FA Cup Fourth Round – Saturday 24th January 2009

There was a football match played at the KC Stadium this weekend. It will be a pity if the actions of a couple of violent idiots overshadow the good work done by Hull City in achieving a fifth round place in the FA Cup for the first time in two decades.

That said, isn’t it funny to see Millwall’s mongs have a right good cry? As they got more and more upset, and the seats of the North Stand started flying into the East Stand, one felt a sense of pity for them. No, not pity. What is the word? Contempt? Hate? Aye, those two will do.

Hopefully Millwall will realise they are responsible for their fans’ behaviour and will pay for the damage caused to the stadium. Meanwhile, City can look at a place in the last 16 for the first time since Cardiff and Bradford were dispatched in 1989 to set up a sell-out showdown with Liverpool at Boothferry Park.

Jimmy Bullard, signed for £5million yesterday – heh – but not able to take part in this tie due to a mixture of illness and registration timings, was still well enough nonetheless to take a bow to an adoring Tiger Nation prior to the match. He can play in the next tie though. The 4-4-2 which Phil Brown did elect to field was not, as it transpired, desperate for Bullard’s craft and influence as the League One visitors were more interested in drawing blood than drawing the match.

Manucho got a start, and so did Tony Warner in goal. Andy Dawson was welcomed warmly back into the team after way too long out with Achilles trouble. The XI carded: Warner, Ricketts, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Garcia, Marney, Ashbee, Halmosi, Cousin, Manucho.

Millwall picked eleven nonentities and included ex-City striker Gary Alexander, complete with wood-treating tool for when a central African endangered mammal required depilatory treatment, on the bench.

Already it was kicking off in the north east corner when the game was ready to commence, though a few stewards were all that stood between two warring factions until the riot gendarmes, with helmets and sticks, sauntered over midway through the half. By the time a unbalanced element of calm was established, City were ahead.

Sam Ricketts was fouled near the corner flag on the right. Dawson swung in the free kick with aplomb and Michael Turner’s header was hefty enough, despite a gloved hand from David Forde making contact, to find the corner.

Millwall threatened for the first time shortly afterwards, when City backed off to allow Izale McLeod to weave through three challenges before scuffing his shot from a promising position.
City nearly then giftwrapped an equaliser, when Warner slipped while preparing to put his foot through Ian Ashbee’s backpass but managed to do enough to grab the ball as McLeod charged in to take possession, conceding a free kick inside the box instead of a goal. Lewis Grabban smacked the set piece wide.

As the half progressed, the tenacity on the pitch spilt over into nastiness, with Kamil Zayatte needing treatment and a change of shirt after a sneaky smack in the face, then Andy Dawson took an elbow full in the face but toddler referee Stuart Attwell only gave a free kick when Daniel Cousin was chopped down seconds later, prompting a livid Dawson to yell at the officials, his face drenched in his own blood.

Manucho sliced a shot over towards the end of the first half after a smart sixpence turn, before the Lions – oddly labelled as such on the KC scoreboard to give a fixture of Tigers v Lions – missed a glorious opportunity to go in level when Marc Laird spooned a close-range chance wide after McLeod headed down David Martin’s left wing centre.

Second half, and again the tensions grew in that corner and the riot rozzers maintained a steely barrier while the match descended into absolute tedium. Manucho hit a volley far too high and Dean Marney almost bulldozed through the whole Millwall rearguard to get a shot away, only for a last ditch tackle to rob him.

As the missiles – seats and plastic drinks bottles which, if Millwall fans are worth the vitriolic salt as sowed by their 1980s predecessors, would have been filled with Cockney urine – continued to fly into the East Stand, the game petered out. A smattering of applause was afforded to Alexander when he was sent on for extra firepower which he patently failed to provide. Caleb Folan replaced Manucho at the same time, picked up a booking for a challenge later than the riot police’s acknowledgement of a problem, and then was lucky not to get a second yellow five minutes later for a scyther near the touchline. Sam Ricketts made sure he gave the hyped-up striker a severe bollocking in order to save the ref a job, and that probably saved Folan from a red.

