Millwall 0 Reading 0 Championship 27/1/15 att: 8,317 (away 539)

IT MAY BE JUST A POINT BUT IT'S ALSO A CLEAN SHEET 

The Lions are back with more bite and a bit more passion

It may have been just a point but they are there to be earn't and we certainly grafted for this one. With the January signings of Dan Harding, Stefan Maierhofer, Shaun Cummings , Diego Fabbrini and last minute central defender Jos Hooiveld starting and Paris Cowan-Hall on the bench we were a new look side that from the start looked more solid at the back and I was watching the way that Jos Hooiveld and Sid Nelson were working closely together in the centre of the defence with lots of chat between them. These two will develop in a fine pairing if given the chance and I was gutted when Sid Nelson's 45 minute slightly missed timed tackle resulted in a red card which was issued with great zest from referee Alan Medley.  Sid Nelson trudged off the pitch probably a lot more gutted than me.

THE DEN IS GETTING IT'S MOJO BACK

For the second half Hooiveld teamed up with Shaun Williams and that worked well. Paris Cowan-Hall took the place of Magaye Gueye, and he looks a exciting prospect. Alan Dunne come on and Stefan Maierhofer went off and we finished the game with a purpose and created chances that maybe on another day would see us gain a win and the three points. All in all a good result considering we played the 2nd half with ten men, or did we?. The Den was back to it's noisy self and we being the 12th man dropped into the 11th man spot and roared the Lions on.  I think this game was a pointer to things to come and as I said earlier it maybe just a point but after the improvement against Ipswich which we still lost to earn this draw is the next step. It's Nottingham Forest Saturday and last year we beat them and we beat others and went on to survive the drop.

Millwall: Forde, Cummings, Harding, Nelson(sent off 45m), Hooiveld, Williams, Abdou, Gueye(Dunne46), Gregory, Maierhofer(Cowan-Hall 46), Fabbrini(Martin 77)

subs not used, King, Beevers, Upson, Fuller

Reading: Fedric, Kelly, Obita, Pearce, Hector, Norwood, Williams, Chalobah(McCleary 58), Robson-Kanu,(Mackie 76), Blackman(Cox 58), Pogrebnyak

subs not used, Anderson, Tauner, Cooper, Karacan

For this seasons full page please click on link in right hand side bar >>

Millwall 1 Ipswich 3, Championship Game 26, 17/1/15, att: 11.063

Our old boss Mick McCarthy comes to town

He had some of the new signings starting this game but score wise they didn't make a difference as we lost again. There was improvement but only in the "want it" attitude from the team. There was a bit more effort which resulted in us having more of the ball but we easly gave it away as we constantly lumped the ball to Lee Gregory and the Stefan Maierhofer in the middle. We hardly played it wide. New Signing Diego Fabbrini looks useful and can certainly play with the ball. He was subbed in the 2nd half by Lee Martin and that seem to make us lose our fizz in midfield. I am not sure I understood this tactic by Ian Holloway and in fact I still don't.Young Sid Nelson was surprised when Ian Holloway mad him captain a short time before the game. He done ok in this new captains role and considering he was only seventeen days past his nineteenth birthday he grew in statue and has a mature attitude that tells me he could be another Millwall legend and join that immortal bunch of Lions hero's.

Pushing for the equaliser but Ipswich's 3rd goal done us

A bit more passion

Overall we did make more effort, we did play better, we didn't roll over but we did try to get something from the game but Ipswich's third goal killed us off. Up to Ipswich scored their third game we wasn't out of the game and we did have efforts by Webster, Powell, Gueye and Abdou but they were all wide of the target apart from Gueye's 43rd minute effort that resulted in a goal. With Ipswich picking up another three points they are now 2nd in the table and sit behind Bournemouth. We are still 3rd from bottom. and I think it's time we kicked on and with the combination of new players and that bit more "fight" we should start to put a few points together.

Recent signings Shaun Cummings, Diego Frabbini, Dan Harding, Stefan Maierhofer start. Paris Cowan-Hall is still injured and is not in the squad.

