Sublime Swans Subdue Arsenal

        Swansea City 3 Arsenal 2
                Premier League
          Sunday, 15 January 2012
        Liberty Stadium, Swansea

A magnificent performance, coupled with a questionable refereeing decision and a crucial error by Welsh captain Aaron Ramsay, enabled Swansea City to secure back-to-back wins for the first time in the Premiership.  Whilst Arsenal were always a threat in the final third of the field, the control which Swansea established in the first half and the menace that they themselves produced in goal, was enough to merit the full three points, a result which lifts the Swans into the top half of the table and, more significantly, nine points clear of the increasingly distant drop zone.

	Premier League	Pl	D	Pts
1	Manchester City	20	40	48
2	Manchester United	21	32	48
3	Tottenham Hotspur	21	18	46
4	Chelsea	21	15	40
5	Arsenal	21	7	36
6	Newcastle United	21	5	36
7	Liverpool	21	6	35
8	Stoke City	21	-9	30
9	Norwich City	21	-4	28
10	Swansea City	21	-2	26
11	Everton	21	-4	25
12	Sunderland	21	3	24
13	Aston Villa	21	-4	24
14	Fulham	21	-6	23
15	West Bromwich Albion	21	-10	22
16	Wolverhampton Wanderers	21	-14	18
17	Blackburn Rovers	21	-12	17
18	Queens Park Rangers	21	-17	17
19	Bolton Wanderers	21	-21	16
20	Wigan Athletic	20	-23	15

Whilst Swansea showed their determination to progress in the FA Cup last weekend by playing a strong side, they still rested four key players in Michel Michel Vorm, Steven Caulker, Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair.  However, all four were back in the starting eleven for the visit of an Arsenal side that have been in such magnificent form that the crises stories circulating in the early part of the season are but a distant memory.  Needing the points themselves to try and break into the Champions League places, Arsene Wenger resisted the temptation to give a starting place to Thierry Henry after the Frenchmen booked Arsenal’s place in the 4th Round of the FA Cup with the winner against Leeds on his return to the club.

However, it was a Russian and a Dutchman who were the first to stamp their mark on the game.  Arshavin put Van Persie behind the home defence with one of his trademark through balls and the striker, who was the top Premier League scorer in 2011, made no mistake, beating Vorm at his near post from a tight angle.

This was the worst possible start for Swansea and immediately raised questions about whether they would be able to cope with Arsenal’s style of play.  Whilst the Swans have been able to outpass the majority of teams in the Premier League, especially at home, their visitors on a cold January afternoon have been one of the best exponents of the intricate passing game for over a decade. 

It would have been easy to write Swansea off at this point.  However, signs of the attacking threat that City themselves possessed were manifest from the early stages.  In the 10th minute, a cushioned header from the imperious Joe Allen released Sinclair, who was able to run half of the length of the pitch largely unopposed.  With the situation crying out for a delicate through ball behind the defender, Sinclair played the ball straight through to Szczesny in the Arsenal goal.

Within five minutes though, Swansea were level after referee Michael Oliver awarded the home side a controversial penalty.  As Dyer twisted and turned in the penalty area, Ramsay initially appeared to trip the winger.  Closer scrutinisation, however, revealed that the Welshman had not actually made contact with Dyer.  Sinclair stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake, confidently striking the ball past Szczesny into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

Whilst much has been made of the aesthetic beauty of their passing game, less is said about the incredible work rate within the team.  The commitment to win the ball back starts from the very front, with Danny Graham frequently pressing space and preventing defenders from having time on the ball.  The midfield also work tirelessly to ensure that the back four do not get exposed, one of main factors behind Swansea’s impressively tight defense this season. 

Another noticeable trait among the team is their unwillingness to make tackles where they are unlikely to win the ball.  Most Premiership players, when challenging for balls that the opponent is more likely to win, tend to commit themselves to the challenge and get themselves yellow carded or, worse still, lose out in the tackle and find themselves on the floor and out of position.  Swansea’s midfielders, in contrast, noticeably do not make challenges in such situations, but rather ensure that they are in position to close down defensively when their opponents get the ball.

