Sky Blue Sport News

Monday, January 28, 2013

Same Again!

For tomorrow nights rearranged match at Stangmore Park, we can't honestly see Spike tinkering with his selection too much. If he feels that Sparky and Rodgers can do a job for us as a central defensive pairing,if Cookie's not fit, he will give them another try. Likewise he may pick his favoured three in midfield, Thommo, Alan D and Captain Jenks, it's fair to say that it wouldn't be our choice, but Spike is probably in this for the long haul. We believe he has set out his stall by signing an extension to his contract, which will keep at the Showgrounds until 2016 and we'll have to learn to live with his tactics. As for Shane Dolan, we've heard, he needs at least another week, so in his continued absence we expect Ligget to continue up front ably backed by Cush and leading scorer Ally.

With the signing of Shaun Maher,Spike hopes to ease his injury problems in defence, with Archie and Johnny Taylor weeks away from match fitness and Cookie nursing an injury, defensively we are down to the bare bones. Shaun's International clearance is not expected to come before tomorrow's nights game and we expect him to make his debut against Premier league champions, IFA/Linfield, at Windsor Park on Saturday. Asked if he was finished signing players in the transfer window Spike said if a suitable player came along he would be interested, but he reiterated his previous statement that he wouldn't be signing somebody as a panic buy. With two adversaries in the match officials tomorrow night, referee Mark 'Ham Shank' Courtney' and 4th official Tim Marshall, it won't be easy, but we need to be up for this, so come on Sky Blues lets shag those Chicken lovers!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Dolan Doubt!

Greeting from cloudy Spain, yesterday was bathed in sunshine, but today it was like those cold days we had in June where we said 'chilly for June' except this is January and its cold, but not as cold as back home. What have we been able to ascertain while gleaning the sports pages and the United forum pages, you may ask? Well nothing positive, Archie had another set-back, Cookie is still limping and Denver is not match fit. Added to that Shane Dolan remains doubtful with a groin injury, which takes about 4 to 6 weeks to clear up completely, so he's probably looking to the cup match at the earliest. He could play tomorrow night but in our experience he could aggravate the injury and be out for the rest of the season. Better to miss the next three games, rather than do himself further damage, we'll need him in the battle at the Showgrounds in the Irish cup against the Coleraine scum and for the push for a top six place in the league.

When the next 5 fixtures were finalised, we set a target of 8 points, two wins, two draws and a defeat. We only have 3 points on the board, buts its still possible and we need to get something out of this match tomorrow night. A loss would be catastrophic for us we think, a draw will put pressure on us, but a win, as unlikely as that may seem, will give us a confidence boost for the next 3 matches, two away and one home. Gavin Taggart, should have served his two match suspension for what Davey Malcolm decided was serious foul play (that man is not fit to referee a cock fight) and it should give our midfield a bit of steel which has been lacking these last few games. Spike seems to be playing the Linfield way, no wingers, a 4,3,3 system, with everybody attacking and defending as the case may be. That may have worked for the IFA team, where everybody was super fit and prepared to run their socks off for the cause, but this is Ballymena, our traditions are different, we may aspire to be a top team, but it's going to take time.

We think Fergy had better have a plan to beat the DC in tomorrow's game and to consolidate and get at least a draw for next weeks rearranged match at Stangmore Park, before taking on the mighty Linfield at Windsor Park on 2nd February, a match where we can spring a surprise if we are up for it, or at least get a point. But we are getting ahead of ourselves here, it'll be a tough match against DC tomorrow night. Our old adversary Packie McAllister, will have his boys up for it, but we have to come out as if we mean business, not that wish-washy form we sometimes exhibit, evident against a whole stack of teams including tomorrow's nights opponents, we need to go for broke at the start and we need to put away our chances. A tall order we know, if we are hoping to be a team to be reckoned with now, we got start behaving like a team to be reckoned with, so come on United, lets shag those Suffolk ewes!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Sunny Spain

Greetings from sunny Spain, we, the Sky Blue Sport team barely got out on time, we gather by the news it's snowing back home. We'd hoped to have some good news for you, but unfortunately Shane Dolan is out injured and Captain Jenks may have trouble getting across from Scotland. That would necessitate two changes to the United line-up which triumphed at the Oval on Tuesday night. Dare we guess what Spike is liable to do, logic says that Sparky and Alan D would start, but Spike is not bound by logic, he is his own man. He might astound us and play his two wingers, young Duffin and the exciting King Billy Bingham, who he has used sparingly to say the least. He could pack his defence with Vausley partnering Cookie, Chrissy dropping to right back and releasing the man of match on Tuesday, Tony Kane, into midfield.

But this surmising might be fruitless, there might be no game, there might be a massive fall of snow. If the Sky Blue Sports team was at home, we'd be willing to volunteer to clear the pitch in order for the game to go ahead as scheduled, but unfortunately we're stuck in Spain and Omar and Bruce have a golf date tomorrow morning, well somebody's got to do it, so it may as well be them. Sammy Patterson says he's bound for the clubs, so we won't see him until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. So it is with reluctance we have to rely on Rusty Ray and his crew, fireman Sam and bear, now there's two tough hombre's and Rusty Ray no slouch either. Some bright spark has said we've haven't beaten the Crues at Seaview since 2005, we don't want to start Omar reminiscing, so we'll just say, it is a long time, so it is about time we set the record straight, come Sky Blues, lets shag those paper tigers!

