely top drawer. He reveled in his manager's recent praise with a magnificent hat-trick at The Riverside Stadium yesterday. The feat saw him go co-equal with his Middlesbrough opposite number Dean Ashton atop the Premier League goal sheet. Each of them have ten, with Ivica Olic second at nine for Arsenal.

Flipping further down the page, I saw a nice quote from Graeme Souness.

"I have a lot of time for Ian Richards. His subtle tactical change in the first half really made that game what it was. He's definitely got the ability to save that team from relegation. I don't know why you lot keep asking about that: I don't think a European place is out of the question for them."

"If you're done reading the paper," said my partner-in-crime, Stuart McCall, poking his head into the office, "I'd like a moment."

I gestured for him to take a seat.

"I was thinking more about that 'patient buildup' we changed to, and looking at some old game films. Specifically, those 5-0 hammerings we've suffered a few times. I think I've found something."

"What have you got?"

He wordlessly placed a tape in the television, and started rolling film - not of goals conceded, per se, but of possession lost. It was clear in reviewing the footage he'd put together that, against the Chelseas and Arsenals of the world, our quick-passed counter-attacking style was simply hurrying to turn possession back to the opposition. Defenders won headers and tackles with regularity, and it was clear why the opposition sides had had such an easy time of it: with our midfield darting forward past theirs, we were wide open when the back line won the ball back.

The Middlesbrough match followed, and in the first fifteen minutes, the same pattern had ensued, with Middlesbrough winning not so much in midfield, but with their defenders winning possession on the halfway line.

Once we made the change, however, we were finding ways past the midfield mark.

"I see!" I exclaimed. "Brilliant!"

"Fortune favours the bold, lad. I think we should try the 'patient buildup' more frequently, perhaps not these next couple weeks, but perhaps against Liverpool in December."

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 13th October, 2009.

Mid-week, of course, there was the Champions League action, as the clubs reached the half-way point of the group stages.

Middlesbrough, apparently as exhausted by our 3-3 goalfest as we were, had to travel to Switzerland to face a tough Basel squad Tuesday night. They sleep-walked through most of the match, and only a late goal by captain Jerko Leko salvaged a 1-1 draw for Souness's side. That was enough to keep them top of the table, as Paris Saint-Germain made it a four-horse race with a 2-0 win over Portugese side Benfica.

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

1 Middlesbrough 5 1 2 0 + 1

2 Basel 4 1 1 1 + 1

3 Paris Saint-Germain 4 1 1 1 0

4 Benfica 3 1 0 2 - 2</pre>

Roma continued to hold pole position in Group F, humbling Werder Bremen with a 3-0 win. Barcelona moved into second place, deposing Bulgarian side Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) on Plovdiv's home turf, 1-0.

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

1 Roma 7 2 1 0 + 5

2 Barcelona 5 1 2 0 + 1

3 Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) 3 1 0 2 - 1

4 Werder Bremen 1 0 1 2 - 5</pre>

In Istanbul, Arsenal needed every ounce of magic in their magical season to pull back from a one-goal deficit, but Patrick Vieira found an equalizer and Theirry Henry netted the winner in an exciting 3-2 triumph over Fenerbahçe. The rampant Gunners, thoughts of a treble surely dancing in their heads, were five points clear at the top of the table. Greek side Olympiakos beat PSV 2-0, leaving the Dutch side in a morass of futility.

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

1 Arsenal 9 3 0 0 + 6

2 Fenerbahçe 4 1 1 1 0

3 Olympiakos 4 1 1 1 0

4 PSV 0 0 0 3 - 6</pre>

In Group H, A.C. Milan and Bayern Leverkusen had started with six points each from their first two matches. A home-and-home would determine who the likely top side was, and Milan won the first round, at home, 2-0. The other two sides in the group, FC København and Deportivo, played a 1-1 draw, which the Copenhagen side salvaged with a 71st-minute equalizer after falling behind in the first half.

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

1 A.C. Milan 9 3 0 0 + 7

2 Bayern Leverkusen 6 2 0 1 + 2

3 Deportivo 1 0 1 2 - 2

4 FC København 1 0 1 2 - 7</pre>

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 14th October, 2009.

Wednesday's action saw Bayern München complete a first-half sweep with a 1-0 win at Trabzonspor. Greek side Panathinaikos handed a shocking upset to Internazionale, knocking the defending European Champions to the bottom of the group with a comprehensive 2-0 win in Athens.

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

1 Bayern München 9 3 0 0 + 6

2 Panathinaikos 4 1 1 1 0

3 Trabzonspor 2 0 2 1 - 1

4 Inter Milan 1 0 1 2 - 5</pre>

Chelsea completed the first half of group play unbeaten and untied, thanks to a 2-0 win over Czech side Banik Ostrava. Sporting Club do Portugal scored their first point with a 1-1 draw at home against second-placed Maccabi Haifa.

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

1 Chelsea 9 3 0 0 + 7

2 Maccabi Haifa 4 1 1 1 - 2

3 Banik Ostrava 3 1 0 2 - 1

4 Sporting CP 1 0 1 2 - 4</pre>

Juventus retained the top spot in Group C with a 2-0 win at Amsterdam, leaving Ajax at the bottom of the heap. Futebol Clube do Porto broken open a 1-1 draw with two goals in the final five minutes to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-1.

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

1 Juventus 7 2 1 0 + 3

2 Porto 6 2 0 1 + 3

3 VfB Stuttgart 2 0 2 1 - 2

4 Ajax 1 0 1 2 - 4</pre>

Group D remained perhaps the most interesting group in the Champions League. Valencia escaped Liverpool with a scoreless draw at New Anfield, thanks to an incredible performance by Norwegian goalkeeper Espen Johnsen, a recent acquisition from Osasuna. The visitors managed only a single shot, while Johnsen faced 17, making 10 saves to salvage a split of the points. Lyon handled MSK Zilina with care, scoring two goals in the first half hour and then holding on in defense, happy with a 2-0 win over the Slovakian giant-killers.

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

1 Liverpool 5 1 2 0 + 1

2 Valencia 5 1 2 0 + 1

3 Lyon 4 1 1 1 + 1

4 MSK Zilina 1 0 1 2 - 3</pre>

My spirits were brightened by the return to full training of versatile winger Victor Sikora, after his physiotherapy course. The veteran was still a long way from match fitness, but I couldn't help but notice that in his absence, we'd won just one game. Given that he still hasn't scored an assist or a goal for us, I'm not sure why there is such a correlation, but he certainly seems talismanic.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 17th October, 2009. Premier League - Game 11, vs Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's early-season form had been a bit of a joke, as the side perennially in the bottom half of the table - their current stay in the Premiership had lasted six full seasons, during which time they'd placed between 13th and 17th every season - had started with a series of embarrassing losses. Wins over Crystal Palace and Everton had righted their form somewhat, and they were up to 16th at the moment. Last season, the visiting side had won each of our matches with them, by the score of 1-0. Their injury list was impressive, with some seven regulars, including starting goalkeeper Gábor Király, unavailable with some form of ailment.

I made a few subtle changes from the match against Middlesbrough. Allan McGregor remained in goal, with Sean Dillon and captain Hayden Foxe still at the heart of the defense. Steve Foster got a rare appearance in place of Rozehnal, while Danny Payne took his turn at right back. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, and the wings saw Joe Hamill and Graham Allen paired for the second consecutive match. Up front, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the playmaker, and young Joe Newell got the start partnered with him. League-leading goalscorer Florent Sinama-Pongolle had three '10' ratings from his last five matches, and could be the only choice at striker.

Through the first half hour of the match, we were struggling to create any sort of chances, despite Portsmouth running a 3-5-2 which looked as though it should be leaving far too much space at the back for our lads to exploit. However, four of the midfielders were playing very deep, concentrating on their defensive responsibilities. Where we might find a 5-on-4 against most defenses, they were reducing us to 5-on-7 chances that broke on the rocks.

It was a fine 'paper' to our counter-attacking 4-5-1 'rock', so at the half hour mark I switched to the patient buildup tactic which had worked against Middlesbrough. There wasn't much patient about Joe Newell's long ball down the right sideline in the 41st minute, but it worked. The speedy Florent Sinama-Pongolle kept it in bounds, and spotted Joe Hamill unmarked at the back post. His cross was perfect, but the left winger's header struck the post and bounced away, leaving things still scoreless at the break.

At the break, I had Martin Baverstock look over Graham Allen, who had been limping, and the physio recommended he come out. 19-year-old Darren White went on in his place. Portsmouth hadn't really threatened in the first half, creating only a single shot, but they came out from the intermission with a bit more determination, and it was a warning shot in the 50th minute when substitute Scott Brow's shot from outside the area caught side netting.

Whatever was being said, I didn't heed, and in the 51st minute they tried from range again. Gareth Williams's 30-yard shot was knocked away by Allan McGregor. Steve Foster covered the rebound, and under pressure, played it back to McGregor. There wasn't space for such fancy footwork, and Valéry Mézague leaped in front of the keeper's clearance. The Cameroon attacker blocked it into the six, and tapped it home with his preferred left foot to give Portsmouth an 0-1 lead.

With their mission accomplished, Harry Redknapp dropped them into a 4-5-1 with a much more defensive outlook. I was all too familiar with this: "Get one goal and then defend" might as well have been my mantra. We nearly found an instant reply in the 54th minute when Sinama-Pongolle's cross picked out White wide of the back post. The Arsenal lad passed back for Joe Newell, who shot from 15 yards, but a diving save by Scottish keeper Neil Alexander, Király's backup, pushed it wide. Hamill teed Newell up shortly thereafter, and this time the 20-year-old's half-volley from the eighteen flew into the stands behind goal.

I switched to a 3-5-2 with twenty-one minutes to play, bringing Peter Weatherson on for Sean Dillon. For an instant, that change seemed to have worked, as Hamill's long pass in the 76th minute had Sinama-Pongolle behind the defense, in a footrace with Djimi Traoré. 32,106 fans rose to their feet, expecting some of last week's magic from the Frenchman, but Traoré closed the gap, and brought him down with a sliding tackle in the box. The crowd expected a penalty, but referee Peter Walton waved 'play on', to a chorus of boos and jeers.

The final fifteen minutes felt mostly futile, though the introduction of Robert Cousins on 85 minutes seemed to spark some life in the attack. I couldn't help but think if I'd brought the energetic youngster in a little earlier, he might have found a way to win it for us, but in the end, none of our lads were able to truly threaten the net through Portsmouth's iron-clad defense, and one goal was all they needed.

Sheffield United 0, Portsmouth 1

----; Mézague 51

MoM: Hamill

Tempers had really frayed in the final minutes, with the lads questioning every foul given them, and I felt lucky none of them had been sent off. I spent a while calming them down, reminding them not to slander the refereeing at risk of fines from either the FA or myself, before letting the press in.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 19th October, 2009.

"Do you have anything to say in reponse to Harry Redknapp's comments?"

The Portsmouth manager had added insult to injury by telling Sky Sports that, from what he'd seen over ninety minutes, my lads weren't European contenders, and "could in fact have serious problems avoiding relegation to the Championship this season."

"It doesn't deserve a response," I told the assembled press. "We're still in sixth, so I think discussion of relegation might be just a hint premature. In fact, I suspect he's just trying to distract attention from his own plight. Didn't his board just give him the dreaded 'vote of confidence' recently?"

On Sunday, our Under-18s got a valuable lesson in how to play with only ten men, courtesy Jake Giles. The recent signing failed to impress his manager by earning a double-booking in only his second start since joining the club. Defensive midfielder Steven White put in a stellar performance, earning Man of the Match honours, and the lads held Tranmere's youth side to a scoreless draw despite 66 minutes a man down.

