Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [21st - 26th October 2011]

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[B][SIZE=3]Friday, 21 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Npower League Two[/U][/B]

[B]19:45 |[/B] Accrington Stanley v Cheltenham

[B][SIZE=3]Saturday, 22 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Barclays Premier League[/U][/B]                  [B][U]Npower Championship[/U][/B]

[B]12:45 |[/B] Wolves v Swansea [B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]5L[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="Red"]SS2/HD[/COLOR][/B]       [B]12:00 |[/B] Peterborough v Leeds
[B]15:00 |[/B] Aston Villa v West Brom          [B]15:00 |[/B] Blackpool v Nott'm Forest
[B]15:00 |[/B] Bolton v Sunderland [B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]5L[/COLOR][/B]           [B]15:00 |[/B] Cardiff v Barnsley
[B]15:00 |[/B] Newcastle v Wigan                [B]15:00 |[/B] Coventry v Burnley
[B]17:30 |[/B] Liverpool v Norwich [B][COLOR="Yellow"]TS[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="Orange"]ESPN/HD[/COLOR][/B]   [B]15:00 |[/B] Hull v Watford
                                         [B]15:00 |[/B] Ipswich v Crystal Palace
                                         [B]15:00 |[/B] Leicester v Millwall
                                         [B]15:00 |[/B] Middlesbrough v Derby [B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]5L[/COLOR][/B] 
                                         [B]15:00 |[/B] Portsmouth v Doncaster
                                         [B]17:20 |[/B] Reading v Southampton [B][COLOR="Red"]SS2/HD[/COLOR][/B]

[B][U]Npower League One[/U][/B]                        [B][U]Npower League Two[/U][/B]

[B]15:00 |[/B] Bournemouth v Bury               [B]15:00 |[/B] AFC Wimbledon v Crawley Town
[B]15:00 |[/B] Charlton v Carlisle              [B]15:00 |[/B] Bradford v Northampton
[B]15:00 |[/B] Chesterfield v Hartlepool        [B]15:00 |[/B] Burton Albion v Bristol Rovers
[B]15:00 |[/B] Exeter v Rochdale                [B]15:00 |[/B] Crewe v Macclesfield
[B]15:00 |[/B] Huddersfield v Preston           [B]15:00 |[/B] Dag & Red v Aldershot
[B]15:00 |[/B] Leyton Orient v Sheffield Utd    [B]15:00 |[/B] Gillingham v Oxford Utd
[B]15:00 |[/B] MK Dons v Scvnthorpe             [B]15:00 |[/B] Hereford v Barnet
[B]15:00 |[/B] Notts County v Brentford         [B]15:00 |[/B] Plymouth v Swindon
[B]15:00 |[/B] Oldham v Wycombe                 [B]15:00 |[/B] Port Vale v Morecambe
[B]15:00 |[/B] Sheffield Wed v Colchester       [B]15:00 |[/B] Rotherham v Shrewsbury
[B]15:00 |[/B] Stevenage v Yeovil               [B]15:00 |[/B] Southend v Torquay
[B]15:00 |[/B] Tranmere v Walsall

[B][SIZE=3]Sunday, 23 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Barclays Premier League[/U][/B]                  [B][U]Npower Championship[/U][/B]

[B]13:30 |[/B] Arsenal v Stoke                  [B]15:00 |[/B] Bristol City v Birmingham
[B]13:30 |[/B] Fulham v Everton
[B]13:30 |[/B] Man Utd v Man City [B][COLOR="Yellow"]TS[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="Red"]SS1/HD[/COLOR][/B]
[B]15:00 |[/B] Blackburn v Tottenham
[B]16:00 |[/B] QPR v Chelsea [B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]5L[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="Red"]SS1/HD[/COLOR][/B]

[B][SIZE=3]Monday, 24 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Npower Championship[/U][/B]

[B]19:45 |[/B] Brighton v West Ham [B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]5L[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="Red"]SS1/HD[/COLOR][/B]

[B][SIZE=3]Tuesday, 25 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Npower League One[/U][/B]                        [B][U]Npower League Two[/U][/B]

