Andy Munro on Blues’ win at Elland Road.
Seventh heaven…at least! Dizzy heights….Everest scale. Yes, Gsry Rowett continues to work miracles by turning Small Heath water into wine of the finest vintage. Furthermore, winning away at Leeds put more than a few Yorkie gremlins to rest and Blues ended up good value for their win, even at £37 a prohibitive ticket.
After the match, Rowett talked about being able to hit teams on the break, given some of the attacking flair he has at his disposal. Now, while I don’t want to get carried away and slip into Barcelona mode, it’s becoming a bit like a European Cup scenario. Take the typical English team like Arsenal against Olympiakos. The Gunners naively go gung ho and then get done on the break by the Greeks who, on paper, are an inferior outfit. This is because, Arsenal, like all the failing English teams in Europe, leave gaps behind them that would have your average prairie farmer rubbing his hands with glee.
On the player front, it was good to see Robbo and Davis given a chance and they certainly didn’t let the side down with feisty performances. Gray’s opening goal was a sight to behold and no wonder there is a rumour that eventually a Berihinho-less West Bromwich will come knocking. Let’s hope that Demi prefers his balti to a helping of mushy pays.
As you would expect, we were under the cosh in the second period but the defence held firm with the midfield also weighing in. Credit to our keeper who pulled off some great saves, one of the world class variety. yYt, we still found time to seal the win with a great solo goal by Maghoma. It was good to see, as there is still a school of thought that in signing Maghoma and letting Wes Thomas go, we had made a bad mistake. If not, then it won’t be the first time that Gary has been proved right.
In the rosy after low of the match, against my better judgement, I even decided to watch Channel 5’s slapstick football comedy show. It features the poor woman’s Gaby Yorath and a talentless BBC Radio 5 presenter who likes to think he’s an expert on all sports but whose knowledge of our national game could be put on the back of a postage stamp. Predictably, their summing up of the battle at the top of the Championship failed to give Blues a mention. Maybe nobody likes us, but we don’t care!