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Ricardo's Report v Watford

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They say familiarity can breed contempt so it was somewhat surprising that I still got that nervous stomach churning feeling when walking up to the match tonight. First night nerves they call it but after 56 seasons you would think it would get a bit easier. I deliberately went out of my way not to get caught up in all the pre season hype and have not been to any friendlys or taken more than a passing interest in the new signings.I always thought that we would find it harder than expected back in the Championship and so it proved tonight with the game being played in a totally different gear to much of the stuff we saw last year in League one. The line up was much as expected with the still not fit Grant Holt on the subs bench and Martin and Jackson starting up front. The first five minutes were all huff and puff  and played at tremendous speed but City then began to swing the ball about in impressive style and I thought they were unlucky not to get a penalty when Jackson was bundled over from behind. Mr Miller didn''t give it and pretty much set his stall out by giving us bugger all, all night. Watford looked fit and quick and it was end to end stuff. They worked a corner on the right after 15 minutes and City left two unmarked as Eustace picked his spot from about 12 yards. City replied in good style and roared on by a 24k crowd almost equalised when Surmans free kick was brilliantly turned away by the Watford keeper. City still didn''t look safe at the back with Martin and Nelson in particular struggling to stay with their man. A neat interchange left Danny Graham clear and he netted with ease to leave City staring down the barrel of a gun. A dose of reality certainly has a way of dispelling all that pre season hype.Lambert changed nothing at half time but City finally found a higher gear and started to look dangerous. It was no surprise when Wes burst through and his pass to Jackson was neatly back heeled into the path of the impressive Crofts who expertly opened his account with a fine low drive. City were rampant for a while with Wes and Andy Surman pulling the strings but Watford were able to slow the pace a little and seemed to be happy to hold City at arms length. I felt certain an equaliser would eventually come especially when Holt came on for Jackson,but the fates had other ideas as the Ref made a decision that decided the game. As Fox went to head a ball a Watford player clearly jumped into him. With 24k and all the players expecting a whistle evrything stopped for a split second but Mr Miller waved play on by which time Graham was clear on the left. Admittedly he had a bit to do but his narrow angle shot curled past Ruddy into the bottom corner. All that remained was for Nelson to net a consolation from the edge of the box before the game petered out to another opening day defeat.Drury had a decent game and Martin was ok in parts but I still feel he is too slow for this league. Elliot and Nelson improved in the second half but didn''t inspire me with much confidence. As for Ruddy in goal the best that can be said is that he is no Fraser Forster and I would take evens on him not being able to stop a pig in a passage. Fox, Surman and Crofts looked good enough for this league with Crofts edging it for MOM. Wes was not quite on the ball tonight while Martin and Jackson put in good shifts with little support.So where did it all go wrong I hear you ask? Well, I think the pace of the game caught us out and the refs decision was a crucial turning point in a game where I think a draw would have been a fair reflection of the play. You can choose the Sky TV jinx or the first game jinx but for me it was the Ref doing what no Ref should do. Deciding the result with his own mistake.

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Draw a fair reflection?!You were diabolical, second to every ball, one-paced, square at the back, lightweight on the deck and in the air... need I go on?A severe reality check for you boys.

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Your 100% right about the decision that changed the game. Very good report, and very accurate. I cant recall surman ''pulling the strings'' though but hoolahan does it all the time, so it seems weird when he doesn''t.