After the match, Scott Lee, who had turned 17, signed a one-year contract with the club, his first professional contract. He isn't even seeing much action at the Under-18 level, and I doubt he'll stay with the club through summer, but coach John Richards hasn't entirely given up on him yet, so I thought it was worth offering him a minimum contract. Tim Mason, another of the 16-year-olds on the fringes of our U-18 side, twisted a knee in training.

Ben Hammond returned from his 3-month loan to Leeds United with a pulled groin. He'd played 10 matches for Leeds, with 2 assists, 2 Man of the Match awards, and a 7.30 average rating - and I was again thinking of him as a front-runner for a starting berth in my central defense. He'd have to overcome 3 weeks of physiotherapy to get back to health before he could even think about challenging, however.

He was sad to leave Leeds, but said that the first team experience he gained while there has helped him improve as a player.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 21st October, 2009.

"I'm worried about Mark Bridge-Wilkinson," Stuart told me.

"Oh?"

"I think you'll have noticed, he hasn't been having near as good a season as he had the previous two years."

"We've gotten the results, Stuart."

"I know, but there's something bothering him. Its most noticeable on the training pitch - he just doesn't have the joie-de-vivre that he used to."

"Does he have any concerns?"

"No, nothing that he's expressed."

It was, I had to concede, mystifying. I thanked my assistant for bringing it to my attention, but there didn't seem anything I could do.

I'd planned to start both Bruno Cheyrou and Gary Thomas in the mid-week Reserve match, but each suffered injuries - Cheyrou a concussion, and Thomas a bruised chest - which would rule them out for a short time. That meant Juan Carlos Valerón played in the midfield at home against Blackburn Reserves, and he scored two goals in the first half. James Bradley added one, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. With Blackburn finishing on nine men due to an injury and a red card in the final thirty minutes, the entire Reserve side seemed to focus on getting Valerón his third goal, passing up easy chances to feed the ball to the retiring Spaniard. In the 87th minute, Jonathan Forte's deep cross found Valerón at the back post, and the header completed his hat trick. He was, of course, Man of the Match in the 4-0 victory.

In the League Cup, Manchester United and Chelsea were both dumped out by lower league opposition. Norwich City, 13th in the Championship, held United to a 1-1 draw through extra time, and won a thrilling penalty shootout.

Even more impressive was Plymouth Argyle, on the road, dumping Chelsea out, 2-1. For a League One side to beat the three-times-running Champions of England on their home soil was a mighty feat, even if José Mourinho had played a weakened lineup.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 23rd October, 2009.

On Friday, our Under-18s were amped up for the cross-town rivalry match against Sheffield Wednesday. It was a close match through the first half, but striker Michael Field exploded for three goals in a six-minute span just after the hour mark to blow the game wide open. Coupled with his first-half goal, that gave the consensus Man of the Match four for the afternoon! Winger Chris Rowe had the other goal of the first half, and fullback Jon Atherton, the young man I think of as captain material, buried a penalty in the second half shortly before Field's fantastic performance. The final score was an comprehensive 6-1, which everyone in the organization was glad to hear.

"Non-competitive game." Yeah, right!

The same day, Joe Hamill injured himself - he stubbed his toe, in practice, near to breaking it. It swelled up something awful, and would rule him out of tomorrow's game. With Victor Sikora not yet up to match fitness and Jonathan Forte tired from a 90-minute appearance in the Reserves, I was almost out of options. Nineteen-year-old Darren White would be the starter on Saturday.

[flipstyle]

Well I was eager to respond to your thread but I'm a bit depressed now. Being new to these forums I didn't think as I hit reply having already open a long entry for my own story.

Nonetheless I wanted to congratulate you on this incredible piece of work I've just discovered. I've really enjoyed reading this latest stuff and plan to go back and check out your older stories as well.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 24th October, 2009. Premier League - Game 12, at Ipswich Town.

Ipswich, one of the Championship class of 2007/08 with us, were in dire danger of going back down. They hadn't won a league match in over two months, and a 6-0 pounding by Southampton last weekend hadn't helped their morale at all. We weren't making the trip to Essex for charity, though it would be sad to see one of our best recent rivalries broken up. I had to remind the lads that the last five times we'd met, the home side had won by two goals, so they needed to be on their 'A' game.

Following my own advice, I brought back my 'A' lineup. Allan McGregor was making his 200th league appearance in goal. Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack were the four defenders I trusted most. In front of them, Danny Payne would roam the defensive midfield role - Berson had been looking fatigued in training, and I scratched him from the lineup at the last minute to give him a match off. 19-year-old loanee Darren White was forced to start on the left wide, and Graham Allen made his third start in Sikora's absence on the right. Despite Stuart's concerns, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the regular playmaker, and I partnered him with 20-year-old Robert Cousins, who had impressed in the first part of the season. Florent Sinama-Pongolle had ten goals from nine games, and remained my first-choice striker. Manchester City and Fulham were both supposedly interested in him, and I was glad I'd set the minimum release fee on his contract to a staggering £20M.

The home side didn't look like a club on the verge of relegation in the opening minutes. Instead, they came forward in attack right from the off. Louis Saha got free in the area after a mere 38 seconds, forcing a cat-quick save from McGregor and a desperate clearance from Hayden Foxe. Their emphasis on attack left a quick opening which Graham Allen exploited, sending Florent Sinama-Pongolle on a breakaway, and at 63 seconds, Paul Smith made his first save one-on-one. Another ten minutes of Ipswich pressure had us back on our heels, but we recovered our balance, and began pushing them back ourselves. Smith made another fine save to deny Sinama-Pongolle after Robert Cousins's great pass, and in the 26th minute aging centre back Mark Fish blocked the French striker's shot from the corner of the six.

Right on the half-hour mark, Sean Dillon played Sinama-Pongolle into the corner on the left side with a long pass. He crossed it for Cousins, who launched a right-footed volley just over from about 15 yards. It would have been a spectacular goal. Two minutes later, Dillon's fine passing again opened up space, this time sending Marc Bridge-Wilkinson into the corner. He cut it back for Sinama-Pongolle, whose left footed shot from the 18 went wide.

In the 40th minute, Stuart McCall muttered in my ear, "They've changed their tactics. They're looking for options in the final third." I had scarcely deciphered the cryptic phrase, when, scant moments later, Richard Connor's short pass set Patrick Clarke just inside the eighteen. He had Dillon and Hayden Foxe in close attention, but managed to launch a high shot between them into the top right corner of Allan McGregor's net. Sometimes there's nothing you can do about a magnificent individual effort, and this was one such, leaving us down 0-1 at the break.

The Portman Road crowd of 21,005 were making constant noise throughout the entire second half, though their side seemed willing to sit back and defend as best as they could. Just past the hour mark, Hayden Foxe sent a beautiful long pass for Graham Allen, who cut inside as he reached the end line. Matt Richards tripped him just as he crossed into the area. Despite our claims for a penalty, the free kick was awarded, not the penalty, and I was furious when the lads wasted it. Shortly thereafter, I noticed that Allen was limping, possibly from that very tackle, and brought Victor Sikora off the bench to replace him.

By the 75th minute, still a goal down, I was beginning to worry, and switched to the 3-5-2, bringing Peter Weatherson and Joe Newell on for Darren White and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, letting McCormack move up to right wing from the defense. In the 80th minute, I almost rued not having a left-side fullback. Ipswich earned a throw-in deep down the left side. Juan Pablo Angel's flick-on header found defenseman Iliyan Stoyanov lurking, unmarked, in the area. He had a wide open shot from 10 yards, but the Bulgarian suffered an embarrassing miss, putting it wide right as he shot with his first touch.

How often missing a golden opportunity like that comes back to bite a club. Sikora's crunching tackle in the 85th minute reduced Ipswich to ten men temporarily, while Darren Carter received treatment, and that was the advantage we needed. Sinama-Pongolle dropped well back to take control of a loose ball in midfield, and he spotted Weatherson with a beautifully weighted 30-yard pass. Our number nine, the forgotten striker with Sinama-Pongolle doing so well, skipped past Richard Duffy some forty yards from goal, and raced through the depleted defense. At the eighteen, he knocked it sideways to set up his right foot, and drilled it past Smith for the dramatic equalizer!! With just three minutes left, it was 1-1!

Ipswich were content to just boom long clearances through injury time, seeing out time with a draw they hadn't expected to achieve, and we were unable to mount even the semblance of an attack to find a late winner.

Ipswich Town 1, Sheffield United 1

Clarke 44; Weatherson 87

MoM: Payne

Normally a right back, Danny Payne was named Man of the Match for the first time in his career, having played a reasonable game in defensive midfield. Honestly, however, nobody on either side had truly impressed, and only Weatherson's late goal salvaged the afternoon for us.

[Amaroq]

Well I was eager to respond to your thread but I'm a bit depressed now. Being new to these forums I didn't think as I hit reply having already open a long entry for my own story.

Oh dear! I feel your pain! I've made that same mistake plenty a time..

.. Too late for this time, but if you right-click in the window, and select "Back", you can get back to the text you'd typed. Until you hit "Post Now", of course..

I'd also strongly recommend writing your own tale in Notepad, Wordpad, or Word, rather than in the browser.

... Thank you for the support, and I'm sorry it was so painful to offer.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 25th October, 2009.

"Florent Sinama-Pongolle has been attracting a fair amount of interest from other clubs following his recent performances. Do you think he will stay at Sheffield United?"

"You know I can't make any comment about the Sinama-Pongolle situation at the moment."

"Have you anything to say in response to Ipswich manager Dave Jones's comments? He said he firmly believes you have a reasonable chance of staying up."

"Of course we do, we're in seventh place. Next question, please?"

"What's going on with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson? He's a big fan favorite, but his performances this year haven't lived up to the previous two years."

"I was teasing him about that in July - I think he peaked during pre-season this year! No, seriously, he has 2 goals and 3 assists from 11 games, which is pretty much on a par with what he did last year - a few more assists, a few fewer goals. Its just that, with Sinama-Pongolle banging them in like he has, Marc hasn't been forced to take as many shots as he did last year."

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 28th October, 2009.

Mid-week, the fourth matches of Champions League group play began sorting things out somewhat.

Bayern München clinched advancement from Group A with a 1-0 win over Trabzonspor that gave them 12 points from 4 games. Inter Milan came alive with their first victory, 3-1 over Panathinaikos, leaping from last into a tie for second with the Greek side.

Chelsea became the first English side to qualify for the knock-out rounds with a 3-0 win over Banik Ostrava - Kapo scored twice in the first seven minutes, and with a perfect 12 points, the Blues, too, were through. Maccabi Haifa had all but booked their spot with a 2-0 win over Sporting Club do Portugal. They would need only a draw against Banik Ostrava in their next match to lay claim to second in the group.

Juventus kept up Ajax's run of poor form with a 3-1 win over the Dutch side, moving the Italian giants four points clear of second-placed Porto, who lost 2-0 to VfB Stuttgart, letting the German side back into the hunt for second place, a point behind the Portugese club.

Tightly-packed Group D remained so, with Valencia and Liverpool knotted for the second straight time, this a 1-1 draw in Spain. Diego's 84th-minute equalizer kept the Reds in a tie for second place. Lyon took the group lead with a 3-1 win over Scotland's bane, MSK Zilina, but the top three clubs were separated by only a single point with two matches to play.

On Wednesday, Middlesbrough earned some separation from the rest of Group E with a 2-1 win over Basel, overcoming an 0-1 deficit on the hour mark with a two-goals-in-three-minutes flurry. That put them three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain after the French side struggled to a scoreless draw in Benfica.

Barcelona manhandled Bulgarian side Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) 6-0 at the Nou Camp, showing just why the top Spanish side is a cut above the rest. Coupled with Roma's 1-1 draw in Bremen, that put the two giants equal on 8 points, and capable of clinching advancement before their group finale if they both draw or win their next match.

