Linby Colliery 4-1 Nottingham United Match Report

A below average performance from Nottingham United saw them to a 4-1 defeat against Linby Colliery.

The game started well for both teams with both Linby and Nottingham United getting an early shot on goal.

Linby then bossed the possession and were passing the ball around neatly and carving out opportunities.

Matt Murphy looked deadly for Linby and forced a good save out of United keeper Nathan Grundy who pushed it out for a corner.

Straight down the other end Dennis Hickey saw his effort cleared off the line.

Linby then had a shot of their own cleared off the line as Martin Burke saw his tame shot being booted away.

Linby soon started to dominate the game as United were giving away possession easily and were getting pushed around.

The domination soon paid off as they earned what can be called a cheap penalty after Lewis had barged into his man.

Up stepped Murphy to put Linby one nil up from 12 yards out.

Linby turned up the heat as Martin Burke nearly grabbed a second but his weak volley was gratefully held by the United keeper.

The closing stages of the first half didn’t help United as they saw two of their players come off with injuries and Murphy grabbed his second goal of the game with a little chip over the keeper.

At half time the score was 2-0 and Nottingham United knew they had to step up their performance to try and salvage some pride and gain something from the match.

All seemed well at the start of the second half as Linby were making mistakes and United were dominating the possession and creating a lot of chances.

The best of the chances came to Jamie Clarke who should have put United back into the game but his shot was straight at Linby goalkeeper Philip McNeill.

Another great chance fell to United to get them back into the game, after a great ball by Lewis, Luke Reynolds controlled well but his volley went wide of the far post.

Unfortunately for United, Linby grabbed the vital third goal. From the left hand side Tom Coupe passed the ball to Murphy. He swivelled his defender and placed his shot into the far corner, grabbing his hat-trick.

United did have a glimmer of hope as debutant Chris Tivey scored with a supreme volley that went in off the post, leaving Linby goalkeeper McNeill stranded.

However, going into the dying embers of the game Barry Payne slid the ball through to Simon Marlow who stabbed the ball home from 10 yards to give Linby a 4-1 lead and the three points.

A disappointing start to February for Nottingham United but they will be focusing on their next game which is at home to Southwell City next week. They will also be hoping that the injuries sustained during the game will heal up in time ready for the next fixture.

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Blackwell MWFC 2-2 Nottingham United Match Report

In a very competitive game Blackwell managed to scrape a draw from 2-0 down despite having 10 men. The game was full of chances and there would have been more goals if it wasn’t down to some inspiring saves and wasteful finishing.

The first half was very lacklustre as there wasn’t really much action, however, Nottingham United were definitely on top during that half. The better of the first couple of chances fell to United’s number nine, Knight. He broke clear of the Blackwell defence twice but on both occasions pulled his shots wide of the post.

Blackwell did get the odd sight of goal but Sharpe – the United goalkeeper – saved well on both occasions. These were the only decent chances that Blackwell created but they couldn’t take them.

As the half progressed United started to dominate the possession and soon enough they got their reward. After a superb ball from Piotr, Richards controlled well in the area and fired home the opener.

United went into the half-time break leading 1-0 and at the start of the second half they continued from where they had left off, dominating the possession and creating chances.

Five minutes into the second half, Knight broke free of the defence and was brought down in the area by Blackwell defender Holmes. Holmes received a straight red card which may have been harsh due to not only the angle of which Knight was running but he also wasn’t the last man.

From the penalty, Richards blasted the ball down the centre of the goal to give United a comfortable and well deserved 2-0 lead. United continued on piling the pressure and tried to build upon their advantage.

United nearly made it 3-0 after their marauding right back Lewis broke into the box and saw his well struck shot expertly saved by Foster – the Blackwell goalkeeper.

From this the tide turned and Blackwell started to get them back into the game. They were creating more and more opportunities, and it wasn’t long before they got a goal back. From a free-kick the wall blocked the original shot, the ball was lofted back into the area where Hillier’s headed effort on goal came off a United defender and went in.

