Away Day Experience: Leyton Orient

This Saturday saw a rare chance for me to get to see Crawley play "in the flesh" since our 1-1 draw with Swindon Town at the start of February.

At the beginning of the season, I decided that I'd make every London away game to watch the Reds.  Leyton Orient, I believe the last of the clubs in this vicinity.

Hopping on the train from Southampton at 11am. The packed carriages meant me and two other friends had to stand the whole way to Waterloo - believe me, it wasn't a pleasant experience, with people treading on your toes, barging, pushing etc. A harrowing experience for a chubby, 5'7' man!

Anyway, we reached Waterloo, took a train to Bank and then reached darkest, deepest east London and the delightful sights that Leyton has to offer. A plus note was the pringle shaped velodrome that we could see in the distance as we walked towards the ground.

Now those who do not know me, won't understand my difficulties with trains! I'm very thankful for both Josh and Ben in showing me the way to reach the destination with plenty of time. On coming back from Aldershot, I got through my door in Southampton at 10.30pm. It was a 3pm kick off for goodness' sake, and both places are in the same county!

We reached the "Coach and Horses", a stones' throw away from the ground and I've got to say, it was very nice - an old school Nag's Head (Only Fools and Horses) feel about it. The prices weren't too bad either, considering we were in London.

The pub in all it's glory

It soon started filling up with a number of Reds fans, a few natives dotted around as well and about half an hour before kick off, we left and headed to Brisbane Road; a new ground for me and my Dad, who now has visited all but one London Football League ground; The Valley, Charlton Athletic.

It was a strange stadium; wooden seats seemed to signal the history that the place had, after all, it has been the home of Orient since 1937. However, in the four corners of the ground, were modern, swanky looking flats! It just didn't make sense. Surely things aren't that cramped in London that flats are being build inside a ground!? A decent view for the occupants though, I'd imagine.

You can see part of one flat to the left, and one in the other corner

Onto the game and, we really did dominate early doors; Billy Clarke opening the scoring with an absolute cracker after turning his man, he fired into the top corner.

A few of our fans were ejected for lighting a smoke bomb, my view is that it's slightly idiotic, however, it's only for a bit of colour/fun etc and it's not as if every week this happens (I think the last time was Accrington at home a few years ago during the Majeed era). Not that I'm condoning it due to some people's health (asthma etc) problems, but some were making it out to be the next World War. It wasn't.

It could have been more when the much-maligned Mike Jones saw his header hit the crossbar.

Second half was different though, Orient had their spells and threw everything at us, particularly in the final 15 minutes, but great defending by in particular, Joe Walsh and Mark Connolly saw a resolute performance turn into our first win since New Years Day.

Expected more from the hosts in truth, they had no real clear cut chances and the home fans were very quiet throughout. Russell Slade's side could be in for a tough next couple of months if they continue playing like they did.

It sets us up nicely for out match against Brentford tomorrow (Tuesday) night. A win against them and then Bury away on Saturday could see some momentum gained at just the right time.

The home fans quickly dispersed 

A quick KFC to celebrate the win and an un-eventful train journey back, saw me in at 8pm - a little different from the Aldershot trip!

COYRs!

The rapid demise of Aston Villa

It wasn't too long ago that Aston Villa Football Club were one of the best up-and-coming sides not only in England but in Europe too.

Randy Lerner had taken over at Villa Park in 2006 and soon began to pump money into the club to  in a bid to possibly reach the Europa League or, as it was called back then, the Uefa Cup.

It was all going well; Villa brought in the likes of Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing (He was good once, honest!) as the club looked at assembling a squad that could push for the top 6 at the very least and with it, potentially locking horns with Europe's elite.

SIGNING: Downing was a wanted man (Zimbio)

The thing that most fans (apart from the likes of Birmingham City, Wolves, West Brom) liked, was boss, Martin O'Neill bringing in young, hungry, English talent and it looked for all the world that Villa would soon blow the dust from their trophy cabinet, and return to the glory days of the 1980s; winning the old First Division (equivalent of the Premier League) in 80/81, the European Cup (Champions League) in 81/82 and the European Super Cup in 82.