Ivica Olic announced his return to full form with a 2-goal performance as Arsenal manhandled Fenerbahçe 3-0 in London. With 12 points, the Gunners booked their berth in the knockout rounds. Olympiakos inched a point ahead of the Turkish side for second place by virtue of a 1-1 draw with PSV.

In the final group, A.C. Milan suffered their first imperfection: they hadn't even been scored upon while ringing up wins in their first three group matches. They kept the shutout streak intact, but split the points with Bayern Leverkusen after a wet, dreary 0-0 draw. Deportivo kept their hopes alive with a 2-0 win over FC København, but they'd still need to beat Bayern to even have a hope of catching the Germans for second place.

Closer to home, Jon Atherton had suffered a strained neck, so he missed Wednesday's big Reserve match against Manchester United Reserves at Old Trafford. The home side scored early on, but our Reserves battled back, with Jake Giles earning a bit of redemption in my eyes by scoring the equalizer. Steve Foster, making a fitness start in central defense, was the Man of the Match in the 1-1 draw.

A strained groin would send hapless youngster striker Scott Lee to physiotherapy for four weeks.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 30th October, 2009.

"Excellent, I'm glad to hear it."

" ... "

"Yes, I'm looking forward to working with you, too."

The big news of the week, as far as I was concerned, was that on Friday, I inked a deal with Fulham right wing Jermaine Pennant. The Cottagers were willing to part with him for £1.5M, and adding a player of his quality on the wings could only improve the side. I'd look forward to him joining us in the January transfer window.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 31st October, 2009. Premier League - Game 13, at Leicester.

After finishing second in the Championship last season, Leicester looked likely to be heading straight back down that league this year. They were 20th, with only a single victory to their name on the season, and that over fellow relegation-battlers Everton. I had no particular love for them, either, after the nasty trick they'd pulled with Stewart Downing's minimum fee release clause, and I'd love to get a measure of revenge against them in front of their home fans.

Allan McGregor's confidence was definitely rocked in goal - the media had faulted him for the Ipswich goal, perhaps a bit harshly, and comments like "This is why Ian Richards is splashing out £1.2M for Roy Carroll at the January transfer window" couldn't be helping the Scot concentrate on the task at hand. I could only hope the rock-solid defense could keep the pressure off of him, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, and David Rozehnal joined by last week's Man of the Match Danny Payne, who returned to the right back position. He might have filled in admirably, but Matheiu Berson was still my first choice defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte returned on the left wing, and Victor Sikora made his first start since the injury on the right side. I stayed with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson as the playmaker, with Joe Newell his partner, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle was, of course, the striker.

From the opening moments, we appeared in complete control, and might well have had three goals in the first three minutes. Unfortunately, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's 25-yard free kick was saved by Leicester keeper Paddy Kenny, Florent Sinama-Pongolle's rush into the box was blown back for offsides, and Bridge-Wilkinson's one-on-one was saved, knocked out for a corner. Leicester only had one chance early, when Shola Ameobi, utterly against the run of play, got on the end of a deep cross. He knocked it weakly on goal from six yards, but Allan McGregor was up to the challenge and pushed it wide. We continued to dominate through the first twenty minutes, but chance after chance was denied.

Our lads were giving the traitorous Stewart Downing a loving treatment, and I'm sure every United fan had a warm feeling each time Victor Sikora dumped him on the ground. David Marek Rozehnal seemed to treat Downing with particular vengeance, often leaving his post in central defense to harass and dismay the enemy winger. Though we outshot the hosts some 14-2 by halftime, we couldn't find the result. Joe Newell had the best chance, receiving a corner kick right on the penalty spot and driving it on goal, but Kenny tipped it over the bar. Sinama-Pongolle came close just seconds before the intermission, but the shot deflected off of Ryan Garry and into the side netting, leaving things scoreless at the break.

Even the switch to the 'patient buildup' seemed to be having little effect, and on the hour mark, I decided that the problem was Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. The two-time Player of the Year simply wasn't contributing his weight, and I couldn't spare any more patience for him. I summoned him to the sideline, putting Iain Hume on - the Canadian international hadn't scored a senior goal this year, but he was the only attacking midfielder on the bench. He'd only been on sixty seconds when he played a brilliant little short passing exchange with Newell which put Hume into the box, and had Kenny not rushed out to meet the Canadian just as he shot, we might have taken the lead then and there.

With 22 minutes remaining, I made the switch to the 3-5-2: we were in utter control of the match, and the home side had given up any pretense of threatening. Peter Weatherson replaced fullback Sean Dillon, giving us another striker, as I went all-out for the win. With eleven men defending for Leicester, we were reduced to running a patient perimeter offense. Just as I began to despair of ever finding a breakthrough, 81 minutes in, Hume launched a brilliant 30-yard strike which curled into the top corner for his first score of the season and a 1-0 lead!!

After eighty minutes of first-rate defending, Leicester absolutely collapsed when we pierced their defenses. They made a game attempt to throw people forward, and of course I fell back to the 4-5-1, bringing Joe Keenan on as the left back. I did leave the option for the counter-attack, and in the 85th minute, Hume did just that, taking off on a 40-yard dribble, and rounding Kenny at the last, slotting home easily for his second of the game and a 2-0 lead!

The match was all but over as a contest, but in injury time, the Canadian was again the architect, this time racing up the left wing. He'd slid well out wide, like a winger, and the defense were drawn all out of shape trying to cover. His incisive low pass carved them up for Sinama-Pongolle, who curled a spectacular first-touch shot to the far post from beyond the eighteen. Goal, set, match: it had been close for eighty minutes, but the final was a convincing 3-0!

Leicester 0, Sheffield United 3

----; Hume 81, 85, Sinama-Pongolle 90

MoM: Hume

Its not often a man who came on after the hour can earn Man of the Match honours, but with two goals and an assist, including a Goal of the Month candidate, it was clear that the introduction of Iain Hume had completely changed the face of the game. Pulling Bridge-Wilkinson had been a risky move, but I'd been unimpressed with his performances all month, and the Canadian had made me look like a genius.

Derek Dooley came down to congratulate Hume personally, but I was quite worried to note that Bridge-Wilkinson didn't seem to be enjoying the celebrations with his teammates: he was dressed and out of the park before anybody else had finished their showers, and he didn't take the coach home with the rest of the team.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 1st November, 2009.

For a month where we'd faced two of the teams in the relegation zone, I'd hoped to do better than 5 points: a win, two draws, and a defeat. Still, it had been good enough to hold our position in the top seven, and our supporters remained more than pleased with our league position.

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

1 Arsenal 28 9 1 1 32 7 +25 (11)

2 Chelsea 28 8 4 0 30 6 +24 (12)

3 Middlesbrough 23 7 2 3 25 15 +10 (12)

4 Manchester United 23 6 5 1 18 8 +10 (12)

5 Liverpool 22 7 1 1 12 5 + 7 ( 9)

6 Newcastle United 21 6 3 2 30 15 +15 (11)

7 Sheffield United 20 5 5 3 24 14 +10 (13)

8 Blackburn 20 6 2 4 23 25 - 2 (12)

9 Aston Villa 17 4 5 4 17 17 0 (13)

10 Portsmouth 15 4 3 5 13 19 - 6 (12)

11 Everton 14 4 2 7 14 24 -10 (13)

12 West Ham United 13 4 1 6 17 20 - 3 (11)

13 Fulham 13 3 4 6 15 22 - 7 (13)

14 Crystal Palace 13 4 1 8 11 24 -13 (13)

15 West Brom Albion 12 3 3 7 11 20 - 9 (13)

16 Charlton Athletic 11 3 2 5 15 20 - 5 (10)

17 Southampton 11 3 2 7 16 22 - 6 (12)

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

18 Manchester City 9 2 3 7 14 24 -10 (12)

19 Ipswich Town 8 2 2 7 6 23 -17 (11)

20 Leicester 6 1 3 7 11 24 -13 (11)</pre>

Everton had done miraculously, with three wins to climb from 20th to 11th in the span of a four-game month, while Chelsea's unbeaten run now stretched 29 league games, dating from 12th December, 2009, when they'd suffered their second defeat of the 2008/09 season.

With an international weekend following, I'd given the lads until Wednesday off, but I had to show up for the monthly board meeting on Sunday.

Derek Dooley was magnanimous in his assessment of the team's performance. "You're still seventh," he pointed out, "Which is much better than I'd expected."

Terry Robinson was happy with the transfers I'd arranged for midseason: Jermaine Pennant on the right wing, Roy Carroll in goal, and a 17-year-old German right back who might prove as talented as Keith McCormack in the long-term assessment.

Financially, the month of October had been a disaster, as with only one home match, we'd lost £1.2M. On paper, we were still up £2.6M for the season, but I knew I had more than that in transfer fees coming due on January, so it was looking likely that we'd post a loss for the season. It hadn't helped to see the TV revenue for this season accounted to last season's income: the bank balance was still a healthy £25.4M, so I felt like the loss was mostly on paper.

We hadn't won any awards for the month: Iain Hume's first goal against Leicester came closest, coming second to a screaming curler by Liverpool midfielder Edú against Blackburn.

[Spav]

Still reading, still impressed.

[Panpardus]

Yeah still going strong, have to Hurry up and finish it so it can be HoF'ed

[Amaroq]

Thanks, Spav, Pan. You guys have been tremendous support all this time. But Pan .. I was sitting in a bar the other day, coming to the end of a book, and a gentleman across the way from me asked "Don't you hate it when you come to the end of a book, or a series, because you want the story to keep going?"

Surely you don't want that, yet?

[Amaroq]

Monday, 2nd November, 2009.

"Can you comment..."

"Are you interested..."

"What do you..."

"Have you spoken with..."

There was a virtual mob awaiting me as I left the board meeting, with reporters not just from Sheffield, but from the national media as well pushing cameras and microphones in my face all at once.

They were all speaking over each other, and it took me a good five minutes to figure out what they were going on about. Apparently, 13th place wasn't good enough for Mohammed Al Fayed, and, citing 'reports that the players have lost confidence in him', the Fulham chairman had fired Micky Adams.

Where did I fit in? The press were touting me as the hot favourite to take over at Craven Cottage.

I'll admit to having liked Fulham since first hearing of their rise from the depths, back when I was in the U.S., and Craven Cottage is one of the cutest, coziest stadiums on the Premier League circuit, but, as I considered it, I discovered that I was firmly committed to succeeding at Bramall Lane.

"I'm not going anywhere," I told them, "Fulham is a solid club, and I wish them all the success, but right now my heart is in Sheffield."

[Amaroq]

Friday, 6th November, 2009.

When I saw Derek Dooley's smiling face the next day - he took the time to bring me coffee, himself - I knew I'd made the right decision. For a man so committed to Sheffield football that he'd literally given his right leg for the cause, hearing that kind of loyalty from his manager must have meant a lot to him.

You'll be unsurprised to learn that Iain Hume's performance against Leicester had earned him a place in the Premier League Team of the Week, and of course in my starting lineup for Sunday's match. It was an odd month, as we had only three matches, all on Sundays, and two of them nationally televised.

Before getting that far, we had an international weekend to get through. For most nations, that would mean international friendlies, but for some it would also include both legs of the World Cup Qualifying playoffs, and, for a few of our players, Under-21 friendlies.

Stephen Cummins had been serving as our substitute keeper since the decision to sell Gabriele Mattiussi, and the Irishman, recently turned 18, was called up for the Ireland U-21 side. Unluckily for him, he strained ankle ligaments during a training session with the international side, and that would rule him out for at least a month visiting a physiotherapist.

Chris Brown started for the Wales U-21s against Estonia, and will be disappointed with himself. The 15-year-old was only called upon to make 2 saves, and he only made one, losing his never-scored-upon-internationally record. He still got credit for win, with the final 2-1.

