Sky Blue Sport News

Friday, September 30, 2011

Sky Blue!

United manager Roy Walker has been talking in the media about having the team turn out in their away strip, among other things. Let's scotch all this nonsense once and for all, our colours are Sky Blue, white and a wee bit of red, the idea of turning out in any thing else, would be tantamount to anarchy. The solution to all our problems lies not in the colours that are worn on match days, not the dressing rooms being too nice and not 'negative comments' from the Sky Blue supporters. We, at 'Sport, would go so far as to say the Sky Blue supporters were far from negative, if they were negative they be voting with their feet yet they turn up on match days hoping against hope to see the team turn around it's fortunes.

We believe, nay we know it's all about confidence, when we played our first home game this season against Glenavon, we had not played well but were three goals to the good. When Glenavon got back into the match with a goal that should've been a by-ball instead of a corner, you could see the collective heads drop. Contrast this to last Saturday at the Oval, when we went 2-1 up and Liam Watson had to come off, Glentoran equalised and we could've capitulated, but we didn't and went onto to win it 4-2. That's the difference, we 'never say die' in our away matches and we need to create this attitude at home. Sure decisions are going to go against us, but we need to be able to rise above the circumstances and then and only then, will we lay this bogey to rest. It's Roy Walkers job to manage this football team and managing doesn't mean picking a side or deciding tactics alone, he has to get the best out of them as individuals.

He took a brave decision last Saturday restoring Elvis to the team and it paid dividends, whether he plays tomorrow is anybody's guess, but his attitude and the teams attitude was right last Saturday and the right attitude will win the day. Liam Watson, who had to be replaced at the Oval last Saturday, is as far we know fit and we believe Roy will pick the same team again, barring any injuries, which means Sparky continuing in centre-midfield with Jenks, who showed us what we been missing last Saturday. The Glens had no answer to his probing runs and the same again will do very nicely. Jordan Baker, has been quiet of late and his tussle with former United leftback Craig McClean should go a long way to bringing him back to form. The scene is set, our season is balanced on a knife edge, we know we're better and this, so come on Sky Blues, let's shag those chicken farmers!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Oval Hovel!

United put their 100% away record on the line (3 wins out of 3), when they make the trip to that dilapidated ramshackle of a place that they call the Oval. It seems Glentoran are resigned to staying there, there's no talk of leaving, no developer waving a fat cheque to get them to move. Or was that the 'deal' when this surprise benefactor gave them a donation to pay their debts? We'll never know for sure, but in light of some of the shady stuff that goes on behind closed doors, maybe that's as well. But the upshot is, Glentoran moving house is way on the back burner, the 'breakaway' league to force the I.F.A. to abandon filling Linfield's coffers as they have been doing from time immemorial, is as like the dust of the ground, blown away.

Now to the serious stuff, we wonder why United, who freeze when at home, have a 'never-say-die' attitude away from home? In the 3 matches to date we scored 11 goals and conceded 6, so on the basis of that it's fairly safe to say we might be in for high scoring game tomorrow. Glentoran, not too hot at home this season, seemed to have put that right in the last 2 matches, scoring 13 and conceding just 1. As for the make of the United team, we actually don't have a clue, but surely Conor Downey must be left on the bench. The Oval, for all it's shortcomings, is still a big pitch and we need players to be fit and mobile enough and run their heart out, Downey doesn't come into that category.

We had hoped Rory Carson was going to play himself in to contention but when he limped out of Irun Bru league cup tie on Tuesday after just 20 mins, we take he's not fit enough to play tomorrow. Eamon Murray, who had a fairly good match after coming on as sub on Tuesday is another who doesn't look fit and for that reason we can't see him in the starting line-up. We'll be surprised if Roy doesn't pick the same team, or maybe one change, that disgraced themselves so badly last Saturday. How Roy, who 'Sport believed was a proud man, could continue to be the boss of this bunch misfits after Saturday's display, it beggars belief. We have no doubt that he got a word of encouragement from some of our 'high ranking' board men or man. These misguided individuals/individual, may think they have the interest of United at heart, but we believe they are deluding themselves/themself.

We have no axe to grind about Roy Walker, we don't think he should be given the job in the first instance, but we were prepared to give him a chance. Now after over 3 years we realise he can't cut the mustard and while he has the backing he won't walk way, but for the good of the football club, his time's up. The result tomorrow may make the men in power feel justified but it's the other two matches we have at home against the joint-league leaders and our bogey team Dungannon Swifts, that'll be 'the straw that will break the camels back' and that is too horrible to contemplate. In our last three league games at home, our manager never came out of his box in the last 20 mins and that means he had given up and that's no good for us. We need manager that's fighting our corner to the bitter end, in short we need a change!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Quiet Please!

It's almost like being back at school being a Sky Blue supporter these days, if you read our manager, Roy Walker's, comments in the programme, our negative talk is directly linked the teams abysmal home record. So Sky Blue Sport is asking each and every individual United supporter to 'houl your wheest', we think that's the way to spell it, but if it's not, in plain English, 'shut your bake'. We understand that football is a vociferous sport at the best of times, but in the interests of not wanting to upset the team, you'll have to keep quiet. If you really must voice your feelings, direct them at the chairman and the vice-chairman, they are the ones encouraging Roy Walker to stay put.