The home side, having got level, began to control the game as they passed the ball around so quickly and neatly that Arsenal could not get the ball.  It was from a crisp Dyer pass that Swansea’s next chance arrived.  Little had been made of a corner and Joe Allen was struggling to retain possession under immense pressure.  The midfielder managed to get the ball back to Dyer, who fizzed a pass straight through the Arsenal defence to an unmarked Sinclair on the left side of the penalty area.  With time and opportunity to pick out an onrushing forward, the winger somehow scooped the ball over everybody.

On the half hour mark, Swansea should have been behind.  A tendency to over elaborate in defence left Ashley Williams totally out of position as the home side dangerously conceded possession inside their own half.  Van Persie moved into the space Williams had departed and was found with acres of space.  With a second Arsenal looking a certainty, the forward struck his shot to close to his fellow countryman in goal, Vorm coming out of his goal and making yet another fine save to add to the long list of merits he has accumulated already this season.

Chances were few and far between in the latter stages of the first half, but the game came to life again early in the second period as both sides created decent chances.  Arsenal’s chance came when a cross from Miquel was allowed to go straight across the 6 yard line as van Persie vainly tried to reach it, whilst Swansea came close as Dyer cut inside his marker on the edge of the box and fired in a shot that went just wide of the right hand post.

Swansea were ahead soon afterwards though.  Ramsay, who had already given away a penalty on his return to South Wales, however unfortunately, was caught in possession by Joe Allen, who then ran centrally at the Arsenal defence before releasing Dyer on the right hand side of the box.  Despite a slightly clumsy first touch, the Barclay’s Man of the Match retained his composure to beat the keeper.

One of the reasons why sides such as Arsenal have been so successful is that when they behind, they start creating chances and frequently turn defeats into victories.  This looked decidedly possible again at the Liberty Stadium when, having shown little evidence of getting back into the game, Djourou suddenly put Walcott behind the home defense, as the England midfielder gained an inside line on the otherwise impressive Swansea left back Neil Taylor.  The line of the run gave Taylor no chance of recovering his ground and Walcott was able to lob the outcoming Vorm to put the Gunners level.

The away fans were still celebrating the goal when almost exactly the same happened at the other end of the field.  This time it was Sigurdsson who placed a perfectly weighted ball behind Koscielny for the ever alert Danny Graham.  From a tight angle, he hit the perfect shot across the keeper into the far corner. Despite a significant amount of late Arsenal pressure and one or two nervy moments, Graham’s goal was enough to give Swansea a victory which lifts them into 10th place in the Premiership with 26 points, just 14 short of the magic target of 40 that normally guarantees Premiership survival.  On this evidence, it would appear to be only a matter of time until Swansea make it.

Congratulations to the 7% of voters who were brave enough to back a Swansea victory last week. You have been fully vindicated.

Minshull Signs as Exiles Dream of Wembley

 

On Friday morning, Justin Edinburgh provided Newport County fans with an indication of both the kind of attitude he is looking for from his Newport County players and the extent of his drawing power within the game with the announcement that the Exiles had secured the acquisition of Lee Minshull from Wimbledon on a month’s loan deal.

Lee Minshull will play alongside David Pipe (pictured paying tribute to Gary Speed at Yeading, courtesy of Sam Shingler) and Sam Foley in the County midfield.

Minshull, a 6 foot 2 inch powerhouse of a midfielder who has affectionately been nicknamed ‘The Tank’ by the fans at AFC Wimbledon, is noted for his tackling and his ability to get forward and score goals.  He was signed by AFC Wimbledon after having netted 17 goals in just 40 games for Tonbridge Angels, who were then of the Isthmian Premier League, during the 2009-10 season and went on to play 22 games as the club were promoted from the Conference last season. 