Darren Gibson played the final 45 minutes in Scotland U-21s 0-0 draw with Norway, but the Norwegian keeper played a stormer, earning Man of the Match.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 7th November, 2009.

Ireland's quest for a World Cup berth via the playoffs began with a trip to Sofia: they'd drawn Bulgaria. Keith McCormack started at right back, and had a decent game, but was beaten in the air by Middlesbrough's Stilian Petrov for the first goal. Bulgarian captain Valeri Bojinov, an amazingly talented 23-year-old striker, added a brace, and despite Damien Duff's second-half goal, Ireland would face the daunting task of overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the home leg.

The other World Cup matches saw Turkey win in Austria, 1-0, while Russia and Poland drew 2-2, and Spain drew at home against Romania, 1-1.

England declined to play a friendly on the date, which most of the country took as surprising - a match with an experimental lineup, giving fringe players a chance to impress before the World Cup would have been preferable, I'm sure. Wales beat Estonia, 3-0, Scotland took care of Norway 3-1, and Northern Ireland lost 0-2 to Slovenia.

In other matches that Sheffield fans might care about, David Rozehnal played a solid 30 minutes off the bench in the Czech Republic's 0-2 defeat in Germany. Iain Hume's fine form continued as he played with great authority in Canada's 4-0 victory over Antigua & Barbuda.

The worst news from the weekend's action came from Italy, where Australia fought Italy tough all the way in a 1-0 defeat. The bad news, for us, came in the 57th minute, when Hayden Foxe collided with Daniele Corvia, a fringe forward for the Italians. The central defender, captain of the Blades, cracked two ribs, and would miss the entire month of November!

I could only hope he'd be back in shape to play competitively by the December fixture congestion.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 10th November, 2009.

"This is why international friendlies should be done away with,"

wrote Rupert Wormwood, railing against Foxe's injury.

"There is no point in professional footballers, whose season is already packed with matches, to risk serious injury in meaningless encounters."

It was a re-hash of the ages-old club-versus-country row, and honestly Wormwood had had nothing to add to the commentary which hadn't been said more eloquently by those more talented than he. I certainly saw no reason to inflame the tabloids by adding any comments in response to his article, much as the writers might have hoped I might.

On Tuesday, the Under-21 friendlies resumed. Chris Brown again started in goal for Wales, his fourth start at the age of just 15. Though he did concede one goal, he looked competent and composed in front of 4,191 fans at Wrexham as Wales U-21s turned aside Saudi Arabia in stormy conditions - the match was postponed for over an hour due to the threat of lightning.

Joe Newell played an hour on the right wing for England U-21s, the first time he'd been played at his more natural spot on the wing, and was a commanding presence. The Young Lions were unable to find a chink in Slovenia's armour while he was on the pitch, and in fact left it for the 87th minute before Tranmere youth Scott Donnelly found the winner in a 1-0 match.

Scotland U-21s looked unconvincing in a 1-1 draw with Andorra, and thirty-five minutes from Darren Gibson failed to produce a single shot on goal. I'm not sure if I failed to bring out the best in him, or if he simply didn't have as much potential as I'd first thought, but he hasn't even managed to crack the Bolton starting lineup in the Championship this season, and its looking ever more like he'll be leaving on a free at the end of this year.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 11th November, 2009.

Keith McCormack's World Cup dream came to an end as Ireland were rebuffed by Bulgaria, 1-0, in Dublin. Anthony Gerrard's own goal made the aggregate 4-1, and McCormack watched the final thirty minutes from the bench as he was taken off for an extra attacker on the hour mark, not that it made much difference. It was a 'so close' moment, and Irish fans were perhaps more distraught than they would have been had the club simply come third in group play: somehow the miracle of overcoming Sweden to enter the playoffs had seemed to guarantee advancement, a notion the Bulgarians had apparently forgotten.

Poland shocked Russia, 2-1, in Warsaw, knocking the Bear out of the World Cup on a 4-3 aggregate. Spain advanced with a 2-0 win in Romania, though they left it until late in the second half to score both goals, while Turkey completed their dominance of Austria with a 2-0 home win for a 3-0 aggregate.

In friendly action, in-form Iain Hume finished off a brilliant ten-day run with a goal and an assist in 45-minutes, before coming off at halftime as I had requested. His performance was still enough for Man of the Match honours in Canada's 4-0 win over Bolivia, which was the first time that the attacking midfielder had won such acclaim internationally.

England piled in 3 quick goals against Slovenia, then coasted to a 3-0 victory. Wales couldn't put one past the Saudi keeper in a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, though the home side dominated proceedings. Scotland crushed Andorra 4-0, with four different players getting on the scoresheet. Northern Ireland beat Egypt 2-0, and the U.S.A. squeaked by lowly Barbados by a mere 2-1.

Not everyone can play for their country, of course, and a number of our fringe players were active in a Reserve match against Bolton Reserves. It was scoreless for eighty minutes before 17-year-old Michael Field broke the deadlock, and our lads were assured the 1-0 victory minutes later, when a frustrated Bolton side was reduced to ten men.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 13th November, 2009.

The international action continued on Friday with the final European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. For the teams that had qualified, it was the first game of a home-and-home, to be completed on Tuesday.

England's Young Lions had their home tie against France U-21s, and Joe Newell played all ninety minutes in a 2-2 draw. All four goals came in the first half, and though each side had plenty of chances in the second, in the end they headed to France with all to play for.

15-year-old goalkeeper Chris Brown made his fifth start for Wales U-21s, and was reportedly very disappointed to have conceded a goal to Slovakia, though the final was a 1-1 draw.

Ben Hammond returned to full training on Friday, and though I wouldn't be able to countenance getting him straight into the action on Sunday, I wanted to get him back to match fitness as quickly as possible.

Physio Martin Baverstock recommended that Keith McCormack miss the weekend's game, as he'd sprained his wrist against Bulgaria, and needed to keep it immobilized.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 15th November, 2009. Premier League - Game 14, vs West Bromwich Albion.

W.B.A. were a long ways removed from their 1920 First Division title, or their 4th-place finish in 1980/81. Their last two stays in the Premier League had been short and depressing, with far more defeats than games won or drawn. Last year, they'd won promotion via the Championship playoffs after finishing 5th, and were scraping to stay out of the relegation zone, hanging on to 16th by virtue of grit and determination more than skill - they featured the League's second-worst offense, and none of their players had scored more than 3 goals.

There were some holes in my lineup, as the season began to take its toll. Allan McGregor remained a stalwart in goal, and regulars Sean Dillon and David Rozehnal started the defensive line. Steve Foster would be in for the injured Foxe, while Danny Payne was the right back for the injured McCormack. Mathieu Berson started as the defensive midfielder, with Joe Hamill and Victor Sikora on the wings. Up front, I gave Bridge-Wilkinson the day off, hoping that might shock him out of his mysterious lethargy, and instead I named Bruno Cheyrou as the playmaker, with Iain Hume partnering him. Florent Sinama-Pongolle would stretch the West Brom defense as the sole striker.

Though W.B.A took the opening kickoff, Sinama-Pongolle made a statement, stealing it away within 20 seconds and earning a corner within 30. By the fourth minute, he had his first goal. Allan McGregor's goal kick cleared the halfway line, and Bruno Cheyrou leaped above West Brom captain Daniel Gabbidon to flick it on. The speedy striker chased it down, rounded John Page, and put it solidly into the back of the net to the delight of the 31,186 faithful. For Sinama-Pongolle it was his 12th goal in as many games, and for us, it was a 1-0 lead!

For the remainder of the first half, West Brom rarely looked like threatening. Fullback Mark González was their most threatening asset, coming close with two powerful long-range shots. He didn't come as close as Cheyrou did, however, when Sinama-Pongolle's cheeky short cross found him in the six, but his header kicked off the post, or from 20 yards when his shot just skimmed over the crossbar. Still, a 1-0 lead looked safe enough at halftime, and I doubted the weak West Brom offense would find a reply.

They proved me wrong just four minutes after the break, when Joe Cole's laser low cross from the left sideline picked out Jamie Wilson, a half-step ahead of Steve Foster. The 19-year-old striker, making his first-ever Premier League start, headed home to the near post. His first-ever goal for West Brom, and his first in the Premiership, pulled things level at 1 apiece.

Though there were still forty minutes to play, Paul Jewell dropped his lads back into a defensive shell, keeping men behind the ball at all times and dropping eleven back on corner kicks and the like. I tried switching to the slower, patient buildup, but even getting a shot off was rare, and none troubled John Page in goal. At the 77th minute, I switched to the 3-5-2, adding Peter Weatherson as the second striker for Sean Dillon, and replacing Iain Hume with Robert Cousins. A minute later, Mathieu Berson lay clutching his ankle or foot, and I had to use my final substitution, putting Joe Keenan on to play the defensive midfield role.

By the 88th minute, I was despairing of ever cracking the visitor's shell. W.B.A. were defending with ten men back at all times, and it looked like nothing would develop. Danny Payne, similarly growing frustrated, launched a 40-yard ball from just our side of the halfway line into the heavily-trafficked area in front of goal. It hardly constituted 'patient', but Weatherson positioned himself perfectly in front of Shaun Barker, and powered a header at goal from the arc. It looped up and over Page, standing on his six, and dropped in under the bar, an amazing strike which looked like giving us a 2-1 victory!!

Desperate West Brom threw men forward looking for an equalizer, and that inevitably left too much space at the back. A mere minute later, Joe Hamill raced up the left side with what was amazingly a 5-on-2 break. He had no trouble picking out the unmarked man in the area, Weatherson. Though the striker's effort was an odd, tumbling lob, it found the far post to make it 3-1!!

After the first goal, I'd switched back to the 4-5-1, with Keenan at left back and Cousins filling in at the defensive midfield role. In injury time, the youngster spotted a hole up the center of the West Brom defense. Berson might not have tried it, but he was too young to know it shouldn't work, and sailed a perfect pass through it. Some forty yards upfield, Weatherson had two yards on the tired, demoralized defenders, and was able to round Page and practically dribble the ball into the netting before rushing off to celebrate his hat trick with our delighted fans!!!

Sheffield United 4, West Bromwich Albion 1

Sinama-Pongolle 4, Weatherson 88, 90, 90; Wilson 49

MoM: Weatherson

For the second straight match, one of my susbtitutes was the Man of the Match. Peter Weatherson had played only fifteen minutes, if you count injury time!

The fans' incessant chanting and singing brought the hat-trick hero back out for a curtain call after the rest of the club had hit the dressing room, and a delighted Derek Dooley came down to shake his hand.

"You looked even better than I did in my playing days, lad!" the chairman enthused.

[Panpardus]

Originally posted by Amaroq:

Thanks, Spav, Pan. You guys have been tremendous support all this time. But Pan .. I was sitting in a bar the other day, coming to the end of a book, and a gentleman across the way from me asked "Don't you hate it when you come to the end of a book, or a series, because you want the story to keep going?"

Surely you don't want that, yet?

I would of turned around and told the man to mind his own effing business

And I think the ending is the best part of the book, it completes it and allows you to reflect on everything as a whole

[Guest flynner]

Originally posted by Panpardus:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amaroq:

Thanks, Spav, Pan. You guys have been tremendous support all this time. But Pan .. I was sitting in a bar the other day, coming to the end of a book, and a gentleman across the way from me asked "Don't you hate it when you come to the end of a book, or a series, because you want the story to keep going?"

Surely you don't want that, yet?

I would of turned around and told the man to mind his own effing business

And I think the ending is the best part of the book, it completes it and allows you to reflect on everything as a whole </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Guest flynner]

Originally posted by Panpardus:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amaroq:

Thanks, Spav, Pan. You guys have been tremendous support all this time. But Pan .. I was sitting in a bar the other day, coming to the end of a book, and a gentleman across the way from me asked "Don't you hate it when you come to the end of a book, or a series, because you want the story to keep going?"

