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Wank Baskets v Cardiff City, Sat 5th Nov @ 3pm (predictions close @ 12.30)


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3rd worst attack in the league, 4th worst defence (Norwich have the 3rd worst defence, by the way), we should smash these all over the shop. Ritchie is suspended though, and while Atsu and Gouffran are more than capable producing against this level of opposition, we might be as creative.

 

Gayle is likely to be fit, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rafa started with Mitrovic because; a) why risk it and rush Gayle back, 2) Mitrovic is in good form and iii) if the two wide players are more like typical wingers, isn't it better to have the big man in the centre?

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You think Gouffran and Atsu are more typical wingers?  Atsu is another like Ritchie, who is left footed but likes to play on the right so he can cut in.  And I'm not sure what Gouffran is but it's not a typical winger.

 

Aye it ritchie and atsu are a straight swap then we're looking at him cutting in onto his left for the shot more often than not, he does that far more directly than ritchie and we've seen gouffran do it a bit this season too.

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You think Gouffran and Atsu are more typical wingers?  Atsu is another like Ritchie, who is left footed but likes to play on the right so he can cut in.  And I'm not sure what Gouffran is but it's not a typical winger.

More than Ritchie, yeah. They cross from the byline, or stay wide until at least the box. Ritchie cuts inside/crosses from deep.

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I don't think Gouffran crosses much at all but either way I wouldn't call any of them typical wingers.  Gillespie was a typical winger.  We've had very few typical wingers here since then.

Yeah, I suppose. 

 

Poor Shane :(

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Didn't know Colin had beef with Rafa

 

 

 

Why does Neil Warnock dislike Newcastle United FC boss Rafa Benitez so much? The full story on a bitter feud

By Dominic Booth

Monday 31/10/16

When Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League in 2007, a fuming Neil Warnock levelled his rage in three directions.

On the one hand, there was the Carlos Tevez affair; a messy legal battle over the issue of third-party ownership with Warnock firmly believing the then-West Ham striker should never have been playing for the Hammers.

Warnock was also unhappy with Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager who rested on his laurels as his weakened champions took on relegation-threatened West Ham and lost, to a Tevez goal on the final day of the season.

And then there was Rafa Benitez, who like Ferguson chose a weaker side to play Fulham on the same day. Fulham were battling with West Ham and Warnock's Sheffield United to stay in the league and they beat Benitez's Liverpool to condemn the Blades to the drop.

It was a complex series of events with the legal wrangle over Tevez leaving everybody in the dark. But one thing Warnock was sure about was how he felt let down by Ferguson and Benitez in particular.

"I was disappointed at United's team," said Warnock in 2007. "You would have hoped and thought that, last game of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and probably two or three more might have played.

"I think Sir Alex sold me a dummy in midweek when he said he would field a strong team. He had his own reasons, though. Maybe the FA Cup final next week is more important to him.

"At least I knew the players that were playing. I didn't even know two of those that played for Liverpool at Fulham last week.

"I'd never heard of them but when you are a foreign manager like Rafa Benitez, you probably don't give two hoots about what Sheffield United think."

While time was a healer between Warnock and Ferguson due to the Scot's legendary status within the game, no such admiration survived for the Spaniard.

"There will never be a manager as good as him (Ferguson) ever again, make no mistake," said Warnock in 2012.

Yet no bridges were built whenever he was asked about the dispute with Benitez. The feud ran deep.

So much so that when the pair were reacquainted for a League Cup quarter-final in December 2012, with the veteran Yorkshireman in charge of Leeds United and Benitez at the Chelsea helm, Warnock wasn't prepared to extend an olive branch.

He revealed his comments after Sheffield United's relegation in 2007 had provoked an email from Benitez's solicitors threatening legal action if Warnock kept accusing the Spaniard of poor sportsmanship.

There was a reluctant handshake between the pair on that night four years ago, as Benitez's Chelsea thrashed the Whites 5-1, despite Warnock suggesting he might refuse the gesture.

Warnock won't be heading to the North East with trepidation, that's for sure. Revenge for the 5-1 and 'getting one up' on his old foe will be to the forefront of proceedings despite the fullness of time providing some solace for the 67-year-old.


Neil Warnock
"The last time I heard from Rafa he was threatening to sue me in an email if I mentioned it again," he said.

"Enough water’s passed under the bridge. It’s one of those things that disappoints you in life and you have to get on with it.

"You get disappointments in every walk of life and I’ve made my feelings clear over the last few years and nothing will change that."

As the duo prepare to meet again on Saturday, as Cardiff City travel to league leaders Newcastle , how the rivalry plays out in the dugouts will undoubtedly take centre stage.


If we've learned anything from Warnock's short time in South Wales so far, it is that he is a full-blooded, passionate manager who wants to win at all costs.

On the pitch it might prove a tricky proposition, with Benitez justifying his decision to remain at St James' Park despite overseeing the Magpies' relegation last season. Newcastle have started the season in superb fashion and are in a rich vein of form with six consecutive league victories.

It's clear that Warnock's teams perform better when the stakes are high. He is a master motivator, a trait which is now reflecting in his team, typified by that 'blood and thunder' debut performance against Bristol City.

Whether the underdogs tag will suit the Bluebirds again remains to be seen, but events on the touchline will certainly provide a major focus as one of Warnock's many footballing feuds is reopened on Tyneside.

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I think that their general upturn since Colin arrived there is more of a concern than any beef between the two of them.  But at the end of the day I still think that we're the only who can beat us in this league.  If we are properly focused we're just so much better than all the others.

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I think that their general upturn since Colin arrived there is more of a concern than any beef between the two of them.  But at the end of the day I still think that we're the only who can beat us in this league.  If we are properly focused we're just so much better than all the others.

Best thing is that it seems Rafa has instilled a resolve throughout key members of the squad, so even if Shelvey is taking it easy, we've sufficient number of players in the 1st team who're grafting for every point.

 

It also helps that not a single player has an automatic spot, not even the likes of Ritchie or Gayle.

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Best thing is that it seems Rafa has instilled a resolve throughout key members of the squad, so even if Shelvey is taking it easy, we've sufficient number of players in the 1st team who're grafting for every point.

 

It also helps that not a single player has an automatic spot, not even the likes of Ritchie or Gayle.

 

Aye definitely. There's been a palpable change in the collective attitude of the squad - the graft is there for all to see in the matches and it's one of Rafa's most important achievements since he's been here imo. Last time we had anything similar was the season we finished 5th and my suspicion then was that it was largely due to Coloccini setting incredibly high standards for the rest of them to follow, both in training and matches. The total malaise that set in from then on seems to have been obliterated by Rafa and it's tremendous to see. Of course the trick will be to keep it up til May but it's been absolutely class to witness so far. 

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That's a canny photo from the same day (i.e. when Wigan sent them down and saved themselves) but I actually meant this one:

_42921305_wigan.jpg

Just look at his face, as Barry Davies would say.

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