NEWS
30 September 2007
Firstly, apologies for the "hack" problems of the last couple of days - the forum wasn't actually specifically targeted but fell victim to some rather lousy housekeeping on the part of the host server. No damage done, except to my blood pressure when I saw the badly written hacking page.
Secondly, there was nothing lousy about Debenham 1 Lidl 5. While we've happily left the CCL level long behind, it's nice once in a while to visit these sort of places to remind ourselves of just how far we've come already. Which is a helluva long way, when you analyse it. There was certainly some CCLish giddyness in Debenham : after all, by their own admission it was their cup final.
Actually, it's a cup cliche, but it really was their cup final. I think it's when I drove into the village and saw some yellow/black balloons with "10 games until Wembley" that they meant it. Not to mention the Diss Express' special souvenir edition and BBC Radio Suffolk turning up. If they wanted to make it even more of a cup final, they needed a marching band, a local dignitary greeting the teams on the pitch and, for those of us with long memories, their version of Celebrity Bar. Sadly Tarby and Gloria Hunniford were otherwise engaged, although I did see the local vicar walking about afterwards...
OK, enough patronising comments. As performances go, this was a mixture of relief and job-done combined with just a hint of frustration. Relief because there were a couple of people beforehand genuinely worried about a major upset. Job-done because it was, er, job done. Seriously, winning 5-1 away is no mean feat no matter what the opposition. And I have to say, some of Fergie's runs in the second half were pretty devastating. And frustration because we hit the post a couple of times and even now we still lack that required bit of sharpness up front.
I'm still convinced we're as likely to score twice in a game as Fernando Alonso accepting a defeat without sulking. It's a bit hard to describe the first half without using the f-word. No, not that one, although it was expressed a couple of times when whoever it was blasted over from six yards out. I believe TB himself was alleged to have said "you have to scrap out a win at places likes this" to a fan apparently expecting Brazilian football. And I don't mean a Gremio v Vitoria fixture either.
This all said, once we got the first goal we won it. And yes, I know that Debenham might have had a penalty 30 seconds before, but we would have won 5-2 instead of 5-1. Besides, it was one of my favourite sorts of goal - dodgy decision up the other end, breakaway and netting yourself 30 seconds later (though my absolutely perfect goal is for it to be the winning goal away from home in a very important match, scored by a guy who should have been blatantly sent off moments before). DLC could have felt aggrieved, but even we were bound to score eventually..
Needless to say, when Finn netted about 18 seconds after the restart, that really was that. Wasn't it something like 3-0 in 5 minutes? Doesn't matter if it wasn't, what does matter is that we showed some confidence again - it was genuinely enjoyable to watch at times. Of course, TB now has to figure out why we can't do the same in the RP, but then that's what he's getting paid for....
Couple of mentions to a couple of players. Webb was described as a poor man's Shane Smeltz yesterday. Bit cruel, but you just can't help thinking it ain't going to happen for him. Perhaps if he played in a different position (ie one where he isn't expected to score goals) he might get a decent run in the side? I'm sure I remember seeing Mark Beard play for Millwall, although I can't remember off the top of my head whether I saw him in the same side as Mark Kennedy and Ben Thatcher. Good start for us, as he managed to get booked for tackling a bit too hard. Heroes are made of those sort of incidents.
And I think I know who Seb Kneißl reminds me off - Paul Miller. Hopefully, it'll be the Paul Miller who scored a hat-trick against Peter "Wifebeater" Shilton and who whipped Aston Villa when they were chasing the title with a fantastic solo goal. Time will indeed tell.
Anyway, while all that's getting digested, here's........
Plus points: Comfortable second half. Increased confidence. Fergie's running. Finally knowing where the net it.
Minus points: Conceding in the last minute. Rusty up front in first half.
The referee's a...........: Fortunately for him this wasn't the actual FA Cup final, because the TV replays would have slaughtered him for penalties missed. Be honest, that was a bit of a sympathy penalty for them at the end, even though he'll deny it. As somebody near me said, that decision wouldn't have been given if it was 0-0.
Them: Add DLC to the Clubs We Like category. Nice hosts, didn't try and take the piss with our wallets (OK, £3 to £7 entrance fee is a jump but I cannot find one person who begrudged it). Bit in the middle of nowhere though, and if we ever play Forest Green Rovers away you'll have flashbacks to yesterday. Shame about a couple of local chavs at the end though, hope the local coppers sort them out.
What has always got me is that teams like Debenham are far more organised - and nicer with it - with dealing with us than some Ryman Prem places we could all name. Yesterday, DLC got Ipswich stewards in, and bar the six fingered cretin at the end the game passed off without incident. This in a venue that they themselves would admit to being a field with a barrier around it, and so in theory should be ripe for chaos. How come they can carry it off with precious little incident and yet certain teams in our division can't? If I'm being honest, they should look at how Debenham coped with the doubling of their village's population for one afternoon and feel very very ashamed and more than a little embarrassed. Though somehow, I don't think they would....
