Toon Army sent to Coventry.

Posted on December 8th, 2009 | 59 Comments |

Coventry's Mascot: Micky Quinn?
Coventry's Mascot: Micky Quinn?
Flying high at the top of the table, 10 points clear of a play off place, Newcastle United face Coventry City on Wednesday evening aiming to extend their winning run to 7 games on the trot.

The Sky Blues, currently languishing in 20th position just above the relegation zone, will not be looking forward to facing an in form Newcastle United, especially as City have picked up only 4 points since beating Watford in late September. Matters will hardly have been helped after manager Chris Coleman slammed his side as ‘selfish’ following their defeat at Scunthorpe last weekend. Hoping to see a reaction from the players it may only demoralise them further.

If Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday have positive results this evening, the Sky Blues will have slid into the relegation zone come kick-off time at the Ricoh Arena. So it seems that nearly two years into his time at the club, Coventry are in the same position as when Coleman took over. He claims to have significantly improved the squad but at the moment the results aren’t playing out for them. To their credit, although the fans aren’t happy, they don’t seem to be calling for his head, having had their fill of watching the managerial merry go round over the years.

A big game could be just what is needed to kick-start an upturn in form for the Sky Blues. Alternatively they may continue their poor form then this game should be there for the taking for Newcastle. Westwood and Best have apparently been their best performers this season along with Clingan and Marcus Hall, so they should be the ones to watch at the 32,000 capacity Ricoh arena.

City moved in 2004 from their old ground Highfield Road to the new multi purpose arena which serves as a Sport and entertainment venue. I remember nearly visiting there for the first time a couple of years ago to watch Bon Jovi in concert before getting tickets for Twickenham instead, so I still haven’t been there. Apparently it is a cash less stadium with stuff such as pies/pints being bought on smartcards. Not sure if this same system applies to visiting fans so may be someone in the know could clarify?

The Toon have been allocated 5000 tickets by Coventry City who will hope to see their average gates of 18-20,000 boosted by the hordes following the league leaders. With 6000 travelling to Barnsley this Saturday, most teams, including the majority in the Premiership can only dream of that level of support.

After Andy Carroll’s shenanigan’s down the Bigg Market last weekend (what was he thinking hanging around there?) he will be included in the travelling squad, although Nolan has to sit this one out having received a red card on Saturday.

So the team could line up as follows: Harper, Simpson, Taylor, Colo, Enrique, Taylor, Guthrie, Smith, Jonas, Harewood, Lovenkrands.

Hopefully we will see more of Pancrate following his great goal last Saturday,especially as the Coventry defence have leaked 29 goals this season. Butt is also available for selection. Harewood will probably play although not long now before he’s packing his bags back to Villa.

I’m going for a 2-0 win to Newcastle, but if Coventry capitulate and Newcastle go for it, the winning margin could be much greater.

Howay the lads.

Toonsy’s away fan’s guide to Coventry.

NUFCBlog Author: geordie deb geordie deb has written 38 articles on this blog.

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59 Responses

  4. Check out this loser…

    but get your wedge oot for charity…

    http://www.guessthegift.co.uk/

    Have a go and you could be a winner. Donate something to NSPCC and you get a few more guesses.

    Come on think of those poor kids at Christmas.

    (I’ve been advised that anything vulgar will just get automatically rejected by wor fancy software, so make it a decent attempt because it’s for real – as is the donation to the charity).

  5. Carrol  needs to play with the reserves for awhile to learn a lesson.  with shola back, we now have that luxary.

    Regardless, either another striker must be brought in for January or Harewood stays.  any ideas idea on possible loans form the Prem?  

  6. Good morning all form New York City!
    I have just finished my breakfast in  cafe on Broadway called STARDUSTS!
    I just cannot get away from him!
     
    Great result on Sat.  Yet another poor performance though by all accounts.
    We could beat Derby’s record of the worst ever PL points tally if we go up.
     

  7. Would like to see pancrate start the game and move guthrie inside alongside smith – doubt Hughton will feel the same tho and we’re likely to have a 5 man holding midfield in a 4-5-1 formation especially with Nolan out

  8. agreed Carroll should spend some time in reserves to sort his heed out – would rather see Ranger play alongside mclovin anyway

  9. It wont be as easy as people are making it sound. West Brom and Boro couldn’t manage a win at the Ricoh. Anyone else remember that we needed extra time to beat them there last season? And that was with better players!