Whilst County have already brought in Nat Jarvis, Ryan Charles and Andy Sandell during this current transfer window, Lee Minshull is the first player to be acquisitioned with the funding collected by the supporters at the start of the January transfer window, which at last estimate was standing at an extremely impressive £14,000 with plans being put in place to ensure that more is raised in the next couple of weeks before the transfer window closes. 

With Sandell having started in left midfield against Luton last weekend, it is also noticeable that every signing Justin Edinburgh has made has been with a view to resolving the goalscoring issues at the club.  As yet, no defensive signings have been made and it is this area that Edinburgh may well use further fan raised funds to strengthen.  Despite the 2-0 loss to Luton, which was in no small part as a result of the first half sending off of Ryan Charles, Newport have still scored 14 goals in the last 7 away games at an average of 2 a game.  Those kind of statistics would suggest that scoring goals is not the major problem that some people have claimed it to be.  It is at home that goalscoring has been a problem, but with only 4 goals in total being scored in the last 4 games at Spytty Park, there is a strong argument that the pitch is a significant factor.

 Worksop Town v Newport County

         FA Trophy 2nd Round

             14 January 2012

         Sandy Lane, Worksop

Should the game survive what is threatening to be a sharp frost this evening, Lee Minshull will be available for Newport County’s away trip to Worksop Town in the last 32 of the FA Trophy.  Whilst avoiding relegation has to be the priority for Justin Edinburgh and his team, the FA Trophy represents the very real possibility of a day out at Wembley and a trophy.

County’s opponents Worksop Town, who list former Sheffield Wednesday stalwarts Chris Waddle and Peter Eustace among their former players, play in the Evo-Stik Premier Division, two divisions below Newport.  Their finest moment came in the FA Cup during the 1920-21 season, when they drew 0-0 with Tottenham Hotpsur at White Hart Lane.

Having been founder members of the Conference North at its institution in 2004, Worksop had developed a team that were pushing for promotion.  However, financial difficulties lead to a 10 point deduction which scuppered any hopes that the club had of playing Conference Premier League football, and a couple of seasons later they were then relegated to the division that they now play in.  The club are currently lying in 10th in the league, but have been quite impressive at home having won 7 of their 13 games (in comparison to County’s 3 wins in 13 at home in the Conference).

Financial problems at Worksop were also accompanied by stadium problems with the club being forced to leave their 3,200 capacity Sandy Road stadium in 2008.  The club have had huge frustrations since then, with a relocation taking place in the close season every year since then.  In 2008-9 Worksop played at Hucknall Town’s ground, before moving to Ilkeston Town the season after.  By 2010 the club were playing in Retford and it was only at the start of the current season that the Tigers moved back to Sandy Lane.

Despite their lowly form and Worksop’s decent home record, Newport will travel to north Nottinghamshire expecting to win and take another step towards lifting the FA Trophy.  Whilst Ryan Charles is unavailable after his sending off, which may cause Justin Edinburgh to look at the possibility of actually starting Jake Harris, the other new signings are all available and the energy and enthusiasm that this should bring to the side should be enough to see them through.

Prediction: Worksop Town 0 Newport County 2

Bluebirds Flying Towards Summit

 

   Doncaster Rovers v Cardiff City

       Saturday, 14 January 2012

     Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster

For the first time this season Cardiff City are within reach of the summit of the Championship after an impressive run which has seen Malky Mackay’s side undefeated in seven away from home and beaten only once in the last 13 league games.  Whilst it is unlikely that they will top the division on Saturday evening, given that Southampton and West Ham United both have very winnable games at Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth respectively, an away trip to Doncaster should yield a further three points that would firmly keep the pressure on the top two.

Victory is almost important in terms of lifting morale after the League Cup semi final first leg defeat to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.  An Anthony Gardner header from a Darren Ambrose cross late in the first half was sufficient to give Crystal Palace a narrow advantage going into the second leg, though Cardiff felt that Kenny Miller’s second half effort should have been allowed to stand rather than being ruled out for a foul on Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.  Whilst Cardiff will fully anticipate overhauling the deficit at the Cardiff City Stadium in two weeks time, as a partisan crowd anticipate the possibility of making the League Cup Final for the first time in the club’s history and earning real honours for the first time since 1927, a victory at the weekend is still important in helping the club to refocus on their ultimate target of reaching the Premiership.