They came close under O'Neill's guidance; during his four year tenure at Villa Park, he achieved a creditable 11th place finish (first season) before guiding the club to a trio of sixth place endings, thus sending the club on a European tour to the likes of Hamburg, Amsterdam and Prague. The future was looking very bright.

Curtis Davies (R) takes on CSKA Moscow's Vagner Love (L) (Zimbio)

However, then came the bombshell that Villa fans didn't want to hear; the news of O'Neill resigning just a couple of days prior to the opening 2010/2011 Premier League game at home to West Ham, and this was the start of Villa's slide.

Their stars soon began departing; Milner eventually signed for Manchester City soon after O'Neill left and the following summer saw wingers, Young and Downing leave for the north-west; signing for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

Young and Milner moved on (WhoAteAllThePies)

Gerard Houllier was the man entrusted to take over where O'Neill had left off, however, medical conditions saw the Frenchman only last a season at the club, ending the season in 9th place.

Next up was Alex McLeish. Big 'Eck had managed to relegate arch rivals, Birmingham to the Championship, despite winning the Carling Cup. The appointment of the former Scotland manager was lambasted by Villa fans and they were never on side for his solitary season (finishing 16th) and he was soon relieved of his duties. During this campaign, Villa had the poorest home record in their history, gaining just 19 points out of a potential 57.

And then, came the appointment of Paul Lambert. Another Scotsman placed in charge of first team affairs and, so far, it's been another disappointing season. The club spent a lot of time and money pursuing Lambert in the summer before finally getting their man from Norwich City.

Lambert's side have been disappointing (SportsMole)

However, his first transfer window at the Villa helm was a poor one - preferring to go with youth rather than signing more experienced heads and it's quickly deteriorated into a dreadful first half of the campaign with only Cristian Benteke standing out from a bunch of poor, in-experienced signings. A falling out with regular "20-goal-a-season man" Darren Bent hasn't helped their cause, they suffered defeat in the Capital One Cup to League 2 side Bradford City, and after their latest defeat in the game against fellow strugglers, Newcastle, Villa seem certain to be heading through the relegation trap door.

With no spine of the team and little experience, you struggle to see how the club can survive. And the worst part? The Championship is a very difficult league to get out of.

BENT-CH WARMER: Star striker (L) and Stephen Ireland (R) (London24)

Warren meets... Brian McDermott

On Wednesday afternoon, I had a chat with Reading manager Brian McDermott about his career as a player, coach, Chief Scout and every other job he seems to have had at the club! Anyway, here it is, I hope you enjoy it!

WL: Brian, it all began for you at Arsenal, how big a thing for you, after getting released by QPR, to come up through the ranks with the Gunners and into the first team?

BM: Yeah, it was a big thing for me. I made my debut at 17. Obviously was at QPR for a long time but never made the grade there. Then went to Millwall and had a trial there and it just didn’t happen for me there, and I was lucky enough to get taken up by Arsenal, played 70 odd games for them. It’s a fantastic club and a great experience.

TOP GUN: Brian during his Arsenal days

WL: So during your time there, who were the main players at Arsenal?

BM: Liam Brady - I made my debut with Liam Brady. There was Graham Rix, Tony Woodcock. Later time in the 80s there was Charlie Nicholas, Pat Jennings, we had some fantastic players there... Kenny Sansom was another one. We got to three cup finals and it was a really good experience and still, it’s a top club.

WL: After Arsenal, you spent a bit of time in Sweden. How did that move come about and was it a hard decision to make due to you only being in your early 20s?

BM: Yeah, it wasn’t easy to leave home at the time. I just felt I needed to have a new experience. At the time I wasn’t getting many games at the Arsenal and I just felt that I needed to go to get life experience more than anything. It went well for me in Sweden; I was Player of the Year over there in 1984 and I had a great time and I’ve got a real affinity with Sweden.

WL: You mentioned that Player of the Year, how high does that achievement rank in your career?

BM: Yeah, that’s up there. That was when I was a player and the person who was a player was 20 years ago now probably. It was such a long time ago, I can’t really remember too much about it! It was up there though, I had a great experience and I really enjoyed the people over there.

