Quite frankly, this was disgusting. I don't think I need to say any more, but I will! This was the worst performance of the season. Yes, even worse than Wolves, and Man City away, even worse than Sheff Wed at home when we realised that automatic promotion was only a dream - a good dream, but one that we had just been rudely awoken from. After this depressing shambles we are left looking anxiously over our shoulders, contemplating the prospect of not even making the play offs. Only once in the past five years has the team who were top at Christmas not gone on to get promoted. That was Huddersfield, and the season after they got relegated. A cautionary tale.
The crowd was a disappointing 13,505. I suppose it was lower because of the weather. Last week the game was off. This week it rained all day Monday, and Tuesday morning. Then it cleared up, but from five o'clock onwards it rained, followed by thunder and lightning, followed by hailstone, and a blizzard. A pity it wasn't off in retrospect. The paltry away support doesn't help swell the gate either. Then the blue few even had the temerity to sarcastically applaud the gate when announced.
Of course the crowd were silent - the team didn't give us anything to cheer about - but even before the game I felt there was a sense of foreboding. Maybe everybody expected the game to be off. It seemed like we were going to an end of season meaningless match. Of course it was anything but meaningless, but the players didn't really seem that bothered, and so the crowd only rose above a whisper when ex-Bastard Jeff Kenna touched the ball.
So who played well? No one. We know we don't win matches when Glen Little doesn't play. Now we're finding out we don't win if he plays poorly. We must have other options? Yes we do, but they're not as good, and they didn't play well either. Branch kept his place at left back, and we played the favoured 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation. I think it's the latter, but neither Moore A nor Glen got enough balls to Taylor, who incurs the wrath of the crowd for simply being on the field.
Last season Paul Cook couldn't put a foot right in the eyes of a significant number of supporters. Remember the crowd cheering when Stan took him off against Wolves on New Year's Day? On Tuesday after two misplaced passes, and a booking when he slid in from behind, Stan took him off to a chorus of boos. That was just after Moody had scored from an unmarked header. Kevin Ball, (brave captain, who possibly qualifies for Burnley's least worst player overall) went for a header that skimmed off his head, the ball went wide, Branch lunged, and the cross came in. Ball was back, Cox was there, Beresford stayed on his line, and Moody had time to pick his spot.
Burnley's efforts in the first half can be reeled off pretty quickly. A nice passing move involving Moore A, Glen and Taylor, resulting in Glenn blasting over. A counter attack where Moore A ran at the defence, Briscoe went wide, and put over a first time cross which resulted in nothing. Briscoe was unable to kick a moving ball on Tuesday. He only managed to get it in the generally right direction when it was stationary. Just before half time he managed that and Cox came in to head over. Finally, a shot by Taylor was collected comfortably by Bennett.
Cook had been replaced after half hour by Moore I. You know what to expect from him. At half time Steve Davis replaced the hapless Branch. Why does Stan insist on playing him at left back? Davis looked rusty, not surprisingly, but it shows how desperate we are to shore up our leaky defences. So the crowd noise rose a little, but we expected a furious assault on Bennett's goal. They easily withstood our breeze, having learnt at the Birmingham school to get all eleven men behind the ball when you're 1-0 up. We did it last season, and we can't break teams down. I think that is a difference this season. Teams are coming here not to be beaten, whereas last time round they were more adventurous.
Anyway, Moore I got fouled on the edge of the box, and Fred West kicked the ball straight into the wall. Moore A volleyed over, and Weller dillied and dallied in the box before passing to Glen, who tried to score from a tight angle. He didn't.
Our best chance fell to Moore I; it was the sort of chance we've seen Payton score for fun, but somehow Moore I doesn't. City tried to play offside, but Moore I beat it. 40 yards from goal, a clear run, ten yards on the nearest defender, but he couldn't control the ball, and when he did he headed sideways. Chance gone, game gone.
Birmingham time wasted, so we had four minutes of injury time. We might as well have gone then - most of the crowd did. Those who remained booed the team off.
Eleven games left. From the final 11 last season we got 20 points. A similar haul now would see us finish 3rd or 4th. Do you think it's possible?
Scorer: Mooney (25).
Attendance: 13,504.
Referee: R J Harris of Oxford.
The Birmingham School Of Business School