NEWS
29 January 2005
Jesus christ. I decide to forgo a life of fun and glamour in the US to return to England and I get subjected to Biff 0 Bash 0. This was dire. This was the sort of game heart attack victims could watch safely.
Only thing really worth mentioning was Ursell's penalty miss. Or rather, the goalie saved it (despite appearing to dive early) and we failed to do anything about the rebound. Oh well, don't think it would have been deserved anyway, it was that bad. In fact, I remember looking at my watch, thinking it was near half time and it only showing 3.21pm. Perhaps I should have looked at my watch more, it might have shown more movement.
Mind you, I don't think this comment by DA on the OS about the game helps matters:
"I suppose we need a game like that from time to time to give the moaners something to moan about".
Bloody hell, talk about making a bad situation worse. After the game, an SW19 reader told me that it was exactly like Dulwich last week. I suppose we are quite lucky at the moment, with us being oodles of points clear and performances like today considered blips as opposed to major surgery. Shudder to think what will happen when we're languishing mid table.
Actually, if some of the apparent things being said today (and at Newport) are anything to go by, if we are mid table then I think it'll be best to send back your season ticket. Some are clearly POed at DA, thinking there are far too many ex-Hendon in the squad, wanting Nicky English in charge again etc, with an "AFC Hendon Cunt" being thrown at him, amongst other stuff. Small minority but still very noticable.
Here's my $0.02. Many of these players who DA have bought in - including the five zillion ex-Hendon ones - that are "no better than what we have" have dropped at least one or two divisions to play for us. In one or two cases, they've joined from the pro-leagues and/or rejected professional clubs. So chances are they are certainly far more than "no better than what we have".
Why aren't we playing well? Perhaps we are and we haven't noticed it? We are about 11 points clear certainly, which isn't exactly terrible. Perhaps people have convinced themselves that the CCL last season was the hardest league in the world ever and anything we achieve this season will never be bettered. Sorry to bring you down to Planet Realism but last year we were an OK team in a very poor league. Winning the CCL double, while nice, was not really that much of an achievement. This season was always going to be harder - no, we're not winning games 5-0 or 6-0. Did anyone really think we would repeat it this season? And are people really so naive to believe that DA would be the only manager to bring in his own players?
Not that everything is rosy in the AFCW garden of course. The play could be more entertaining at times. I do sometimes wonder why DA changes things, seemingly un-necessarily. When the QPR loanee goes back to Loftus Road I'm going to start shitting myself over the goalie again. But we could be doing a lot, lot worse, and I would suggest to any AFCW fan (hell, every AFCW fan) just to step outside the AFCW oppressive glass house once in a while. You might be surprised to realise how bloody lucky we are.
If you're still wanting to argue the toss, consider this. Last season, the current manager of AFCW was within one place of taking his team to the Conference South. This season, the club he left - including the exodus of players to AFCW, of course - is currently in the bottom four of the division above us. Both derided manager and players were playing and beating teams currently at a higher level than AFCW. If somebody could explain the logic that a top Ryman Premier manager and staff is not good enough for an increasingly surly, snotty minded Ryman One club, please email. Just remember to remove head from arse before posting, it may cause embarrasment.
There is a level of CCLness still at AFCW. It's just that right now, they're likely to be holding season tickets.
Meanwhile....
Plus points: Well, we didn't lose I suppose
Minus points: Ursell's penalty. 3pm-4.45pm
The referee's a....: He's my hero. Seriously. No, he didn't save a drowing child from the Wandle. He didn't find a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes or even manage to get Merton Social Services to do their job at 8pm on a Sunday evening. No, far more than that, he blew the full time whistle to make sure we never had to endure that any longer.
Them: They came, they saw, and probably deserved the point. If their player hadn't missed a header from about 4 yards out the mood would have been even worse. Decided to come in a big yellow bus apparently, which has all the potential for a kids programme. I can see it now: "The Big Yellow Bashley Bus", a magic bus set in a small New Forest town, complete with fun, games, cartoons and hilarity, especially when their number four does a clearance. Anyone got the phone numbers of Derek Griffiths and Dave Benson Phillips? This could be huge...
WUPped: Good interview with Kris Stewart in there today, I think WUP is at its best when it does things like that. Been a bit disappointed with recent issues but I wasn't with this one, and as long as it doesn't start to act as a shrill to AFCW it'll be on my purchase list. And yes, I know I've promised an article for the last four months....