Point to ponder: Don't these sort of games sum up what our problem is in getting promoted from the RP? I'll explain. During the CCL/R1 and yesterday, we had a little bit of a scrap in the first half, then they tired and we went up that gear. In the RP, other teams match us (fitness wise) for 90+ minutes and we find it a lot harder. The point is here, we still seem incapable now of winning a game until the opposition are knackered - it's a problem I think we've suffered from since day one, and it caught up with us a long time ago. In effect, we have precious little killer instinct when we're not playing the minnows. And until we do, we'll be in Turdeyville for a while yet....
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Daniel Webb scoring. OK, that's again cruel, but it's more about his goal celebration. Basically, he went up to one of our fans and asked if it was disallowed. When he found out it wasn't, he went up to said supporter and shook his hand. Funny, although I don't quite know why. (2) A pub in Debenham has a direct pipeline to the local cider brewery, meaning in theory you couldn't drink it dry. Rumours that some of our fans ran that notion very close are as yet unconfirmed. (3) The wedding reception next door. Wonder if any of our lot crashed it?
Anything else? Yeah. Had a flash of nostalgia yesterday evening, as I saw the signs for Portman Road. Was it really less than ten years ago we would have gone to Ipswich Town as the Premiership favourites? OK, the guy proved himself to be a complete cunt in the end, but Vinny Jones' re-debut there in the 90s still stands out as one of the most memorable away days from that decade - that day we sold out our entire allocation and apparently made more noise than Liverpool.
You don't realise just how sizeable teams like Ipswich are until you walk around the local Tescos with people in replica shirts on - and on a day with no home game to boot. Maybe WFC really did punch above its weight for all them years - either that or so much was thrown away for a property deal. Mind you, I can't say I'd like to rush back to Suffolk, especially seeing the locals. At least the people you see at Lidl in Croydon have the standard amount of fingers....
So, was it worth it? Guess so.
In a nutshell: Wouldn't it be nice to draw Sutton?
23 September 2007
If truth be told, I just can't get excited about our first league win since Wealdstone away. Yes, Mid-table nobodies 1 Lower-table alehouse cloggers 0 was three points, and at the end of the increasingly shortening day that's all that matters. Certainly at 4.50pm that was the common phrase around KM - "it's 3 points, end of" was typical. And on the results tally, it's a win without conceding a goal.
So why isn't everyone bouncing up and down? Well, when you're expecting the opposition midway during the second half to equalise instead of putting the game out of reach, that's why. Whether it's incompetence or just outright anxiety, it was a repeat of deja vu. From a pretty decent first half, where their goalie made some decent saves, to the usual soiling of underwear in the second half. Why do we do it? Do we really have to be 4-0 up by half time to even remotely relax in the second half? I honestly couldn't remember much happening for a large part after the break, except for Luke Garrard going off and Will Salmon getting taken apart afterwards.
OK, we're not going to play well every single second of 90 minutes, but for fucks sake, learn to kill the fucking game off why don't you? If you get a goal within 10 minutes of the restart, then fine. Better to get a third just to make sure - that's how teams who win titles do it. Not scraping home against a side second from bottom. Yes, I know it's a confidence thing. Yes, I know that Margate will already make/break our season (a good result will show us that we can play). And yes, I know that even a couple of weeks ago it would have finished 1-1. But there's too much of the old shit still about for me to suggest we've turned a corner.
We seem like British Leyland - they were crippled by their strikers as well. A lot of people were slagging off Grazioli for not being interested. And I'm afraid TB has already fallen into the DA trap of getting players from higher up on loan (ref: R Peters) and expecting them to perform. Trouble is, Grazioli doesn't appear interested (or fit enough) at all. He know he's only here for a month, so why should he put himself out? To quote (roughly) a Womble after the game, my dick could have done a more effective job. Right now I can't help feeling we're being used by him and Barnet....
For this, I think AFCW should bite the bullet and not sign any more players who are League level, at least until we reach a division where they'll be far more effective. With the exception of the two Palace lads who joined us in the CCL, none of them have ever worked out. Even JS and Marcus Gayle haven't really been successful because they are/were permanently injured. It's a bit more tricky with Conference level players - JG, Beckford and Fergie have adapted (and people are warming to Quinn now), Leberl and Hatton certainly haven't as of yet. And at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, transfers are a risk. We signed RB and Finn from lower levels, yet poor old ex-Fleet man Will Salmon got roasted and didn't even get to sell his story to the NOTW.
