Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book II

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 8th September, 2007. Championship - Game 7, vs Leeds United.

Saturday evening, on national television, we faced local rivals Leeds United. At both York and United, Leeds has a reputation for 'stealing' the best players, amongst the local fans: they're the Evil Empire of the region in the view of the supporters. Consequently, beating them was priority number one in the minds of many, as Mister Dooley reminded me in the buildup.

The ironically-named Lilywhites were First Division champions in 1968/69, 1973/74, and 1991/92, founding members of the Premier league, and as recently as 2001/02 placed 5th in the Premier League. Relegation after a poor 2003/04 season, and then again after 2005/06, saw them down to League One last year, where they amassed 95 points from 29 wins, 8 draws, and merely 9 defeats, giving them first place, and bragging rights over the two Sheffield clubs who wound up in playoff spots. This year it had all gone wrong: they were closing in on that nine-loss tally already this season: dead last in the Championship with 0 wins, 1 draw, and 5 defeats. Avoiding the relegation zone seemed almost beyond their grasp if they couldn't turn it around in short order.

Our lineup remained patchwork and unready, as we have a solid seven players out injured: defenders Foxe, Morgan, and Deloumeaux, midfielders Sedgwick, Cousins, were all disabled, and striker Weatherson wasn't yet match fit. Unluckily, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson strained his neck in a pre-game warmup, a heading drill, which scratched him from my starting lineup. Still, that left us with Allan McGregor in goal, Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, Ben Hammond, and Danny Payne in defense, Paul Thirlwell at defensive midfielder, and Graham Allen and Jonathan Forte on the wings. I tried pairing Leandre Griffit, in his first Sheffield start, with Joe Newell in the attacking midfield, and Noel Hunt got his second start up front.

A nationally televised match, with a near-sellout crowd of 30,889 was the perfect stage to renew the rivalry between the two historic sides. Leeds came out in a 4-3-3, clearly intent on taking the attack to us, as though they hadn't noticed our defend-and-counterattack approach. I gave the lads their head, freedom to be a bit more forward-ranging if need be, and in fact instructed them to begin with our 'patient buildup' tactic.

It worked to a charm, soaking up Leeds' first few forays, and then in the seventh minute, Jonathan Forte started a counter up the left wing. Just their side of midfield, he passed central to Leandre Griffit. With one defender closing on Griffit, another following the dummy run of Noel Hunt to the left side, and Michael Duberry playing way back, almost at a sweeper's depth, Joe Newell had plenty of space, and Griffit's pass put him in motion towards the goal. He dribbled into the arc, and then launched a blistering shot. Duberry lunged, one leg extended to try and block it, but it caught the underside of his calf and he merely redirected the shot, wrong-footing goalkeeper Brian Jensen. The Bramall Lane faithful let out a roar of approval: it was 1-0, Blades!

In the ninth minute, a similar buildup saw Forte pass to Grifft about forty yards from goal. He took it on a fast-paced diagonal dribble, and this time Leeds gave him space, keeping tight marks on Hunt and Newell. Griffit kept his run through the edge of the arc and into the area, and two defenders were 'picked' by Hunt, the big man just standing near the penalty spot, and as Griffit reached the other side of Hunt it was suddenly a one-on-one situation, just Griffit and the keeper. He cut the shot back to the left, and Jensen was unable to lay a hand on the shot. It was perfectly placed to the corner, Griffit's first goal for Sheffield, and the crowd was loving it: 2-0, and not ten minutes passed!!

I began shouting instructions to defend, returning to our typical defend-and-counter plan, but I don't think anybody was prepared for how thoroughly our defense stifled the Leeds attack. The match might as well have ended after ten minutes, and by halftime it was clear that the Lilywhites had given up not just on the afternoon, but on the whole season. The crowds' taunts of "Are you Wednesday in disguise?" drew jocularity on our bench and scowls from the visiting support.

The visitors got off only a single shot all afternoon, a free kick which blazed over the bar in the 74th minute. Personally, I was loving how the towering Hunt operates as a target man, heading the ball down for the two attacking midfielders, and if he was able to finish chances with his feet, I think he'd be the perfect striker for us. He nearly did score one, but Jensen's diving save at the post kept it out.

For the most part, though, the match was about not suffering injury to key personnel, and I took out Graham Allen just to keep him rested, Griffit once he picked up a yellow card, and Joe Newell when the youngster appeared to suffer a slight knock. Substitute John Melligan nearly scored in the 89th minute, left wide open in front of net as the tired Leeds players had given up on defending, but he hit it straight at Jensen. Other than that, the second half passed very uneventfully, broken only by the taunting jeers our fans reserved for their loathed rivals.

Sheffield United 2, Leeds United 0

Newell 7, Griffit 9; ----

MoM: Johnson (Leeds ML)

I was disappointed that Leandre Griffit, with a goal and an assist, wasn't Man of the Match, as I thought he'd clearly deserved it, him or one of our defenders who had so thoroughly blunted the Leeds attack. Instead, the award went to Leeds left wing Seth Johnson, perhaps the one bright spot for the visitors.

It went part and parcel with the broadcast coverage, Stacy told me, which had been entirely slanted towards Leeds: apparently the commentators were still thinking of last year's table, not this year's, as they were utterly surprised that we won.

[aaberdeenn]

Another win \o/

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 9th September, 2007.

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

read the Star headline, and the article talked about how everyone at the organization, from Derek Dooley and Terry Robinson to the youngest of supporters, was delighted with the way we had controlled our arch rivals.

I took more satisfaction from noticing that Rupert Wormwood's article touched only on the Premier League results for the weekend: Liverpool had beaten Newcastle, previously the last unbeaten side, and now Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle were all tied on 12 points from 5 games.

In other Championship results, Norwich beat Hull 1-0 to retain their top spot, now on 19 points, with the draw against us the only blemish on their spotless record. Queen's Park Rangers and Cardiff, the other early contenders, didn't play until Sunday, leaving us at least one day in second spot, on 16 points.

On Sunday, we signed 18-year-old Gareth Davies, a former Portsmouth youth product whom our scouts thought had been released prematurely.

M C Gareth Davies, 18, England, uncapped: No appearances:

His agility and concentration may be the only two truly standout characteristics of this young midfielder, but I think he's got the physical ability to be worth investing in, and his technical and mental game is quite good for a youth player. I think my coaches will be able to help him develop, and we'll retrain him as an attacking midfielder, though he's got a base which could go either attacking or defending. He's also got a bit of captain material in him, I suspect.

Davies was registered in time for the afternoon's Under-18 match, and played well but not spectacularly in a 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest. Strikers Dean Reid and Chris Gray scored the goals, while Robbie Poole forced an own goal off of a corner kick. Colin Hatton earned Man of the Match for a solid performance in goal to keep the clean sheet.

In Sunday afternoon's match, Queen's Park Rangers defeated Cardiff 2-1, reclaiming second spot and bumping us down to third. Still, it was a very respectable start to the season.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 12th September, 2007.

Tuesday and Wednesday were the first days of group play for the Champions League, and I settled in to enjoy; Stacy's been working ridiculous hours in her new position as "lowest nurse on the totem pole", so our rhythm has been all off - she's at work when I get home, and tucks into bed before I get up, and has been getting Saturdays, match days, off. Well, she's the one that wanted nursing as a career; crazy. At any rate, Stuart and Spencer dropped by to take in Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Deportivo; it looked about the right result after a well-played match. Benfica took the early Group A lead with a 2-0 victory over Trabzonspor.

Group B saw a similar start, with Dortmund defeating Sporting Club Portugal 3-0, while Rangers held A.S. Roma to a 0-0 draw at Ibrox. In fact, every group went with the pattern of one win and one draw, but the leaders of Groups C and D were two Israeli teams, Maccabi Haifa defeating Lyon 1-0, and Maccabi Tel-Aviv stomping Dinamo Bucharest 3-0 away.

Wednesday's matches were more decisive. Liverpool had drawn the Group of Death, with Bayern München, Inter Milan, and Valencia. When Inter's Esteban Cambiasso scored just five minutes in, it might have spelled doom for the home side, but Marcelinho equialized before half-time and Sami Hyypia scored the winner in the 72nd minute, putting Liverpool second behind Munich, who beat Valencia 2-0.

Chelsea defeated Juventus 2-0 on a pair of goals by Michael Ballack, who missed the second-half penalty that would have given him a hat trick, but were second after PSV Eindhoven beat Banik Ostrava 3-0. Celtic started their campaign with a 0-2 loss at Paris, and Real Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw by Panathinaikos.

A bit closer to home, Robert Cousins was out of physiotherapy, and returned to the pitch in a Reserves match on Wednesday against Crewe Reserves. Cousins only lasted 45 minutes, but played quite well, setting up the first of Darren Gibson's two goals. His replacement, John Melligan, set up the other and added a goal of his own in injury time to earn Man of the Match honours. Melligan's goal made the score 3-0, only to see goalkeeper Dean Bond concede one in the 94th minute to make the final score 3-1. Still, that moved the side up to 10th with two wins, one draw, and two losses.

Unfortunately, striker Chris Gray, on in the second half as a substitute, tore his groin, an injury which would keep the promising 17-year-old out for a month at least - but worse, according to my physios.

"I'd say send him to surgery," Tom Mitchell advised, "It may end his season, but if you don't he'll be plagued by these his whole career."

The kid is 17, and not a key part of the squad by any means, in on potential more than anything, so I sent him away - and it will take at least six months before he is able to return, effectively ruling him out until next season, although he might make a few Reserve appearances come March or April.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 14th September, 2007.

We added two new strikers this week. With Gray injured, I'd made an offer to free agent Paul Preston to take his place on the Reserves. 16-year-old Danny Lea is one for the far future, but has the physique to be a potential star.

S C Paul Preston, 18, England, uncapped: No appearances:

This product of the Everton youth set-up is exceptionally hard-working and shows very good teamwork. He has a good physique, though his jumping leaves a lot to be desired. Though he has some technique, for example a reasonable finishing and first touch, he shows extreme lack of creativity and flair. All told, I doubt he'll be a superstar, but with Gray out injured he's worth taking a look at in the packed Reserve and youth schedule.

S C Danny Lea, 16, England, uncapped: Schoolboy:

Also an exceptionally hard-working determined striker, Lea has great concentration and very good teamwork, with a good physique and bravery to match. Unfortunately, the technical and mental aspects of his game leave a lot to be desired, but my scouts like his potential, his enthusiasm, and his realistic attitude. It certainly seems worth giving him a look alongside Dean Reid in the U-18's.

We also sold goalkeeper Phil Barnes to Burnley, a League One side, for a mere £20,000. For a player who had indicated unhappiness with his role, but had performed poorly even in Reserve matches, I was happy to get anything in return. It does leave us dangerously thin at goalkeeper: should McGregor suffer an injury, we'll be very hard-pressed.

The club's health was suffering a bit, as Joe Newell and John Melligan collided on the training pitch Thursday. Newell suffered a bruised thigh while Melligan broke his nose. Both would miss the weekend game, but should be back for our mid-week Cup tie.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 15th September, 2007. Championship - Game 8, at Preston North End.

Preston North End lay down in 20th in the Championship. Some 50 years removed from finishing 2nd on the First Division, they had slid as low as League Two in the 80's and 90's, but had been steadily working their way back up, winning League One in the 1999/00 season, though their climb seems to have stalled in the Championship. Last season they were 15th, and their form this season looked worse. Former York striker Neil Mellor was starting up front in their 3-5-2, and had tallied 14 goals last season, with 1 and 2 assists in 5 starts this year.

With a weak opposition, and a tough Cup game approaching, I started a slightly weaker lineup to give my regulars a chance to rest and recover. Allan McGregor remained in goal, of course. In the back line, Jamie Cooper made his Sheffield United debut at centre-back, accompanied by Ben Hammond, Sean Dillon, and Danny Payne. Paul Thirlwell would start at defensive midfield. Jonathan Forte was our regular left wing, but was partnered by Darren Wrack. In the attacking midfield, I chose veteran Jack Lester alongside last week's star, Leandre Griffit. Up front, it was tall target-man Noel Hunt who would get his third start of the year. Altogether, the lineup accounted for only 2 of our 10 goals on the season: not a promising total, especially on the road.

