1. If you can’t win pretty, win ugly – it’s a cliché, but there’s something in it. It’s perhaps doing a disservice to the lads’ efforts to call the victory at Millwall on Saturday actually ugly, but it won’t win points for artistic merit. Seeing as you don’t get points for artistic merit in football, just points for scoring more goals than the other lot, perhaps we shouldn’t worry about it.
2. What we should worry about it is where it leaves us – to which the answer is “very handily placed”. After their win on Thursday, Leicester must have wondered whether our dip in form would continue and give them a clear lead in second. That City put the pressure of that position and their own recent troubles to one side to grind it out speaks volumes for a team whose committment is just about as good as you can get.
3. Jay Simpson frequently attracts criticism for his disappointing goals return. That’s not always harsh either, as he really ought to have a higher total than he does. However, his application was so instrumental on Saturday that it’s occasionally possible to overlook that. He should score more, but there’s still no doubting that he can bring a lot to the side when he’s at his best.
4. Having won at the New Den for the first time ever, next stop it’s the Amex, where also a victory would be our first ever. Later this month it’s the Reebok, where we have also never won. What a marvellous time it would be to put three grounds with a touch of hoodoo to them to bed.
5. Given the madness that often descends at this time of year, City did well in the transfer window – both in terms of acquisitions and also resisting temptation. It’s impossible to know just how well Fathy and Gedo will fare of course, but they arrive with a pedigree that makes them well worth a punt on. It also goes without saying that re-signing Ahmed Elmohamady is greatly important.
6. Less worth a punt on was DJ Campbell. He’d have been a useful signing for a side, but wasn’t worth a long-term contract and certainly isn’t worth bothering with now his distasteful attitude has been so vividly explained by Steve Bruce.
7. On Thursday evening and into Friday, it was remarkable to see the influx of Egyptian football fans onto City’s Facebook page. Credit to the club for reacting so quickly by establish a page in arabic for our new friends – now, are any of the club’s strategists working out a way of capitalising upon and maintaining this interest in the longer term?
8. Good luck to Mark Cullen at Stockport. He should, with decent service, be able to score an absolute stack in the Blue Square Premier.
9. A current Tiger in Robbie Brady has been voted the Irish under 21 Player of the Year. Good on him. Perhaps more unnervingly, the Irish full squad Player of the Year is an ex-Tiger, one Keith Andrews. It’s hardly the Ballon d’Or, but given how much top flight and international football he’s managed since we packed him off in 2006, as well as now a prestigious personal award, did we just get him wrong?
10. He made a hell of a start yesterday, which gives this view a touch of wisdom after the event, but as we saw when he wore our shirt, Fraizer Campbell will kill off the rest of the Championship if he stays fit. Now it’s nigh on impossible to imagine anyone, including us, catching Cardiff. The race is probably now for second place.
A lot of good points…for discussion?….here! Re 9; Didn’t Andrews keep bashing the manager’s door…claiming he was the best and should be playing…thereby p—ing Taylor? off..? Seem to remember something of sort….
Re 8; Was just thinking the other day that Cullen has been most unfortunate to be breaking through when City have had such a poor set of strikers to play with and learn from, and managers have changed often. Further, in recent times, where NP has been given time to acclimatise…then a run out for a couple of starts….Cullen has had a few minutes off the bench…..but then this manager didn’t spend big money on him! There was a recent game where SB only used 2 subs and Cullen was left on the bench in a close game. His loan opportunities have been uninspiring also. Like several others from this intake, I hope he can do an “Andrews”!
Re 5; Not sure we did so well…still think a good striker should have been organised for Jan.1st!!…Like Wood at Leicester. IMO, SB got played by both Campbell’s!! Re 10; Many strikers would have got that one…don’t get too excited!
SB got the curious selection right at Millwall. Brighton will be different and more dangerous. Will the Egyptians feature? Will the selection do the job? Will the fight continue…? Onward and Upward?! UTT!
Comment by gjhdurham — February 4, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Re 10; Forgot to say…Pity Morison was injured for Leeds. That might have made the result more interesting/better from our point of view! Was that why Norwich got rid…? Otherwise what we needed?
Comment by gjhdurham — February 4, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
Funny how the club gets criticised for not doing enough in the transfer window in respect of a striker, and yet the self-same critics, who always know best, or think they do, name just the two Campbells and Wood. Hardly a lot to go at. So, assuming no one seriously thinks we should have forked out between £5-£6m for FC (that being the likely cost of his wages over his contract period and transfer fee) or an absurd amount for the other mercenary by the same name, with no resale value), we are left with just Woods. Who is to say we didn’t go for him? He can only join one club, and he chose Leicester. Yes, he’s scored a few goals, but who was suggesting we sign him when he was on loan at Brum last season or when he joined Millwall? Let’s back the manager and the Allams for securing the two internationals. They haven’t got too many decisions wrong, after all. God, if we can’t be positive now, what hope is there? Some people are never happy – always seeing the glass half full. Get a life.
Comment by Bazza — February 4, 2013 @ 4:19 pm
Regarding Andrews: I doubt he did bash down Taylor’s door claiming he should be playing as he played pretty much all of that season anyway while Ashbee was injured.
Comment by Amber__Nectar — February 4, 2013 @ 6:24 pm
I have to disagree with you on FC – I think the guy has been overhyped – he scored on Saturday- but it was very fortuitous… It more deflected off him than anything…. I also feel that he has lost a bit of his pace… Yes he has an eye for goal – but he also worked a lot using his pace to get him where he needed to be- I think he is a couple of yards slower and will not score lots this season – also at the reported £30k a week he is a big gamble with 2 long standing knee injuries….
I also feel it is about time the Allams were uprated from a 7/10 to a 9/10…. They have proven this transfer window they want city in the PL – end of….
Comment by TigerPhil — February 4, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
Totally agree Bazza.
As for Cullen – nothing against the lad but has shown nothing in any of the time he has been on the pitch in a City shirt. Sincerely hope he can do the business in the Conference for Stockport.
Didn’t think Andrews had it in him to do an Andrews.. very surprised if Cullen has.
Comment by suttontiger — February 4, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
Point 7 – We’d do well not to follow the example of Crystal Palace when they signed them 2 spring links a few years back. After staging a top publicity stunt by presenting the Chinese president with a shirt live on telly, they then proceeded to fail to pay an internet bill to show all their games live in China, and the ISP they didn’t pay? The Chinese government. Oops.
Al-Ahly are the biggest club in African football, and we’ve just signed 2 of their best players. The possibilities are exciting ones, for sure.
Comment by Andy Paytons Legoman haircut — February 4, 2013 @ 9:08 pm
Surely DJ Campbell needs a good kick in the cock!!
Comment by Ingo — February 4, 2013 @ 11:10 pm
Fraizer Campbell 2013 = Michael Owen 2013
Comment by Baby Chaos — February 5, 2013 @ 10:43 am
Am I alone in finding the expression: ‘spring links’ offensive? Perhaps so.
Comment by breadvan — February 5, 2013 @ 11:53 am
Well said Ingo re a ‘Kick in the..’!
I think we’ve done well this window (and under Bruce), though the jury remains out on big Nick. The incoming Egyptians are an exciting prospect, I hope we have a purchase option if they do well.
UTT!
Comment by Bosco — February 5, 2013 @ 2:35 pm
Re Point 10 – No, Breadvan, you are not alone. I find the term offensive as well, disguised though it is. I think that nowadays we all know that it’s quite unnecessary to refer to people’s ethnicity in jokey terms. Boring, maybe, but grown-up.
Comment by eidur tiger — February 5, 2013 @ 6:40 pm