Thankfully RB is starting to look like he's returning to his best, although with him one injury will put him out for another six months, so we can't rely on him. Kneißl came on yesterday and to be fair we didn't see too much of him. Is it true he's a coach at Chelski? I should insert a comment here, but that would be too cruel, even for me. Actually, I say we didn't see too much of him - we did, he did show a couple of nice touches but by fuck he's unfit. And he does need to have an idea of where we pass it to etc, but that's nothing a couple of weeks training won't sort out. Give this one a chance, he might actually be all right.
Speaking of chances, I dunno about Webb now. Did he really storm off at the end of the game looking like he'd bought a load of Northern Rock shares? Strange, really, as I thought we started to go up a gear when both him and Kneißl came on. Maybe last week's theory about other players not wanting to pass to him isn't quite so far fetched after all? He might be thinking the writing is already on the freshly painted wall for him - TB did say he needed a decent set of games, and yet he's already been usurped by a still-not-100%-fit RB and a definitely-not-10%-interested Grazioli. Kneißl could well challenge him, and we still don't know whether Jolly will buck his ideas up, so perhaps he already feels the game is up? Would be a shame, but the guy has had more clubs than a Ping factory and maybe we're finding out why.
OK, I'm a hypocrite for writing all this, considering what I said after Cray last week. Difference is, last week I enjoyed it. Yesterday, I didn't. What I mean by yesterday is that I never hate winning, but we made it so fucking difficult for ourselves as usual. We could - and should - have put the game beyond reach by half time. Had we done that then fine, I can cope with a crap second half. But yesterday we needed to kill the game off with the second goal, and the longer it went on, the more you just felt that something bad was going to happen. Granted, it didn't, but how are we going to cope against Rickay, or Chelmsford? Or even Margate on Tuesday? Mind you, if everyone still raises their game against us, perhaps we might do the same......?
Anyway, enough of that. Here's....
Plus points: A win. A clean sheet. RB looking stronger and stronger. First half performance pretty decent.
Minus points: Grazioli. Second half. Nervy.
The referee's a............: Worms have more of a spine than this complete canine molesting arsewipe. Blew up for the easy stuff, like a little niggle here and there. Singularly failed to miss HS's #3 smacking RB in the gob towards the end of the first half. He certainly didn't miss same #3 jumping all over Finn then trying to start a fight with Beckford, although needless to say his arse totally went afterwards. Scared, was he? And why do I get the impression his homelife is none too dis-similar to this?
Them: Niggly cunts, weren't they? Thankfully for us they offered nothing much else, otherwise I'd be snarling at yet more points dropped. One of their coaching staff really didn't take kindly to some banter in the JS in the first half...........
Three's a crowd: 2406, and crowds are most definitely not what they should be. Has reality set in? Do people really hate this league as much as we think? I know at least three people who normally go but didn't bother yesterday, and I refuse to accept it was purely down to the toffball.
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Anyone else think that WUP was due out yesterday? Definitely conspicuous by its absence, especially as I thought they had enough contributions for once. I'm in it, and it's one of my most thought provoking ones I've ever written. And by "thought provoking", I mean you'll want to burn my car with me in it. (2) What a real shame that H&R are in apparent major financial shit. No, really. Even a mass run on combs might not save them......
Anything else? Yeah. I stood behind TB's dugout in the first half, and listened to what he was saying. When we were a little static going out of defence, he said "Don't let them stop us playing, show some courage". When we over-hit a long ball, it was "why are we playing too long?". And when something didn't come off, was it a case of telling the players how fucking useless they are? Er, not quite. "To feet - that was a good ball", complete with clapping. A lot of people complained that last season DA sat there and either did nothing or just yelled abuse - certainly the assistant managers did similar. TB's approach is markedly different, and dare I say positive? It proves something, but the trouble is I don't know what.
So, was it worth it? Probably.
In a nutshell: If this is turning the corner, we've only just started rotating the steering wheel.
And finally: I'm in Frankfurt from tomorrow until late Wednesday, therefore I won't be at Margate. If anyone wishes to oblige....
16 September 2007
In the rampant commercialised world called English football, even the FA Cup has suffered from teams putting the wishes of accountants against those of fans, and are far more willing to let bank balances instead of glory take charge. Witness the weakened sides even Championship teams put out these days.
Because of this, the chance of an upset becomes even greater. And even in this, the first qualifying round of football's oldest cup competition, when an upset happens it only adds to the Magic Of The Cup™. Yes, Wanderers 2 Royal Engineers 6 was an upset to rival those of Hereford against Newcastle, Altrincham against Brum City, Slutton against Coventry and some team who beat Burnley in 1975, drew at Leeds in the next game and went on to win the trophy in 1988. Forgot who they were though.
Actually, it wasn't really an upset, and on paper it's the kind of result you should expect. But considering the season we've had thus far, it is a bit of a cup upset. Not so much us conceding two goals, but us netting six in the process.
Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first. Our defence is shit, the way that they scored their two goals shits me up. And I can't even blame Steve Butler this season. Indeed, when they got both goals, I have to say that we looked as vulnerable as a Northern Rock shareholder. And they were a Ryman One side, and worse than a lot of teams we've struggled against.
But hey, enough of that - even SW19 knows when to tone down the dark side once in a while. We did win 6-2 after all, and sometimes you can be a bit too determined to find faults. Yes, it wasn't perfect, yes, it wasn't a side in our division. And yes, there were a couple of times I swear that AFCW had told our side to get a draw so we could get money for the replay*. But christ, shall we be just a tinsy winsy little bit positive today? Last time I looked, it wasn't a crime to actually be happy with a victory.....
* - note to AFCW top brass. This is a joke. Even I'm not that cynical. Well, almost.
This was the footballing equivalent of playing a computer game, struggling with a high level, putting the skill level back down low and ripping a new arsehole as a result. Well, I assume that's what happens with computer games (twas the case when I used to play old Speccy games), but the reaction at the end was more relief than anything. Relief in knowing we can do it. Relief in knowing we can find the back of the net. And relief in finding out that maybe, just maybe, we can win games. Right now, we need that bit of confidence to start flowing again, and that's going to help us a lot more than constantly saying that we shouldn't have played one up front today.
OK, caveats on today aside, what was different? I dunno, although Webb didn't start and RB did. No Jolly as well, obviously. I'm unsure whether it's because we faced a weaker defence, we had a more confident strike force or whether we just needed something to go right and it did. But this was the best team performance I've seen since Wealdstone second half. And yes, I know that ain't saying much...
There was a comment from one of our players during the week that recently, we'd been turning up to games expecting to win 6-0 then reacting badly when we weren't. That attitude didn't seem that prevailant today - a disallowed goal (complete with applause, presumably ironic) and heads could have gone down. They didn't. When it got to 2-1, we could have easily drooped our heads, allow them to net a second and then hold on for dear life at very best. We didn't.
Maybe things reached a head recently and from then on we've started to actually work? OK, the not-very-private spat between TB and Jolly could have been kept under wraps, but in a way the vibe seemed better when it finally happened. It was almost like a rather nasty little fart had finally been vented out, and while the smell may be cabbagy at least you're not walking around wondering when you'll next follow through.
Now, I'm sure you can find your own similies, but you can't help notice that things were less fraught this week. Certainly something that I think helped us today. Had we even drawn this game I'm not sure if there would've been a mass hiding of sharp objects around SW19, let alone losing. That could be down to us not having a game during the week, and a week's rest was certainly enough to just recharge the batteries a bit.
Granted, none of this will matter if we revert to type against Heybridge and Margate. Two of the hardest games we have had on paper, although knowing us we'll probably now win both 4-0 and wonder what the recent fuss was about. But we can afford to be a little bit more confident and less anxious this week. Who knows - if the 78 game unbeaten run was ended at Cray, who's to say another run will start right now?
While I've now guaranteed a 3-0 loss next Saturday, here's....
Plus points: Finally knowing where the net is. Six goals. Beckford and Finn. Good to see RB back. Looking a lot more relaxed and - dare I say it - confident. Pulling further ahead as and when required.
Minus points: Absolute shit defending for both goals.
The referee's
a.......: Hmm. He could certainly kick the ball better than some of our
players, although I'll leave further praise at that. Incidentally, the evil
AFCW despising Ryman League Turdey arselicking of a cunt referee we had
last time we were at Hayes Lane, one R Ganfield, was apparently a lino at
a Prem game yesterday. And no, it wasn't the Chelski game.
Them: Actually, they didn't annoy me today at all, although I don't know if that's because there weren't that many of them. Had we'd lost, expect me to have called them Bromley's little chavvy brother, smoking weed at 7 years old and stealing cars when they were 9. Seriously, they were clearly expecting Bromley to boost their attendance and obviously they weren't interested. Apparently were a little bit confident of beating us beforehand, so there's a message for all you snivling RP sides calling us an easy win right now. Oh, and they come out to "The Wanderer". Wonder what we should come out to, on recent form?
Point to ponder: Not that I want to cause any unrest in the AFCW camp, but do our players not want to pass to Webb? It does seem that they either don't like him or just don't think he's good enough up front. Speaking of Webb, it has to be said that he did look a little bit sheepish when he scored. Perhaps it was just relief? Or maybe embarrasment that he nearly fucked it up....
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Being directed to a new turnstile the other end of the usual one (for those who know Hayes Lane), then finding you could walk back to whence you came. Even more weird, other AFCW fans were able to enter the usual turnstiles.... (2) Speaking of Bromley's ground, have they put seats in the end opposite to the one we normally get? Well, benches, anyway. Perhaps Goldberk is going to make it an all seater stadium. (3) I've no idea how strictly enforced it was, but today you couldn't take alcohol onto the terrace. Result? A pleasant (OK, half dead) atmosphere with no hint of people acting like dicks. Q, E and indeed, D?