WL: You then came back to England before having a spell in Hong Kong, can you tell me a little bit about the move out there?

BM: I’d just been at Exeter, we’d won the league and I went to Yeovil. I then left Yeovil and was offered the chance to play abroad in Hong Kong. It was a completely diverse experience; I took the family out there and we had a great time out there. We spent about six months out there and again, it was another really good experience for me.

WL: You played the last of your playing career for your hometown club, Slough, however, you soon got into management; was this an aspiration of yours?

BM: Not particularly. I was at Slough for a couple of years and financially we were going under. We ended up 8^th in the league, in the Conference and managed to get to the semi-finals of the (FA) Trophy. It was a fantastic year for us but the club went under because the chairman didn’t want to finance the club anymore. I ended up at Woking and was there for 18 months before I ended up at Reading where I’ve been ever since.

WL: As mentioned, you’ve had that non-league experience, how did those tough times with the smaller clubs shape you as the man you are today?

BM: Non-league is completely different (to the Football League); you train two nights per week and you play on the Saturday, you haven’t got the training facilities and you have to do a lot of the work yourself. Everything really; you haven’t got a lot of staff, players don’t turn up on training nights sometimes. It’s a good experience and it’s part of your 10,000 hours where you’re learning!

WL: We’ll talk about Reading now, you’re time there is similar to the spell at Arsenal in starting at the bottom and working your way to the top, seemingly holding down every job at the club, but, did you ever think 13 years ago that you’d ever be manager of Reading Football Club?!

BM: Not really. I’m not someone who thinks like that; I live very much day-to-day. I’ve enjoyed every job I’ve done. I’ve done the under-17s, the under-19s, Chief Scout, I’ve been reserve team manager, so I’ve done every job at the club now and I know the club off by heart! We’ve got great supporters at our club, really good staff and I really enjoy coming into work every day.

Shane Long was unearthed by McDermott (Zimbio)

WL: You had play-off final heartbreak at the end of the 2010/2011 season (to Swansea), what did you say to the players after the match that helped them bounce back from that and reach the Premier League the following campaign?

BM: I just spoke to the players and told them just how proud I was of them for their efforts over the season. I was generally just so proud of what they’d done and was so disappointed for them. I think I was more disappointed for them than myself. We had a tough three months but we had to rebuild and go again. You have two choices; you can give up or you can thrive, get on with it and do what you have to do. We did what we had to do and last season was one of our proudest and one of the best achievements you have seen at Reading Football Club in many a year.

SINC-ING FEELING: Scott Sinclair slots away the penalty (Who Ate All The Pies)

WL: Of course, you finally achieved promotion from the Championship against Nottingham Forest, but was there ever a point in the season or a specific game (other than the Forest one) where you thought you’d do it and it would be your year?

BM: No, I just thought very much day-to-day. Never thought ahead, never looked back and I concentrated on the job in hand every day. I never thought about promotion, the only time I did was when we did go up. Even then, I was determined to win the league and that was important to the players; there were players in the dressing room that hadn’t won a medal – Ian Harte, Jason Roberts, Mikele Leigertwood, Jobi McAnuff and I wanted them to win a medal, and they did.

Reading reach the Premier League (The Sun)

WL: Brian, now you’re a Premier League manager, if there any time to relax and if so, what do you do to relieve the stresses?!

BM: There’s time to relax. I’m okay with it really. I’m a very calm person, I do the best I can, I enjoy talking about football to the players and the staff. To be honest, my relaxation is still, completely football orientated.

WL: As a Crawley supporter, I’ve got to ask, you took Hope Akpan from us last week, where can Hope get to under the guidance of you and the staff at Reading and what did you see in him to make the offer?

BM: Well probably the same of what you’ve seen in Hope! You’ve probably seen him play more times than what I have. He’s a top lad, he’s got energy, he can pass it, he can score goals. He’s hungry for it and he believes that he can do it so that’s always half the battle.

ROYAL APPOINTMENT: Hope Akpan (Reading FC Facebook)

WL: This season is about survival, but where can you see Reading as a club in three to five years time?