Alexander and Martin combined down the left in the last ten minutes as Millwall tried to force the heart-sinking prospect of a replay in their Bermondsey midden but the final pull back was skied by Nadjim Abdou.

That was about that, especially when a counter attack started by Marney and continued by the exceptional Cousin was finished stylishly by Ashbee’s swerving shot in off Forde’s far post. A sublime goal, deserving of a better occasion and certainly deserving of the headlines it won’t get because of events off the pitch.

Oh dear. The game wasn’t great, though the required job was done, but this was a game against Millwall. The football on show is somehow always second in the pecking order when they turn up. Let’s see if the book is thrown at them … and make sure you don’t hold your breath, eh? (MR)

The Premier League – Saturday 17th January 2009

We’re in a real rut now – playing tolerably well in the main, but not really looking like getting results. Arsenal at home followed this troubling pattern. City put in a solid effort, and then lost. And while we should not burden the team with too many expectations of taking (more) points from a side with resources that so completely dwarf ours, we’re approaching a time of the season at which points simply must be accrued.

Losing valiantly yesterday were: Myhill; Doyle, Turner, Ricketts, Kilbane; France, Mendy, Ashbee (c), Geovanni, Halmosi; Cousin. It meant a first Premier League appearance for Ryan France, becoming one of a very small number of players to play in all four divisions for one club. A magnificent achievement for a tirelessly loyal player – we tip our cap in acknowledgement.

Also lining up for the Tigers in a necessarily unusual formation was debutant Kevin Kilbane, accompanied by Nathan Doyle. A slightly odd alignment, but with Boateng absent through injury, Zayatte suspended and King unavailable, one somewhat forced upon Phil Brown. For Arsenal, who appeared not to have fully recovered from the shattering defeat dealt unto them by City last year, a familiar galaxy of stars took to the KC turf: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Diaby, Denilson, Nasir, Djourou, Clichy, Adebayor and Eboue (booooo).

The customary sell-out at the Circle saw City start brightly, forcing two corners in the first minute which were eventually dealt with. Nathan Doyle has the first serious attempt on goal with a highly ambitious long-range shot which was cleanly struck but straight at Manuel Almunia.

Robin van Persie came very close with a free-kick that nicked off the wall and flew inches wide of Myhill’s post – this was proving to be a useful source of chances for Arsenal, whose dangerous attackers were being well shackled by a committed City side. Van Persie forced a brilliant save from Myhill midway through the half, and Mendy was able to steer the ball away from danger. Just.

However, Arsenal’s threat was growing, and they eventually look the lead in dismaying circumstances. City conceded a corner on their left flank, which was taken by van Persie and headed in by Adebayor. Nyyaarrggghhh. Few things grate more than conceding from a set piece, particularly when it loses you parity against one of the best teams in the land.

Thus far it had been a match of few chances, and this pattern continued to the break – although the East Stand roused itself with a marvellous, Newcastle-esque rendition of “Phil Brown’s Black and Amber Army” that rolled around the stadium for several minutes. The team went off at the break to enthusiastic applause.

5.30pm kick-offs are a curious and unnatural phenomenon. Neither afternoon nor evening, it meant we’d started knowing that Stoke had thankfully blown their chances of a stunning victory at Chelsea, but West Brom’s hugely impressive win over ailing Middlesbrough complicated a horrible situation at the bottom yet further. It meant we started against in the fantastically surreal position of really needing to take something from a match with Arsenal. And y’know, as the players trotted out for the second half, we believed we could.

Another thing about 5.30pm kick-offs is the additional opportunity for pre-match refreshment, which seemed to be benefiting the atmosphere. Too often, the Circle is a quiescent venue – admittedly better than many we visit, but this one was a pleasure to be a part of. With the Arsenal support a silent irrelevance, the City fans urged the team on with genuine fervour.

