Full marks to those who stayed on the pitch again! Maynard and Vaz Te have notched their first goals for the club, O'Neil justified the fee we payed Miserablebrough, Tomkins capped another excellent display with a goal, and the whole team defended like...well like an Allardyce team! And what a blinder Lansbury played in goal - not that Blackpool managed to get a shot on target once he went between the sticks!
Hopefully Allardyce will now see the nonsense of not having a keeper on the bench - was he ever going to use Baldock when he already had Cole on the bench? - though he might not now have a replacement keeper to use unless he makes an emergency loan signing. Cudacini? Gomes? Almunia? I'd imagine Sullivan is on the blower already. Anybody other than Boffin! In fact Lansbury might start against Palace!
Ollie will be going ballistic and Allardyce will be wondering if he is ever going to get through a game with 11 players still on the pitch at the final whistle! Picking a team against Palace will now be a challenge. No Taylor, Nolan or Green for sure, Faye went off injured and presumably Demel and Diop aren't ready yet given Potts was on the bench tonight. What's happened to the Yank? Presumably he isn't up to the job.
Anyway Sam proved a point tonight. Even with 10 men and no keeper he still got a better result than Grant! And, of course, we are back on top of the table with a game in hand. Happy days!
19 comments:
you forgot to mention how terrific our backup Keep is. You think Allardyce will start him next game?
kevin manchester writes...
amazing stuff. It's about time we started knocking the goals in. I admire Sam for introducing the kind of steel to our defence we have never had but all those one nil wins are no good for the blood pressure - hopefully we can now start securing games a little earlier on.. althoughit has to be said pressure building at the top B'ham and m'sboro also won but all things being equal (11 men on the pitch) I think we have the bollocks to see them off. Great night!
I was just going to write the last paragraph you wrote yourself. So, need to.
A win against Crystal Palace on Saturday and we will be in a commanding position. Great win tonight! Let's keep it going.
Credit to the outfield players for Blackpool not managing a shot on target. Great defending.
I wonder if there's a golf tournament or something this weekend that Green, Taylor and Nolan have all signed up for?
So, great win against Millwall with 10 men, played great football against Southampton until down to 10 men - and in the first half tonight sounds like we were immenese. The thread which runs through all this? No Nolan! as we probably all suspected, this team can play when he is not in it - the shape is better. I have said all season with him in the team it's like playing with 10 men anyway. However, before I belittle the man, he is obviously a fine Captain and I think a major part in the team spirit that has helped us to these recent results. Let him Captain from the subs bench when his ban is ended, please Sam!
For me, Maynard and Vaz Te scoring is as important as anything. I wonder if they were the parts needed to put us into that next gear. If I were a Saints supporter, or Brum, or Reading, I would be pretty gutted seeing this result.
I think we'll see a new us because of the Jan additions Dave. Finally, all those pre-season expectations can be realised
With Noble pulling the strings Stani!
Anony-mouse says,
Allardyce as someone on KUMB has just said has given our club a big pair of bollox. He got it right with Maynard's selection- Carlton has to be looked after with his injury and must have been creamed after the last two games running himself into the ground. He got the formation spot-on. We were well balanced, attack minded, but still defensively sound.
He rode his luck with the Lansbury thing- I agree with you for once- of course teams need a keeper on the bench. As an aside I do wonder about Lansbury. I can see either Wenger recalling him, as we are not exactly developing him as a midfielder, or Lansbury asking to leave as its pretty sad if this is the only way he can break into the side.
There's a lot to do to get out of this league. But I'm more confident now that his recent signings give us pace, width and threat to add to the sound defensive set-up he'd already instilled.
Also the likes of Southampton will be looking at our win and the circumstances in which we achieved it and feel a little bit deflated. Good.
Stani, I agree with HF. Noble has been fantastic. And Green is the only one of the three suspended players Im concerned about. Nolan being out has been a plus, and Taylor has been hurt so much we are used to him not playing. And the new signings add a lot of pace and creativity. I suspect Almunia will be back by Thursday.
Noble couldn't pull a muscle HF...and I sometimes bloody wish he did!
This it's only the result that counts thing is actually quite good for the first time this season I ignored the fact that we were playing and just waited for the result and for the first time this season I'm happy
Poor Stani, he has been brilliant in the absence of Parker and Nolan. He needs the midfield built around him instead of playing second fiddle.
Don't exaggerate HF! He's had a couple of decent games. Nothing to get carried away about...but maybe he's found his level after all?
I hope Green gets a rocket up his behind for Big Pam, Dave, but I suspect he won't because the obvious retort is where was the sub keeper
I do think that your incessant criticism of 'Big Sam' is getting tedious.He has put steel into the side and they are beginning to play some decent football, not forgetting we are top of the division that everyone said at the beginning of the season we would have difficulty in getting out of. I accept he has made some blunders, but don't they all? Probably his 100% enthusiasm gets the better of his after match reports but is this such a bad thing? Its about time you stopped insulting the man and gave him a bit of credit.
Shows how much you know about football. "The American", as you call him, has a name. George John. He is not playing as we signed him during the MLS off-season - he is building up match fitness and sharpness.
Secondly, Boffin is a decent keeper. But considering you don't go to games, you wouldn't have seen him on the rare occasion he has played.
Thirdly, we also have Marek Stech. If he plays two more games we owe his former club £750k, but that doesn't stop him playing the next game.
You are a waste of life.
I don't call him the American do I? I call him the Yank. I used to call Spector the Wank. I haven't passed definitive judgement on George John Paul and Ringo yet!
He is a Greek American, I may add. He is also eligible to play for Greece.
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