We think Roy wants to leave, just like Tommy Wright wanted to leave, but our board (or should we say the money men), threw even more money at him and he repaid their generosity by walking out on us anyway. We hope they didn't offer Roy any more money, we haven't a clue what he's on, but he's doing nothing to earn it, so he's worth nothing. He brought in at least 12 players in the summer and on Saturday's showing, not one them is fit to lace Gazza's boots and he was shown the door. He can't even get the players to turn up for training, the other night 12 turned up and 3 of them were keepers, we think that he's lost the respect of the players.

If you're going to tomorrow night's game remember keeping quiet, not a sound, even we score a goal, cause that might be seen as a negative response, just say 'jolly good show' and if there should be some misplaced passes, just 'hard luck old chap', instead of the usual, 'useless c--t', remember a 'c--t' is a useful thing and we don't want any confusion with our players. As for team news we haven't a baldy, needless to say well need to make changes. The whole back four had a stinker on Saturday, the midfield with old man Jenks (Is he really only 34) and the 'fat' Downey, were non-existent and while Ally tried in the end he just saw it was fruitless.

Mike Smith didn't seem to know where he was playing and Baker was away with the fairies and why doesn't Cutch at least challenge for the ball. The number of times we hit high balls up front and Cutch just let the centre-half rise unchallenged, it was embarrassing. We know he's not big, but Leon Knight's not big either, but he won't let the defender get off with any free headers. Elvis scored two goals for the reserves and surely he must be worth a recall, but it's a central midfielder we're really struggling for. There's Sparky, but he's more of a workhorse, no we need someone like Noel Anderson or Philip Carson, but them boys are history now, we got to struggle with an overweight injury prone guy and an old man that can't cut anymore in Scotland. We usually like to end with a positive note, saying 'let's get stuck into the opposition' but we feel we must urge supporters to be quiet and only believe and the sugar-plum fairy will bring you a treat in the morning!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Cold Home!

This may seem like a strange headline and it has nothing to with the 'Sport team returning to the cold and the wet of Norn Iron (home). We are in fact urging United to make the Showgrounds a cold place for visiting teams and make sure they don't rob of the points and where better to start, tomorrow, for the annual trip of the 'scum', caul rain. Results so far at home have been disappointing to say the least and we need to address that situation promptly. The rumours have it that we'll definitely have a new goalkeeper in our team, Wayne Drummond and we wish him well, but because of the nature of this league, not to mention the opposition, his credentials will be examined closely and any weakness punished most severely, Wayne, you have been warned.

Manager Walker hinted in the press that he intended to continue with Archie and Watson as is two central defenders. None of us was at the Cliftonville match, but we watched it on video and all we can say is, all three goals could and should've prevented. The first one is down to two players we don't think are good enough for this league, Gavin and Archie. Gavin, played an atrocious header back to his keeper which fell woefully short, Archie as the covering player should went and tackled Chris Scannell, instead he allowed him a free run on goal, in other words he done nothing. The second goal come from one of Omar's pet gripes, letting crosses in, but then we have been doing that for many a year. The third goal is so ridiculous it's laughable, as the 'best keeper in the first division', came for a ball he should've left alone. But rather alarmingly the 2nd and 3rd goals came immediately after we had scored which downright amateurish.

But manager Walker seems reluctant to drop either of his two 'golden boys' Archie and Gavin, so it seems we're stuck with them, come hell or high water. Barring injuries we expect Kane and Vauls to be the fullbacks and Jenks and Ally looked to be two positive starters in midfield and Cutch up front but who gets the other three positions is up for conjecture. Ah but remember we said we couldn't see him dropping his Golden boys, Archie is in the back four and therefore Gavin gets the nod in midfield. Sparky, after he opened the scoring last week, must surely get a start and that leaves just one position to fill. The candidates, are Baker, Mike Smith, Conor Downey, Eamon and big Denver. We would like to see Jordan Baker getting the nod, but who could guess what's going through Walker's mind, on the evidence we've seen in the matches with Carrick and the Crues, the answer is nothing!

We are at the crossroads and we need to make a positive turn and sending the scum packing, anything else is unthinkable. The forecast is for wet and windy weather, so mistakes will be punished no doubt and the team that makes the least will triumph, we need to be that team. We must be on our guard early on, for the referee is our old friend Davey Malcolm, who has his own interpretation of the rules and he likes to enforce them with an iron rod. But if we stick to our task, watch out for Leon Knight's dives (Oran's been giving him a few tips no doubt) and not let crosses in willy nilly, we can do the job. So come Sky Blues let's shag those scummers bummers!

Friday, September 09, 2011

Sunny Days!