  10. Toonsey “better Players” what like Owen. Joking aside your right I was there that night and we really struggled with there long throw in which if memory serves me was the cause of both there goals. not bothered about the score as long as its a win for us. 3 points is the only thing that counts at the minute, I can handle watching some of the dross that has been served up this season as long as there are three points to go along with it (something that lead to SA demise LOSING rubbish football).

  13. I agree with those who feel Carroll should be out of the mix for the first team. I may not be his biggest fan, but I hope he sorts himself out because if this incident. Andy-I know you’re still young, but use your head son.

  14. I am sure Hughton will keep the same team that started on Saturday with Butt replacing Nolan.

    With regards to Carroll, I suggest we wait until the outcome of the police investigation before sitting in judgement.

    If we are looking for loan players in Jan I have just heard that Wenger is prepared to allow young Wilshire out on loan to the right club!!!  Hughton you should be enquiring at Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd to see who they they are prepared to loan out.

    Or as I have mentioned before either Lloyd Sam or Lallana have impressed me.

  15. Wilshire says he will only go to a premier league club and, to be honest, what we need in this league is strong, powerful, grafters, whilst Wilshire is very much a classy player, I fear he could be a bit lightweight.

  16. I agree Andy.  strong workers are what’s needed at this level.  If promoted we will need to add the class to the squad, partiuclaly up front and in midfield. 

  17. i think we need to know the facts befor we start putting carroll down lets be honest players are targets for some idiotic fools on nights out then again i can remmber 1 night down the quayside when keegan was boss first time round a young lee clark acting like a right to**er in julies doing his loads a money act with a wad darren peacock gave him a right rollicking

  18. AndyNUFC says:
    December 8, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    “Wilshire says he will only go to a premier league club and, to be honest, what we need in this league is strong, powerful, grafters, whilst Wilshire is very much a classy player.”

    I’ve never understood all this meaningless football cliche stuff. Why can’t a “classy” player also be a grafter? Cruyff was the classiest player ever, yet he was also one the most hardworking, the same is true of most other great players.

  20. True very true workyticket but maybe by breaking with tradition we might actualy get someware just carn’t believe some fans turning on carroll he’s one of us and at the end of the day he still a bairn and we dont know the facts lets be honest the bigg market is full of idiots on a weekend

  22. To be fair, Jack Wilshire isn’t Johann Cruyff…

    He’s a small, skinny 17 year old, with a lot of footballing talent. In a respectful, he’s not the type of player we need. When our arguably best player is Nolan with the most goals and we’re top of the league, it kind of goes to show. I’d rather a replacement left back on loan first and foremost, maybe Bale or Traore, or Shorey?

    Not saying you can’t have classy, talented players in this league, just that first and foremost a physical presence and hard work shines brighter in players in the league than say a midfield maestro at passing.

  23. Barton12. He’s one of us, aye that’s true, but I only use that when admiring the fact local talent is doing well in our team, not in defence of his mistakes.

    I don’t think fans are turning on him, but he’s been cautioned for a physical altercation last year with a woman out on the town and yet again, in the town in a bad place, half 1 in the morning with alcohol involved. 1 time you could put it down to wrong place, wrong time, bad luck (at a push), but twice and you should be clever enough to avoid the situation.

    He’s 21 so hardly a bairn or not ‘streetwise’ enough and should know better, although I can see how the younger player in today’s game with so much money and glamour involved can get sucked into a dangerous scene.

  24. Geordie Deb as usual another good blog, But I did have to check the title again, as I thought after reading the posts that it was, Carroll sent to Coventry lol.

  26. Jay Jay to be fair though it is a problem we are eventually going to have to resolve, as if we have any hopes to stay in the Premiership next year and Enrique was to get injured then I don’t think we could rely on Kadar over a lot of games.

  27. kadar or tozer can cover left back and andynufc when i was 21 i thought i new it all but i look back now and relise i was an imature p**ck or so to speak a bairn

  28. the only way to find if kadar can cut it is to give him a chance and a run in the team the one good thing about the summer cull of players is that a number of youngsters have been given a chance at first team level ranger,kadar,tozer,donaldson,vuckic,lua-lua and even krul there is some talent there and the only way they will progress is with games

  29. AndyNUFC, I agree mate but i think we should only bring in players if we are going to lose players. One season at a time, we cant really buy players with next season in mind as quality players wont come to a championship side, so the only players available to buy wont be good enough for the prem. I would be happy to see out the season with this squad, with harewood and simpson staying till the end hopefully. Then next season we should be able to attract a better calibre of player to keep us there.