BM: No idea! Haven’t got a clue, and that’s why I live in the moment. Where you see yourselves, I don’t know. I can never answer that question; I have no power over the future, I’ve only got the now and I only live in the now and the moment!

WL: Finally, we’re in the middle of January now, transfer window is still open of course, are there any specific areas of the squad you want to strengthen?

BM: We maybe come up with something. We’ve signed three players so far (Hope Akpan, Daniel Carrico and Stephen Kelly) but if something comes up that interests us then we’ll look to possibly do a deal.

Many thanks to Brian for the interview.

Reds battle back to stun Stevenage

Stevenage 1-2 Crawley Town

A Dannie Bulman winner against old club Stevenage grabbed Crawley the points as Richie Barker's side recorded their first win in eight.

Leaving at 11.30, the trip to Broadhall Way was disrupted by a few hold ups on the M25 before finally arriving at Broadhall Way almost two hours later.

Outside the ground was a memorial for former Boro winger Mitchell Cole who passed away last month.

Memorial: Mitchell Cole

Before the match began, there was a minute's silence that was impeccably observed by all before referee Michael Oliver kicked off the game.

Crawley started well and winger Mike Jones had two early chances within the opening five minutes; firstly firing wide and then straight at Stevenage goalkeeper Steven Arnold.

Stevenage had their own first notable effort after eight minutes when Robin Shroot, fresh from signing a new two-year deal, saw his run and cross tipped away by visiting 'keeper Paul Jones to Greg Tansey, who's follow up was blocked by Crawley defender Mark Connolly.

On 24 minutes, a driving run from Hope Akpan saw him reach the byline but his cross just eluded Nicky Adams at the back post.

Stevenage had possibly the best chance of the first half when, after 39 minutes, David Gray's burst from right back saw his low cross dummied by Lucas Akins to Lee Hills; his goal-bound effort was hacked clear by the impressive Connolly.

My view at Stevenage

The away side saw Josh Simpson's toe poke fly just wide after an out-swinging corner from Adams wasn't cleared by the hosts just five minutes before the break.

Stevenage came out with more purpose after half time with Tansey slicing wide just four minutes before Gary Smith's side earned the opener; a quick throw found Gray who's ball across the box reached Shroot, and he scrambled the ball past Mat Sadler on the line.

Despite going one down, the Red Devils upped the ante and Akpan had two efforts in quick succession just after the hour mark; shooting over the bar from 20 yards and seeing his downward header comfortably saved by Arnold.

However, Akpan's luck changed on 67 minutes when he pounced after Adams drive was only pushed away by Arnold.

Four minutes later and Crawley took the lead; a pass from Mike Jones found Bulman with space, he let fly and his 30 yard strike deflected of Bondz N'Gala and into the back of the net to send the travelling fans into ecstasy.

Stevenage boss Smith, made a double substitution on 78 minutes in a bid to get back into the game as Darius Charles and Luke Freeman replaced Miguel Comminges and Hills respectively.

Tansey had a few more chances that flew wide before Freeman and Tansey once more had Paul Jones flying across goal as Crawley held on for a much needed victory.

STEVENAGE: Arnold, Gray, Hills (Freeman, 78), Tansey, Dunne, Haber (Agyemang, 81), Akins, Roberts (c), Comminges (Charles, 78), N'Gala, Shroot

CRAWLEY: P.Jones, Sadler, Connolly, Akpan, Alexander (c), Simpson, Hunt, Bulman, Adams (Akinde, 89), M.Jones, Davis (Walsh, 46)

FA Youth Cup: Southampton 0-2 Everton

Everton earned a comfortable victory against Southampton at St Marys in the 3rd round of the FA Youth Cup.

An entertaining opening 20 minutes began with a host of chance for both sides.

Firstly, after 6 minutes, a mix up between Toffees goalkeeper Mateusz Taudul and centre back Curtis Langton almost gifted Calum Chambers to open the scoring but he sliced wide.

Next it was Everton's turn as a minute later, a 20-yard effort from the impressive Matthew Kennedy was tipped over the bar by Saints' number one Chris Johns.

The opener came after 11 minutes with Kennedy again causing problems for the home defence. He was the provider of a neat pass to George Waring who took a touch before slotting into the right-hand corner from 12 yards.

