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Let's get one thing clear right from the start - the goal that won it was an absolute screamer. Even sitting at the other end of the stadium I could see that. A worthy challenger for goal of the season.
Now let's look at some statistics. Never mind the very depressing ones that show we are but a point off the drop zone and fifteen off sixth place. Never mind that we've scored 26 times - only Arsenal have scored more, and only Liverpool and Villa have scored as many. Never mind that we've conceded a whopping 28. Only Reading, Sunderland and Derby have conceded more. Never mind that we've won just twice in fifteen Premier League outings this season.
No, the one I want to look at today is the number of times we've conceded late goals and the points its cost us. The tone was set on the opening day when Chopra won it at the Stadium of Light in injury time. That was one point dropped. Three weeks later Kamara scored for Fulham in the 90th minute. Two more points dropped. Two weeks after that Arsenal score in the 80th and 90th at White Hart Lane to take all three points. Possibly a bit harsh, but let's say a point dropped. Roll forward to early October at Anfield and Torres scores in the last minute. Another two points dropped. Three weeks later at White Hart Lane, Samba scores a great winner for Blackburn. A point dropped. And finally, Birmingham City yesterday, an injury time winner of great quality from Larsson. Another point down the drain.
That's eight points dropped from conceding late on (if you include the Arsenal defeat), and in every single one of those games we have conceded in the 90th minute or later. The opposite, unfortunately is not the case. Of all the times we've scored late in games, only once this season has it led to salvaging points - the remarkable comeback against Villa. If we were eight points better off we'd be sitting on 20 points in 10th place.
The sad part of yesterday's game is that we created the chances to win by a stretch. Defensively there was again an awful lot left to be desired. But had we converted more chances the doom and gloom would certainly not be setting in in the manner that it is.
On the way to the game I was reasonably happy with the FA Cup 3rd round draw. Can't ask for too much more than a home tie and at least with Reading you know what you're up against. The draw could've been kinder, but I'm sure most Villa fans would swap ManUre for Reading! Also en route the game we heard that Ramos was going for the rather daring 4-3-3 formation. As the players lined-up this gave me cause for concern. While we would clearly pose a significant striking threat up front, our defensive weakness would not really be helped by the lack of cover in the middle. If I was Alex McLeish, I thought, I'd flood the midfield and overrun Spurs.
For the first five minutes that's what looked like happening. Although it wasn't so much a case of Birmingham outnumbering us in the middle, it certainly was the case that we struggled to adapt to the daring formation. Happily it didn't take the players long to get into their stride and we began to dominate, creating a number of very decent chances. Keane picked one out of the air, volleying up for himself on the edge of the box, but sadly blasted miles over. When put through not long after his sights were better set but the ball was still in the stand. And Bent, when put through, looked to have snicked it goalward only for Maik Taylor to thwart us.
Sadly, for all the attacking adventure - and there was plenty of it with Lennon, Bale and Malbranque constantly getting down the wings, we were, yet again, poor at the back. Not as poor as I've seen, but poor. Kaboul summed up how shoddy we are early on when he went to challenge for a header on the left wing, leaving his man unmarked in the middle, when Bale was covering. It was just as well he won the header, because a flick from the City player and Dawson would've been faced with a two-on-one.
Birmingham didn't really look like scoring until the ref pointed to the spot. Almost everybody sat around me was stunned by this. With the view I had from directly behind the incident I was completely convinced Kaboul had nicked the ball. Having not seen the replay I'll stick with that version of events, but it gifted Birmingham the lead. We could still have gone in level but Bale's excellent free-kick was tipped away by Taylor when it was headed for the top corner.
A goal down at half-time I was still confident we'd turn this around. Having created as many chances as we did it was only a matter of time before things starting going our way. Ramos made more changes at half-time with Kaboul withdrawn (for the second week running), along with Bent, and Huddlestone and Defoe sent on as replacements.