This spurred Blackwell into action and it was United under the cosh. Blackwell started to dominate the possession just like United did in the first half. Blackwell from their constant pressure got the break through that they had been waiting for. After a high ball into the box, Davis controlled well and stabbed the ball home from six yards out.

A rather well fought out match deserved even more goals and they should have gone to United. Richards again being the main man getting the chances and should have put United 3-2 up. He was clean through on goal and had a lot to aim at, but he skewed his shot wide and wasted a good opportunity.

Even more chances arrived for Richards, but the Blackwell goalkeeper kept him at bay with some good goalkeeping. United thought they had stolen the winner when Hickey headed home from close range. The linesman ruled him offside after apparently making his run too early.

The game finished 2-2 and if it wasn’t for missed chances and brilliant goalkeeping United could have easily won this game. Blackwell fought hard to get back into the game despite being down to 10 men. United however will take the positives from this game as they are starting to get the performances but not the results that merit a good performance. They’ll be looking to get the full three points in their next game which is at home to Hucknall Town. 

QPR under serious threat of relegation from the Premier League

    QPR, a team that is owned by multi-millionaires and have players that are good enough for the Premier League yet something has not clicked yet. It’s hard to point the finger on who’s to blame for QPR’s lack of form and results. Is it possibly Mark Hughes’ tactics or is the fact that the QPR players just are not working together as a team.

    

    In my opinion I don’t think that Hughes is the one to blame, he is a vastly experienced manager that knows the ins and outs to being a good manager. Hughes has proved himself on countless occasions that he is a fantastic manager yet his current crops of players at QPR don’t seem to be working well together.

    

    Why are they not working together? I would say that there are too many new faces in the squad; Hughes has splashed the cash on players that have the capability to perform in the Premier League but has that come at a cost? Obviously it has, QPR are sitting bottom of the Premier League table and are yet to win a game, and they have also leaked in 13 goals so things are not going well at this current moment in time.

    

    Yes it’s very early on in the season but to have zero points at this early stage isn’t good news. With an away tie at high flying WBA, QPR need to step up their game big time if they are to get a result at The Hawthorns. Anything other than a win is not going to be good enough.

    

    With QPR owner Tony Fernandes apparently giving Mark Hughes his full backing, this terrible run of performances needs to come to an end or I can only see one thing happening, Mark Hughes getting sacked. Honestly I don’t think QPR wouldn’t want to go through another “4 year plan” to get back to where they want.

    

    For QPR to even have a hope of staying up their home form has to be better, look at last year, they barely survived considering their awful home record. They need to step up big time for QPR to have any hope of retaining their place in the Premier League. With the huge wage bill that QPR have, relegation to the Championship is the worst case scenario for them.

    

    Onto a more personal opinion rather than a balanced argument, I feel that QPR have very little chance of stopping up in the Premier League. The players are just not on the same wavelength as each other and this is seriously affecting performance on the pitch, but it’s also affecting morale off the pitch. Obviously, low morale really affects the players and the clubs results. Once QPR gain that confidence from a first win, maybe, just maybe they can survive but on a personal note, I feel that QPR’s time in the Premier League is coming to an abrupt end.

Can Chelsea Cruise to the Championship Title?

    We are only six games into the 2012/13 Premier League season and Chelsea are leading the way rather comfortably to say the least, and to be fair, they deserve to be leading the Championship. With the new players that have come in, for instance, Hazard and Oscar – we are yet so see Marin but we know the talent that he possesses – who have both fitted in well to the Chelsea squad. Other signings like Moses and Azpilicueta are ones for the future and will eventually establish themselves into the first team squad.

    

    With the departure of Drogba it paved the way for Torres to be the main man for Chelsea which to an extent we can say he is relishing. Torres has scored four times for Chelsea (3 in the League, 1 in the Community Shield) and you can see his enjoyment of playing football. I don’t think we can see it’s “the old Torres” because  what he did for Liverpool in my opinion will not happen at Chelsea, yet I know he can score the goals for them, especially with the technical players that can carve out opportunities for him, for example, Mata, Hazard and Oscar.