We couldn't have asked for a better start, as our solid defense sucked seven Preston players forward on their first posession. After Jonathan Forte dealt with it, heading the ball out of the box to Darren Wrack, the winger launched a 45-yard pass over the top of the 3 Preston defenders. Noel Hunt showed his pace, outrunning them, reaching the ball just outside the arc. I'd seen him miss too many chances to get excited, but he rounded goalkeeper Andrew Lonergan and drove the ball home into the open net from 8 yards out - his first-ever goal for United, and a 1-0 lead in the second minute!

Preston dominated posession for the remainder of the first half, and were taking most of the shots as well. I'd started out with my wingers and fullbacks pushing forward in an aggressive stance, and they continued to do so, which meant that there were occasional spaces at the back, and times in fact where it looked like a seven-on-four rush, but fortunately Preston didn't seem to be able to do anything at pace, and always allowed our midfield to recover in time to defend, limiting them to a bunch of off-target long-range shots.

Just when it looked like the 1-0 scoreline would hold through halftime, Jack Lester played the ball forward to Hunt. Leandre Griffit was clearly offsides, and it looked like a number of the Preston defenders stopped, waiting for the whistle, but Griffit had removed himself from play, letting ball and players pass him, and only Hunt and Preston defender John Curtis played to the whistle. Hunt dribbled around Curtis in the box, reaching the six without further challenge, and then slotted it home low past the diving Lonergan. I, Hunt, the referee, and 12,616 Deepdale fans looked expectantly to the linesman, who made no signal - and the goal would stand. A rain of beer aimed at the linesman met the decision, but on replay it looked correct, as Griffit had in no way contributed to the play.

So it was 2-0 at halftime, and it took us less than three minutes into the second half to add to that. We earned the first corner kick of the second period, and Jonathan Forte played a relatively short ball to the unmarked Griffit 12 yards out. He turned and skillfully hammered the ball through a narrow gap in the morass of bodies in front of goal, finding the top corner of the near post to make it 3-0, and the Preston fans had had enough. Their jeers and taunts, for us at first, were now directed at the home side, and became quieter and quieter as more fans streamed through the exits.

The match was long since over, but the referee allowed us to play on through the 93rd minute and into a 94th. Kyle Reid's diagonal pass forward found Darren Gibson, who was on as an attacking midfielder. The young Scot threaded the ball through two defenders to feed Hunt's run into the area, and the tall striker turned and fired from 12 yards left-footed to the far post, sealing his hat trick and making our most comprehensive victory of the season at 4-0.

Preston 0, Sheffield United 4

----; Hunt 2, 45, 90, Griffit 48

MoM: Noel Hunt

I shook hands with Neil Mellor after the match. "That's some team you've got, gaffer," he told me with a wry smile and a shake of his head. "The best we've faced, anyways."

I wished him well - he looked like he'd picked up some sort of limp in the second half, but he'd still been one of their best players. Nothing on Man of the Match Noel Hunt, though!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 16th September, 2007.

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

Noel Hunt's hat trick sparked a comprehensive 4-0 victory over hapless Preston, which, coupled with Norwich's 2-0 defeat at Leicester, sent Sheffield United top of the table after eight matches. Although the season, the first under new skipper Ian Richards, has just started, the pre-season relegation candidates are playing superbly, and everyone connected with the team seems delighted, save the manager, who takes it as though its no less than he expected all along.

The 4-0 victory was United's largest in three seasons, and Hunt scored their first hat trick in as long as well. There is no question of their league placing being mere luck: the Blades have the Championship's best offense, with 14 goals from 8 games, and the stingiest defense, having allowed just 2 thus far. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

In other news, Leeds United had garnered their first victory of the season, a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra which elevated Leeds to 23rd, and moved Crewe to the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, in League One, Sheffield Wednesday stood a strong third after a 1-1 draw with Grimsby, and York were a comfortable 14th after a 2-1 victory over lowly Wrexham. More strange, however, may have been the Premier League table, as with six games played, Fulham were top of the table, unbeaten, with only one draw, and 16 points, one ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea, who were equal second.

Saturday had been a busy day of fixtures; our Reserves won a solid 2-1 victory at Doncaster Reserves. Robert Cousins looked very strong, scoring two goals in a mere 45 minutes of action as he continued to build towards match fitness. Nicky Thomson was Man of the Match playing a fantastic game on the left wing, including providing one of the assists. Doncaster tried to come back with a goal in the second half, but it was too little, too late.

We'd had three matches on the same day, which stretched the squad very thin, especially as I wanted to reserve a few players to keep them fit for the upcoming League Cup tie. This meant that the Sheffield United Under-18s were almost entirely Under-16 amateurs for their top-of-the-table matchup against the Crewe U-18's. Though amateur Paul Doyle scored in the 17th minute, the side were just overmatched. It was an exhausting match played in inclement weather, with a number of knocks and yellow cards, but in the end Crewe won 2-1, going top of the table with 12 points from four matches, and leaving our lads second with 9 points.

Unsurprisingly, when the Championship Team of the Week was announced, striker Noel Hunt highlighted the squad.

We added another young player to the roster, defensive midfielder Steven White.

DM C Steven White, 16, England, uncapped: Schoolboy:

Though not truly exceptional in any aspect, White shows promise in all the areas I'd hope to see from a defensive midfielder. He has the pace and fitness to last, bravery, determination and teamwork. His technical game isn't polished, but he tackles well. He has some phenomenal weaknesses, however: his first touch lets him down often, and key aspects of the defensive game, especially mentally, from decision-making to marking to positioning, all need work. However, he's got enough potential that my coaches were willing to try to teach him, and we'll see if he learns.

Though our League Cup opponent would be a Premier League side, there was a definite sense of anticipation building among the side: we were top of the Championship, and our trip to Upton Park would give us a chance to show we deserved promotion.

[aaberdeenn]

Great away win Noel Hunt ftw

[Wegason]

Nice write up, nice result

[Amaroq]

Thank you, gentlemen.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 18th September, 2007. League Cup - Second Round, at West Ham United.

For our first League Cup appearance under my guidance, we'd drawn an away match against a Premier League opponent, West Ham. Since 1958, they've spent only eight years outside of the Premier League, and their most recent Championship appearance was 2004/05, when they placed second and promoted. Last year they were 11th, and this year they lie 15th, having scored only five goals from five matches, for one win, one draw, and three defeats. Their leading scorer is Andrezej Niedzielan, the Polish international, acquired on a Bosman before last season. He's of a class above anything we've faced so far, and in perfect form recently. After three straight defeats, they'd righted themselves with a victory over Portsmouth on the 8th, and were perfectly rested after not having a game this past weekend. In other words, it was the worst possible time to face them.

It would be a stiff test for our side, and I named a lineup tentatively. Allan McGregor in goal, of course, as he's my only real choice. Joe Keenan and Steve Foster had been rested for this match, and would play left and central defense. Ben Hammond partnered Foster, while I chose talented but slow Rory Beanes at right back. Paul Thirlwell had only played 60 minutes on Saturday, and looked good to start at defensive midfield. My starting duo of Jonathan Forte and Graham Allen were the only choices on the wing when I discovered that Kyle Reid was cup-tied. I named Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Leandre Griffit as my attacking midfield, and Peter Weatherson, though still not fully match fit, was the striker.

After two matches with an aggressive flair, this time I asked the lads to play the solid, defensive, counterattacking game, the style that had taken us top of the Championship. West Ham came out with an unsurprising 4-4-2, the style they'd played all season. My defensive plan went out the window in the third minute, after a West Ham free kick. Stephen Clemence took, and played it into the area, where Mamadou Diabang, acquired from Bochum just this past summer for £3.2M, headed it down for Nigel Reo-Coker. Slicing in from the right side, the 23-year-old had space to unleash a curling left-footed shot to the far post, and the 25,064 fans at Upton Park let out a roar when it found the net to give the Hammers a 0-1 lead.

We looked rattled and outclassed over the next five minutes, with West Ham coming close twice more, and Matthew Etherington was dominating the slow-footed Rory Beanes out on the right side. In some desperation, I pulled the lads back to play entirely defensively until they could settle. It took until the 20th minute before we started to look more composed, with Jonathan Forte finding Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the area, but Patrick Weiser's challenge took it cleanly away from him as he tried to turn.

I began to push players forward a bit more, and for a few minutes, it appeared that we could play the home side as equals, but in the 36th minute Etherington victimized Beanes again. This time the West Ham left wing's devestating cross picked out Andrezej Niedzelan on the 6, and the Hammers' leading scorer headed home at the near post. He might have been offsides, but any stomach I had to argue the ref was taken away by how thoroughly we were being controlled in all aspects of the game - the 0-2 scoreline looked kind.

The hosts nearly added another before the half, as in the 41st minute, Allan McGregor barely saved Carl Fletcher's deflected free kick. In injury time, McGregor made a fantastic double-save to deny first West Ham captain Hayden Mullins and then the diving effort of Reo-Coker. I was feeling kicked in the gut, and it was clear many of my players were as well. I couldn't scream and rant: it seemed we were utterly outclassed. Then Paul Thirlwell got up to speak, and the defensive midfielder absolutely tore into them. He was followed by captain Steve Foster, and they seemed to be turning the squad's emotional state around. I had major changes to make, tactically, and I brought off young Ben Hammond, who had been shaky, and the utterly outclassed Rory Beanes, replacing them with Danny Payne and striker Billy Sharp as I changed to a more aggressive 3-5-2 - the midfield essentially holding the same shape as in the 4-5-1, but with a second striker replacing the defender.

The change between first half and second was marked: suddenly, it seemed we were playing our hosts as equals, and even taking the game to them. Peter Weatherson shot wide in the 50th minute, and Forte forced a save from West Ham goalkeeper Ian Walker. They still had chances as well, but it seemed very shot was either over, or directly to McGregor.

In the 66th minute, Forte took a free kick about 25 yards from the West Ham goal. Rather than shooting directly, he passed right for Thirlwell, who was unmarked in the arc, and well to the right of the wall. The veteran made good on his half-time team talk, drilling a shot from just inside the 18 to the top left corner. It was perfectly placed for his first goal of the season, and we had closed to 1-2, making the home crowd nervous for the final 25 minutes.

In the 69th, Bridge-Wilkinson's long pass sprang Weatherson on a breakaway. He had two steps on any defender, but was hauled down from behind by Mullins. Though he earned a yellow card, it was such a cynical foul it could easily have been red for the West Ham captain. Five minutes later, Weatherson had every right to be aggrieved, as Mullins brought him down inside the area, but no foul was given - it could easily have been a penalty and a second yellow, and Mullins was on thin, thin ice.

With time running out, at the 87th minute I began to push our lads forward with reckless abandon. That led to chances at both ends in the final five minutes: in the 89th, Sharp was in the West Ham area but out wide to the left, and sent a cross through the six-yard box, but it was headed away by £1.2M Nigerian international Blessing Kaku. Joe Keenan's resultant corner fell perfectly to Sharp's right foot, but the young striker blazed a half-volley over the bar, a truly wasted opportunity. Reo-Coker had an injury-time opportunity to add to the margin for the hosts, but his header skimmed the top of the bar, and in the end we fell one goal short in our come-back attempt.

West Ham 2, Sheffield United 1

Reo-Coker 3, Niedzielan 36; Thirlwell 66

MoM: Etherington (West Ham ML)

It was a disappointing match. We'd shown in the second half that we could play even with the Premier League side; we'd even outscored them. The abysmal showing from the first half, however, which had made our hosts look like Bayern München, had doomed any chance we had of getting a result.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 19th September, 2007.

Stuart McCall dropped the paper on my desk. "Ben's pretty upset," he said, and I picked up the paper to find another negative article from the local Cassandra.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Defense Exposed

Yesterday's loss to West Ham exposed the Blades' weaknesses. The side, which has earned early consideration as promotion contenders after their strong start, were given an opportunity to see just how far they have yet to go to reach the calibre of a mid-table Premiership side.

The defense, in particular, was exposed, with Ben Hammond and Rory Beanes shown wanting in a miserable first half. 18-year-old Hammond simply doesn't have the talent or understanding of the game, while Beanes seems to have the technique but lacks the pace to play fullback against a Premier League winger. Manager Ian Richards showed his displeasure with both by pulling them at half-time, but despite an inspired second half, it was too late to undo the damage.

With their vulnerabilities exposed, the doomsayers may feel that it won't last long, and that their slide down the table is just around the corner - but it may be worse for the organization as a whole if they promote too early, as the psychological damage of being the Premier League's whipping boys next season may harm the development of some of the young talents who Richards has assembled... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I looked up at Stuart. "Well, its a different tune from him, at least," I said.

