News
February 2010
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This Month's Highlights: Leon Best leaves on Transfer deadline day but we climb the table with a series of wins, loan strikers Sears and Stead join us, and history is made by the first female referee.
27 February, 2010:
CITY TOO STRONG FOR IRON
Stead 55
Clingan 68
McCann 83
Hooper m/pen 59
The Sky Blues avoid yet another banana skin, and the prospect of a Play-Off push becomes ever more realistic after our first ever league victory against Scunthorpe.
It's nice to see Jon Stead grabbing his first goal in Sky Blue colours, and the on-loan striker is looking like the kind of player we want to clinch permanently in the Summer if at all possible. Another red card for Leon Barnett is making him look something of a liability, but overall our squad looks stronger than it has for a while, and we now have players like Baker who can get the crowd going.
Up next are games against the bottom two sides and the pressure will be on us to carry on winning, but maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what we'll do.
26 February, 2010:
Championship Preview
Coventry City
Scunthorpe UtdA predictable defeat at Newcastle aside, we've been steadily climbing the table in recent weeks, and have become a team that is hard to beat and well capable of grinding out 1-0 wins - in marked contrast to the first half of the season when we specialised in 3-2 thrillers. We have the effectiveness to mount a play-off challenge over the final ten or 12 games if, and it's a big if, we can carry on grinding out results when we need to. Scunthorpe at home is a perfect example of the kind of game we need to be winning. They have done better than many expected this season, and might have done enough to stay up this time but with no disrespect, we should be beating newly-promoted teams without exception.
Last weekend's match-winner David Bell is a doubt, as is Richard Wood who has picked up a hip injury. Most worryingly of all, Keiren Westwood has been unable to train, though he is expected to be passed fit for the game. Leon Barnett is available again after suspension, and Chris Coleman is unlikely to tinker too much with a successful formula. Scunny defender Andrew Wright is injured, while Michael O'Connor is suspended.
Scunthorpe beat us at Glanford Park earlier in the season, and we have a habit of succumbing to spoiler teams in games such as this. It could be a horrible sucker punch if we're not careful.
Stats
- We have never beaten Scunthorpe in the league, though this will only be the fourth meeting between the sides.
- Scunthorpe have the worst defence in the division, with 59 goals conceded this season. They also have the worst defence away from home abd only bottom club Peterborough have lost more away games.
- We are unbeaten in six home league games, winning five of these!
Former Players
Match Odds
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Last Season's Score
no fixture
SBS Score Prediction
0-1
20 February, 2010:
BELL ENDS PALACE HOODOO
Bell 83
With the wind in our sails, we bounce back from a slightly unfair midweek defeat with a hard-fought and entertaining win at Crystal Palace - a side who have done very well against us in recent seasons.
The result leaves points-docked Palace in the drop zone, but we're really starting to look like an upper mid-table side now, and the truth is that we have some very winnable games coming up now and a very real chance to challenging for something more.
Our next fixtures are home games against Scunthorpe and Plymouth, sandwiching a trip to bottom side Peterborough. We really should be looking for nine points from these games, and that could take us into the top six.
So long as we don't fuck up, there could be some good times ahead.
19 February, 2010:
Championship Preview
Crystal PalaceCoventry CityOur good little run came to an end at Newcastle, but there's no shame in that, and a month ago we'd have jumped at the chance of being in 11th place in the league and looking upwards rather than down. The team that has effectively traded places with us is Crystal Palace, who have seen their season turned upside down by the imposition of a ten-point penalty for going into Administration. The Eagles are currently only outside the bottom three on goal-difference. Yet their results over the season mean that they should be three points ahead of us. We will also likely suffer because of their points deduction in one sense, because Palace are now fighting for their lives and could battle extra hard for a win in this game.
Injuries are now starting to hit us, with Gary Deegan and Freddy Eastwood doubtful for the game, while Leon Barnett is suspended following a spate of cards. James McPake is 50/50 to recover in time, and if he does not, Ben Turner might be rushed straight back into the first-team. Another option would be to move Martin Cranie in from left-back, which is not his natural position and give Chris Hussey or Marcus Hall a recall. Ashley Cain has returned from loan at Luton but been loaned out again to Oxford, though the injured David Bell should also be OK to return. Palace are without winger Neil Danns who has been an important figure for them in recent games.
Palace need this more than us, and they'll probably win, though we are somewhat overdue a win at Selhurst Park ourselves. Maybe they'll have one eye on their FA Cup replay against V*lla. Maybe not.
