1. Mohamed Diamé was mesmerising at Ipswich. When he is in that kind of mood, there is no footballer better in the Championship. His mood, his form and his opponents’ ways of dealing with him could be the key to City’s destiny. 2. Diamé scored a blinding goal but during the extended period afterwards at Portman Road, City could’ve been four or five up. It was marvellous entertainment, totally authoritative, and against a decent side who last lost at home under floodlights when John Wark first grew his ‘tache, or something. 3. Ipswich aren’t easy to hate normally but after fleecing City fans for £32.50 a ticket, they’ve risen substantially in our “gluttonous twats in football” hit parade. Which we’ve just made up. 4. Those with the most jerky of knees were quick to label City ‘****’ after the 0-0 against Sheffield Wednesday. Not true, they were in fact good, though admittedly not good enough. There was no faulting City’s application, it was just the execution they faltered on, having made many chances to score. 5. Wednesday were an enigma, in the first half their positivity in having so many attackers away from home, their fast movement and fluid passing were something to be envied. That positive approach was abandoned at half time after failing to yield a goal, and the Owls adopted Brighton’s policy of containment for the second 45. 6. Fernando Forestieri didn’t dive when he received a second yellow for simulation late in the game, but the protestations of both player and visiting fans about a grave injustice ring hollow. The Argentine spent so much of the game throwing himself to the floor, the boy who cried foul should already have been dismissed by the time Dawson felled him. It is disingenuous to accuse referees of threatening the integrity of the game with incorrect cards for simulation if you willfully ignore a player simulating fouls the rest of the game. An amusing piece in the Sheffield Star said “He’s being singled out by referees. Being judged on reputation rather than the evidence before their eyes.” Well the evidence was there to see in the previous 90 minutes, Forestieri bought a few free kicks with dives, and so cheaply was he getting them, Robert Snodgrass took the ‘can’t beat them, join them’ approach with some tumbles of his own. 7. That result, and the preceding home fixture against Brighton, both look like missed opportunities given the events elsewhere that have knocked City from the top of the table. It’s true that City could have done better in those matches, but it’s hard to argue they weren’t part of a tricky trio. Brighton were bang in form; they still didn’t dare take us on. Ipswich on a Tuesday night – awkward, victorious. Wednesday are a clear threat, they too were held at bay. Five points from three hard games is alright, and just because others have done better over the same period of time isn’t cause to panic. 8. If anything, perhaps our promotion rivals deserve a bit of credit. The pace at the top continues to be brisk, with four teams already boasting points tallies in the sixties. Burnley and Brighton’s resurgence merits admiration, as we’d written both off at variying times. If City are to do it, we’ll have to do it the hard way. Which is perhaps how it ought to be. 9. Things are likelier to get tougher, too. City’s next away game bears similarities to the last, a midweek trip to a side on the edge of the play-off places. Birmingham on a Thursday night is as ridiculous a piece of fixture scheduling as you could hope to see, and with our league game the following Tuesday falling victim to the preposterously timed Arsenal replay, anything but a win is likely to see us out of the top three by the time Milton Keynes arrive the weekend after. Unless we beat Arsenal, in which case we could go fourth by the time we’re in post-Birmingham league action. Either way, steady nerves, Tiger Nation… 10. There was a Fans’ Working Group meeting last week at the Circle. Meeting minutes soon, we promise… http://www.ambernectar.org/blog/2016/02/things-we-think-we-think-218/?
Points 1 and 2, agreed, though he can only do this if the opposition give him the time and space Point 3, I like the new 'hit parade', bob on! Point 6. Foresterieri exaggerated the foul on him and in doing so took 'the heat' off Daws and deservedly got a second yellow. I'm not convinced Daws touched him, though accept Foresterieri had to get out the way to avoid being clattered into. Yes his reputation has put him under the spotlight for all the right reasons Point 7. Its 5 points from 12 (not 9) if you include Burnley away (last 4 league games). Need to do better
Looking at the table now its unlikely that Wednesday or Derby will finish above us, Brighton doing well but still mostly due to long unbeaten run from season start. Its a three horse race for auto IMO...
You don't get yellow cards for exaggerating a foul as pathetic and annoying as it is. He was fouled and Dawson should have been booked. Although he shouldn't have been on the pitch by that point anyway.
You get a yellow for simulation (Law 12) which in this case is what the ref booked him a second time for. I accept it's pathetic and annoying. Daws should have got a yellow, but got off due to Foresterieri taking 'centre stage' literally! Had Daws well and truly caught him he could have ended up getting a red
Point 5. A fairly sensible way to play against us I'd suggest. We don't tend to regularly start that well, but tend to get better second half so maybe we should expect teams to have a go first half, but sit back if they haven't managed anything
Can't say I'll enjoy Smallheath in Birmingham on a Thursday night too much; but hopefully The Tigers will put a smile on my face around 9.35!
This will be the first game at St Andrews I've missed since we were back in the Championship. Usually go with a Brummy mate but logistics present a problem mid-week. Sitting in the away end surrounded by balding middle-aged men - it's like being at a Jasper Carrot look-a-like competition.
Another massive game this week at Birmingham which we need to win because Boro have three games in the next week and Burnley two compared to our one so I expect to fall behind, the important thing is not to panic we will have games in hand but I do think a gap will have opened up by next Tuesday night. After that we finish with eight home games from our last thirteen so lets hope we get back to winning ways at home and hopefully three points at st Andrews will keep us close to the others.
Should we NOT remain in the top two from now till the end of the season the weak willed, the hand wringers, the nay-sayers and those residing in the East Yorkshire village of Driffield will be apoplectic, clothes will be ripped assunder and copious amounts of ashes will be thrown, The Samaritans will need extra staff - it will indeed be the end of the world as we know it, Armageddon. Pray for us!
Those home games coupled with our squad being all fit are going to prove critical in the long run. I'm tempted to back us to go up automatically next week if we do go a bit behind as our odds will become good value
Its a good shout is that. If we lose on Thursday then by the weekend after our odds could really have lengthened.
Not sure - the three recently that stick in my mind are (off the top of my head): Last visit was a Saturday we won 3-2 in our last promo season PL game with Dowie in charge was a Saturday 0-0 Champs game when SB was their manager we lost 1-2 was a Saturday. We seemed to have been in different divisions probably 6 out of the last 10 years ?
