September Round Up

Last updated : 03 October 2013 By Joe Public

After the first full month of football we find newly promoted Hull City sitting in the top half of the Premiership table in 8th place, the highest position of all the promoted teams with Cardiff in 11th and Crystal Palace still scrapping in the basement and surprisingly, the big guns of Manchester Utd are stalling in the bottom half of the table wedged between the Welsh. Cardiff a place above, Swansea a place below, a real Manc’ sandwich which I should imagine is indigestible to the Glazers.

In my opinion, Hull City’s player of the month (September) has been Huddlestone with Brady a close second. The Hud’ just edges it though due to his calm and confident presence on the pitch with an abundance of ability to match and his seemingly effortless performances which have proved crucial in gelling the team together as a fighting unit and has already stamped his authority as a play maker from midfield. City’s very respectable position after 6 league games shows that every man is fighting to prove to Steve Bruce they warrant their place in a black and amber shirt and it ensures the best men take to the field at every selection.

The real circus of the premiership as usual is the hair trigger manager big game hunt. 20 managers set off full of hope and promise with the heavy weight of impatient investor and shareholder expectations on their shoulders and already, on the back of a winless start to the season, Sunderland’s Paolo Di Canio has been caught with both barrels after 13 weeks in charge of the Black Cats which certainly proved unlucky for him and as such became the first scalp.

Severely wounded and sporting a bloody nose is Magpie, Alan Pardew and Ashley’s hunting pack, headed by beater Joe Kinnear are fast closing in for what looks like the Kill unless the likes of Ben Arfa and Sissoko can rescue him by netting a brace of October victories over Cardiff and Liverpool but I fear the big game Hunt has taken on more of a witch hunt on Tyneside and his days seem to be numbered. If this is truly the case, then it’s Pardew who will scoop the real bounty…His £10m Contract value.

One manager who has crosshairs tracking him while the financial fingers of a certain billionair family are fine tuning the range finder and checking for windage is Scot’ David Moyes who’s misfiring Man’ United side are already performing way below par and have already been winged by West Brom at home leaving the red devils more like blushing cherubs. Other targets silhouetted on the horizon are Ian Holloway, Martin Jol and Chris Hughton all looking set for having their heads mounted on the wall of shame in the “Failed Managers” room.

There are a good number of hopefuls jostling for position for jumping into the shoes of managerial dead men and ex Hull City player and Umbrella model, Steve McLaren is no exception having taken over Derby who offloaded Clough at the weekend. McLaren has already had a scare having come back to draw 4-4 with Ipswich after being 4-1 down. McLaren has a personal reason for turning down other managerial positions in Europe by taking the Derby job…He wants to repair the damage done to his reputation as a premiership manager and is using Derby as a stepping stone back to the big time. (Here’s a tip Steve, If it starts raining, stay in the dug out with the troops and resist the temptation to nip upstairs and sit in the VIP lounge and as for putting up a brolly…Don’t even think about it.)

My one biggest concern and a thread I started a week ago on HCM (Steve Bruce will be the next Newcastle manager) ahead of Pardew’s continuing misery, is that I feel Steve Bruce would be at least tempted by The Newcastle Utd job if it becomes available. The one saving grace, is that, I believe Steve Bruce is a man of honour as he showed at Birmingham when he turned down the then available Toon job in favour for a commitment and promise he made to see the job through in the midlands. But saying that, when an opportunity comes begging and you have already let a once in a lifetime chance slip through your fingers, would you do it again? For Hull City and their fan’s sake, I hope so.

(Here’s a wild card prediction - By the Beginning of next season, Moyes will have been sacked from Man U who’s job will be taken over by Mourinho who in turn will have ended his second marriage to Chelsea.)

In the meantime, us fans have to keep focussed on what’s happening on the field as every point depends upon on our survival. We faced predictable and fairly respectable results against Chelsea and Man City away, give Norwich a run for their money and came away with a deserved win, matched Cardiff kick for kick and landed a respectable point and outpassioned Newcastle UTD showing the grit and determination that warranted all 3 points taken from St James Park with a strong case for applying to the FA to be given an extra point for a truly remarkable performance in coming back from behind twice and then to nail the winner with a stunning goal.

The West Ham game. Ok, we won one nil, but let’s be honest, the Penalty award was one of the softest we will see all season and Livermore’s hand ball was an absolute stonewall penalty for the hammers and the score could have easily been the reverse.

Will we take it?...Course we will. As City’s performances have showed so far, we make our own luck and you can be sure that there will be half a dozen decisions yet to come that will both rob us and give us points along the way so as far as I’m concerned it’s all part of the run of play. That’s football.

It now looks like we’ll see October’s football without Brady so I’m sure we all wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to his place being hotly contested with Boyd leading the challenge.

October sees 3 league games, the first being Curtis Davies old club Aston Villa at home on Saturday. On paper, City are better than Villa as the league table doesn’t lie right?...City on 10 points and Paul Lambert’s side with 9, but we all know what a quality side they are having just beaten Man City 3-2 at the weekend. If there is one stat that City can cash in on is the fact that Guzan in the Villa net conceded more premiership goals than any other keeper last season and was at fault for Man City’s opener on Saturday so Bruce’s order of the day surely must be, shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

The other two games are both away at Spurs and Everton respectively which are both achievable draws if Bruce carries on with his cohesive teamwork training and the squad carries on giving 100%.

The most worrying recent news is from Curtis Davies. He has promised to run naked around the KC stadium if City finishes above Man Utd at the end of the season....Urrgh!

Come on Curtiss, it’s one thing taking off your shirt off in celebration but going totally starkers will get you a straight blue card!

On a similar promise…let’s hope Hudd has to cut his hair in the next match or two. He deserves to.