Sky Blue Sport News

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Last Hurrah!

United travel to Lisburn Distillery tomorrow in their last match of this campaign, a campaign which promised so much, but delivered so little. It's fitting that our league campaign should finish with a trip to Ballyskeagh, one of the most miserable grounds to watch a match, the terracing and stand are too far away from the action and to make matters worse they have a dog track as well. Our manager Glenn 'Spike' Ferguson has been trying to encourage spectators to keep following right on to the last kick the season, but as far as we can see all his persuading has just fell on deaf ears. We are undefeated in our last eleven games, Omar says he can't remember the last time we went anything like that, but still our fickle fans have deserted us. Cast your mind back to that day in August last year when United gave a master class in finishing and chalked up a 4-1 victory and led the league only to fail in the next match.

We can't say it has been easy to follow United this season, but that is nothing new, it's never been easy in all our time as Sky Blue fans, but we 'follow' anyway. We are willing to take a gamble tomorrow and say, we'll have no more spectators than we had at that first match in August 6 and we've come on leaps and bounds since then. They may not be the same fans, a few of them have deserted the cause and gone to watch that savagery that goes under the name of sport, Rugby, but they'll still be a hard core that are all true United followers, you could say Sky Blue Dreamers, but we prefer to say 'dyed in the wool' United men. What of team news we hear you ask and the only thing we were able to glean tonight is, that Dwayne Nelson is unavailable (stag do) and thirds team keeper, McCauley Cairns is called up for his debut. Keeper's making their debut for United often flatter to deceive and we fervently hope that Cairns has a good match and is not on the receiving end of a big scoreline. What can we say about the rest of line-up, we expect it to be on the usual lines and that means Cutch will definitely start his 89th game in succession and his 90th overall, a remarkable feat and he scores goals as well.

We are saddened by his departure, but maybe he saw the 'writing on the wall' and thought we will never have a team where our board was not going to fight 'tooth and nail' for our players rights and some of our fans only turn up to games if there's not something better to do. One fan even missed the Dungannon game on Easter Tuesday because he was going to watch Liverpool at Burnley (correction Blackburn but they sound the same to us), we at 'Sport were there and we're glad to a man we were there. You can watch that on 'you tube' (what a perfect name for those armchair supporters), but believe us it's not the same as seeing it as it happens. There's a few players playing for contracts next season and two of these are Jay Costello and Ally and it seems Costello needs Ally to get a contract in order to give him a lift for he claims it wouldn't be worth his while travelling up on his own. With so many rumours being bandied about just now, it's hard to decipher the truth from downright lies and we'll just have to wait and see. For the last time this season, come on United, especially for the die-hards who follow you through thick and thin, let's shag those lily Whites!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Empty Promises!

United play their last home match of this league campaign, which promised so much but in the end delivered so little. But one thing came out this season, we got rid of a manager that blamed everybody but himself and our board backed him to the hilt. We now have a new philosophy, with a young management team and things are beginning to look up and the season's end is looming. It's fair to say, in the last number of years at this stage of the season, we were looking forward to a break away from football, in short we were having to drag ourselves to matches. But this season is different, we are in the midst of a 10 game unbeaten run, we have the league's leading goalscorer and we are playing some nice football. We suppose the experts will argue that in our 10 game unbeaten run, we haven't played any of the top teams, but given our deplorable record over the 'poorer' teams in the league in the last few seasons, we, the 'Sport team, think that opinion doesn't hold water.

Glenavon and their 'new' manager, Gary Hamilton, will no doubt be trying their hardest to dent our unbeaten run, stuck as they are in the relegation play-off mire. This looks to be on paper an open game, both teams have let in 67 goals and while we have scored only 5 more goals, 61 to 56, we've amassed 15 more points. Our management team were happy enough to let Carrick dictate the pace last week, but we at 'Sport think it would be a mistake to allow the Lurgan Blues to have the same space. In their manager, Gary Hamilton, they have one of most gifted footballers in our league, a player who can change the outcome of a game with just one pass. We need to aware of that and we think that Spike and the boys will make a few changes to our starting line-up in order to cut out that threat. If Chris Rodgers is still out, will Vauls be asked to fill in at rightback as he has done in the last two matches. Better to play Cookie Munster and go for three at the back, if Chris isn't fit and if he is, Cookie should come in to replace Archie, to give our defence a solid look.

The rest of the team if fit, more or less picks itself, with the 2 Alan's in midfield, ably backed up by Gavin or if he's not fit, Rory Carson. Ally should get the left wing spot, leaving Elvis and Cutch, the goal machines, up front. In the absence of the suspended Neil Lowry we wonder if Jordan Baker will be occupy a place on the bench. This match will be Cutch's last home game for us as seeks pastures new on the synthetic pitch at Seaview. His record in a Sky Blue shirt is second only to the great 'Jimmy Martin' who scored 44 goals in a season for United, Cutch has scored 32 goals thus far. In a career of two years he has played 88 times and scored 47 goals slightly more than a goal every two games, a phenomenal record in any league. Sky Blue Sport salutes you Gary and though it pains us to say it, we wish you well in your new team the ,hatchet men,, only we feel you'll be playing second-fiddle to Spike and the Sky Blues next season. We also hope you will finish with a couple of goals and a couple of 'susans' for good measure. for the last home game this season, we'll finish with the old rallying call, come on Sky Blues, let's shag those Mourn-viewers!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Bogey Chance!