So, was it worth it? Yeah, more or less.
In a nutshell: Now, let's do it for league games, shall we........?
9 September 2007
OK, I admit it. I'm strugging to write Eastenders 2 Car Crash Telly 2. I attempted to write something resembling a match report on the tube returning to SW19 Towers but it came across as incoherent and not being able to make its mind up what to think. And anyone who sneers "no change there then" can do a Richard Jolly.
So instead, I'm going to rehash old stuff and put it into current context. Here's what I wrote on the Other Site only last night:
TBH the problem is this. Last season, everyone agreed that we underachieved by some margin, yet even so we were going to places like Leyton and without playing brilliantly won there. Last season it was 5-2, season before 2-1, that sort of thing. Right now, we're not even doing that - if we were underachieving last season what are we doing now? Granted, a couple of teams have improved, but not all of them. The current frustration is knowing that we have gone backwards, in terms of results and indeed performances.........
This certainly sums up what I think right now. People who think we played better than we have recently are missing the point. We should have taken three steps forward yesterday - we got rid of Jolly totally, we've bought in Graz for this month, put in a couple of others. And even with all that we still took one step forward at best.
Yesterday, had we not got two penalties and Leyton not been totally shite in front of goal, we could have been looking at a very embarrassing scoreline. Our defence was absolutely nowhere for a lot of the time, and Leyton had at least two occasions where they should have added. And yes, so should we (Fergie's powder-puff shot when he was clean through just summed it up).
"But wait" I now hear you cry, "we crossed the ball a bit better yesterday and with a bit more luck we would have won 5-2 again". Yes, but that was against a very poor Leyton side. To me, it's a sign of how backwards we've gone when a 2-2 scraping against a bottom side with two spot kicks (and one of them was a little bit iffy) is seen as a better result.
So, as at least one guy in the stand was suggesting, Brown out? After the game I couldn't really disagree with him that much. While much of it isn't the manager's fault, he still has to take the ultimate responsibility. And the thought constantly in my head was "DA was slaughtered for less than this".
On cool reflection, and after a night's sleep, I think TB will be here for a while, even if we take current form into January. There'll be too much egg on faces for a start, least of all many of our fans who were openly pleading for TB to take charge. Secondly, it is early days still, although that shouldn't be used as an excuse. By the time the next league match comes about, it will be the middle of September and we've still only won twice without a open-play goal in the second half. Yeah, yeah, give it time etc. We're still shit, in case you haven't noticed, and already my patience is running a bit thin.
But I do think TB needs to accept that some of the players he's brought in have let us down. It was very interesting to note that Sam Hatton was benched yesterday. You have to wonder what Leberl is thinking, and whether playing for your favourite club can be the worst thing for a player. Ask Vaughan Ryan. We can't rely on RB/Gayle to be fit and to play the whole season. Webb will either get one goal and then go on an RBesque Damascus conversion or he'll remain the AFCW version of Carl Leaburn.
However, is it just loss of form? Or something more sinister? Already we're getting the first Chinese whispering campaign. No idea how true it all is, but let's head it off anyway : if the players already don't want to play for us, then do us all a favour and fuck off. They've helped contribute to a season that's already ruined and I'm becoming more convinced they're only here for the money.
If they really don't think TB is up to it (as has been suggested a couple of times this week) why did they join/stay in the first place? Presumably they came to AFCW to soak up the adulation, play half-arsed each week, blame everyone but themselves when it ain't going so well and pick up (I presume) a nice little additional paycheque to boot. And we have a go at Chelmsford.
While I did feel some of the attachments to the CCL squad went a bit too far, at least they were shit-but-honest. These lot aren't shit, but I get the impression they're taking us for a ride. With the exception of Gayle, Frankie and to a lesser extent RB and JG, how many of these players would you consider heroes? How many of them can you count on to take things by the scruff of the neck right now and shake them till they bleed? In short, they got us into this mess, so how many of them will get us out of it?
In addition, I wonder how many people are going to bother putting themselves out to watch games in the near future? OK, we'll still more or less get decent crowds at KM, but away games could really slump regularly below the 500 mark. Even though we're paying under £10 for just about every game, it's still getting a bit of a wedge going to away games, and if the impression is that we'll be treated to a bunch of mercenaries "performing" why bother?
To me, the current sour mood isn't so much that we're playing badly, it's the very real feeling that we've been taken for mugs. And worryingly, I can't see it improving any time soon.
I suppose I'm quite glad we've got next weekend off from the RP. Whilst Cray clearly have to start as favourites, and while we can afford to go out of the FAC next Sunday, because it ain't our priority, it's a good distraction. It can either bring out the best in us or the worst (think that W&H pile of shit a couple of years ago). It might be a kick-start or it might be yet another illustration of how shit we are right now. One thing I can guarantee 110% right now, I'm happy my week won't be ruined by yet another so-called "performance"................
