Now I know why I reckon we can forget the playoffs this season : Northern Slum 1 Clueless Cockneys 0, and I sometimes wonder if the malase that affected OGEM, Drillo and now TB is much deeper than first thought. To save you having to read through today’s papers, I can sum up the game for you now : shite passing, too much giving away the ball, too much un-necessary overplay and an utterly shocking forward line.
The big question is, why? Well, TB made the game after the comment that we played like total strangers, that it was a makeshift side etc. Which worries me because half our problem in recent years is that as soon as anyone of the first XI got crocked, we suffered. Serious questions must be made of the effectiveness of people like Gayle, Ardley and even Kimble (who was pulled off because of a hamstring, which buggers SW19’s theory that he was pulled off because he was crap), and it is wondered whether TB’s threat that he made on Ceefax South East that “he may well bring in a big money new addition to the squad” could well become reality quicker than first thought.
Interesting story about Gayle BTW – somebody was telling me at HT that he’s another player suffering delusions about playing in the Premiership and has reportedly “asked” for a transfer. Shame he didn’t even remotely play like a second division player yesterday
Some more questions : did the sale of Double H have any affect on yesterday? Doubt it, if the truth was known, as said earlier we seem not to have gone further forward under at least 3 different managers and even his presence wouldn’t have made a jot of difference. Should Burton go, as a couple of people have suggested already? Fuck off, teams who sack their manager after one bad game never get anywhere – look at Spurz.
Are we relying too much on the likes of Hartson and Ainsworth returning? Yes and no. Yes, because it’s always a gamble to rely so much on one or two players, no because unfortunately our “best” players are still out. What exactly is our gameplan? Fuck knows, but I don’t think it’s direct enough at the moment. Then again, we’ve got no decent headerers of the ball up front at the moment so maybe it figures. Who did play well yesterday? Thomas, Williams and Paul Robinson. All three looked up for it (dare I say the only three?), and ironically all three are TB’s signings. So there is hope. And are there any other silver linings about yesterday? Yeah, in our last promotion season, we lost badly in the second game as well…..
Meanwhile, being the superstitious type, I like to pass away poor performances with omens, so here’s one. For the first time in a long while, we were frogmarched from Burnley Manchester Road to the ground. I know that Burnley fans have a bad rep, and I don’t travel to away games colourless for nowt, but I think this was waay OTT. Firstly, whatever happened to freedom of movement? It was overheard by the coppers on not less than one occasion that if anyone “not from Burnley” wanted to go on their own, they would be arrested.
I’m not too sure if that’s legal. Secondly, I think that frogmarching in such a fashion before a game is counter-productive. Anyone heard of the expression “sitting duck”? They may well have put a sign on us saying “Cockneys. Please stone”. Thirdly, how come that in places like Derby and Middlesbrough, which are just as shitty as Burnley you don’t get any of this? I think that this part of the world still lives with the 80s mentality that blighted soccer, and they wonder why people fight at games? Ironically, we passed a newsagent with one of those billboards from the Burnley Express which stated “Clarets Fans Run Riot At Station”. Grow up, children.
Oh, and to sum the day up – I got into bed at 12am, the trains fucking up. Great 🙁