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[quote user="ricardo"]They say familiarity can breed contempt so it was somewhat surprising that I still got that nervous stomach churning feeling when walking up to the match tonight. First night nerves they call it but after 56 seasons you would think it would get a bit easier. I deliberately went out of my way not to get caught up in all the pre season hype and have not been to any friendlys or taken more than a passing interest in the new signings.I always thought that we would find it harder than expected back in the Championship and so it proved tonight with the game being played in a totally different gear to much of the stuff we saw last year in League one. The line up was much as expected with the still not fit Grant Holt on the subs bench and Martin and Jackson starting up front. The first five minutes were all huff and puff  and played at tremendous speed but City then began to swing the ball about in impressive style and I thought they were unlucky not to get a penalty when Jackson was bundled over from behind. Mr Miller didn''t give it and pretty much set his stall out by giving us bugger all, all night. Watford looked fit and quick and it was end to end stuff. They worked a corner on the right after 15 minutes and City left two unmarked as Eustace picked his spot from about 12 yards. City replied in good style and roared on by a 24k crowd almost equalised when Surmans free kick was brilliantly turned away by the Watford keeper. City still didn''t look safe at the back with Martin and Nelson in particular struggling to stay with their man. A neat interchange left Danny Graham clear and he netted with ease to leave City staring down the barrel of a gun. A dose of reality certainly has a way of dispelling all that pre season hype.Lambert changed nothing at half time but City finally found a higher gear and started to look dangerous. It was no surprise when Wes burst through and his pass to Jackson was neatly back heeled into the path of the impressive Crofts who expertly opened his account with a fine low drive. City were rampant for a while with Wes and Andy Surman pulling the strings but Watford were able to slow the pace a little and seemed to be happy to hold City at arms length. I felt certain an equaliser would eventually come especially when Holt came on for Jackson,but the fates had other ideas as the Ref made a decision that decided the game. As Fox went to head a ball a Watford player clearly jumped into him. With 24k and all the players expecting a whistle evrything stopped for a split second but Mr Miller waved play on by which time Graham was clear on the left. Admittedly he had a bit to do but his narrow angle shot curled past Ruddy into the bottom corner. All that remained was for Nelson to net a consolation from the edge of the box before the game petered out to another opening day defeat.Drury had a decent game and Martin was ok in parts but I still feel he is too slow for this league. Elliot and Nelson improved in the second half but didn''t inspire me with much confidence. As for Ruddy in goal the best that can be said is that he is no Fraser Forster and I would take evens on him not being able to stop a pig in a passage. Fox, Surman and Crofts looked good enough for this league with Crofts edging it for MOM. Wes was not quite on the ball tonight while Martin and Jackson put in good shifts with little support.So where did it all go wrong I hear you ask? Well, I think the pace of the game caught us out and the refs decision was a crucial turning point in a game where I think a draw would have been a fair reflection of the play. You can choose the Sky TV jinx or the first game jinx but for me it was the Ref doing what no Ref should do. Deciding the result with his own mistake.[/quote]Get over FF for Huck sake! Nothing like supporting your players is there [:|]

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[quote user="CT"][quote user="ricardo"]They say familiarity can breed contempt so it was somewhat surprising that I still got that nervous stomach churning feeling when walking up to the match tonight. First night nerves they call it but after 56 seasons you would think it would get a bit easier. I deliberately went out of my way not to get caught up in all the pre season hype and have not been to any friendlys or taken more than a passing interest in the new signings.I always thought that we would find it harder than expected back in the Championship and so it proved tonight with the game being played in a totally different gear to much of the stuff we saw last year in League one. The line up was much as expected with the still not fit Grant Holt on the subs bench and Martin and Jackson starting up front. The first five minutes were all huff and puff  and played at tremendous speed but City then began to swing the ball about in impressive style and I thought they were unlucky not to get a penalty when Jackson was bundled over from behind. Mr Miller didn''t give it and pretty much set his stall out by giving us bugger all, all night. Watford looked fit and quick and it was end to end stuff. They worked a corner on the right after 15 minutes and City left two unmarked as Eustace picked his spot from about 12 yards. City replied in good style and roared on by a 24k crowd almost equalised when Surmans free kick was brilliantly turned away by the Watford keeper. City still didn''t look safe at the back with Martin and Nelson in particular struggling to stay with their man. A neat interchange left Danny Graham clear and he netted with ease to leave City staring down the barrel of a gun. A dose of reality certainly has a way of dispelling all that pre season hype.Lambert changed nothing at half time but City finally found a higher gear and started to look dangerous. It was no surprise when Wes burst through and his pass to Jackson was neatly back heeled into the path of the impressive Crofts who expertly opened his account with a fine low drive. City were rampant for a while with Wes and Andy Surman pulling the strings but Watford were able to slow the pace a little and seemed to be happy to hold City at arms length. I felt certain an equaliser would eventually come especially when Holt came on for Jackson,but the fates had other ideas as the Ref made a decision that decided the game. As Fox went to head a ball a Watford player clearly jumped into him. With 24k and all the players expecting a whistle evrything stopped for a split second but Mr Miller waved play on by which time Graham was clear on the left. Admittedly he had a bit to do but his narrow angle shot curled past Ruddy into the bottom corner. All that remained was for Nelson to net a consolation from the edge of the box before the game petered out to another opening day defeat.Drury had a decent game and Martin was ok in parts but I still feel he is too slow for this league. Elliot and Nelson improved in the second half but didn''t inspire me with much confidence. As for Ruddy in goal the best that can be said is that he is no Fraser Forster and I would take evens on him not being able to stop a pig in a passage. Fox, Surman and Crofts looked good enough for this league with Crofts edging it for MOM. Wes was not quite on the ball tonight while Martin and Jackson put in good shifts with little support.So where did it all go wrong I hear you ask? Well, I think the pace of the game caught us out and the refs decision was a crucial turning point in a game where I think a draw would have been a fair reflection of the play. You can choose the Sky TV jinx or the first game jinx but for me it was the Ref doing what no Ref should do. Deciding the result with his own mistake.[/quote]Get over FF for Huck sake! Nothing like supporting your players is there [:|][/quote]I tell it like I see it CT. You have every right to disagree but I am of the firm opinion that in the goalkeeping department we a not as well placed as last season. Hopefully he will have better games than this or we will be in for a long hard grind in this division.

