Visiting family up north - just got in from the game.
Ground with 2 stands, bitter wind, bovril available, able to wander about and talk to the players you're that close (or abuse them at the end as quite a few did)...
Entertaining ranting old nutcase in front row of our lot - kept lobbing his clothes into our crowd, finally wouldn't give the ball back to Varney and got chucked out... all very weird!
Nice to 'change ends' as a fan at half-time, too!
As for the game, very hard winds to play in, Fortune a complete liability. Gray awful miss early doors, pretty useless.
Blackpool were impressive, wanted it more.
Halford looked different class again, plus looked interested unlike Basey. Cook was rusty but had a few good runs. Zhi worked hard but end product not too good.
Matty Holland tried, got a few tackles in, Iwelumo poor, but thought it was a good idea to get him on instead of Gray. Varney had a couple of great chances but well saved/tackled, seemed to lose confidence.
Ambrose, fair play for the goals, but in the second half it took me 20 mins to realise that he hadn't been substituted!!
IMO all these players should be sat down and shown the CAFC history video...to see the passion from fans and former players... tho I've been saying this for ages. I dunno - maybe they are.
Anyway, in fairness we could have had 6 goals, but we STILL lack a Parker-type figure to hold down the midfield (*yawn* I know, but it's getting ridicuous...)
Best chant: "5-3, but your still northern...."!!!
I think it's best to stick to at least stick to that "2 year plan" :-p
0
Comments
2 year plan is a no no for me and if Bristol City and ourselves fail to go up I would love to see Gary Johnson at the Valley, a great manager who knows how to get the best out of his players, knows how to improve players and knows how to operate on a shoestring which we seemingly have.
Pards scathing attack on Halford:
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/08/02/23/SOCCER_Blackpool_2nd_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=nationwide1
Pardew is a big time tit for blaming Halford and co he brought him in and was singing his praises 2 games ago.
Why Fortune Pardew and not Sodje, why ZZ nd Holland? oh I forgot because YOU FAILED to replace Reid and why Iwelumo and/or Gray? because you brought them to the club too along with McLeod who sits on his arse.
You just sit on your backside Pardew and remain cluless whilst forgetting to ask yourself how Ipswich can attract Nugent but we can't, oh don't tell me it's all down to wages the same wages that we will still be paying Bent and Faye when they return.
You say that you want Pardew to tell it how it is, then when he criticises his players, you say he should be blaming himself? I'm not sure Pardew can be blamed for us conceding 5, unless he was playing at the back today. He's not likely to come out and say all the players he has signed are crap while they're still at the club, and still might be needed is he?
Iwelumo was brought to the club after a successful year last year in this league, and Gray has a good record in this league - to me when they happened, they were good signings, even if we paid over the odds for Gray. Mcleod is a young striker who was top scorer in league 2, that hasn't worked out, because sometimes that happens. Forlan and Veron didn't work out at Man Utd, does that make Ferguson a bad manager?
He wants a two year plan yet in the 14 months at the Valley he and Murray have taken us backwards so excuse me for not doing cartwheels in anticipation of the next 12 months.
They are the people who have made the mistakes nobody else and where have I said I want Pardew to tell us how it is, no need we all no Im just sick of hearing all his bravado he said this week time is running out for us, I think after today time is running out for him too.
Iwelumo and Gray both have experience and a good record at this level. Earlier in the season, we couldn't see a team without Iwelumo in it, he was battling for the team despite injuries, and scoring crucial goals. Now he's stopped scoring, and had a run out of the team, with 20 minutes here and there, people have started saying "told you so" and that he's always been rubbish etc etc.
Gray has scored goals in this league before, and in my opinion, will do so again. He said when he signed that his goals come in patches, and so far, they haven't come, but in the games I've seen, he's looked good at holding the ball up. This season we haven't had a striker who will score 30 goals, but we have had strikers who should all be capable of scoring 10+. But we only realised this once these players had been bought, it could have been that Mcleod and Iwelumo struck up a partnership with each player scoring 25 goals.
Yes we have gone backwards in 14 months, but thats usually what happens when you get relegated. We lost players we couldn't afford to keep. Yes in that 14 months, the board have made mistakes, and yes Pardew has made mistakes. Sadly, that happens in football, its just a shame that football now being what it is, a mistake can cost us millions of pounds and can undo 10 years hard work.
If Pardew doesn't do it after two years, then slate him, but if he has a two year plan to work to, its unlikely another manager can do it in one, because of the upheaval needed.
In reference to Pardew telling it how it is, I was under the impression you were fed up of saying him saying it was down to the referee, being outmuscled etc, and so I thought him criticising his players was not doing this. Apologies if I've read this wrong.
That was a good post but I just cannot see where the funding will come from for Pardew to make a difference in the next year and if it did appear I cannot trust the guy to buy the right players anyway as he hasn't so far.
The saying is that things get worse before they get better and those worse things will be our competition in this league next season, it will be harder than this season put it that way and to be able to compete we are going to need new players but just exactly where the money will come from is anybody's guess.
Gray reckons he scores in patches, looking at his Burnley track record what he means is when they won a penalty most of the time.
Iwelumo was a success last season because he played off Cureton and vice versa, a little guy like Dickov but we don't have that for him.
McLeod was the top scorer in league two because that is his level having failed at the higher level with Derby a few seasons ago.
If we can see this ricky why can't Pardew, he's paid to do a job but can't even seem to grasp the easy concepts of it.
Parkinson, what does this guy do exactly what is his input because as far as Im concerned it's Curbs/Day 2, as in give a friend a job, the man is assistant manager or supposed to be yet our set plays are appalling surely he or Pardew can see it but both do nothing about it.
In 14 months yes we have gone backwards but where will we be in another 12? that depends on who is at the helm in my opinion.
But finally just how good or bad is Pardew, I don't think I know of a manager who leves a club and does not make some of his former players his targets at his new one.
Agree 100%.