Point to ponder: Was it me or did the game today remind you of those Plough Lane games against people like Coventry? Wet, dank, dreary. And that was just the opposing team's kit.
Truth is stranger than fiction: Got told of the kid at Dulwich whose job it was to open/close dustbin lids. Somehow, methinks Chalfont Don wasn't paying as much attention as he should have....
Anything else? Not really. It really was that dull
So, was it worth it? It certainly was. At least, it certainly was if you find watching paint dry too much for your blood pressure.
In a nutshell: If Shoot were doing their match facts, the entertainment rating would have had a "-" attached to the star rating
27 January 2005
There were plenty of happenings at the Newport game. There was the cross-ferry crossing. There was the game, full of its incidents and happenings. And there was the coach journey back, featuring a dodgy red light, a mad dash for the ferry and all in all, our first trip outside the mainland UK since the Intertoto tie against Charleroi
Now, all this would be ripe for a classic SW19 report, wouldn't it? Well, it would, except there's a slight problem. I didn't go. While you're cancelling your bookmarks in response to this, I need to explain. In a nutshell - 8 hour flight, jetlag, -7C/20F daytime temperatures - you can stop your petty whining about how cold our games are - with 10" of snow to boot, etc etc. And I didn't fancy killing myself with yet another long journey.
Anyway, from all accounts, the game was fine. We won 2-1 and it was quite comfortable until they scored. Bit of panic stations but another three points is always useful. Like last season, the ability to keep winning in sticky patches paid dividends. Champions by Easter Monday? Don't think so, but I would like to think our worst run is over.
Quite a few pissed people though, in both senses of the word. Obviously, alcohol is evil and should really be banned. But there were reportedly some anti-DA/Hendon comments for no reason. It is very possible that DA's appointment at the expense of NE (and no doubt some unsolved issues still eminating from the TE fiasco) still rankles amongst some, and that is something that needs to be dealt with. But really, what's the point? It has as much relevance as Man U fans still singing Eric Cantona's name. Are we ever going to move forward?
Elsewhere, and more like limping forward as opposed to moving forward, is the tenure of Joe Sheerin at AFCW coming to an end? He's gone on loan to Croydon Athletic (the link between JS's career and the graveyard next to CA's ground is merely coincidental) and DA's OS comments are telling. Usual concilary things about getting fit and sharp are said, but this caught my eye:
"He and I are sick and tired of putting him in the side, only for him to break down again".
To me, JS is the modern day equivalent of Terry Gibson, Jon Goodman and Gareth Ainsworth - players who we all knew could deliver but were blighted by injuries to the point it got stupid. Let's be honest here - how many other players would have been given the opportunities he's had? At the moment, we can afford to have JS and his occasional appearances. Get promotion and in present form, JS will become a liability.
Don't get me wrong, I would love a fully fit JS to knock in 30 goals for us. I know that losing him would be very sentimental for many of our fans, I think he's the last link from the original playing staff. But a fully fit JS would not be playing for AFCW, and it's looking more likely that the reason why we got him will be the reason we will lose him.....
Meanwhile, rave reviews about this QPR loanee goalie still continue. In probably our most troublesome position playing wise, his arrival has clearly been welcome - witness the results and performances since he came south of the river. Expect him to now play very shit against Bashley on Saturday and people call for Danny Naisbitt to return.
Finally, and to stop Chalfont Don complaining, I am finally in a position to put up his Dulwich report. Yes, it's a bit late, but this really was down to me not being on a computer for long enough. It has nothing to do with him using a Mac - I can open stuff on my humble PC quite OK as it goes.
(Actually, Macs aren't bad machines, and if I did major graphic work, I would consider getting one. They've always been favoured by graphic designers and a certain type of computer geek. Worth the hype? Dunno, I get the feeling I could be disappointed by using one on a regular basis, especially one costing $1400 without any ability to upgrade easily.... )
Normal service resumed on Saturday, where I may even put up a new article. In the meantime...
[No images due to the technical difficultiy of not having a digital camera - at least I didn’t forget it!]