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[quote user="CT"][quote user="ricardo"]They say familiarity can breed contempt so it was somewhat surprising that I still got that nervous stomach churning feeling when walking up to the match tonight. First night nerves they call it but after 56 seasons you would think it would get a bit easier. I deliberately went out of my way not to get caught up in all the pre season hype and have not been to any friendlys or taken more than a passing interest in the new signings.I always thought that we would find it harder than expected back in the Championship and so it proved tonight with the game being played in a totally different gear to much of the stuff we saw last year in League one. The line up was much as expected with the still not fit Grant Holt on the subs bench and Martin and Jackson starting up front. The first five minutes were all huff and puff  and played at tremendous speed but City then began to swing the ball about in impressive style and I thought they were unlucky not to get a penalty when Jackson was bundled over from behind. Mr Miller didn''t give it and pretty much set his stall out by giving us bugger all, all night. Watford looked fit and quick and it was end to end stuff. They worked a corner on the right after 15 minutes and City left two unmarked as Eustace picked his spot from about 12 yards. City replied in good style and roared on by a 24k crowd almost equalised when Surmans free kick was brilliantly turned away by the Watford keeper. City still didn''t look safe at the back with Martin and Nelson in particular struggling to stay with their man. A neat interchange left Danny Graham clear and he netted with ease to leave City staring down the barrel of a gun. A dose of reality certainly has a way of dispelling all that pre season hype.Lambert changed nothing at half time but City finally found a higher gear and started to look dangerous. It was no surprise when Wes burst through and his pass to Jackson was neatly back heeled into the path of the impressive Crofts who expertly opened his account with a fine low drive. City were rampant for a while with Wes and Andy Surman pulling the strings but Watford were able to slow the pace a little and seemed to be happy to hold City at arms length. I felt certain an equaliser would eventually come especially when Holt came on for Jackson,but the fates had other ideas as the Ref made a decision that decided the game. As Fox went to head a ball a Watford player clearly jumped into him. With 24k and all the players expecting a whistle evrything stopped for a split second but Mr Miller waved play on by which time Graham was clear on the left. Admittedly he had a bit to do but his narrow angle shot curled past Ruddy into the bottom corner. All that remained was for Nelson to net a consolation from the edge of the box before the game petered out to another opening day defeat.Drury had a decent game and Martin was ok in parts but I still feel he is too slow for this league. Elliot and Nelson improved in the second half but didn''t inspire me with much confidence. As for Ruddy in goal the best that can be said is that he is no Fraser Forster and I would take evens on him not being able to stop a pig in a passage. Fox, Surman and Crofts looked good enough for this league with Crofts edging it for MOM. Wes was not quite on the ball tonight while Martin and Jackson put in good shifts with little support.So where did it all go wrong I hear you ask? Well, I think the pace of the game caught us out and the refs decision was a crucial turning point in a game where I think a draw would have been a fair reflection of the play. You can choose the Sky TV jinx or the first game jinx but for me it was the Ref doing what no Ref should do. Deciding the result with his own mistake.[/quote]Get over FF for Huck sake! Nothing like supporting your players is there [:|][/quote]Hardly going to support every player theres always one dodgey signing last year was theoklitos this year looking like ruddy

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Forster is such a hard act to follow - he had a blinding season - we are naturally going to compare Ruddy to Forster.

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Have to agree with the scummer i''m afraid , no way on earth did we deserve a draw out of that .

