Monday 8 September 2008

Continuing on the Mongol Theme




Last night I found a CD with some juicy piccys (I think they're juicy anyway) of my 25mm Mongols and Polish taken in the back garden on the sunny day that we had a couple of years ago. The  majority of the figures are Irregular but there are a few other manufacturers in there as well, some of which deserve the title ancient as they are that old.
Top picture is of is of the keshik at the front and a mixed unit of cavalry behind. Keshik are First Corps, remainder are Irregular.
Middle is of medium cavalry, Curteys, with a couple of First Corps crossbowmen on the end.
Bottom is of some baggage camels (Irregular) and a slightly converted camel herder (First Corps).
Pictures of the Polish to came later, after all, one doesn't want to peak too soon does one? (No bishop and actress jokes, thank you very much.)
So, Curbs has gone. Guilty by media if you ask me. So yes, he made a few safe but injury prone signings, but  at the time experience was a prerequisite. Some of these injuries i.e. Dyer, Ashton and Foubert to name but a few, could not have been forecast -especially not all within the same time period. And they still ended the season in a very respectable 10th. Now the money has said that cuts have to be made, squads too big. So what does it go and do...flog nearly all the experience and hope that the bargain basement foreigners and local youngsters coming through can keep them up. They are good but no Man U if you know what I mean. No wonder there is an air of despondancy creeping in on the web sites.
England, what can you say. They went there to do a job of work and they did it. Could have done it a bit better though. More of the ball being picked out of the back of their net would have been good. Although in the teams defence a five man back line in a chequerboard with a four man midfield would be enough to kill flamboyant football from any team. They tried to look for the killer pass on the floor and a veritable octopus of blue covered legs got in the way. A chip over the top usually had at least two or sometimes three blue shirts closing down before the first bounce or it was overhit to try to get behind said defenders. What can you do?
One thing that did strike me as a bit odd. You play two out and out wingers whose job is get past defenders then cross the ball onto a waiting English head. Correct me if I'm wrong but Defoe is not really a target man for crosses in the box, now is he? Heskey, yes; Crouch, definitely but Defoe, nah. Keep it on the ground and he's your man, anything above that and it becomes a defenders training session.

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