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Hull 2 City 2
Chris Bailey16/11/2008
John Prescott need not have eaten his way around Britain to get a handle on the current class system; he could have popped into one of his Jags and tootled down the road to the KC Stadium.
What one of Humberside’s MPs and most famous sons would have seen was that there is a great equality among the Premier League’s current middle and lower orders.
All the teams in the wake of the top three or four, whether they are established sides or upwardly mobile, are capable of schoolboy defending, errant passing, poor technique, clouded thinking and entertaining moments of spell binding brilliance.
Septuagenarian Prescott, who rose from a humble ship’s steward to the Queen’s second minister, would, however, presumably been impressed by the way these two out of form sides shared out the spoils.
Politics and football are not great bedfellows but the path of the two can intertwine on a frequent basis particularly since those whose livelihoods come through the ballot box and not via the penalty box, have discovered what a useful weapon it can be in the propaganda war.
It had not been an easy week for boss Mark Hughes what with unrest amongst his ‘constituents’ following a third successive league defeat, headlines suggesting that Jose Mourinho was ready to slide into his job and Elano breaking ranks - and the dressing room's unwritten code of conduct - by speaking out of turn to the television cameras.
Add to that a flight to Abu Dhabi and back within 24 hours for an audience with the club’s multibillionaire owner who just happens to be a royal prince – Prescott would surely not approve - and selection problems caused by suspensions and one could have forgiven Hughes for feeling a little jaded.
But all the cleverness, cussedness and sheer determination that hallmarked Hughes' stellar playing career are still present and it was a masterstroke in player psychology to hand Brazilian Robinho the captain’s armband for the afternoon.
Many had expected Elano’s public discontent to spill over into the mind and play of his younger friend and international colleague and Hughes’ move to make the £32.5million ace skipper was designed to send a powerful message to the pair of them; namely that he has no problem with Brazilians just players who step out of line.
Elano, too, having had his wage packet lightened by a club fine, was treated fairly taking his seat on the bench to watch Robinho lead the Blues to only their fifth away point of the season.
Tal Ben Haim also won the vote of the manager, over Nedum Onuoha, to replace the banned Richard Dunne at the heart of the back four though if there had been a secret vote amongst City fans the result is unlikely to have gone the same way.
The Israeli, whose form has been to say the least patchy since he arrived from Chelsea, was abject in getting booked for a trip on Geovanni and then giving away a goal in the 14th minute with a back pass that was stunning in its casual stupidity. Fortunately he rallied as the game progressed.
There was little danger when Micah Richards rolled the ball to his colleague inside the box but Ben Haim did not look before attempting to find Joe Hart and Daniel Cousin nipped in to beat the keeper with ease.
Just to add injury to insult, Hart was injured trying to clean up Ben Haim’s mess and hobbled out of the game and the England squad.
For most of the first half, both sides looked clueless and in the end City needed a helping hand to get back on level terms when Kamil Zayatte made an ever worse error than Ben Haim taking Robinho’s intended through ball out of the hands of his own keeper and presenting at the feet of Stevie Ireland who made no mistake from close range.
Having levelled, the Blues had more purpose about them and should have had a penalty in the 43rd minute when Michael Turner’s arm clearly got in the way of Robinho’s goal bound effort. The Brazilian was incensed that the award was not given and made the Tigers pay a couple of minutes later.
It was his pass that set Javier Garrido free on the left and when he cut the ball back for Ireland, the midfielder scored a sumptuous second curling an 18-yarder beyond the grasp of Myhill.
But City have had to score three times to win all season long and so it proved again when old boy Geovanni levelled on the hour though the former Blue had luck on his side as his 25-yard free kick deflected wickedly off Vincent Kompany and past Schmeichel.
Both sides had the chance to take the three points but Manchester’s were clearly the better opportunities. Both fell to Darius Vassell who completely missed his kick from a dozen yards and then saw Myhill save his chip from ten yards out.
There were, however, positives to glean from a draw that lifted the Blues three places up the table.
The ever elegant Kompany’s return from a groin strain and suspension was a timely fillip for a side still visibly feeling a little sorry for itself.
Defence though remains a priority for City who must find a way to stop the opposition scoring two goals a game.
It is too much of a handicap no matter what kind of high class is further up the pitch.
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18/11/2008 at 16:49
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19/11/2008 at 08:41
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