Ricardo's report v Wigan

[ricardo 7,328]

Ideal for cycling and indeed football on yet another fine and calm Autumn afternoon. I sensed an air of anticipation around the stadium after our run of good away results but the thing that really impressed me was that my old yellow seat had morphed into a brand new green one and the steps had all been re-painted and given the non slip treatment. How very thoughtful now that I''m getting a bit dicky on my pins.[:D]If anyone had turned up ten minutes late I''d have been hard pushed to relate the highlights because the ball rarely left the safety of the middle third of the pitch. Wigan kept their front men well forward and consequently it was extremely difficult for City to play out from the back. Apart from a scuffed header and a couple of free kicks and corners, we saw little of the visitors as an attacking force but the home side were often their own worst enemy when promising positions were spoiled by a careless pass.We were past the twenty minute mark when City fashioned the first real chance of any note. Buendia slipped a cute ball down the right to Marco Stieperman  who cut inside along the bye-line before making room for shot which Walton spectacularly turned aside at the near post at the expense of a corner. It got the crowd going at last but in truth it was a moment of excitement that was completely out of context with much of the dross that had gone before.Referee, Mr Ward had already made himself unpopular with several contentious decision but when Teemu Pukki latched on to a short back pass and was felled from behind just as he was about to pull the trigger, he was probably the only person in the entire stadium who thought it wasn''t a penalty. Having thus made a rod for his own back the rest of the half was littered with cries of "you don''t know what you''re doing" as he continued to get a good percentage of decisions clearly wrong and fully deserved the booing he got at halftime.It was an unsatisfactory half but I suppose credit to the visitors for making it such an untidy game with very few chances. We discussed the possibility of changes but I felt that the omens were still good as thanks to Wigan winning the toss we would be kicking the right way second half.[;)] In any event Farke didn''t change it and to some extent City did manage to put on a bit of early pressure as the second period began. Tetty screwed an acceptable chance wide from the edge of the box after Wigan struggled to clear and City were starting to look the most likely to break the deadlock.Pukki was doing a lot of running and eventually found space on the right of the box but quick covering blocked the shot away. In the next attack some nice close passing left Stiepermann with a chance but again Walton foiled him by turning aside a low shot from eighteen yards. Then it was Pukki again cutting in from the left and Stiepermann was just a split second late pulling the trigger and the chance had gone.Farke made his changes early as the game looked like getting bogged down again and Vrancic and Thompson came on for Cantwell and Max Aarons. The young City fullback had been booked earlier so I think that this was a precautionary exchange. Vrancic immediately added a bit of guile to proceedings and his delightful chip over a couple of defenders left Stiepermann in the clear. Unfortunately he either delayed too long or the ball wouldn''t sit, it''s hard to be sure but it looked a golden chance from my position.Rhodes came on for Buendia as we moved into the final quarter as City struggled to get the vital goal. Wigan continued to make it a scruffy game although they offered little apart from high balls in from set pieces which  Kru dealt confidently with confidently enough.And so into the last five minutes and I was beginning to think that this would be yet another of those dropped points scenarios after  a decent away result that we have seen so often over the years. City obviously are now made of sterner stuff because the chance finally came when Stiepermann  outfoxed a defender and cut back for Pukki who looked certain to score until pulled down twelve yards out. Mr Ward finally got a decision right by pointing unhesitatingly to the spot and Mario Vrancic administered a calm Coup de Grace by sending the ball down the middle as Walton dived to his left.Wigan tried to come forward in the five minutes added but we finally seem to have learned how to kill the game and the hard won points were never really in any danger of being squandered.Hard to pick a MOM, Stiepermann, Leitner, Pukki? take your pick?Kick towards the River End second half, history is never wrong[Y], you know it makes sense[:D].

[Guest]

As concise as ever Ricardo.

The penalty decision with Pukki is not clear. Seeing the replay there is cause for doubt but I think would have been given more times than not.

Stiepemann''s chance was unfortunate. He had to try and control it on the run and just couldn''t do it quick enough to beat the defender. Perhaps a first time shot might have paid dividends.

I am not Tettey''s greatest fan but I thought he was MOTM today. He did a great deal of mopping up after some really awful passing in our third of the pitch.

Rhodes wasn''t on for long but showed his experience in keeping the ball at their end for those crucial last minutes.

[Hairy Canary 667]

Enjoyable report as always Ricardo, thanks.

Not a classic by any means but thought we deserved the win. Agree with KG that Tetty was MOTM. Think he won it the last home game.

[ROBFLECK 132]

Thanks Ricardo, for me it''s a close one between Tettey and Stiepermann, who again was very good. But maybe Tettey just shades it... May the good times continue OTBC

[Daz Sparks 1,140]

Good report Ricardo, was just about how I saw the game from the opposite end of the ground. Probably Pukki for MOTM, but we seemed pretty coherent as a team beside the wayward passing, that whilst frustrating didn''t lead to Wigan getting a clear cut chance.

