Middlesbrough 0-0 Man City
City make a Christmas point.
Saturday 31st December 2005 : Helen Blake for
Get Your Kits Out at the Riverside
 Both
sides picked up their first point of the festive period
after a hard-fought draw at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough had the best early chances with Aiyegbeni
Yakubu bringing a good save out of David James and James
Morrison firing over the bar.
But City went close after the break when Mark Schwarzer
saved Andy Cole's instinctive near-post shot.
And the visitors almost snatched a late victory when
Schwarzer brilliantly kept out Joey Barton's diving header.
A draw was probably the fairest result - but both teams were
in desperate need of a win.
Boro had won only one of their last eight Premiership games
while City had lost five of their previous six outings on
the road.
A poor game, but a decent result and a point is a point!!
From BS
Have your say on 606
That lack of form showed in the early exchanges and neither
side managed to carve out a clear chance in a scrappy
opening half-hour.
The home side's best spell came shortly afterwards, when
Yakubu and Morrison both went close.
Mark Viduka thought he should have had a penalty when he
spun away from Sylvain Distin before kicking the City
defender's foot - but the ball still dropped for Yakubu who
fired a powerful shot straight at James.
Minutes later Morrison found Emanuel Pogatetz in space on
the left before racing in to meet the Austrian's cross at
the far post, only to send his shot high over the bar.
City's only real effort on goal before the break came from
Cole who shot weakly after Trevor Sinclair found him in
space outside the box.
But the visitors did not lack invention, with Sinclair
giving Pogatetz a torrid time on the right flank and Antoine
Sibierski posing a constant aerial threat.
Both sides could take encouragement from the first 45
minutes but they went backwards immediately after the break.
Gaizka Mendieta's long-range shot was the best Boro could
muster, while it was only late in the game that City began
to threaten.
Cole's near-post volley from Nedum Onuoha's cross was
acrobatically saved by Schwarzer, who also did well to get
down to his left-hand post to keep out Barton's diving
header soon after.
Towards the end the Boro crowd voiced their disapproval at
their side's lack of penetration, but manager Steve McClaren
will at least take some consolation from a first league
clean sheet since 23 August.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Riggott, Southgate,
Queudrue, Parnaby (Bates 79), Morrison, Doriva, Mendieta,
Pogatetz (Maccarone 85), Viduka, Yakubu (Hasselbaink 79).
Subs Not Used: Jones, Cattermole.
Man City: James, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin, Jordan,
Sinclair, Jihai, Sibierski (Ireland 45), Barton, Cole,
Vassell (Wright-Phillips 80).
Subs Not Used: Sommeil, De Vlieger, Croft.
Booked: Onuoha.
Att: 28,022
Ref: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
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Wigan 4 Manchester City 3
You win one you lose one
Monday 26th December 2005 : Craig Hollinwood
for Get Your Kits Out at the JJB
Wigan took full advantage of Manchester City manager Stuart
Pearce's festive spirit to make it three wins in
nine days as an explosive seven-goal Boxing Day thriller
unfolded at the JJB Stadium.
Pearce opted to give his players Christmas Day off, allowing
them to spend quality time with their families, while in
contrast the Latics high-fliers were enduring a training
session.
It ultimately backfired as boss Paul Jewell's side produced
a stunning performance, although in the end were forced to
weather a remarkable City fight back.
After five successive league defeats recently, Wigan are now
firmly back on track, dismantling the visitors in a dramatic
first half as easily as City did to Birmingham in their last
outing nine days ago when they cantered to a 4-1 win.
The Latics, though, did it the hard way as they went a goal
down with just 115 seconds gone on the clock as City
continued where they left off against Steve Bruce's
relegation strugglers.
They made it look easy as David Sommeil collected a short
throw from Trevor Sinclair before curling a cross to the far
post where Antoine Sibierski out jumped Pascal Chimbonda to
power a downward header past Mike Pollitt for his second
goal in successive matches.
But unlike Birmingham, this Wigan side are not low on
confidence and know how to hit back, doing so in emphatic
fashion via a combination of skill, power, passion and hard
work.
They served notice of their intent three times in a matter
of minutes after going behind, with Jimmy Bullard initially
forcing David James into a fumbled full-stretch save.
Henri Camara then drove wide after being teed up by captain
Arjan de Zeeuw before an angled shot on the turn he dragged
wide of the right-hand post.
