The game, ratings and highlights

OK buckle up and strap yourselves in, here's my ratings on todays game.

What a game! Atmosphere was electric. Ears hurt the noise was so loud in the shed at times.

Highlights were:

1. The Shed calling the players "out" towards the end of the second half when NEC were in our box ( at the far end ).
2. Colin T's tackle just after he was injured resulting in the NEC defender hoofing the ball out for a corner.
3. Fenn smiling at The Shed at a corner when everyone was singing The ******.
4. Singing The ******
5. Devines saave at the end - UNBELIEVABLE!
6. Doyler's goal - carbon copy of Woodsies a few weeks ago - scary!
7. The size of the crowd.
8. Not one City player booked
9. Defence - outstanding again.

Devine - 8 what a save at the end. Nothing else to do.
Lordan - 8 so composed for a kid - frightening.
Dan - 8 colosal - what a turnaround this season for him - delighted for him.
Benno - 8 kept the porn star in his pocket through out the game - class.
C Rebel - 8 Tigerish in everything he did. "Danny's gonna get ya" and he did on several occasions ( to their coloured winger ). Frightened the bejasus out of their winger.
Kearney - 7 gets better and better.
George - 7 class touches, some really gritty tackles towards the end - loved it.
Colin T - 9 his best season by a mile. Made some brilliant interceptions and tackles and bossed the "international stars" in NEC's midfield throughout.
Doyler - 10 great goal, great overall performance - had the $hit kicked out of him for much of the game but kept getting up and playing even better. Obviously singled out for special treatment. Pity he didn't score with the second effort.
Fenn - 9 best first touch on the pitch. Great passes. Standing ovation and well deserved. Made up for the guy.
Flynny - 7 ran his heart out. Great close control. Handfull for their defence. Missed incredible chance just after Doylers goal. Will be lethal when fully fit.

Dolan - 10 got it right yet again.

Fans - 10+ unbelievable atmosphere.

No other ground in Ireland could match this - please don't even try to argue this one.

Fair play to Cork. Best of luck against Nantes

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Originally Posted by Counting Crow

OK buckle up and strap yourselves in, here's my ratings on todays game.

What a game! Atmosphere was electric. Ears hurt the noise was so loud in the shed at times.

Highlights were:

1. The Shed calling the players "out" towards the end of the second half when NEC were in our box ( at the far end ).
2. Colin T's tackle just after he was injured resulting in the NEC defender hoofing the ball out for a corner.
3. Fenn smiling at The Shed at a corner when everyone was singing The ******.
4. Singing The ******
5. Devines saave at the end - UNBELIEVABLE!
6. Doyler's goal - carbon copy of Woodsies a few weeks ago - scary!
7. The size of the crowd.
8. Not one City player booked
9. Defence - outstanding again.

Devine - 8 what a save at the end. Nothing else to do.
Lordan - 8 so composed for a kid - frightening.
Dan - 8 colosal - what a turnaround this season for him - delighted for him.
Benno - 8 kept the porn star in his pocket through out the game - class.
C Rebel - 8 Tigerish in everything he did. "Danny's gonna get ya" and he did on several occasions ( to their coloured winger ). Frightened the bejasus out of their winger.
Kearney - 7 gets better and better.
George - 7 class touches, some really gritty tackles towards the end - loved it.
Colin T - 9 his best season by a mile. Made some brilliant interceptions and tackles and bossed the "international stars" in NEC's midfield throughout.
Doyler - 10 great goal, great overall performance - had the $hit kicked out of him for much of the game but kept getting up and playing even better. Obviously singled out for special treatment. Pity he didn't score with the second effort.
Fenn - 9 best first touch on the pitch. Great passes. Standing ovation and well deserved. Made up for the guy.
Flynny - 7 ran his heart out. Great close control. Handfull for their defence. Missed incredible chance just after Doylers goal. Will be lethal when fully fit.

Dolan - 10 got it right yet again.

Fans - 10+ unbelievable atmosphere.

No other ground in Ireland could match this - please don't even try to argue this one.

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Couldnt agree more CC... Maybe give Flynny a 8! :D According to the official Nec website Georgie got booked! :confused:

Didn't notice Georgie getting a card. If he did then he's out of the game next weekend :mad: 2 yellow cards.