I would also to like to make mention of Vrancic''s cameo, the guy is class, and Stiepermann, we look to be getting better and we are taking the points from games.

OTBC

[pete 318]

Succinct report as usual however omitted how poor the distribution was, time and again passes went astray. Buendia was particularly wasteful.

[Bill 1,788]

[quote user="pete"]Succinct report as usual however omitted how poor the distribution was, time and again passes went astray. Buendia was particularly wasteful.[/quote]

[quote user="pete"]Defeat at home to Preston and on Saturday to a

rampant Leeds followed by defeat a decided possibility to Ipswich for

the first time in 10 years and in all likelihood means City will be

bottom of the league on Sept 1.[/quote]

[Guest]

Thanks, Ricardo. Thought Stiepermann was a good today. But he will be kicking himself that he didn''t get on the score sheet having got himself into so many good positions. Thought Buendia and Cantrell were ineffective, highlighted by Pukki providing a real threat when he moved out wide, which led to the penalty. A scrappy game but who cares. A win''s a win.

[Guest]

Cantwell. Bloomington autocorrect!

[vos 155]

I think I am on the same wavelength as Ricardo in that despite the great haul of points over recent games, the quality of the matches have left me with little enthusiasm or excitement. I am continuing to believe that the standards in the Championship are poor but any team who can produce a bit of fight and consistency could finish in the top six. Most of the teams who come here comprise players who I have never heard of. Boro and Wigan who came here fairly high in the league posed little threat and QPR were appalling. Some will of course say that the opponents are being bemused by DF''s tactics, but I do not see it that way at all. However I do see us tackling and closing down quicker in midfield which results in winning more 50/50 balls which creates a more attacking threat further in the opponents half. Have our more senior players learnt from the way young Lewis plays !!! To further back up my argument Tettey, who I did not think should have been given a new contract because of age and injuries, has looked a cut above most of the opposition midfielders we have seen so far. I still believe we should still have a big striker to cause aggro in the box, with Pukki alongside as his deceptive pace is causing problems to the opponents. I am sure I will be described as one of those who is never satisfied but I honestly believe the quality of football on display is not great. And yes I know its points mean prizes. Perhaps I have been watching too long !!

[ron obvious 1,495]

Thanks again ricardo.

We looked extremely lethargic today, especially first half, & I''m sorry to say it was Max who looked particularly out of sorts, unable to get a pass beyond a Wigan player & generally looking unconscionably slow in everything he did. It didn''t help that Emil was even worse, though perhaps with a bit more energy, Leitner''s touch had deserted him & Christoph must have just washed his feet because he couldn''t do a thing with them. It was only really Marco & the ever reliable Teemu who looked to be capable of creating anything. Poor Todd was getting mercilessly bullied, but gamely kept coming back for more, while Jamal was looking distinctly average - & strangely slooow.

2nd half was better, especially when the subs. came on. Louis likes like the right stuff to me, combative, muscular, energetic & with some surprisingly skillful touches. Mario''s a class player - as is Rhodes.

Altogether a ground out, ugly win. But one we just about deserved. Bring on (Frank Lampard''s) Derby!

Oh, & the referee was awful.

[Badger 2,404]

Thanks Ricardo. Great report as ever.What a pass that was by Vrancic - imo he''s a lovely player to watch!Can''t disagree with Stiepermann as m.o.m though - him + Tettey give us the power needed to allow some of the touch players to prosper.

[Bill 1,788]

The Championship is always pretty much a scrap, more so as the rewards if promotion are enormous financially.

One of the other reasons is we no longer look a soft touch, as we seem now to be able to ''mix it'' with the best. And the tactic of at least two players closing the opposition when they have the ball is working. One one means you have to not only win but keep possession. whereas this way all that is needed is to poke the ball away from the opposition.s allowing another City player to take possession - quite effective.

For all the ''failings there are huge signs of improvements. Even with Hanley and two ''teenagers'' at full backs we have only conceded one goal in four league games, and no Krul ''mishaps'' either.

Keep grinding out the results and keep seeing the improvements and I suspect we will see less of the ''concerns'' on here.

[dylanisabaddog 4,840]

Have to agree with the comments about Vrancic. He looks excellent every time he comes on. He is also very positive and drives us forward as opposed to Leitner who passes sideways or backwards most of the time

[Mark .Y. 351]

Great report again, thanks Ricardo.

I think we have one final piece of the puzzle to solve, and that is how we can start winning the odd game 3-0 or 4-1 or something like that.

I certainly don''t expect it every game but if we can start managing the odd game, I''ll believe we are genuine promotion candidates.

In the meantime though, I''m just enjoying where we are - particularly given where the other lot find themselves.

