Red Rose Football Blog (Number 56)

Red Rose Football Blog Edition 56

November 14th 2017

 

Red Rose County Player of the Week

Jordan Pickford

It always used to be said that if as a youngster, you wanted to improve as a goalkeeper, play for a poor side; the type of eleven which scarcely finds its way past the half way line. This way you get more practice. Last season, Jordan Pickford (pictured) could not have been at a better club. Born in

Washington (that’s the one close to Sunderland), he joined the “Black Cats” as an 8 year old and when he signed a professional contract, the club loaned him out to a variety of clubs to further his experience. For example he played 24 times for Preston North End two seasons ago. When David Moyes arrived at the Stadium of Light, he threw the young keeper in at the deep end and in front of a threadbare defence, he was magnificent. With Sunderland being relegated, it was no surprise that Everton came calling, armed with a cheque for £30million but Pickford has had to earn his wages at Goodison also. He needed a touch of luck and with injuries to Jack Butland and Tom Heaton, he became the de facto number 2 keeper for England this season. As soon as the opportunity arose, Gareth Southgate gave him the number 1 shirt against the Germans and his performance was flawless, being instrumental in keeping them at bay in the first half in particular. It was a display worthy of a Red Rose Player of the Week.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                Premier League

After the International friendlies and, in the case of the two Irelands, World Cup Qualifying Play-Offs, it is back to the Premier League fixtures this coming weekend. For once, all five of the Red Rose County sides are in action on Saturday, all with a 3.00 kick-off apart from Manchester United who host Newcastle United at 5.30. The Old Trafford side have only won one of their last 4 league games, a single goal win over Spurs and they have failed to score more than once in any of them. Now 8 points adrift of the leaders, they are currently locked into a battle for the runners-up spot with two of their London rivals but an exciting performance against the Toon Army will silence any fans who are less than happy with Jose Mourinho’s way of playing. In a rare clash of English managers, Sean Dyche’s Burnley are at home to Paul Clements’s Swansea City. We all think we know just how much the “Claret’s” have over-achieved, but maybe they haven’t. Possibly this rich vein of form could be the norm and the club is simply establishing itself in the top half of Europe’s most competitive league. Time will tell of course but their Welsh opponents are really struggling, having scored a meagre 7 goals in 11 games. No doubt Jack Cork would be happy to put one over on his former team mates and it’s the type of fixture that the Turf Moor side must win if their hopes of qualifying for Europe are to be taken seriously. Probably the most fascinating of the games featuring our clubs takes place at Selhurst Park where Everton provide the opposition for Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace. The Londoner’s are still propping up the table but the ex-England boss appears to be coming to grips with the job in hand and in Wilfred Zaha, they have one of the most potent attackers in the league. It may be David Unsworth’s (pictured) last chance to show the Everton hierarchy that

he is the right man for the job and we can expect fireworks from two sides desperate for 3 points. Leaders Manchester City visit Leicester City, looking in their rear view mirrors for any sign of the opposition. The East Midland side are unpredictable, have several extremely talented players (Mahrez, Vardy, Schmeichel etc) and they can do damage when they counter at speed. New manager Claude Puel however has the same conundrum as all other coaches when facing Pep Guardiola’s side. Can they defend for long stretches against a side simply full of magical players; long enough to eventually have enough of the ball to stretch the City defence on the break? We saw the damage Leroy Sane did to the England defence on Friday and Pep will be pleased that Ilkay Gundogan played 85 minutes in the same game, all part of his rehabilitation from a very serious cruciate ligament injury which has caused him to miss 9 months of football. Finally Liverpool welcome Southampton to Anfield. They should know everything about the south coast side, having pinched so many of their players in recent times and suddenly, Jürgen Klopp has the “Reds” playing in his preferred style. They have quality attacking players and will definitely test the strength of opposition centre back Virgil van Dijk, surely the German’s number one target in the fast approaching transfer window where Liverpool will look to shore up their defence. The Saints often provide a surprise or two on their travels but you have to fancy the home side to keep up the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal who meet on Saturday lunch time.