Its just as well that the mandate for an SW19 match report doesn’t include the need for copious detail on the game itself, as frankly Hamlet 0 Village 1 had as dull a first 70 minutes as any game that I can remember. Champion Hill managed to be freezing cold whilst providing a playing surface that you would normally expect to find next to a sea with lots of deckchairs and sun umbrellas stuck in it. Possibly as a result of those conditions, absolutely nothing happened in the first half except for a bout of petulent diving from the Dulwich no.9 who looked like a Serie A reject in need of a haircut. I was more than a little surprised to find out that he was in fact the Andrew Martin who was rumoured to be a Dons target in the Nicky English era.
Anyway, the second half bought an improvement in that I actually had something to write notes about; a couple of half chances and a near miss from Urse. Just as the huddled masses were about to return to their slumbers, the assistant referee took the unlikely step of actually assisting the referee. Unfortunately, it was to give a dodgy penalty to Dulwich after a tussle between Frankie and their forward. Step forward Mr Cole; the decision to borrow a proper goalkeeper from QPR looked very sensible when he pulled off a blinding save to keep out what was a well-struck penalty just inside his right-hand post.
Suddenly the crowd was awake and gradually the Dons began to exert some pressure as the game entered the last few minutes. An inspired substitution, bringing on Leon for Rands, led to Leon and Urse combining to send Butler (R) clear to clip the ball over the advancing keeper - cue mayhem behind the goal. There were a couple of nervous moments as we closed the game out (what appeared to be 10 minutes of injury time may have contributed to that), but finally we had escaped with all 3 points.
That’s more than enough on the game, so...
Plus points: A win. Away. Tricky surface. (note: I used the Fleet report as a template and didn’t have to change a word there).
Minus points: The extended periods of aimless hoofing and the complete inability to pass to one of our own players. That QPR will want Jake Cole back.
The referee's a.....: fussy bastard. Kept warning players for swearing at him but gradually lost control of the game. Dismissed the penalty appeal and then gave it on his assistant’s say-so.
Them: Not a lot you can say to insult a team that voluntarily plays in pink; although to my eyes it seemed to be an almost lillac hue. Reasonable pricing (£7/£3), nice thou’ soulless ground and using the Xfm playlist were pluses; having a PA announcer who thought he was talking to his misbehaving children was merely odd. His highlight was to make an announcement halfway through the second half to “remind the ballboys that no football was to be played inside the ground”! No one had to remind the players on the pitch as they were sticking rigidly to those guidlines ...
Quotes of the day: (1) “Bring us back a couple of pasties” shouted at a ball boy climbing into Sainsbury’s to retrieve a Row Z clearance. (2) “It’s crap, innit?” - a fair summation of the first half by The Black Knight, showing his true Chav colours (well he IS from Croydon).
We’ve Got Information: You have to admire a programme that can give you details on all Ryman League fixtures and still has space to let you know that “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit was number 1 four years ago today.
Point to ponder: Does grinding out a barely deserved 1-0 away win whilst playing poorly make us (a) lucky, or (b) champions elect ? With Horsham playing the Pigs next week then we could be looking at a Chelski-eque lead in the not too distant future.
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Not having a minute’s silence for the tsunami in Asia. I thought that they were obligatory now. (2) East Dulwich is north of North Dulwich, which in turn is west of West Dulwich. How the fuck I found the ground for kick-off is anyone’s guess.
Franchise watch: They lost. Good.
Anything else? Interesting to see that Mark Cooper has finally got fit enough for us to sign him. A Hendon supporting mate at work reckoned he and Butts were the first choice CBs with Frankie third in the pecking order, so here’s hoping he will help fill the Matty E shaped hole at the back for the rest of the year.
So, was it worth it? A win is a win, but I’d rather not have had my bollocks frozen off watching that first half ...
In a nutshell: We are top of the league, say we are top of the league ...
16 January 2005
Well Champagne 1 white lightning cider 0.
This game had everything a decent crowd, winter sun, away support and a good ding dong of a game on the pitch. We again played 4-4-2 with the two new signings making their debut's and Micky Woolner playing in central midfield.
Bromley hassled and harried us early on but we more than matched them and came out on top, helped by their keeper flooring one of his own players who then had to be subsituted after just half an hour played. And so the first half ended with us on top but the score still 0-0.
The 2nd half saw Leon come on for Randall, and he had one of his best games harrying, and even defending when it was called for. And almost sraight away Ursell went on a wizadry (is that a word) run only for the Bromley keeper Andy Walker to make a good save.