[ricardo 7,328]

Yes Mark, that is something my son mentioned yesterday. We need to see some comfortable victories before we start to believe that we are real contenders but grinding out a result in a low quality game is still a big part of being successful in this league.

[king canary 7,558]

I''m not hugely surprised we looked a bit ragged today- we''ve played a lot of football recently and the younger players won''t be used to it.

I''d expect to see a bit of rotation on Wednesday- Cantwell seems the obvious one to make way for Rhodes potentially.

While we can say it would be nice to win by more goals, I don''t think you can get much more comfortable in defence than by stopping an in-form team mustering a single shot on target.

[westcoastcanary 173]

[quote user="vos"] ............. Perhaps I have been watching too long !![/quote] How long you''ve been watching isn''t the problem, it''s the advanced stage of fossilisation! [;)][:D]

[vos 155]

West Coast. Your diagnosis may well be correct. I was originally tempted to say that the quality of the football (skills not the ball) were not much better than when I played in the Norwich Business Houses League 60 years ago. You probably will now think my problems are far more worse than you thought !!!

[Mason 47 1,371]

A very good day for those in yellow.

An ex-scummer pulls down Pukki for the winning penalty, and Ipswich let a 2-goal lead slip after *that* Twitter post which may well become my computer background for a little while.

Think what we''re seeing is that our playing style does take a lot of concentration to pull off correctly, which is why maybe after Farke''s gruelling pre-season regiment we looked lost. We definitely need rotation, just have to hope that the players that come in can gel with the feel-good factor the current XI have generated.

[SwindonCanary 455]

Out of all those wins on the trot, this was the worst performance, but as I wrote on  "Rays Funds for the CSF with the Pink un Pickers Season 12 Week 9"   Norwich bet is a win of any type (please) which we got, so I can''t complain.

[westcoastcanary 173]

[quote user="vos"]West Coast. Your diagnosis may well be correct. I was originally tempted to say that the quality of the football (skills not the ball) were not much better than when I played in the Norwich Business Houses League 60 years ago. You probably will now think my problems are far more worse than you thought !!![/quote] [:D] But joking aside, there''s a serious point to this. If there is one thing we should all have learnt in the past eight years, it''s that the sort of football that brought us what success we achieved in that period, and after which so many people still seem to hanker, actually isn''t so exhilarating and entertaining when, having once again reached the Promised Land of the EPL, we see the relegation trapdoor opening wider with every game and our minus goal difference heading remorselessly towards a new record. You can watch exactly the same disappointment-filled drama being played out this season courtesy of Neil Warnock''s Cardiff.

Over the years, the EPL has evolved hugely. Now we are seeing a similar process of evolution in the Championship. Who, five years ago, could have foreseen an ex manager of the Argentine and Chilean national sides becoming head coach of Championship club Leeds? The number of foreign coaches now in charge of Championship clubs is down this year, but only because two of last year’s six are now managing in the EPL; these guys are not here to play old-fashioned, tactically naive, "this is what we''re used to and happy with when we watch it", type of football. Either we embrace the process, and learn to appreciate better, and consequently get greater enjoyment from, this ever-evolving game, or our club will be increasingly left behind. 

[Mark .Y. 351]

[quote user="ricardo"]Yes Mark, that is something my son mentioned yesterday. We need to see some comfortable victories before we start to believe that we are real contenders but grinding out a result in a low quality game is still a big part of being successful in this league.[/quote]

Absolutely, and that is what we are managing at the moment......... long may it last

[Bill 1,788]

[quote user="ricardo"]Yes Mark, that is something my son mentioned yesterday. We need to see some comfortable victories before we start to believe that we are real contenders but grinding out a result in a low quality game is still a big part of being successful in this league.[/quote]

They wil come, but not yet.

However scrappy yesterday was it was still us who were the better, and won.

We will have plenty more of these games, when the opposition takes a quite ''physical'' approach.

It is a measure (in that respect) of how far we have progressed that we are now able to go toes to toe with such tactics...and win. And I don''t think we were really under the cosh yesterday either.

The sense when we got the penalty I felt was on of ''about time'' not ''blimey we were lucky there''. So fair play to farke (and the others) for getting the game plan right. As time and time again our best chances came from playing the ball past Wigan''s back four, rather than high balls into the box.

It will be interesting to see how the team approach the next game.

[Tired 102]

Really hope we can smash a team 3 or 4 nil soon

[king canary 7,558]

"If there is one thing we should all have learnt in the past eight years, it''s that the sort of football that brought us what success we achieved in that period, and after which so many people still seem to hanker, actually isn''t so exhilarating and entertaining when, having once again reached the Promised Land of the EPL, we see the relegation trapdoor opening wider with every game and our minus goal difference heading remorselessly towards a new record."

Under Neil sure, under Lambert not so much- we actually got worse when we moved away from the type of football that had bought us so much success over the preceding 3 years.