Stats
- We have not beaten Palace in ten meetings in all competitions and haven't won at Selhurst Park since January 2002.
- Despite our recent good run, we have not won an away game since the trip to Plymouth before Christmas and only three sides in the division have suffered more away defeats than us.
- Palace have lost five games at Selhurst Park already this season - more than they've lost away from home.
Former Players
Freddie Sears
Match Odds
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Last Season's score
1-1
SBS Score Prediction
2-0
17 February, 2010:
TOON TOO STRONG FOR BATTLING CITY
Routledge 37
Carroll 53
Lovenkrands 70 (pen)
Taylor 90
Morrison 35
And so our unbeaten run comes, fairly predictably, to an end at the home of the league leaders.
The 4-1 is wholly unrepresentative though, as we gave it a good shot, took the lead at St. James's Park which is something very few visiting teams manage to do, and were very much in the game until the classic penalty-red card double whammy put paid to our hopes.
There's no shame in losing games like this, so long as we don't let the defeat bleed into a winless run, which is what often happens. There are very winnable fixtures coming up, including Crystal Palace away on Saturday.
Tonight also outlined the madness of Leon Best's move to Newcastle, because they really don't need him. If he's a bench-warmer for them this season, what will his role be come August when they're a Premiership side again?
the BeanCounter games 24 to 32
| Game | This Season | Last Season | Pts won/lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley (H) | win | drew | +2 |
| Ipswich (A) | lost | lost | no change |
| Swansea (A) | drew | drew | no change |
| Blackpool (H) | drew | won | -2 |
| Bristol CIty (A) | drew | lost | +1 |
| Forest (H) | won | drew | +2 |
| QPR (H) | won | won | no change |
| Newcastle (A) | lost | lost | no change |
| Points from these games | 12 | 9 | +3 |
| Points from games 1-24 | 28 | 29 | -1 |
| Projected/Actual Total | 55 | 53 |
The Beancounter keeps track of how many points we've taken from league fixtures, and how well we did in the same games last season, to give a guideline of where we might finish in the table. Clubs promoted from League One, and relegated from the Premiership are substituted for last season's relegated sides in the order they finished, so this season's results against Burnley are comparable to this season's results against West Brom, for Charlton, substitute Scunthorpe and so on.
Last season's Beancounter projections were (at various stages of the campaign) 52, 51, 46, 49 and 56 points. Our actual final tally was 54.
16 February, 2010:
WARD OFF TO DONNY
Elliott Ward has joined our championship rivals Doncaster Rovers on a months loan - and marked his debut with a spectacular overhead goal in their 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday tonight.
The win moves Doncaster above us in the table, and if they pip us to the play-offs by a goal from one of our own players, it will be galling indeed.
The strike underlines just how much of an asset Ward can be at this division, and in a way it's a real shame that he has been frozen out of the side here.
We now have a very fine goalscoring defender in Richard Wood, but just imagine the partnership he could possibly have formed with Ward?
Ward now looks highly unlikely to play for us again as he will almost certainly be moving on in the Summer when his contract expires.
Championship Preview
Newcastle UtdCoventry CityChampionship-level games don't come much tougher than a trip to Newcastle, and even on a solid run of results we'll go into this fixture as huge underdogs. In the Premiership our record against Newcastle was absolutely abyssmal, and now that they've been relegated to this level - albeit probably for only one season - it felt that nothing has changed when they won 2-0 at the Ricoh. The Toon need a point to go back to the top of the table, while we will move within four points of the play-offs with a victory.
Loan signing Jon Stead could make his debut, and Freddy Sears gives us further options up front, should Clinton Morrison or Freddy Eastwood need a rest. Aron Gunnarsson missed the weekend game, but his replacement Gary Deegan scored the winning goal, which will leave Chris Coleman with a bit of a selection headache in midfield. James McPake and David Bell are both doubts, and Adam Walker is back in the squad following a loan spell at Nuneaton. Newcastle have a few big-name injuries at present, with Joey Barton, Nicky Butt, Shola Ameobi, Jose Enrique and Steven Taylor all missing, though unfortunately Leon Best is eligible to play against us.
We've picked up some away results in some desolate places, and no side has done the double over us yet this season, but surely Newcastle will. with Best scoring the inevitable winner.
Stats
- Newcastle have won the last five league meetings between the sides, and we have not won in nine league visits to St. James's Park - a run stretching back to 1988.
- Newcastle have the best home record in the Championship - they are the only side unbeaten at home, nobody has earned more points at home, and they also boast the best home defence with only seven goals conceded in 15 games!
