Fan Zone: 24/08/2009

Every game – by the people who care most

Cardiff 3 Bristol City 0

How good were the Bluebirds?

I've never seen us dominate a Bristol City side like we did on Sunday. We completely outclassed them all over the pitch for long periods. The only bright spot for them was their keeper, Dean Gerken, who has come in for the excellent Basso. If it wasn't for him it could well have been four or five.

Who was the star man?

Chris Burke has been a tremendous signing. He was immense again and has barely put a foot wrong for us since his arrival from Rangers in January. (vicflange, Cardiff City fan)

Coventry 0 Swansea 1

Who was the Coventry villain?

Sammy Clingan scored four penalties for Norwich last season but looked like he'd never taken one before. The fact that he skewed it wide was no real surprise. I would have put a bet on him missing it had I had the chance. (JimmyJ, Coventry fan)

Are the Swans off and running now?

It's hard to say as I didn't think we deserved all three points. I was undecided about Paulo Sousa when he was given the job and nothing I've seen has changed my mind. It was a good finish from Ashley Williams to win this one though. (WhiteRme, Swansea fan)

Crystal Palace 0 Newcastle 2

Is last week's controversy forgotten?

It was a bitter pill to swallow but we should be more concerned about a team which is showing an alarming lack of progress under Neil Warnock. He is starting to lose the patience of some fans. (SelhurstSteve, Palace fan)

Are the Magpies going back up?

Without a doubt as from what I've seen so far we are head and shoulders above the level in this division. We've managed to keep the nucleus of a good Premier League side and I can honestly see us winning the division with a record points total. (looney_toon, Newcastle fan)

Derby 2 Plymouth 1

Who stood out for the Rams?

Derby finally shaded the game with a second goal of the season for Miles Addison. His late strike added to his sterling work at the centre of the nervous defence earned him my man of the match award.

Did anything upset the home fans?

Having awarded Plymouth a controversial penalty, the referee refused to give a blatant handball to the Rams. His overall handling of the game was as poor as Derby County's play during the first 45 minutes. (Ian Hayes, derbycounty-mad.co.uk)

Leicester 1 Barnsley 0

How good are the Foxes this season?

After a season of League One football, City are now stronger than they have been for several years. They weren't at their best against poor opposition but the signs are promising as we have genuine quality throughout the squad.

Will it be a difficult campaign for the Tykes?

Definitely. Their defence looked very fragile and they could be handed a few beatings this season. Barnsley's main attacking threat came in the shape of former Fox, Iain Hume, and he missed an absolute sitter from five yards. (Joe Harris, foxes-mad.co.uk)

Middlesbrough 2 Doncaster 0

How good are Boro this year?

Players like Tuncay and Leroy Lita take the plaudits after their goals but it's at the back where we've been most impressive. We haven't conceded in five league games and Robert Huth and David Wheater have been immense. (Northumberlandred, Boro fan)

How was the trip to the Riverside?

Compared to some of the places we've had to go to in recent years it was like visiting a palace. Having said that it was a bit quiet and sterile. If that's what life's like in the Premier League then I'd rather stay in the Championship! (DonnyBoy, Doncaster fan)

Preston 2 Peterborough 0

Was it a fair result?

Most definitely as we took our chances early on and were never really put under too much pressure. It's nice to get that first home win under the belt early in the season and I'm optimistic that this will finally be the year we go up. (Swann78, Preston fan)

How will Posh fare this season?

We've only picked up one point from a possible 12. Goalkeeper Joe Lewis and a couple of others aside, I'm not sure our players are Championship class. With all the resources we've got surely we can spend before the window closes? (LondonPosh, Peterborough fan)

QPR 1 Nottingham Forest 1

Happy with Rangers this season?

It's the same old story of our strikers not being able to take chances. At least Jim Magilton recognised this and sent on Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine and we looked more dangerous. Still no wins from four games this season though! (Ludek, QPR fan)

How did Forest play?

We're showing signs of gelling into a decent looking attacking force. However, I still have worries about the defence and time is running out to sign players before the window shuts for four months. (Half_Full, Nottm Forest fan)

Reading 1 Sheffield United 3

Is Reading's form a concern?

Two points from four matches is not acceptable for a club that is supposed to be chasing automatic promotion. Come on Brendan Rodgers sign some players with all the money which has been generated by selling some of our star players. (Ascotbloo, Reading fan)

Happy with the performance?

Kevin Blackwell must have read the riot act at half-time as we came out with total commitment to win the ball, started to pass around and play on the ground and looked like we really wanted to win it. (WiltshireBlade, Sheffield United fan)

Sheffield Wednesday 4 Scunthorpe 0

Was it a fair result?

We created chance after chance and even the most ardent Scunny fan who was at the game would have been happy that we only got four. In reality we could have been close to double figures! New boy Varney up front helped the shape of the team even though he missed a hatful of chances.

Did the visitors play well?

It was one of the worst performances I've seen. They never got going at all and didn't look like they wanted to be there. League One must be poor if they managed to win promotion last season. (Chris Morris, owls-mad.co.uk)

Watford 2 Blackpool 2

Was the draw the right result?

On the balance of play yes but it's hard not to feel disappointed after taking the lead twice. To be honest, Blackpool looked the most likely side to win at the end until we should have snatched it from John Eustace's shot which was touched onto the post. (goldenboy, Watford fan)

Happy with the point?

I'm happy with it and well used to it as we've drawn all four of our games. The character in the squad bodes well though as Ian Holloway certainly looks to have the lads playing for each other. (northshoreboy, Blackpool fan)

West Bromwich 2 Ipswich 0

Was it a fair result?

On reflection yes. In the first half it was Albion v Richard Wright. The Ipswich keeper made some important saves and, as it took Town an hour to test Scott Carson, I thought Roy Keane's men were totally outclassed.

Which areas can Albion improve on?

I'd say after Luke Moore's weak penalty we definitely need to work on our finishing from 12 yards. In the last three seasons we've struggled to kill teams off and it was no different here. We need a natural goalscorer but that's easier said than done! (Iain Bate, westbromwichalbion-mad.co.uk)