Forgot to add as a highlight:

10. Noel Mooney in The Shed cheering us on. Hoops fans wouldn't like to see that. Fair play to him though. Must have wrecked his head though watching the day unfold in front of him.

a city player did get booked.... not george though

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Originally Posted by eoinh

a city player did get booked.... not george though

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Thought the same .... was it Colin ... cant remember actually :o

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Originally Posted by A face

Thought the same .... was it Colin ... cant remember actually :o

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Twas Cillian, time wasting at a throw in AFAIK

i agree with most of your rating... i thought georgie had a very good game i prob would give him a 8 or 9... i did think fenn played really well tonight but i wouldnt give him a 9 maybe a 7 or 8... otherwise i agree with most of your rating.. the crow was class same next time ;)

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Originally Posted by SÓC

Twas Cillian, time wasting at a throw in AFAIK

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Ya thats right

Amazing performance by everyone, including the manager. The discipline City had to keep their shape and game plan was incredible to watch. There were no more than two or three moments where the shape buckled due to City overcommitting to attack and NEC couldn't move upfield fast enough to take advantage. It doesn't take from Citys performance to say that NEC underperformed and were curiously dispassionate until the last 20 minutes. Its a far cry from the days when Irish teams won european games by grit and "getting stuck in". After the first five minutes, Cork were the better team, the more dangerous team and the ones in control. What a day! I'd give everyone a 9+, but for me Alan Bennett was man of the match. He won every contest with the supposedly dangerous Demouge (sp?) with a clinical efficiency that was beautiful to watch. But all of the team were cool in their approach to what they had to do, believed in the way they set out to play, and I suppose a lot of that has to be credited to the manager. Watching them line up before the game, I was struck by the thought that these players had the opportunity to become legends, possibly even to eclipse the previous generation of Cork heroes, but the likelihood was it would pass them by. They have made their mark big time.

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Originally Posted by Counting Crow

Didn't notice Georgie getting a card. If he did then he's out of the game next weekend :mad: 2 yellow cards.

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I think its 3 yellows in the Intertoto Cup

Lads,
I thought that Fenn was carried by the team for portions of the match. He has a good touch no doubt and made a fool of one or two of the Dutch defenders on one or two occassions, but he rarely got up for any headers when the ball was played forward.
One thing that struck me was that there was no quality striker on the bench that City could bring on -If City want to continue to progress as a club and keep this squad together, they need to strengthen it even more.
I actually thought most City Fans were applauding Fenn to go off rather than for his performance!!!

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Originally Posted by Shelsman

Lads,
I thought that Fenn was carried by the team for portions of the match. He has a good touch no doubt and made a fool of one or two of the Dutch defenders on one or two occassions, but he rarely got up for any headers when the ball was played forward.
One thing that struck me was that there was no quality striker on the bench that City could bring on -If City want to continue to progress as a club and keep this squad together, they need to strengthen it even more.
I actually thought most City Fans were applauding Fenn to go off rather than for his performance!!!

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we signed stephen o flynn from limerick pre season but he broke his leg.. hes training again now and will be excellent cover.. he was top scorer in div 1 last year

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Originally Posted by Shelsman

I actually thought most City Fans were applauding Fenn to go off rather than for his performance!!!

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IMHO Fenn is a class act. His first touch is good, he holds the ball well and causes problems when he has the ball. OK he doesn't charge about the pitch at 150km an hour (thought I'd get metric for the European campaign) but that's not his game and when he gets the ball - especially in or near the penalty area - I always feel that there is something possible. This Cork team has a great diversity about it and that is its great strength. The days of "get the ball to Ollie and let him run" or "hoof it down the park..." are long gone. Having said that I was glad to see a few hoofs down the park in the last minutes of THE GAME :D

i thought fenn did well yesterday. u cant say any player did bad

a great team effort

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Originally Posted by Shelsman

Lads,
I actually thought most City Fans were applauding Fenn to go off rather than for his performance!!!

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Dont think many fans would agree with you there. Thought he played very well. He picked the right pass almost every time, bringing the wingers into the game.

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Originally Posted by one_bounce

we signed stephen o flynn from limerick pre season but he broke his leg.. hes training again now and will be excellent cover.. he was top scorer in div 1 last year

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eh no he wasnt.......he was up there tho..

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Originally Posted by ThaddyQuill

Dont think many fans would agree with you there. Thought he played very well. He picked the right pass almost every time, bringing the wingers into the game.

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agreed there,....he got a great reception from the fans when he was subsituted.twas only tactical and wasted a few more secs towarsd the end..

Fenn was brilliant yesterday, probably the classiest player on the pitch. A turnaround game for him. People might get off his back now. The reason he doesn't jump like a buck rabbit to head high balls is because he has a preference for taking them down on his chest, thigh or instep. Its worth the admission price to watch some of those takes, not to mention the the flicked passes that often follow, leaving defenders bamboozled wondering where the ball went. If only he had another yard of pace...but theres nothing anyone can do about that, and he makes the most of the talents he has.

I think he was good but not great yesterday and I'm one of his bigger fans, but I don't see how you can criticise him for not jumping into headers when you see them amount of ball he brought down on his thigh or chest and laid off to get us going, he won a load of frees of them too.

His trickery around four or five of them at one stage was a joy, actually, you know what, he WAS great yesterday, they all bloody were, let's stop picking holes and just enjoy it.

for the record, I cheered him as he was being subbed