The hosts were looking for an instant reply and soon after, James Ward-Prowse's dipping volley flew just over after an Omar Rowe free kick wasn't cleared.

After 17 minutes, home defender Jordan Turnbull saw his strike sail just over the bar after Everton failed to deal with a tormenting Ward-Prowse free kick.

The Blues then raced up the other end and Kennedy's solo run and shot deflected off Saints captain Dominic Gape, thankfully for Southampton, into the arms of Johns.

A pulsating start soon cooled down and it wasn't until the 33rd minute until the next chance came. An excellent break from the home side started by Rowe eventually found Chambers but his shot was well kept out by the on-rushing Taudul.

Everton were again thankful to Taudul for keeping the score at 1-0 three minutes later when he beat away a stinging strike from Ryan Seager.

HALF TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-1 EVERTON

Southampton did have the ball in the net on 57 minutes when a strike from Gape ended up at the feat of Jason McCarthy. The defender with an excellent finish however, the flag was up for offside.

Everton managed to increase their lead just two minutes later as a deep cross from the left-hand side was headed back across goal by Gethin Jones and Conor Grant tapped in.

Jason Dodd's side were desperate to find a way back into the game and after 67 minutes a driving run from McCarthy culminated in a wayward strike.

There was concern for Taudul on 76 minutes as he went off with a serious looking injury and replaced by Russel Griffiths.

On 83, Turnbull headed over from a Jake Sinclair cross before Kennedy breezed past four defenders before hitting over.

The final chance came to the Saints in the fourth minute of added time as Matthew Targett's strike was pushed away by Griffiths, soon before the referee blew the full time whistle.

SOUTHAMPTON: Johns, Flannigan, Targett, Cape (c), McCarthy, Turnbull, Chambers (Reed, 65), Ward-Prowse, Seager, Sinclair, Rowe (Ariyibi, 76)

NOT USED: Fraser Colmer, Will Britt (GK), Charlie Higgins


EVERTON: Taudul (Griffiths, 76), Pennington, Touray, Kenny, Langton, Moleneux, Jones, Ledson, Waring (Dyson, 83), Grant (Charisley, 90), Kennedy

NOT USED: George Green, Ben McLaughlin

Do Everton really have a lack of resources?

There's no doubt Everton are having a fantastic season so far, playing some exciting football and winning plenty of games.

However, something that seems to be a weekly thing is their "lack of money" or "lack of resources". The question I ask is... really?

I'm a big fan of Everton... when I say fan, I mean that they're one of the more likeable clubs in the top flight. They have a very good chairman in Bill Kenwright, a fan who who used to watch the Toffees as a youngster had done something that every other football supporter in the world would have wanted to do - taking over the club he loved.

They're a good business model, seemingly not trying to attract the star names to Goodison, instead, looking for the right players to compliment a side that David Moyes has been looking to build since he started his reign just over 10 years ago.

Moyes has been in charge for over a decade (CaughtOffside)

A regular feature that can be heard on Match of the Day on a Saturday night is "What a job Moyes has done" from the likes of former Everton striker Gary Lineker and pundits Alan Shearer, Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen, purring over the latest win for the Merseysiders.

Admittedly, Moyes has done fantastically well, but at the same time, the myth that he hasn't had money is false.

Marouane Fellaini signed for a club record £15m back in 2008 and, despite a tough start to his Toffees career, the big Belgian is finally starting to show some promise.

FELLAINI: Record signing (Eurosport)

Moyes spent a combined £10m on Leighton Baines (£6m) and Phil Jagielka (£4m) from Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United, just years after the duo were let go from the Blues' youth academy, something that not many know. Baines said: "I played Sunday league for a team called Key Ways. We had good players like Ryan Taylor (now at Newcastle) and David Nugent (now at Leicester). When I was 15, I knew I had to try to get a club, as I was coming towards the end of school. 

"I went back to Everton for a trial but they let me go again. I then went to Liverpool but they had a left back and stuck with him. It felt like the end of the world". (Toffeeweb.com)

TWO THAT GOT AWAY: Baines (L) and Jagielka (R) (Zimbio)

In more recent times, the likes of Steven Pienaar (£5m), Kevin Mirrallas (£6m), Johnny Heitinga (£6m) and Nikica Jelavic (£7m) have all arrived for hefty sums of money.

