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ricardo

Ricardo's Report v Cardiff

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Please don''t tell me the players don''t care. That was a 110% effort from every single man tonight and gives us the kind of hope that didn''t seem possible on Saturday evening. I said on Saturday that we needed to take six points from these two games and things would look a lot different. Well we are halfway there and we go into the next game with real hope of turning this round.

Cardiff looked a good side early on and we looked rather nervy but after 15 minutes we started to settle and make a few chances. Alan Gow was a revelation, he looked a bit leggy in his first couple of games but tonight he showed superb close control and great vision with his passing. For me he was man of the match, but Marshall was not far behind with two incredible save late on. It''s hard to single players out after such a performance but the Doc was again a rock in the centre against a very tricky forward. Wes was everywhere and a real handful for the Cardiff defence, Crofty gave his heart and soul and young Mooney showed what a difference quick movement can make up front.

Congratulations also to Cody McDonald. He took his goal really well when it would have been so easy to blaze it over the bar or at the keeper. I don''t think Jamie would have netted that chance unfortunately but we now look like having players who can cause trouble up front.

A happy stroll back over Trowse bridge and I''ve not been able to say that many times this season.

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[quote user="ricardo"]

Please don''t tell me the players don''t care. That was a 110% effort from every single man tonight and gives us the kind of hope that didn''t seem possible on Saturday evening. I said on Saturday that we needed to take six points from these two games and things would look a lot different. Well we are halfway there and we go into the next game with real hope of turning this round.

Cardiff looked a good side early on and we looked rather nervy but after 15 minutes we started to settle and make a few chances. Alan Gow was a revelation, he looked a bit leggy in his first couple of games but tonight he showed superb close control and great vision with his passing. For me he was man of the match, but Marshall was not far behind with two incredible save late on. It''s hard to single players out after such a performance but the Doc was again a rock in the centre against a very tricky forward. Wes was everywhere and a real handful for the Cardiff defence, Crofty gave his heart and soul and young Mooney showed what a difference quick movement can make up front.

Congratulations also to Cody McDonald. He took his goal really well when it would have been so easy to blaze it over the bar or at the keeper. I don''t think Jamie would have netted that chance unfortunately but we now look like having players who can cause trouble up front.

A happy stroll back over Trowse bridge and I''ve not been able to say that many times this season.

[/quote]looks like we''ve got a match to really look forward to on saturday...

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Lovely report as always Ricardo. I thought the two up front looked composed and full of running and both could pass at will. It was great and refreshing to see some pace upfront at last. Shame they haven''t had their chance before, but there it is, can''t see either of them being shifted now.

MOM - I am going for Mooney, closely followed by Gow and Wes. Amazingly we spent more time attacking than defending but Shacks and Doc were resolute at the back and Semmy seemed a lot better than late. Plastic was there for several crucial blocks. Crofty too took part in some great tackles, though don''t think the officials were too impressed.

As you say, you had a happy stroll home, as did I across the Holiday Inn car park, didn''t seem as far as usual....lol.

We have to build on this, been our main problem on the field all season, consistency.

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Great to see some movement in the team, especially upfront.

For too long we''ve had people upfront who can''t move or just can''t be bothered to move.

Terrific team performance and a fully deserved win.

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There''s really no criticism that can be levelled at anybody tonight - even the fans who were right behind the side from the off.  It was a complete siege mentality towards the end but in truth, Cardiff were generally kept at bay.  Considering we had players who had barely figured or not played at all (Gow, Macdonald, Carney, Leijer, Mooney) that was a mammoth effort and a million miles from the last home game.  It was great to see fresh blood in the side who actually gave a damn unlike some of the useless lags we''ve had this season.  I just hope they can keep it up.

I felt shellshocked after the Coventry game.  I feel the same tonight but for different reasons.

 

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Agreed Ricardo. Excellent performance tonight. Gow was superb and how Cureton kept him out of the team is a total mystery. Hoolahan was great and Bertrand looked like the Bertrand of old. The players worked as a team and gave everything and got their reward against a Cardiff side who were no slouches themselves.What a moment for Cody McDonald too. He took that goal like he''s been playing at this level for years. Nearly got a spectacular second after that great run too. He looks to have something about him.

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[quote user="Graham Humphrey"]

how Cureton kept him out of the team is a total mystery.
[/quote]

How Cureton kept anyone out of the team is a total mystery.

We saw tonight what a bit of pace and movement can do, something we were never going to see with Jamie turning in his statue performances.

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Don''t know why Ricardo but I kept thinking of Cross and Bone.

Just nostalgia I suppose, but if these two can only part emulate them then we MASY SURVIVE

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[quote user="GJP"]

Great to see some movement in the team, especially upfront.

For too long we''ve had people upfront who can''t move or just can''t be bothered to move.

Terrific team performance and a fully deserved win.

[/quote]

 

Spot on, the movement up front was different class to the static stuff we`ve endured in most games, pace and skill, I`d almost forgotten what it looked like!

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Good report Ricardo[:D]

What a difference a few days make and what a difference a change of strikers made tonight. Gow and Mooney looked like they''ve been playing together all season and as for young Cody well he took that goal as if he''d been a professional football for years not putting up scaffolding a few months ago.

Its hard to pick anyone out as it was a real team effort tonight and they all gave 150%.

Well done lads and well done the fans, what a great atmosphere.