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[quote user="portmanking"]Draw a fair reflection?!You were diabolical, second to every ball, one-paced, square at the back, lightweight on the deck and in the air... need I go on?A severe reality check for you boys.[/quote]Chopra signed yet?

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[quote user="Wxyz"]Have to agree with the scummer i''m afraid , no way on earth did we deserve a draw out of that .[/quote]You paid your money and are entitled to your opinion however I think it is tinged more by disappointment than reality. Before Mr Millers intervention City looked very likely to be the next scorers and a draw was certainly well on the cards. The first half defensive frailty put Watford in the driving seat but it was the ref who killed off our hopes of getting something out of the game.

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I agree we did get a bit jammy on the 3rd goal (mind you we still had to go on and score...)!

You did pretty well 2nd half (after we''d performed above expectations before the break) without really testing Loach I''d say.

I think we just about deserved to win TBH.

Good game played in a decent spirit which was nice to see after the World cup final!

As you know in this league you''ll win next week and we get hammered by Boothroyd''s Coventry at home!

 

 

 

 

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[quote user="Mark"]

I agree we did get a bit jammy on the 3rd goal (mind you we still had to go on and score...)!

You did pretty well 2nd half (after we''d performed above expectations before the break) without really testing Loach I''d say.

I think we just about deserved to win TBH.

Good game played in a decent spirit which was nice to see after the World cup final!

As you know in this league you''ll win next week and we get hammered by Boothroyd''s Coventry at home!

 

 

 

 

[/quote]Good luck to you Mark your boys looked skillful and quick. I don''t think you''ll have any relegation problems this season.

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[quote user="Mark"]

I agree we did get a bit jammy on the 3rd goal (mind you we still had to go on and score...)!

You did pretty well 2nd half (after we''d performed above expectations before the break) without really testing Loach I''d say.

I think we just about deserved to win TBH.

Good game played in a decent spirit which was nice to see after the World cup final!

As you know in this league you''ll win next week and we get hammered by Boothroyd''s Coventry at home

[/quote]Fair comments. Did you play better than expected against us - or were we just crap, & flattered you? I''d be interested to here your opinion.

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I agree with a lot of your sentiments Ricardo. I thought we looked good money for goals throughout the game, but the problem was at the other end where we looked in trouble on almost every Watford attack. The longer I have thought about things after the game the better I feel about it. Most on here knew our defence was going to start off creaky, and lacking match practice and fitness. For me the main disappointment was not so much in the performance of the players, although I thought we were sloppy in dealing with set pieces, it was more to do with the new players not really picking up what their roles were in the diamond. I thought fox was perhaps, a bit to slow the base of it and his passing was unusually poor, players like the Spaniards, Makelele and even Carrick help their teams control games through easy passing. Our passing from the back was always rushed and often long, it mean Crofts and Surman seemed to be a bit lost. Hopefully that will improve with time, I also hope (and have been hoping for a long while) for another right back and perhaps centre back. For me Russell Martin is probably the worst in what is seemingly now a long exhaustive list.Thanks as ever Ricky!

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I usually think that you are spot on Ricardo but tonight I can''t agree.

I think that your criticism of the ref and the influence that he had is overstated.

The only two controversial decisions (in 94 minutes!) were allowing play to progress for the third goal and the late challenge 30 yards out in injury time.

The third goal should have stood in my eyes because if it was the other way round no Canary supporter would have cried foul. It was a robust, genuine and enthusiastic challenge for the ball which we need to get used to. Too many teams see us as a soft touch and Fox''s appeals will do nothing to change that. Perhaps you''ve acclimatised to the whistle happy attitude of the refs during the World cup?

The foul in injury time was a foul no question. It should have been a free kick but we would have lost, and deserved to have lost, with even a perfect refereeing performance - which in truth it almost was.

Just my opinion - no hard feelings.

I look forward to your reviews for the rest of the season.

OTBC

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Where are people getting this we looked good for goals , watched the game on Sky and the commentators thought we were toothless and hardly forced Loach into a save all night long .Apart from the soft Surman free kick and Jacksons acute angled shot into the side netting we created nothing.

Well beaten and god knows what the better teams will do to us.