And while I don't really feel like continuing any further, I'm contractually obliged to, so I'll perform. Unlike our players....
Plus points: Well, we didn't lose.
Minus points: If you've read this far without twigging what I'll put in here, your ADD is even worse than the editor's.
The referee's a.........: Again, another referee who I can't really complain too much about. OK, he disallowed Graz's goal, but he did give us two penalties. Christ, we must really be shit if the guy in the middle gets an easy ride.
Them: I like Leyton. Dunno why, but they have a really hard time offending me. Even the fact their ground is probably one of the most trickiest to get to they just can't piss me off. I suppose I admire the way they get about 60 people normally yet somehow survive. They're not the best team in the division but might have actually caused us massive ructions if they were a bit better.
Point to ponder: Is there one right now that hasn't already been made? Apart from wondering just how long this will last? Perhaps Ramsgutter and the second half at Wealdstone were the real blips in the season? Clearly, we ain't allowing that to happen again.....
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Getting out at Leyton tube station, seeing people milling about in football garb and realising it wasn't for our match. One day, Orient's opponents will be us in a league fixture. Trouble is, that day is fast becoming one in 2110. (2) Actually, by the look of it, I might have been better off going into Brisbane Road instead. Mind you, the cheapest seat there was £20 - and they wonder why crowds are still low? Although putting it into context - £20 for a League One game involving the leading side, or £8 for a Ryman Premier game featuring two lowly outfits. There's something not quite right there. (3) Our first goal in the second half all season. And that was a penalty kick so it doesn't really count.
Anything else? Only to quote "This is the best five minutes since Ramsgutter" after we managed about 3 decent crosses (of course nobody got on the end of them). And people still think we haven't gone backwards.....
So, was it worth it? Of course it was. I got to see East London again.
In a nutshell: Champions in 2008/09 by the looks of things. In Ryman One.
5 September 2007
Originally, I wasn't
planning to do any sort of update for the Borehamwood pile of decomposing
camel shite game, but after a round trip of 4.5 hours travelling and a
"performance" that doesn't suggest but confirm abject doom, I just
have to put fingers to keyboard.
Make no mistake - we are fucked. And suddenly, my last report doesn't seem so OTT, eh? Keeping players in for two consecutive games afterwards hasn't worked. Making them watch the video of the Harrow game in an additional training session hasn't worked either. Before the final whistle yesterday, I said to the guy next to me "that's it, don't expect to see some of these players again". I'll doubtlessly be proved wrong on that score, but it seems like TB has finally seen enough.
Wonder what he means by fringe players though? Shroot? Goddard? People like Beckford? Let's face it, they couldn't do any worse. Last night, we saw a collection of players only united by the colour of their shirts and the collapse in confidence to score. Even if Webb had buried that penalty, somehow BW would have just got a second. True, we ran about a lot more, and we did try a bit better after Saturday (not as though that was difficult), but this XI hasn't got "it". To paraphrase a famous quote by an ex-goalie, we've nothing here. No passion, no committment, no skill, nothing. Just shit.
Back to TB's comments. He's obviously waiting for RB to get fit so he can finally drop Jolly. I don't know how long he'll put up with Webb, but clearly Jolly will be the first to be dropped. If he gets this new guy in (and by naming him publicly it certainly sets out a message of intent) then Webb might be looking for another place as well. I don't hate Webb, I don't think anyone does, but if he drops out at AFCW that's surely got to be it for him. He never lasts at any one place for long, and I think we're starting to see why.
It's quite blatant though that we've been badly let down. I can forgive a bad performance or two if we're starting to come together. But BW showed that it won't now. And probably not ever. If some of the underperformers are on nice juicy little contracts, bite the bullet and pay them off. Or at least scare the shit out of them - remove them from their comfort zone. It's clear that they just don't fancy the Ryman and we can do better.
And if it's true that some of them are openly questioning TB's competence, then they definitely have no place here. We all know about TB's record at Aldershot and Hayes, but it's common knowledge that he knew what our squad was like even before he applied for the AFCW job. I don't think Brown is as clueless as some would like to believe. Fuck knows what they do with some managers I've seen who just yell abuse all the time......
All in all, it's a pretty sobering time here right now. I don't think we've ever had to experience a total loss of form like this, and with bad results to boot. We've been due something like this for a good couple of years now, if not longer, although it still grates like fuck when it does happen. I expect Leyton to be the lowest crowd for an AFCW away game, because there are people openly saying they just can't be bothered without much signs of an improvement. While one will always reply "loyalty", I can see their point.