The Championship

Our two Championship clubs meet on Friday evening at Deepdale. Five weeks ago, it would have been purely damage limitation for Phil Parkinson’s Bolton Wanderers side, but such has been their recent progress and so startling has been the decline by a Preston North End side decimated by injuries that this is a genuine 50/50 game. With a two week break, Alex Neil’s staff hopefully will have cleared much of the treatment room, but this is a game that both elevens will genuinely feel that they can win. Whichever side triumphs will give us a strong indication of the direction they will be taking for the rest of the season but home advantage may just tip the balance in this Mid-Lancashire derby.

League 1 and League 2

The international programme also took its toll of League 1 fixtures, only three of our sides playing on Saturday. Bury, somewhat surprisingly, were the only club to emerge with a point, gained from a 1-1 draw on the road at Gillingham. The veteran midfield player Neil Danns (pictured), unbelievably

playing for his 6^th club beginning with a letter “B”, opened the scoring just before the interval but conceded from a corner with 5 minutes remaining. A draw away is always a good point but ironically, other results conspired to send the “Shakers” to the bottom of the league. They face an FA Cup replay at home to Woking from The National League on Tuesday before welcoming local rivals Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. They ought to win the cup encounter which will then qualify them for a 2^nd Round home tie to either Tranmere Rovers or Peterborough United but the local derby v Blackburn will be difficult for the still manager-less Gigg Lane club. If there was ever a time for icing to be layered on to the cake, it was at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. Following the defeat in the High Court for the Oyston’s on Monday and the news that the unpopular owners were putting the club up for sale, over 5,000 spectators came through the gates to watch the game against Portsmouth. With 5 goals, 4 in the last few minutes, they certainly had value for money, but unfortunately Blackpool lost 3-2.  Solomon-Otabor had put the “Tangerines” ahead and then a late Hawkins own goal brought them back to 2-2 before “Pompey” stole an even later winner. Gary Bowyer’s side has lost its last 3 league matches plus the ignominy of an FA Cup defeat to Non-League Boreham Wood and although they are still comfortably mid-table, alarm bells will be ringing prior to their tricky away trip to Peterborough United. Fleetwood Town will be disappointed with their 1-0 defeat at MK Dons. With only two shots on target all afternoon, it was always going to be a tight game, but MK scored theirs whilst Jordy Hiwula’s effort for the “Cod Army” was magnificently saved. Uwe Rosler’s side will be favourites to return to winning ways at home to Doncaster Rovers and 3 points is certainly needed to prevent other Play-Off candidates from creating daylight between them in the league table. It is the “El Flatcapico” at Boundary Park on Saturday afternoon when Oldham Athletic welcome their rivals from the other side of the M62; Rochdale no less. Both clubs are dangling just above the drop zone but both have shown improvement of late. Three points will be a lifeline for either club in their fight to ensure safety and it is impossible to pick a winner in what could either be a cagey, tactical affair or a rip-roaring battle. Wigan Athletic will be fresh from their two week break but Bradford City, their Trans-Pennine opponents’, will not make it easy for them. The “Latics” are 6 points clear of the “Bantams” in 4^th place, but Stuart McCall’s outfit are once more challenging for promotion and a close encounter is on the cards.

It always looked like a tough League 2 engagement for Accrington Stanley at Cambridge United and so it turned out to be; a 0-0 draw. Billy Kee was twice denied for Stanley but at the other end, Aaron Chapman (pictured) had to be alert on a number of occasions to keep a clean slate. It was a

fair result if not a true reflection of the excitement on show. After they have hopefully disposed of Guiseley in the FA Cup replay on Tuesday, the “Reds” are home to an improved Newport County side; the Welsh club being handily placed in 9^th spot. We are into mid-November and the Accringtonians I know can scarcely believe that they are still occupying second spot. They think they are still dreaming!! Morecambe’s win over Hartlepool United in last week’s FA Cup turned out to be no flash in the pan, because they showed a similar fighting spirit to edge out Wycombe Wanderers 2-1. Two first half goals from Stephen Old and Adam McGurk were a bonus but they certainly did not put the game out of reach. Wycombe roared back in the second half, peppering Barry Roche’s goal for 45 minutes, the Irishman’s heroics restricting the response to just one Adebayo “the beast” Akinfenwa headed goal. The victory lifts the “Shrimps” to 19^th in the table as they prepare for a long trip to Colchester United on Saturday.

Quiz of the Week (Answers at the foot of the Blog)

1                    England’s worst ever international tournament defeat was versus the part-timers of the USA in the World Cup in Brazil. Their 2^nd worst was in the European Championships against Iceland, but in which country was the game staged?