The Bluebirds will head to the Keepmoat Stadium fully expecting three points, despite a 2-0 victory for Doncaster in the local derby with Barnsley last Saturday and the relative improvement at Rovers since former Wrexham manager Dean Saunders took over the managerial role in September. 

However, as this article is being written, the current Amber Army poll suggests that Welsh football fans are not quite as expectant of a Cardiff victory as might be anticipated, with only 42% anticipating an away victory.  One of the reasons for this may be the large number of away draws Cardiff have already had this season, with City finishing all square in more than half of their away games, six of which finished 1-1.  The majority of these draws were not against sides in the upper echelons of the Championship, but against sides such as Millwall, Coventry, Portsmouth and Watford.  Whilst it could be argued that such results represent two points dropped, when these results are supplemented with a home record that has seen the Bluebirds win five of the last six games, the net result is automatic promotion form.  However, with four clean sheets in the last six away games and victory at the City Ground, Nottingham in their last outing, Cardiff will now believe that they have resolved the defensive issues that were preventing away victories earlier in the season.

Another impressive statistic leading into this game is that Cardiff City have scored in every away league game except the 0-0 draw at Millwall on 10 December, though on 10 of the 13 occasions they only managed one.  It is a statistic that suggests a very deliberate tactic by Malky Mackay and his management team in away games.  Rather than seeking to play aggressively away from home, the club are content to play a system that makes it difficult for opponents to break them down, whilst relying on players like Kenny Miller to create goalscoring opportunities through their creativity and quality.

Despite their recent improvement, City’s opponents Doncaster are still desperate for points as they bid to produce an unlikely escape from relegation.  Their form was so poor at the end of last season that there was a feeling that Rovers would have been relegated had there been another 5 or so games, as they were being rapidly caught by the three teams that were relegated (Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United and Preston North End) in the closing weeks of the season. 

Fans feared the worst when Rovers form in August and early September matched the closing weeks of the 2010-11 season and this lead the club to sack manager Sean O’Driscoll.  This move demonstrated the importance football clubs attach to recent results and form, as O’Driscoll had been a potential target for Sheffield United after the departure of Gary Speed due to his remarkable success with Doncaster.  The club moved very quickly to quell rumour and ensure they retained their manager and yet, just a few short months later, they dismissed him. 

With news coming in over the last 24 hours that Leicester City have had a bid for star striker Billy Sharp accepted, Cardiff may well find a toothless Rovers frontline at the weekend.  Sharp has comfortably been Rovers most prolific striker in recent months and, given that Doncaster have only managed a miserable 22 goals in their 25 games to date, his loss will be a critical blow to the South Yorkshire club’s chances of survival and may well be the difference between a draw and a defeat on Saturday.

Prediction: Doncaster Rovers 0 Cardiff City 1

Do you agree with the prediction? Why not add your voice to the poll on the left of this article by indicating which Welsh teams you think will win at the weekend (though do note that Merthyr’s next game is not until 21 January).

Red Card Decision Costs County Dear

 

Luton Town 2-0 Newport County 

     Saturday, 7 January 2012

      Kenilworth Road, Luton

Referee Karl Evans unintentionally made himself the centre of attention at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon when his controversial decision to send off County debutant Ryan Charles for a two footed challenge on Dan Gleeson, who was substituted shortly afterwards, proved to be the turning point of the game.

With new signings Ryan Charles and Andy Sandell both finding themselves drafted straight into the starting line up, the return of Sam Foley after suspension and the return of 30 year old goalkeeper Glyn Thompson in place of the transfer listed Danny Potter, Newport’s side had a considerably different composition to the side that had performed so poorly at Bath City a few days earlier.  The fresh faces were instrumental in helping to provide the kind of commitment that had been so desperately lacking four days earlier and the net result was a much more competitive County side that restricted Luton to only a couple of half chances in the first half hour of the game.