Make no mistake, if we play exactly the same XI as we have done for the past 2-3 games at Leyton, leave the stadium and ask for your money back. It was a bit of a disappointment to hear that the same failures started yesterday, although it did make sense - one more chance and all that. Right now, none of them can turn around and say they weren't given a chance. They have, and they blew it. At the end of the game, the body language said it all. TB just walked around them all as though we'd just been relegated, and somehow I sensed the players knew it. That's something I don't ever want to see from a Wimbledon team.
But there are no excuses now. Short of locking all of them in the slammer with a bunch of pyschotic homosexuals, nothing will sharpen this current crop up. I mentioned Shroot and Goddard earlier. Give them a go, give them a 4/5 game runout. Who knows, the confidence Shroot certainly has might rub off. We still have 108 points to play for, and right now we're likely to achieve 10.8 of them. What have we to lose?
See, this is where TB will now need to earn his full time salary. Recognising there's a problem is a start, dealing with it is another matter. If he does changes for Saturday and we put in a decent peformance (regardless of result, to a point anyway), the pressure is off a bit. Win, and it's even better. I'm really not trying to think about either another shit performance and/or a loss on Saturday. I certainly had a gut feeling that BW would suck (see last writeup), and I'm worried how right I got it.
I honestly can't predict what will happen on Saturday, because I genuinely don't know. I don't know if the players who played yesterday will finally realise what they're throwing away. I don't know who TB is planning to bring in, if anyone. I don't know whether it can get worse, or whether the last two games are our absolute rock bottom. I don't know whether the pressure/expectation is now off, or whether it's just got a lot worse (personally I sense the former). And most concerning of all, I don't know whether that's a bad thing or not.
Normal service may or may not be resumed soon. Though I suspect the Golden Goal organisers are now printing tickets with "March" on them............
1 September 2007
DONS IN CRISIS - SW19 SPECIAL
ANGRY DONS FANS vented their frustration at their team following a shocking 2-1 reverse at home to bottom side Harrow Borough. Fuming supporters of the pre-season favourites saw their team collapse to just one point in three games. Under-pressure Dons boss Terry Brown saw his side booed off despite Jake Leberl's ninth minute effort and the home league debut of fan favourite Marcus Gayle.
SW19 gauged reaction of the fans after the poor performance:
"That wasn't poor, that wasn't all right,
that was fucking shit" - CUNW, Colliers Wood
"I want my money back" - TBBM, South London
"Bring back Dave Anderson" - RD, Morden
"Have you got change for £20?" - some bloke SW19 met in the car park.
SO WHAT HAS gone wrong for the bookies' promotion tips already? SW19's Chief football writer REPD puts the boot into the crisis-ridden South London outfit.....
Look, I'm a journo by trade, and
it's part of my job description to make even a mild disagreement sound like
the imminent threat of nuclear war. Ask Martin Jol.
Actually, I don't think I can describe that today. Seriously, I can't. If it happened once in a while, then OK, these things happen. Christ, I was there for games like 7-1 against Villa. But when you lose to the team at the bottom of the table and playing like complete rancid shite as well, that's just taking the piss. Especially after our recent "performances".
I'm glad we didn't equalise, because that would have just hidden the very deep seated problems we have right now. First things first - TB is going to stay, and let's face it he's going to be the last one out of his ear right now. But if there are any players who don't want to be playing for AFCW right now, they can fuck off. Seriously, just fuck off.
We are not a team. We are a collection of 11 individual players. Webb ain't cutting it and neither is Jolly. And if it's true that Jolly did stick his fingers in his ears when TB called out instructions to him we should pay him off and tell him to get fucked. We don't need that sort of attitude about. He certainly hasn't earnt his money this season.
It seems that everyone's brought into the pre-season hype, including some of our players. Not so easy now, is it? Let's face it, KM is an easy venue for away teams to go to at the moment. Just turn up, weather the initial storm (and even today we started off brightly) and that's 50% of the result achieved already. We lose heart, we panic, our crowd go quiet and all of a sudden Fortress Kingsmeadow becomes Center Parcs Kingsmeadow, where visitors have the time of their lives. They know it, and by fuck we know it as well
Why's it all gone to shit so quickly? I'm told that we were the canine's testicles for Ramsgutter, and now I'm believing they're all feeding me bollocks. I don't have a ST this season, but I can imagine those who did buy them on the strength of the Revolution feeling very, very cheated right now. Wonder who'll be the first new purchaser of a ST to return it?
Let's not kid ourselves about honeymoons, and still gelling. We have gone backwards. Perhaps we should have saved some money and kept DA in the summer? At least we didn't lose these sort of games under him. Did TB change too much of the squad in the beginning? Back when we lost to Bromley in the playoffs there was a feeling that we just needed to go that one step further. Right now, we've gone three steps backwards and continuing to reverse very, very quickly............
If we beat Boreham Wood on Tuesday, we should be awarded the performance of the season, because there no way our absolute shit collection of players is capable of winning anything right now. Can't win tackles, can't win games, christ they couldn't even win a tombola if they'd bought all the tickets.