"You should talk to Ben."

I nodded, but before setting aside the paper, I flipped to the back to find other scores from the League Cup. There were a great number of entertaining results from around the country: Premier League leaders Fulham were knocked out 3-2 by League One side Wrexham; Norwich were out 2-0 to Premier League Portsmouth; League Two side Boston United had forced penalties against Gillingham; and League One's Wycombe Wanderers actually beat Blackburn on penalties. Of local interest, Sheffield Wednesday crashed out 1-2 to Queen's Park Rangers; Leeds United beat League One side Oxford 2-1; and York were out after an 0-2 defeat at Birmingham.

Tom Mitchell came in just as I was done, and informed me Billy Sharp had bruised his shin late in the West Ham match, but it would only keep him out for this weekend's game. Of more concern, honestly was Wednesday's news that Graham Allen had strained a quad during training. Tom Mitchell recommended that I let him take his time and see a specialist, lest he tear the important thigh muscle worse. It would keep him out until mid-October, and meant that both of our starting right wings were out at the same time. I'd have to see about bringing in a winger on loan.

There were more injuries that afternoon in the United Reserves' 1-0 victory at home against Port Vale Reserves. The weather was fairly ugly, and all told six players picked up knocks or injuries of some sort, with both teams finishing the match on ten men with another injury after they'd made their final substitution. 16-year-old Danny Lea scored the only goal, but pulled a muscle and came off after only thirty minutes of action. Left wing Robbie Poole was Man of the Match, but he tore his calf, a serious injury that brought him off the pitch in obvious pain, leaving us with ten men. Worse, it would require surgery, keeping him out for fully five to six months.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 20th September, 2007.

I was very disturbed at how thoroughly despondent Rory Beanes and Ben Hammond were: both had played very poorly, and could not help but feel responsible when their manager had pulled them at halftime. Honestly, they've reason to feel concern: I was not happy with the revelation of how far they are from Premier League standard.

I tried to reassure them yesterday and again today. Beanes took it as a professional and seemed to understand, though his attitude about it worried me a bit. He took my comments with a 'nothing I could do about it' demeanor that rubbed me the wrong way: he certainly could put in a bit more effort, especially on the fitness side of things, to help allay his lack of speed.

Hammond, however seems to have taken Wormwood's article as gospel truth, confirmation of his worst fears: that he is not good enough to cut it. I tried to tell him I saw great improvement in his game already, and that I didn't expect him to be Premier League quality this season - but that I was sure he had that sort of potential. The 18-year-old just would not be consoled, and has spent the past two days moping around the training ground, putting in a half-hearted effort as though just going through the motions.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 22nd September, 2007. Championship - Game 9, vs Leicester City.

Since their inception in 1894, Leicester have bounced back and fourth between the top two leagues of English football, whether the names were Division One and Division Two, or the Premier League and the Championship. They've never quite won the honour of the top title, but came close in 1928/29 with a second-place finish. A six-year-spell in the Premier League ended with relegation after the 2001/02 season, and though they bounced straight back, they were relegated again after 2003/04. Three years in the Championship have been less than fruitful, and though the team has won more than they've lost, they haven't finished higher than 11th, and placed 12th last season. This year they lie 7th, just outside the playoff zone, and will be coming to Bramall Lane hungry for a victory against the team top of the table.

Unfortunately, I couldn't face them with my top starting lineup. Allan McGregor was of course in goal. His back four was Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, Joe Keenan, and Danny Payne, with Keenan playing centrally so that Hammond could make an Under-18 start to rebuild his tattered confidence. This meant Paul Thirlwell was the only option at defensive midfield, making his third start in eight days. Our wings were even more patchwork, with three significant injuries keeping out Forte, Allen, and Sedgwick. This meant loanee Kyle Reid would fill in on the left side, and Darren Wrack would make a start on the right wing. I put John Melligan up front, partnered with Jack Lester, to give Bridge-Wilkinson a chance to rest. Noel Hunt reaped the reward for his hat trick with another start at striker, an announcement which was met with loud applause from the home crowd.

With six players out injured, and the pack at the top of the table so close, I went with the conservative 4-5-1 which my players are used to. Luckily for us, their leading scorer, James Scowcroft, with 7 goals from 7 starts, was out with a twisted knee, and their injury list matched ours for length. It was their defense that was worst hit, and our lads came out to a good start. Though Danny Payne's back-pass in the second minute just about gave me a heart attack, Allan McGregor dealt with it competently, and on four minutes, we had posession forward. John Melligan sprayed it out left for Kyle Reid, who opted to knock a long cross over everyone for his opposite number Darren Wrack at the right edge of the area. Wrack put the ball into the box aerially, and somehow Noel Hunt muscled his way through three defenders to get his head on it. His powerful header from 8 yards was too much for goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, and 29,981 fans roared their approval as we took a 1-0 lead.

By the 20th minute, they were nearly silenced, as Leicester were dictating the game. They had the majority of the hustle, posession, and shots: it seemed like they'd found a way to play with 12 men, and there were blue shirts everywhere. Fortunately, Allan McGregor was up to the task, and in the 17th minute he dove on a shot deflected by Danny Payne. In the 20th minute Martin's dangerous cross was met with a diving header by Connolly, but fortunately he hit the crossbar, and Joe Keenan was able to clear. By halftime, we were still up 1-0, but McGregor was the busiest man on our side.

Noel Hunt was struggling after a hard collision with Stuart Parnaby, and I brought him off at halftime for Peter Weatherson. I gave the fullbacks a hint more freedom, and then pointed out that City was challenging for every ball, and not drawing fouls. "So hit back," I told the lads. "I want you to scrap hard for forty-five minutes, and we'll come away with this one."

In the 50th minute, Matthew Spring's long shot deflected off of Keenan, and went heart-stoppingly close, but wide. John Melligan had a great opportunity in the box on 54 minutes, with Weatherson drawing a central defender out of his way, but Kenny made a fine save. The second half seemed to degenerate into trench warfare, a battle of attrittion, as crunching tackles flew around the pitch from both sides. Referee Michael Jones was of the 'let them play' variety, and gave only one yellow card. Had I been refereeing, perhaps a dozen cards would have been issued, and I didn't want to imagine what Rob Styles would have dished out.

Peter Weatherson was our first victim, limping off at the 60th minute though he tried to insist that he could play on. I replaced he and Melligan with Leandre Griffit and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, moving Lester to striker, and in the 78th minute they combined to find the net. With Leicester pushing forward, Bridge-Wilkinson broke the counterattack up the left wing, then sent in a cross which Darren Wrack met with a fine diving header. Kenny blocked the shot with his body, and it ricocheted off the right post. The rebound fell to Griffit, who hammered it home, only to be ruled offsides on Wrack's header.

No matter. A minute later, Reid's fine pass found the perfectly-timed run of Bridge-Wilkinson, who passed the last man just as the winger hit the pass. The 29-year-old dribbled around Kenny, and scored, rolling his shot narrowly inside of the near post. There was no offsides this time, and the crowd roared their support: 2-0.

Tempers were beginning to flare, and in the last ten minutes the match descended into a fracas, with both sides reduced to ten men by injury. Matt Heath was forced off for the visitors in the 86th minute, thanks to Paul Thirlwell's tender ministrations, and Jack Lester collided with Joey Gudjohnson in a sickening crunch on the 89th. He was carted off, and Kyle Reid was limping. Fully five minutes of injury time were played, but though Leicester star Robert Pires hit side netting, neither side could change the score.

Sheffield United 2, Leicester 0

Hunt 5, Bridge-Wilkinson 79; ----

MoM: McGregor

What a scrap!

Allan McGregor was a deserved Man of the Match with five good saves over the course of the afternoon. I told him his work between the posts had kept our lead until Bridge-Wilkinson could put the clincher in - but then it was off to the physio room, where I feared the worst for Lester, at least.

[aaberdeenn]

Another good win

[Amaroq]

Thanks, aaberdeenn.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 22nd September, 2007.

Fortunately, the physio's news was all good: Jack Lester had dislocated his shoulder, but Tom Mitchell was able to pop it back into place, and though he recommended a few days of light work, it wouldn't hold the forward out for too long. Kyle Reid had bruised his foot, taking cleats across the top of it, and though it hurt to put weight on it now, Mitchell was sure that Reid would be back in action by our first match of October. Peter Weatherson's twisted ankle would do well with a week of rest, while Noel Hunt had avoided injury entirely, and wouldn't miss a match.

Norwich had lost again, 2-1 to Millwall, so it was only Sheffield and Q.P.R. top of the table with 22, and three points clear of the clustered playoff sides. Leeds had won their second in a row, 2-1 at Stoke City, which got them clear of the relegation zone for the first time all year at 19th.

In the Under-18s Cup Second Round, Sheffield United U-18s absolutely demolished Wolverhampton Wanderers U-18s. I had a number of 'ringers', players who were getting significant senior-side action, in the lineup: Ben Hammond, Jamie Cooper, Joe Newell, and Darren Gibson most notably, with the match serving as the first competitive action for Robert Cousins during his recovery, as well. It took them a little while to get started, and though Gibson and Newell each had chances in the first twenty minutes, the match looked pretty even. In the 30th minute, Newell got things started with a long dribble, followed by a fine 25-yard strike to make it 1-0. Cooper's phenomenal long ball found Gibson in stride in the 33rd, and he dribbled around the keeper for an easy finish, and it was 2-0. Newell played provider in the 39th minute, and Cousins' blinding pace left his defender for dead - the 450 fans at muddy Saltergate were quite content. In the 43rd, Hammond sent a free kick into the box, which Gibson flicked on for amateur right wing Michael Robinson, who made it 4-0, and in injury time of the first half, Newell's spectacular 35-yard shot was too much for the hapless keeper. That made the halftime tally 5-0, and one might have forgiven the lads for letting their foot off in the second half.

But no. In the 50th minute, Newell's hard work and pressure forced a mistake by rattled defender Wayne Davis, whose errant backpass found the net rather than his keeper's feet, and it was 6-0. In the 68th, left wing Nicky Thomson sent a fine cross into the six, where Newell secured his hat-trick with his head, making it 7-0, and the young attacking midfielder converted a penalty five minutes later for his fourth of the game and an 8-0 lead. The Wolves players looked utterly shocked, as though they'd expected a fair match and instead found Chelsea waiting for them. In the 85th minute, young Mark Whitehead, on in place of Newell, added one of his own to make the final tally 9-0!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 23rd September, 2007.

Sunday morning's news set all of Sheffield abuzz, and made headlines nationally: we'd finally secured the services of Newcastle attacking midfielder Hugo Viana. The Portugese international has been out of favor in the North, making only four appearances in the past three seasons combined. He was widely rumoured to be on for a return to Portugal after a 25-match stint with his original side, Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2004-05, but has been languishing the past two years without regular playing time. I'd wanted to sign him for two years, and only now had gotten him to agree to a three month loan. I hoped it would warm him to the idea of playing with the club when his contract expires at season's end.

AM LC Hugo Viana, 24, Portugal, 12 caps, 0 goals: No appearances

A brilliant playmaker, with incredible passing and creativity, a phenomenal first touch, and the ability to strike from 35 yards, he fit the dynamic playmaker role I'd had Tappa Whitmore in during my York City days. He lacks the pace and fitness to be an international star, according to some reports, and his bravery and defense leave a lot to be desired. The biggest question marks have been about his work ethic: at times he's seemed disinterested and simply going through the motions. On the whole, however, he is better than most of my squad in most areas of the game, an incredible talent through and through.

The addition of the playmaker should take some of the pressure off of our young midfielders Robert Cousins and Joe Newell, who would find themselves playing mostly in the Reserve and youth sides, according to my new plan.

In other news Sunday, the draw for the Third Round tie of the Under-18s Cup saw our youth side pull either Canvey Island U-18's or Burnley U-18's, away. The question of who was resolved that afternoon, in a brutal next-day replay after their draw Saturday. Canvey Island U-18's beat Burnely on penalties after another 2-2 draw. The match was scheduled for Halloween at Park Lane.

Unfortunately, playing him in the Under-18 Cup match rather than the League match on Saturday seemed to have made Ben Hammond even more upset: he understandably saw it as a demotion from the starting lineup to a "meaningless game", and confirmation that he was out of my long-term plans. I tried to assure him otherwise, and coach John Richards, one of Ben's favorites, had a long talk with him, but it was still no go.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 27th September, 2007.

