Queen’s second album and in my opinion their most progressive and certainly the best, the eponymous Queen II, didn’t have a side one and a side two. It had side white and side black instead, possibly for artistic reasons or more likely gimmickry. It was the 1970s after all.
I very much doubt Emi Buendia has ever heard Queen II but he certainly did his utmost to parallel that light and shade concept on a surprisingly dry and almost clement evening at the Britannia on Tuesday.
He was absolutely superb in the first half, scoring our first and gaining an assist for Teemu Pukki’s second. Despite losing Tim Krul with what surely was a muscle pull to his thigh, we re-emerged after the break and notched what proved to be a decisive and very necessary third when a suspiciously offside Pukki rounded Stoke keeper Josef Bursik with the aid of a bit of a rebound and struck home off what seemed to be his shin.
3-0 up away to Stoke and cruising – what more could we want?
Well, our very own Argentine firecracker managed to change the balance of the match single-handedly. Harshly booked for a 50/50 he followed this up with a high boot towards Stoke’s Nick Powell to see another yellow and the inevitable red.
It can’t have been deliberate as I doubt he knew Powell was that close to him but it’s the letter of the law and technically he had to go.
That’s what you get with Emi of course. Sublime invention coupled with the occasional moment where he’s left his thinking head in the dressing room.
How much should we hit out at him for being reckless? Not very much I would suggest as the good far outweighs the bad. Apparently, the first thing he did after the game was to apologise to Daniel Farke and the entire squad for his sending off, so I at least think he should be cut a bit of slack.
Did the game then turn on a sixpence? Yes, it certainly did. The final 20 minutes were a time for heroes and we had them a-plenty despite conceding a brace of headed goals that faithful reserve keeper Michael McGovern stood no chance with.
It could have been a lot worse if referee Geoff Eltringham hadn’t chosen to rule out a bundled Stoke equaliser from Lee Gregory for a foul on McGovern.
Over to Ben Gibson.
“We can take a lot from it. We showed a lot of character.
“I would imagine that people look at us as a bit of a soft touch. They probably think ‘we can get about them’ and they want to put us off our stride. They want to kick us, leave it on our creative boys and to a man we stood up to that challenge tonight.
“You saw the size of the lads they had on at the end, it was Land of the Giants. We’ve conceded two, which we’re disappointed with, but we stood up to it and found a way to win the football match, ultimately that is what matters when you come to a place like this.”
I think that says a lot about us currently that we couldn’t have anticipated at the beginning of the season.
It’s hard to pick out anybody’s specific performances from that match and obviously Pukki and Buendia will get many of the plaudits but I was particularly impressed with the contributions of Alex Tettey and Olly Skipp, who made so many interventions during the game of attack versus defence that developed in the final third of the match.
Jacob Sorensen should be added to that roll of honour as well – I thought he was immense and had his best game in a City shirt so far. And also Josh Martin, who showed some lovely touches on his full senior debut. Looks like he’s here to stay.
The injury list is becoming farcical and quite who we will field against Coventry I simply do not know. What makes it worse is that it doesn’t look like anybody is coming back soon and Tim Krul will be a massive miss. I’m even wondering if we might take a look at getting the free agent that is Lee Camp in on a short term – he’s been here before after all and didn’t perform too badly for us.
McGovern’s obvious inability to join in with the play out from the back party as supervised by Krul will be problematic but that’s for Farke to sort out.
Most of us know the names of the Academy lads while knowing very little about them. I think we’re about to be educated. Please Daniel, cut out this two keepers on the bench lark. Young Barden will be an essential presence, but no further keeper, ta.
All the things we have been accused of regarding possessing a soft centre were put to bed in that game. And oh the irony of having three fit centre-backs when some positions currently have no cover at all.
It’s a bit cheeky to dedicate this to our Emi, but for those of you [probably most of you] unfamiliar with Queen II, have a listen.
Crikey Mr P – that was a VERY nervy last 25 minutes or so!! I’m sure most fans would have been happy with 2 points from our last two games, so to get a maximum haul is very pleasing,
Thanks for the text of Gibson’s speech and hats off to SW/DF for persuading him to come to NR1.
If we needed any confirmation that Pukki is back to his best, then he demonstrated that with aplomb against the Potters on Tuesday. His assistant was also back to his best and his pass for the 2nd goal was practically inch-perfect. Buendia’s red card was a little unlucky, but his MotM performance up to that point means that most NCFC fans are willing to forgive him.
Another highlight from the game at Stoke was the skill and nerveless display of Josh Martin (another ‘JM’ playing for NCFC!!). It will be interesting to watch his progress in years to come, along with that of both Idah and Mumba. Could turn out to be 3 FANTASTIC signings.