It was a fairly tight opening to the second forty-five, with Arsenal content to sit back and look to exploit their fabulous capacity to break at speed. Adebayor had the first effort during it, smacking a shot that Myhill showed fine reflexes to bat away.

Peter Halmosi’s disappointing afternoon was curtailed after 52 minutes when the imposing figure of Manucho, our latest Manchester United loanee, was summoned by Phil Brown. One of his first contributions was when he sent the ball on in the area and was felled by Djourou. It was a clear penalty – Mr Wiley didn’t give it.

Still, City continued plugging away, and were rewarded with twenty-five minutes remaining. Mendy’s cross took a slight deflection en route to Cousin, unmarked ten yards from goal. His powerful header flew past the exposed Almunia and scorched into the goal to spark Tigery pandemonium.

What now for City? Seek to safeguard a precious point, or try to repeat our trick at the Emirates? With the wind buffeting the players and heavy rain cascading onto the pitch, it was a fast-paced but slightly scrappy game, and City decided that fortune should favour the bold, and elected to be bold. A courageous gamble that deserved better than it got.

Eight minutes from time we fell behind. A raid on the right saw some neat fast passing release Nasri on the left, and his beautifully-hit shot whistled past Myhill. A cruel, gutting blow. Phil Brown may wonder why Nathan Doyle, whose sloppy play on the post he was supposedly guarding led to the first, was so far from his station.

No matter; we sensed their was little way back. Fagan came on for the industrious France, and although we huffed and puffed up front, a killer third was always on the cards. It duly arrived when van Persie – clearly offside, but not flagged by the linesman – squared for Bendtner, who applied an easy finish. And that was that.

So, another defeat. Another three goals shipped. The pack gain ground on us, and now just six points cushion us from what would be a truly sickening relegation. Yet, reason to stay optimistic. We played well, well enough to have beaten lesser sides. Arsene Wenger may be a supremely dislikeable character, but he has been producers fabulous teams on these shores for years, and there is little shame in being bested by one of them.

The next month gives us plenty of winnable fixtures. The need for a win or two is becoming quite considerable, but providing we keep our heads, the wins should come. (AD)

FA Cup Third Round (replay) – Wednesday 14th January 2009

Newcastle United, Notts County, Chelsea (twice), Rotherham United, Chester City, Lincoln City, Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra, Hednesford Town, Aston Villa (twice), Kettering Town, Oldham Athletic, Macclesfield Town, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle.

There are some right rum old names on that list – from the non-league jokers of Hednesford and Kettering to the World Cup winning stars scattered around Chelsea at the end of the 90s. Yet all have something crucial in common.

They are the teams who, in the last 20 years, have either beaten City in the third round of the FA Cup or prevented us even getting near the third round in the first place.

Last night, that hoodoo was put to bed, once and for all. For the first time since the the glorious run of 1989 we find ourselves with a fourth round tie to play. And how nice it was that it was sealed with a positive, vibrant performance against one of the more unlikeable, self-obsessed, hypocritical football clubs we currently have the misfortune to associate with. If it wasn’t for the fact we keep beating them they’d be even more hateable.

Notice that Newcastle United represent the first team on the above list, conquerors as they were of the Tigers in the 1990 third round, when Stan Ternent was in charge of City. They won 1-0 at Boothferry Park. Fast forward 19 seasons, and we’ve won 1-0 at theirs. Symmetry of a sort, maybe. Justice and a victory for football and right-thinking people of the world, definitely. A kickstart to a rip-roaring slice through football’s best and worst in order to reach Wembley for the second year in a row, hopefully. For with Millwall on their way to see us in the fourth round, a place in the last 16 is surely in our grasp. This is City, of course, so we’ll probably lose 3-0 to Millwall and look as disinterested as a toddler in an art gallery. But, hey, we might not.