Tuesday's Champions League matches saw an incredible result in Munich. Bayern München had taken a 2-0 halftime lead over Liverpool, but the hard work of Fabrizio Miccoli got the visitors back to level in the 55th minute. Roque Santa Cruz scored an instant reply, and two more goals by his teammates left the final score a shocking 5-2 for the defending champions. Inter Milan beat Valencia 1-0, going equal with the Reds for second in the group, which seemed all those sides would be able to muster, behind the high-flying Germans. In Group E, CSKA Moscow came to Glasgow and defeated Celtic 2-1 on Daniel Carvalho's injury-time breakaway and lob. The Russians stood at six points, with Celtic on zero after two matches. In Group H, Chelsea continued their unbeaten march with a comfortable 2-0 victory over PSV, and Juventus moved into second with a convincing victory at home over Banik Ostrava.

On Wednesday, Manchester United had an easy time of it at Old Trafford, beating Benfica 2-0 on goals by Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney, which put the Red Devils top on four points, with Benfica on three and Deportivo two after a 0-0 draw. The Old Firm's troubles continued with Rangers losing 0-3 at Sporting Clube de Portugal, and, like Celtic, on zero points after two matches. Maccabi Haifa stayed top of the group after managing a 1-1 draw in the Nou Camp, much to the disgust of Barcelona fans who have yet to see a Champions League victory this season. In Group D, A.C. Milan and Ajax went joint top after convincing 3-0 victories.

Promising 18-year-old right winger Nick Smith returned to training with the side after completing a course of physiotherapy. His four weeks' of hard work may be over, but he is still far shy of match fitness and won't really help our shortage of wingers at the moment.

Our Reserve match Wednesday night at Boston featured the return of central defender Chris Morgan in a rehabilitation start, with Billy Sharp also seeking match fitness. Rory Beanes scored a fantastic free kick from nearly 30 yards which made me regret having offered him to Charlton Athletic, which I'd done on the back of his poor performance against West Ham, where his lack of pace seemed a telling factor. Sharp only lasted 45 minutes before giving way, but Morgan played the full ninety minutes, and Nick Smith made his return to the pitch for the final nineteen. The result, a 1-1 draw with the Boston United Reserves, kept our lads fifth in the Reserve group, and three points shy of the lead.

We'd finally agreed terms with York and their young goalkeeper Nick McDonald to bring him over, the last of my former players whom I keenly wanted to acquire. We'd also signed a 16-year-old schoolboy forward.

GK Nick McDonald, 18, England, uncapped: 5 games, 1 clean sheet, 6.60 for York:

This young goalkeeper is very well-rounded, showing modest quality in almost every aspect of his game without standing out in any one. He has good concentration, especially for a youth, while his rushing out leaves a bit to be desired. Still, he strikes me as a solid prospect, and I liked his attitude while I was at York. He's solid and dependable, and made steady progress.

F C Michael Harrison, 16, England, uncapped: Schoolboy:

I'm not sure entirely what my scouts see in Harrison. He has reasonable but not impressive pace and acceleration, but besides his work ethic and teamwork, I'm not seeing much. His technique is awful, his decision-making is poor, he can't shoot from range, and he loses his composure as only the young can. Still, two of my scouts were excited by his potential, and with our headroom under the wage budget, its worth bringing him in for a year or two.

McDonald told reporters he doesn't expect to start immediately, but that he'll be gunning for Allan McGregor's job in a few year's time!

Captain Eric Deloumeaux, who is still out for another three months or so, came into my office Thursday evening. He's been playing in Scotland and England for seven years now, so his English is quite good, though he still has a noticeable French accent. He told me he had spoken with Ben Hammond, and that he thought that he may have sorted the lad out. Deloumeaux and I had a very good conversation about it.

According to my captain's dry analysis, the lad had made that most common of youthful follies, thinking that his error was the end of the world - or at least of his world. I remember being suicidal at age sixteen because, if I recall, I was losing my first job, the girl didn't like me that way, and I'd been grounded for a week for getting drunk. Truly the end of the world, eh?

I hope the kid finds perspective quicker than I did!

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 29th September, 2007. Championship - Game 10, vs Stoke City.

Stoke City have been barely hanging on to a position in the Championship these past five years. They promoted via the League One playoffs in 2001/02 after a fifth place finish, and in five Championship campaigns, have finished 20th twice and 21st once, with only one winning season. Thus far this year, they're 15th, with two wins and four draws from nine matches. That makes them exactly the sort of opposition we need to take three points from. A draw wouldn't do, and I expected them to play for one.

Our starting lineup was stronger than it had been in several weeks. Allan McGregor was in goal, and I took a chance on Ben Hammond, returning him to central defense with Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, and Danny Payne across the back. Paul Thirlwell continued his fine play at defensive midfield. Jonathan Forte was the left wing, with Joe Newell trying his hand on the right side. Portugese star Hugo Viana made his debut with a free role as the playmaker in the attacking midfield, and leading scorer Marc Bridge-Wilkinson would be his partner. On-form Noel Hunt, with four goals from his last two starts, was again the striker, and the bench felt deep with Gibson, Griffit, Wrack, Keenan, and McDonald available.

To my surprise, Stoke came out in an attacking 3-4-3, and had the first chance, Danny Webber's shot going just wide in the 3rd minute. Referee Keith Hill was taking no nonsense, and gave two yellow cards in the first six minutes, one to each side's left winger. I was trying our 'patient buildup', pushing some players forward, and asking the guys to get in close before shooting. In the 10th minute, Joe Newell fed Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the box, and the 29-year-old fired just wide from 12 yards out, but for the most part this tactic was leaving the game an all-out offensive free-for-all, with both sides outnumbered by the opposition's attack, and the midfields hardly intermingled at all.

In the 32nd minute, Stoke got as close as you can come, with Webber on a quick dribble beating both of our central defenders. Danny Payne got over to tackle it away from him in the box, but the ball kicked out to the right, where Gifton Noel-Williams was trailing the play, unmarked. He launched a wicked shot from the eighteen, and only a brilliant play by Allan McGregor kept it out, with the keeper getting across to tip it wide with one hand. With that warning shot, I decided to hold more players back, and switched to our conservative counter-attack as the clear answer to Stoke's overaggressive style.

This didn't keep Jermaine Palmer from coming close just before halftime, but it looked like we would go to the break scoreless. Then, right on 45 minutes exactly, Noel Hunt's solo pressure on the three defensemen forced Stefan Schnoor to backpass to goalkeeper Joe Freeman. The 22-year-old took one touch too many as Hunt rushed at him, and when he tried to boot a clearance, the tall striker leapt into the way, turning his body to protect himself. The ball carombed off of Hunt's back, and rolled goalward, somehow finding the net at the far post! Lucky, lucky - but we would trot to the changing room with a 1-0 lead.

The second half started just as incident-filled. Schnoor came dangerously close on a free kick, whistling it just over the bar a minute after the restart. Jonathan Forte was fortunate not to get a second yellow card after a blatant bodycheck on right winger Ciaran Ryan. Hill gave Forte a stern talking-to, and when the left wing went in on Ryan in the 51st minute, it was a perfectly clean tackle. Forte came away with it, and played it to Hugo Viana, who had been fairly quiet thus far. The Portugese star launched a perfectly timed long pass for Hunt's run, and the on-form striker, in past the defense, made no mistake, putting it low to the near post from eighteen yards out. The hapless Freeman had been left utterly exposed by his defense, and it was 2-0. The 28,576 Bramall Lane fans, feeling assured of victory, were loud and happy.

Stoke City weren't about to give up, but their luck for the day was epitomized by Webber's next chance. Noel-Williams sent a cross in on the 61st minute, and Webber did all the hard work, positioning himself perfectly and rising above Steve Foster to win the header, only to hit the bar and see it back into play. Five minutes later, his next header went off target, and Chris Greenacre's shot was both high and wide of the goal.

By the 72nd minute, I was making some changes, and I had Joe Keenan on at left wing to protect Forte from a second yellow card, with Darren Gibson and Leandre Griffit replacing Hunt and Viana. Stoke was running out of steam, with Greenacre and Paul Parry both limping, and their hope visibly faded as time wound down. By the 85th minute, we seemed in complete control, and Keenan's header on a corner kick came inches away from a goal. In injury-time Bridge-Wilkinson had a fine chance on a bit of a breakaway, but his shot struck the outside of the post from 20 yards. Still, 2-0 was a fine result, and the fans applauded our lads as they trotted off the pitch.

Sheffield United 2, Stoke 0

Hunt 45, 51; ----

MoM: Viana

Newcomer Hugo Viana was the Man of the Match on his debut, although I had not been as impressed with him as the pundits had. Like Rory Beanes, his lack of pace does let him down, letting him be caught from behind, and he lost out on a number of loose balls. Noel Hunt remained in stellar form, and deserved the honours in my book.

[Damien77]

Great run of form in the league.

Top of league, right?

[Amaroq]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Thanks, D. I used to have three housemates, Darren, Darius, and Doug, so your support makes me feel right at home. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Amaroq]

Hmm, not sure why I needed to post that in quotes instead of italics... posting before coffee is always a bad idea!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 30th September, 2007.

Our eighth victory from ten matches, and it was only enough to keep pace with Queen's Park Rangers, who had dispatched slumping Norwich 2-0. Behind them were Ipswich and Millwall, both of whom had not lost a match this season, but with four and five draws respectively, were three and five points behind the joint leaders. Leeds lost 4-2 to Preston, slipping back into the relegation zone, and in League One York had drawn their last two matches, to lie down in 16th.

16-year-old goalkeeper Colin Hatton was Man of the Match in Saturday's Under-18 game, as Liverpool U-18s thoroughly outclassed our youths in a match played at The Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Hatton kept them at bay with a string of fine saves, and a scoreless draw was the result, keeping the lads second and ahead of the Liverpool side by two points.

I'd agreed the sale of Rory Beanes to Charlton Athletic for January 1st. Although he hadn't been anywhere near as broken up about being pulled against West Ham as Ben Hammond had, he'd had more to worry about - I'd been very unimpressed with his play against West Ham, and, as Wormwood's article had surmised, I was already thinking forward to what the squad needed to survive the Premier League. A fullback too slow to help out defensively was not it, and with the transfer several months down the line, I hoped that Eric Deloumeaux would be back, and if not, Danny Payne was doing a fine job.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 1st October, 2007.

"Congratulations, lad!"

Those are great words to hear at the start of the monthly board meeting, and coming from Terry Robinson, whose opinion I have quickly come to respect, made it all the more sweet. I presumed he was speaking of our top-of-the-table position, which was better than anyone had expected for the end of September, but then he brought out the trophy: I'd won English Championship Manager of the Month. We'd won victory in every league game, without conceding a goal, and nobody could have asked for more. Kyle Reid, the on-loan winger, had come third in the Young Player of the Month balloting as well.

The board were, needless to say, delighted with everything. It was the first month without any significant player movement, and we'd earned a solid £600,000 profit, which, even if our player purchases had left us down £2.25M for the year, meant we could recoup all of our losses by the end of January. It was clear Derek Dooley was as happy about that as Terry Robinson was for our results on the pitch.

I earned some good-natured ribbing from the board for the 9-0 U-18 Cup victory, and was jokingly accused of running up the score. I protested my innocence.

"I was in York that day, and I have 27,000 witnesses!"

After the board meeting adjourned, I spent some time with Stuart McCall, preparing him to take over for a week as, with an off-week approaching, I was bound for the UEFA "A" license course.

He raved about Ben Hammond, spending several minutes telling me how much the central defender is blossoming. Apparently he has made great leaps forward in all areas of his game, especially decision-making and the mental side of the game. Even more important, the conversation with Eric Deloumeaux, the return to the starting lineup, and his solid match against Stoke City seemed to have restored his spirits: I spotted him in the gym early this morning, whistling as he went in to work out.

Darren Gibson and Jonathan Forte are making steady progress, and Robert Cousins was strongly improved for his first month, although its hard to say if that's just him knocking the rust off. Jamie Cooper and Paul Thirlwell both recovered most of the losses they'd suffered thus far this season, but I was distressed to see that promising youngsters Joe Newell and Brian Holmes had slipped further back. Darren Wrack, one of my oldest players, was also regressing, but at 31 years of age, McCall thinks he's just losing a bit of what it takes to play on the wings.

