... A young up-and-coming manager, a midfield leader in Brian Howard, who has yet to reach the legendary status of a certain Neil Redfern but has the ability and attitude to do so, a team who never give up, who can play the game on the floor like football should be and work for each other as a team.....Echoes of 1996? Why should this team be struggling in the Championship. Their exploits and achievement in the Cup run this season equal those of the Barnsley side of 1997 so if they can transfer that commitment and application to the remaining league games there should be no way that they get relegated. Also, if they realise they as a team are greater than the 'sum of the parts' and stick together as a team there is no reason they cannot become promotion candidates next season. As was said on BBC yesterday, a 'one off' result like Liverpool can happen at any time in the FA Cup but for a team to do it twice on consecutive matches against a top 4 Premier side is much, much,more than that. This team has shown that, with the right attitude and effort, they can live with the big-boys. No-one would ever say that the Promotion/Premiership sides of '96 and 97 were full of world class internationals but they played as a team and look what can be achieved in what is after all a team game. Chelsea and Liverpool and many teams before them have been undone by teamwork especially when they were an expensive group of pampered, overpaid individuals rather than a real team. Let's hope that on the one hand, players like KO realise that they have the ability if they work their socks off to live with the so called 'big names' a la Terry, whilst others like Brian Howard realize that every individual success and achievement results from all the other players around them. It is hard to pick out any player yesterday , Hassell was immense, KO did a holding job (as well as scoring from a textbook header)- and was a cross between, Heskey,Crouch and a certain Ashley Ward. Devaney for the second match running put in a cross that Beckham would be proud of, and the back 4 played as a back 4 should and the MOTD analysis last night highlighted 2 lines of 4 correctly spaced, well disciplined - no wonder Chelsea hardly bothered Steele. Some players (including KO) showed quick feet and balls skills that belied their league status. Barnsley? Clean sheet against Chelseaa? You're 'avin' a larf!!!!!
said after Anfield that if Devaneys cross had been becks the worlds press would have gone on and on and on about it......., my nephew said when he got the balkl yesterday he needs another cross like anfield, next moment the balls in the net
and Motty said, Odejayi is hoping for a diagonal cross........ its a diagonal cross and GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLll
That was me!!!!! where do you sit - anywhere near the 'L' of Barnsley (white seats) or did I shout.. louder than I thought??? lol, still smiling!</p> </p>