Surely you don't want that, yet?

I would of turned around and told the man to mind his own effing business

And I think the ending is the best part of the book, it completes it and allows you to reflect on everything as a whole </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry bout the previous mess up!!

But i just wanted to say Don't Do It!!! KUPTGW

[Amaroq]

No worries on that score, flynner. I won't be rushed!! There's plenty more "in the can" and just waiting for me to post it.

Pan, yes, a good ending certainly does bind everything together and give you a whole to reflect upon.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 16th November, 2009.

"Marc, can we talk?"

I'd had enough of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson moping around, and I took him out of the dressing room after training to have a private chat in my office.

"Listen, son." As odd as it seemed to be calling a 30-year-old 'son', I did have six years on him.

"Do you know why I benched you against West Brom?"

My star playmaker looked like he was at a funeral. "I've an idea," he said.

"Let me be frank. You're the two-time Supporter's Player of the Year. They'd lynch me if I even thought about letting you go.

"But you've been moping around like a shadow of your former self, and I can't see any reason for it. You're still as professional as ever in training, but on the pitch, its just not translating. I know with Florent scoring as much as he has, you don't need to shoot as much as you used to, but he's got more assists than you do as well. What happened? Where's the magic gone?"

He glanced away, and I thought that his professionalism would re-assert itself - I could almost see the mask reasserting itself.. but then emotion began to play across his face, and by the time he spoke, it looked like he was struggling to hold back tears.

"Its my wife," he said, "Or rather, its me.. We're talking about getting a divorce."

As soon as he started, the words came tumbling out of him, and I could see why his performances on the pitch were struggling: he'd been bottling all of this up inside, and needed a shoulder to cry on, as it were, and advice from a friend. The gist of their trouble was simple: a relationship formed while in the lower leagues can struggle with the pressures of Premier League football.

Mix in a a wife feeling a bit neglected as her professional husband puts in extra hours studying game film at Bramall Lane, with a tabloid report showing Marc purportedly at a night club with some buxom Page Six girl gazing lovingly at him, add a million pounds-per-annum salary, and you had the marital equivalent of a molotov cocktail.

He insisted that, though perhaps he was at fault for all the film study, that he'd not been in the company of the blonde for more than sixty seconds. She'd tried the 'I'm a huge fan' line and been brushed off in record time. Somehow I can believe that - he seems too .. professional .. for that sort of thing!

Besides, I know how much a photograph can lie: there's one of me at my wedding, taken just as one of my wife's friends embraced me, which makes it look like she and I are diving in for a make-out session. As if I'd kiss another woman at my own wedding!

We talked until almost three in the morning, starting just after training and breaking out the Glenlivet after an hour or two.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 19th November, 2009.

I may have been a bit bleary-eyed at training Tuesday - but if it helped snap my playmaker out of his funk, it was a price well worth paying.

Peter Weatherson's hat trick heroics earned him selection to the Premier League Team of the Week despite not coming on until the 77th minute - quite a feat, and he'd netted all three goals in a five minute span.

Elsewhere, James Bradley scored in the first half of the Under-18 match against Crewe, but got sent off early in the second. His teammates picked him up, however, as Simon Blake, Gary Thomas, and David Parker all scored short-handed goals in a 4-0 thumping. Central defender Ross Crowe earned the first Man of the Match award of his U-18 career.

There was a brief patch of bad news from Tuesday's practice: defensive midfielder Mathieu Berson had stubbed his toe, and was doubtful for the weekend's match against West Ham.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 18th November, 2009.

There were two tournaments mid-week which I was following.

In Paris, England's Young Lions defeated France U-21s, 2-0, to qualify for the Finals of the European Under-21 Championship. Joe Newell again played ninety minutes on the wings, but it was Matthew Stevens and Gary Mortimer who found the net, the latter after France had been reduced to ten men for Perin Victor's second yellow card.

Wales U-21s looked to have booked their place in the finals with Cameron Jerome's goal, but Slovakia's captain beat Chris Brown - who put on a Man of the Match performance - in the 87th minute to send the match to extra time. With Wales reduced to ten men after a reckless challenge, Brown made save after save to force a penalty shootout, where he sensationally saved three of the four shots sent at him. Unfortunately, his teammates were unable to convert even a single effort from the spot, and Wales were sent crashing out on penalties, 1-0.

The Champions League, of course, drew more attention nationally. A scoreless draw in Benfica was enough to ensure that Middlesbrough would advance. A 3-3 draw - with two goals in the final minutes, one to put Basel ahead and the other for Paris Saint-Germain to equalize - in the other match meant the second spot was wide open for anyone to claim in the final match. Saint-Germain were in control of their own destiny: a win in Middlesbrough would give them first in the group.

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

Q 1 Middlesbrough 9 2 3 0 + 2

2 Paris Saint-Germain 6 1 3 1 0

3 Benfica 5 1 2 2 - 2

4 Basel 5 1 2 2 0</pre>

There had never been any doubt who was going to advance from Group F, and if they'd left it to the fifth match to lock it in mathematically, when they did Barcelona and Roma did so emphatically. Barcelona knocked in three goals in the first 20 minutes to see off Werder Bremen before 76,000 at the Nou Camp, while Roma did it on the road, dropping Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) by a 2-0 scoreline. The two sides would meet in Rome, where they would let their fringe players and youths decide who was top of the group.

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

Q 1 Barcelona 11 3 2 0 +10

Q 2 Roma 11 3 2 0 + 7

- 3 Loko (Plovdiv) 3 1 0 4 - 9

- 4 Werder Bremen 2 0 2 3 - 8</pre>

Arsenal had already booked their place in the Knockout Round, so their trip to Eindhoven was about blooding young players and getting fringe players into the action. 17-year-old fullback Matt Abbott scored his first professional goal, while Andrés D'Alessandro and Imre Szabics scored their first of the season, including a brace for Szabics. The defending was a bit more shaky than their fans were used to, conceding two, but in the end a 4-2 win over PSV was satisfactory. Fenerbahçe needed to win in Greece, and overcame a hat trick by Giannis Okkas to win 4-3, vaulting Olympiakos into second place in the group.

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

Q 1 Arsenal 15 5 0 0 +11

2 Fenerbahçe 7 2 1 2 - 2

3 Olympiakos 5 1 2 2 - 1

- 4 PSV 1 0 1 4 - 8</pre>

A.C. Milan had been the clear class of Group H, and they booked their place in the final round with a 2-1 win over FC København. Deportivo held a slim hope of catching Bayern Leverkusen for second, but a 2-2 draw between the sides had left the odds well and truly against them.

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

Q 1 A.C. Milan 13 4 1 0 + 8

2 Bayern Leverkusen 8 2 2 1 + 2

3 Deportivo 5 1 2 2 0

- 4 FC København 1 0 1 4 -10</pre>

Bayern München had already clinched not just qualifying for the next round, but first in their group, when they travelled to Milan to face Internazionale. They did Inter the honour of playing a full-strength lineup, but it was clear that Inter cared more, and a 3-1 result vaulted the Italian giant into second in the group despite their horrible start to group play. They were helped by Turkish side Trabzonspor beating Panathinaikos, 2-1. With Trabzonspor facing Inter in the final match, one of those two would claim second.

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

Q 1 Bayern München 12 4 0 1 + 5

2 Inter Milan 7 2 1 2 - 1

3 Trabzonspor 5 1 2 2 - 1

- 4 Panathinaikos 4 1 1 3 - 3</pre>

Chelsea's unbeaten run came to an end with a 1-0 home defeat to Sporting Club do Portugal - but Mourinho's men had already clinched advancement, and he played a much weakened lineup. Israeli side Maccabi Haifa booked their berth in the Knockout Round with a 1-0 win over Banik Ostrava that left the Czech side battling Sporting for the UEFA berth in the last match.

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

Q 1 Chelsea 12 4 0 1 + 9

Q 2 Maccabi Haifa 10 3 1 1 + 1

3 Sporting CP 4 1 1 3 - 5

4 Banik Ostrava 3 1 0 4 - 5</pre>

Futebol Clube do Porto exploded for five goals in Amsterdam, dooming Ajax to the bottom of the group with an exciting 5-3 victory in which eight different players scored. Coupled with Juventus' 3-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart, the Portugese side clinched second, with Stuttgart parachuting to the UEFA Cup.

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

Q 1 Juventus 13 4 1 0 + 7

Q 2 Porto 9 3 0 2 + 3

U 3 VfB Stuttgart 5 1 2 2 - 2

- 4 Ajax 1 0 1 4 - 8</pre>

The final group remained the most dramatic, with any of three clubs able to win the group or go crashing out in the final match. Liverpool beat MSK Zilina, 2-0, at New Anfield, ending the plucky Slovakian side's European dream with a Diego brace. In Spain, Valencia handed first-placed Olympique Lyonnais a 3-0 defeat that tumbled the French side to third and let Liverpool sneak into first. They would advance with a win or draw in their final match against Lyon, while Valencia needed at least a draw against Zilina to assure themselves a place in the final leg - should both top clubs lose, goal differential would decide their placing.

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

1 Valencia 9 2 3 0 + 4

2 Liverpool 9 2 3 0 + 3

3 Lyon 7 2 1 2 0

4 MSK Zilina 1 0 1 4 - 7</pre>

Locally, bad blood was obvious from the off in the Reserve match between our Reserves and Sheffield Wednesday Reserves. Robert Cousins was Man of the Match with a pair of goals, and narrowly missed a hat trick, but we finished up on nine men after Joe Keenan and Jon Paul McGovern were carted off injured. Wednesday finished on ten when the referee finally showed red, which had been warranted much earlier in the match.

Keenan merely bruised his shoulder, which might force him to miss Sunday's senior match, but McGovern had torn his hamstring. Surgery was indicated to prevent the Scot from re-injuring it, and he was looking at four months of physiotherapy, at least.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 22nd November, 2009. Premier League - Game 15, at West Ham United.

The table in front of us was so congested that a win in London could see us into third place. Only 3 points separated 3rd from 8th, with us in 7th. West Ham lay ninth, four points behind us. They were also a solid second in their UEFA Cup group, for which they'd qualified with a 7th place finish last season, their best since 2001/02. Last year's series had gone to the home side: we'd won, emphatically, 5-1 at Bramall Lane, while they beat us 3-1 at Upton Park. We caught them at a good time, with four players sidelined: Harry Kewell had missed the entire season thus far, while 10-goal striker Andrzej Niedzielan was only out for the one game. Right wing Dennis Rommedahl and left back Nicky Shorey, too, were missing, but that still left plenty of talent on the pitch for the Hammers.

Facing them, Allan McGregor stood in goal. Sean Dillon and David Rozehnal remained the anchors of his defense. 20-year-old Ben Hammond made his first start of the season, for our disabled captain, and Danny Payne continued to man the right side for the injured McCormack. With those depletions in the back row, I didn't want to start Steve Newton at defensive midfield, but Berson was still recovering from his stubbed toe. Joe Hamill had firmly claimed the left wing, with Victor Sikora on the right. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson returned to the starting lineup alongside Iain Hume, and even a hat-trick by his understudy couldn't dislodge Florent Sinama-Pongolle from the striker position.

With a national television audience looking on, the lads came out to play their best, and we looked by far the stronger side in the opening minutes - in fact, for the first 13, the play was entirely in the West Ham end, and American keeper Brad Friedel was lucky to deny Florent-Sinama-Pongolle from the corner of the six. The home side began to fight back, earning a respite with a series of free kicks down around our area, but Ben Hammond looked very strong, making a key tackle on number two scorer Robert Vittek in the area.