All told, however, I didn't feel that I was seeing as much improvement as I had during my days at York. I'm not sure if that's the coaching staff, the players, or the less strenuous training regime. I'd tried a more position-tailored but less intensive training for this season than I had for any of my years at York, hoping to evade the late-season slumps I'd observed at Bootham Crescent. It might also be the players: if they are all closer to their potential, as one might expect at this level, then it makes sense that they'd progress less. Still, its something that I'll need to keep a close eye on - and it may turn out to be merely a side effect of the many injuries we've suffered this year.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 3rd October, 2007.

Wow. I knew that they got famous instructors for this sort of thing, but I was still sort of stunned when Sir Alex Ferguson walked in. Though he retired from management after being sacked by the Manchester United board a bit over a year ago, he has, he assured us, remained active behind the scenes in the F.A. In his words, "I've been supplementing my gardening with a bit of teaching."

There's nobody better to learn from!

By this point, the classes no longer include sections on the laws of the game, or prevention of injuries; instead, it looks like it will be very cross-disciplinary. We have sessions scheduled with a swimming coach, a gymnastics coach, and a track-and-field coach - plus, and I'm very much looking forward to this one, a visit to Old Trafford to observe United in training!

Back at the farm, Stuart finished up the details on a couple deals I'd set in motion, adding two more players on season-long loans today, both trying to address our percieved shortage on the wings. Ironically, the first was a player who my scouts discovered while he was at York on loan from the fans' hated rivals Leeds United. The second came in from Birmingham, for whom he had been starting last season in the Premier League, but this year was finding himself on the bench.

AM L Andrew Schofield, 18, England, uncapped: 7 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00 on loan to York (League One):

A product of the Leeds youth system, blazing speed characterizes this youngster's game so far. He has good stamina, but his mental and technical skills are merely average. He doesn't show much flair, and he can't jump particularly, but at the moment he looks like a reasonable reserve. I'm not likely to play him blindly, as why help a rival club's player develop, but given our struggles on the wings this season, he'd have seen at least a few appearances already.

AM RLC Carl Motteram, 23, England, uncapped: 2 games, 0 goals, 5.50 with Birmingham:

A product of Birmingham's youth system, who looks similar to Schofield, with excellent pace and good fitness, but is honestly barely of the Conference standard in mental attributes like composure and decision-making. His technique isn't particularly strong either, and I'm not sure I've had a player who puts less emphasis on defending. Still, the versatility to play four of my ten outfield positions as he can makes him valuable, and like Schofield I'm intending him only as a last resort. I'm willing to let him languish in the Reserves if all of my players are healthy.

Wednesday's Reserve match at Wigan saw very strong lineup, with a number of first-team players in: Chris Morgan and Peter Weatherson were still working towards match fitness, and Joe Keenan, Ben Hammond, and Darren Wrack got starts as well. Schofield made his debut on the left side. Weatherson played quite well, with a goal and an assist in 60 minutes of action, and Jack Lester scored on a 25-yard strike which made it 2-0 when I brought Weatherson off for Billy Sharp. The 21-year-old, desperately trying to earn his way back into the first team, had an absolute blinder, scoring four goals in the space of thirty minutes to make the final score a crushing 6-0 over the luckless Wigan Reserves. Needless to say, Sharp was Man of the Match, and had certainly achieved his goal of catching my eye!

[avstwentyone]

I really enjoyed the side story with Ben Hammond. Things like that really can bring those little dots to life.

[Amaroq]

Thanks, avs! Sorry for not getting to today's match-post, wound up duking it out in the FMS Multiplayer World Cup 2010 before getting through editing the international-week posts.

I'll post two matches tomorrow - but I'm not saying any rosaries!

[Amaroq]

It really does mean a lot to have specific details like that called out for praise, btw - I figure if you've made it this far, you don't mind playing on extra detail!

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 6th September, 2007.

Class was going well; I particularly enjoyed the part about work-to-rest ratio. The instructors suggested that if you want players to give their maximum effort in repetitions, the work to rest ratio must be in the range of 1:10. In other words, if they work for 10 seconds, they must rest for 100 seconds for their muscles to be totally regenerated. The same applies to tactical planning: you can't expect a player to run all the time, in both attack and defense. Instead, the recommendation was to ensure that your defending players defend, and your attacking players attack, but don't try to close down all over the pitch and then expect everybody to go full-out in attack.

Back home, Allan McGregor had picked the right weekend to come up with an injury - it was an off weekend due to the international matches. My starting goalkeeper had spasms in his neck, apparently having slept on it wrong. Stuart says he looked awfully goofy wearing a little neck brace, and was taking a lot of naproxen sodium as an anti-inflammatory, but "Doc" Mitchell promised he should be fit by our next game on the 13th.

Friday night, Ireland Under-21s were held to a 1-1 draw by FYR Macedonia U-21s. It was a frustrating match for the Irish, and for Keith McCormack, who played all ninety minutes at right back, as they will be certain they could have done better. Coupled with a 3-1 victory for Spain over Bulgaria, the match dropped the Irish from first to second, and means they will have to come up with a way to win in Spain on Tuesday to see themselves top of the group in the European U-21 Championship Qualifying section. England Under-21s, despite a bye, were guaranteed a playoff spot thanks to other results in their group.

The big results everybody cared about were, of course, the European Championship Qualifiers, played Saturday afternoon and evening.

England were, of course, idle, having not even a friendly scheduled as they rested for the group-decider against Poland on Wednesday. The Poles did their part, beating Malta 2-0 to set up a 'win and you're in' final at Wembley, with the edge to the home side as a draw would also see England top of the table, with Poland out.

Georgia's faint hopes were ended when they lost 3-2 at Denmark: they had needed to win, with Poland drawing Saturday but beating England on Wednesday, to come top of the group, as they'd played all eight of their matches already.

In Group 1, Ireland beat Macedonia 1-0 on Steven Reid's first-half penalty, avoiding the fate their U-21 side had suffered, while Spain beat Bulgaria 3-1. The Irish would still have to get a result in Mallorca, but a draw would see them top of the table, as they hold a two-point edge over the Spanish side. Armenia got their first points of the campaign with a 2-0 victory at home over Estonia.

Scotland's Group 3 match against Cyprus was almost an exhibition, and in the first half the Scots had to battle back from deficit twice, with goals by Barry Ferguson and Paul Gallagher equalising it at halftime 2-2. Robbie Foy provided the go-ahead goal in the 55th minute, and goalkeeper Craig Gordon earned Man of the Match honours, holding the Nicosian side at bay for the final thirty minutes for a 3-2 win. Draws in the other two matches saw Sweden clinch the group title with a 4-point lead over Turkey, and the Scots third. The Swedes were happy enough with a 1-1 draw in Slovenia, but the Turkish fans hurled epithets, and then stones and debris onto the pitch after watching the home side concede an uninspired 0-0 draw against Leichtenstein. Belozoglu Emre's sending off in the 67th minute hadn't helped the home side, but honestly errant shooting was the culprit, as they squandered numerous chances.

Group 9 had already been decided, in Italy's favor, before the match in Turin, but they stamped their authority on the group with a precision 3-0 dismantling of a brave Welsh side. The Italian juggernaut had completed their group odyssey without conceding a single goal, and the only blemish on their spotless record was the goalless draw to Northern Ireland. The Irish were idle, but 'goalless' was a good word for them: their last goal came in a friendly against Bulgaria 18 months earlier, in March of 2006. Russia beat Israel 3-1, but their fading hopes of a second-place berth were all but eliminated by other results.

In Group 2, Holland continuned to sweep towards their confirmed spot in the finals, with a 2-0 victory over Iceland despite trying some younger blood - Fulham striker Collins John got a rare start, only his eighth cap for country. Slovakia took a distressing blow to their hopes after a 2-2 draw to San Marino lowered their position in the table of second-place teams.

Portugal clinched Group 4 with a solid 4-0 victory over Andorra - Hugo Viana, though called up to the squad, was not selected. That result made the result from Riga irrelevant, but Belgium had lost anyways, conceding two goals in the first ten minutes to Latvia, and then unable to mount a serious comeback despite a man advantage for the final 79 minutes - the final score was Latvia 2, Belgium 1.

France locked up Group 5 with a solid 2-0 victory in Finland, making moot Romania's 3-1 win over Moldova as the Romanians were five points back with one match remaining.

In Group 6, Norway squandered their advantage over Germany with a 0-0 draw in Luxembourg, unable to find a way to break down the determined defensive shell of their lilliputian hosts! Stade Josy Barthel was sold-out, with an estimated 4,000 German fans having made the trip to root against the visiting side: the draw had left Germany with a one-point edge going into the group finale against Norway, needing only a draw in Oslo rather than having to win.

In Group 8, Croatia's 1-0 victory over the second-placed Czech Republic in Teplice guaranteed that the lads with the distinctive red-and-white checkered shirts would advance to the final: they had a five point lead and a game in hand. Goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa was Man of the Match, catching eyes around the globe with four highlight-reel saves to ensure the result. I'm sure I wasn't the only manager to send a scout to his next match!

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 9th October, 2007.

Though the senior side might have the weekend off, the Reserve and Youth teams both had matches. I dropped down to Saltergate to watch the Under-18s face Notts County U-18s, and it was a hard-tackling match which seemed destined to cause injury to both sides. New signing Michael Harrison, as though sensing my doubts about him, came through with his first two goals in red and white, scoring the first with his head and the second with his feet. His goals were sandwiched around one by Mark Whitehead, making three goals by 16-year-old players as we won 3-1. Harrison was Man of the Match, while Colin Hatton had a disturbing day in goal, conceding two goals, one from twenty yards, though the long-range effort was subsequently disallowed.

The Reserve side were also at home, in Bramall Lane against Burton Reserves. They appeared out of luck, with Burton leading 1-0 and our lads reduced to 10 men due to a pair of injuries, neither too serious as it would turn out later. Then, Joe Newell rescued a draw with a fantastic 30-yard strike, clearly staking his claim for a first-team spot despite the acquisition of Hugo Viana. The 1-1 draw moved the lads into second, equal with Sheffield Wednesday Reserves, but five points back of leaders Doncaster.

I'd hoped to have Peter Weatherson for Wednesday's Reserve match as he struggled to regain his fitness, but the injury-prone striker suffered a bruised toe in training on Monday, and I was advised to rest him for a week or so. The injury may have been somewhat balanced by the return of Graham Allen to full training, but the right wing was quite unfit - much worse than I would have expected for a mere three weeks away from the game.

I overheard some of the lads teasing him about 'Yorkshire puddings', and calling him 'the next Tony Yeboah'. I had to ask Stuart McCall what they meant, and when I heard the story of the Leeds legend's weight excuse, I had to laugh: "The cook force-fed me Yorkshire puddings."

The European Under-21 Championship Qualifying came to completion Tuesday, and Keith McCormack and his mates achieved their goal in Sevilla: their 3-0 victory over Spain was convincing in every regard, and left Ireland U-21s top of the table. McCormack personally had a fine night, though substituted off in the 70th minute with the outcome already decided. They still have one hurdle left: a home-and-home series with Romania's U-21s, as the first-place teams face the second-place teams in a winner-take-all playoff.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 10th October, 2007.

78,033 fans packed Wembley to watch as England took on Poland in the final match of European Championship Qualifying, and hundreds of thousands of televisions were tuned to the match across the country. I was watching it in a pub with Stuart McCall and my friend Ope, visiting from Manchester. There were groans of dismay in the 13th minute when Polish striker Artur Wichniarek played a great ball for Andrzej Niedzielan, who had found a gap in the defense, and made the English pay. Rio Ferdinand equalized on a corner kick, heading home Owen Hargreaves' corner, in the 23rd minute, and Frank Lampard put the home side ahead just minutes before the intermission. Stalwart defending in the second half stifled any aspirations the Poles might have had of a comeback, as they didn't get a shot off, or earn a single corner. England had won, 2-1, and took top place in the group and a berth in the finals. The defeat was particularly cruel for Poland, as it left them third in the group and knocked them out of the playoffs.

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

1 Q England 19 6 1 1 26 5 +21

2 Pl Georgia 14 4 2 2 17 16 + 1

3 Poland 14 4 2 2 14 11 + 3

4 Denmark 10 3 1 4 11 15 - 4

5 Malta 0 0 0 8 4 25 -21</pre>

Ireland's dream of a shock group win over Spain met an unkind end in Palma de Mallorca, with Raúl and Mista scoring for the Spanish in a 2-0 win that snatched Group 1 away from the Irish by a single point. Still, Chris Hughton's lads had done enough that they were one of the top second-place teams, narrowly missing out on a berth in that regard.