SW really has given DF the ‘armoury’ to mount a serious challenge on achieving promotion, but the increasing number of injuries with quite a few being long term are threatening to derail the challenge. Added to that is the fact that teams will work extra hard to beat us as one of the relegated teams and if we can maintain close to the 2 points per game average up until Matron has more empty beds, then the 2nd half of the season could be VERY exciting.
Obviously losing Krul is a major blow and you can bet that managers of the teams we’ll play until our No 1 returns will be telling their players to test McGovern from distance every chance they get. Thankfully, our CB pairing is functioning much better this season and I’ve seen some comments that Gibson is an improvement over Godfrey – time will tell.
The goalless draw at Ashton Gate last night was an added bonus and we are now 3 points clear of third with a better goal difference.
We should know later how many fans will be allowed back into the Carra and it MAY happen in time for the visit of the Owls and welcoming Mr Pullis to the away dugout. I’ll certainly be applying for a ticket to one of the upcoming games!! 😀
A good read for an icy Thursday morning, thanks Martin. Nice piece about Emi. I agree that his high foot was not deliberate and the first booking was soft. The Queen reference is so right, I had forgotten about the naming of the two sides.
Saw yesterday that Maradonna has died. I think Emi has some of his physical attributes and similar skills although not so polished. My youngest son’s partner’s parents live in Dubai. One of their daughters played football in Dubai. The team included Maradonna’s girl friend. He coached the team. My son met him on a visit to Dubai. Apparently he was an affable guy and was happy to talk about his hand of god goal.
The injuries are throwing up opportunities for some of our young players. Let’s hope there is another crop of Aarons, Lewis, Godfrey, Buendia and Cantwell in the wings waiting for their chance to shine.
The current side is different to the Championship winning side but is it better? A debate for another day. They are as good at getting results, at least so far this season.
OTBC
Hi Colin
It’s very frosty in the City but el sol has broken through and it’s not so bad now – unlike our never-ending injury list.
I agree with you in your comparison of Emi with Maradona. Both Argentine, both low centre of gravity [okay, not so tall but quite stocky] and similar in style to a large degree. It’s so hard to criticise those you love. That must have been quite something for your son.
There are noticeable differences between the current crop and the class of 2018-19 but as you say that’s a debate for another day – probably at the end of the season!
As for Queen I loved the first four albums but never bought another one afterwards. I wasn’t being patronising when I suggested few of us would have heard it – it simply didn’t sell that well and had just the one top ten single on it – Seven Seas of Rhye.
I just hope The Loser in the End doesn’t refer to us come May the month, not Brian 🙂
Cheers
Morning Ed
Of course we must all be delighted with six points from Boro and Stoke – I know I am!
But the injury situation is beyond not good. It’s horrendous.
Actually I’ve watched the chalked off Stoke goal back a few times now and I still can’t see anything wrong with it!
You’re right that the oppo will target McGovern, but I guess teams are supposed to do just that: eg target the keeper. Of all the injuries I wish I could negate it would be Tim Krul. He’s calming, commanding and so influential. Please don’t let him be out for too long.
However Sorensen is getting better by the game so maybe opposition right siders might target him a little less than they have been doing – Stoke got very little change out of him.
Funnily enough number one son’s name is Josh Martin [Penney]. And then there’s Chris Martin and Russell Martin too of course.
Thanks as always
Targeting McGovern by shooting from distance is no big deal, as he’s always been a good shot stopper. It’s more his lack of height when dealing with crosses in a heavily congested six yard box at corners that’s a concern. Zimmerman was caught out with the first one, and McGovern had no chance. Their “third goal” I felt was rightly disallowed, as their player was backing in to McGovern, and preventing him from getting to the ball.
I think the reason for two keepers on the bench was a) Krul had had a twinge in that leg prior to the game, and b) Farke is getting so short of players that he wanted to make the numbers up. Even then, we only had eight subs instead of the permitted nine.
Hi Jim
Yeah as I’ve said to Ed [above] Krul will be a huge miss in so many ways.
As for Stoke’s phantom equaliser I take on board how you see it, but surely Gregory was effectively sandwiched by McGovern and a.n. other [can’t recall who]. I’m glad it never went to VAR anway!
I can only imagine that Farke would want today and tomorrow to give the likes of Dickson-Peters and Bizet a couple of days training with what’s left of the first team squad and make a decision from there.
Coventry will feel they have a chance and we must be well aware of that.
Cheers
Great as always Mr. P.
2 points from me:-
1. I thought Buendia’s initial yellow card was very, very harsh. He went in (admittedly strongly) to win the ball, while the Stoke player was studs up to him…if anything, surely a yellow to the other guy and a free kick to us??
2. Has Krul been carrying some little niggle for a while, and that’s why we’ve named 2 ‘keepers on the bench….and the niggle has now bitten big time?
