A brave decision to start with both Ephraim and Russell tonight and make a second and unforced change to a team which has not only been winning but generally winning well. He would have taken some stick had it backfired (to mix metaphors) but he was vindicated. I cannot help feeling a bit sorry for Evina and Pritchard though. CP is always saying that he tells the "reserve" players to stay fit and on form because they don't know when their chance will come. Well Evina and Pritchard have stayed fit and could hardly have done any more in the cameos and cup appearances allowed them. They might have expected the door to open for one or both of them today but it remained closed because we signed two more players. Still life isn't fair and football is even more unfair sometimes. CP gets paid big money to make hard decisions and so far he is earning every penny of it.
With Russell signing, it looks like it could become permanent in Jan, i am worried that we have seen the last of Alonso and, a much bigger lose, Stephens! I really hope i am wrong with the later.
I posted a month ago that I had a sneaky feeling (based on no evidence whatsoever) that Stephens could be leaving us. But we need both of them. Russell for hard-fought matches like today, and Stephens to open up lesser teams who just sit back and play for a draw. Stephens was great at the start of the season but maybe lacks stamina for the rough-and-tumble of this division. And Kermorgant has taken over his role as schemer-in-chief (though a Championship side would need two such players in the team). I wouldn't mind so much Stephens leaving if we got top dollar for him (say £750,000), but that won't happen as things stand. Let's hope our fears are groundless but we are going to have a crowded midfield once Stephens and Jackson are fit. I agree Alonso is history (or myth).
Back to CP. I was pleased to hear him, while praising our performance, say that the passing still needed some work. And in praising Kermorgant he said that he won everything in the air, "sometimes too much". Obviously you cannot win "too much" so I assume he meant that the team were playing too many long balls to find Kermit's head. I am glad he is thinking along those lines. Playing on the floor we can destroy any team in this division. We have mainly dropped points when caught up in air-ball.
To be honest, I thought CP got away with a very strange decision. I could not understand the logic of making an uin-enforced change in addition to the necessary one. I thought we looked much better when Hughes came on But who am I to judge! Great night.
Why is everybody fearing Stephens leaving? Is it just a hunch or something more? He was an ever-present prior to his injury! Not too fussed now if Alonso leaves, I was excited by us signing him, but he's done nothing. Also, the length of his contract wasn't disclosed so I have a feeling he's only contracted until Christmas.
There were rumours that he was home sick, his girl friend and new born baby are still in Manchester. I am not sure if he really is injured or on extended paternity leave.
That's a fair point about being away from his missus and baby. Not wishing to sound too cynical, but given he signed a 2 or 3 year contract with us, why did his missus not move down with him? Possibly doesn't want to leave her own family behind, but it is rather odd.
I think we tend to forgot how young these people are. Its not unrealistic to think she maybe only 19-21, moving half way across the country to follow your partners career is a big step, even bigger at such a young age.
He had an operation. I wouldn't expect him to be match fit and pushing for a place until February even if all went well. At least that should stop him moving in the January window. He could only move after that on loan. If I am "everybody" then, yes, just a hunch. But I had overlooked that he won't have proved his fitness before the January window closes. That buys more time for his family to settle down here in the semi-tropical south.