- We are unbeaten in our last five games, our longest undefeated run of the season.
Former Players
Match Odds
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Last Season's score
no fixture
SBS Score Prediction
1-0
15 February, 2010:
STEADY SIGNS ON LOAN
Striker Jonathan Stead has joined us on loan from Ipswich until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal in the Summer.
The 26-year-old target man is much-travelled, having begun his career at Huddersfield, and has Premiership experience with Blackburn and sunderland.
At times he has enjoyed some prolific form in front of goal, though there have also been long dry spells. Having failed to settle well at Ipswich, he could be a useful acquisition if he fits into our side, and we'll probably see him making his debut on Wednesday at Newcastle.
13 February, 2010:
DEEGAN DOES THE BUSINESS
Deegan 10
Wow. Another 1-0 win ground out without playing all that brilliantly and suddenly we're in the top half of the league and sneaking up on the play-offs with the stealth of a puma.
It's probably too much to ask with 15 games remaining, as 6th-placed Leicester are six points ahead of us and have two games in hand, but if we keep on pulling results out of the hat then who knows?
Our credentials will be put to the sternest possible test on Wednesday when we face league-leaders Newcastle at St. James's Park and Leon Best will probably come back to haunt us, but if we can pull off a shock there, we will really be on course for the most promising season in years.
It's nice to see recent signing Gary Deegan getting on the scoresheet too - he's become only the eighth different player to score for us this season!
12 February, 2010:
SEARS SIGNS ON LOAN
Chris Coleman has moved to sign West Ham forward Freddie Sears on loan until the end of the season, with another, as yet unidentified, striker also set to be given a trial over the next few days.
Sears broke onto the scene as an 18 year old, scoring a winner for West ham in his first ever sub appearance a couple of years ago, and was seen as something of a wunderkind with a prolific goalscoring record at Youth and Reserve team level.
Unfortunately he hasn't scored since that debut, and indeed couldn't net a legitimate goal during his loan spell at Crystal Palace earlier this season.
It's a bit of a worry that he has scored only one goal in around 50 senior appearances, though he has netted one in three for the England Under 21s, and three in four games for England Under 18s.
Goalscoring has been a problem for us this season - excluding own goals, only seven different players have scored for us this season!
Championship Preview
Coventry City
Queens Park RangersQPR were meant to be the richest club in the world, and for the last couple of seasons have been pre-season favourites to win (buy?) promotion. And yet, look at them. Three points worse off than us, and facing a potential relegation struggle if things don't improve. They've broken records for the most managers in the shortest period of time, but on the pitch there have been no easy answers. We did fantastically well to beat high-flying Forest in midweek, though this is the kind of game where we often come unstuck, and despite their soap-operatics, QPR do possess plenty of quality.
Chris Coleman will be hoping to name an unchanged side, but is sweating on the fitness of James McPake and Aron Gunnarsson, both of whom picked up knocks against Forest. Loan forward Freddy Sears will probably make his debut from the substitutes bench. Young keeper Danny Ireland has been loaned to Forest Green Rovers. QPR are without some big names - Marcus Bent, Martin Rowlands and Gavin Mahon, while CCFC failure Gary Borrowdale is also a slight doubt.
Banana skin written all over this fixture, I'm afraid, especially as former Sky Blue Mick Harford is now in charge at QPR, although he could find himself sacked at half-time...
Stats
- After many years in the 1990s when we really struggled against QPR, we are now unbeaten in the last five meetings between the sides.
- Rangers are in freefall, and have not won in eight games in all competitions, including four straight defeats in the league.
- We are unbeaten in four in the league, and haven't lost a home league game since early December.
Former Players
Match Odds
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Last Season's Score
1-0
SBS Score Prediction
0-1
COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP: 12 February 2010
While our league form has recovered and stabilised, the table has contracted up around us in a fashion eeriliy similar to two seasons ago when we almost went down with a record high points haul. Just nine points seperate 7th from 21st place, and there are still several teams that could make the play-offs or get relegated, of which we are one.
The situation must be particularly hard on Crystal Palace, docked ten points for going into administation, who are only out of the bottom three by one point - yet who would be outside of the play-offs on goal difference alone if they had not lost the points.
Every side in the division has now won, drawn and lost at home and away, with two exceptions: Doomed Peterborugh have yet to win an away game, and promotion-chasing Newcastle have not lost at home. And we travel to St. James Park next week!
9 February, 2010:
FOREST FELLED BY EASTWOOD STRIKE
Eastwood 25
Our biggest result of the season so far sees automatic-promotion-chasing Nottingham Forest beaten as we overcome the team that for so long simply refused to lose away from home.