Apart from that, I wonder how many City fans really thought that we’d get 6 points from those last 2 games? Certainly not this one!
O T B C
Hi John
That’s a very good point about *the keepers on the bench” – sounds like the title of a never published JD Salinger novel to me 🙂
Seriously, yes it’s a possibility and one I’d never thought of before.
The trouble is that there’s no time to look back in this league and Saturday’s teamsheet will be interesting in extremis.
Cheers
Totally agree with the Emi sending off. Such a poor decision. He was the one fouled in the first challenge. Watched it back plenty of times. Pukki was clearly onside for his second. Again a freeze frame proves that and yes the Stoke ‘3rd goal’ should never have been disallowed but it slightly smacked of how the ref had single handedly changed the game by sending Emi off and tried to make amends. All poor key decisions imo.
Hi Greg
You make some good points there.
With Emi the first yellow was well dodgy but the letter of the law dictates that the high boot had to merit the second. Ref Eltringham stuffed up on the first offence rather than the second to my mind.
I haven’t frozen the Pukki image myself but my first reaction in realtime was *here cometh the flag*. Sometimes it’s lovely to be wrong.
Thanks – good comment.
The injury situation needs some investigation there has to be a flaw in the training regime I think. Otherwise Martin looks 100% more effective than Placheta and individual comparisons of Godfrey v Gibson are irrelevant really as with two big typical English centre halves we look much more solid.
Hi Cyprus
Rumours of over-training just aren’t going away, are they? But as I’ve said several times previously I’m not privy to what goes on at Colney so can’t substantiate said rumours.
If Grant Hanley’s English, would you care to tell him that to his face? I wouldn’t 🙂
Thanks
I thought exactly the same as you re Mr Hanley Martin …
Ha!
I would imagine telling Malky he was English would also carry a high risk of a potentially violent response. Gary Holt and Flecky wouldn’t have appreciated the soubriquet much either!
Cheers
Whoops! Two big central defenders anyway.
Sorry – we couldn’t resist it 🙂
What a Night At The Opera that was. I think it’s the first time since March that I have had that horrible feeling of adrenaline and nausea for the last 15 minutes-I felt close to a Sheer Heart Attack.
I think the consistency of performance has been excellent in this unbeaten run. I can’t remember the last time that I thought a City player had a bad game. Like you, I wonder what kind of team we’re going to cobble together for the next few games, but DF seems to be able to bring players into the side seamlessly.
This is, uniquely, going to be a short, tough season. Hopefully we’re getting all our injuries out of the way in the first half of it. The density of the fixture list suggests to me that no team will escape an injury pile up at some time.
The way we are going, there’s a strong chance that come May, we’ll be able to enjoy our own Day At The Races.
Hi Don
Yes we’re doing a good job of keeping ourselves alive right in this moment, and Josh Martin is making a fair old stab at announcing *now I’m here*.
The injury list makes us look like death on two legs just now but hopefully the medical team can work a kind of magic, although they are certainly under pressure.
There are injury pile-ups and our unique injury pile-up of course. I’d be a liar if I suggested otherwise, of course.
If we can somehow keep going through this patch, maybe we might yet be singing *we are the champions* in May.
That’s enough Queen puns for one day 🙂
Cheers
I was just going for albums. Glad to see neither of us resorted to Innuendo to get our message across!
Don’t gimme that ole Jazz – possibly their worst ever 🙂
The injury scenario is interesting. I often hear the old ” it wasn’t like that in my day, playing Saturday / Tuesday every week – not a problem “. The game has changed dramatically and fitness is a big thing, you can no long compete successfully in the modern game unless you are at the peak of the required fitness level. When your body is pushed to its limit so the risk of injury increases and that is where the game has gone, not just at Norwich. Easing up on training would surely mean that players are off the pace and the ability to perform would suffer, it’s a catch 22 situation. We are fortunate to have a large squad and despite all the injuries I’m convinced that when players have been performing it has been the fitness levels that have helped to carry us to where we are now. Finally, and despite the fact we have no VAR ( thank god ) there is a strong case to back up the referee on his decision making. Emi bookings unlucky, but correct. Stoke disallowed goal, unlucky but technically correct, Stoke player backing in and Pukki’s second goal, suspiciously offside, very close but wasn’t offside. Great performance and now the challenge against some supposedly weaker teams begin ( yeah – right ) with an ever growing injury list begins !
Hi Tim – great stuff I agree with.
I can vividly remember playing on a Sunday morning and occasionally in the same afternoon as well for our works team the Press Gang and hardly being able to crawl out of bed to drive to the office on a Monday, and a few of the other lads felt exactly the same way.
It’s chalk & cheese compared to the modern professional game. Let’s face it we weren’t highly skilled athletes, we basically played for fun and our *compulsory* Tuesday night training was what would now be referred to as a belated warmdown.