Despite the encouraging performance, one issue which Tim Thraves picked up on in his commentary, which Justin Edinburgh will need to address, was the tendency for Newport’s back four to retreat when the Luton forwards ran at them.  On occasion this allowed the home side far too much space and time in dangerous positions on the field.  One such example was when Alex Lawless was given far too much room on the left hand edge of the penalty box. As the County players finally tried to close down the space, Lawless deftly dropped his right shoulder and, flicking the ball with his left foot, suddenly discovered that he had taken both Newport players out of the game. 

This issue aside though, County remained fairly comfortable until the 32nd minute when Ryan Charles, in attempting to recover a ball that he had kicked too far in front of him, launched into a tackle with both feet off the ground.  Whilst the studs were faced down and neither leg got particularly far off the ground, referees have been instructed to issue red cards for such dangerous tackles this season.  Although Justin Edinburgh deemed the decision to be harsh, County player Nat Jarvis indicated that the red card was deserved given the nature of the tackle.  Such differing opinions, even within the Newport camp, demonstrate the difficulty referees have in making these borderline judgment calls.

Ryan Charles sees red on his debut after a two footed challenge on Dan Gleeson (photograph courtesy of Sam Shingler)

The impact of the sending off was immediately apparent as Luton were ahead within two minutes.  A relatively short and innocuous looking corner was met by Aaron O’Connor on the near post, though quite some distance away from goal, and his header looped into the far corner of the goal.  With only 10 men on the field and a player down, County had to dig deep in order to stay in the game. However, that crucial three minute spell in the first half effectively determined the outcome of the game, even though it took Luton until the 66th minute to make the game safe as Danny Crow buried a Greg Taylor cross into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

Whilst Newport County, despite the improved performance, failed once again to pick up any points in what was their fourth consecutive league defeat, the club are somehow managing to stay out of the relegation zone.  An example of the dramatic changes that can take place in football comes from the changing fortunes experienced by Newport during the 90 minutes of football on Saturday.  During the middle of the first half, the projected league table showed County dropping to 23rd in the league, with only Bath City beneath them, as Kettering were leading at Telford and Hayes lead at Kiddeminster.  Stockport were moving further ahead of Newport as they were drawing at Gateshead and even Bath were closing the gap as they lead 1-0 at home to Braintree. 

However by full time Kettering’s weak defence had let them down again as Telford ran in 3 goals, Stockport conceded a couple to Gateshead and late goals for Kidderminster against Hayes and Braintree at Bath meant that the overall outcome from the day’s results was positive for Newport.  With Justin Edinburgh hoping to make an additional three signings before the end of the month and the announcement this morning that Robbie Matthews would be leaving Newport for Salisbury, changes continue unabated at Spytty Park and there is rising confidence that Newport will survive, despite the lack of evidence from the results.

Conference Premier League (Bottom)

16	Darlington	28	-5	27
17	AFC Telford	28	-13	27
18	Lincoln City	28	-15	26
19	Stockport County	28	-18	23
20	Newport County	27	-10	22
21	Alfreton Town	28	-29	22
22	Kettering Town	28	-35	22
23	Hayes & Yeading	27	-21	21
24	Bath City	27	-22	18

Before their next engagement with Bath City on 17 January though, Newport have what might be the unwelcome distraction of an FA Trophy match at Worksop.  Justin Edinburgh is likely to see this as a chance to try and build some confidence into the team and to try out different tactics with his new look team, though Ryan Charles will of course be missing after his sending off.

With all six Welsh teams playing at the weekend, why not use the poll on the left to predict which sides will win.  Is there anybody out there who thinks an impressive Swansea side can overcome Arsenal?