Nineteen minutes were gone when Sinama-Pongolle, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, and Iain Hume demonstrated the military philosophy of 'local superiority'. West Ham had four defenders back against the three attackers, but their fullbacks stayed too wide to help out the central defenders, making it effectively a 3-on-2 up the middle of the pitch. When Sinama-Pongolle reached Hume's through ball unmarked, there could be only one result, and we took a 1-0 lead!

Whatever their problem was, manager Alan Irvine failed to correct it, and our counter-attack in the 26th minute turned into another 3-on-2 up the middle. Again, Hume's final touch put Sinama-Pongolle free. A wonderful fake got Friedel moving left, and when Sinama-Pongolle fired back to his left, the aging netminder could do nothing about it. It was 2-0, and nobody would have bet against the striker finishing his hat trick at the time.

If Hammond made one error on the afternoon, it came on the half hour mark, when he let Vittek slip free behind him. Nobody had the pace to catch the Slovakian international, but our last line of defense, Allan McGregor, made a great save that seemed to take the wind out of the home side's sails. After that, it was solid central defending, as David Marek Rozehnal was inspired to play up to the level of his younger partner, and as the match rolled through halftime and the hour mark, it became increasingly unlikely that the Hammers would find a way back into it.

Much as I wanted to see Sinama-Pongolle get his hat trick, I also couldn't risk injury, and over a seven-minute period I brought him off for Peter Weatherson, Bridge-Wilkinson off for Bruno Cheyrou, and Victor Sikora off for loanee Darren White. Cheyrou should have scored the third, when he was perfectly set up in the box without opposition, but he blazed it over.

In the 77th minute, the wisdom of the substitutions was amply demonstrated; White was forced off injured. That could have given inspiration to a different side, but West Ham looked tired and out of ideas, and even a brief two-man advantage when Steve Newton had to leave the pitch for treatment was unable to spark their attack. Five long minutes of injury time were needed, but in the end, the 2-0 result was a fine result!

West Ham United 0, Sheffield United 2

----; Sinama-Pongolle 19, 26

MoM: Sinama-Pongolle

"Fabulous, lads, fabulous!"

It really says something to the players when the Chairman is willing to make the road trips with them, and stumps around the locker room on one leg, sharing in their delight with the excitement of a lad.

The fantastic Florent Sinama-Pongolle was, of course, Man of the Match.

[Damien77]

Great run of form. Hope that it can continue.

[Amaroq]

Thanks, D!

[Amaroq]

Monday, 23rd November, 2009.

After congratulating the players, I moved on to visit the physio room. Youngster Darren White was off to hospital for x-rays, as physio Martin Baverstock suspected he'd cracked his ribs. If that turned out to be the case, the 19-year-old would be out until just around Christmas.

"I think he's somewhat prone to injury," Baverstock warned. "That really shouldn't have been so bad."

Also on his table, and perhaps of more concern, was right back Danny Payne, who had twisted his ankle during the lengthy injury time. He was currently getting it iced; it wasn't until the next day that Baverstock was able to estimate perhaps two to three weeks and a high-ankle strain.

The next day's paper was a joy to read.

Blades in Title Hunt

Many expected the Blades to be battling relegation this season, but that has not proved to be the case. Indeed, after their 2-0 win over West Ham yesterday, the club now find themselves involved in a title race.

It would be a major surprise if they were still to be there come the end of the season.

While their recent form has been fantastic, a team with their limited resources will surely not be able to keep it up until the end of the campaign.

I wouldn't characterize ourselves as 'in the title hunt', seven points back of Chelsea, and nine shy of Arsenal, but we're definitely in the hunt for a Champions League spot, right there with Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Middlesbrough.

As if the glowing press wasn't enough accolade, Florent Sinama-Pongolle was named to the Premier League Team of the Week for the fourth time on the season.

In other news, 61-year-old David Hay, formerly of Scottish side Dunfermline, has been named the new manager of Fulham.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 28th November, 2009.

The ball floated across the training ground, and I winced as I saw Marc Bridge-Wilkinson rise to meet it. There's a reason they call that kind of aerial service into traffic a 'hospital pass', and with two central defenders unused to each other, they both responded to meet it. As though in slow motion, I saw my playmaker sandwiched between Ben Hammond and David Rozehnal, two big fellows, and the three fell in a tangled heap. The crunch of breaking bone was unmistakable - and with the worst fixture congestion of the season just around the corner, it was the worst time to be losing the two-times-running Supporter's Player of the Year.

I left training in the hands of Stuart McCall, and went down to the hospital to learn the verdit. A broken collarbone was the diagnosis, and Bridge-Wilkinson would be out at least two months, if not more.

In one of the worst displays of insensitivity I've ever seen, Phil Davidson showed up in my office the next day to complain about playing time. Now 21, he'd just returned to the club after a three-month loan to League One side Bristol Rovers. He'd started 12 matches, with 1 assist and 1 Man of the Match award, but told me that playing at that level had taught him very little, and turning out for the reserves was doing even less for him.

"I heard about Marc," he said, "Its a real shame. But I can't help thinking, if that's not enough for me to break into the first team, maybe I should be thinking about playing elsewhere."

I was, quite frankly, dumbfounded. Had he no sense of common decency? I'm afraid I couldn't quite give him a reply, I was so astounded.

Also returning to the side was goalkeeper Stephen Cummins, after seeing a specialist to deal with his strained ankle ligaments, and young forward Scott Lee.

In other news from around the world of football, the F.A. Cup Second Round took place today, and I got a flash of nostalgia when I heard the biggest giant-killing... non-League side The University of Bath, a.k.a. 'Team Bath', had beaten Welsh side Swansea City. If you don't remember, Team Bath knocked off my old club Lancaster back in 2005, and had then faced my York City side with a berth in the Third Round at stake. We'd beaten them 6-0, but I was glad to see the plucky youngsters make it to the Third Round this time. How ironic would it be if I drew them again?

Iain Hume was off on international duty, as Canada faced Lebanon in the playoffs between the fourth-placed CONCACAF team and the Asia bridesmaids for the last World Cup 2010 spot. It was a home-and-home series, and the first leg was in Edmonton. Hume was the best player on the Canadian side, but Lebanon took a vicious, hard-tackling approach which saw three Canadians carted off. They didn't manage a single shot on target, but kept Canada from netting either in a scoreless draw, and would have every chance with the home leg to follow.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 29th November, 2009. Premier League - Game 16, vs Charlton Athletic.

We'd had good luck against Charlton last season, with a win at home, and a draw on the road. That they were in tenth now or had finished ninth last year wasn't intimidating, as we stood in sixth. What was intimidating was Nicolas Anelka in incredible form, with 15 goals, 8 of them in the UEFA Cup, and the idea that they were unbeaten in group play thus far. In fact, for the past month, their record in all competitions was 4 wins, 3 draws, and no losses, with 18 goals scored and only three conceded. That's a bit more intimidating!

Facing them were the best eleven I could manage, starting with Allan McGregor in goal. Sean Dillon, David Rozehnal, and Ben Hammond started out the defense, and Keith McCormack returned to the lineup at right back. Mathieu Berson was back as the defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte got a rare start at left wing, with Victor Sikora on the right. Up front, with Bridge-Wilkinson injured and Hume away on international duty, it was my second choice: Bruno Cheyrou as the playmaker, with Joe Newell as the 'shooter'. Florent Sinama-Pongolle, averaging more than a goal a game, was up front.

We started off so brilliantly, forcing Charlton back to defend and peppering their goal with shots. By the fourth minute, Joe Newell had seen a long shot saved, with another shot blocked in a packed penalty area, and Jonathan Forte's volley had sailed high and wide. Once they had their footing under them, however, the visitors settled, then began to look the more dangerous side.

For ten minutes, they dominated play, coming ever closer, with Nicolas Anelka shooting over, Jimmy Bullard's shot saved from 30 yards, and then Nigerian striker Yakubu hitting side netting after Anelka's great service. By the fifteenth minute, it was clear that it wasn't going to end scoreless, and honestly my question was whether Anelka or Florent Sinama-Pongolle would end the deadlock!

In the 29th minute, the question was answered. David Marek wandered out of position to cover Yakubu, who Ben Hammond had tightly covered. That left Anelka wide open, and there was no way for Mathieu Berson or Keith McCormack to cover the Czech star's mistake. Bullard's pass hit the French superstar in stride, and Allan McGregor was hopelessly stranded. It was an awful mental gaffe, and one which wound up costing us the game.

By halftime, Charlton had fallen back to a very defensive 4-5-1, leaving Anelka alone up top but utterly clogging the middle of the pitch with five midfielders. On offense, they were content to pass it around the back four for extended periods, tiring out our chasing players, and try as I might, nothing seemed to get through that midfield. The long ball was dealt with competently by their defense, short passing was eaten up in midfield, and switching first to the patient 4-5-1, then to the 3-5-2, seemed to make no difference.

The crowd of 32,597, just shy of capacity, grew restless, then impatient, and I heard boos from the terraces for the first time in many matches. Not that I could blame them; I'd have sworn we didn't even manage a shot the entire second half. We must have - we finished with 8 on the game, and Charlton keeper Tim Wiese was Man of the Match. He'd shown just why he's Germany's starting keeper, and why Charlton were willing to sell Roy Carroll to us.

Sheffield United 0, Charlton Athletic 1

----; Anelka 29

MoM: Wiese (Charlton GK)

No hearty 'Well done' from Derek Dooley this time; there wasn't a man in the locker room who was happy with our performance, and I couldn't help but hope that this wasn't an indicator of how we'd play throughout Bridge-Wilkinson's absence.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 30th November, 2009.

The F.A. Cup Third Round draw took place Monday afternoon, and I had to put up with a TV crew in the bar near the board room. Its a fine place to sit with friends and watch the televised proceedings, though the suspense was cut relatively short: we were one of the first balls drawn. It was to be an away tie, to Swindon Town, who were languishing in 18th in League One, not quite relegation material but not the safest of draws, either.

There were four non-League sides left. Yorkshire Conference side Harrogate Town earned a home tie against Championship squad Wigan Athletic. Slough Town, a division below the Conference North even, hit the jackpot, drawing a home tie against Newcastle United that should pack 5,000-seat Wexham Park Stadium, and might provide the financial impetus for promotion. University side Team Bath drew, against all the odds, the fourth non-League side, Conference mid-table side Southend United. One of them would be through to the Fourth Round, duplicating my feat with York City!

On the pitch, our Under-18s absolutely dismantled Wrexham U-18s with a 6-0 performance at Saltergate. Winger Andy Lee was denied a hat trick only because his first was officially deemed an own goal, so he had to settle for a brace. Michael Field added a brace of his own, and captain David Parker scored the sixth. Right wing Chris Rowe was the Man of the Match, though I didn't see anything special in his performance, certainly not next to the three-goal, one-assist performance Lee had put in from the opposite side!

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 1st December, 2009.

We'd played only three matches in November, with two wins and a defeat. That had moved us up from 7th to 6th, at least for the moment, though many of the teams in the top half of the table had a game in hand. Some had two.