Looking back further, players such as Andy Johnson, Joleon Lescott (despite leaving Everton for a profit of the fees paid) and James Beattie all arrived for a decent amount of money too.

Lescott joined Manchester City for over £20m (Daily Mail)

So, is the famed "limited resources" actually true? You look at just some of the players listed above and I think that what is said about the Blues finances is complete codswallop. 

Admittedly the club haven't spent as much as the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United etc but, with all due respect, Everton aren't going to be a club expected to be challenging at the top with the big hitters in the Premier League.

In truth, although he gets a bit of stick from the fans, Kenwright is handing money over for players, Moyes is spending it and spending it very wisely indeed.

He's done a very good job though!

Match Report: Basingstoke Town 0-1 Dover Athletic

Dover Athletic won a tight encounter at a cold Camrose, leaving the hosts Basingstoke Town, fighting at the bottom of the table.

The goal that separated the two sides came early as after just 3 minutes, striker Ben May pounced when Stoke couldn't clear Daryl McMahon's free kick, poking in to the bottom left hand corner. Goal given, despite shouts of handball from the home defence.

It was almost 2-0 soon after as Billy Bricknell weaved his way past defenders Douglas Bergqvist and Robbie Rice before seeing his left footed drive beaten away by goalkeeper Ashley Bayes before being cleared.

The Dragons had their first real chance after 15 minutes when Shaun MacAuley let fly from 20 yeard but saw his effort well held by Mitch Walker in the Dover goal.

Tim Sills missed a guilt-edged chance ten minutes later; Walker dropping a high ball, Sills however smashed a shot embarrassingly over the bar.

The home side were getting on the ball more but had to be wary of a potential counter attack from their opponents - showcased when a May flick on sent Bricknell away. Fortunately for Stoke, 40 year-old Bayes was off his line quick enough to clear the danger.

Basingstoke had another chance on 34 minutes; firstly, MacAuley's shimmy helped the midfielder find space but his effort was once again straight at Walker.

On the stroke of half time, Sills' hook found his strike partner Delano Sam-Yorke whose shot was kept out by Walker, Jordace Holder-Spooner's follow up was blocked before another Sam-Yorke effort was quickly hacked away by Ian Simpemba.

HALF TIME: BASINGSTOKE 0-1 DOVER

The home side came out quickest for the second half and 5 minutes after the interval a Holder-Spooner cross from the right was on a plate for Sills who hit wide of the left-hand post.

After 53 minutes, a Jay Gasson back post header from an ouswinging corner was brilliantly kept out by Walker, keeping the score at 0-1.

Sills missed again after 64 minutes, his header whistling just wide from a Rice cross.

The visitors were struggling to get McMahon on the ball but had a chance to make the game safe on 70 minutes; Ricky Modeste's superb ball into the box flicked off the head of Gasson, Bayes reacting wonderfully to stick out a big right hand and flick away from danger.

A succession of substitutes soon ensued with Bricknell, McMahon and May made way for Jamie Smith, Dean Rance and Calum Willock respectively. Stoke bringing off Stuart Lake and Holder-Spooner for Callum McNish and Stefan Brown.

One final chance fell to the home side to find a last gasp equaliser as after a weaving run from Sam-Yorke, the big striker hit a fight footed shot only to see Walker keep the scores as they had been for the last 87 minutes.

BTFC: Bayes (c) Rice, Warner, Bergqvist, Gasson, Lake (McNish 81), Daly, MacAuley, Sills, Sam-Yorke, Holder-Spooner (Brown 86)

UN-USED: Nathan Campbell, Simon Dunn, Chris Paterson

DAFC: Walker, Sessegnon, Wynter, Thomson (c), Simpemba, Webb, Modeste, McMahon (Smith 76), May (Willock 86), Bricknell (Rance 76), Cogan

UN-USED: Shane Huke, Lee Hook

FULL TIME: BASINGSTOKE 0-1 DOVER

Dover rise to 7th, Basingstoke drop to 20th.