    

    Together the team is working exceptionally well and this is being shown in their league performances, yes their defence is probably shambolic at times but attacking wise, they pose a potent threat in front of goal. Having only failed to score in one Premier League game – an away tie at QPR – Chelsea have scored in every game.

    

    With the spending power Chelsea have people knew they were going to be a real threat to the title this year, especially as they had bought in some exotic talent from around the continents. With this spending power the Chelsea squad is gelling really well and they look a force to be reckoned with. After five, shall we say, easy games Chelsea overcame their first hard game against Arsenal away. They won the game with goals from Torres and Mata.

    

    With the first real test down, Chelsea I feel can continue to push forward and can run rampant if they overcome the likes of Man City and Man United in the league this season, both home and away. However winning the league is no easy task, just remember last season, man City were running away with it at the start, but at the end it was a close knit finish as goal difference ensured City won the title. Can I see it going the same way again? No, not really, I think that this year there will be one stand out team that runs away with the title into the dying embers of the season. Who will win it? This is a question I can't properly answer as it's too early in the season but Chelsea I say are looking comfortable at the moment.

Who I Think Will Be Winners Of The World Cup In 2014

    I may be following the herd here but I believe that with the tournament being held in Brazil’s own backyard they have to be the favourites to win the tournament. Brazil have been unlucky in the past two World Cup tournaments, actually not unlucky, more like they never lived up to the expectations that they are given.

    

    Brazil’s squad has changed significantly since the squad that won the 2002 World Cup, however this doesn’t mean the quality of the players from then to now has changed. A new breed of Brazilians has stepped up to the plate and one thing is for certain, they have quality, loads of it. Players like  Santos’ gifted striker Neymar and playmaker Ganso, Chelsea’s talented midfielder Oscar – new signing from Internacional – are just a few example of this new breed of Brazilian players that are breaking through into the first team.

    

    The young stars I believe came to prominence in the 2012 Olympics. The whole squad was a forced to be reckoned with and to have only three players over the age of 21, the squad performed really well only to lose the final to Mexico - which was a surpirse. The players mentioned above had a fantastic tournament amongst the rest of the squad. The Olympic team we could go as far as saying was typical of the Brazil national team. The flair, skill and fast paced football were similar to the main squad.

     

    Obviously this was just Brazil’s youngsters; if you put these highly talented players alongside the older players, Brazil have one amazing team. When you have a squad this talented you can only see great things for them, and I feel that these great things will happen in the up and coming World Cup in 2014.

    

    Yes we can say Argentina, Spain, Netherlands and Germany all have amazing squads that are capable of winning the World Cup, however I believe that Brazil have that extra edge in terms of the quality that they possess. Even the older players still have the quality that we expect any Brazilian to have.

    

    Argentina has failed on the big stage the past few years and so has Messi. It seems that Messi is capable of doing this entire goal scoring for his club, and also scoring in qualifying matches for his national side but once it comes to the big stage, Messi seems to “flop” and cannot produce the form he shows at club level onto the pitch in a major tournament. I feel that if Messi can actually turn up to a tournament Argentina have a chance but I can’t see it happening.

    

    Spain has won the past three major tournaments at international level but I can’t see them retaining the World Cup. Spain has got some of the best players the world has seen – no need to name names – but in comparison to this new Brazil side, Spain doesn’t compare. Spain’s football is definitely the best in the world but Brazil I feel can give Spain a run for their money.

    

    Brazil can win this tournament, it’s if the squad performs to what they know is their best, they have to put their failures behind them and surely enough a major tournament will come to them, which to me will be the 2014 World Cup. If Brazil was to fail in their own backyard unfortunately I can only see negative things to come of them. This team is now transitioning so it’s going to be tough, on the contrary Brazil possess the ability to turn up the heat and I believe that with this they can win the World Cup. 

West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Everton Match Report

    In the third Premier League match of the campaign Steve Clarke’s Albion faced a tough challenge at The Hawthorns against David Moyes’ in form Everton. Everton had won their first two games of the season and was looking to keep up their 100% record. Albion on the other hand wanted to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

     

    The teams were unchanged from their last matches so it was set up to be a tight affair. If Albion won it would be their greatest to start to a Premier League season. If Everton won it would nine points from three games.