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"late challenge 30 yards out in injury time"I do love that mythical no mans land of space that exists just outside the penalty box. I was sat reasonably level with that ''tackle'' and at best it was about  5 yards outside of the box which makes it 23 yards.it''s not having a go at you personally but time and time anying that''s more that a few yards outside of the box is described as 30 - 40 yardsand it was DEFINITELY a foul as no contact was made with the ball

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Another excellent report Ricardo. Here''s some thoughts I''d like to add-I thought that apart from his back heel (and even then, the chances of that ever setting up a goal again are miniscule), Jackson looked completely out of his depth tonight. Taylor, who I thought was excellent 90% of the time, had Jacko in his back pocket virtually the whole time, save for a side netting effort. I still feel Jackson will come good, but on this showing I think he''s going to struggle against bigger and stronger defenders in this division. Staying with Jackson and looking at Ward and Surman as well in particular, all three seemed to be struggling a bit fitness wise. Ward especially looked off the pace and whilst I appreciate he had an injury recently, he needs to whip himself into shape soon or we could leak more goals against the likes of Forest who we play soon. Many of the Watford lads looked sharp as a button, and it looks as though Malky has done a seriously good job in getting his threadbare squad ticking over for the new campaign. I''ve seen some criticism of Drury tonight, but to be honest I think that''s a little unfair. Last season Drury gelled very well with Simon Lappin, but it just never seemed to click here with Surman. I can recall at least two occasions where had called out to him and gave him some instructions, only for Drury having to cover for him and basically mark two people. A couple of times Drury challenged at the same time as Surman in the air, knowing he was struggling. Surman isn''t a defender obviously, but a bit of covering for his left-back colleague every now and then would be groovy. I don''t know if it''s just me, but when the ball was in our own penalty area we had a horrible tendancy to faff about getting it clear, opting for tricky headers rather than clearing the danger and starting afresh. More established teams could prey on something like this and tear us to pieces if we don''t buck our ideas up in this department. With regards to Ruddy, I don''t think he was nearly as bad as I''d imagined. He made a bit of a clanger in the second half, but I think that was more the combination of the rain and the Watford pressure. He certainly made a couple of good first half saves, so he''s clearly got something about him. I was pretty critical of him after the Everton game, but on tonight''s evidence I''m actually not convinced he''s going to be the next Theoklitos or anything. Who knows, as the likes of Ward get fitter and the defence play together more I think you''ll see a significant improvement in the back line (please lord). Onto some positives now, starting with David Fox. Man, that guy can pass a football. Nevermind Crofts and Surman, I think this chap could well become one of the most underrated players of the season. He was also terribly unlucky not to get a free kick which basically led to us conceding the third goal. Crofts too did well, particularly in the second half. I''m not sure how it came across on TV, but from my position in the Jarrold stand it looked like an absolute rocket of a shot. After the first goal there was a really good spell of play from us and I think the midfield has really got some legs in it.

Grant Holt won a free kick with basically his first touch, and gave

Taylor some problems when he came on. He didn''t play for long and it''s

obviously tough to judge, but from what little evidence I saw I think

he''ll be just fine in this league. It''s no coincidence we got a second

goal when he came on and with a bit more luck he would''ve got a shot on

target with that diving header out of nowhere, considering the pressure

he was under. And how did he not get a penalty?!The referee needs a new pair of eyes. I was almost directly behind the ref, low down in the Jarrold stand and I could see the incident clear as day, yet with nobody in front of him and being mere footsteps away, he fails to spot David Fox getting fouled. And again, not sure how it came across on TV but it looked to me like TWO Watford players brought down Grant Holt in the penalty area, yet nothing was given. As Ricardo said, he gave us bugger all tonight. Had it not been for him, I think we''d have come a lot closer to wrestling a point back. Great to see two legends back at Carrow Road tonight, with Dion Dublin back for Sky''s coverage (anyone see him on Sky Sports News pre-game, sneaking up on John Goodman? Brilliant!) and also Malky, who got a terrific ovation after the game despite the result. Overall, ''twas actually a pretty entertaining game to watch. All bias aside, I wouldn''t have complained if I were a neutral watching on Sky. There are 45 league fixtures left for us to fulfill, so I''ll certainly not get downhearted about losing this game by a one goal margin. I still have 100% absolute faith and confidence in Lambert and the team and still think we can finish strongly come May. Tonight just reinforced the point which I actually made about Scunthorpe and Portsmouth in other discussions, anyone can make a push for the play-offs this season. Whilst I think Watford will need to seriously go some to pull that off, they played some good stuff tonight. They''ve got a solid defender in Taylor and a really good goalkeeper in Loach, for me their two best players (even more so than Graham, despite his double, which was only presented to him by a bit of poor defending and a blind referee). Watford did actually play some really god stuff though, so they absolutely deserve credit for the win. Malky is running a tough ship there, but he''s already shown what he can get out of his team and I wish him all the very best. I disagree with the binner who thinks we were second best to everything, I think it was much more evenly contested than that. We''ll get there, eventually. Lambert is still the man!