But we won't beat Boreham Wood. Today we were supposed to make that big comeback and of course we know the rest. Last week at ETU, I thought that we'd get it out of our system by Staines. After Staines I thought that we'd get on track by 4.45pm by the next game. Christ, I even had the opening paragraph planned out for today. "Ah, that's more like it. Bow 4 Harrow 0 and suddenly all looks well again". Somehow, I feel worse for typing that.
Promotion? Forget it. Phone up Chelmsford and Billy Rickay now and just concede the title. Save our energy for the inevitable relegation battle. Except that we lost to the team at the bottom of the table today. Sorry to bold that sentence again, I keep doing it today. Can't think why. What's the record for lowest points ever gained in the RP? After today, I'm sure we'll make a damn good attempt at it.
No, I'm not over-reacting. Not much anyway. But let's face it, this was shit. DA got slaughtered for better performances than this, so TB can thank himself lucky right now he's still in his honeymoon period. Though any more so-called "performances" and he might be looking for a new job before October. He kept the players behind a long time on Monday, and reportedly kept them behind till at least gone after 6pm today. Obviously, it's not having any effect.
Could TB turn out to be an expensive mistake? After all, there was massive hype surrounding him and his track record speaks for itself, but are we finding out painfully that there's no guarantees in football? Could it be - and dare I say it - that he might not have been the right man for the job after all? No, I'm still not over-reacting. But I'll be honest - with the exception of the second half at Wealdstone, all the games I've seen this season have disappointed me, and I can't pretend otherwise any longer.
And I'll be honest here, and call me a cunt for thinking it, right now I feel a bit conned. I didn't expect it to gel immediately, but I also don't expect to lose to the team at the bottom of the table (that bloody bold tic I have right now) and in such a meek way either.
I distinctly remember asking the individual next to me during the second half if anything had happened 15 minutes in. I think that's when it struck me how badly we were playing. OK, top teams can and do play badly first half, but usually they come good in the second half. Granted, there was a real buzz when Marcus Gayle came on, and maybe for about 5 minutes we really were going to make that comeback. But the longer it went on, the less likely we were going to retaliate. And perhaps the boos at the end might mean I'm not the only one feeling a tad done over right now............
Anyway, inwards and upwards. Maybe.
Plus points: At least Franchise lost. Scoring immediately after their first goal.
Minus points: If you think that I'm going to repeat everything that was wrong today, you can fuck right off.
The referee's a.........: I can't even blame him for anything, as despite occasionally missing a lino's flag he did pretty well.
Them: Be fair to them, it was two great strikes of theirs, and although they were the team at the bottom of the table (here I go again) they were probably more likely to win. Even though they weren't that good, which makes today even worse. Did try the old timewasting ploy though towards the end though - they should have just asked Fergie to cross it from the flanks, it would have had the same effect.
Point to ponder: When did we last see a result that bad? Certainly in the AFCW era this has to be up there. I can remember some outright shite at times - the draws last season (and boy, don't they seem like a golden era right now), collapsing at AFC Wallingford in our first season. But really, I'm struggling to think of an equivalent since 2002. The way the result just made everyone so, well, numb. I suppose it's really THAT Sheffield Wednesday Selhurst game in our last Prem season that can be held up as a comparison.
Back then, we knew we were finished. It was our must-win game and we lost it (although I personally felt much worse after the Bradford away game of the same year). Today, I think the realisation that we aren't good enough at this very moment dawned on us. We should be a lot better but we aren't. Previously, we could tolerate shit games because we knew we would bounce back the next time. Right now, you can't see us doing that. Right now, you just expect another good opening 20 minutes at BW without scoring, us losing our way, a defensive fuckup and then chasing the rest of the game. We might come away with a point, but you can just sense it. Be honest, I'm not far wrong am I?
Oh, and as an aside - the last time we saw massively raised expectations a la TB coming in at the season's start was Drillo back in 1999.
Truth is stranger than fiction: I mentioned how numb everyone was afterwards. Seriously, I have never seen people so gobsmacked, so shell shocked afterwards. I wrote "stunned" in my notes but I don't think that conveys it. Even the boos at the end were stifled through disbelief. Maybe we've reached the nadir now, although I certainly don't feel that way right now.
Anything else? Yeah, Marcus Gayle. True, he looked 36 years old, and his best days are clearly behind him. But with the possible exception of Jamie Lawrence, he was still clearly head and shoulders above everyone else on that pitch. He won headers, he knew what to do with the ball. It clearly illustrated the immense gap between a typical non-league player and one that has played in the Premiership, SPL and for his country. Perhaps if we'd played better all round we might have given him the result he deserved?
In a nutshell: Losing to the team at the bottom of the table. And no, I can't be fucked to apologise for bolding it this time.