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

1 Q Spain 23 7 2 1 25 3 +22

2 Pl Ireland 22 7 1 2 20 4 +16

3 Bulgaria 18 5 3 2 16 10 + 6

4 Macedonia 16 5 1 4 12 14 - 2

5 Estonia 4 1 1 8 9 29 -20

6 Armenia 3 1 0 9 5 27 -22</pre>

Scotland closed out their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Slovenia on goals by Russell Anderson, Darren Fletcher, and Paul Gallagher in Glasgow. Turkish tempers continued to boil over against Sweden, and even though the match had no bearing on the Group 3 results, it would weigh heavily on the Turks, as they had two players sent off. Sweden had one of their own, after battling back from a two-goal deficit to tie 2-2. The Turks wound up the top second-placed team, avoiding the playoffs and earning an automatic berth.

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

1 Q Sweden 24 7 3 0 19 9 +10

2 Q Turkey 20 6 2 2 18 9 + 9

3 Scotland 15 5 0 5 19 12 + 7

4 Cyprus 12 4 0 6 16 24 - 8

5 Slovenia 10 3 1 6 11 18 - 7

6 Liechtenstein 5 1 2 7 10 21 -11</pre>

In Group 9, Wales won an instant classic against Russia. Alexander Kerzhakov had put Russia ahead on 31 minutes, but Robbie Savage equalized before halftime with a spectacular volley for the home side. 62,544 fans cheered wildly as Craig Bellamy scored two goals in a three-minute span to put Wales solidly ahead, but Russia battled back to equalize on a second goal by Kerzhakov and an 81st-minute equalizer by Anatoly Guerk. Bellamy was not through yet, however, and he scored the dramatic game-winner on a breakaway in injury time, completing his hat trick and a 4-3 win at Millennium Stadium!!

Northern Ireland, meanwhile, were hoping technical difficulties prevented any tape from being made of their final match, a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of an Israel team which the visitors made to look almost Brazilian through their ineptitude.

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

1 Q Italy 22 7 1 0 14 0 +14

2 Pl Russia 15 5 0 3 13 9 + 4

3 Wales 10 3 1 4 12 15 - 3

4 Israel 7 2 1 5 10 14 - 4

5 N. Ireland 3 0 3 5 0 11 -11</pre>

In Group 2, Holland finished off a fine campaign with a 4-0 victory in San Marino, while Slovakia lost to Greece 2-1, but took second in the group and a playoff berth anyways.

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

1 Q Holland 30 10 0 0 32 2 +30

2 Pl Slovakia 19 6 1 3 15 13 + 2

3 Greece 17 5 2 3 11 10 + 1

4 Iceland 13 4 1 5 13 11 + 2

5 Azerbaijan 7 2 1 7 8 20 -12

6 San Marino 1 0 1 9 4 27 -23</pre>

In Group 4, I was very much expecting Hugo Viana to earn selection in the final match, which was virtually a friendly, but he did not. Portugal demolished Lithuania 4-0 without his help, and though Latvia finished off the group with a winning record thanks to a 2-0 win over Andorra, they were not able to pry second place away from Belgium, who finished up with a third draw.

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

1 Q Portugal 27 9 0 1 25 4 +21

2 Pl Belgium 18 5 3 2 16 11 + 5

3 Latvia 16 5 1 4 16 16 0

4 Serbia & Mont 13 4 1 5 15 14 + 1

5 Lithuania 13 4 1 5 13 22 - 9

6 Andorra 0 0 0 10 6 24 -18</pre>

In Group 5, France demolished Moldova 7-0 despite starting a lesser-known side. Romania beat Albania 2-0 to qualify for the playoffs.

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

1 Q France 27 9 0 1 32 4 +28

2 Pl Romania 22 7 1 2 21 10 +11

3 Finland 14 4 2 4 13 15 - 2

4 Albania 9 2 3 5 10 17 - 7

5 Moldova 7 1 4 5 11 25 -14

6 Kazakhstan 5 1 2 7 4 20 -16</pre>

Group 6 had a classic finish, with Germany travelling to Oslo needing only a draw to win the group. Eirik Bakke put hosts Norway ahead in the first half, but when Bastian Schweinsteiger netted for the Germans in the 63rd minute, it looked like the stalwart German defense would be able to guarantee them a place. An inspired substitution from the Norwegian bench, forward Daniel Fredheim Holm, turned the tide, with Holm scoring the game-winner for Norway. The hosts weren't out of the woods immediately, needing to weather ten minutes a man short after Claus Lundekvam saw red in the 80th minute. The Germans would have to qualify the hard way - through a playoff - and they drew Russia.

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

1 Q Norway 16 4 4 0 12 6 + 6

2 Pl Germany 14 4 2 2 15 6 + 9

3 Belarus 12 3 3 2 9 9 0

4 Hungary 7 1 4 3 8 11 - 3

5 Luxembourg 3 0 3 5 3 15 -12</pre>

In the last match of Group 8, Croatia did a massive favor for the Czech Republic by holding Ukraine to a draw when a win would have put the home side ahead of the idle Czechs. It was a historic date for the Faroe Islands, however, as they secured their first-ever competitive victory, a 2-1 away win to Bosnia!

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

1 Q Croatia 20 6 2 0 15 5 +10

2 Pl Czech Rep. 14 4 2 2 18 6 +12

3 Ukraine 13 4 1 3 10 12 - 2

4 Bosnia 7 2 1 5 10 15 - 5

5 Faroe Islands 3 1 0 7 6 21 -15</pre>

[Amaroq]

Alright, back to Yorkshire tomorrow lads, I still owe you a pair of matches... and we have Hull City followed by co-leaders Q.P.R.

[aaberdeenn]

KUTGW, still going absolutely great

[Amaroq]

Thanks! Signed up for aberdeen in the MMOG based on your support.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 17th October, 2007.

The Reserve match Wednesday night against Chesterfield Reserves was a bit of a strange match, as the Sheffield United Reserves were technically the home side at Saltergate, which is the stadium of Chesterfield's senior club. With everyone watching England play, there was no home-field advantage for either side. Our lads piled on the pressure, and Darren Wrack, Gareth Davies, and Billy Sharp all scored first-half goals. Little-regarded defenseman Paul Morgan, whom I was still trying to move on a free, scored a fourth in the second half after sneaking forward on a corner. Graham Allen made a brief return to the pitch, getting a few minutes after it was all decided, and Brian Holmes appeared recovered from his injury, securing Man of the Match honours at left-side fullback.

Unluckily, young midfielders Gavin Atkinson and Gareth Davies picked up injures during the match. Davies would be out for a week after briefly dislocating his shoulder, while Atkinson had strained his groin and would miss at least a month in physiotherapy.

Despite his goal in the Reserve action, I was sufficiently displeased with Paul Morgan that I decided to bite the bullet, pay him the compensation on a contract which ran through 2010, and dismiss him from camp. "No hard feelings," I told him; I just wanted him to be able to find a club where he would have a future, and after bringing in Ben Hammond and Jamie Cooper, my central defense was full.

He didn't take it very well, saying I'd never given him a chance, and criticizing me to the press for stringing him along this deep into the season if he didn't have a chance.

I was taking a bit of a beating in the media, as I also found myself in a bit of a war of words with Hull City manager Brian Horton. He assured one of the Hull newspapers that we were over-performing, and that his Hull team were very confident of beating United on Saturday's televised match.

I answered by saying wryly "Though there are those who think Brian Horton to be a useless manager, I'm personally of the opinion that he's a competent tactician."

I refused to be drawn into answering any further questions, leaving the gathered media to interpret whether that was a backhanded compliment, or an oblique insult.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 13th October, 2007. Championship - Game 11, at Hull City.

After earning successive promotions from League Two and League One in 2003/04 and 04/05, Hull were able to spend their one-hundredth season in operation in the Championship. They did very poorly, however, placing 17th their first year, and narrowly avoiding relegation last season with 21st. They entered the day in 17th this year, but had dropped to 19th by kick-off thanks to other results. They had had a chance to rest, but they were pitting the team with the lowest-scoring offense in the League against the side with the best defense.

The news came in that Q.P.R. had lost to Nottingham Forest 0-1 just before I named my squad, and in my pre-match talk I reminded the lads what that meant: if we earned so much as a draw, we'd be alone atop the Championship. Allan McGregor, still wearing his neck brace around the ground, started in goal. Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, Ben Hammond, and Danny Payne were again paired together as his defense. Joe Keenan got the nod at defensive midfield, and my ever-changing wings were Jonathan Forte and Leandre Griffit this match, as I wanted to find a way to work Griffit into the lineup despite acquiring Hugo Viana. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson partnered the Portugese international in the attacking midfield, and Noel Hunt, who had become our leading goalscorer, was again chosen up front.

Hull came out in a 3-4-3, clearly trying to break their offensive drought, but after handling Stoke City's similar approach, I wasn't too concerned - our defend-and-counter approach had proved sufficient, and I ordered a similar approach here. Brian Horton must have seen something in the tape of that match, however, as his lads played a narrow midfield that seemed to strangle any attempts to come through it. Leandre Griffit was running rampant on the right wing, and we limited Hull to long range efforts for the opening quarter-hour.

In the 18th minute, Jonathan Forte's cross ricocheted goalward off of defender Danny Higginbotham, who was having a great game to that point. Stefan Postma pushed it away, but right to the feet of Noel Hunt to the left of goal. The expert goal-poacher rifled a shot in, but Postma, half lying on the ground, got a hand on it, and turned it to the post, where it rolled out for a corner. So close - but a fabulous double-save from the Dutchman.

Griffit and Danny Payne, working together on the right side, drew three first-half yellow cards from Hull players desperate to stop them. Jonathan Forte was having some luck on the left wing as well, but began limping and had to come out by the 35th minute. In the 37th, Griffit made a great dribble up the right wing, leaving for dead two Hull defenders and mesmerizing The Circle crowd. He sent a low pass in to Marc Bridge-Wilkinson unmarked in the area, but Postma got down to turn the shot behind. At the other end, Stuart Elliott out-jumped Payne to put a header across the goalmouth, but it carried over the net, and at halftime it was still a scoreless affair.

Postma continued to play well into the second-half, denying Bridge-Wilkinson's 20-yard free kick in the 57th minute, but as the affair dragged on, Hull's stranglehold in midfield seemed to choke the life out of us. By the 73rd minute, when I'd taken the dynamic duo of Griffit and Hugo Viana out, we seemed to lack any semblance of creativity up front. Hull midfielder Glenn Whelan came close twice, once finding side netting, and later putting one over the bar - but Hull's shots were coming closer and closer.

With the game drawing towards a tense finish, Hull defender Elliott played the telling ball, a quick-paced pass from 35 yards out, which found Whelan briefly unmarked in the area. McGregor charged out to meet him, and the two collided at the six, the ball skipping merrily away across the goalmouth. Whelan somehow kept his footing, and got to the loose ball just before Steve Foster did. He hammered it home to send 25,382 Hull fans into a frenzy of delight, and honestly what Foster did to bring him low just moments later would have resulted in a penalty anyways - the man with the captain's armband was fortunate not to receive a card for it. 0-1, and it looked like being a one-goal game.

Whelan continued to look dangerous, finding side netting again a few minutes later, while Hunt's effort at the opposite end went wide. Allan McGregor made a fine save on Delroy Facey's header, but he was shouting at his defense even as I was hollering for them to push it up the field. Amazingly, Horton wasn't changing to defend the lead, and we had a breakaway with Graham Allen - on as a substitute for Griffit, but not yet fully fit - making a wonderful run. He danced past Higginbotham and into the area, but Postma again made the save. It was rolling wide of the far post, but Joe Newell arrived just in time to poke it into the back of the net!

He started to celebrate, but too early - the linesman raised his flag, ruling that the youngster had been in an offsides position when Allen shot. Heartbreak!

Believe it or not, Horton still didn't learn the lesson. We sucked the majority of his players forward on a corner kick, and when Payne cleared it out of the area, we subsequently had a 6-on-3 breakaway. Bridge-Wilkinson fed it to Joe Keenan. With a plethora of options to play it to, the defender opted to dribble centrally himself, and the last defender, Paul Reid nipped it away from him. The ball fell to Higginbotham, who cleared it into touch, and the danger for Hull was averted - especially when Horton switched to a stifling defense of his own for the final minutes.

