karthoarse
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Guru Nanak 4-0A deserved win for City today, apart from the fact they played well, scored four times and never looked in trouble, it was a deserved win if only to show teams like Guru Nanak that there is no gain to playing in the manner in which they did today. The website report is a master-class in diplomatic reporting, probably as we would expect it to be, it doesn't tell half the story!! I would like someone from our oponents to come on and defend and justify their tatics today, but they won't because they can't. And as for Scott Lawfords goal that went straight through the clown's - sorry, keeper's hands and then legs, well you just had to be there!! Got to be comedy moment of the season, because of all his verbals immediately before.
Top players today for me were Tony Jackson at centre half, yes centre half, Dave Read, Harry Gower and Michael Seager when he came on in the second half.
Well done City for a pretty comprehensive victory and for by and large not being dragged in some of the silly business of our opponents.
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cityaddick
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Spot on Karthoarse, although in defence of our own departed miscreant there comes a time when the bullying has to be stopped and our captain took it upon himself to say enough is enough, not to be condoned I know but sometimes one can understand it. I personaly was disappointed with GN I really thought they would play much better football than that. As for comedy moments, I was at the other end of the pitch and missed the goal keepers stupidity, but was in the right place to hear Sam asking an opponent " come on mate, how fast can you run " as he (Sam) glided past him with the ball and set of up the wing with the GN player in hot ( or maybe tepid ) pursuit. My player of the match TJ a brave terrier of a player even after a thump in the face.
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md093834
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Couldn't agree more Cityaddick - I think Dave M has captured the Sam Baker run and imminent foul in the photo gallery. Brilliant!
Mind you I'm not sure Dave F should be having sympathy with his skipper. OK he's trying to look after a team-mate but he ought to be setting a better example and I'm sure we'll miss him for a number of weeks. Oh and of course assuming Hodge, Salter and Hossick are fit he'll hopefully have to wait to get back into the side (I only say hopefully wait because hopefully whoever replaces him will play a blinder - a bit like Jacko!)
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Terry Nutkins
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Anyone kind enough to give some marks to the players ?
Tel
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corpse
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Super result on Saturday.
md, I am not with you on your comments about the captain. I am sure that he will be disappointed with how he reacted to the incident yet he was protecting a mate and anywhere you get men and sport these things happen!! Time to move on and leave the skipper alone!
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md093834
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Yeah but as skipper shouldn't he have just stepped in between the two rather taking things into his own hands? As I say he will be missed because he's been doing a great job and it was good to see him taking the warm down and encouraging the rest of the lads.
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The Duke
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Player Marks
Black - 7 SOLID
Baker - 8 Much Improved
Lockhart - 8 Strong in the air
Jackson - 8 Well adjusted to position that probably does not favour him
Maxted - 7 Solid
Brooke - 8 Ran and Ran
Smith - 7 Solid
Mcgeehan - 7 Showed lots of potential as always
Gower - 9 Great finishes to ease the pressure
Read - 7 Good in patches
Lawford - 7 Similar
There you go....I will start the ball rolling.....wonder if Dave F has his marks?
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corpse
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Two things;
1. We do not live in a perfect world and what the skipper did was not ideal but it has happened and it is now time to move on.
2. Interesting marks from the Duke. I am particularly interested in your comments about two players;
Baker was 'much improved.' Is this a result of him getting a regular start in the side - he seems to be one of the untouchables? If this is the case then perhaps Dave F should be reconsidering his Rafa rotation system and instead, giving his players a considerable number of games before making any changes to the starting line-up.
Jackson 'played well in a position that doesn't favour him.' I wonder why you think this Duke? TJ can tackle, jump, pass, and reads the game well.
Looking forward to hearing from you Duke!
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Dr intreged
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As a Perosn who was there Saturday i believe that although the referee had a very good game the only thing i think that he did do wrong was to not send of the Guru Nanak striker for twice raising his hands to an oppenent in the first half both of these being to Ben smith once with a slap and the second with a shove in the chest! If he had followed the laws of the game there would not have been the incindent later on with Luke Lockhart as it was the same player involved in this scuffle!
It is also easy to critise on a forum but i am sure that many of us would of done the same thing in the same situation!!
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socksy
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I feel deeply sorry for the captain. I didn't go to Gravesend, but was informed by my City correspondent shortly after the game. A long ban must be torture and it's not like we don't know the consequences of this sort of thing either. Wayne missed a Cup Final and must be absolutely sick of standing on the sidelines.
I hate to say it because it sounds really arrogant, but City are everyone's Cup Final. There'll be no work commitments weakening other teams when City come to town and they'll try harder than usual against us. Our players will be targeted again and again and we've got to learn to shrug it off. There are plenty of pub players in this league and we need to strike a balance between standing up for ourselves and going too far.
It's really difficult to judge these incidents. None of us know how much grief we'd put up with before we snap, but the players really need to think about the consequencs before they react. Mind you, maybe the bloke deserved a whack anyway. See what I mean? It's hard to judge.
