Tribute to an Irons secret weapon

 

By CandH blogger Allen Cummings

The rehearsals are all done and dusted. The pre-season aperitif has run its course. Now all eyes are on the main event – the big curtain raiser – our Saturday lunch time date with current Premier League champions Manchester City at the London Stadium (or if you’re a Daily Star reader at the Ethiad).

The guessing game about who will feature in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting 11 has already begun witth midfield  a particularly keenly contested area.  Anderson, Wilshere, Lanzini, Fornals and Rice were the starters against Athletico Bilbao last weekend. Fitness permitting, the shrewd money is on the same names featuring from the off this time, too.

 That said, it means Robert Snodgrass is again likely to be sat on the bench – waiting for the call. No surprise perhaps, given the quality of the players available to the manager.

But while Snoddy might not feature too often as a starter this season, he has all the credentials to be a very influential figure for Pellegrini. His character and experience are without doubt invaluable off the field and around the dressing room.

On the pitch, as he showed when coming off the bench last Saturday, he has the skills to make a real impression. Weather it’s with his superb dead ball deliveries, his battling, never-say-die attitude or his vocal encouragement, Snoddy can, and often does, make a visible difference.

Game management can prove vital. Likely victories can be lost if you get it wrong. Impending defeats can be salvaged if you get it right. Pellegrini knows if he calls on Snodgrass for whatever job is needed – he’ll get an honest shift from an honest professional.

Snoddy has come a long way from the trials and tribulations of two seasons ago. Our co chairman took a lot of flak for some ill-timed words, and rightly so but let’s not try to kid ourselves he was a lone voice. He wasn’t!

Snodgrass took plenty of particularly vicious stick from a section of the fan base, too. They weren’t as innocent as they try to make out now. The fact Robert overcame all that says a great deal about his character. The fact he is now a firm favourite with the crowd says even more about his ability and contribution to the team.

 Manuel Pellegrini might not be starting Robert Snodgrass as often as he did last season, but he will be delighted to have Snoddy around and ready to call on over the next nine months, of that I’m sure.