Monday, January 14, 2013

City End!

United go into this game against the East Belfast Glens, with a bit of confidence but knowing they will have to be at their best if they are to get anything out of this fixture. Forget the recent history of this fixture, in the past few seasons it has been a happy hunting ground for us, but the Glens and their manager Eddie Patterson, will want to rewrite that statistic. We didn't have an easy victory over Warrenpoint Town on Saturday last, we were sluggish in the extreme and if we're not 100% focused from the start tomorrow night we could suffer a hiding from the prolific Glens forward line. Chrissy Rodgers has been performing ably at the centre of defence, but he'll be up against a live-wire in Andrew Waterworth and he'll need to be on top form. His partner Cookie seems to carrying an injury and it will be interesting to see if he has shaken it off with two days rest and able to perform adequately.

Gavin Taggart is missing from midfield, serving a two game suspension for what Davey Malcolm deemed to be violent conduct and there's a case to bring back Sparky in midfield. But knowing Glenn he's apt to say same again to the eleven that started last Saturday, or start Alan D in place Thommo, but we think its risky against the slick moving Glens. Plus the fact we have Alan Black as referee and he doesn't take kindly to United boys tackling and has been known to flash a red card or two for very little reason. But maybe we're judging him too harshly, since he had to get fit, maybe the pressure was taken off his brain and he's now a reformed character, we live in hope. The ref, we can do nothing about, we just have to accept his decisions, good or bad and get on with it. If we are all focused we can get something out of this fixture, everybody playing as a team, Cush take note, the other way is the road to ruin, so come on Sky Blues lets shag those Eastern sheep!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Mario Liggie!

You'll have to forgive us here, we couldn't think of a headline and decided to use our two new signings Twitter user names. We had originally decided to use 'Super Mario' in reference to Dolan's superb debut goal last Friday night, but when we signed Ligget in midweek, we decided on a new approach and we just won a fiver off an unnamed source for getting the word 'decided' in print four times and still making sense, well only just. United manager Spike has a difficult choice to make on who to leave out of his midfield. We suspect he would dearly love to say 'same again' but we can't see him omitting Ligget from his starting line-up. We assume its the same keeper and back four as that which kept a clean sheet last Friday night and with Dolan and Ligget upfront it only leaves the engine room to sort out.

We were of the opinion that he couldn't start with no ball-winners in the team last time, but he proved us wrong, but we think he may be tempted to bring Gavin back to play alongside Captain Jenks or Thommo, on form in our opinion, it would be Jenks who makes room for Thommo, but Spike heaped praise upon our Captain and he's the one that counts. If he is going to use a 4,4,2 formation, the two wide men are going to be crucial and in our opinion it has to Cush and Ally. Cush for his enthusiasm and his never-say-die attitude and Ally for his corner kicks and crosses, which will be more meaningful, now that we have two strikers to make use of them. We haven't been looking forward to a game this much in a long time and as it practically the Newry City team, makes it even more exciting. We feel we have a point to prove, it's not going to be easy, but we should have the firepower to do it, come on United, lets shag those bunnies from the Warren(point)!

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Home Comfort!

United go into this Dankse Bank Irish league game brimming with confidence, surprised, we are joking. In truth to tell our confidence has never been lower and we missed out another two signings because we refuse to pay under the table. We are not condoning this practice, but like the paying of amateurs, everybody knows it's going on but we don't talk about it, but still we refuse to do it. We go into tomorrow night's game against Ballinmallard with definitely one and maybe two central defenders missing, Archie definitely and Cookie maybe. We finished our last match with Sparky and Rodgers in tandem in central defence and it could be them tomorrow night. On top of that Gavin is suspended and that leaves with no ball-winners in midfield and we could surely be doing with Sparky's aggression in that department. Spike may opt to play Captain Jenks in central defence as he did once before and release Sparky in midfield, anything's better that starting a match with no ball-winners.

Sky Blue supporters will not need reminding that the last time they went into a match with no ball-winners they got a caning from Chickenville and lightening could strike twice and we don't want that when there's an Irish cup match looming on the horizon. We figure Shane Dolan will make his debut, backed up by Cush and Ally and a midfield trio of Jenks or Sparky, Thommo and either King Billy or Duffin. If Vaulsey is fit, he might come into to the reckoning for a central defensive role, therefore releasing both Jenks and Sparky, confused, so are we and we are only trying to second guess Spike here. Following this match, United and a small band of supporters, are bound for Rotterdam, to play a friendly game, a friendly we might add that was turned down by Spike's predecessor in management, none other than, Rip van Winkle Walker, in his wisdom he declined the invitation. Before the 'do gooders' get on their high horses, this doesn't involve Sunday football, only Sunday travelling. But before that we have to build on what was started last Saturday, so come on Sky Blues, let's shag those lake-landers!