COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY

From my seat: Metalist (h)

By Ken Buckley :  21/09/2007 :  Comments (12) :

Firstly, the club was made to look amateurish on the ticketing front in front of a world wide audience, and were classed as total bufoons by those caught up in the fiasco. It seems that if you cant get to Goodison in person to pick up tickets then your odds of getting one may be higher than winning 'Lotto' Our club and technology seem a poor fit.

On the game itself, I found myself musing that we had learned next to nothing from our previous embarressment on the European stage in terms of tactics and the overwhelming need to keep away goals at bay. We seemed to be playing 4-3-3, 4-4-2, and at times 4-2-4 in a headlong gung-ho dash for goals and the fact the visitors, with more composure, could have been two up before we scored seemed to have little effect on Manager and players alike.

When our goal did come from an excellent corner from Faddy, which found our leading scorer who despatched the header with some aplomb, I thought, right, we can now settle, keep it tight and as the game will surely open up in the later stages we may well fashion at least one more. But no! Gung-ho hoofball continued.

The second half hearlded the start of the panto season. We contrived to attack leaving space at the back and compounding it by giving the ball away on a regular basis, thus inviting our less than impressive visitors much hope on the counter. Then a stroke of luck: naive defending gifted us a penalty which AJ despatched with ease only for the ref to order a retake due to encroachment by Big Vic who was on for the less than productive Yak. This time though he tamely passed the ball to the keeper. Amidst all of this, Metalist managed to have a player sent off.

So, still one up, no away goals to worry about, time to get the foot on the ball get people wide and stretch the play. Not on your life! More all-out attacking hoofball with defenders pushing on saw us punished by the ten men when one more hoof from the foot of Yobo cannoned against a players shins and rebounded to their left-sided player and with our defence going in the opposite direction he calmly found their sub who slotted home. Euro hell: an away goal from the ten men.

Panto still not over, Big Vic, who had covered more ground in 20 mins than the Yak had done in two matches, was manhandled in the box, another pen, another sending off ? you can't make this stuff up. Time for the hero to bring the curtain down to rapturous applause...

It wasn't the last act though; it was the final comedy turn as AJ's spot kick was the one known at Goodison as an 'Obifemi Martins'. Never have so many hands clasped heads. Six minutes of extra time came and went to ensure an uphill battle in a fortnight.

I believe that the seeds for this display were sown in the close season when, for whatever reason, we were unable to bolster our creative midfield strength. Tonight, without Arteta and Tommy, we looked very ordinary with only willing workers in the engine room ? which leaves me thinking that to get any sort of decent season we will need both Arteta and Tommy to play over 90% of games in all competitions... not a likely scenario!

Still, not out yet, and IF we can get out a full squad over there I see no reason why we can't go through.

Villa next in the all important race for Prem points. I hope the players have got over the sulks by then. UP THE BLUES.

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