City wore an all white kit – probably just the training tops, despite stories of a special commissioning of the manufacturers to come up with something which doesn’t involve strained eyeballs and borrowing something from the hosts – and Phil Brown picked a 4-5-1 based on width and strong central running, to wit: Duke; Doyle, McShane, Zayatte, Ricketts; Fagan, Garcia, Boateng, France, Halmosi; Cousin. The bench was a mixture of emergency shoo-ins (Ashbee, Mendy) and sprogs (Featherstone, Atkinson).

Away we go, with a thousands City fans in good voice, the kind which we really don’t get at Premier League games. Empty seats aplenty in other areas of the ground managed yet again to show Newcastle fans up as a bunch of liars. We had fun pointing this out, just occasionally, just a little…

Xisco, the Spanish striker who was probably last on his school register, spooned a perfectly presentable chance high and wide in the early stages, rendering him a confidence-free wreck for the rest of his sorry appearance. Then, after Doyle’s foul on Duff led to Nicky Butt heading the free kick against the bar, the home side decided they’d had enough. There were only 20 minutes gone.

The real highlight of the first half was seeing the two managers have a stand-up row after girly-permed Coloccini had issued Daniel Cousin with a thorough and vicious ankle-studding, leaving the Gabonese centre forward racked with pain. The free kick was given but Kinnear wasn’t happy. Not that he ever is, even though he is currently earning £30,000 a week after being unemployable for three years. Brown could have taken the row further but was perhaps conscious of his opposite number’s heart condition. The referee, correctly, sent both to the stands.

McShane and Zayatte got in each other’s way to let Owen through but he shot high, wide and impetuous. He really isn’t very good any more, which would be sad to relate at any other match.

Garcia put the ball into the Newcastle net as the referee blew for a foul and Doyle put wide an ambitious but laudable volley from distance as first half injury time approached. Goalless, still, at the break.

The Tiger Nation enjoyed a 15-minute rendition of Phil Brown’s Black and Amber Army in the second half, followed by a few retro songs (“Rodney Ro-owe, Rodney Rowe!”) as the team in white, gently but noticeably, took absolute control of the second half. Don’t believe that reports on news feeds or in the papers – remember that Newcastle losing is more of a story than City winning. City were excellent in the second half, rarely troubled, with Duke only making one save from Owen at close range (a save which, to be fair, he knew sod all about but it was still classifiable as outstanding goalkeeping) and otherwise merely catching high, directionless, peril-free centres from a wholly underwhelming home side.

At the other end, City began to make headway. Zayatte complicatedly ran through anyone in black and white who stood before him - remember that headlessly brilliant run and shot against West Ham? – but was blocked by Edgar as he shaped to shoot. Fagan hit a left foot volley of good direction but insufficient velocity to trouble Given, and Boateng’s final shot was blocked after fantastic football involving France, Fagan, Cousin and a final knock back by Halmosi. The tackle on Boateng ended his game, with the stretcher required to remove him from the action. On came the skipper in his place.

Ashbee’s arrival seemed to inspire City further and, let’s face it, that’s his job. However, the further upturn in City’s fortunes was plainly visible through Ashbee’s cajoling, swashbuckling presence, with the captain himself robbing Owen on the edge of the City box with the calmness and authority of a chap totally at ease with this high-grade level of football he now has to play. With Ashbee at the base of the five-strong midfield, City began to squeeze Newcastle further, then when Mendy was slung on for the tired Fagan, the game was set to be won.

Mendy, crazy, indisciplined and skill-free some days, a world-beating artist (but still crazy) on others, instantly made his mark. Weaving in and out (and shaking it all about) down the right, he made Duff and N’Zogbia look the mugs they are before letting fly with his left. It was deflected to the supporting Garcia, who collected both the ball and his thoughts with aplomb and slid a delightful cross-area pass to Cousin who flicked his shot beyond Given and into the net.

It was a lovely goal, deserved and apt, making Mendy a hero he always threatens to be and Cousin the hero his many detractors believe he can’t be. Some strikers would have ballooned that chance, but Cousin’s supposed indelicacy of play was absent as he passed the ball, like all good strikers, into the one available area of net which Given wasn’t going to reach. And it was enough, with ten minutes left, to put City into the last 32 for the first time since that ace day at Bradford when Billy Whitehurst scored from 25 yards and Keith Edwards got a second after running 65 yards.