They eventually made their breakthrough in the 11th minute
thanks to a significant helping hand from City skipper
Sylvain Distin.
The French centre-back made a hash of clearing a through
ball from Gary Teale after he had received a long throw from
Pollitt.
That allowed Jason Roberts to run into the area and beat
James with a 15-yard right-foot shot in off the post.
Distin could have suffered further woe soon after, but was
lucky not to be penalised for a shove in the back of Roberts
inside the area.
If Wigan were aggrieved, they swiftly took out their
frustration on a City defence continually finding themselves
brutally exposed.
Camara's trickery down the left set up Teale for a cross
into the heart of the area where Lee McCulloch powered home
a header from 12 yards.
City, though, could have been level a minute later as Joey
Barton's pass into Darius Vassell ricocheted off the heel of
the striker and back into the path of his midfield
team-mate.
A delightful lob over Pollitt followed, only for the ball to
bounce back off the left-hand post for Matt Jackson to hack
clear.
After a handball shout against Leighton Baines was turned
away, and Graham Kavanagh bravely blocked a Sommeil shot,
City continued to play suicidal football at the back.
Another raking throw from Pollitt picked out Camara just
inside the Blues half, but after splitting covering
defenders Claudio Reyna and Sommeil with a curled pass into
the path of Teale, the winger was denied by a fine save from
James.
City's relief, however, lasted just six minutes as Wigan
duly added a third on the stroke of half-time.
Camara punted a hopeful ball forward that Ben Thatcher
inadvertently nodded on to Roberts whose strength and power
allowed him to hold off Distin before again coolly slipping
the ball past James for his fourth goal in a week and eighth
of the season.
City came close to pulling one back just over two minutes
after the restart with Sibierski setting up Barton for a
drive superbly saved by Pollitt.
However, the rebound looped off the goalkeeper and back into
the path of Barton for a goal-bound header Chimbonda cleared
off the line.
The midfielder then had a third crack at goal a minute
later, turning Baines inside out before unleashing a
right-foot drive from 20 yards that flashed a yard past the
post.
After Pearce made a double substitution, bringing on Richard
Dunne and Andy Cole - both surprisingly on the bench after
serving one-match bans - for Sommeil and Reyna, City
regained fresh impetus.
Barton [again], Vassell, Sinclair and Cole all went close,
with Pollitt making three excellent saves, before Wigan
seemingly killed the game in the 71st minute.
Camara scored his seventh goal this season after turning
inside Dunne, and that appeared to the end for City.
But they countered via the deserving Barton, cracking home a
stunning volley, and then Cole with just three minutes
remaining.
But their was to be no late reprieve for Pearce who will
surely think again in future about taking time off on
Christmas Day.
Teams
Wigan : Pollitt, Chimbonda, Jackson, De Zeeuw,
Baines, Teale (Taylor 83), Bullard, Kavanagh (Francis 72),
McCulloch, Roberts, Camara (Connolly 85).
Subs Not Used: Filan, Henchoz.
Goals: Roberts 11, McCulloch 23, Roberts 45, Camara 71.
Man City : James, Onuoha, Sommeil (Dunne 66), Distin,
Thatcher, Sinclair, Barton, Reyna (Cole 65), Jihai,
Sibierski, Vassell.
Subs Not Used: De Vlieger, Ireland, Wright-Phillips.
Goals: Sibierski 3, Barton 77, Cole 88.
Att: 25,017 record gate
Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
|
| Manchester City 4 Birmingham 1
Too easy for City
Saturday17th December 2005 : Kerry Petters
for Get Your Kits Out at the COMSTAD
Birmingham's Premiership life-support machine is in serious
danger of being switched off after a simply
shocking defeat to Manchester City. On a crisp Winters
afternoon the Brummies only managed to attract 321 more fans
than their previous record low Premier attendance at
the COMSTAD last season and on this display it is not
difficult to see why.
Only keeper Nico Vaesen and late substitute Jiri Jarosik
could leave Eastlands with their reputations intact as Steve
Bruce's side slumped so badly the final scoreline flattered
them.
With Emile Heskey initially named on the bench but
eventually ruled out altogether after attending the birth of
his child earlier in the day, Bruce could only watch on in
despair as Birmingham collapsed.
The horror show was made worse by the sight of David Dunn
snapping angrily at his manager after his first-half
substitution.
