Sporting (H)

[zeke]

2-0 up halftime
Good crowd numbers unfortunately including the idiot brigade who let off a smoke bomb and involved in a big scuffle

[zeke]

ATT 1672

[wcfc75]

What a joke

[thesecondjack]

1672 the attendance. Stoddart and Hughes with the two first half goals. I don't think city are clear yet though.

[thesecondjack]

Then again, 3-0 up after 29 seconds of the second half.

[niels]

Listening on radio. 3-1 now. Cheers when Bromsgrove scored was markedly louder than when City scored their 3rd.

[niels]

3-3 now. 10 mins left.

[thesecondjack]

3-3 currently. Tale of two halves is very apt.

[zeke]

Before the game I'd have settled for a draw. We dominated so much in the first half and going 3-0 up makes a draw a poor result. Second half, as soon as we made it 3-0, we changed the way we were playing and fair play to Bromsgrove, they took advantage and deserved the draw.

Don't think there was a card shown to anyone. Good Boxing Day fun.

A bit worried about the kerfuffle in the Shed, hope this won't make the return fixture a segregated game? Anyone know why the Police showed up at the end?

[The Verner]

Dec 26, 2017 18:03:01 GMT zeke said:

Before the game I'd have settled for a draw. We dominated so much in the first half and going 3-0 up makes a draw a poor result. Second half, as soon as we made it 3-0, we changed the way we were playing and fair play to Bromsgrove, they took advantage and deserved the draw.

Don't think there was a card shown to anyone. Good Boxing Day fun.

A bit worried about the kerfuffle in the Shed, hope this won't make the return fixture a segregated game? Anyone know why the Police showed up at the end?

Fully agreed between Clubs that we would go unsegregated unless there were problems......fully appreciated by many fans of both Clubs on lead up to the game.

Police showed up as I called 101 after many rumours after the kerfuffle that two groups were apparently looking to cause trouble outside the ground at FT. Nothing happened and everyone left peacfully.

Of course, will get those saying we should have segregated today, unfortunately if you do...its wrong....if you dont...its wrong.....

[jupu]

Dec 26, 2017 16:22:40 GMT niels said:

Listening on radio. 3-1 now. Cheers when Bromsgrove scored was markedly louder than when City scored their 3rd.

That would be because they had more supporters.

[zeke]

Thanks Verner.

I still think that no segregation works better, because these chavs tend to be "braver" when there's a physical barrier between them and those they are taunting. If they stand face to face, they are more likely to be better behaved.

Good day overall and the stewards seem to handle it quickly.

[The Verner]

Dec 26, 2017 18:40:01 GMT zeke said:

Thanks Verner.

I still think that no segregation works better, because these chavs tend to be "braver" when there's a physical barrier between them and those they are taunting. If they stand face to face, they are more likely to be better behaved.

Good day overall and the stewards seem to handle it quickly.

Fully expect Bromsgrove to segregate on NYD now though. And stewarding will be totally different so dont know how it will work or what end City fans will have !


As I say, doesnt matter what you do, someone will moan.

Considering that was the only incident and we got the flare/smoke bomb throwers details and passed to West Mercia then all in all I agree with you and that it worked on the day.

[The sound and the fury]

Great entertainment and a proper old fashioned local derby, made even more enjoyable by a sensible and pragmatic refereeing display. City were excellent first half despite playing with ten men the entire half (Sarmento was on the pitch too) then Snape, the man who makes David Moyes look like a tactical genius, struck again. As soon as the third went in you take off the wild card and bring on some shape and stability, shore up that side and get some discipline. Not Snape. First goal back came directly from Sarmento not having a f**k**g clue what he's doing when he hasn't got the ball at his feet (and I'm being generous in inferring he does know what he's doing when he has got the ball), not doing his job and then getting in Birch's way when he went to do it for him. So what does Snape do? Takes off the wildcard and brings an even wilder card on. Baldwin without the ball is like a blind footballer in a cattery. Again the goal came from Baldwin not doing his very basic average four year old first ever game job and then getting in Birch's way when his skipper went in to bail him out. Can't really fault Stoddart for the penalty, was a decent bit of forward play and ultimately the right result. Two dropped? Most certainly at 3-0 up but I said beforehand four points from these two games would be the aim, and they are fallible. Had to laugh at their fans singing s*** Ground No Fans though!