United go into there last but one home game hoping to lay the 'bogey' of flopping at home. With 3 victories on the road, the Sky Blue fans in attendance at tomorrow's game will have a chance to see history in the making. United's opponents, Carrick Rangers inflicted a fully deserved 2-0 defeat on the Sky Blues at the Showgrounds way back in August. But truth to tell, United fans had come to expect indifferent performances at home from their team in the last 3 seasons. But hopefully that is about to end tomorrow and with it could go Carrick's slim chance of staying in the Premier league.

The manager could have to make a change to his starting line-up with Chris Rodgers getting stretchered off at the Dung heap on Tuesday. If Chris fails to make it Spike has several options open to him. He could continue with the back four that served him well at the Dung, with Dickie Vauls starring in an unaccustomed rightback role, or he could bring Cookie in and play him at rightback or move defensive king-pin Johnny Taylor to rightback. But there's a 4th option, he could promote one of his reserves to take on the role and he may well favour this option.

We at 'Sport are wondering what 'Elvis' will turn up tomorrow, will it be the star of the D.C. match or the subdued character we witnessed at the Dung heap. However he did manage to create a goal and score one at Dung and the same return tomorrow will do very nicely at the Showgrounds. Cutch, who had a frustrating time first half on Tuesday, really turned on the style in the 2nd period, scoring his 32nd of the season and setting up two more. We are sure the wee striker will want to go out with a bang and we expect him to be in top scoring form tomorrow. There's really nothing at stake for us, but it would be nice to continue this unbeaten run and consolidate seventh place in the league table. For the last but one time at home, come on Sky Blues, let's shag the Fisherman's Quay sheep!

Monday, April 09, 2012

Dung Heap!

The Sky Blues make their last trip to Stankmore Park (not that's not a misprint, it is really is Stank More),this season and maybe if results can go the right away, with any luck, two or three seasons or maybe never again. As a result of our last match we wouldn't be at all surprised if Spike said same again in terms of team selection. But maybe with Cookie and Ross Black having served their one game ban, he will want to restore them to his defence. We don't envisage the pitch at Stankmore being much improved and it will be on a par with that at Celtic Park on Saturday past and it was nice to see our boys play some football on that cabbage patch. We look forward to seeing Elvis trying more 'susans' and scoring a few goals into the bargain.

If Spike does continue with the 4,3,3 formation he seems to favour, it will mean Rory Carson keeping the bench warm as he did on Saturday. Young Jamie D seemed a bit perturbed when he was substituted in Saturday's game, but if he gets a start tomorrow he has the chance to prove the manager wrong for withdrawing him. It would be hard luck on Archie and Dickie Vauls if they didn't start tomorrow, but since Spike took over, they are only squad players, not the 'on every week' players when Roy Walker was at the helm. Spike and his henchmen have transformed the United defence into a cohesive unit and they did it by recruiting one player, Johnny Taylor. They've also managed to get the best out of Captain Jenks, who promised much under Walker, but delivered not a lot, but now starting to show real class.

It's not going to be easy against the Dung, Darren 'bionic knee' Murphy will have them all fired up and our boys will have to keep their discipline and their heads. But we should have too much firepower for them, through leading scorer Cutch, Alan D and Elvis (not forgetting Susan). We're afraid Ally Teggert didn't show enough when he come on as a sub on Saturday to cement a starting role and we at 'Sport are disappointed to see a player like him lose his form so drastically. During the first half of our season his wing play and Cutch scoring were the only two shining lights we had. But while Cutch has kept scoring, Ally's form has dipped dramatically and we miss him with his incisive free-kicks and corners. It was nice to see Jordan Baker back earlier than expected but he has his work cut out dislodging any of our front three. So it all systems go for three points and if Carrick pick up a win at Seaview the dung will be flying at the Dung Heap, come Sky Blues, let's shag those chickens farmers!

Friday, April 06, 2012

Meek Sheep!

We have had a week off, through no fault of our own, we thought Alan Davidson was eligible, at least that what our board said. So we appealed to the I.F.A., we won our appeal, then lost it on another appeal and had rubber stamped by another independent committee on Tuesday night (that's a laugh). The I.F.A. has dealt us another terrible blow and we at 'Sport expect nothing less, for we know our board would not 'buck' the I.F.A., even if they know they're wrong. Best to take it meekly and let the matter go, we are not a team knowing for sticking to our guns. There's well known saying that says, 'blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth', but that's only hearsay. If you're meek in football terms, you'll get shafted and rightly so!

We are sure Spike and his backroom staff, who have played for a team who always get their way, wonder what's hit them. They have done nothing wrong, they trusted our board and were let down. Our chairman, Robert Cupples, has gone on record saying no-one is to blame for this almighty cock-up. We at 'Sport would agree with him, no one is to blame, because they're all to blame, every last one of them and it's our belief we'll keep on treading water, till something's done about it. We have said our piece now it's back to the humdrum of the last five games which putting it frankly we couldn't care less about. That's another thing that the I.F.A. have thrust upon us, we have to confess that for once we are in agreement with Rodney McAree, that it should be a sixteen team league, not this drivel.

Cookie Munster serves a one game ban and Tony 'insane' Kane serves the first of a six-game ban that will rule out of our remaining matches this season. We wonder if Spike would consider using Captain Jenks as an emergency central defender as he did in our last match against the Glens or has Archie done enough to warrant a start. There's no point in risking anybody who's not fit as it would take a massive collapse on our part to be dragged into the relegation mire at this stage. It would be a better policy to give the youngsters the chance to get a taste of first team action when there's very little at stake. Well good luck United, we've decided to close not with our usual clarion call, we can't help thinking, we are the ones who have been 'shagged', again!