| As this is a Linfield fansite its just right the fans have their say. This section is purely for the supporters of Linfield and if you have an opinion on the goings on and off the field regarding Linfield or the Irish League or even "The Opinionator" views we want to know it! Please email us at [email protected] and [email protected] and we'll be happy to display your comments. |
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| The Opinionator: Last Update on 13th October 2003 |
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| A good three points on Saturday but anyone who was at the game will agree that we should have won a lot more comfortably. Some of the football we played was fantastic but we do need to punish teams and make use of our possession. In my last article I mentioned how bad the referee was at Portadown. Again, those that were there on Saturday will agree that Courtney was even worse and that is saying something. Some of his decisions defied belief. I think even the most biased Blueman will agree that Winkie was lucky to stay on the pitch but there was more than one Cliftonville player very lucky to stay on the field, Mickey Donnelly in particular. Their tactics were physical to say the least and the referee seemed content to let them away with it. Marty Tabb went mental at him at the end of the game but I don�t think Marty has too much grounds to complain as I think they came out the better on the dodgy decisions scorecard. The ref even saw fit to award a bye ball when Mark Pickings shot was cleared off the line by a defender. On the performance front, I thought we did not have a bad performer on the day. Mark Picking for me shaded Man of the Match. Every time he got the ball Cliftonville struggled to deal with him. Glenn Ferguson also put in an excellent performance as did Kenny Irons and Phil Charnock in midfield. I am now convinced that Kenny is the best passer of a ball in the league. His pass to Dalglish had Bluemen drooling. The defence were rock steady and the fact that Alan Mannus did not have a save to make in the entire game bears testament to this. Pat Wall again put in an excellent performance at right back with McShane equally good on the left side of defence. Hopefully this win will give the players confidence and we can go on a run of victories that will move us closer to the top of the league. Our next game is �away� to Ards with the game of course being played at Bangor�s Clandeboye Park. This game will be tricky enough. There are a few players at Ards with points to prove. No matter what way things went for Feeney last season he is exceptionally dangerous and has the ability to cause us big problems. O�Boyle, as he showed when dominating the game between Linfield and Glenavon last season, also has the ability to create problems and a close eye will need to be kept on these two. I am still confident however that we can come away with three points. In the draw made today (apparently), Linfield were drawn at home to Islandmagee in the first round of the County Antrim Shield. No disrespect to Islandmagee but this match hardly fills you with anticipation. Yet again, in their wisdom the football authorities have decided to go against live football on television by scheduling this fixture on the same night that Leeds Utd and Man Utd play in the Carling Cup live on television. It may only be the Carling Cup which most of the top clubs in England treat with contempt but for anyone that is wavering on whether or not to go to our game when they look at the facts, Linfield v Islandmagee on what will probably be a cold night at an empty Windsor Park or sit in the house with the feet up, a beer in your hand and watching Leeds and Man Utd, what are they going to decide? What is wrong with playing our game on the Monday night instead of the Tuesday night? When are people in this country going to wise up and realise that they cannot compete with the likes of Man Utd live on television and schedule fixtures accordingly? I know it is very difficult to get a midweek now with no football on the box but, as I said, what is wrong with utilising Monday nights? Come to think of it though, is there really any point in participating in this competition because personally I think it is a waste of time. Yes, it�s nice to win but at the end of the day, it�s no big deal. We should go to three competitions, The league, the Irish Cup and the League Cup with the League Cup being replaced by an all Ireland Cup competition if possible. The crowds for these minor competitions are getting smaller season after season. Finally, I would just like to know what your opinions are on what I am writing. Please feel free to leave your opinion on the forum on this site. The Opinionator |
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