[The sound and the fury]

Oh and they obviously have some weird clocks in Bromsgrove if that was clockwise at half time!

[Tim Munslow]

Good old-fashioned local derby for Boxing Day; never thought we were safe, even at 3-0 up, and unfortunately I was proved right. Still, great entertainment for the neutrals (if there were any). As someone says above pretty well refereed too. A great advert for this level of football.

Presumably City get the benefit of the well-above average gate today; did we get the home dressing-room though?

[jupu]

None of the City fans I was standing with thought we were safe at 3-0. The post-match comments by Lee Hughes revolve around the point that our players didn't have the nous to see the game out from a winning position. I can not fault the effort they put in, but that extra quality was clearly missing and underlines my opinion that we're not good enough to win the MFL. Perhaps we need a season to get used to and understand this level of football.

[alwaysnextyear]

Agree with most of the above but two vital at the end of the season points thrown away against our rivals. First half the midfield kept its shape and discipline, making Bromsgrove hit it long, where Thomas and Stoddart gobbled it up. Second half Bromsgrove changed it, kept getting behind our midfield who were all over the place, and they were then running straight at the defence. The midfield lost its energy and its shape, and that's where John Snape appeared clueless. We needed to get someone in front of the back four, to calm it down, and put their foot on it. Ideal scenario for Forsyth, that's what he does, so what do we do ? Bring on Baldwin wide right for Sarmento ! Different player, same problem.

If Baldwin had to come on then he should have swopped with Birley, gone on the left hand side where he can cut in, and where being right footed, retain possession more easily, as opposed to putting him on the right, where he just hasn't got the pace to go outside, just cuts in right footed and promptly loses it ! He had an absolute shocker, with his ball retention lasting seconds, as he gave it away time after time. The game cried out for Forsyth's strengths. Snape then compounds his dreadful decision making, by taking off Birley and bringing on Danks, to play out of position, losing the shape even more. Our ball retention got worse, and Bromsgrove took advantage. Finally Reynolds gets taken off for Mark Smith, and we then play a 6 foot 5 centre half in midfield !

Yes, full credit to us for dominating the first half, and the same to Bromsgrove for their fight back, albeit helped by Snape's dreadful second half decision making.

By the way, nice to see Carl Heeley there watching. As for the few morons, I recognised the main cheerleader as one of those cretins who gave Carl abuse away at Gloucester in his last game before quitting. Once an idiot, always an idiot.

[genghis]

Wasn’t at the match, so can’t comment on any individual performances, but i’m really disappointed that we didn’t pick up 3 points. The game on Monday is absolutely must-win now. Anything less than 3 points and City’s chance of promotion goes down drastically.

[thesecondjack]

A good point about the ref - one of the best we've had in a long time!

[jonnyred]

Dec 27, 2017 13:08:01 GMT thesecondjack said:

A good point about the ref - one of the best we've had in a long time!

Agreed, he let the game flow as much as possible and didnt want any of the limelight...

But having viewed the highlights I think he got the penalty decision wrong..

[thesecondjack]

This was discussed a fair bit on facebook - someone suggested the camera angle could be deceiving, and I think they're right. Ref is nearby, No complaints at the time from City players, and Lee Hughes said no arguments about it post match.

[niels]

Not a penalty. The Bromsgrove player initiates the contact and makes sure it happens. Raheem Sterling did the same for England's penalty when they lost to Iceland in the Euros, but you all thought that was correctly given too. Cheating is what I call it.

[Brooksiders Return!!]

Definitely a penalty, you can tell by what the ref did, he pointed to the spot, that means penalty.

[Bonzo Bitburg]

Dec 28, 2017 10:19:13 GMT niels said:

Not a penalty. The Bromsgrove player initiates the contact and makes sure it happens. Raheem Sterling did the same for England's penalty when they lost to Iceland in the Euros, but you all thought that was correctly given too. Cheating is what I call it.

Niels I salute your indefatigability but stonewall penalty all day long for me 

[downthelane]

This may shock Niels but I agree with him. The attacking player initiates the contact with the defender, no penalty. Same for the Sterling penalty.

[jonnyred]

The defender sticks his leg out into fresh air and the Bromsgrove attacker tucks his legs up and goes over it... clever con mimicking Sterling and Vardy, a horrible symptom of modern day football..defenders may as well have their legs tied together at the ankles in future because everything is weighted towards the attacker if they have more intention of looking for a penalty/free kick