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[quote user="cityangel"]

Good report Ricardo[:D]

What a difference a few days make and what a difference a change of strikers made tonight. Gow and Mooney looked like they''ve been playing together all season and as for young Cody well he took that goal as if he''d been a professional football for years not putting up scaffolding a few months ago.

Its hard to pick anyone out as it was a real team effort tonight and they all gave 150%.

Well done lads and well done the fans, what a great atmosphere.

[/quote]I think you''ve nailed it there, CA; when one part of the team consistently fails to function, the rest must eventually lose motivation. The defence seems to have tightened up a bit (although obviously Semmy''s still suspect) & now with a decent attack the midfield starts functioning again - Russell was allegedly displaying some lovely touches tonight!I don''t think it is a conscious decision players make, but if you know that, however hard you try, the attack ain''t gonna score & the defence will give away soft goals - or the midfield create nothing - then the other components of the team will become jaded.  I think this is why the midfield (once the best part) has been in declineBut NOW, with a genuine attack, there is cause for optimism.I really believe this time, at long, long last, there could be a turning point .....I think I better shut up now.

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I thought they were all good, Gow showed some promise and neat trickery and Mooney showed what we have been missing in the big man mould.

Cody, well, to come on for your debut less than a month after he was working in the building trade and to score a goal was brilliant. A big thank you to them and about bloody time. Lets not let Saturday be an anti climax.

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[quote user="Canaries in Bed"]

Lets not let Saturday be an anti climax.

[/quote]

That is indeed the key

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Agree with everything that has been said on here, we were in their faces from start to finish and never allowed them to settle on the ball long enough to do much damage. I thought every player was excellent including Otsemebor who was caught napping as usual on a couple of occasions but for once done enough to say he had a decent game. Fans were also very good and it was a privelege to be part of such an atmosphere.

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Just to add to Ricardo''s comments, all of which I  agree with...Gow''s control tonight was superb. He never looked like losing the ball and he nearly always created space for another player, i.e Croft and Otsemobor on the right. More performances like this from him and we should have no trouble staying up. Hoolahan was an absolute MENACE. The Bluebirds are a good side with some big strong players in the team. Despite this, Hoolahan won nearly every ball he pressurised for or tackled for despite being half their size. Again, like Gow his play was of an impeccable standard.Mooney looked like a threat up front and I''m pleased he got his goal. I remember in one of the threads when Mooney was signed up people were slagging him off straight away saying how we''d signed another nobody and how we didn''t need him. Not be be smug, but I said we should give him a chance and at least let him kick a ball for us first. On his home debut, he scores! Splendid. Mooney, I salute you and thank you for backing up my point!Cody...well, what can you say? Well done son. Anyone would think we plucked him from the Premier League as opposed to Dartford. Yes, it was only a portion of the game, but he looked sharp and looked like a natural at this level. And against a top side too! He took his goal everuy well indeed. Is he the hero who''ll keep us up? Maybe. But he''s certainly one for the future if nothing else. He''ll probably still need some time, but full credit to him for getting the winner. Marshall and his defence played well, the only thing really spoiling it was the decisions that seemed to keep going against them. Two of Marshall''s saves in particular may just have secured the two extra points we need come the end of the season in order to remain in the division. That''s two clean sheets in three now! Bertrand as well played very well in the second half, constantly frustrating Cardiff on their right flank. As stated in another thread, the referee was complete and utter garbage. Both teams seemed to have decisions go against them. I know referee''s get a bad rep, but I don''t think I have ever seen so many decisions in the space of about 20 minutes be needlessly made or poorly made. Did Croft run over his dog or something? On another day, this could well have cost us the game. But thankfully we didn''t let that happen and for once we''ve had that bit of luck we needed. And finally, the fans. Tremendous. Actually, I''m going to give the Cardiff fans some credit as well because like or not, they actually outsung us for many a time in the first half. Once we had the momentum going though we were all behind the lads 100% with unconditional support. Sat in the Jarrold I only heard one gentleman yelling and complaining, but even he could see in the second half that we were playing good football. Fusspot! And guess what...I heard not one talk about the board, about protests, about money, nothing negative at all. It was all 100% positive and I''d like to think it gave our team the courage and desire to push on. Well, actually there were two slightly negative crowd reactions aside from the fusspot mentioned above. The first of which was at half time, where we had all three mascots advertising the phone deal. In unison, we pointed to the number of them as the reason we''ve lost so much money! Too much money wasted on bleeding mascots! The second of which came in the form of tutting around me and a few others, as we desperately tried to join in with the "Snake Pit/Barclay over here" chants with some tongue in cheek "We''re the Jarrold, we''re the jarrold!" chants. A guy''s got to try right? [:)]

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Not much to add except to say what a joy it was to see a team who really looked as if they cared. Croft was magnificent in this regard, but they all put a shift in. Even Otsemobor looked vaguely interested. It really does put into perspective how limp most of our performances have been this season.

As others have said, it is all meaningless unless we follow it up with a win on Saturday. If the crowd are as magnificent as they were last night, that''d help.

I was very unimpressed with the appointment of Gunn, but the one thing I did expect him to bring to the team was passion and commitment. It may have taken a few games, but we saw it last night. My favourite moment of the game was Gunny''s reaction to the final whistle - both arms punching the air. Really pleased for him,

Come on City, let''s follow it up on Saturday.

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I just hope we can perform to this level again, but too many times we have showed glimpses of talent only to subject us poor fans to a nother 90 mins of dross in the following game.

If we continue like this we can stay up, simple as that. Fingers crossed.

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