City ready to stop Charlie Austin
Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:08 am
Charlie Austin, Burnley’s 18-goal hitman, won’t be able to intimidate the Bluebirds’ back division in the Championship clash at Cardiff City Stadium today.
That’s the view of City centre-half Ben Turner, who is in a back five charged with stopping the prolific Austin.
Hungerford-born Austin, 23, has netted in Burnley’s last seven matches, scoring twice during their 4-3 win at Bristol City in midweek, and will set a new club record if he makes it eight.
“He’s on a phenomenal run, but we have to believe we can be the team to stifle him,” says Turner. “He’s just a bloke playing football like all of us.
“He is in good form, but we have a solid defence. We like to think that if we are on our game we can be the team who stops him.
“We know we will have to be bang on our game because he is bang on his game.”
City have opened this season with a club record six successive home wins and are out to make it a magnificent seven with victory against Burnley this afternoon.
Turner, though, insists the City players are thinking only about doing all they can to beat Burnley and not about how many home wins that would be.
“The only thing that counts today is can we beat Burnley?” he says. “Our aim this season is to earn promotion and Burnley are our next opponents.
“We have to stay focused. This week people were talking about us going for a magnificent six home wins and then, when we went off 1-0 down at half-time, disgruntled fans were wondering if we are really that good.
“It’s all about the next game for us and today that is Burnley at home.
“From an opposition point of view the longer we stay unbeaten at home the better. We are probably not going to win every game at home, but the longer our run continues and the longer we are unbeaten at home the better.
“It will help create an intimidating factor. It could make other teams wonder and question whether they can win at Cardiff City.
“We will concentrate on what we have to do and keep working to make progress. Last season we were the sixth best team in Championship football and we have added new players to improve the squad. I would be disappointed if we don’t improve on our finishing position from last season.”
Turner, who made his first start in two months against Watford, will again play alongside captain Mark Hudson at the centre of City’s defence with Matt Connolly continuing at right-back and Andrew Taylor on the left.
Connolly was selected ahead of Kevin McNaughton for the win against Watford and it was his run and cross which led to Peter Whittingham’s penalty which set City on their way to victory.
Turner looks certain to be in Cardiff City’s starting line-up for today’s home match against Burnley, playing alongside captain Mark Hudson at centre-half.
The former Coventry City defender lost his place because of a minor muscle tear in his foot and then could not get back in.
“I was delighted to be back out there playing,” said Turner. “I had to wait for a chance because the team were playing well. I missed three or four weeks because of my injury and then had to be patient.
“It wasn’t the time to ask why I wasn’t playing because it was obvious. The team were doing really well.
“I had been pleased with my start to the season because we had won our first match and drawn at Brighton in our second. That was the last time, but we kept two clean sheets.
“It was frustrating being out, but I didn’t want to show that.
“I got stuck into training. The group I was involved in was one of the most hungry I have ever trained with. We were a set of people working hard to show we were ready to play.
“I was back in the team for the Watford match and I’m fully fit. Hopefully I did well enough to keep my place.”
Turner also talked for the first time about turning down the chance to play for Wales, saying: “It would be like pretending to be Welsh.”
Manager Chris Coleman invited English-born Cardiff City defender Turner, who qualifies for Wales through his grandparents, to join his squad.
Coleman was Turner’s manager at his previous club, Coventry City, and know the 6ft 4ins centre-half well, believing he would help in the bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“The reason I turned down Wales because I am an English lad,” said Turner. “I love playing for Cardiff City and enjoy the support fans in Wales give me. But if I played for Wales it would be because I had been asked and not because I grew up dreaming of pulling on the shirt.
“There are lads who dream of playing for Wales because they are Welsh and I understand that. But I am English. I spoke to my family and to Chris Coleman through our gaffer at the club (Malky Mackay).
“He wanted to help me through that. It was a situation where as a young pro I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and my decision to come across badly. I was extremely flattered to be asked.
“Players make their own decisions and I would applaud anybody playing international football if it’s right for them. I can’t justify it in my own conscience if I played. It would be as though I was pretending to be Welsh and I don’t want to kid anybody.
“At the same time I don’t want to annoy anybody. I probably won’t have the chance to play for England, but in my head that’s not important.”
Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... z2ATsMvJKH
That’s the view of City centre-half Ben Turner, who is in a back five charged with stopping the prolific Austin.