2                    Who was Manchester City’s manager when the Abu Dhabi group took over in August 2008, a man they sacked 16 months later?

3                    Which club did Brendan Rogers (pictured) leave before becoming manager at Liverpool in 2012?

4                    Who was the Grenada international striker Blackburn Rovers bought from Wigan Athletic in 2006, who went on to score 24 goals in 134 league matches at Ewood Park?

5                    Only 3 Red Rose County clubs have won the FA Trophy; Morecambe, Burscough and which other club that won in 1990 and 2010?

6                    Only 5 clubs have won all 3 legs of the European treble, the European Cup/Champions League, the Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA/Europa League Cup. They are Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and which other club?

7                    In 2006, Wigan Athletic’s Pascal Chimbonda (pictured) was selected for the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and then sold to which club at the season’s end?

8                    Blackburn Rovers were a selling club in the 60s and to which club did they transfer Welsh international Roy Vernon and England internationals Fred Pickering and Keith Newton?

9                    Which member of the England 1966 World Cup winning side played at Oldham Athletic for the 1969-70 season?

10                Who is the current Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper with a goalkeeping brother who signed for Glasgow Rangers from Port Vale in January?

The Non-League Scene

There were disappointing results in the National League with AFC Fylde losing 2-1 at Aldershot Town, a Danny Rowe goal being insufficient to secure a draw after Jack Muldoon was sent off. Barrow were no match for championship chasing Macclesfield Town, losing 2-0. The “Coasters” next host relegation threatened Torquay United whilst the Cumbrian side travel to Hampshire to meet mid-table Eastleigh. Salford City now find themselves 7 points clear at the head of National League North following their come from behind victory at Tamworth, Mark Shelton and Michael Phenix delivering the goals and it was good to see FC United of Manchester climb out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 home win over AFC Telford United. Since being relegated in 2009, Prescot Cables have never finished in the top ten of the Northern Premier League 1 North, but that could all change this season. They are much improved and currently in 5^th position, one point behind Scarborough Athletic whom they defeated 3-1 on Saturday. With their Youth Team also making everyone sit up and take notice by reaching the last 64 of the FA Youth Cup, it could be a year to remember at Valerie Park. The performance of the day in the North West Counties Premier League had to be at the Anchor Ground. Faced by runaway leaders Runcorn Town, it was the “away” banker of the day. The relegation threatened AFC Darwen however had not read the script and after scoring twice by the 50^th minute, they defended stoutly to hang on for a 2-2 draw.

Non-League Club of the Week

Burscough FC

Burscough is a large village on the A59 between Preston and Liverpool, but as a football club, it has often punched above its weight. Founded in 1946, they had great success locally and climbed their way, via the Lancashire Combination, Cheshire League, North West Counties and Northern Premier leagues, to  the dizzy heights of the (then) Conference North at Tier 6 in 2008. En route they played at Villa Park (Wembley being renovated), winning the FA Trophy in 2003 with a 2-1 win over Tamworth. They are the smallest club to win this national trophy and they reached the 2^nd Round of the FA Cup in 2005-06, finally being eliminated away at Burton Albion. John Davison, the old Altrincham stalwart, managed the club through many of their glory days, but since then, financial problems and Boardroom disputes have contributed to a fairly rapid decline. They now find themselves struggling towards the bottom of the North West Counties Premier League with massive question marks over the future of their Victoria Park ground. Recent results have shown some improvement for the Linnets who play in green, but before any real progress can be made, the off the field situation must be sorted.

                                                                             

Post Weekend Musings

One has to feel sorry for Phil Jones (pictured), the Manchester United and England centre-back.

The threat of injury is ever-present and once again he had to leave the field in the Germany friendly fixture over the weekend. There is no doubt that the Preston born defender has John Terry qualities being hard, intelligent and strong in the air; a “big item” who will not be bullied by opposition strikers. It is unfair to label him with the “sick note” nickname, but since breaking through at Blackburn Rovers in 2010, he has played just 168 Premier League games in 8 full seasons; 29 in 2012 topping the list. England will need him in Russia and certainly United will require his services if they are going to challenge for honours on four fronts, but you have to worry about his long term fitness.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his debut for England after only 29 league appearances for Chelsea and Crystal Palace. It is rare for the country to pick someone so inexperienced although I am certain it is not a modern-day record. Both Michael Owen (at Liverpool) and Wayne Rooney (at Everton) must have played fewer games at the time of their first cap. I cannot find the exact numbers, but I would guess Rooney has the record. Interestingly, Rooney and Owen were 17 and 18 years old respectively on their debuts whereas Loftus-Cheek is 21, but when you sign for Chelsea as a youngster, they hardly ever play you.