Hull City 1, Sheffield United 0

Whelan 78; ----

MoM: Postma (Hull GK)

Stefan Postma had singlehandedly kept Hull in the match with seven brilliant saves, many on good opportunities for my Blades, and utterly deserved Man of the Match for his superb performance.

I told the lads afterwards that, though the scoreboard and tomorrow's newspapers might not show it, I knew who had played the better football on the day. It did leave me musing, however, about ways to counter the narrow midfield Horton had employed.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 15th October, 2007.

"Hey, Boss, look at this!"

Young Robert Cousins came into my office excitedly, clutching the November issue of Four Four Two. He placed the glossy magazine on my desk, hurriedly opening it to show me an interior page. There it was: a feature article on Sheffield United's "highly regarded young manager." I skimmed through the article, and found it highly flattering:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Just six months ago, Sheffield United was in danger of missing the playoffs in their first season in League One. They'd lost four of their last six games, with two draws, by a combined score of 13-3. Today, they are top of the table in the Championship, thanks to Derek Dooley's inspired hiring of highly regarded young manager Ian Richards....

... The 34-year-old American seems to have the Midas touch, as every squad he's managed has had an incredible run of form under him. From a youth side in America, to taking a relegation candidate top of the table in the Championship, his sides always seem to overperform. Lancaster City went on a 15-game winning run under his watch. York City had the memorable F.A. Cup run of 2005/06, which saw them reach the Fourth Round, and went on to win back-to-back titles in the Conference and League Two. At Sheffield United, his side won thrilling encounters against Wednesday and Barnsley to earn promotion, and an early-season run of form saw them go top of the table in mid-September...

... Dooley clearly thinks the world of him, saying "I feel we've finally found the man who can take the Blades back where we belong: the Premiership"...

... Richards is not one to yell and shout at players who don't perform. He simply doesn't tolerate poor performance. "He's always encouraging," said star attacking midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, "But we all know its pull your weight on the pitch, or you're gone. Look at Phil Barnes: starting keeper last year, but after a dismal showing in a Reserve game - a Reserve game, mind! - and he was let go for a mere £20,000. In its own way, that's more motivating than a manager who rants and raves at halftime..."

... He's very loyal to those players who impress him, bringing Ryan Ashington with him from Lancaster to York, where the youngster was the side's second-leading scorer, and bringing Joe Keenan, then splashing out £1.8M to bring Robert Cousins with him from York to Sheffield United. That, too, has a motivating effect on the players, according to Keenan...

... The centerpiece of Richards' master plan is the 4-5-1 formation. The midfield, with one defensive midfielder, two wingers, and two attacking midfielders, seems to create an arrow-head pointing to the lone striker. Richards places such a premium on defending that the side has conceded only two League goals all year, but five men get forward in a vicious counterattack which looks like a narrow 4-3-3 as soon as the opposition commits men forward...

... The key to the tactic is the attacking midfielders, who are given a free role offensively, but fall back to form part of the defensive perimeter when the opposition has possession. It requires a certain blend of creative genius and long-range sharpshooting talent, but it drew the most out of Ryan Ashington and Tappa Whitmore at York. At Bramall Lane, Bridge-Wilkinson has blossomed in this system, becoming the Blades' leading scorer, and in Newell and Cousins he seems to have a solid core for years to come...

... The American also shown himself capable of improvising. The playoff success at United last season was entirely with a 4-4-2, as the side lacked the time and players to make the 4-5-1 work, which demonstrated...

... Perhaps his best match came early this season, when ten-man United trailed Wigan 1-0 and had looked utterly lost throughout the first half. According to veteran defensive midfielder Paul Thirlwell, "Richards thoroughly took charge over the break: he drew on the whiteboard an entirely new scheme, which had its roots in a 5-3-2, but was designed to utterly foil what Wigan was doing. We'd never practiced it: he might as well have drawn it on the back of a napkin! But it worked. After the first goal, he shouted out more changes, and those worked as well. If there was anybody on the side who didn't believe in him, that match dispelled their doubts..."

... Though he's earned national reknown in England, the most talented American manager of his generation remains nearly unheard of in his own country, which is bereft of appreciation for the Beautiful Game. However, the U.S. Soccer Federation are reportedly interested in his services for the national team ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, that was quite a change from Rupert Wormwood's fare - which had, of course, laid the blame for our defeat at The Circle squarely upon my shoulders.

[aaberdeenn]

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

Thanks! Signed up for aberdeen in the MMOG based on your support. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nice

Unlucky with the defeat. Those darn super keepers

[Amaroq]

Thought you'd appreciate that, though I'll cede them to you if you sign up, and we may not start SPL anyways.

Super-keepers. BAH! I don't believe in 'em!

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 17th October, 2007.

Flattering article aside, I had work to concentrate on. As I noted earlier, Q.P.R. had also lost, so despite our second defeat we were still top of the table, equal with Queen's Park and two points ahead of unbeaten Millwall. Ipswich had a game in hand, unbeaten and three points back.

My troubles on the flanks continued, as left wing Jonathan Forte had twisted his knee at The Circle - he would need a week or so. Unfortunately, Forte was joined on the injured list by Joe Keenan, the man who had replaced him on the left side against Hull. A strained wrist after a fall, and Keenan would also miss a week. That might be offset a bit by the return of Chris Sedgwick from his foot injury, though he was a long ways from match fit at this juncture.

I had some ideas percolating for tactical changes I might want to make - one was the prospect of having Hugo Viana hold the ball up, relying on his incredible talent to distribute the ball through a defense which had had time to set up, rather than the quick-paced counter I'd been employing. The other idea was trying to make a 5-3-2 work, so that I could get Noel Hunt and Peter Weatherson on the pitch at the same time, with the fullbacks coming forward in a wing-like role.

As I worked over a clipboard, I tuned my attention to the Champions League matches Tuesday night. The poor form of the British clubs continued, with Liverpool undone in Spain by Valencia, 2-1. This left them tied on 3 points with Valencia and Inter Milan, who had lost to Bayern Munich. The Germans, unruffled by the Group of Death, had won 2-1 with Roque Santa Cruz again providing the winner to go perfect with nine points.

In Group E, Celtic reached the halfway point without a point to their name after a 1-0 defeat at Copenhagen, with David Marshall's own goal completing the Old Firm's embarassment. Group H leaders Chelsea won 2-0 over Czech side Banik Ostrava to complete a flawless first half, with nine points and a solid lead over Juventus' 6 and PSV's 3.

On Wednesday, I had several candidates in to interview for a coaching position. I was quite happy to meet Dwight Yorke, the former Trinidad & Tobago striker, who had scored 134 Premiership goals before finishing out his career with Championship side Plymouth. Ray Houghton had also applied - I felt like I was rubbing shoulders with the elite, and it was hard not to be giddy as a schoolgirl over meeting these fellows. It helped to have Terry Robinson making introductions, I'm sure, but I think meeting those two impressed me more than the Four Four Two article had!

Despite their luminous histories, I found myself most impressed by ex-Croatia midfielder Niko Kovac, and offered the position to him.

Our Reserve match Wednesday night was a solid 3-0 victory over Wrexham Reserves. Darren Gibson scored twice, and Robert Cousins got the other. Joe Newell was named Man of the Match with two assists, but what I was happiest about honestly was seeing Graham Allen last 73 minutes, and having Chris Sedgwick get on the pitch for the final 17. Ben Hammond played the entire match as well, as I was hoping Chris Morgan was recovered enough to play on Saturday. It was a solid win, and moved our lads top of the table momentarily, though only one point ahead of Doncaster Reserves, who have a game in hand. In other Reserve news, 18-year-old defensive midfielder Steve Newton returned from his loan assignment at Conference side Carlilse: he'd started ten matches, with 1 assist and an average rating of 6.20.

I checked in on the other Champions League scores before settling into bed. Manchester United had won at Old Trafford, beating Trabzonspor 2-0 thanks to a Ruud van Nistelrooy brace. Rangers lost, at home, to Dortmund 2-1, joining Celtic with 0 points, and all but eliminated already. Plucky Israeli side Maccabi Haifa stayed top of their group, beating Werder Bremen 1-0 to leave them on seven points to Barcelona's five. Group D got much more interesting when Dinamo Bucharest beat Ajax 1-0, leaving the Dutch side only one point ahead of Bucharest and Maccabi Tel-Aviv with four points to their three, with A.C. Milan comfortably clear on seven.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 20th October, 2007. Championship - Game 12, at Queen's Park Rangers.

It was a London showdown for the top of the table: Q.P.R. against Sheffield United, with the winner guaranteed to sit alone on top. Queen's Park were a fellow founding member of the Premier League, and had actually been runner's up for the English title in 1975/76, but a run of poor results both on and off the pitch saw them slump from 8th in the Premier League in 1995/96 down to 23rd and relegated from the Championship in 2000/01, with an 8th place finish in League One the low point the following year. Under the leadership of Ian Holloway, they've rebuilt the squad, making steady progress each season. They promoted back up from League One after the 2003/04 season, and last year placed 4th in the Championship. This year, nothing less than promotion will do, and a title would seem in their grasp if the London side could see off our challenge at home.

I started the best lineup I could muster: Allan McGregor was of course my choice in goal. Chris Morgan made his return to the starting lineup in central defense, partnered with Steve Foster and wearing the captain's armband. Danny Payne and Sean Dillon were the fullbacks, with Paul Thirlwell at defensive midfield. Kyle Reid started on the left wing, with Leandre Griffit earning another look on the right. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Hugo Viana were my attacking midfield, with the team's leading scorer, Noel Hunt, up front.

Tactically, it was time to be very conservative: we'd had a nil-nil draw against Norwich, and a similar result against Q.P.R. would be good enough for me. Fortunately for us, their lineup was a bit weakened, with four injuries including assists-leader Paul McVeigh, and their defense was quite weakened with central defender Danny Shittu out and defensive midfielder Marc Bircham suspended.

We had the better of the early chances, and it seemed as though the home side were a bit tentative, perhaps nervous. Unfortunately, we couldn't make them pay as nobody seemed able to find the net, with Bridge-Wilkinson and Hunt both putting early chances wide. In the 20th minute, the hosts countered, with Malcolm Christie breaking into our box with space to receive a pass. It was a golden chance, and he unleashed a powerful shot.. which blazed just over the bar. A minute later, Christie knocked a cross down for Stefan Bailey, but the right-footed midfielder tried to shoot with his left, and golfed it well into the stands.

The referee was tossing yellow cards everywhere, and even mild-mannered Hugo Viana had one by the 25th minute. It seemed to anger the Newcastle midfielder, and for the first time he began to look dangerous in the red and white stripes. Twice he had a go from range, testing Rangers goalkeeper Chris Day with a pair of wicked shots, and then, just before the half he got the best of chances. Kyle Reid fed Portugese international the ball in the area, near the end line but wide of goal. From that tight angle, Viana struck a low shot which had Day beaten... only to see it cleared off the line by Calum Angus! The resultant corner was played to the Portguse star at the top of the box, and he ripped a magnificent shot which Stephen Crainey blocked on the goal line!!

The home side were holding onto a scoreless draw by the narrowest of margins, but they came out with some renewed vigor in the second half. Scottish midfielder Nigel Quashie looked like the threat for Queen's Park as we were limiting them to long range efforts, of which his seemed the most dangerous - he came close several times, but always seemed to be just inches off the target. By the hour, the home side had 5 yellow cards. The 15,321 fans at Loftus Road were defeinitely getting on referee Phil Prosser's case, and the Q.P.R. players argued several calls heatedly, contributing to their yellow total. Luckily, our side were keeping their cool.

Peter Weatherson came on for us as a second half substitute, and in the 65th minute he intercepted a backpass near the center circle. He made a quick breakaway, and had Ian Holloway not put the fresh legs of Mathew Sadler in just minutes earlier, Weatherson might have scored. As it was, he was caught from behind by the young left back on the eighteen, and Sadler cleared the danger.

In the final minutes we were definitely knocking on the door, but found it impossible to find a way through. I was on the edge of the touchline, my heart in my mouth both when we had a chance, and when Quashie blazed another long-range effort over the bar. In the 80th minute, Weatherson shot over from the top of the arc, and in the 83rd Leandre Griffit's 23-yard free kick grazed the bar as it went over.

The home side had their best chance on an 85th minute corner which fell to captain Martin Rowlands a mere ten yards out - he was kicking himself after missing the target. Day made two saves in injury time, once coming out to the edge of his area to pluck a long pass off the toes of Weatherson, and the second saving a fine shot by our number 9. Finally, Prosser blew the whistle, and it was still all naughts.

