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First Wizard

Safri and Helveg were giants!.

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Now, I''m not one to say we told you so, but we told you so!.  

Safri and Helveg were giants against United yesterday. Now if Worthy can only be brave enough to rest Fleming, who knows what could happen?.

The sad thing is, if only Nigel could have learnt this earlier, when they were fit, and included young Jason Shackell as well, we might not now be involved in this relegation dogfight.

Now for a small confession, I was dead against us signing Safri (discipline record) so that''s a big plus mark for Worthy, but deduct a minus mark for not having the confidence to stick with him above Holt in the first place.

And if he (Worthy) does pull this great escape off, does anyone know of a remote tropical island where I can hide for two and a half months please?.

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I''d keep the same team next week with the exception of Bently for Stuart. It was the best defensive performance in a long time thanks in large part to what looked like good organisation and the fact that Safri was breaking up a lot in midfield, giving fouls away in the right areas etc.

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[quote]I would not drop Helveg or Safri again. Fleming actually did play well yesterday but i would drop him anyway.[/quote]

I''d give Flem another go or drop him for Charlie.

Safri and Helveg proved just how much better they were than the people they replaced last night (although Safri needs to calm down a bit, he fouled quite often).

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Saffri was helped by a referee of the old school

A lot of silly ''guidance'' has been handed down from on high in the last few years as to how referees interpret play.

Had we have had a weak ref the result could well have gone against us ie penalty against Helveg, Saffri booked early on. Even Rooney being awarded a free kick when he was robbed just before our second goal.

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Safri had an exceptional game but to say Helveg was a giant is an exaggeration. I thought he was ok and made his contribution to the first clean sheet for about 6 months but then so did the much maligned Fleming. If you base your opinions solely on yesterday''s match you would not change the back four whatever your personal bias.

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Both players really did their job and it Safri Showed why he should take over Holt. I belief like others that Holt is just about running round the pitch like a headless chicken and can''t make the jump up to the Prem well. Shackell again looked really impressive and fully justified his Player of the month award and what a team to play well against in Man Utd.

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Don''t get me wrong, it was a great result yesterday but it was largely down to an inept Man U performance too. Safri was pretty good but was lucky not to get booked and Helveg was no more than adequate, positionally he was not too good but will improve with an extended run, he is also week in the air. But I think it was a good team performance and not a result based on having 2 different players in the team.

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Safri played well, and his tigerish like attitude was definitly needed in the team. Helveg played well too, just needs a bit of help from the crowd along the lines of "Man On". I''ve never seen anyone get caught in possession as much as he does

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[quote]Don''t get me wrong, it was a great result yesterday but it was largely down to an inept Man U performance too. Safri was pretty good but was lucky not to get booked and Helveg was no more than adequat...[/quote]

Helveg wasn''t that weak in the air when he prevented Smith scoring a certain goal from Ronaldo''s cross.  Might not have been the same result had the mighty Fleming been the defender ( Arsenal''s third goal).

Safri did yesterday what other teams midfielders have been doing to us all season, and that is to get stuck in and let your opponent know you are there.  At last we have a player who can not only boss the midfield, but also play good football at the same time.

Yes it was a good team performance, but the presence of Safri, Helveg, and Bentley in the second half, played a very big part in the end result.  I don''t think we would have got the same result had we played Edworthy, Holt, and Stuart for the full 90 mins.

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[quote]I would not drop Helveg or Safri again. Fleming actually did play well yesterday but i would drop him anyway.[/quote]

So you would drop a player who in your own words had a good game,some people are obviously never satisfied for Gods sake give the poor bugger a break.

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"And if he (Worthy) does pull this great escape off, does anyone know of a remote tropical island where I can hide for two and a half months please?."

No, but I''ve started to look for one...

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Safri had a fine game. He held his position well, won the ball when it mattered, and stopped Man Utd playing when we got stretched even if it meant fouling the opposition.

We''ve seen that''s what all the good defensive midfielders do in this league. If you can''t win the ball and there is a threat, you do the clever thing a give away a foul. Nothing harsh, just a push, a trip, a tug on the shirt. It gives the team time to re-organise, and get back into position. Holt will never be so street-smart.

Safri''s ability to retain possession is his real asset. He''s a good passer of the ball, who doesn''t over-elaborate. He gets the ball back and moves it on to the the wings or to the strikers to let rip at their defence instead. Why he hasn''t been a regular first team player I''ll never know.

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Safri, Helveg and Bentley all made the difference yesterday.

Safri tackles rather than marks space, retains the ball rather than looks to get rid of i and can pass more than 5 yards - and forwards too.

Helveg knows how to defend and help keep shape. he also knows the value of keepinsg the ball rather than simply hoofing it.

Bentley can pass, cross, keep the ball and give us width on both flanks. Worked well with Helveg too.

Same team (and hopefully performance and result) next saturday will be the correct call.

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Safri I''ve loved everytime I''ve seen him; he can pass, head and tackle when he can be bothered, and I hate to say it, he is a dirty player, and by god we need one!

We actually need someone who is willing to go up against a great player and stick he face in the mud, and in no uncertain terms spell out the fact that we have no respect for them. Our total respect for every team we''ve played this season has been our greatest un-doing. Safri was absolutely awesome.... but then, so were pretty much everyone else, but I believe he was the key difference....

Oh, and Bentley... he played SO GOOD, I can''t wait to see him for a full game against Palace if he continues to play like that!

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