Greetings from sunny Spain. where the temperature is 23 degrees, warm but not so warm as it is in Roy Walker´s brain we´d imagine, as tries to pick out a team to get the Sky Blues back to winning ways. We would suggest having every single player state their case, that´s if they are dedicated to the cause. We only have 8 days left before the ´biggest game´, against the Coleraine scum and we havent a clue about our strongest side. Defeats to Linfield (2 of them),Crusdaers, Carrick Rangers and even a draw from 3-0 ahead to Marty Quinn's men, will be nothing compared to a deafeat to the gas men.

Not only the gas men, but the gas men led by that diver Oran Kearney (some so called United fans don't believe he 'dived', but they're just sticking their heads in the sand as usuual), believe us 'you' haven´t heard booing yet. Roy needs to play his strongeset team tomorrow (today actually), that includes two strikers and a plan for getting the ball and playing football. This tactic of thumping the ball up and hope somebody gets it just isn't working, for a start we don't have the combative midfielders who are prepared to go in and get the loose ball. Play to your strenghts and have the courage to drop Archie, his defensive lapses can't continue, so what if Alfie snubs you, his tactics are no better than your own. Because of a glitch we weren't able to publish last night (the rumour about us all being drunk, is nearer to truth than we like to admit), so it's coming today, better late than never, so come Sky Blues, let's shag those Chickens!

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Crunch Time!

United manager Roy Walker has set out his stall in saying his charges are going go all out for a win in the one of two minor competitions. His reputation will be on the line at the Showgrounds tomorrow night when the I.F.A. pay a return visit for a County Antrim Shield tie and if they get a ref that makes up the rules as he goes along, they'll be hard to beat. Lets face they're are hard to beat anyway, with the I.F.A. bankrolling to the tune of at least half a million pounds a season, no wonder they're head and shoulders above anyone else. United will have to do it without their Captain, Jenks, injured and there's a doubt about new signing Liam Watson. The two boys that were otherwise employed last Saturday, Cookie and Ally, should more or less step into the team. Ally was definitely missed and maybe with him in tow we can give the I.F.A. something to think about.

Surely we can count Elvis to play a bit better, he's had a 5 game break, he's been on the field, but he hasn't played since the first match of the season. Our striking options are somewhat limited, as Baker and Boyd, continue to struggle with injuries, Baker, calf and Boyd broken arm. The only real back-up for Elvis and Cutch, is Mike Smith or Sparky, it's safe to say the cupboards bare in that respect. The 'injured' Conor Downey is going to take a week or two getting back to full fitness, which leaves with a dearth of midfielders. If Watson is fit he could be moved up to the engine room, but failing that it'll be Sparky and Taggart (Gavin) and maybe Ross Black. Dwayne should keep his place in goals and Tony Kane and Dick Vauls should be the fullbacks. Sky Blue Sport will have no match report on tomorrow night's game and the Cliftonville match on Saturday, as Bruce Balmer is away to Estonia with the 'green and white army' and then taking a few days holiday. So come on Sky Blues, let's really shag those Villagers!

Friday, September 02, 2011

Damning Indictment!

Anyone that believes in these things, there is a 'damning' statistic about Roy Walker's three years in charge of Ballymena. In that time United have dropped 110 points at home, that an average of over 36 points per season, or to put it another way, of the 19 home matches we play in the league each season, we lose 12 and win only 7. Roy Walker must take the brunt of the blame for this sad state of affairs, he is after all the man in charge, but equally to blame is our board of directors, who appointed him and keep him in his job. He signed two defenders in desperation a week ago, but despite conceding yet another 4 goals in two matches since, he hasn't seen fit to try them, is he waiting for some divine intervention, if he is, were afraid he's going be disappointed.

Already this term we've dropped 8 points in 3 matches and conceded 8 goals in the process and we're afraid we can't see any light at the end of tunnel. We have a home game to Linfield tomorrow and although they are not the all conquering outfit they once were, we're afraid they will be too strong for us. Roy must make two changes to his starting line-up as the Cookie Munster and Ally Teggart are unavailable, which makes his inability to make a substitution last Tuesday hard to comprehend. Even if Liam Watson wasn't match fit, he could've been pushed up front and maybe make the Carrick defence work for their money. We hate to say but the 'Elvis Costello' experiment has turned out a bit of a flop, one match out of five is nowhere near good enough, so surely he needs a spell in the reserves to see if there's anything there, or if he's a big lazy wastrel.

If Roy is reluctant to play either of his new boys, why not recall Denver Gage, he'll give you 100% commitment, that's more than can be said about some of our other defenders. Tony Kane, clear of suspension, should surely feature and you can pick either Rodgers or Archie to partner Denver. Ross Black, should continue at leftback, while the fit again Sparky is surely a better option in centre-midfield than Gavin Taggart, alongside the under-performing Jenks or the fit again Conor Downey. Eamon Murray, although not back to his best yet, is still the best left winger we've got and providing Rory Carson, hasn't gone on-loan to Ards, he should fill in at right-midfield. That leaves 'little and large', Cutch and Baker up front and they should be able to exploit Albert Watson's lack of pace, but only if they have the mindset to do it. We know it's going to tough, but when it's tough, the really 'tough' get going, come on Sky Blues, let's shag those villagers!