Some very good posts on the previous two or 3 pages - the usual level headed, on the nose stuff by the usually level headed on the nose posters.
I was reminded while watching the game last night of the loss we suffered during Rafa's first season against Burnley at Turf Moor 10 or so years back. That was painful. 0-1. I thionk they were in League One at the time. There's no worse a feeling than getting dumped out of the FA Cup at the first time of asking. Not many anyhow. Back then, we were also in the League Cup semi's, and had a Champions League campaign on our minds, which we ended up doing very well in. We played a second string there, with the odd younger player, and there was some critisism levelled at Rafa for the team selection that day. Quite rightly in some regards.
It was Rafa's first season and it was a learning curve. The average age of the team was just over 24. Yesterday it scraped 20.
Jerzy Dudek
4 Hyypia (c)
21 Djimi Traoré
28 Stephen Warnock
31 David Raven
37 Zak Whitbread
18 Antonio Nunez
25 Igor Biscan
32 John Welsh
34 Darren Potter
24 Florent Sinama-Pongolle
Subs
40 Paul Harrison
36 Jon Otsemobor
41 Mark Smyth
5 Milan Baros
33 Neil Mellor
Yesterday we won. A good foundation is being built. I don't watch the U23's at all, so it's a chance for me to watch some of these young lads for the first time and there's much to be intruiged with. Been quietly impressed with Woodburn - would love to see him up front, but equipped himself pretty well again in different positions last night. Wilson too impressed... his dummy in the 80th minute (or so) was a delight. Positive stuff, and the youngsters will definitly be feeling part of things now.