No word on player availability in his press conference today. In fact the Boss didn't mention Sunday's match at all. Have to assume therefore that the regulars from last week are ready to go. Newcastle have something like five injuries in their main squad and notably Sung-yeung and Yedlin are definitely ruled out. No doubt that will make room for Shelvey. Whomever plays, Benitez will have done his homework and the 'master tactitian' will have our strengths and weaknesses very much in mind. Suspect our new Head Coach will come at it from a more everyday angle and simply start with the same lot as last week. ..........................Rico.... ..Christie..Le Marchand..Ream..Bryan.. ..............Chambers..Anguissa.. ....Sessegnon....Cairney......babel.. ..........................Mitrovic...
Tomorrow we see Kevin Friend yet again take charge of one of our games. please log in to view this image Yup, this will be his 5th match. He's already done : Man City at the Cottage at the end of March when we lost. The only players booked were ours; Christie and Le Marchand. Huddersfield at the Cottage last December. A nail biting late winner eclipsed the Kamara penalty incident. Four were booked, 3 of ours; Seri, Odoi and Christie. Cardiff at theirs in October. A defeat that closed certain doors. Six got booked. Our 3 being Chambers, McDonald and Johansen. Exeter in the League Cup way back in August when Kamara got our 2 goals and none of ours went in the book. The Bristol City supporter has been a busy boy this season - tomorrow will be his 38th match. For the record, in his 27 Premiership games he's handed out 100 yellows and 3 reds.
Have to agree that the score flatters them, but we played like the old days of possession for possessions sake getting nowhere with it. Babel came on and put a bit of a spark into the team, but it took a 16 year old to come on and show the rest of the team that a bit of enthusiasm and skill moving forward instead of sideways works wonders. The defending was really embarrassing, Tactics !!! who leaves one of their best players to have a free volley at goal, and Ritchie had a field day with no Cyrus Christie to be seen at right back.
Its a tough old league, and the gap is getting bigger. Not just between the championship and the premiership, but between the top and the middle and the middle and bottom of the premiership. The premiership is always the prize, but the championship is where the fun is. Wolves look as if they might make a fist of the top half of the premiership, but for the rest of us its all about survival if / when we go up. Its the best we can hope for. Year on year of hoping to survive is a bit dire (not that I'd have turned it down if we'd got an extra 3 points this year). Hey ho, the cut and thrust of anyone can beat anyone isn't far away.