David Sommeil opened City's account after just 42 seconds
and both Joey Barton and the excellent Antoine Sibierski
netted before the break (pictured above right).
Twenty-year-old Bradley Wright-Phillips piled the pressure
on Bruce when he drove home a volley midway through the
second period.
And, while Jarosik did grab a late consolation, it did
nothing to lighten the mood in the visiting camp, whose
misery was compounded when Vaesen was dismissed for handling
outside his area, having already been booked for fouling
Darius Vassell to give Barton his penalty.
Having this week described his team's plight as the most
perilous they have faced since winning promotion four
seasons ago, Bruce now knows the situation is even worse
than he could have feared.
To say Birmingham's defending was woeful would be to
overplay their efforts.
They could have been behind a full half a minute before they
were and if the hosts had doubled their tally before referee
Steve Bennett brought the opening period to a merciful
conclusion Bruce could not have complained.
Arguably, Vaesen was Birmingham's most effective performer.
Certainly the saves he produced to deny Vassell and
Sibierski were the only aspects of the first half worth
talking about for the visiting fans stood shivering behind
the goal, the cold chill of relegation shuddering down their
spine.
The thunder in Bruce's face said it all and the choice words
Dunn flung in his direction when he was replaced by Jermaine
Pennant hardly suggested a squad in harmony as they face the
uphill battle that lies ahead.
Dunn's exit nine minutes before the break was Bruce's second
change. The first, which heralded Olivier Tebily's departure
midway through the half, also signalled the end of
Birmingham's five-man defence.
By then though the horse had bolted and disappeared out of
sight, along with the three points, which were safely tucked
in Stuart Pearce's pocket.
It took just 12 seconds for Birmingham to receive their
first warning, when Sibierski won the first of numerous
aerial challenges and nodded the ball on to Vassell.
The former Aston Villa man's pace took him streaking clear
of the Birmingham defence and if Vaesen had not turned away
the striker's low shot, the visitors would have been one
down before even a quarter of the first minute had been
played.
Such as it was, the reprieve did not last long. Thirty
seconds to be exact as Sun Jihai swung the corner onto
Sibierski's head. The ball bounced off Vassell, right into
the path of Sommeil, who lashed home his first goal since
August 2003.
In the minutes which followed Vassell spurned the gift
provided by Nicky Butt's ill-advised attempt to head back to
Vaesen when he lobbed wide, then Sibierski stepped inside
some non-existent tackling to drive against a post.
There was still less than quarter of an hour on the clock
when Trevor Sinclair sent Vassell racing beyond the
Birmingham defence, forcing the rash challenge from Vaesen
which sent the forward flying.
The penalty award could not have been more obvious and
Barton, who missed one at Charlton a fortnight ago, assumed
responsibility and made amends with something to spare.
Vaesen was called upon again to deny Sibierski before Dunn's
ill-tempered departure. Given the way the Frenchman, who won
the battle with Robbie Fowler to replace the suspended Andy
Cole, had dominated in the air, it was something of a
surprise to see Walter Pandiani marking him as Sun swung
over another corner six minutes before the break.
It was rather less of a shock that Sibierski won the header
and planted the ball into Birmingham's net.
The visitors did improve marginally after the interval,
although anything else was virtually impossible.
It was still all Manchester City though and Vassell, Barton
and Sinclair all had chances before Bradley Wright-Phillips,
who replaced Vassell midway through the half, volleyed home
a fourth after Sibierski had won yet another header.
Jarosik replied to that effort but somehow, Vaesen's
injury-time dismissal summed up Birmingham's dreadful day.
Teams:
Man City James, Sommeil, Onuoha, Distin, Thatcher, Sinclair,
Barton, Reyna (Fowler 71), Jihai, Sibierski (Ireland 84),
Vassell (Wright-Phillips 68).
Subs Not Used: Croft, Jordan.
Booked: Sinclair, Jihai.
Goals: Sommeil 1, Barton 15 pen, Sibierski 40,
Wright-Phillips 70.
Birmingham Vaesen, Tebily (Forssell 23), Upson, Cunningham,
Painter, Johnson, Butt, Clemence, Clapham, Pandiani (Jarosik
73), Dunn (Pennant 35).
Subs Not Used: Maik Taylor, Heskey.
Sent Off: Vaesen (90).
Booked: Vaesen, Clemence.
Goals: Jarosik 76.