     

    Everton looking to get that early goal had a tame penalty shout turned down. Yacob tackled Jelavic inside the box but had clearly got the ball. The referee simply telling Jelavic to get up and carry on with play.

     

    With both teams cancelling each other out the game wasn't full of chances and it wasn’t long before Albion had their fair share of decent chances. After some neat play on the left side, the ball found its way to Reid. He set the shot up and took aim, his 30 yard shot bounced just in front of Howard making the save slightly difficult, however Howard saved with ease.

     

    Just minutes later Albion had a great chance to go 1-0 up. Ridgewell crossed the ball perfectly to Long, he had all the time in the world to place his header into the net but he got under the ball and his header crashed against the bar. A simple chance had gone begging for Albion.

     

    Straight down the other end Fellaini – the man in form – wasted a glaring opportunity to put the Toffees ahead. From the right Hibbert put in a high ball for Fellaini to get on the end of. Fortunately for Albion his header looped over the bar and onto the roof of the net. In a game like this you knew that the first goal would be crucial in terms of who would win the game.

     

    Everton now starting to pile on some pressure had another chance to break the deadlock. From Naismith’s cross Jelavic had his header saved easily by Foster.  It looked like the game was really started to heat up as chances was coming a plenty.

      

    Just before the half time break Albion had a brilliant chance to go into the break leading. After some neat trickery Morrison was bearing down on goal. He had the entire goal to aim at but he blasted his shot down the middle and it was saved superbly by Howard with a very strong left hand. Morrison tried to get the rebound but the chance went and the game ended 0-0 at half time.

     

    The start of the second half was rather quiet and it wasn’t until the 63rd minute before a goal scoring opportunity arrived. From an Everton counter attack Mirallas, sprinting down the right wing crossed the ball low and hard into the box. The ball somehow managed to find its way to Fellaini and all he needed to do was pass the ball into the net. However his side footed shot blazed over the bar, the ball did bobble when he took the shot so that could be his excuse for missing such a fantastic opportunity.

    

    As the saying goes, “it only takes a second to score a goal”. Albion lived up to this cliché instantly from Fellaini's miss. Mulumbu in his own half neatly made space for himself and passed the ball to Ridgewell. Ridgewell played an inch perfect through ball for recent substitute Odemwingie to latch onto. Odemwingie hit a first time cross with his left foot. The cross that was played by Odemwingie is a striker’s dream as it was played in the second six yard box. Long ran into that space and slid the ball home to get his first goal of the season.

     

    This sparked Albion into life as they were soon dominating the game but couldn’t get that killer goal to finish Everton. Eventually it did arrive in the 81st minute.  Mulumbu’s pile driver was tipped over the bar by Howard. From Brunt’s in swinging corner, McAuley broke free from his marker – who happened to be Fellaini – and headed home to make it 2-0 to the Baggies.

      

    Everton didn’t really have any chance of getting back into the game despite having a late goal line scramble which Albion defended very well. The game finished 2-0 which meant Albion had got seven points from three games – their best start to a Premier League campaign. Everton on the other hand lost their 100% record but to be honest, Albion deserved the win.

    

    In all fairness, in a BBC interview with David Moyes, he admitted that he had to go out all attack but realised he probably should have kept his tactics the same and tried to get the 0-0 result, unfortunately on the day these tactics proved costly and Albion snatched up the three points. The start to the season for Clarke has been tremendous as nobody possibly could have seen this coming. As an Albion fan myself, I wasn’t expecting to see Albion third in the table on seven points. We can’t get too excited though as there is still another 35 games to go in this long and tormenting season.

    Now there is a two week break due to internationals. This two week break has come at the right time in my opinion as it can calm down the Albion players so that they don't get too carried away with their start to the season. After the two week break Albion face a tough away trip to Martin Jol's Fulham who have recently sold their two best players - Dembele and Dempsey.