Andy Warhol suggested that “everyone has their 15 minutes of fame” and this is what happened to Blackburn Rovers’ Corry Evans. He is a very useful midfield player, adept at keeping possession, but nowhere near the headline maker that would make every news bulletin on a Thursday evening. And all he did was not handle the ball. If ever there was a need for video replays in football, this was the occasion. Shaqiri’s shot plainly hit the Northern Ireland player on the shoulder, but the Rumanian referee decreed he had handled the ball, gave a penalty to Switzerland and a yellow card to Evans. The Swiss scored, the only goal in the vital World Cup Qualifying Play-Off game in Belfast and Evans was banned for the second leg. With the Irish valiantly going out with the one disputed goal against them over the two legs, Evans will now return to the relative obscurity of League 1.

Joe Gomez (Liverpool) and Jack Cork (Burnley) made their international debuts on Friday evening against Germany as substitutes. Cork is only the second “Claret” to be capped by England this millennium whereas Gomez is the 23^rd from Anfield. He is another who also lacks experience in senior football, having made only 35 league starts for Charlton Athletic and Liverpool. Cork on the other hand is a veteran of some 360 appearances.

Marine showed much improved form to hammer Atherton Collieries 5-1 to book their place in the FA Trophy 3^rd Qualifying Round, Danny Mitchley and James Murray each scoring twice. They are joined by Lancaster City who comfortably defeated Stratford Town 3-0, regular scorer Ryan Winder bagging a double. Droylsden, who won 2-1 at Stamford will also be in the draw with either Warrington Town or Ashton United who drew 1-1 and have to “do it all again” at Ashton under Lyne on Tuesday night. Inevitably Matthew Chadwick gave the Ashton side the lead but the “Yellows” hit back within 3 minutes with a goal from Aboubakar Sanogo. This was always going to be a tough one to call and, after their mid-week exertions, Ashton host mid-table Barwell whilst Warrington travel to the much improved Mickleover Sports.

Only two Red Rose County clubs go into the draw for the 3^rd Round of the FA Vase, both there courtesy of defeating Northern League opposition. Pride of place goes to Ashton Athletic who defeated Morpeth 1-0, one of the country’s very best Tier 9 sides who sit comfortably top of their league. Danny Smith scored early and it was then backs to the wall in this stirring cup tie as the Brocstedes Park club reached Round 3 for the first time ever. City of Liverpool also deserved credit for travelling to the Sunderland area and, after leading the useful Ryhope CW 2-0 at half time (goals from Joseph Camozzi and much travelled striker Karl Noon (pictured), his 11^th of the season), they

restricted the Wearsiders to a single goal in reply. This is also their first venture into the later stages of the competition, a great achievement for a club in only its second year of existence.

I have been looking at statistics supplied by the League Managers’ Association regarding the sacking of managers. The study related to the last 20 years; from the 1997-98 season to the present day and looked at the number of managers that all the 92 clubs had employed during the period. Oldham Athletic (in 4^th place nationally) head the list of Red Rose County “serial sackers” with a total of 18; the national average is 12. Curiously 1997-98 was the first of the 20 years (and counting) that the Latics have currently resided in Tier 3. They finished as high as 5^th in 02-03, as low as 20^th in 98-99 and for the last eight seasons they have failed to achieve a top ten finish. So putting it simply, the club (no doubt in the name of progress) has employed 18 managers to remain standing still. They might as well have stayed with Neil Warnock, the incumbent at the start of this saga. To no-one’s surprise, Manchester United has the best record of our clubs, just four managers in this period

Quiz Answers: 1 France, 2 Mark Hughes, 3 Swansea City, 4 Jason Roberts, 5 Barrow, 6 Manchester United, 7 Tottenham Hotspur, 8 Everton, 9 Ray Wilson, 10 Ben Alnwick.