Huddlestone's addition to the midfield did a great deal to help improve the distribution. The majority of his passes, particularly those searching out Spurs players much further forward on the wings, and one in particular that he laid through on the ground, were excellent.
Within minutes of the restart Berbatov had broken through onto a Defoe through ball to be tripped and, again, sat right behind the incident, it looked entirely the right decision. I hoped that I wouldn't regret having said at the end of last week's game that Keane is a far more reliable penalty taker, hitting them as he does high and wide of the keeper. Despite the delay in treating Chimbonda for an injury, he didn't let me down and swiftly despatched it, high and wide of Maik Taylor.
We were back in it and shortly afterwards the ball bounced high and over the Birmingham defenders for Keane to run through and shin past Taylor in goal and give us a 2-1 lead. The momentum was now most definitely with us and again within minutes we'd broken through and a shot came back to Berbatov within a few feet of goal, but his reaction shot hit the foot of the post. At 3-1 there is no doubt in my mind we'd have gone on to win, possibly by a hatful.
Unfortunately that was not to be and things turned very sour with Cameron Jerome running at the defence and getting a shot away that nestled in the bottom corner. A decent run, a good shot, but questions to be asked about our inability to stick a foot in when a player makes such a run.
It got worse with Keane being sent off in an incident I didn't really say. The bloke sat next to me called it straight away by saying Keane was going to be shown the red card, but my sister sat on the other side was, well, she was using some choice language to say the least.
Even so, with Robbie off the pitch, Birmingham, although having greater possession, were still not exactly making the advantage count. An injury to Bale compounded matters for us. It was obvious straight away from his reaction that he wasn't going to continue. The hope is he isn't out for too long, but with his substitution we lost our width on that side of the pitch and as Birmingham steadily gained more and more possession it looked less and less likely that we'll pull off a win.
What I hadn't allowed for was that spectacular goal from Larsson. It all really came from us inviting pressure in injury time (of which I think four minutes was actually less than should have been played given the number of stoppages), and conceding a corner. While we cleared it well enough initially, conceding that kind of ground, that late in the game, when you're beginning to back-pedal..... well, it had dire consequences. I only really saw the shot, but my sister was once again fuming, this time with Berbatov for not clearing the ball sooner. Obviously her eyesight at four years younger than mine is somewhat sharper!
Defeat in a game we really needed to win. Sadly I think there is no hope for us making it into European qualifying places through the League now. Even with the attacking presence we had yesterday I fear more for a relegation scrap. Not something I've entertained the prospect of thus far. The table speaks volumes though, and with games leading up to Christmas to come against Man City at home, Portsmouth away, and Arsenal away (every chance we'll take no points from those), we could well be in the thick of it at the turn of the year. The problem is not so much that our football lacks the quality of get results. Its that we seem incapable of converting. Come mid-March and Easter time if we're still hovering things will be bleak. That's a long way to go yet, but if Levy, Commoli and company are as forward thinking as they'd like to have us believe following Jol's replacement by Ramos, then they'll have to support to the new management in the transfer market in January.
For Alex McLeish there will be far sterner tests in the Premier League to come. I am impressed by how level-headed he is following his radio interview after the game. For Juande Ramos the realisation must have set in that there is an awful lot of work to be done.
Another cracking match report match, i read it the other day but on my mobile device so didnt have a good enough connection to reply.
Looking forward to the next one. I thinking of moving your match reports to the main site soon instead of the forum so more people see it : ) would that be ok with you ?
Not a problem for me!Originally Posted by RiverWire
ohh yeah funster your match reports are so indepth and are a great read and i think you should share this with more people so i`d agree with riverwire and move them to the homepage we might even get more people intrested in the forum if people see it on the front page and then join the forum to have banter with us which can benefit all of us
Yea, the match reports are always a good read, really can't do any harm to have them on the homepage.
I especially like the way you neatly seperate your opinion from actual facts.
Good job as usual.
"It's no use just winning, we've got to win well."
Too kind! I have obviously missed my true vocation in life.....
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