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[quote user="Superflash"]Another excellent report Ricardo. Here''s some thoughts I''d like to add-

I thought that apart from his back heel (and even then, the chances of that ever setting up a goal again are miniscule), Jackson looked completely out of his depth tonight. Taylor, who I thought was excellent 90% of the time, had Jacko in his back pocket virtually the whole time, save for a side netting effort. I still feel Jackson will come good, but on this showing I think he''s going to struggle against bigger and stronger defenders in this division.
[/quote]

Well that''s strange because from watching it on Sky - and being noted by their presenters - the whole of the first half CM was up against Taylor. Sky mentioning how wouldn''t it be a better idea to put Jackson on Taylor because of the speed difference. Obviously they switched at points in the 2nd half but your statement is no really accurate is it.

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[quote user="portmanking"]Draw a fair reflection?!You were diabolical, second to every ball, one-paced, square at the back, lightweight on the deck and in the air... need I go on?A severe reality check for you boys.[/quote]Spot on... [Y]Our midfield did not win a tackle all night.  Missed Russell and Korey badly!

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[quote user="Legend Iwan"]

[quote user="Superflash"]Another excellent report Ricardo. Here''s some thoughts I''d like to add-I thought that apart from his back heel (and even then, the chances of that ever setting up a goal again are miniscule), Jackson looked completely out of his depth tonight. Taylor, who I thought was excellent 90% of the time, had Jacko in his back pocket virtually the whole time, save for a side netting effort. I still feel Jackson will come good, but on this showing I think he''s going to struggle against bigger and stronger defenders in this division. [/quote]

Well that''s strange because from watching it on Sky - and being noted by their presenters - the whole of the first half CM was up against Taylor. Sky mentioning how wouldn''t it be a better idea to put Jackson on Taylor because of the speed difference. Obviously they switched at points in the 2nd half but your statement is no really accurate is it.

[/quote]Jackson? Speed? What speed? He couldn''t get past the backline at all, or even hold the ball up for starters, nevermind bomb forward. Martin was up against Taylor and didn''t fare too well either, but Taylor and Jackson definatley had some real battles and hey, seeing as you watched the game from the comfort of your armchair as opposed to in-person, front row, you tell me how our new signing fared. Taylor read Jackson''s every move and was always a yard ahead of him. As I said before, Jackson looks to be playing catch up fitness wise, something he has actually come out and said himself. I wonder if the kind gentlemen at Sky took that into account with their oh so brilliant analysis. I''d say I was pretty accurate with my statement. Taylor was an absolute beast, reminiscent of Malky during his spell with us. Actually, if you put Malky in place of Ward tonight I''m convinced he''d have done a better job. How''s THAT for an accurate statement? Tell the Sky guys to put that in their pipes and smoke it.

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[quote user="Superflash"]

Jackson? Speed? What speed? He couldn''t get past the backline at all, or even hold the ball up for starters, nevermind bomb forward. Martin was up against Taylor and didn''t fare too well either, but Taylor and Jackson definatley had some real battles and hey, seeing as you watched the game from the comfort of your armchair as opposed to in-person, front row, you tell me how our new signing fared. Taylor read Jackson''s every move and was always a yard ahead of him. As I said before, Jackson looks to be playing catch up fitness wise, something he has actually come out and said himself. I wonder if the kind gentlemen at Sky took that into account with their oh so brilliant analysis.

I''d say I was pretty accurate with my statement. Taylor was an absolute beast, reminiscent of Malky during his spell with us. Actually, if you put Malky in place of Ward tonight I''m convinced he''d have done a better job. How''s THAT for an accurate statement? Tell the Sky guys to put that in their pipes and smoke it.
[/quote]

I wondered how long until you used the I''m a better fan card. [|-)] Are you Mr Bumpkin?

Taylor was lucky to not give a penalty away tonight, copying exactly what most people lambasted Doc for on here - bear hugging. He did on the most part have a very sound game, however, being that he wasn''t up against Jackson for a large amount, it is a bit harsh to say he had him in his pocket the whole time.