Newcastle tried – a bit – by forcing set-pieces and sending Given forward for them. Owen headed one stretching chance beyond the crossbar but that was it. Boateng’s long spell on the deck as the medics did their job made for five minutes of injury time, but there wasn’t a hint of nervousness among the Tiger Nation. The game was won, and Millwall will visit us in ten days for the next tie.

The win was well-timed, with City’s poor form of late and the backbiting about reality-checks from higher media sources beginning to grate, and with Arsenal and all their deficiencies and self-loathing due at the KC on Saturday, it gives Brown ample thought about how to approach it. A number of players – Cousin, Fagan, even France, who was quietly excellent for City in the middle, again – can feel they are in the manager’s thoughts for what is a huge occasion, notwithstanding any further arrivals to complement Kilbane’s capture and allow for McShane’s return to Sunderland, confirmed after he had partnered Zayatte resolutely at St James Park. Much for us all to think about, not least where this Cup campaign may now take us. Well done City. (MR)

FA Cup Third Round – Saturday 3rd January 2009

The date is 15th October 1997, and we’re off to St James Park. The Third Round of the League Cup is the event – and gosh, do you remember how excited we all were? Our halfwitted local paper heralded the “Tigers on Tynesides”, and indeed we were, six thousand of us, in an impossibly glorious diversion from our travails at the arse end of Division Four.

We lost, of course. This was at a time when Newcastle United were a genuine power in the Premier League, having finished second the previous season. But our 2-0 defeat was eminently creditable, and came after we’d kept them out for 45 minutes. Eleven long years have passed, and we now sit above Newcastle in the Premier League – while we’ve zoomed up the leagues they’ve treaded water for most of that time, in no small part due to the foolishness of over-spending managers, witless boards and an over-indulged and toweringly dense support placing impossible demands upon these people. How things have changed.
And how our perceptions change, too. We’re going back in a cup competition, and boy are we underwhelmed. No gaudy yellow headwear from Hull Daily Mail is expected, no frantic scramble for tickets is envisaged, no feverish build-up, not even the likelihood of our first team being deployed. A decade ago a home draw with Newcastle and replay that would invariably be prefixed “moneyspinning” would have us salivating. Now? There’ll be no rotating currency, and a sense of duty rather than glory settling upon those who’ll be heading to Newcastle.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that just about everyone in attendance yesterday would rather this tie be settled at the first attempt. It wasn’t, and although the game was not too poor, a draw had a whiff of inevitably after as little as 20 minutes.

On FA Cup Third Round duty for the Tigers were: Duke; Doyle, McShane, Turner, Ricketts; Fagan, Boateng, Marney, Giannakopoulos; Geovanni, Cousin. An interesting line-up. Duke, Doyle and Giannakopoulos – who for brevity’s sake we’ll indulge with his preferred monicker “Stelios” from now on – had not a single Premier League start between them, yet the remainder of the team appeared fairly robust. McShane was stationed at centre-back, perhaps with an eye to ascertaining his suitability for defensive cover should Turner or Zayatte become unavailable.

For our guests to the Circle, their side appeared similar to ours – mostly staffed by regular choices, with a few obvious exceptions. Danny Guthrie, whose villainous act at St James Park inflicted a broken leg upon Craig Fagan, was bitterly heckled at every point during the afternoon, a fitting reaction to a profoundly detestable individual. Soon-to-be-sold Shay Given was in goal, former England international up front, one-time City target Carroll up front. Off we went.

City began kicking towards the mostly full North Stand, in which about 3,000 Newcastle fans were positioned. They started brightly, fashioning a decent opening for Carroll after a cross from the right, however his header was securely pouched by Matt Duke. Up went City, Geovanni smacking a long-range shot that caused little difficulty for Shay Given. His name was repeatedly sung by the Newcastle fans, desperate for him to remain; the City fans taunted him with “sold in the morning”.

