I can’t help thinking that Omer Riza is already regretting some of the things he said in his press conference yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s game at Sheffield United. To say the club is divided, even if it may well be in reality (clubs as unsuccessful as City are usually divided in some way or another), is hardly going to concentrate minds on the slim chance of avoiding the drop. If our manager had then gone on to say in what way he thought City is a divided club then there would have been a context to apply to his remark, but he didn’t.
Unfortunately, Riza then went on to make things much worse by describing the opinions of a number of City fans as “clueless”. Now, speaking entirely for myself, I can accept that stuff I’ve said and written elsewhere and published on here about City down the years has been clueless. For example, I don’t know what happens on the training ground every day and the trend towards teams giving as little information as possible concerning player injuries means you never know the full situation when it comes to player fitness – plus of course, there are also those occasions when I talk total bollox!
However, I make it that I’ve experienced nine Cardiff City relegations in my sixty two years supporting the club and, although I don’t accept the much quoted line that the current squad is too good to go down, I could be persuaded that, if you put the last two relegations (from the Premier League) to one side, the 24/25 squad will be the strongest one I will have ever seen relegated if the worst comes to the worst. Nevertheless, I would also rate the recent home defeats to Luton and Stoke among the most insipid and supine displays I’ve seen from any City side that was in danger of relegation- I don’t think I’m being clueless when I say that either.
What I’d really like now is for City to produce performances in these four final games that persuade me that I was, in fact, being clueless when I wrote them off like I have done because of what I saw in games like Oxford and Leeds away plus Luton and Stoke at home.
The reason I said I could be persuaded that this is the strongest squad I’ve seen relegated from the second tier or lower is that we have shown occasionally that we can trouble good sides at this level and, with defeats by Oxford, Millwall and Plymouth in their last three games, there has probably not been a better time than the present to visit Sheffield United this season.
The problem is, I then remember that we’ve barely laid a glove on the opposition in losing all of our previous seven games against the teams that make up the top four in the table this season and the reality will surely be that the home side will keep their faltering top two bid going while pushing us that much closer to the relegation trap door which may well have closed by the time we go to Norwich for our final game.
On to the quiz then, seven Sheffield United related questions with the answers to be posted on here on Saturday.
60s. Capped eleven times by his country, this forward was never booked or sent off in a twenty plus years career which began at his home town club. He stayed long enough to make it look like he might become a one club man, but Sheffield United moved to sign him and, after having a first bid rejected, a bigger one was accepted, so he moved north at the age of twenty eight. A flurry of goals in his first few games went a long way to securing a promotion and the next four years saw him being a regular selection until he became a record signing for a county set not too far away where he played his part in another promotion. His final move as a full time player saw him returning home in his mid thirties for a couple of seasons before he spent some time with the Bluebirds. Who is he?
70s.Five goals in close to two hundred and seventy career league appearances rather tells you what sort of midfield player this Yorkshireman was. He started off at Sheffield United and featured twice for them in games at Ninian Park during his seven years at Bramall Lane when he was more a back up than a regular starter. Eventually, he crossed a county border to wear blue for a side that paid a club record fee for him. Troubled by knee injuries, he retired at thirty and then embarked on a managerial career which saw him. take charge at one of his former clubs and work as Assistant Manager at the other, but can you name him?
80s. Top of page makes you think you’re reading an unreal rag left back in the 80s! (4,6)
90s. Decline one of five perhaps?
00s. Which Sheffield United player from this decade was booked earlier this month when playing against the Viola?
10s. One of a seventy plus year old double act masquerading as a male Caucasian!
20s. One of a eighty plus year old double act meets 70s TV detective!
Answers
60s. Len Allchurch played from 1950 to 1961 for his native Swansea before signing for Sheffield United. In 1965, Stockport paid a club record £10,000 for his services and in 1969 he returned to Swansea before a spell with Haverfordwest County.
90s. Frank Barlow was in the Sheffield United team beaten 3-0 at Ninian Park in January 1970 and for the 1-1 draw at the same ground early in 70/71. Moving to Chesterfield in 1972, Barlow went on to become manager of the club between 1980 and 1983 and Assistant manager to Danny Wilson at Sheffield United between 2011 and 2013.
80s. Paul Garner.
90s. Wayne Quinn.
00s. Kyle Walker was cautioned while playing for Milan (where he is on loan from Man City) against Fiorentina (nicknamed Viola) on 5 April.
10s. Ben (Bill and Ben was first broadcast in 1952) Whiteman.
20s. Tom (the first Tom and Jerry cartoon was made in 1940) Cannon.