The result could indeed be a springboard to a late-season push for the play-offs if we can build on it by beating QPR on Saturday, although the cruel nature of other results means that we also need to keep an eye over our shoulder at the bottom three.
REF AMY MAKES HISTORY
Tonight's game also marked a very welcome historical event - the first time in history that a female referee has taken charge of a football league match.
Assistant referee Amy Fearn was called into action in the second half when the appointed referee was injured and unable to continue, and thus earned a place in the history books.
It's not the first time that CCFC have set precedents though - we gave football the first ever all-seater stadium and the first in-ground televised game too!
8 February, 2010:
Championship Preview
Coventry City
Nottingham ForestThe fixtures are coming thick and fast now as we approach the business end of the season, and we'll probably need to pull off some upsets if we want to finish with a flourish and a late tilt at the play-offs, though after a couple of years of late-season drama, most Sky Blues fans would probably settle for the assurance of mid-table security as early as possible. Our opponents Forest, on the other hand, harbour very real hopes of automatic promotion back to the Premiership, and have been hugely impressive this season, routinely demolishing decent sides at the City Ground, including us, and maintaining an unbeaten away record until defeat at local rivals Derby in their last trip. This is a tough, tough game against a very good side.
It's not obvious what we can change after drawing three successive games with mediocre performances, but recent midfield signings Gary Deegan and Carl Baker are both pushing for starting berths. Billy Davies has built up a very strong Forest side with myriad attacking options, though Nathan Tyson will miss this game and Chris Perch is a doubt.
A point would be a decent result against a side who really work hard away from home, and we'll do well to grind it out even if it ain't pretty.
Stats
- We have traditionally fared poorly against Forest, with only one win from our last five home games against them.
- Forest have lost only one away game in the league, and were unbeaten until their defeat at Derby, but they have drawn most of these games - nine away draws is by far the most in the division.
- We have drawn our last three games.
Former Players
Match Odds
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Last Season's Score
2-1
SBS Score Prediction
1-1
6 February, 2010:
ASHTON GATE STALEMATE
Clarkson 83
Bell 47
For the second time this season we draw 1-1 against Bristol City having been in front, but this is a side that has done the double over us in the last two years, and so most definitely a case of points gained - particularly today when we didn't play all that well.
We've drawn three games in a row now, but all against top-half sides, and all without playing brilliantly which suggests that we're doing something right despite going through a difficult patch of form.
Tuesday night's home game against Forest will be another really stern test, but we look robust enough to be able to take something out of the game when we play tough sides.
5 February, 2010:
Championship Preview
Bristol CityCoventry CityWithout top scorer Leon Best, our realistic target until the end of the season is probably now to keep ourselves in mid-table and try to avoid getting dragged into another relegation scrap. That won't be easy because we have some very tough fixtures coming thick and fast, and this trip to Ashton Gate is no exception. After a humilation in their last home game, Gary Johnson will be looking for a response, and as usual it will be us that cop the flack. Of course.
Best has gone to Newcastle, but the rest of our squad remains intact, so we will likely see a similar line-up to that which faced Blackpool, but with Morrison partnering Eastwood up front. Bristol City are without defender Jamie McCombe, and have loaned out striker John Akinde.
We always lose at Ashton Gate, and with morale currently fairly low, we probably won't get anything there this time either.
Stats
- We have lost on our last four league trips to Bristol City, and our last league victory there was in 1963.
- Bristol City have lost only twice at home this season - but their last home game was a 6-0 defeat to Cardiff!
- We have already lost eight away games in the league this season - only the bottom two sides have lost more.
Former Players
Match Odds
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Last Season's score
2-0
SBS Score Prediction
1-0
1 February, 2010:
BEST YEARS ARE BEHIND US
Leon Best has moved to Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee - the only notable action on a quiet Transfer Deadline Day.
Having failed to agree a new contract, Best always looked likely to leave the club, either now or in the Summer, so the move is no surprise.
When subbed against Blackpool on Saturday, there were boos from a substantial contingent of the crowd, and it was clear then that the relationship was probably over, so he's gone on to bigger and better things with the current league leaders.
Unfortunately the deal came late in the window, meaning that we have been unable to bring in a replacement, and we are now woefully short of strikers and will miss the goals that Best has scored this season - he has been in his best form since joining us and our loss is Newcastle's gain.
On the plus side, Keiren Westwood and even Elliott Ward are still very much Sky Blues players, and Ray Ranson has pledged to bring in players when the loan window reopens next week.