Michael Owen found himself heavily involved in this zippy opening, and he had a shot deflected wide before being gifted a great chance to score when he collected his own back-header with Duke hesitating to dash out and McShane stranded – he lifted the ball over the City keeper but his shot bounced several yards wide. A poor miss, and a let-off for the Tigers.

Andy Carroll was the next to test The Duke when a defensive blunder gave him a clear shooting chance, however he flashed out a paw and batted the ball to safety. A cracking save.

City were creating only the chance to create chances, with promising openings squandered by taking half a second too long to play an incisive pass or incorrect options being selected. This was typified when Dean Marney broke on halfway, strode thirty yards towards goal with admirable intent but then dragged a shot badly wide instead of feeding a team-mate hovering on the right. Frustrating.

Fagan fouled Guthrie to present the away side with a decent opportunity from a free-kick – however, with him not being a total piece of shit, Craig Fagan elected not to break any of Guthrie’s limbs. Guthrie wasted the set-piece, to the general amusement of all.

The game was growing increasingly scrappy, with Newcastle’s good beginning having petered out and City failing to get into any kind of rhythm. Low-level annoyance with referee Chris Foy’s maddening fussiness grew and eventually saw McShane booked for arguing with a linesman for someone failing to award a corner in the north-east corner. Fagan was then booked for encroaching at a free-kick – harshly, it appeared, and Phil Brown’s exasperation was sufficiently vocal as to earn himself a ticking-off.

On we trundled, the word “replay” getting an increasing airing. The anonymous Charles N’Zogbia was replaced by the unmistakeable Jonas Gutierrez before City created their best chance of the game thus far. Fagan scorched down the left-wing, crossed for Cousin, whose volley struck the post and hit Given – this time there was to be no fortunate rebound, and Given was able to capture the ball. A brace of cautions took us to the break – Geovanni and Nicky Butt the third and fourth men to gain Mr Foy’s yellow censure.

If Newcastle had slightly the better of an average first half, City were to have slightly the better of an average second half. This need not to detain us too long, for the likelihood of a draw was already apparent. Boateng sent a tame shot straight at Given, Duke sliced a clearance straight to Owen in the area, but fortunately close enough to the by-line as to make shooting impossible, Gutierrez – excellent, we should note – was booked, and the match plodded on. Not unwatchable, but lacking intensity.

Ricketts shot harmlessly at Given, then at the other end denied Carroll a shooting chance with a superb covering tackle, Geovanni flashed a free-kick at the Newcastle keeper – he batted it away to Turner, who steered it to McShane, who paddled the ball over in a most endearingly ungainly fashion.

Losing interest? A little. Both teams wanted to win, but didn’t NEED to win, the replay loomed larger and larger in our thoughts, and everyone seemed to settle for it. Except perhaps Michael Turner, who smacked a meaty header against a post, which was gathered by Shay Given. From my angle a mere 75 yards away, it appeared to have crossed the line – subsequent TV replays show it was extremely close, and while the ball probably did go over the line, it was so close we can’t complain too vigorously about it being denied to us.
As Phil Brown made an attempt to win the game, Halmosi and King and replaced Cousin and Fagan, but the draw was not to be denied.

Hmm – rather abbreviated that second half, wasn’t it? This was not necessarily a poor match, but it had that note of honestly contested friendly rather than thunderously-contested League game. City played, well, okay. Newcastle did too. A few moments stick in the mind – Newcastle’s supporters ostentatiously cheering Danny Guthrie left a slightly sour taste, but their goading of our empty seats was intriguing. We trust there’ll be fewer than 4,500 empty spaces at St James Park on January 14th.

For that is where the FA Cup takes us next. The reward for the victors will be a home tie against either Millwall, third in Division Three, or Crewe, bottom of it. The Fifth Round beckons for the winners – but will either City or Newcastle be busting a gut to reach it? (AD)