Newcastle The Lure As Dragons Earn Replay

FA Cup 4th Round
Brighton & Hove Albion/Wrexham	v	Newcastle United
Sunderland	v	Middlesbrough
Dagenham/Southampton	v	Millwall
Hull City	v	Crawley Town
MK Dons/Queens Park Rangers	v	Chelsea
West Bromwich Albion	v	Norwich City
Blackpool	v	Sheffield Wednesday
Arsenal/Leeds United	v	Aston Villa
Stevenage	v	Notts County
Watford	v	Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool	v	Manchester United
Derby County	v	Stoke City
Everton	v	Fulham
Macclesfield/Bolton	v	Swansea City
Sheffield United	v	Birmingham City/Wolves
Nottingham Forest/Leicester City	v	Swindon Town

Wrexham are now the sole non league survivors in this year’s FA Cup after they followed up their heroic efforts at Brentford in the 2nd Round with an even better performance to earn the Dragons a replay against Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion.  Whilst Wrexham were continuing their remarkable recent run of form with a 1-1 draw at the Falmer Stadium (currently known as the American Express Community Stadium), conference promotion rivals Fleetwood Town were being thrashed by local rivals Blackpool and Tamworth and Salisbury were being eliminated by Everton and Sheffield United respectively, despite hugely creditable performances.

A remarkable 2,029 fans making the journey from North Wales down to the south coast for the encounter, which even beat the official number of 1,801 Dragons fans (there were a few more reportedly in the home stands) that made the short journey to Telford for the Boxing Day encounter.  With a bumper attendance of nearly 6,000 at the Racecourse Ground sandwiched in between these away trips for the New Year’s Day encounter with Telford, the financial situation at Wrexham is undoubtedly looking considerably brighter.  It will be boosted yet further should Wrexham manage to beat Brighton in the replay after the winners of the tie were given a home draw against Newcastle United.

Home advantage in front of a vociferous and partisan crowd will give Wrexham a chance of producing what would arguably the biggest upset in the FA Cup this season.  However, much may also depend upon the team selection of Brighton manager Gus Poyet, who has threatened to play an entire second team in the replay.  Whilst Brighton fielded a strong team for the tie on Saturday, there were still six changes, including two debutants, from the side that had beaten Southampton a few days earlier.  Wrexham, in contrast, made only one change from the team that comprehensively beat Telford and that was an enforced one. With Danny Wright still not having recovered from injury, player-manager Andy Morrell came in to lead the forward line as a direct replacement for Mathias Pogba (pictured below), who was forced to miss the game with an ankle injury.

Illustration of Wrexham forward Mathias Pogba, courtesy of Tim Bye (please see Tim Bye Caricatures link for more of his work)

In cup ties such as this, where the club from the lower division is playing away from home, it is often important that the minnows start well and score first.  However, an error by Wrexham goalkeeper Joslain Mayebi nearly handed Brighton the advantage in the opening exchanges.  Lua Lua was unable to make the most of the opportunity though and Wrexham slowly eased their way into the game.

In an open game, Wrexham were able to create a few opportunities of their own, with Speight in particular causing problems for the Brighton defence.  However, having successfully reached half time with the scores level, Wrexham then conceded almost immediately after the break as Forster-Caskey netted from a Lua Lua cross.  Despite the setback though, Wrexham fought their way back into the game, securing a replay through Adrian Cieslewicz’s 62nd minute equaliser.

Whilst the Wrexham fans now bask in the glory of their relative success against Brighton, and the possibility of playing an even weaker Albion team next week, Fleetwood will turn their attention to overhauling Wrexham at the summit of the conference.  Town play at home to Barrow on Tuesday evening knowing that a win will take them to the summit of the Conference, whilst Wrexham have to wait until Saturday before they play away at Tamworth.  With Newcastle potentially waiting for them in Round 4 and an impervious defence that even Championship sides are struggling to break down, Wrexham will be confidence that any ascendency gained by Fleetwood will be short lived.

How do you think Wrexham will fair against Tamworth on Saturday.  Vote for the Welsh teams you think will win on the poll to the left of this post.