[B]19:45 |[/B] Brentford v Stevenage            [B]19:45 |[/B] Barnet v Southend
[B]19:45 |[/B] Bury v Notts County              [B]19:45 |[/B] Bristol Rovers v Port Vale
[B]19:45 |[/B] Carlisle v Sheffield Wed         [B]19:45 |[/B] Cheltenham v Crewe
[B]19:45 |[/B] Colchester v Bournemouth         [B]19:45 |[/B] Crawley Town v Dag & Red
[B]19:45 |[/B] Hartlepool v Tranmere            [B]19:45 |[/B] Macclesfield v Bradford
[B]19:45 |[/B] Preston v Oldham                 [B]19:45 |[/B] Morecambe v Rotherham
[B]19:45 |[/B] Rochdale v Chesterfield          [B]19:45 |[/B] Northampton v Hereford
[B]19:45 |[/B] Scvnthorpe v Huddersfield        [B]19:45 |[/B] Oxford Utd v Plymouth
[B]19:45 |[/B] Sheffield Utd v MK Dons          [B]19:45 |[/B] Shrewsbury v Accrington Stanley
[B]19:45 |[/B] Walsall v Exeter                 [B]19:45 |[/B] Swindon v Gillingham
[B]19:45 |[/B] Wycombe v Charlton               [B]19:45 |[/B] Torquay v AFC Wimbledon
[B]19:45 |[/B] Yeovil v Leyton Orient

[B][SIZE=3]Wednesday, 26 October[/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Npower Championship[/U][/B]

[B]19:45 |[/B] Birmingham v Leeds

[B]TV:               Radio:                                        Tables:[/B]

[URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5161070.stm][IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/vdiiwn.gif[/IMG][/URL]        [URL=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live/][IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/20rs2z8.gif[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra/][IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/2rcwzo6.gif[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/listen-live][IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/21ke43n.gif[/IMG][/URL]        [URL=http://www.skysports.com/football/leagues/0,19772,11065,00.html][IMG]http://i37.tinypic.com/mrg3e1.gif[/IMG][/URL]

 

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Not been the same team since the Chelsea game. Evans should be nowhere near the first team, I reckon we would have lost regardless of him being sent off but playing with 10 men did not help one bit. I was a bit baffled with Ferguson's decisions during the game. Well done to City, you provided Ferguson with a huge wake up call regarding our squad.

 

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We lack a playmaker in central midfield, all the top teams have at least one creative central midfielder pinging balls left right and centre, moving FORWARDS. We have Anderson who is the only player who moves forwards WITH the ball, Carrick who rarely looks forwards nevermind passes forwards, Fletcher a workhorse but little else, Gibson meh, and Cleverley who could be a very good prospect. That's it. That's all our central midfielders. We have players in abundance up front, plenty of defenders, good wingers. Our central midfield is appalling quite frankly and it's over exposing our current back five, some of which are young and will mature, and then two who really should be doing better, ie, Evra and Ferdinand.

The thing that really got me was not the defeat, I can accept that Man City simply took us apart and I hope the players learn from it, the words from Ferguson took me back a bit:

"I thought with the experience we've got - Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra - they would have defended more but we just kept attacking. Sometimes there has to be common sense about it. It was a bad day."

Why didn't he bark some orders out instead of watching it all unfold in front of him. Why did it take 20 minutes for Jones to come on after Evans was sent off? Baffling!

 

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TBF 3 of their goals came after the 89th minute, not that that didn't give him enough time to give them a right rollocking from the touch line but like he said you'd of assumed once it went 1-4 the defence would have the common sense that they weren't going to pull back 3 goals in as many minutes and just keep the battering at a minimum.

Regarding the subs I don't think that was all that surprising personally. As I said Fletcher has played plenty of times at RB and given when Evans was sent off we were only 1-0 down I assume Fergie wanted to keep as many starting players on the pitch as possible. I guess he could have brought Jones on straight a way for Fletcher or Anderson and the formation would have stayed the same (i.e. Rooney in centre midfield with Welbeck up front on his own) but would it of made any difference? Maybe maybe not. Who knows.

The second Evans was sent off, Wellbeck should have been subbed with Jones going on. Four defenders, four midfielders with Rooney dropping back in midfield too. This playing players out of position is frustrating. Fletcher is a midfielder, unless we are struck with such an injury crisis that we are forced to play midfielders in defence then so be it, but it does not make any sense to be putting him at right back when Jones is on the bench.

Tactics wise, Ferguson could have told them to shape up. My guess is that he didn't want to be seen on the touchline telling his players to defend at home against City. Something that I'm sure City fans would have loved to see.

Like DM said above, Evra has been ****ing horrendous defensively for ages, he's literally forgotten how to defend.

The younger players will learn but I expected more from Evra and Ferdinand at the back, no discipline or calmness from either. If it wasn't for the twins being perpetually crocked, Evra would be collecting splinters on the bench this season.