halfaperson
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Brighton (a) 17th Jan 2009Possibly the worst game of football I’ve ever seen. If one of the masterchef hopefuls served that fayre up it would most certainly not be a decent plate of food. Pinky and Perky would by now be suffering indigestion bouts as they struggled with the swill.
That would be one way of looking at it. The other of course would be the three points we have taken from the South Coast that in the recent past has been rarer than a northern college victory on university challenge.
Judging from the comments I overheard in the players hotel the night before from various LUFC tracksuited big shots and juniors I think a draw was the best they were hoping for too.
Have to tell you about a moment of pure comedy genius first before the game in a pub by the bus station. Id met up with the Wakey/Batley/Hudders lads in there and when it became obvious they were in no rush to get to the ground at 2.45 in walked a young sergeant with his back up of assorted fresh faced plod. The lads explained that we were going to take taxis up to the ground as in previous years and they shouldn’t get nervous. One of the plod took his helmet off and held it with his arm hole side up like they do. One lad told him we don’t need a collection for the taxi fair mate we can afford it ourselves. The sergeant, fair play to him laughed and said the collection was for them so another lad threw a handful of coins into the helmet. Well the place fell about laughing including a couple of the coppers and one of them took the money and put it into his pocket. I suppose you had to be there but the cops were ace, common sense policing, brilliant and we all went off in good ackle.
Got there just in time for kick off after a ride through the salubrious residential surroundings of the Withdeane stadium. Its never going to be an atmospheric game there and most of the Leeds fans were content to laugh about the game and stoically see it out come what may. We started by attacking the end furthest away and it was impossible to pick any detail out. We got the pen and no one had a clue what was happening. Trundle and Becchio seemed to be arguing who was going to take it and the truth is my gran would have taken a better one, pathetic and made me embarrassed to think i got excited seeing him get off the team bus the night before
In general we were taking the ball forward more than Brighton and in particular Fraser made some foraging runs forward and once he even managed to keep the ball in play at the end of it.
Dickinson was quick to adapt to his new teams methodology and very soon got into the swing of things with a classic left foot slice that swerved high and wide into the South stand that saw Frazer open jawed with equal doses of admiration and envy.
Casper again showed his pantomime side of his character with a mix of supreme stupidity and brilliance within the space of a few minutes. We would certainly have been an undeserved goal down if it wasn’t for his brilliant one on one stop.
If all this seems a bit insipid and negative then that is exactly what the game inspired. The seagulls to our left seemed in direct competition to the crows high in the trees to our right to drown out the groans from the Leeds fans as time and again passes were aimlessly hoofed down the channels or a Bradley Johnson shot sailed into the crowd. It was all very reminiscent of a poor pub game, complete with some Leeds fans gayers songs bordering on the far too much knowledge line
There were positives though. The back four were more organised than they have been all season and that is purely down to Naylor. I thought he was terrific and just what we need. He was getting his foot in all over the place, intercepting crosses, anticipating moves and generally been the hard twat we so desperately want.
What can you say about Fab? The one shining light of skill on display. He was taking balls down spinning and turning with one movement and giving simple passes for fun, pure quality and like Sheridan and Snodin before him worth the ticket money alone. He’s got nearly everything. His eagerness to chase, put in tackles and win the ball back adds to his skilful game like brown sauce on bacon butty.
So 0-0 at half time could easily have been 1-1. By this time the pitch was getting very raggy and there was nothing to suggest the next half was going to be any different. The difference though compared to other away games this season was that there was a firm belief the game could be won.
Indeed the game carried on in the second half in pretty much the same vein. Both teams squandering possession and not looking like scoring. We were working hard. Bradley Johnson got better and very slowly we got on top. Bradley was getting some stick from a lad behind us but I think that was well out of order. He put some authority on his section of the field and his domination of it was paralleled in positions all over the park. It did take a class finish to finally get the breakthrough that despite our slight superiority did not look likely. It came from a free kick, whether it was my indifference to what was going on or literally a goal out of nothing I don’t know but it ended up in the back of the net to everyone’s surprise and at least gave us something to lift the spirits. There seemed to be some broo haa to our right as some Leeds fans in the home end obviously couldn’t contain their delight.
Fraser went down injured and was helped off the field to be replaced by Robinson. It would take a far less generosity of spirit than I have to express any pleasure at that but some fans managed it rather disappointingly. Most applauded him even bursting into a half hearted song. As it happened and possibly not surprisingly we started to show some attacking bite as we took hold of the game. And the reason we took hold of the game was not simply down to a poor home team. It was and it aint pretty, a willingness to do the ugly things. The desire to hold your position, dig in, snuff out the opposition danger and stop them from playing and scoring. The midfield did just that and I suppose the game laid a great foundation for the old debate. Try to pass, play creatively and come away with jack shit or play the percentages, play to your players strengths and come away with three points
Brighton by now were showing clear signs of a team in trouble. Their heads went down and we were easily able to deal with their week attacking. It was in fact a clearance that Fab got hold of deep in our own half. He was directly in my line of site with the goal bang in the middle as he made his way towards us unchallenged. Go on lad I shouted and he did just that. He didn’t look like he actually beet anyone it just seemed no one could get near him until he curled in an absolute incredible finish. It was an almost surreal moment as the whole weekend pivoted around twenty seconds of utter brilliance. Twenty seconds that remind you just why you love this game despite the ever mounting piles of dung you have to avoid to enjoy it.
That was the cue for the Brighton fans to our right to leave in their droves but to be fair to them were pretty good throughout the game. It can’t be easy following a team in that stadium.
There was still time for some comedy chanting as the stewards lined up to prevent the imaginary pitch invasion. Dawn French is steward rang out as one particular rotund one took her position. The truth is that if the stewards had actually taken the effort to study the crowd they would have quickly realised that 800 beered up overweight middle aged blokes would have struggled to make the running track let alone the vastness towards the pitch.
Some good air punching and gritted teeth celebrations from the players as they left the pitch to our left, Maybe just maybe we can get the shirt tails of the play offs. It isn’t going to be easy and it certainly isn’t going to be pretty.
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Garp
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Thanks....Good read as usual......That Delph lad.....Was thinking today.......Could be another Viera or is that beyond?
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wewantourdarbyback
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| Garp wrote: | | Thanks....Good read as usual......That Delph lad.....Was thinking today.......Could be another Viera or is that beyond? |
Viera was a no nonsense tackler, I've never seen Delph as that kind of player.
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Garp
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You are probably right. The first time I saw Viera was versus Leeds at Highbury in a Cup game....We won 1 - 0 and Viera just ooozed class all night, tackle, power, vision, pass....Best player I had seen for years.
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halfaperson
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Dont think hell ever have the physique and power of Viera. He can certainly tackle though and chase the ball all day. He does look every inch an Arsenal player though
BTW I was at that cup game too, a night game with GG in charge, won with a Rod Wallace goal if its the same one. Those were the days eh 
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Garp
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That was the one. A wscrambled goal by Wallace, and Viera was by far the best player on the pitch IMO
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