Match Day Thread Season 2024 - 2025 - Match # 18 - Coventry City Away - time for some sky blue thinking

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It’s Christmas time, and we have reason to be afraid, it’s Christmas time and our misfiring strikers can’t find their range…..

After Wednesday’s midweek stumble to bottom side QPR I’m seriously thinking of dropping Bob Geldof a line to see if we can start an appeal for our goal starved fans because lets face it, on our last 3 games our forward line have once again become more Midge Ure than striker… (jeez, even the puns are going downhill now )

This Saturday sees us travel to the midlands to take on one of our more favoured opponents and of course the ‘other’ CCFC, Coventry City.

(Oh and apologies, this is a slightly condensed thread again for reasons that will become clear further down the thread).



Who Are You?

You can’t have failed to notice but our opponents have just appointed a new manager in place of the harshly dispensed of Mark Robins, the ever articulate Frank Lampard (Jnr).

Lampard had an impressive playing career, making over 600 Premier League appearances and scoring 211 goals for Chelsea, becoming their record all time goal scorer.

He started his managerial career at Derby County in 2018, leading them to a sixth place finish and earned a place in the Championship Play-Off Final however the former midfielder then moved on to his former club Chelsea, and led them to a fourth-place finish and reached an FA Cup Final.

He departed Chelsea in 2021, and quickly was snapped up by Everton where it’s fair to say his record was somewhat poor before he returned to Chelsea as caretaker manager two years later.

This weekend’s contest will be Lampard’s first game in charge of the Sky Blues, after being out of management since leaving Stamford Bridge over a year ago, let’s just hope he’s still a tad rusty with his knowledge eh?

The Sky Blues' key player this season has to again be Haji Wright, who joined the club from Antalyaspor in the summer of 2023. The American has gone on to net 23 times in 49 Championship appearances since joining the side and last season finished as the sixth highest goal scorer in the Championship, scoring 16 times and he already has 7 again this season.

Coventry have of course lost talented midfielder Callum O’Hare following the expiry of his contract as well as the long serving Liam Kelly. They have however brought in Brandon Thomas-Asante from Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion, a striker that always seems a bit of a handful, as well as another young striker Norman Bassette from Caen. Then of course there is the ever dangerous Ellis Simms, although he only has 2 goals to his name this term so far.

At the back, Taffy Jay Da Silva is a regular along with ex-JB Joël Latibeaudière and Luis Binks.


Last Time Out & Form

Remember those days when we used to win away from home??? This was one of those bygone days, the Royal Blue CCFC triumphing at the CBS Arena by a 1-2 margin.

Despite going behind to a well worked Simms goal the Bluebirds fought back well to take the lead, however there was a touch of fortune about the goals as both came from the same source, poor Coventry defender Liam Kitching actually netting 2 OG’s to help present the 3 points to us.

Whilst Coventry have struggled recently, it must be noted that their current form is marginally better than our own over the last 6 games, but since Mark Robins departed they do appear to have struggled pretty badly.

They do however score a lot of goals (7th highest in the division so far) but they concede plenty too (though overall have conceded 1 less than us). They have recently grabbed creditable draws against both Sunderland and Sheff Utd, and they do still seem to have a bit of a penchant for late, late goals (please just not this weekend Robbie if you don’t mind! I’m not sure Sparkey can take much more heartache! ).





In, Out Or No Sign Of Them About

So the stutters persist and we are back to meddling with the team. Quite where Omer Riza turns now is anyone’s guess. Chambers came back in for Daland in midweek but looked a little shaky again and got slightly caught out for QPR’s 2nd breakaway goal, will he be dropped to the bench again – I doubt it.

Bagan also perhaps didn’t do enough to justify another start at left back, so it’d be no surprise to see O’Dowda once again drop back, despite him being one of our brighter performers on Wednesday.

Midfield will be the real conundrum again now. Tanner appears to have gone off the boil slightly, Ralls was definitely a little slow and Colwill seems to have lost his spark. Will we see wholesale changes or will we revert to the ‘tried and tested’ line up of a few weeks ago? My guess is very much the latter.