Att: 41,343
Ref: S Bennett (Kent).
|
| West Brom 2 Manchester City 0
Old City show up again
Saturday 10th December 2005 Brian Webb for
Get Your Kits Out
 West
Brom's Barclays Premiership revival continued at The
Hawthorns with victory in a fractious contest with
Manchester City which saw Andy Cole sent off four minutes
from full-time.
Given the physical nature of some of the challenges that had
gone before, particularly Ben Thatcher's forearm-first
challenge on Baggies goals corer Diomansy Kamara, Cole could
feel aggrieved at being the man to have his afternoon ended
early.
But, after fouling Martin Albrechtsen, Cole was then judged
by referee Mike Dean to have led with his elbow as he jumped
with Kamara and was promptly dismissed.
By then the game was over for City anyway. Kevin Campbell
had followed up Kamara's first Premiership strike of the
campaign by nodding Paul Robinson's cross into the top
corner, extending the Baggies' unbeaten league run to four
matches.
After his side had belted five past Charlton last weekend,
City boss Stuart Pearce must have been dreadfully
disappointed at the sluggish start they made to this
encounter.
The visitors had already been given one early warning when
David James needed to make a smart save at the near post to
deny Kamara. The lessons were clearly not heeded though West
Brom took the lead on their next attack.
Thatcher endured a miserable first half-hour and the low
point was undoubtedly when Kamara latched onto Junichi
Inamoto's crossfield pass and chipped the ball into open
space beyond the full-back.
The move caught Thatcher completely flat-footed and Kamara
simply sped past before driving an excellent shot into the
corner beyond James' grasp.
Thatcher's life did not get any easier as he continued to be
terrorised by Kamara. The Senegalese star was only denied a
second by a smart piece of reaction keeping by James, who
flew out to palm the ball away from danger after Richard
Dunne had been exposed.
Nathan Ellington also drove a snap-shot over after Kamara
and Kanu had combined, although it proved to be the only
action worthy of note for the striker, who limped off eight
minutes before the break.
By that time, Thatcher's forearm had made an imprint on
Kamara's chin in a ferocious touchline clash. Referee Dean
could not have seen the incident properly as he waved play
on but Baggies boss Bryan Robson was not too impressed - and
more importantly, neither was Kamara, who gave Thatcher a
wide berth for the rest of the half.
With Ronnie Wallwork also testing James' reflexes, the
goalmouth action was almost exclusively centred around the
City area.
Joey Barton did his best to instil some life into the
visitors but other than a mis-hit Trevor Sinclair volley and
a Barton shot Tomasz Kuszczak gathered at the first attempt,
they posed no threat.
It must have been a bitter-sweet opening 45 minutes for
Kuszczak. Preferred to fit-again England man Chris Kirkland,
the Pole must have wanted more opportunity to impress while
at the same time happy to be part of a side so much on top.
All that nearly changed not long after the re-start, though,
when Inamoto was caught in possession close to his own box.
Sinclair's shot took a couple of deflections before rolling
nicely into Cole's path. The former England man had time to
take aim with his angled drive but blazed his shot wide when
much better was expected.
It was the last opportunity City would have before the
Baggies extended their lead, although the hosts' second did
not arrive until the hour mark.
As it turned out, the goal came immediately after Pearce had
introduced Stephen Ireland for David Sommeil, a move which
saw Sun Jihai switched to the right-back role.
The China international was still attempting to adjust to
his new surroundings when Robinson sprinted to the by-line
and cut an excellent cross back which invited Campbell's
firm header into the top corner.
After enjoying such an encouraging season so far, City slid
to defeat in a disappointingly meek fashion.
Barton did get involved in one touchline fracas with
Wallwork, who was then accused of elbowing Ireland in an
aerial duel. Dunne was booked, as was Cole before the
veteran striker quickly saw red.
But as far as positive football was concerned, Pearce's side
produced nothing.
Teams
West Brom : Kuszczak, Watson (Albrechtsen 60), Curtis
Davies, Clement, Robinson, Greening, Kamara (Carter 90),
Inamoto, Wallwork, Kanu, Ellington (Campbell 38).
Subs Not Used: Kirkland, Earnshaw.
Booked: Wallwork.
Goals: Kamara 5, Campbell 61.
Man City : James, Sommeil (Ireland 60), Distin,
Dunne, Thatcher (Wright-Phillips 87), Sinclair, Barton,
Reyna (Croft 69), Jihai, Cole, Vassell.