Catch-22 it is indeed.
Thanks a lot.
Hi Martin.
Well the moans and groans will be out today London and LIVARPOOL are tier 2 Manchester, Kent and Blackpool tier 3 no mention of Norfolk at present.
Tuesdays game as all have said was a nerve jangling one and let’s hope on the injury front we soon get some good news.
Emi is always an accident about to happen he has all the skills to be one of cities greatest players but as we all know has a suspect Temperament, after his first booking he was trying to hard to make amends and the Stoke players were trying to get him sent off.
Farke knows how Emi reacts to bookings and should have hooked him off and left young Martin’s on but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Over the last few weeks there has been many mentions about city loaning players out that have weakened the squad in the supporters eyes now we will see who was right or wrong.
Will SW look at bring in a back up keeper till January not so sure on that but there are a few freebies available it looks like city have been over reliant on Krul not getting injured so trusted in McGovern.
Fitness is going to be the next big problem Farke said that at the moment with games coming think and fast the international breaks have been the only time to build that up as they have been preparing for the next game all the time, maybe bodies are just over tired and no real recuperation time, leaving Stoke at 10pm and not getting back to Norwich till 12/1am next day would all be about assessment of the game and seeing to players knocks, rest day possibly today travel to Brum tomorrow and game Saturday.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and stay healthy
HI Alex
On the injury *good news* front I don’t see how there can be any – unless Lukas Rupp is fit enough to take over from Tetts on Saturday, but that’s about it from my perception. We’ll find out tomorrow dinner time, of course.
I’d imagine we’re quite relieved to be at home on Saturday – the Riverside and back followed by the Britannia and back within three days is a ball-breaker and that’s for sure. The tortuous drive up the A47, A1 and A19 is bl00dy awful – I think I reached my personal century on doing that one and getting to Stoke is just as bad, luxury coach or not.
These are all factors and Coventry are geographically well placed in terms of travelling but let’s not forget that at least we have 24hrs recovery on them which to my mind gives us today and tomorrow as [hopefully light] training days.
Tomorrow’s DF press conference will be interesting but I wouldn’t hold out much hope of any Lazarus-style recoveries.
Cheers mate
On the A1 fir 2.5 years every 2 weeks up or down working offshore out of Yarmouth came that was as picked up a couple of lads from Pontefract helped with the cost of running an old Triumph 2000.
I will go with 2-0 win V Coventry
Ha!
Last time we spoke about Heralds – but I nearly bought an F-reg 2000 mkI in periwinkle blue for £250 but the lady I worked with made the mistake of lending it to me for the weekend. Returned to sender I’m afraid – the diff. had gone. Be worth a small fortune now in good nick of course.
As for the footballing Sky Blues no prediction from me until I’ve ingested Daniel’s lunchtime injury update tomorrow – luckily I’m not on MFW preview duty tomorrow!
A very good read and some interesting comments Martin.
I must admit to feeling very deflated after the Stoke game. The ever decreasing numbers are a major concern. Surely we are in some danger of actually having to postpone fixtures due to a lack of available players.
The return of just three or four of the missing contingent would make such a huge difference to the picture and allow for a measure of rotation which would keep the likes of Buendia and pukki fit and firing.
Hi Chris
Yes you’re quite right there – I feel the same sense of deflation and I’m sure many others of us do as well.
I’m not sure what the rules are on postponements due to injuries tbh but I cannot imagine any call-offs while we’ve got 11 outfielders including a goalkeeper – doesn’t it sound awful when you put it like that?
The worst aspect of it to me is that nobody looks likely to be back any time soon, with the possible exception of Rupp.
Cheers
Im very surprised if Pukki does not play against Coventry, reason is that there is no other option than play. Striker has possibility to play differently, limiting running and concentrate to attacking. Balance should be anyway found between attacking and defending and its true that Pukki for example has commented after some premier league game to finnish tv that he felt very tired when he got his shooting chance. I can understand that managers want strikers to get involved to defending, but it should not limit too much attacking power.
If Stiepermann got concussion he can be out long time and in worst scenario even his career can be over. Nowadays they thank god check concussions.
Just wondering would Buendia even be mentally ready to play if he would not be banned? Or is he too young?
Hi 1×2
Yes you make some very good points about Pukki and if he’s got a tightening of the hamstring, however slight, I wouldn’t expect him to press quite so intently as he usually does but I very much hope he will start.
The Stoke manager said after the game that Pukki was the best striker in the EFL and even now I would like to see what he could do in a decent PL side
I sincerely hope Stiepermann will be okay – we’ve got nobody else fit who can play that role except maybe Mario Vrancic who is far too slow to play behind the striker.
Yes, Emi Buendia would have been mentally ready for tomorrow – his temper seems to subside as quickly as it can flare!
Thanks