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

1 Arsenal 38 12 2 1 44 8 +36 (15)

2 Chelsea 36 10 6 0 34 6 +28 (16)

3 Manchester United 30 8 6 1 21 8 +13 (15)

4 Newcastle United 29 8 5 2 37 17 +20 (15)

5 Liverpool 29 9 2 2 16 7 + 9 (13)

6 Sheffield United 26 7 5 4 30 16 +14 (16)

7 Middlesbrough 25 7 4 5 28 21 + 7 (16)

8 Blackburn 23 6 3 5 26 31 - 5 (15)

9 Charlton Athletic 21 6 3 5 24 20 + 4 (14)

10 West Ham United 19 6 1 8 27 29 - 2 (15)

11 Aston Villa 18 4 6 6 18 22 - 4 (16)

12 Crystal Palace 18 5 3 8 16 27 -11 (16)

13 Portsmouth 16 4 4 8 17 31 -14 (16)

14 Fulham 15 3 6 7 19 27 - 8 (16)

15 Manchester City 15 4 3 9 18 31 -13 (16)

16 Everton 15 4 3 9 14 28 -14 (16)

17 West Brom Albion 14 3 5 8 13 25 -12 (16)

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

18 Ipswich Town 13 3 4 9 9 32 -23 (16)

19 Southampton 12 3 3 9 19 29 -10 (15)

20 Leicester 11 2 5 8 16 31 -15 (16)</pre>

Perhaps more impressive to me than the position in the league table was the fact that we had the fourth most goals in the Premier League. My long-term focus to defense hadn't wavered: we were still starting the defensive 4-5-1, and had the fifth-best defense, but Florent Sinama-Pongolle was having an absolutely magical season, and after placing third in the 'Player of the Month' voting, he was alone atop the scoring table for the first time all season:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1 Florent Sinama-Pongolle 14 Sheffield United France

2 Fernando Cavenaghi 13 Newcastle United Argentina

3 = Dean Ashton 11 Middlesbrough England

3 = Ivica Olic 11 Arsenal Croatia

5 Andrzej Niedzielan 9 West Ham United Poland

6 Claudio Pizarro 8 Arsenal Peru</pre>

The board, of course, remained delighted - the prospect of battling for a European berth hadn't really been seriously discussed before, but now it was the topic of conversation. I was queried thoroughly by Terry Robinson regarding my plans for the £12M transfer budget at my disposal and the January transfer window. That was down to £9M after you removed the three transfers I had coming in, Roy Carroll, Jermaine Pennant, and a youngster, but that should still be enough to bring in at least one difference-maker, in Robinson's mind.

I'm not so sure - I'd had little luck with the 'dramatic upgrade' policy over the summer. Still, I promised to see what I could do.

On the financial side, with only two home games, we'd lost a further £1.2M. Our wage budget was more than last season, but the thing that was really killing us was the tax money associated with the Premier League television revenue. Last year, we'd paid £384,000 total in tax for the year, while this season was seeing an outflow of £528,000 per month, which had already totaled £3.2M. This, I think, was the big downside of applying this year's television revenue against last year's profit-and-loss: we'd been flagged as having a net profit of £15.3M, which was grossly off - without moving the TV revenue, we'd have had a net profit of £1.5M, so we were being taxed something like ten times more than we 'should' have been.

That was making it hard to justify spending transfer budget on players: we were already down to a profit of £1.6M for the season, and with the January transfers and another operating loss from December, we'd be negative and sinking quickly the rest of the season. The bank balance could handle it - a healthy £24.5M was earning us nearly £0.5M annually in interest alone - but I felt uncomfortable spending the sort of money Robinson was asking me to.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 2nd December, 2009.

Things started swimmingly for Canada when Ryan Gyaki netted after less than four minutes in Beirut, an away goal which looked crucial after the 0-0 draw in Edmonton. A World Cup berth was in their grasp, but things went downhill quickly, as Lebanon netted three goals before halftime, and held on with a hard-tackling gritty performance that saw Iain Hume finish with a bruised shoulder. Canada were reduced to ten men after Paul Stalteri's cracked ribs. The 3-1 defeat put a cruel end to their World Cup dreams.

For Lebanon, it was a dream come true, the ultimate tale of a tiny club making it to the World Cup when nobody but nobody had picked them to even come close. Disney was reportedly on hand to purchase the movie rights within hours of the final whistle.

In other news, the Champions League group play finished up - some groups had more drama than others.

In Group A, the question was whether Inter Milan could complete their amazing comeback: they would need a win or a draw in Trabzon against the Turkish side Trabzonspor. Diomansy Kamara of Senegal was the hero for the Italian club, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win that saw them through to the Knockout Round with 9 points from the last three games after securing only 1 point from the first three! Bayern München embarassed Panathinaikos 4-0, which meant that Trabzonspor salvaged the UEFA Cup spot.

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

Q 1 Bayern München 15 5 0 1 + 9

Q 2 Inter Milan 10 3 1 2 0

U 3 Trabzonspor 5 1 2 3 - 2

4 Panathinaikos 4 1 1 4 - 7</pre>

In Group B, Sporting Club do Portugal took the UEFA Cup spot with a 1-0 home win over Czech side Banik Ostrava, while the already qualified sides of Chelsea and Maccabi Haifa played a fairly lacklustre 1-1 draw in Israel.

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

Q 1 Chelsea 13 4 1 1 + 9

Q 2 Maccabi Haifa 11 3 2 1 + 1

U 3 Sporting CP 7 2 1 3 - 4

4 Banik Ostrava 3 1 0 5 - 6</pre>

Group C's finishing order was already set in stone, and the last matches were simply for pride. Juventus' B team beat Porto, 2-0, away, while VfB Stuttgart sent Ajax packing without a single win after a 1-0 game.

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

Q 1 Juventus 16 5 1 0 + 9

Q 2 Porto 9 3 0 3 + 1

U 3 VfB Stuttgart 8 2 2 2 - 1

4 Ajax 1 0 1 5 - 9</pre>

Liverpool's fate was in their own hands as they traveled to Lyon: a win or a draw against the French champions would see them through. The Reds got off to the worst possible start, conceding two goals in the first thirty minutes, and despite a brave second half which saw Luis García claw one back, the 2-1 loss put Lyon through and left Liverpool hoping MSK Zilina had one more upset in them. The Slovakian side did not, and Valencia's 1-0 win dropped Liverpool into the UEFA Cup.

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

Q 1 Valencia 12 3 3 0 + 5

Q 2 Lyon 10 3 1 2 + 1

U 3 Liverpool 9 2 3 1 + 2

4 MSK Zilina 1 0 1 5 - 8</pre>

Middlesbrough were already through to the next round, but even so kept a clean sheet at The Riverside Stadium, blanking a Paris Saint-Germain side that needed a win to guarantee their berth in the Round of 16. With a draw there, the winner of Basel vs Benfica, played concurrently in Swizerland, would advance, but they battled to an exciting 2-2 match which put Paris through after all.

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

Q 1 Middlesbrough 10 2 4 0 + 2

Q 2 Paris St-Germain 7 1 4 1 0

U 3 Benfica 6 1 3 2 - 2

4 Basel 6 1 3 2 0</pre>

Barcelona and Roma had already guaranteed their places, so their Group F encounter was solely for the pride of placing tops, an honour which Barcelona clearly wanted more despite 82,000 supporters cheering on the Romans. The 2-1 final appeared closer than it was - the Roma goal came on a soft injury time penalty. In Germany, the match between Werder Bremen and Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) would determine the UEFA Cup spot, which the Bulgarians secured with a 1-0 victory.

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

Q 1 Barcelona 14 4 2 0 +11

Q 2 Roma 11 3 2 1 + 6

U 3 Loko (Plovdiv) 6 2 0 4 - 8

4 Werder Bremen 2 0 2 4 - 9</pre>

Arsenal completed the tournament's only unbeaten, untied group stage with a 2-0 victory over Olympiakos at Emirates Stadium. They'd only lost twice all season, once in the EPL, and once in the League Cup. Fenerbahçe inked their place in the elimination rounds with a 2-0 win over last-placed PSV.

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

Q 1 Arsenal 18 6 0 0 +13

Q 2 Fenerbahçe 10 3 1 2 0

U 3 Olympiakos 5 1 2 3 - 3

4 PSV 1 0 1 5 -10</pre>

Bayern Leverkusen needed at least a draw against FC København, and they wasted no time jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a 4-0 victory. 33-year-old Brazilian forward França was the star of the show, netting all four goals personally, an outstanding individual performance. They turned out not to need the result after all, as A.C. Milan had beaten Deportivo, 2-0.

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

Q 1 A.C. Milan 16 5 1 0 +10

Q 2 Bayern Leverkusen 11 3 2 1 + 6

U 3 Deportivo 5 1 2 3 - 2

4 FC København 1 0 1 5 -14</pre>

In England, a wonderful four-goal performance from Fernando Cavenaghi had seen Florent Sinama-Pongolle knocked from the Premier League goalscorer's lead, as the Newcastle Argentinian moved ahead 17 to 14 with United's 6-2 pounding of West Ham.

Miserable conditions - freezing rain - characterized our Reserve battle with Coventry Reserves, a 1-0 defeat. The goal came through Stern John, languishing in the Reserves near the end of his career, while the Man of the Match was none other than Steve Harper, who had been our number-two goalkeeper last year.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 5th December, 2009. Premier League - Game 17, at Fulham.

A full schedule - six matches - in December kicked off with a trip to my favorite venue, London's Craven Cottage. Fulham hadn't won a game since the 17th of October, which meant that new manager David Hay was still in search of his first Premier League victory. I remembered what that was like, though it had been harder for me to get my second than my first. After finishing 9th, co-equal with their best ever finish, in 2007/08, the Cottagers had slipped subtly southwards, to finish 11th last season, and were lurking in 14th now, only 2 points clear of a relegation place. That they were pounded with injury, and would not be able to play Claus Jensen, Richard Foster, Chris Kirkland, Stephen Carr, Barry Ferguson, or Christopher Eagles, both explained their poor form and made me determined to pick up full points with Liverpool and Manchester United our next two opponents.

I started what was quickly becoming my standard lineup: Allan McGregor in goal, of course. Sean Dillon mde his 200th career league appearance in the back line, with David Rozehnal and 20-year-olds Ben Hammond and Keith McCormack. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, with Joe Hamill and Victor Sikora on the wings. Bruno Cheyrou would provide the creative spark in midfield, with Robert Cousins as his partner. Florent Sinama-Pongolle, now the number two scorer in the League, was the lone striker.

It was a wet night in London, that sort of slowly falling mist-rain which doesn't bring out the umbrellas, but beads up on your coat and hat. Hay brought his lads out in a very attacking style, which opened them up for our preferred counter-attack, and that made for a wide open match right from the off. 21,267 Craven Cottage fans were getting their money's worth within three minutes, as both keepers had a save, and Fulham had earned a corner. Just past four minutes, Adam Watts took a throw-in along our right sideline, about even with the 18. He dropped it back for Amdy Moustapha Faye, and the Senegalese midfielder whipped a low cross to DaMarcus Beasley at the back post. The American fired back to the near post, and Allan McGregor, moving the wrong way, couldn't recover. Just that quickly, we were down 0-1!

Most Premiership managers would have been content to start playing defense, but Hay kept at it in the Scottish style: he was at home, and he wanted to build the lead. The wide-open style of play, end-to-end, kept up through the entire first half, and it was a miracle neither side scored. Jonathan Stead was really giving Sean Dillon fits, as his pace was overwhelming the Scottish fullback. Fulham seemed to earn a corner kick every three minutes or so, though we did well to avert all of them. We had our moments of danger up front, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle stopped three times by desperation tackles from the last man, and Robert Cousins coming oh-so-close from the 18 only to see it saved.

At halftime, Cousins and Victor Sikora were both limping, so I brought them off for Joe Newell and, making his first appearance of the season, 19-year-old Simon Blake. I also installed the 'patient buildup' 4-5-1, expecting to need to break down a defense after the break. To my surprise, Hay switched to a 4-3-3, as though desperate to get a second goal. The crowd loved it, and so did his players: it was a real vote of confidence from the manager, and they flowed forward in attack. Hay's insistence on the 4-3-3 paid off in the 66th minute, as his three forwards made a 3-on-4 breakaway. We had the numbers, but Clinton Morrison beat Keith McCormack to the corner to send in the cross, and Stead beat David Rozehnal to the near post to head home, and make it 0-2.