Subs Not Used: De Vlieger, Sibierski.
Sent Off: Cole (87).
Booked: Thatcher, Barton, Dunne, Cole.
Att: 25,472
Ref: M Dean (Wirral).
|
Charlton 2 Man City 5
Battered Adicks
Sunday 4th December 2005 : Simon Tague at the
Valley for Get Your Kits Out
 Andy
Cole and Darius Vassell finished with a flourish to condemn Charlton
to their sixth consecutive defeat in a hectic contest at The Valley
which finished with the London side jeered off the field.
Charlton were taken apart by a formidable show of counter-attacking
and were lucky to be only 2-1 behind at the break.
And when, after conceding a penalty in the 68th minute, they pulled
another one back through substitute Jay Bothroyd, it looked like
they might extract at least a point from the game.
But Cole set up Vassell with his sixth of the season 11 minutes from
the end and added the fifth himself - his second of the match and
seventh of the season - to leave the home crowd up in arms and the
travelling City fans calling for six.
City's first goal had been coming almost since the kick-off but it
did not arrive until the 26th minute - veteran Cole's sixth of the
season.
Vassell did the early donkey-work, bewildering two Charlton
defenders with his footwork before letting the ball run to Cole who
made no mistake with a cool flick that took it past Kiely and into
the far corner.
Charlton should have equalised five minutes later when, after great
work by Danny Murphy and Matt Holland,
Bent knocked the ball down for Darren Ambrose who blazed it over the
bar from 12 yards with only James to beat.
At least it stirred up the home side, after an abysmal start in
which Kiely - finally getting his first Premiership start of the
season after a Carling Cup comeback in midweek - and from a corner
Hermann Hreidarsson got his head to the ball and was not far off
target.
Then City's defenders left the clearance of a long ball by Luke
Young to each other as Bent swept in and put away the chance for a
36th-minute equaliser but barely had Charlton's celebrations died
down when Cole picked the perfect pass to put in Trevor Sinclair
(pictured right) to squeeze home a scoring shot.
Earlier, Kiely had saved bravely at the feet of Vassell who raced
clean through from a suspiciously offside position, having already
kept out Sinclair's low, angled drive.
Hreidarsson cleared off the line when Sun Jihai, presented with the
ball by Young's poor clearance, lobbed over the keeper.
Charlton, who had lost all five games since knocking Chelsea out of
the Carling Cup on penalties in late October, took an age to get
their game in gear against a City side with Danny Mills missing
after it was discovered he had been playing for several weeks with a
slight fracture but with United States international Claudio Reyna
and Sinclair back in action after long injury lay-offs.
However, the London side's lack of belief returned after Sinclair's
strike and they were fortunate to scramble away a solo raid by City
full back David Sommeil who played with a mask-type bandage over his
right cheekbone that he fractured a few weeks ago.
Charlton tried two early substitutes in the second half, Jerome
Thomas and Bothroyd, but went further behind when Hermann
Hreidarsson was judged to have pulled Vassell's jersey and Joey
Barton netted his spot-kick at the second attempt after Kiely
blocked his initial effort.
When Bothroyd banged in at the other end with a shot that David
James got a hand on but could not stop, there still seemed something
in the match for the ragged Londoners but they were caught napping
in the last 11 minutes when Cole set up strike partner Vassell to
glide around Kiely and tap into an empty net.
And it was all over on 86 minutes when Cole pounced on a long ball
by Barton that Perry could not cope with and slipped it effortlessly
home.
Teams:
Charlton (1) 2 Man City (2) 5
Charlton : Kiely, Young, Perry,
Hreidarsson, Spector, Johansson (Bothroyd 53), Smertin, Murphy,
Holland (Thomas 45), Ambrose (Hughes 81), Bent.
Subs Not Used: Powell, Myhre.
Booked: Perry, Young.
Goals: Bent 36, Bothroyd 73.
Man City : James, Sommeil, Dunne,
Distin, Thatcher, Sinclair (Croft 86), Barton, Reyna (Ireland 86),
Jihai, Vassell, Cole (Wright-Phillips 86).
Subs Not Used: Sibierski, De Vlieger.
Booked: Jihai, Reyna, Dunne.
Goals: Cole 25, Sinclair 37, Barton 69, Vassell 79, Cole 84.
Att: 25,289
Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
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