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karthoarse
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Good point from Dr intreged, I didn't realise which player was involved in the Jackson/Lockhart incident, but the good Dr is right to say, if it was the same, that he should have been sent off in the first half anyway. Maybe if that had happened, and there could have been no complaints from the Guru player involved if it had, the rest of the game may have gone without further incident.
As for the captain, sometimes it's a very fine line between protecting your own team mates vs. overstepping the mark, I wonder wether he feels on reflection, he did the right or wrong thing. I'm not going to criticise, didn't see the incident, let's just hope any consequences for Luke or the team are not too severe.
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Firebox
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Corpse are you suggesting favouritism in Dave F? Baker was one of the outstanding players last season and narrowly missed out on the player of the year award yet throughout pre-season he has been victim to a series of niggling injuries. Surely Dave is right in showing faith in the player as he hasnt necessarily had a bad game, just not lived up to the standards he set himself last year yet. That is what was mentioned in Dave's diary and in the ratings given so far this season.
Spot on with TJ, he has the ability to play anywhere across the back 4 although sometimes a little too eager to win every header as Maxted and Lockhart found out on saturday
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cityaddick
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Blimey it must be a boring old night on the box.
I am with you all the way Socksy, it is going to be hard on Luke and indeed as MD says the team but I hope very much he will not have to go through the shambles that Fittall was put through. Speaking of whom, he is available again atlast, what betting if he gets on the pitch there will be a few gunning to get him sent straight off again ..... discipline really is the word for him.
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fan1
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looking forward to see wayne return. I think we have missed his quality. we have a lot of good players who battle and run and run, but quality is essential and is all the more important. any player can battle all game, but that wont always win it for you. TJ had a good game, im not a fan of him centre half though. baker was my man of the match with gower 2nd with two good goals. i didnt think guru were that good to be honest, and i think against a better opposition, thats when we will need quality. we have been ok up to now, as none of teams we have played have really been of any quality, neither have they been any better than teams in div 2 east so far. pretty ave. sheppy will be a tester. i hope hodge, wayne, maxted and gough are all fit and available,
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md093834
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Personally speaking I hope Wayne doesn't get in the squad Saturday..... promising to buy his old man a cup of tea at half time cost me a pint for each of them at Nanak! I'm hoping Wayne can use those much younger legs of his to pop down the road at half time and get a carry out from the Plough.
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cityaddick
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MD the day you catch Wayne Fittall buying a pint you can be first in the que to get one ...behind me
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corpse
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Morning Firebox.
When commenting about the 'much improved' Baker I was raising a point about Dave F's rotation system. He has started every game and got better with each match whereas a player such as Brooke has started, run the line, and started. Do some players get rotated and others not? As for last season, that's history. Can a manager really play someone because he was good last year?
For me, it's rotation for everyone or stick with a winning team until forced to make a change through injury/suspension etc.
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The Duke
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Corpse, my comments on Jackson were meant to insinuate that I think he is a better player at Full Back than Centre back.
This said he still had a great game and so far my player of the year.
Looking forward to seeing probably the most difficult game yet against Sheppey at the weekend.
Dave F set for a little more tinkering....You Bet!!
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Firebox
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corpse
If you can't pick anyone based on performances last season then surely every year you would be back to square one with no team?. Current form should be the main factor behind selection but in the case of defence surely its better for the team for their to be consistency in selection. This is what Dave has done as best he could and after a not so impressive start we haves seen a clean sheet. "If you don't concede you can't lose" was said once upon a time
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The Duke
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Im a great believer in that if you have someone who can do better then they should play, if you have someone similar then not so!!
This theory should encompass form and last season....I think Corpse just made the point that if form dips whether its injury or not and others are playing better, then there should be no fear or issues with dropping someone.
Despite all of these thoughts we are 9 from 9 and every player has played well at some stage during the opening 3 games.
If 75% of us play well we tend to win....I just feel sorry for the team that gets us on a day when we are all 100% because they will get one sorry spanking!!!!!!!
Dave F for the Liverpool job!! Tinker Tinker!
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corpse
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Duke... fair comment
Firebox.....umm, interesting, we might have to agree to disagree on this one. For me, last year is irrelevant, this is a new season with new opponents, different styles of play, different pressures and what happened last season really is history etc. Are you suggesting that for consistency, Dave F sticks with the same back four every week but rotates the other 6 outfield players? Or are you suggesting for consistency throughout the team?
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Firebox
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No not at all, as the season goes on changes will have to be made for various reasons such as injuries and absenses. Personally i would say why try and fix what isn't broken, but then theres the problem of keeping everyone happy, but thats football at the end of the day, and as long as city keep getting results its difficult to criticise Dave's selections
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corpse
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Very good call firebox. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it is Dave F's which counts and so far 9 points out of 9 speaks for itself. If this continues Dave F might even get a crack at the Geordie job!
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