With us now forcing all the play we didn't seem to have our shooting boots on with chances going just wide or just over or straight down the throat of Walker. Then just after the hour mark a hoof up field(sorry a defense splitting long pass) from Andy/Frankie Howard found Richard Butler who had his first shot saved by the legs of Walker only for the rebound to come straight back to him and he didn't need a second invite to shoot home and send the West Bank mad who had the best surge since the Wallies 3-2 game. A small ammount of Bromley pressure came before the ref blew the whistle to send AFC fans home (or to the bar) happy.
Plus points. A good hard fought battle to 3 points. Both the debutants looked good, with the new keeper very good at communicating with the defense. A good atmosphere and lots of singing more please.
Minus points. Another left back in flash boots, leave this to the strikers and flair players like Urse. Franchise won. I lost my notes when I went on the piss all night for my birthday. And it took me until about 5pm on Sunday to recollect the day and night. [SW19: Never stopped me] Me having player 9 minute 61 and when looking on the OS seeing it said minute 61 and me thinking I had won £100 only for the speakers to be bust from a wayward shot in the warm up and not hearing the announcer say it was the 62nd minute. Note to self buy Roger a new stopwatch.
The referee's a.... Best I can say is I didn't really notice him. Less can be said for one of his assistants, who seemd to see everything in the first half as offside and missed their number 4 and Randall having a go at each other in front of him.
Them. Well where do I start great to see a good away crowd but were hell bent on trying to get a reaction from us singing AFC Norbiton and Milton Keynes is wonderful 15 minutes before the game even kicked off, thankfully no one did although when someone made a remark back in the second half apparantly a few of their fans tried to kick off at the Athletics end. [SW19: I'm saying nothing. Although the way they seem to react whenever somebody brings them up on their fans behaviour or their club's conduct over Coney Hall hits a rather telling raw nerve]
Worth it? Oh yes hopefully this was the confidence booster we needed to kick on a good run and play some decent football. Yes to see the Fake Burberry chavs go off with a sulk, sorry but anyone that thinks its funny to sing about Franchise obviously don't get football and went home with exactly what they deserved fuck all. And the atmosphere was back to its best more please.
Anything else? Well on going to the Peel in a journalist measure honest, seems quite a few of our fans have a spank fetish egging the girls on to spank their behinds leaving red hand prints on their posteriers? Takes all sorts! Made a mental image of them all so not to stand to close to them at future games.
Finally. Anyone got a spare liver and want to do a deal on a bulk buy of Alka Seltzer? Who needs £100.
8 January 2005
[No images due to the usual, ahem, technical difficulties]
There was something CCL-like about Ferret 1 Mongoose 3. Maybe it was because I passed a sign to Hartley Witney en route. Or maybe it was the army barracks setup for the burgers/beer/hot dogs in the ground? Or perhaps it was the slope on the pitch, which Sir Edmund Hillary trained on before he attempted to mount Everest?
Whatever it was, it was nice to get a CCL scoreline of sorts. Another 442, a decent enough performance from Paul Smith, which has already rendered my new front page out of date (come on, I needed a new one quick and it was all I could think of) and some good goalie/defensive fuckups to boot. Certainly Richard Butler capitalised on one - their goalie went out to kick it, hit a defender and up he popped to slide it home. Though given we were kicking uphill at the time, it was more a full powered shot that trickled over the line
There wasn't really that much else happening. I think we were going at quite a low gear for the first half, certainly. It was cold, muddy etc, and just like last season I'm sure we would have got more if we'd applied ourselves more.
Which is exactly what we did in the second half. We came out quite lively, and eventually - thanks to yet another defensive equivalent of getting piles - Rob Ursell made it two. And a minute later, Randall made it 3-0. The job was done, except that Fleet decided to kick us a little bit. Oh, and they scored about 2 minutes before the end, but we were feeling generous by that stage.
Had enough? Fair enough, here's...
Plus points: A win. Away. Tricky surface. Paul Smith looking better. Defense looking quite confident. Better team without really trying too hard. Good second half spell
Minus points: Them scoring. Richard Butler going off - at this rate, we'll have less strikers than a Nottinghamshire coal mine.
The referee's a.....: He didn't do a bad job as it goes, better than J Beadle on Monday. Though even a mix of David Blunkett, Jon Bon Jovi and the creator of Garfield would have done better than J Beadle on Monday.