Incidentally, the reason for the short thread and early posting is because I am off for a long weekend to Berlin with Mrs Brizzle and Brizzle junior (Mrs Brizzle is obsessed with Christmas markets)… I have tour tickets booked for the Olympic Stadium, the home of Hertha Berlin – I will definitely be popping into the club shop to see about returning a defective product that we seem to have been sent by them, don’t you worry!!


Predicted Starting 11

Alnwick
Ng
Chambers
Goutas
O’Dowda
Meite
Colwill
Turnbull
Robertson
Robinson
El Ghazi



The Odds




Match Day Melody

There was only ever going to be one tune with the way we are all feeling right now…C’mon City, help us all out here and put a smile on our faces.

Blooooooooooooooooooooooooobirds!!!

One CCFC, there's only one CCFC!​

 

Riza said today that El Ghazi is out for 2 to 3 weeks.

And you are starting with Meite. Wtf. No Kanga?

Balls in the air time.

Does Tanner get another chance? Siopis in midfield to make us a bit more solid? As long as it's not Ralls.

All that apart, another sterling, if short, epistle BB.

 

Ah cheers BfB... Missed that regarding El Ghazi.

Meite starting is just a gut feeling on my part. Tanner has gone off the boil in recent games and I just get the sense that managers tend to have faith in the Yak.... Lord knows why but he does keep getting minutes ahead of others doesn't he?

I think Riza is starting to think it's poop or pop time now.

 

Thanks as always Brizzle. I hope Mrs Brizzle, Brizzle jnr and your goodself have a great time in Berlin.

 

We used up our luck last season up there.

Last season we did well on the road but not this season, and realistically cannot see anything but a home win.

 

Yet another excellent matchday thread Brizzo, but the current negativity (me anyway) regarding the club appears to be affecting interest in the game.

I'm sure it'll all come back on here at some point - especially so if we give Mr. Lampard a bad start in his new job.

Meanwhile, enjoy yourself on your break this weekend - I hope we'll all have something to celebrate tomorrow evening, not just you.

 

It's you, you miserable git. You're spooking us .

I think Mr Riza has one or two attitudes to sort out in readiness for tomorrow and the rest of the season. As Brizzle mentioned, Robbie's boys can score and concede so we must be positive.

Also, I used to love Highfield Road.

 

Highfield and Filbert Street were a couple of my favourites too.

 

Never been to either but after 3 consecutive Tuesday night visits and 3 wins I quite enjoyed The Three Point Arena.

And .meeting Robbie for a pre match beer as well.

 

Indeed real old style football grounds as was The Baseball Ground

 

Ha ha. I did laugh when I read about the return of the defective product. Have a good trip Brizzle.
I shall be at Cov. tomorrow. Looking forward to what will be my first away game of the season, usually I will have done at least four by now.
Unlikely to have time to catch up with you, Robbie, but any abuse I may send in your direction is not personal, honest

 

Early KO's mean that in this point in time we're back in the bottom 3.

Don't mean to be miserable................

 

...........Hull have gone one down and we're back out of it.

My psychiatrist has just finished his session with me and come up with this diagnosis of my problem.

It's strange how my outlook regarding other Championship games has changed recently.

It's gone from wanting the top teams to lose so that we can catch them, to wanting them to win to beat our fellow strugglers.

 

Cardiff City XI: Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, Chambers, Collins; Siopis, Ralls, Turnbull; Meite, Robinson, O'Dowda.

Well, not what I expected or was hoping for.

 

OK - team news time.....................

TEAM NEWS
Cardiff City XI: Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, Chambers, Collins; Siopis, Ralls, Turnbull; Meite, Robinson, O'Dowda.

 

No Colwill or Tanner.

Ralls dropped though.

Collins & Siopis start.

 

BENCH...............

Subs: Horvath, Daland, Ralls, Willock, Bagan, Colwill, Tanner, Rinomhota, Reindorf.

 

Not sure how Ralls is starting and on the bench.

 

As I said No Ralls

 

According to WoL, Siopis and Ralls starting.