I felt resigned to another defeat, but switched to the patient build-up 3-5-2. Sure enough, Hay had fallen back to a more defensive 4-4-2. I'd been forced to make my last substitution twelve minutes earlier, when Joe Hamill was stretchered off, which meant I had Joe Keenan on the left wing, and couldn't bring another striker on. Instead, I moved Joe Newell up front. In the 79th minute Keenan spotted Newell's run and played him a lovely 40-yard-pass. The 20-year-old was in behind the last line of the defense, and three defenders desperately tried to close down on him, leaving Bruno Cheyrou unmarked racing towards the back post. Newell's low pass across the mouth of the goal didn't quite catch the Frenchman in stride, but there was no harm in his waiting for the pass, as nobody was anywhere near him. From six yards, his left foot was never going to miss, and he made it 1-2.

It was a lifeline back into the match, but Fulham took the resultant kickoff, and marched straight down the field. Left wing Beasley played a ball into space at the near post, just as Rozehnal drifted away from it to cover Nicky Steer, who Dillon had well in hand. It was the second such mental blunder for him in consecutive games, and again it cost us a goal. Stead raced into the space he'd vacated and punished McGregor with a wicked shot to make it a two-goal margin yet again.

Honestly, that knocked all the remaining fight out of us. Though I kept the lads pushing forward in the 3-5-2, Fulham's counter-attack looked more dangerous than our build-up. Young Blake was reasonably composed, but did nothing to impress, and we couldn't get the ball to the feet of Sinama-Pongolle, who drew constant double-coverage. There was one added insult in injury time, when Newell drilled a spectacular 30-yard shot into the top-left corner. It was a beautiful strike, though with 93:30 on the clock, it could not have materially changed the outcome... but he was ruled offsides before receiving the ball, and it wouldn't count.

The final whistle put us out of our misery, and, as Joe Kinnear had done for me, I put on a big smile for David Hay as I walked across to shake his hand and congratulate him on his first Premier League win.

Fulham 3, Sheffield United 1

Beasley 5, Stead 66, 80; Cheyrou 79

MoM: Faye (Fulham DMC)

Amdy Moustapha Faye, the 32-year-old defensive midfielder from Senegal, was named Man of the Match, which I found very odd, as I hadn't seen much from him; surely DaMarcus Beasley and Jonathan Stead had had more impact on the game.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 6th December, 2009.

"I congratulated him on his first win, he's worked as hard as anybody."

"Can you tell us about the injuries, Mister Richards?"

It was the post-game interview, and I was waiting for the hard questions. I knew there should be some, after a 3-1 defeat.

"We were lucky; nobody was seriously injured. Victor Sikora just twisted his ankle a bit, I think he'll be able to play by Saturday, though of course he'll be banned for one match due to all his yellow cards. Both Robert Cousins and Joe Hamill have injured wrists, a sprain and a strain respectively, which would keep them out for about a week, so I expect all three to miss the Liverpool game."

"Who will play in their place?"

"Well, on the wings, it'll be Graham Allen and Jonathan Forte. I haven't decided who will partner Bruno Cheyrou at attacking midfield, probably Iain Hume or Joe Newell, whoever has a better week in practice."

"Do you care to comment about the refereeing?"

"No, Mister Styles called a fair, clean match, and I don't think any of his decisions were too controversial."

"What about Florent Sinama-Pongolle? He's been in sensational form recently, and its rumored that Newcastle and some other larger clubs are interested in him. Are you confident of keeping hold of him?"

Mentally, I winced - there was the question I'd been dreading. I couldn't dance around the question much longer, but in front of the assembled London media was the worst place to have that conversation.

"He's been superb, I'll agree with that," I started, temporizing while I arranged my thoughts. "I'd say it would take an extortionate fee to pry him away from the club."

[Spav]

Originally posted by Damien77:

Great run of form. Hope that it can continue.

Two defeats since you posted that, Damien.

[sherm]

Just caught up Amaroq, excellent as ever

KUTGW

[Amaroq]

at Spav. It was unlucky timing, that, Damien.

sherm, thank you, kindly!

[Amaroq]

Monday, 7th December, 2009.

"I think that was the right answer," Stuart told me the next day.

The press hadn't made a huge deal about it, this side of the tabloids.

Did you know Real Madrid had made a £40M offer for Sinama-Pongolle?

Neither did I, because it wasn't remotely true. It was fully double the fee which would trigger his release clause!

"I had a chat with him this morning," Stuart says, "He says he felt reassured by your comments, and assured me that the Real thing was nothing but hot air."

In Sydney, Hayden Foxe's Australia was trying to become the 32nd and last country to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, in a playoff against the strong Colombia side. To the great confusion of the Australian media, they'd come out in a 3-5-2, after running a 4-4-2 in every other qualifying match. Though Foxe himself had played well, the defense wasn't sufficient, and Colombia had two goals before halftime - one a stunning 30-yard effort from Inter Milan midfielder Freddy Guarín.

Though a penalty by Harry Kewell drew a goal back in the 79th minute, Australia would need two goals in the replay thanks to the away goals rule.

On another pitch, our Under-18s had earned yet another victory, this time 3-0 over Notts County. Gary Thomas scored twice, and substitute striker Jake Giles added a third after Steven Howard was sent off for a second yellow. Defensive midfielder Steven White won Man of the Match, having made a fair bid towards keeping the ball out of the back four entirely!

Unfortunately, one of the few times it got past him, young left back Chris McKenzie suffered a strained neck, and would miss at least a week, probably two.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 10th December, 2009.

.. Their poor showing against Fulham has given nobody connected with the team any confidence, and given their December schedule, there is little hope of a turnaround. The Blades start with Liverpool on Saturday, and then have to face 3rd-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford. The 'easiest' matches, if you can call them that, are away to resurgent Aston Villa, in 9th, followed by a home tie to on-form Southampton, whose 13th place belies their recent 2-goals-per-game form. With 4th-placed Newcastle to follow, and league leaders Arsenal their first opponents of January, Sheffield United will be very lucky to take four points in the next month.

Rupert Wormwood was up to his usual tricks, downplaying our chances. If I had anything to be grateful for, it was that he forwent the pleasure of naming me as the root of all evil.

I tossed the paper aside: I had worse problems. The situation at attacking midfielder was quickly approaching disaster: Juan Carlos Valerón broke his nose in training yesterday, and I'd have to blood one of the youngsters on Wednesday against Manchester United.

Gary Thomas and Phil Davidson each made their case for the opportunity in the mid-week Reserve match at Nottingham Forest, with Thomas scoring his eighth goal of the season, and Davidson scoring and earning Man of the Match honours. As though to remind me not to forget him, Mike Flynn added a goal and an assist, with young forward Michael Field scoring the final goal in a 4-1 win. Winger Andy Lee, making his first Reserve start after a time in the U-18s, failed to impress, getting sent off for a second yellow in the final minutes.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 12th December, 2009. Premier League - Game 18, vs Liverpool.

A rough three-match stretch began at home with Liverpool, followed by away games to Manchester United and Aston Villa. This was our first meeting with the fifth-placed Reds after four last year: a friendly draw, a League Cup match which we'd won, then a pair of 2-goal defeats in the Premiership matches. It had been almost 20 years since Liverpool won the title, and they were coming off of finishes of 6th and 4th the past two seasons, under Arsene Wenger. The hiring of Javier Clemente after his awful term at Villa had surprised me, but he'd done well enough for them this season. He was doing it with defense, as usual, but with Liverpool's offense, they'd won their fair share of matches.

Allan McGregor, despite his poor form against Fulham, was the first name I penciled into the lineup. Sean Dillon and Keith McCormack were the fullbacks, but at centre back, after two consecutive mental mistakes, I had to bench Rozehnal; instead, Hayden Foxe and Ben Hammond would man the center. Matheiu Berson was the defensive midfielder, and the wings, as promised, featured Jonathan Forte and Graham Allen. My attacking midfield partnered Joe Newell with Bruno Cheyrou. Florent Sinama-Pongolle made his 16th start at striker, as many as my top defenders had made to this point of the season.

Given Clemente's defensive proclivities, and the fact that we were at home, I decided to come out with the 'patient buildup' 4-5-1, and see what developed with my players looking to score, but doing it with a slow tempo. It felt like the right move in the 4th minute when Jonathan Forte's pass slipped Florent Sinama-Pongolle into the area. His shot, from a mere 12 yards, deflected off of Jamie Carragher, and a desperate Paul Robinson, the England keeper, palmed it away. Two minutes later, a lovely exchange between Sinama-Pongolle and Bruno Cheyrou ended with a lovely through ball from the playmaking midfielder that put the Premier League's leading goalscorer into the area alone. The crowd of 32,955 rose to their feet in unison, but his shot struck side netting.

That isn't to say the results were entirely one-sided. Ben Hammond did well to block Steven Gerrard's shot, but around the ten-minute mark, his inexperience resulted in a great chance for Liverpool. Robinson had struck a long, high goal kick, and Hammond battled Edú for it as it came down. The young defender was boxed out, and Edú was away, having played a flick-on header into space for himself. He looked certain to score, but a flying desperate tackle by captain Hayden Foxe averted early disaster.

That wasn't my only early problem: by the 15th minute, Cheyrou was limping, and with my attacking midfield corps already depleted, I took a chance, leaving him on. Diego's long shot right on 20 minutes caused havoc, as Allan McGregor could only push it away. Liverpool striker Adam Joyce was there to capitalize on the rebound, but Keith McCormack showed why he's Ireland's bright hope at right back, nicking in to boot it away.

The half was full of action, and near the half-hour mark, Sean Dillon's throw-in from deep on the left sideline opened a brilliant opportunity for us. Forte flicked it on with his head, finding Sinama-Pongolle in the area, double-covered and with his back to goal. He turned and played it along, in one continuous motion, for Graham Allen, who was wide open at the far post. With not a yellow jersey anywhere near him, he had time to settle, but instead the 22-year-old rushed his delivery, sending it wide of the far post to Robinson's visible relief - the Liverpool defense got an earful for leaving a man unmarked 12 yards from goal.

We would go scoreless to the break, but just a minute before the halftime whistle, Carragher's hard sliding challenge in the Liverpool area left Bruno Cheyrou writhing on the ground, clutching at his right leg. He had to be stretchered off, and young Gary Thomas trotted on for his first appearance of the season.

At halftime, I told the lads to continue what they were doing, and we'd surely score: we were playing a good team very close, and in fact we had had the majority of the chances. I can only imagine what Clemente told his lads, because they almost completely abandoned the idea of attack in the second half. The game quickly grew ugly, the hard-hitting defensive style of the '70's brought to life in a different era. The entire forty-five minutes, it seemed, were played in the Liverpool end, but the midfield pairing of Thomas and Joe Newell just didn't seem to have the creativity needed to get true chances. Newell had a few good shots, but Robinson was utterly on form, and demonstrated why he's now made 58 starts as the England keeper.

Even getting the fullbacks involved in the attack, and, late-on, switching to a 3-5-2 with Peter Weatherson on, didn't seem to help. We could build pressure, but we couldn't capitalize. Finally, in the 82nd minute, Graham Allen floated a corner kick into the six. Three bodies leaped for headers, but it carried past all of them. It deflected off of the unsuspecting Joyce, and was headed into the net..

.. until Andy van der Meyde stopped it on the goalline.

Over six minutes of injury time still not enough to dislodge the deadlock, and when the whistle blew for full time, it remained a scoreless draw.

Sheffield United 0; Liverpool 0

----; ----

MoM: Robinson (Liverpool GK)

We'd allowed only 3 shots, and peppered the Liverpool goal with chances of our own, but a fine performance from Paul Robinson - his 17th clean sheet of the young season - earned him Man of the Match honours. He'd definitely shown why, at 30 years of age, he was England's first choice at keeper, why England had conceded just 2 goals in World Cup Qualifying, and why the tabloids were tipping England to improve on their 2006 performance by winning it all in South Africa.