Also where can I find where Jackson said his fitness is not up to scratch?

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[quote]I wondered how long until you used the I''m a better fan card. [|-)] Are you Mr Bumpkin?[/quote]How long until I used the better fan card? You make it sound like we''ve been having some kind of epic back and forth discussion spanning a thread of around 10 pages or more. But you basically implied it yourself, having treated something a Sky commentator had said and your watching the game on TV as gospel.

[quote]Taylor was lucky to not give a penalty away tonight, copying exactly what most people lambasted Doc for on here - bear hugging. He did on the most part have a very sound game, however, being that he wasn''t up against Jackson for a large amount, it is a bit harsh to say he had him in his pocket the whole time. [/quote]

I never once lambasted Doherty for bear hugging, so don''t pidgeon hole me into that brigade. It hardly looked like the most lethal "bear hug" I''ve ever seen, but I''ll concede that I''ve seen penalties given away for less. I don''t think it''s harsh to say that he had Jackson''s number tonight though. It''s not Jackson didn''t score because he''s just 100% shite, he was just shut out of the game by Taylor.

[quote]

Also where can I find where Jackson said his fitness is not up to scratch?

[/quote]I''m almost positive he said this in an interview or two when he signed for the club, and also Lambert said this was the case too. I''m happy to concede defeat in this respect if I''ve got it wrong, but I''m 99% certain I''ve read this.

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[quote user="Mark"]

I agree we did get a bit jammy on the 3rd goal (mind you we still had to go on and score...)!

You did pretty well 2nd half (after we''d performed above expectations before the break) without really testing Loach I''d say.

I think we just about deserved to win TBH.

Good game played in a decent spirit which was nice to see after the World cup final!

As you know in this league you''ll win next week and we get hammered by Boothroyd''s Coventry at home!

 [/quote]I like the last line........

I thought you comfortably deserved to win last night. Every attack

against our shaky defence looked as though it might easily result in a

goal and, in truth, you should have been comfortably out of sight at

half-time.

If you play like that for the rest of the season you can forget all about relegation. We''ll be OK too but some people on here thought we only had to turn up to win by a cricket score.

Perhaps they were the same people who said that last year when

Colchester were the visitors. They were right about the cricket score

at least......

 

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[quote user="Broadstairs Canary"]I usually think that you are spot on Ricardo but tonight I can''t agree.

I think that your criticism of the ref and the influence that he had is overstated.

The only two controversial decisions (in 94 minutes!) were allowing play to progress for the third goal and the late challenge 30 yards out in injury time.

The third goal should have stood in my eyes because if it was the other way round no Canary supporter would have cried foul. It was a robust, genuine and enthusiastic challenge for the ball which we need to get used to. Too many teams see us as a soft touch and Fox''s appeals will do nothing to change that. Perhaps you''ve acclimatised to the whistle happy attitude of the refs during the World cup?

The foul in injury time was a foul no question. It should have been a free kick but we would have lost, and deserved to have lost, with even a perfect refereeing performance - which in truth it almost was.

Just my opinion - no hard feelings.

I look forward to your reviews for the rest of the season.

OTBC[/quote]Was going to write something similar...Not sure why so many are criticizing the ref (Other than the fact fans are horrifically biased, and will always criticize). Other than the foul right at the end I didnt see much wrong. The ''foul'' on fox would have been extremely generous, and frankly is the sort of decision that irritates me in football, fouls given for tiny pushes or collisions. And as has been said, if it was the other way round we would not have thought it was a foul. No penalty anywhere IMO, Taylor on Jackson was good body strength, and I didnt see anything on Holt that warranted a penalty. Certainly there were no shouts that we would have said were pens it if was the other way round.Frankly it was refreshing to see a ref who let play go on. There were several 50/50 tackles that were allowed, and I think he gave us just as little as Watford; Certainly in the first half Watford could have had a couple more decisions.Perhaps im over-compensating, I have a big thing against fans who criticize referees every single week without good reason; Perhaps im trying too hard to be fair. But other than the foul right at the end I really did not see much that was wrong.But anyway, each to their own opinion.

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Nice report Ricardo. Always an entertaining and sometimes painful read.On the subject of Jackson. With Watford taking a two goal lead and sitting back a little, there wasnt really much opportunity for him to play off the shoulders of the last defender and use his pace.

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