Q.P.R. 0, Sheffield United 0

----; ----

MoM: Day (Q.P.R. GK)

I'd gotten the result I'd set out for, and if it let the rest of the league close up on us a bit, so be it. Chris Morgan had played an encouragingly fine game in central defense, marshalling a defense which kept Q.P.R. from putting a single shot on target all match. His efforts were outshone by those of Chris Day, whose seven saves were the difference between draw and defeat for the home side.

[aaberdeenn]

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

Thought you'd appreciate that, though I'll cede them to you if you sign up, and we may not start SPL anyways.

Super-keepers. BAH! I don't believe in 'em! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would sign up but never played online so I don't know.

Well Chris Day turned out to be another one Good away point though

[Amaroq]

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 24th October, 2007.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The Best of Both Worlds! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

was the Sheffield Star headline Sunday morning, as Sheffield Wednesday had gone top of League One with a 2-1 victory over Oxford! It was their sixth straight match without defeat, a fine run for our cross-town rivals. Our draw in London had kept us top of the table as well, thanks to plucky Nottingham Forest. Forest, who were rapidly becoming our biggest friends in the Championship, had held third-placed side Millwall to a draw.

Stacy's son plays for a California youth club called "Nott's Forest" which wears red and black - coincidence? I think not!

Millwall were still unbeaten, as were Ipswich, who went third after a 2-0 victory over Norwich in the late game. The early leaders were down to 11th after their run of defeats, but Ipswich were now only one point back, with a match in hand.

At Stockport, the Sheffield United U-18's had lost 2-0 to a Stockport U-18 side which didn't look to rate too highly. A sitter in goal by Dean Bond seemed to indicate that I was better off looking to McDonald and Hatton for the future between the sticks, but the side ahead of him hadn't played well either, and were outshot two to one.

Our defense had taken one big step forward with the return of Chris Morgan on Saturday, and took another step towards normal on Monday, as Hayden Foxe rejoined the side for some light work on the training pitch. The Australian central defender had been out since last season recovering from surgery to repair his torn groin, and Tom Mitchell recommended he have at least another month to work his way back into form before seeing a competitive match.

Meanwhile, we had a tricky set of fixtures coming up: seven matches, three in the Championship, one U-18 Cup, two Reserve and one other U-18 match, all over an eight day span starting on Saturday. I spent a good several hours before the Wednesday night Reserve match plotting out whom I intended to play in which match over the next eleven days, balancing success, playing time for my recovering-from-injury players, fitness, and playing time for the youth players. I think every professional on the squad was slated for at least one start out of the lot, and most were in for two - and we would still be relying on amateurs for some encounters.

I decided to select most of the squad I intended to play for the Under-18s Cup match the next weekend, giving them time together at Saltergate as the Sheffield United Reserves against Mansfield Reserves. Robert Cousins opened the scoring, Joe Newell added one in the second half, and they won easily enough, 2-0. Captain Nicky Thomson was Man of the Match from the left wing, while one exception to the youth policy was Chris Sedgwick, who played 72 minutes on the right wing in his first start after injury.

Arsenal had been in incredible form recently, having notched a 6-0 victory in UEFA Cup group play over Greek side Panionios last week and adding a 4-0 scalping of Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday in a League Cup match. Rob Styles was the referee, and sent off two Reds in the first half, leaving the Gunners with an eleven-on-nine advantage that proved insurmountable. With Arsene Wenger's status reportedly very insecure, there was much speculation in the tabloid press about whether these results were coming too late to save his job.

National headline news from Wednesday night: Hartlepool United 2, Manchester United 1!!

Hartlepool were dead last in League Two, and looked bound for their second consecutive relegation, which would see them out of the Football League for the first time since 1920. The late goal of 20-year-old substitute David Foley changed all of that, breaking a stalemate and making the striker an overnight household name in England.

The English really do love a giant-killing!

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 27th October, 2007. Championship - Game 13, vs Everton.

Everton would be the biggest club I had ever faced: nine times champions of England, as recently as 1987, five time winners of the FA Cup, as recently as 1995. After 53 straight seasons in the highest echelon of English League football, they had slumped to 18th last year, and saw themselves relegated for the first time since 1951. Highly touted favorites to earn promotion back up, the 'other Liverpool side' are currently seventh, but have lost just two matches and own a proud +7 goal difference.

The Toffees have spent £20M over the past two seasons bringing in quality players, and the likes of Darren Bent, Paul Ifill, and Robert Earnshaw are supposed to have them higher in the table than that. Brazilian forward Dagoberto looks incredible up front, coming off an international campaign last year where he scored six goals in six starts for Brazil, only to find himself dropped this year due to his side being relegated from the Premier League. Bent leads the side with seven goals, and we were lucky he would miss the day's contest with a bruised shoulder. They've gone eight straight without defeat, and haven't been scored upon since September 22nd.

Unfortunately, my perfectly plotted choice of starters suffered its first mishap when Chris Morgan strained his neck Friday afternoon. We tried to treat it, but he was too stiff to start this morning, and I had to make some quick changes. We wound up with Allan McGregor in goal, behind Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, Ben Hammond, and Danny Payne in defense. Paul Thirlwell was the holding midfielder, Andrew Schofield made his first start on the left wing, and Graham Allen, not yet quite match fit, made the start on the right. My attacking midfield was Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Leandre Griffit, and I nominated Peter Weatherson up front - he didn't seem to be regaining his match fitness with Reserve starts, and I couldn't wait any longer: I needed to get my number 9 back into the senior side.

Everton came to Bramall Lane with a defensive outlook, a 5-3-2 with a sweeper and two wingbacks that push forward - the 'V' at the back looks like an inversion of our formation. I matched that with my conservative 4-5-1, and as you would expect with both sides concentrating on defense, opportunities were few and far between. Everton's Portugese forward Filipe Oliveira was making his first start of the season, and proved willing to try shots from long range in the 10th minute, but put his 25-yard effort wide.

In the 16th minute, we earned a corner kick thanks to Andrew Schofield's work on the left. Though Paul Ifill headed clear the first effort, Leandre Griffit took control out near the edge of the area, and rifled in a shot which caught side netting. After that initial action, however, the pace slowed down as both sides remained tight defensively. The fans were unhappy with that, and began to boo both sides' lack of creativity eqaually: there were 30,057 displeased patrons crammed into the stadium. Peter Weatherson picked up a bit of a knock in about the 35th minute, and after watching him limp, when halftime came still scoreless, I pulled him off for Billy Sharp.

Griffit nearly scored in the 48th minute, again from a corner kick. His shot through traffic struck Jurgen Colin and deflected towards the top-left corner, but a diving Richard Wright made a fingertip save to tilt it over the bar. In the 56th, Oliviera launched a blistering long-range shot which forced a top-drawer save by Allan McGregor, stretched at full extension to push it away at the right-hand post. I made my second change, bringing off Graham Allen, who seemed to be struggling with a knock. A minute past the hour, Sean Dillon collided with Dagoberto. He landed awkwardly, and the physios stretchered him off, so I found myself with all three changes made for injury and still 30 minutes to survive!

As the minutes ticked past, it seemed we were limiting Everton's defensive side to so few chances that, had I had some substitutional flexibility, I might have began pushing players up, but I contented myself with playing for a 0-0 result. The fans were unhappy with the quality of the match, and spared no volume letting us know it - I could hardly blame them, it was truly uninspired stuff. Our best chance was probably a dangerous cross from Bridge-Wilkinson sent in on the 71st minute, but Colin headed it behind.

In the 83rd minute, my injury problem became a crisis as central defender Ben Hammond picked up a knock. He had no choice but to continue, and it was quite scary watching the hobbling youngster try to handle Dagoberto and Earnshaw, but he acquitted himself admirably. The scoreless result lasted through four long minutes of injury time until the final whistle.

Sheffield United 0, Everton 0

----; ----

MoM: Cahill (Everton MC)

Tim Cahill was Man of the Match in central midfield for the Toffees.

The Brammall Lane fans may have been unhappy with a scoreless draw that saw only eight shots in total - they weren't shy about letting us know that they'd rather see attacking football - but I was quite pleased that we'd limited Everton to weak long-range efforts.

I gave the lads a brief 'well done', and then hurried off to the physio's room to see about my battered players.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 29th October, 2007.

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

screamed the headline, and from that one word I knew who's by-line would appear under it. Sure enough, Rupert Wormwood was on the rampage again.

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

Though they played inspired football for two months, the inevitable slide back down the table has begun for Sheffield United. Yet again, they failed to score, marking their third match in a row without any offense. Manager Ian Richards seems content to sit back and defend, and the boos raining down at Bramall Lane yesterday showed just how unpopular that is with the fans, who would prefer a return to the 4-4-2 which captured imaginations in the playoffs last year.

The lack of creativity shown by the Blades should be a clear warning to those starry-eyed supporters who, in naive optimism, expect victory in every match and promotion at season's end. The team are nowhere near Premiership-calibre... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I couldn't read the rest of the article - I'd been quite pleased with the last two 0-0 draws, and reading Wormwood's vitriol would sour my mood. The news from the physio's room hadn't been entirely bad: Peter Weatherson and Graham Allen had gotten off the pitch before doing serious injury to themselves, though my physios chided me for starting them before getting them match fit. Ben Hammond would miss the Under-18s Cup match with a shoulder injury, but Sean Dillon was the worst off, having suffered a back strain which warranted physiotherapy. The left back, who had started every game save one thus far, would be out for three weeks, and I was glad I had Joe Keenan to provide some depth at the position.

We had lost the top spot, however: Nottingham Forest had finally let us down, conceding a 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town, who moved second. Q.P.R. took over first with a 2-1 win over Preston. We were down to third, two points shy of Rangers and one back of Ipswich, who remain unbeaten and with a game in hand. At third, we were in the top playoff spot, four points clear of Everton, who remained 7th, and we had another tough match coming: away at unbeaten Millwall, currently 5th in the table due to an inordinate number of draws.

Sunday afternoon the depleted squad had two more matches, the Reserves in Norwich, and the Under-18 side at Port Vale. Both squads had to make do with a number of amateurs from our U-16 side, as we were well shy of bodies. I even considered suiting up myself, before thinking through what a recipe for disaster that would be. The U-18 side in particular was hard hit by this, and dropped a 2-0 result to Port Vale U-18's. Our Reserves played more solidly, actually outshooting Norwich Reserves, but the amateur back line conceded late when I asked the midfield to play more aggressively in search of a game-winner. Jonathan Forte played 68 minutes in a rehabilitation effort, and 31-year-old Jack Lester, squeezed out of the senior-side rotation, played a full ninety. Darren Wrack, also with a 'keeping fit' start, came off limping at halftime, but luckily no injury was done.

In other news, we hired a new physio, 56-year-old Paul Miller, who had been plying his trade in League Two with Peterborough United. He became the third physio on the staff, as I hoped having the ability to have a second physio working on some of our training regimes would help to alleviate my burgeoning injury crisis. We could certainly afford the pittance wages physios demand, and I was desperate to resolve my injury problem.

Speaking of problems, a three-match winning streak with a combined score of 12-1 was not enough to save Arsene Wenger's job, and he was out as Arsenal manager. Chairman Peter Hill-Wood announced that a new manager was necessary to "bring a fresh approach to the team." After 3 titles, including the 05/06 season, four 2nd-place finishes, and a fourth in an eight-year span, 4th last season and 6th this year wasn't getting it done. Public speculation was that failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages this year was the true source of the Frenchman's downfall.

Aston Villa manager David O'Leary was being touted as the leader to replace him, with Bolton's Sam Allardyce, Ruud Gullit of Dutch side Feyenoord, and Everton manager Javier Clemente all in the frame as well.

[aaberdeenn]

Another good 0-0 draw

I'm sensing a top 6 finish

[Wegason]

I'd of said Wenger getting the sack was too unlikely, especially considering his results, but then Mourinho just got fired so anything can happen, though I think Wenger getting sacked is slightly more unlikely.

A good read once again, especially the 4-4-2 article, just a demonstration of why this is the best story in FMS. It has so much, so varied and detailed, intelligently written and I only wish you'd send me your whole story by PDF or something so I can print it out, read it and not waste more time at work!

[aaberdeenn]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I only wish you'd send me your whole story by PDF or something so I can print it out </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wouldn't mind that too if it would be possible?