Them: We gave them their record attendance, which they were well pleased with. Quite organised, though the tea was pricey at £1. And for that, I do expect them to put the bloody bag in before the hot water. This isn't the United States, you know. We were treated to their choir, ie about 11 fourteen year old wannabe chavs. Hope they've done their homework. Oh, and their physio was about 80 and ran either with a limp or ran very camp..
Three's a crowd: As said above, we did break their attendance record. Though it must be said, an SW19 reader showed me his tickets. Yes, tickets as in plural. Basically, they gave him two tickets for him on his own, so it might be worth Fleet rechecking their figures somehow.
Point to ponder: As discussed today - if we go up this season, where would we finish in the Ryman Prem? Seems like I'm in the small minority who thinks we'll be mid-to-lower table with the current squad, yet most people seem to think that we'll be unlucky not to reach the playoffs. I'm not too sure if I'm basing my assumption on us doing the minimum for these sort of games, or whether it's because I've watched people like Yeading, Salisbury and H&R this season, but I can't help thinking there'll be a lot of disappointed people next season
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Being thanked at the end by an official looking Fleet person. This is CCL all over again. (2) The PA playing Robbie Williams' "Radio" tune. Twice. (3) Yet another minute silence for the tsunami in Asia. With all due respect, I think I could do without many more minute silences for a while now..
Franchise watch: Haven't done one of these in ages. They were in the FA Cup 3rd round today, where they lost to Peterborough. In front of a bumper crowd of 4k. I really wish they would hurry up and die. The team is shit, the club is shit, the fans are shit, the town is shit, they are shit. They are football's equivalent of a trapped fart : irritating, embarassing, impossible to finally squeeze out and with the potential to stink the place out. Please, if there are any Franchise people reading this, just kill yourself. Preferably quickly, your screams of pain will merely disturb us watching the telly, and you're not highly regarded enough to warrant you distracting us....
Anything else? Apart from Fleet town centre being a dump, too many pedestrian crossings and too many pedestrians acting like the brain dead morons in Wimbledon? Not really.
So, was it worth it? Suppose so
In a nutshell: Who needs the FA Cup?
And finally: I'm out of here for the next couple of weeks, back for the Newport IoW game (weather and jetlag permitting). There will be reports from Bromley and Dulwich, though I've just realised I'm also missing Fisher. Oh well. Obviously, there won't be many other updates, though the guestbook is still open. Please don't let the serial spammer put you off, I will clear his muck as and when I can, though it will be sporadic. And if anyone knows who he/she/it is, just tell them that I can legally buy firearms in the US and some states have something called justifiable homicide....
4 January 2005
First things first - could the two people who said they could do the games I'm away for (you know who you are) please email me? I have somebody in reserve if you can't do it.
Second things second. If the Whyteleafe was the NYD hangover, then Asylum Seekers 1 Illegal Immigrants 2 was the Alka Seltzer, cup of strong tea and high cholesterol breakfast. An apparent reversion to 4-4-2, and in the beginning, we were under a lot of pressure. So much so that I'd thought they would score. Still, we settled down OK, though couldn't help thinking that we would concede. And christ knows what that would have done to us.
None the less, it was a bit of a shock to see us go ahead though. Frost, the player with a thousand cliches awaiting him, unleashed a damn good shot. First start, first goal. After the recent games, this was a major confidence boost.
Half time came and went, and we looked better. Really, we looked better. We were passing well, the spark from the beginning of the season was starting to flicker again. And, right on cue, Rob Ursell put us 2-0. Haven't looked at Dons Online yet, but it did seem like a cross put in that elluded everyone. Like you care.
All was going swimmingly, expect that Dover decided to ruin it by scoring. Appeared a bit of a scramble, though we were living off our nerves a bit. After the ref played about 5 years of injury time, and us forcing a few corners at the end, we had won. And suddenly, all felt right again.
Now the boring shit is out of the way, here's....
Plus points: A win. Away. Looking more composed. Paul Smith played well. Surviving early pressure well. Frost's goal.
Minus points: Gell's injury.