Millwall: Forde, Cummings(Fuller 80), Nelson, Webster, Harding, Gueye, Abdou, Powell, Fabbrini(Martin 63), Gregory, Maierhofer
Subs not used, King, Shittu, Wilkinson, Woolford, McDonald

Goal: Gueye 42,

Ipswich: Bialkowski, Chambers, Mings, Berra, Smith, Tabb, Bru, Anderson(Clarke 88), S.Hunt(Parr 63), N.Hunt(Sears 63), Murphy,
subs not used, Crowe,  Ambrose, Stewart

Goals: N.Hunt 5, 14,  Parr 77

Bradford City 4 Millwall 0, FA Cup 3rd round, 14/1/15, att: 11,859 (away 614)

A STAIN ON MILLWALL'S HISTORY

We take over 600 for this midweek game and John Berylson promises to refund all those that bought a ticket in advance. We were poor and weak and capitulated to a team in League One which was totally unlike Millwall FC. I think we have reached rock bottom.

The FA Cup comes around each season no matter where you are in the football league's and I always look to see if we can put a cup run together. In the past we have done this and over the years we have had some memorable moments. This is one of those times but all for the wrong reasons. The ease that Bradford scored in the 3-3 game in the first leg was a warning of what they would do to us at their place. We didn't yet again turn up and the 4-0 defeat was the best we could ask for. Having the carrot of beating this lot and it's Chelsea in the next round was certainly a carrot for Bradford but for us it wasn't a carrot it was a bowl of unpasteurised stodge, a embarrassment to the badge. We managed to squeak a draw with them at our place but that was a good as we got.

Do I need to comment in detail regarding the game? Not really, I will just list the team.

Forde,  Dunne,  Shittu,  Beevers,  Briggs,  Abdou,  Chaplow,  Upson(Webster 46), Gregory, Fuller(Woolford 22), Martin(Gueye 62)
subs not used, King, Nelson, Powell, McDonald

For this seasons full page please click on 2014-15 link in right hand sidebar>>

Blackpool 1 Millwall 0 Championship 10/1/15 att:9,994

As Holloway now seen enough?

How bad are we? I reckon we sit between "not very good" and "bloody hopeless" Bottom of the league Blackpool wasn't that much cop their selves but they still managed to beat us. This was a must win game for us and I did believe that we were as bad as them but we were hopeless. Where's the Millwall way gone? There was nothing in the game that come close, I don't know why the players got off the coach. I bet they wish they didn't because the not so friendly criticism from the frustrated travelling support must have made their ears burn. I reckon we have some dead wood in the team and it's a bit more than just one or two pieces. Players out of contract come the summer seem not to want to achieve or impress and there is no way that they will secure a new contract with a display like that. I can only conclude that they don't want one. We have new signings in and others on the way, let's get them in and playing. It may take a few games to gel but as long as they are up the fight and graft for the shirt we could do enough to stay in this league. The next league game is home to Ipswich which will be a tough one as Ipswich are flying this season and with Mick McCarthy in charge. He is making things happen. Would I have him back at the Den? I should coco.

For this seasons full page, please click on the link  Championship 2014-15 in the side bar>>

FA CUP 3rd round, Millwall 3 Bradford 3, att: 5,470 (Bradford bring 1,093)

3/1/15

We could have won it, we could have lost it but in the end I'll take the draw

Bradford are doing well in league one and we are not doing well in the Championship. What's the score going to be, I have no idea. This was my thoughts before the game. This type of game can be hard to call but as per usual I expect Millwall to win and we would have done if we could stop conceding soft goals. We tried all through the game to get something from this game but all the hard work was undone on three occasions as Bradford took the lead, lost it, then took it back and then lost it again.

A chance to cheer but it didn't last 

4th round draw and if we get through the replay at Bradford it's Chelsea at their place

For the complete season so far click here for this seasons page within this blog>>championship-2014-15