Hungerford-born Austin, 23, has netted in Burnley’s last seven matches, scoring twice during their 4-3 win at Bristol City in midweek, and will set a new club record if he makes it eight.
“He’s on a phenomenal run, but we have to believe we can be the team to stifle him,” says Turner. “He’s just a bloke playing football like all of us.
“He is in good form, but we have a solid defence. We like to think that if we are on our game we can be the team who stops him.
“We know we will have to be bang on our game because he is bang on his game.”
City have opened this season with a club record six successive home wins and are out to make it a magnificent seven with victory against Burnley this afternoon.
Turner, though, insists the City players are thinking only about doing all they can to beat Burnley and not about how many home wins that would be.
“The only thing that counts today is can we beat Burnley?” he says. “Our aim this season is to earn promotion and Burnley are our next opponents.
“We have to stay focused. This week people were talking about us going for a magnificent six home wins and then, when we went off 1-0 down at half-time, disgruntled fans were wondering if we are really that good.
“It’s all about the next game for us and today that is Burnley at home.
“From an opposition point of view the longer we stay unbeaten at home the better. We are probably not going to win every game at home, but the longer our run continues and the longer we are unbeaten at home the better.
“It will help create an intimidating factor. It could make other teams wonder and question whether they can win at Cardiff City.
“We will concentrate on what we have to do and keep working to make progress. Last season we were the sixth best team in Championship football and we have added new players to improve the squad. I would be disappointed if we don’t improve on our finishing position from last season.”
Turner, who made his first start in two months against Watford, will again play alongside captain Mark Hudson at the centre of City’s defence with Matt Connolly continuing at right-back and Andrew Taylor on the left.
Connolly was selected ahead of Kevin McNaughton for the win against Watford and it was his run and cross which led to Peter Whittingham’s penalty which set City on their way to victory.
Turner looks certain to be in Cardiff City’s starting line-up for today’s home match against Burnley, playing alongside captain Mark Hudson at centre-half.
The former Coventry City defender lost his place because of a minor muscle tear in his foot and then could not get back in.
“I was delighted to be back out there playing,” said Turner. “I had to wait for a chance because the team were playing well. I missed three or four weeks because of my injury and then had to be patient.
“It wasn’t the time to ask why I wasn’t playing because it was obvious. The team were doing really well.
“I had been pleased with my start to the season because we had won our first match and drawn at Brighton in our second. That was the last time, but we kept two clean sheets.
“It was frustrating being out, but I didn’t want to show that.
“I got stuck into training. The group I was involved in was one of the most hungry I have ever trained with. We were a set of people working hard to show we were ready to play.
“I was back in the team for the Watford match and I’m fully fit. Hopefully I did well enough to keep my place.”
Turner also talked for the first time about turning down the chance to play for Wales, saying: “It would be like pretending to be Welsh.”
Manager Chris Coleman invited English-born Cardiff City defender Turner, who qualifies for Wales through his grandparents, to join his squad.
Coleman was Turner’s manager at his previous club, Coventry City, and know the 6ft 4ins centre-half well, believing he would help in the bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“The reason I turned down Wales because I am an English lad,” said Turner. “I love playing for Cardiff City and enjoy the support fans in Wales give me. But if I played for Wales it would be because I had been asked and not because I grew up dreaming of pulling on the shirt.
“There are lads who dream of playing for Wales because they are Welsh and I understand that. But I am English. I spoke to my family and to Chris Coleman through our gaffer at the club (Malky Mackay).
“He wanted to help me through that. It was a situation where as a young pro I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and my decision to come across badly. I was extremely flattered to be asked.
“Players make their own decisions and I would applaud anybody playing international football if it’s right for them. I can’t justify it in my own conscience if I played. It would be as though I was pretending to be Welsh and I don’t want to kid anybody.
“At the same time I don’t want to annoy anybody. I probably won’t have the chance to play for England, but in my head that’s not important.”
Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... z2ATsMvJKH
Re: City ready to stop Charlie Austin
Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:03 am
Can't score when you've got no legs! Break him Ben... break him! 
Re: City ready to stop Charlie Austin
Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:56 am
the same treatment as Friedman next week: "Charlie austin - we aint fooking scared" 
Re: City ready to stop Charlie Austin
Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:05 pm
Well that wasn't hard 