The referee's a.....: His name was J Beadle, former presenter of Game For A Laugh. Yesterday he went to Dover to referee a game against AFCW. Now, what AFCW don't realise is that he was going to give every 50-50 to Dover. Hilarious. And, to make it more fun, he was going to give every single minor infringement to Dover and - wait for it - ignore every tackle on AFCW. Side splitting or what? And for the climax - he was going to allow so much injury time for Dover to score at the end. Oh, how funny. Makes Soccer AM look like contracting cholera. Annoying? Yup. But hey - it's, Game For A Laugh.
Them:
Is Dover a port or a dockyard? Bit of a dock type place, certainly,
with some rather rough looking pubs (with clientele to match) about.
Shame we didn't take more yesterday, but they enjoyed our money
company. Their #10 was ex-Womble Victor Renner, who seemed quite touched
with the "Victor is a Womble" chant as he went off. At least,
I think he was touched. Their #5 had a viciously long throw, while
their #6 looked like Eddy Grant. Oh, and their fans were asking "Why
can't Dover put this much effort in normally?"
Song sung blue: Shock. Horror. Some banter. No, this isn't a joke. The Dover fans came down our end first half and we had a bit of a singing matchup. We won, needless to say, but it was good that they made the effort. Don't know what they gave us, but they got "Small Town From Calais", "Your food is taxable" - much to the shock of the Dover fan behind me - and something about baguettes and cheese. Most interestingly of all, they loved the Champagne Song. Isn't it telling that other clubs' fans don't seem to find it offensive? Some even find it funny and a work of genius. Methinks a great deal of our fanbase should stop being so fucking over-sensitive and looking for something to be offended by.
Point to ponder: Bought up a couple of times yesterday - are away games better than KM games these days? There's something about home games that are a bit nasty and surly at the moment. I certainly don't walk away from KM with the pleasant feeling that I should, unlike a lot of away games. Expectations are high, that's only natural, but something somewhere is wrong. Whether it's Big Club Mentality setting in, or, for the third season in a row, there's nobody to shout/scream/banter with, I don't know, but for now moodyness has taken grip. In fact, it's starting to feel a little bit like the last season at SP. When people say we need to be in a higher division for the club's sake, perhaps they mean for the people watching as well?
Incidentally, I heard a couple of people talking about why the players didn't seem to acknowledge us so much when they go off, with the quote "I don't expect them to be my mates, but..". Think this might explain a lot of the above surlyness I mentioned. In the CCL, a lot of people WERE matey with the players. We have our groupie element, after all. That's changed, and things are more, well, normal. It would be nice to get clapped off but I would rather them play well and get us out of R1. They'll be replaced if we go up anyway. Players generally are strange creatures, having met a couple in the past they're not really the sort of people I would wish to mix with. I won't say the love affair is dying, but the rampant lust is gone and now we're getting used to the mood swings and occasional farting in bed.
Truth
is stranger than fiction: (1) Nice to see the opposition players
and ballboys showing their support for our manager (see left). Think
about it.... (2) If Dover's food is taxable, why didn't they give
out VAT receipts? (3) Interesting to note that Paul Smith gave us
a quick clap at HT and at FT. Players seem to like him........ (4)
Seeing a sign in Dover which said something like "Immigrant Rejection
Centre". Why couldn't it have been in place when Hammam first
entered the country?
Anything else? Yeah. Wonder if we're happier playing Ryman Premier teams in general? It felt more like a football match yesterday, not knowing if Dover would come back at us enough. You may think I'm asking too many questions in this report, and surmising (?) too much, but those there yesterday will know exactly what I mean.
So, was it worth it? Yup. Still much more to do though.
In a nutshell: Smash. Grab. Sorted.
1 January 2005
After the turgid shite that passed itself off as the Dorking match, what a treat to have an uplifting performance on New Year's Day. Yes, I'm referring to the annual NYD concert in Vienna. I'm sure the Strauss brothers (no, not Andrew) were the Bee Gees of their time, not too sure what modern day equivalent their polkas would be. "You Win Again" from 1986, perhaps? Sure as hell wouldn't be the commerically successful waltz era. Incidentally, I share my birthday with JS Junior....
If you're confused by this attempt at high culture, it should hopefully have detracted from the complete pile of reindeer semen that Shit bit of Kingston 1 Posh bit of Croydon 2 turned out to be. It was wet, cold, dank, miserable. And that was just the warm up. I don't think it will be quite a good idea to do the nuts and bolts of the game itself : OK, Ryan Gray's header was good, but their goals were shocking to concede. You can read the OS or watch Dons Online to see the full horror.