  30. i dont think we are going to lose anyone this window cashley made the cuts that were needed in the summer mind you i would be very happy to get barton off the books give him to portsmouth for nowt

  32. nah barton his performances this season befor his injury were pathetic and i mean pathetic he is a player who should have been the best in this division and he got a payrise in the summer i mean 80k a week give him a free

  33. when gazza left toon and went to spurs there were a few players including lineker who looked after him fathered him so to spoeak . maybe we should learn to see players that look like they need some support and have players who sort of father- figure a youngster , might reduce incidents on the quayside anf bigg market ….
    ktf

  34. Barton hasn’t produced what he is capable of, butt and geremi have nothing to produce. They’re like a couple of blind, weak bladdered sheep dogs chasing a flock they just cant catch any more.

  35. nzedtoonman -terry mac used to do that for the players under keegan and its the job he had at celtic

  36. jay jay i agree with you as sorts butt,geremi legs have gone but they put an effort in barton on the other hand seems not to care or try at all the lads more trouble than he is worth jesus he was dropped to the bench for the wba game for throwing the falklands at colo and jonas the lads a timebomb and the last bad seed on the playing side at the club

  37. liverpool were very good at it in the shankly days , after all some of these kids are just out of school , and they spend all their days training to be footballers they forget they also need social skills to be normal people outside of their football bubble .Their fathers cant necessarily give these skills , their team is the family now so to speak , and they should close ranks and fully support the kid before he goes off the rails too far !!

  38. Just got off the phone with me dad and apparently I actually know the lad Carroll’s hit! Haha, well he tells me some lass has swilled him and he’s swilled her back and Carroll’s stepped in. Not surprised if it is the lad like. Bottom line though still is that Carroll’s supposed to be injured and getting into fights over in the bigg market at half 1 when he should be trying to get fit and back into the team doesn’t say much for him.

  40. carroll is a young lad a bairn at 21 he just has’nt got the mental comprahension to see the bigger picture

  41. Sorry barton12 but I don’t agree with that for a second, if we had a stricter manager, stricter club and some better strikers ahead of him I guaruntee he’d think twice about getting into such drunken altercations at those times in the morning.

  42. We can’t allow all players under the age of 25 the ability to do these things becuase of their age, it paints a bad image for the club.

  43. that has nothing to do with it andy mate he has’nt had the exsperence of life to be a fully mature rounded person he is only 21 its got nothing to do with chris the club or us hopefully becoming a parent lately himself will do the trick

  44. and as for painting a bad image of the club bit late for that remmber we got the cockney muppett show running things

  45. I still say Carroll looks like if he didn’t make it as a footballer he would be holed up in a tower block on benefits. He does look like a scally lol :D

  46. barton12 says:
    December 8, 2009 at 7:02 pm
    and as for painting a bad image of the club bit late for that remmber we got the cockney muppett show running things.

    ———————————————-

    True, but we could do without anymore antics, especially from our players.

  47. our team is too big inside the city , so if you go out you get noticed by all and saundry straightaway. unlike manchester or london where there are other teams , so you can hide yourself a little …its the newcastle goldfish bowl ……

  49. Geordie Deb ,

     the crucial thing is our nil sheets against , helped by a defence and harpers splendid saves , now I will accept a NIL against , again tomorrow .
     its just what we can muster up front with an everchanging midfield and attack … shame nolans not playing ,

    but will be interesting to see who takes on the key midfield role to general the middle of the park………..

  50. nzedtoonman – The key thing about tomorrow is making sure we deal with them Gunarsson long throws.

  51. we will get the 3pts tomorrow no disrespect to coventry but we are on a differnt level to them and this season the lads performances have given me the confidance to trust them to get a result and to be honest its been a few seasons since i have had that

  54. Interesting comments tonight.
    I am a big Carroll fan so i am biased in my opinion. Disappointed that he even put himself in the ridiculous position.
    Keep him in the squad but no starting place which surely would have been a certainty but for his indiscetion.
    Sadly this means Harewood gets another start as CH does not favour Ranger and Goala lacks match fitness.
    Papers reporting Butt to replace Nolan. Surely no way. Taylor or Pancake before the old man.

    two signings for january Tom Cleaverley and Ben Watson
    Both prem league players out at loan in championship.
    Cannot see Guthrie and Nolan despite his sterling efforts this season being good enough in premier league. They weren’t last season