'Never look a gift horse ......'
Another week, another home defeat, as Brum (one win in seven) come to Oakwell, get played off the park and come and away winning 1-2. Once again we see the old adage. If good teams win while playing poorly, QED, poor teams play well and lose. A quick look at my fixture list confirms this is the 5th successive home defeat I have seen. Can things get any worse?
As I said, we controlled the game - yet not enough to avoid the constant corners and freekicks we gave away, giving them their only chances to score - and boy, did they take them! Debate raged as to whose fault the 1st was, a near post header by Curtis Davies from an inswinging corner. Some blamed Steele, who attempted to come but what was never gonna get there. Others (like me) blamed the defence, who simply cannot outjump anyone with any height. Steele cannot move until he sees where the ball is going, cos he has to be worried about the 6'8" Zigic. And to be fair to Brum, they obviously use Zigic as a decoy quite often, given how many goals Davies has got for them this season (note to Keith Hill: Do your homework!). All season we have been crying out for a commanding centre half. A Shackell...a Tiler...a McCarthy....an Adie Moses even. We have any amount of centre halves who would be good enough to PARTNER a decent centre half, but not one of them who can be our No. 1. Or Number 6. Anyway...
Just as we all worry we have seen this all before - another away team take the lead and will then attempt to timewaste their way to victory - we hit back within a couple of minutes, as a goalmouth scramble ends with Greening banging the ball in from the edge of the box. Quality finish.
2nd half, we have an early chance to go ahead. Tudgay and Dagnall are 2-on-1 and Tudgay threads the ball through for a normal sized legged centre forward. Unfortunately, despite being at Oakwell for a month (seems like a year!) he hasn't yet realised how small Chris Dagnall is, and the ball is stabbed wide as Dagnall stretches. But it gets worse. Dagnall is later subbed (Dear Keith: please keep Dagnall on, cos even if he doesn't score, whoever he plays with gets the benefit. Instead, try taking Tudgay off, cos he barely moves and it's starting to annoy me). Where was I? Oh yes, a header hits a Birmingham arm, the crowd shout hopefully for a penalty and the ref actually gives it! We are UP AND RUNNING. Victory is ours! O'Brien has the ball in his hands and who wouldn't trust Big Jim on his recent form? Thankfully tho, our top scorer Craaaaaaig Davies has just come on, and without having had a touch of the ball, thinks he can simply bang it past England reserve keeper Butland. Which is what he does - only about 6 yards too high. You f***ing clutz.
Not to worry, there'll be another goal soon, and so it proves. Dawson gives away a needless free kick from a decent crossing position. The ball is yet again whipped into the danger zone (the area between the keeper and our defence) and everyone watches Curtis Davies wander in to bullet another header into our net. Appalling free kick to give away, but we keep on doing it. Why, against a team who have only looked dangerous from crosses, do we give them the chance to put in...crosses? I am gobsmacked. I was given a new t-shirt for Xmas, by the way, emblazoned with the slogan 'Football is a game you play with your brain'. I must order a job lot for the squad at Oakwell.
*** Perkins. Amazingly taken off by Hill. Least, it would be amazing, had we not seen Hill take off our best player in previous games too (the likes of Dawson, while Mellis gets his usual 90 minutes). The crowd let Hill know this time, booing loudly. Later on, when the sponsors name Perkins as MOTM, it's the loudest cheer since our goal. Hill, take note.
** Golbourne. Again, didn't put a foot wrong. Improves as the season goes on, despite his complete lack of a right foot. Even managed the odd decent cross today.
* Stones. Solid in defence, a threat going forward.
Despatches: 824 Brum fans? Really? Looked about 400. Sounded like a dozen. Must be the quietest, most fickle bunch in the land. I guess Birmingham is only a tiny little place...
Onwards and upwards!
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