To be honest, I'm really not sure what's going to happen to us now. We have been, for at least a month (and probably longer) wobbling a bit. Granted, this is just one game, but games can turn a season. It's not as though we have been storming through CCL-like recently.
Something doesn't seem right. We have the right manager in charge, and apart from a couple of things that any other manager might do, he hasn't done that much wrong as such. Yes, we have injuries. Yes, we've got rid of a load of CCL players, but I wonder how many people really appreciate the jump between CCL and R1? How would our CCL team have coped with R1 level players raising their game 50% against us?
Before you mention Paul Scott et al, remember that they've got points to prove and will raise their game another 40% on top. A winning season in a poor league is one thing, a winning season in a far superior league is something else.
We have effectively lost the spark (which could apply to AFCW in general, not just the team) that propelled us to the top of R1. We've become jaded, spoilt, expecting - nay, demanding - victory. A draw? Scandalous. A loss? Bring out the knives everyone, it's time to slit our wrists. While people have now accepted that we aren't going to score 4 goals each game these days, the level of expectancy is still sky high.
Right now, AFCW has an acute case of the Arsenal syndrome. The party of the last two years is over, the hangovers are kicking in and there's a massive clear-up operation needed. While today was our first loss, in truth it could have been any game since Hendon or Cray.
Will we freefall? Doubt it, teams like Man Utd don't freefall and we could justifiably put ourselves in that sort of bracket (relatively speaking, of course). But we have become spoilt on success, almost on a weekly basis. Perhaps a loss like this will finally be the shot of nandrolone which we need? We are not a bad team, but a good team that has lost a plausible reason to remain a good team. And yes, I know we're still top.
Still, sighing deeply and moving on to...
Plus points: Ryan Gray's goal was well headed.
Minus points: Take anything between 3pm and 4.50pm today, except for our goal, and plonk it in the space provided.
The referee's a.....: Christ, he was as much use as a 2005 calendar for Yasser Arafat. Linesman was all too keen to demonstrate the theory that linesmen cannot determine offside properly to a new height of zealousness.
Them: Another team who look like Celtic. Unlike Dorking, they were more Stranraer than QOTS*. They had a gameplan - ie to score more than us - and stuck to it. Plenty of old boys playing for them, and typically Paul Scott scored. Acted like they'd won the league against us when they'd won. Oh, and their goalie looked like a bouncer at a Croydon nightclub, minus the bullet wounds.
* - hello BD ;)
Shhhhh: There was a minute silence for the SE Asian tsunami disaster today, impeccably held. I'm personally not a fan of OMS being used for non-football purposes generally. This one was a strange one : it's probably the most justifiable OMS you can have outside football, it has directly affected people (two households near SW19 Towers have somebody related who is either missing or dead) yet even so I was still uncomfortable with its inclusion. I guess it's because so many of them are used now that when something like this happens, you naturally think "here we go again". Bit hard hearted admittedly, but I think they've lost their meaning or impact to an extent.
Meanwhile, the collection raised a good deal (£4k I heard), let's hope it all gets used properly. I can imagine the fallout if it isn't.
Point to ponder: OK, Danny Naisbitt. At fault for the first goal, limped off and apparently told one of our fans to fuck off. I wonder how long he'll remain at AFCW? His confidence is clearly shot to pieces now, and I wonder if his injury is related to his plummet in form? As for the alleged incident, we all know what happens to AFCW players who get stroppy at criticism. Roddis anyone?
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Jilted John on the PA. I'll repeat that, Jilted John on the PA. Winner of the best line in a song ever - "Gordon is a moron". When will we see their likes again? (2) The tsunami blanket appeal at half time. Must be the only time when AFCW fans throw coins onto the pitch and not get in trouble. (3) First league loss at KM since the old monarch was still alive. Doesn't make it any easier.
Anything else? Rob Ursell returned and seemed incapable of getting through people like he used to. A sign of things to come? Hope not.
So, was it worth it? I would rather be spit roasted by Wankelmann and Koppout than watch that again. Almost.
In a nutshell: 2005 is shit.
And finally: As the front page keeps saying, I will be absent between the 10th and 25th January, so I'm requiring people to write for me. Yet again. Come on guys, you are allowed to show some interest. This isn't a Dons Trust election...